Being a chaplain
Fred Ashmore discusses the possibilities of chaplaincy
We are all familiar with the idea of a prison chaplain, or one working in a hospital, a hospice, a school or a university – but a sports team or a club, or even an offshore oil installation?
Ben Ryan, of Theos, was the keynote speaker at a conference held at Friends House on 17 February in London on ‘Being and Becoming a Quaker chaplain’. He kicked off with a slide that listed fifty different chaplaincy environments and types and showed those present that the possibilities are endless. Ben explained that sports chaplains are one of the best-organised groups, and so are police chaplains. There are tens of thousands of chaplains working all over the UK, dominated numerically by volunteers, all short of time and resources one guesses, probably all striving to nurture and console stressed and suffering people.
The day was framed to gather established Quaker chaplains from around London, and to offer a chance for those who are interested in becoming a chaplain to meet those who are doing it. Friends came from far afield. Wrexham and Dorset are hardly in the London region, and we like visitors and fifty or so gathered in the Sarah Fell Room. It was set up cabaret style, which might have had George Fox rotating quietly in his grave!
Ben Ryan is the author of a well-regarded report on modern chaplaincy, A Very Modern Ministry: Chaplaincy in the UK. He gave us a overview of the subject, full of facts and figures and some valuable insights into what this might mean for us. Did you know that having a chaplain associated with a GP surgery can demonstrably increase the feeling of wellbeing of the patients – and reduce the demand on the doctors? It seems, once you’ve heard it, mildly obvious. Patients want to feel better; not being carefully heard may be at the root of feeling ill. I grinned at his wry comment about LSE. The university has built a sparkling new chaplaincy because the market (potential students) demands it. We might think of it as coming from a religious stance on the ministry of listening, but other views are clearly possible – as long as it works.
One of the insights I gained was learning about the ‘multilingual’ skills of a good chaplain. The chaplain has to understand the language of faith of those who come for help, but also the working language of those who run the organisation and the language that the community uses.
The conference scattered into breakout groups in the morning and afternoon, discussing some of the themes of interest to Quaker chaplains and would-be chaplains. These groups talked about restorative justice in modern practice, exploring Quaker healthcare chaplaincy practice, working as part of a multi-faith team in prison, university chaplaincy and how it works and – neglected but important – holding oneself in the Light. The common remark I heard among those coming out was, ‘goodness, that was so interesting’.
The day felt very spiritual, which probably reflects an audience of deeply engaged Friends thinking about a subject of great importance and potential. I wondered at times whether enough of us practice as chaplains, consciously or otherwise, through deeply attentive listening and presence.
At the end of the day Alistair Fuller of Quaker Life pulled the threads together. For me, this was a tour de force, capturing a rich range of ideas and perceptions from a day full of worshipful thought. I hope it may lead him and others to further thinking and writing about where this might lead us together. I valued his comment that chaplains must be both emotionally and culturally articulate, flexible and multilingual.
A closing comment from the day:
That which is spiritual uplifts, makes whole, connects. You may need to be religious occasionally.
A closing thought from the day:
What shall we do next?
