Keeping Chaplaincy links during the 'new normal'

Adrian Prior-Sankey • October 5, 2020

Adrian Prior-Sankey reflects on keeping Chaplaincy links during the 'new normal'

Even in normal times chaplains don’t wait for people to come to them, but in lockdown and the current mixed bag of contact opportunities, how should chaplains seek to make themselves available?

I have the privilege of providing chaplaincy support in a number of spheres:

As a police chaplain I found myself barred from the police station and sought occasional opportunities to chat with officers out and about in town but as things have eased I’ve been able to deliver quantities of my wife’s yummy bread pudding and other delicious treats. The brief encounters have all been productive.

Chaplains who get alongside veterans found it frustrating that they couldn’t offer pastoral support and leadership for the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War Two. I am the local Royal British Legion chaplain and discovered that veterans were willing to chat whilst taking exercise in the park. The local council kindly invited me to record comments and prayers for VE Day and Armed Forces Flag raising week and enabled one of our team members to officiate at a restricted attendance event for VJ Day. I enjoyed the company of just less than 30 veterans who met at the Golf Club to hold their own act of commemoration.

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office has some 800 employees, most of whom have been home working so, with the office out of bounds, opportunity to interact have been negligible. However the enterprising members of the Christian Fellowship have continued to hold a weekly Bible Study and dialled me into their call. This meant I could keep abreast of the news and changes taking place. The HR team kindly put my contact details in their electronic staff bulletin.

The most rewarding chaplaincy link has been with the young people of the Sea Cadet Corps. A crash course in the use of ‘zoom’ saw me leading a weekly on-line meeting for the 10-12 year old age group trying desperately to make it different from their schooling and exciting enough to keep them attending week after week. I discovered some fascinating resources which resulted in spotting real-time shipping movements around the world then focusing in to see some of the vessels as they entered harbours with live webcams. You’ll have to talk to me in person to find out how you can make an elephant (and many other things) from discarded plastic milk containers!

The unusual methods of engagement have not been without their challenges but all have helped individuals share to a greater or lesser level about their own issues during the crisis. The warmth of their greeting is testimony to the esteem in which chaplains are held and appreciated.

Our latest initiative is to reinforce the message of our availability to those who we still can’t greet face to face. The leaflet is being sent to staff notice boards and newsletter editors to get our phone number and email address out there.

Adrian Prior-Sankey

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