Homily – Sunday 29
May 2016 – West Dean Parish Church –
Team Service to
Celebrate 150 Years of Reader Ministry
My colleague
Debbie has already spoken to you about the history of Reader ministry, how it
started, how it developed and how it impacts on church life today. I would like to continue that theme with
saying just a little about other areas of ministry and in particular those
outside of the parish church environment – and in particular pastoral work and
chaplaincy.
As well as
being licensed as a Lay Minister in the Salisbury Diocese, I have also put my
skills to use as an employment lawyer for that wonderful Christian charity,
Alabare Christian Care and Support, by serving on one of their management
committees. Having been so impressed by
the work of the charity at the top level I felt a call to become more involved
at the “coal face” using the skills and training received as a lay minister and
so offered myself as a chaplain at Alabare Place in the centre of Salisbury,
which houses some 33 homeless people and runs a drop-in centre for those still
on the streets or those who have moved on but still need the love and support
of a community. It is immensely rewarding
and has made me realise that many who become homeless very often find
themselves in difficulty through circumstances which are not necessarily of
their own making. Addiction and mental illness, for example, can devastate
people and their families.
Jesus said
that he had come for the poor and sick (Mark 2:17); that the healthy do not
need a physician. We read in the New Testament how he healed many both
physically and spiritually and gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples (which
includes us) to carry on this work after his Ascension. It is my strong belief that the church has an
immense role to play in the community at large and it is so pleasing to see
that places such as here in West Dean, are engaging so well with the
community. The role of ministers of all
types, not only ordained, and I include all lay workers, lay pastoral
assistants and lay worship leaders, is to spread the gospel of our Lord by
being as much like Jesus as our gifts can support. James said “But someone will say ‘You have faith and I have works’.
Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my
works.”
Chaplaincy is one of the richest of
ministries. It doesn’t require
ordination or lengthy theological training but it does require people who are
steeped in their Faith and who are good listeners. In a recent survey conducted by Alabare
amongst its service users one of the most popular answers to the question “What
makes for a fulfilling life” was “To be listened to and respected”. It wasn’t about having lots of material
things, although a few said it might help! It was simply to be treated as
though the person mattered, important enough to be listened to and given an
opportunity to be understood.
I chose to be a chaplain amongst the
homeless and the veterans – working within a charity local to us here in
Salisbury and which I admire greatly and for whom I already worked. But there
are many further opportunities to provide pastoral care within our communities.
Chaplains will be found in schools, factories, prisons, hospitals, hospices,
courts, football clubs and many other places associated beyond church. As
Christians we are all called upon to minister to the people. The church (with a small “c” – not the
building but the community of Christian believers) can be a place where
transformation can begin. Lay pastoral
assistants, for example, are to be greatly admired. They quietly go around the community doing
God’s work by helping, supporting and sometimes just listening to others in
need or lonely. In this busy world, made
even busier by lots of new technology, it cannot be denied that there are vast
numbers of people, especially the elderly who are very lonely. A visit, a chat, can make an immense
difference to their lives.
A great example of chaplaincy within
the community is an organisation called Anna Chaplaincy for Older People
providing pastoral care to the elderly.
An Anna Chaplain to Older People offers hope
of transformation through a blend of friendship and intensive listening, and by
sharing the gospel when appropriate. By hearing and reflecting back to people
the stories of their life, and their memories, individuals can be helped to
make sense of their identity - past, present and future.
A bereavement counsellor has said :
“It is such a privilege
to be trusted, and you are trusted. People will tell you things, trust you with
things; pearls of wisdom which stay with you, and you think about them. You get
so much love from people. You get so much love back. So it's not all
altruistic. Not by any means.”
This statement can be
replicated for all forms of lay ministry – whether it’s preaching as a Reader
or welcoming people at the door of the church or serving coffee on Sunday
mornings.
St. Francis of Assisi is
credited as having said
“Preach the gospel always and only if necessary use
words”.
As Christians we are
called upon to love our neighbours as ourselves – the Second Great Commandment
left to us by Jesus. We can do this no
better than by serving others, listening to others, supporting others and
preaching the gospel by the way we live our lives and show our love for those
around us in our community. Then our
church will become the great transforming body God wants it to be.
Amen
MFB/79/26052016
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