Workplace chaplaincy

Work is a place to use our talents and skills, and for our ministry – be that paid employment, voluntary work or in the home. It is how things get done, how we sustain our lives and one of the ways in which we affirm ourselves and socialise. From church-founded universities, pastoral support for the armed forces to the foundation documents of the National Health Service and the legal requirement for chaplains in prisons, a pattern has been set for chaplaincy to expand into a wide range of workplaces and workforces:

The public sector including police and fire services and the courts
education
farmers
manufacturing
town centres
football teams
individual shops and businesses.

‘hidden’ workplaces in our parishes:

home-based care
people looking after their own homes and loved ones and, perhaps, the community around them
small businesses and the self-employed
working from home
virtual workplaces.
The Industrial Mission Association links over 300 chaplaincy practitioners.

Defining chaplaincy and the work of a chaplain can be difficult. Mark Newitt, in Being a Chaplain, describes it as ‘accompanying people through times of transition’. It’s also often referred to as ‘loitering with intent.’

Reaching out, being alongside people, creating community and witnessing to the kingdom values of peace, justice and love are all part of workplace chaplaincy. It can support facing the big questions about what it is to be a good community, individual, human being and helping people to deal with faith, spirituality, religion and worship.

Chaplaincy can be a safe space and have sacramental aspects. Tough times of stress, shock, and grief, easier times and joys, are shared. Tentative confessions are made as people search for guidance in being that good individual, human being, in their personal life, and in that community.

How do we communicate this value?
How can faith groups positively engage and share?

Join us in exploring these questions at the Chaplaincy Conference – details on our events page

Rev’d Paula Spalding
CWC Trustee

Have you seen the animated children’s film Antz? It’s a 1998 release with the tagline ‘See the whole world from a different perspective, which I watched with my younger son. I don’t remember a great deal about the story, but have an abiding memory of the closing shot, which draws out from the scene of the action to show that it is a tiny ant colony in New York City’s Central Park.

The big picture can often look imposing, magnificent, beautiful, thriving even, but if we do look from a different perspective – that of a seemingly tiny insignificant part of it – the reality can be very different. Like many, I was recently struck by the message of the ’50 Faces’ exhibition at Ely Cathedral, displayed by the charity Friends of the Holy Land, which gives hope to vulnerable Christians at a time of great devastation for their communities across the West Bank. The reality expressed in the quoted interviews, the emotions and experience etched into the faces on the accompanying photographs stay on the mind and touch the heart. When the big picture seems far too much for us to deal with, focussing on the individual(s) involved brings a sense of the lived reality and a direction for our thoughts, prayers and actions.

This had been echoed in my recent reading of The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan, the true story of a friendship that survives four decades of the world’s bitterest conflict. It is a hopeful book giving an informed take on the human story behind the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The friendship is unlikely and difficult, but because of an extraordinary willingness to meet and to open minds, it is possible. The person who recommended The Lemon Tree to me, also suggested reading Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. A totally different read, which I’m still exploring, it’s the moving and remarkable story of one of the greatest ecological discoveries of our time – uncovering the wisdom and intelligence of the forest, the way that trees not only ‘talk’ but co-operate. I have been particularly struck by the author’s realisation that science often misses synergy, and that a reductionist science can lead us to simplify our societies and ecosystems with devastating results. Much of her research work has been conducted below ground, looking at root systems and the intertwining fungal network. So much that is vitally important, hidden from view.

Relational. That’s the thread for me through all of these thoughts. We cannot thrive in isolation. And our relationships are better for being deeper – looking from a different perspective to truly share in the lived reality of those we meet.

As chaplains, we hope to touch as many lives as possible each day, in all we say,
pray, and do. We know that every face has a story to tell, that the lived reality does not always match the outward facing picture. My grateful thanks and prayers to each of you as you seek to look deeper and see the world from each person’s different perspective.

Rev’d Paula Spalding
Trustee

Recently, our chaplaincy team, spent a rare and precious ‘Quiet Day’ at
 House, Little Gidding, a retreat centre based deep in Cambridgeshire countryside. We all came,seeking peace and God’s presence, away from the demands of work and an opportunity to spend time alone in stillness and time together. We were blessed by a day of glorious sunshine and the wonderful gardens of Ferrar House with trees for shade and a private space for each of us to reflect and just be. Little Gidding was made famous by T. S. Eliot in his Four Quartets of which Little Gidding is the final poem. The poem explores ‘themes of time, history, spiritual renewal and the intersection of the timeless with the present moment.’ Little Gidding can be described as a ‘thin place’, where the veil between earth and heaven, the physical and spiritual seems permeable.

I certainly found it to be so. At the end of the day, we reflected on what the stillness and the day itself meant to us all in the context of our work. As chaplains, we can be, in the words of T. S. Eliot, the ‘still centre of the turning world’ for those we encounter in all the settings in which we work. Amid noise and turbulence, we can provide a point of connection with something greater than ourselves. We can and do create the ‘thin place’ where people can find within themselves a centre of peace and spiritual connection.

We reflected too that to be that still centre for others we must first find our own centre of stillness, shutting out the noise around us and our own inner turmoil. That is not always easy in our work contexts. Away from the tranquillity of a retreat centre such as Ferrar House and the demands of work we need to find other sources of spiritual renewal. These will be different for each of us and can include meditation, prayer, journaling and being in nature to name just a few. Finding time to  these things should not be seen as a luxury but as essential to our chaplaincy.

And most important of all, we need to create space to connect with one another. Cambridgeshire Workplace Chaplaincy provides a point of connection and support for all Chaplains.

Do stay in touch.
http://www.cambsworkplacechaplaincy.co.uk
http://www.ferrarhouse.co.uk
T. S. Eliot. The Four Quartets.

Mary Hanna
Trustee. CWC.

By Alastair Reid

As I write, looking out over a valley in the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and watching the many species of birds on the bird table just outside, (as you will have surmised, I’m on holiday), I’m astonished to see I have a much better mobile phone signal than I do at home in Cambridgeshire.  My first observation is that access to technology is a major demand of our lives, hopefully not more valuable than appreciating the views, peace and privilege of being able to take leave and to be able to afford to travel and stay somewhere. 
My second, is that the measure of time has changed, there now seems to be thirty-six hours, rather than fourteen in the day and this just after two days.

The bird’s activity could be seen as a microcosm of our lives, needs, demands and satisfaction, the bird table has many feeding stations, it is well stocked yet they squabble. The young sit close by, even though they are perfectly capable of feeding themselves their parents have to bring them their food.  

This brought me onto thoughts of dependence and interdependence.  No matter how independent we think we are, we are dependent. I’d never thought about how much of my life simply couldn’t happen without these dependent interactions, this, these and that, ( if you get my drift) and what is almost shocking is the extent, depth and range of these dependencies, and I think of myself as independent. 

Dependency and Interconnectedness are exquisitely linked.  John Donne, a notably complex individual, (how did he understand so much about humanity), expressed this well in his thought, ‘none of us are an island, entire of themselves, everyone being part of the continent, being part of the main’, (excuse the revision of the words for the purpose of this discussion). He was of course arguing the case for the interconnectedness of all people with God; however, the thought firmly applies to interconnectedness between us and our today necessary and voluntary interactions. 


A significant element about dependence and interdependence is support.  Everyone needs this, no matter how independent we may think we are. Support takes many forms, help with exams, directions to the station, a bit of cash to see someone through, comfort whilst ill, the list is endless. Our societies have survived and grown because of learning how to work together and support each other, from earliest times, evidenced noticeably in areas such as where I’m staying where there are many Neolithic sites, some in the most beautiful and inhospitable locations. 

In our modern (so called) way of life, support is as important as ever. Destitution, health, disability, other critical impacts need the provision of resources. It should be a given that these resources are available, but as we know they can be difficult, if not impossible, to access. Our Cambridgeshire Chaplains, (as they are throughout the UK), are an important part of this resource structure.  

That’s why we at CWC think it important to promote the benefits of Chaplaincy in all its manifestations, to support Chaplains and find ways to reach out to individuals seeking a Chaplain. 

Alastair Reid – Chair CWC

Sometimes numbers can be very disturbing.  Consider these……..
“There were 6,069 suicides registered in England and Wales (11.4 deaths per 100,000 people) in 2023; this is an increase compared with 2022 (10.7 deaths per 100,000, or 5,642 deaths) and the highest rate seen since 1999.
The suicide rate for males in England and Wales increased to 17.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2023, from 16.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2022; this is the highest rate for males since 1999.
The suicide rate for females in England and Wales increased to 5.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2023, from 5.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2022; this is the highest rate for females since 1994.
The age-specific suicide rate was highest for males aged 45 to 49 years (25.5 deaths per 100,000), and for females aged 50 to 54 years (9.2 deaths per 100,000).
(https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2023)”

How do you respond to the above? I felt shocked.  I wondered what could be behind the numbers, especially the increases. And, in quite a deep way, I wished I had not come across them.  I didn’t want to think about them. Something in me wanted to turn away from them.  I suspect I am not alone in that sort of reaction.  Denial is quite a common response to unpleasant things.  Even if they are not happening directly to us, we can feel disturbed, unsettled, even frightened by them.  Better not to notice.  Better to ignore any signs of problems.  Better to look the other way.

I have a concern that this is the sort of thing that may be happening in the workplace, especially as home working can make that quite a lonely place. The experience I have had of working with actual or potential suicides underlines two things.

There’s a need to notice what’s happening with someone.  What stresses they are under?  What losses they have sustained? Someone needs to do that.

There’s a need to listen, to gain a hearing where what’s noticed is concerning.  Someone needs to do that. And I wonder if that someone could be a “chaplain”; someone actually looking to notice and listen.  These are, after all, what chaplains usually do.  A boss may not have the time and colleagues have their own issues to manage. Noticing and listening are key “chaplaincy functions”.  They may not appear very active or obvious, but they can be vital.  If you are a chaplain and worry about your effectiveness, then, if you are noticing and listening you are doing your job.  If you are in a workplace, do you have someone doing these things?  And…..could you help find someone to do them for your workplace?  Of course, they may be a lot more to helping someone with suicidal thoughts, but it is a start!  The numbers indicate it is needed

The phrase ‘the importance of listening’ in the information about the recent Open Afternoon offered by the Margaret Beaufort Institute, brought to mind a conversation about lighter mornings and increasing amounts of sunshine now bringing early birdsong into consciousness as we wake: green finch, great tit, robin, and others.  Now, I can identify the distinctive call of the great tit, which sounds like a bicycle pump, but not many others.  What I hear is a generally pleasant sound of birdsong heralding the day, which lifts my spirits with its promise of spring.
And, of course, birdsong was one of the things people noticed and enjoyed as we went into the first Covid lockdown five years ago on 23 March.  In the midst of our world being turned upside down, being separated from our families, friends, colleagues, usual routines and occupations, we sought out signs of hope.
We listened to news bulletins, pronouncements, TV addresses, and Press briefings; to radio broadcasts from presenters’ home, kitchen discos, Queen Elizabeth II’s address in April – and again to her Christmas Day broadcast – virtual church services, video calls, and online meetings, appeals to ‘Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Stay Safe’, then, eventually, calls to ‘Eat out to Help Out’ and, thankfully, to make appointments to be vaccinated.
The messages we heard as we listened were different on occasions, depending on how we were feeling at any given time.  Sometimes it was difficult to hear the hope within the gloom.  As with birdsong, we had to listen hard to distinguish the detail, and it got lost sometimes.
The full impact of the Covid pandemic may not be known for many years, and many voices are being listened to during the ongoing enquiry.  That takes me back to that Open Afternoon information and another phrase, ‘not to be heard is not to be’.  Chaplaincy is a place of listening, listening to detail, and hearing what is really being said, so that people can be.

April 2025