What is a community chaplain?
I’ve been working as an Anglicare Community Chaplain in Bellambi for two weeks now. The main question that people ask me is: “What exactly is a community chaplain?” This is a great question! Unlike hospital or school chaplaincy, community chaplaincy is a little harder to define, due to its broad scope. In fact, having met the eight other community chaplains across the Sydney diocese, I’ve been amazed to hear how God is using them in such diverse ways to love and serve their unique communities.
Anglicare defines a community chaplain as:
Somebody set aside for generous kindness and gospel friendship with the marginalised, to point them to Jesus and into church community.
Community chaplaincy can be slow and messy, but it provides opportunities to meet and love those who might have barriers to coming to church or hearing the gospel. As a community chaplain, I have the privilege of getting to know some of the most vulnerable and marginalised in our community. I am prayerfully seeking to love people in practical ways and by sharing the life-giving gospel message with them. We pray that many from our community might meet Jesus and connect with our church family. It truly enriches our church family when we can gather together with people from all walks of life to praise God and serve each other with the unique gifts God has given each of us to use to serve him.
Rather than being driven by structures and programs, my schedule is determined by following ‘relational seams’ (a bit like prospecting for opportunities God gives for building relationships). I’m prayerfully seeking to build relationships with people by spending time with people in community spaces and activities such as:
– Teaching SRE and volunteering at Bellambi Public School
– Volunteering at the Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre
– Meeting with women living in Anglicare safe and affordable housing in Corrimal
– Spending time with people at the Anglicare Community Pantry at Corrimal
Part of my role will also involve working closely with Anglicare to better define and articulate the core elements of community chaplaincy so this ministry model can be replicated in more contexts. Our goal is to see more community chaplains serving more marginalised communities across Sydney and the Illawarra in the future.
As I better understand what community chaplaincy is, I’m struck by Jesus’ interaction with his disciples in Mark chapter 10. When James and John ask to be given places of honour in heaven, this is how Jesus replies:
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:42-45
Every time I read this passage, I find Jesus’ teaching both comforting and challenging. It is comforting because Jesus came, not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many – for us! Wow! It is challenging, because as Christians, Jesus calls us to follow him and to be servants of all people, pointing them to salvation in him. This can be hard sometimes. As sinful humans, we can find it difficult or even scary to love and serve people who are different to us or people who are difficult to love. I pray that this partnership between Anglicare and St Michael’s might help us to better love and serve the vulnerable and marginalised in our community.
Please pray with me that God would use this partnership to bring many people to salvation in Christ and to glorify his name.
Jess
Anglicare Community Chaplain in Bellambi
To learn more, and for stories of Anglicare’s community chaplaincy in action, you may like to watch the following videos:
