CHAPLAINCY AT ST. STEPHENS HOSPITAL, HERVEY BAY
Imagine a ministry that journeys with people who are searching for
meaning in their lives.
Imagine a ministry that gets to the heart, soul and mind of what it
means to be physically, emotionally and spiritually human.
Imagine a ministry where you are invited to share in life’s most sacred events of birth, illness,
healing, dying, and death. And in those events bring hope, dignity, integrity, peace, and
reconciliation.
Imagine a ministry where you develop relationships with patients, relatives and healthcare
workers, from cleaners to doctors and have the opportunity to express a contemporary,
inclusive, creative understanding of the Gospel imperative.
This is the world of hospital chaplaincy. Exciting, diverse, on the edge, Spirit filled, and
mission driven, often to people who have little experience of church.
The opportunity that UnitingCare Health is currently offering is half-time Chaplain/Pastoral
Care Manager to St. Stephens Hospital, Hervey Bay.
This is an exciting ministry opportunity that is diverse, on the edge, Spirit filled, and mission
driven. The successful applicant will be a member of a dynamic ecumenical pastoral care
team, and will minister within the Values of UnitingCare Health.
The Chaplain will offer professional, compassionate, confidential support to anyone who
comes to the hospital , whether patient, family member or staff, working ecumenically and
across all faith traditions.
Chaplaincy is at the very coal face of ministry and requires the very best we have to offer as
a church, so if you have a heart for God’s people, have experience in healthcare or other
chaplaincy, and a passion for God’s work in the world then this might well be God’s place
for you…
Rev. Helen V Dick
Director of Mission, UnitingCare Health
From a UnitingCare Health Chaplain:
“Passionate staff, managers and coffee makers alike, patients, family members make any day rewarding,
challenging, sad and happy, but never mediocre
Personalities keep me on my toes! Stories are told, tears are shed
Patients die, tears are shed, staff suffer, coffee is drunk, tears are shed
Unexpected deaths at 1am shatter the sleep and I support where I can
Staff care, I care, we care together for patients
We watch over families, we care for each other
Hospital life is charged, black and white, never dull
Chaplaincy has its life in people - I share God’s love with them all.”
Compassion: Respect: Justice: Working Together: Leading through Learning
As part of UnitingCare Health, St Stephen’s Hospital is a not-for-profit private health care
provider owned by the Uniting Church, and is the only not-for-profit provider of private
hospital services on the Fraser Coast.
UnitingCare Health also includes The Wesley Hospital and St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital
in Brisbane and The Sunshine Coast Private Hospital in Buderim and is therefore a significant
provider of health care services in Queensland.
St. Stephen’s Hospital, Maryborough was acquired by St
Stephen’s Presbyterian Church in 1946 and became part of
UnitingCare Health in 2000. As part of the organisation’s
commitment to the Fraser Coast region, a day hospital was
opened in Hervey Bay in 2006 and Australia’s first fully integrated
digital hospital will be opened there in October 2014. This state-of-the-art ‘hospital of the
future’ will be supported by the Australian Government’s Health and Hospitals Fund, which is
providing $47 million towards the estimated $87.5 million construction and eHealth costs. The
hospital will show patients and clinicians how technology can transform the healthcare
experience while maintaining the same standards of compassionate person-centred care
that have been the hallmark of St. Stephen’s Hospital, Maryborough.
Facilities and services
Stage one of the St Stephen’s Hospital in Hervey Bay includes 96 inpatient beds, with 6 renal
dialysis chairs and 6 day oncology chairs. This will be expanded to 132 inpatient beds, with
an additional 180 beds in stage two. The hospital will provide vital medical and surgical
services and an unparalleled model of patient care, bringing a wide range of benefits to the
region.
Pastoral Care
St Stephen’s Hospital will have a pastoral care team comprising of the Chaplain/Pastoral
Care Manager, chaplains from other churches in the community, volunteers and
representatives of faith groups. This team of people will seek to respond to the religious,
spiritual and pastoral needs of our patients, their families and our staff. Pastoral care will be
offered to people of all faiths and none.
Our Pastoral Care team will work to:
 provide a safe and supportive environment
 listen with respect to people’s stories
 offer support, compassion and understanding
 assist patients and their families to connect with and draw upon their own inner
resources
 respond to people’s specific religious needs
 offer prayer and the sacraments of the Church when required
Chapel
Our hospital in Hervey Bay offers a beautiful and serene chapel located within close
proximity to the nursing wards. This chapel opens out on to a courtyard, and the space will
be used for activities associated with the chapel. It is intended for this courtyard to be a
quiet reflective space, that promotes healing and peace.
Compassion: Respect: Justice: Working Together: Leading through Learning