Chaplaincy
Everywhere
•for your community
•sent by your Church
•something you can do
Experiences of Chaplaincy
• What comes to mind when you hear
the word “chaplaincy”?
• What do chaplains do?
• Have you ever been visited by a
chaplain?
Experiences of Chaplaincy
• What comes to mind when you hear
the word “chaplaincy”?
• What do chaplains do?
• Have you ever been visited by a
chaplain?
Click on link for:
Chaplaincy Everywhere Film
(must be online)
What do you see
in this picture
from the
Chaplaincy
Everywhere
Exhibition?
Describe what
you think is
happening
Knock, knock
I knock on the door and slide into the room.
You look at me from your bed,
wondering who I am.
I look at you and smile,
hoping to appear calm and friendly.
I explain who I am.
You look wary, but do not tell me to go away.
I ask if I can sit down. ‘How has your day been?’ You tell me.
And from this small beginning a plant begins to grow.
As you talk and I listen, we water the plant.
We never mention ‘God’ –
but He is the one who makes the plant to grow.
Bob Whorton - Hospice chaplain
A prison chaplain
stands with one
foot inside the
prison and one
foot outside.
Chaplains always
stand in two
places – in the
Church and
outside of it.
The Cloak of Chaplaincy
Once upon a time, on
a bitterly cold night, a Roman
soldier called Martin saw a
scantily clad beggar huddled by a wall. Seeing
his need, Martin cut his military cloak in half
and shared it; the cloak was called a capella.
That night, Martin dreamed of Jesus wearing
the half-cloak he had given away saying “here
is Martin, the Roman soldier; he has clad me.”
St Martin of Tours became known as the first
capellanus or chaplain…
The Cloak of Chaplaincy
After his ordination, Martin was
commissioned to work away from church
buildings in places where people were in
special need. Buildings created for this
special work were known as chapels after the
capella Martin cut and gave a away.
The story of St Martin of Tours has all the
qualities of a legend. No one knows precisely
what happened that night by the gates of the
city of Amiens, nevertheless, the story of the
shared cloak gets right to the heart of
chaplaincy. The idea of compassion
expressed through vulnerability.
The Cloak of Chaplaincy
In small groups:
• What is your cloak – what do you have to
share?
• Why did Martin give half his cloak not the
whole of it?
Characteristics of Chaplaincy
• ministry beyond the walls - to where people are
• an invited guest and not the host
• vulnerable - not powerful
• commissioned by the Church and accredited by
the host
• an intentional presence - rather than gathering
• a method for Christian Mission - sharing in what
God is doing in the world
Chaplaincy Everywhere
for your community, sent by your Church, something you can do
Share your vision for
chaplaincy in your Church
and community
The Spiral of Chaplaincy
Development
• Steps to developing a new
chaplaincy in a simple
graphic form
• Links to resources for help
at each stage
Link to website page
Resources and Preparing
Seven sessions for groups
thinking about chaplaincy
www.methodist.org.uk/mission/chaplaincy
A new resource of six
practical training sessions
for beginning chaplains
www.methodist.org.uk/chaplaincyessentials
For the latest stories
sign up for our
chaplaincy e-news
Chaplaincy
Everywhere
www.methodist.org.uk/news-and-events/sign-up-for-e-newsletters
A prayer of blessing
You are blessed to be a blessing.
Therefore go into all the world to be good news.
To bless a world in need of love, attention and care.
May your chaplaincy ministry grow and flourish.
May others receive you into their community.
May you be known for your love and good deeds.
So, may the Father’s love fill you.
May the Son’s example inspire you.
And may the Spirit’s life empower you.
In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God
the Holy Spirit.
Amen.