The transition was subtle but real - however much I thought I had got alongside them as chaplain - it became clear that there had been some sort of barrier. Gradually I realised too that other staff groups were reacting differently, the range and ease of conversation was greater.
It struck me that the respect amongst staff that had taken a number of years to build as chaplain was being matched in a couple of shifts. I had been welcomed into their lives in a new way and they were interested in me and what was important to me. More than ever before I felt that I was living out my faith in what I said and did.
I began to ponder on how influential Christians can be in their workplace and to wonder how many realise just how important this can be. Like all workplace chaplains I have seen it as an important part of my role to encourage congregations to make a positive link between faith and work but this experience was a reminder of how real that link can be.
Chaplains of course do move out of the comfort zone and enter unfamiliar territory but are rarely immersed in it to the extent of those we face in church on a Sunday. Of course there is a valuable role for chaplains, their very “outsideness” and “peculiarity” enable them to see what those immersed in an organisation cannot, their informed independence can help people make sense of their situation and they can be important symbols of the Church’s care for the world.
But when it comes to demonstrating by example what a life transformed by Christ is really about, Christians should not underestimate the influence they can have in their everyday situations. Our theology of Incarnation teaches us that the full humanity of Christ was non-negotiable.
God’s purpose could not be fulfilled by fleeting visits, or the encounter with humanity be seen as a necessary evil. Only by sharing the experience of human life could the relationship of love be properly founded.
Let Your Light Shine of course encourages the Church to take these issues seriously. My latest experience on the shop-floor has reminded me just how important it is to affirm and encourage the working people of our churches in understanding the value of whatever they do and the relationships they develop in our joint task of building God’s kingdom. Perhaps we should all look again at Let Your Light Shine and consider how we can promote the values it expounds.
Taking it from the Passengers!
Andrew Letby writes about the benefits of rolling his sleeves up and getting on with it at Newcastle Airport.
One of the strategies I have employed on several occasions in seeking to be an effective workplace chaplain has been to find opportunities to actually "do the job", usually as some sort of casual employee.
The local press loved to report on the Chaplain driving a double-decker bus; and reviewing and revising the Recruitment and Selection policy for a public sector organisation provided the heart of a stimulating sabbatical.
Both of these helped me to understand a little better the joys and tribulations of the workforce and gave a different insight into the culture of the organisations. However my latest foray into the world of the wage slave has taken this to new levels.
Donning a purple T-shirt often at unearthly hours of the morning, I recently spent a number of shifts filling gaps on the Newcastle Airport Welcome Team roster. The Welcome Team meet and greet the passengers, point them in the right direction, explain the “system” to the uninitiated and give advice on which perfume to buy! - to name but a few of the tasks.
This was a wonderful chance to reflect on the life of the airport and the lot of the many staff who make the place work.
At first I thought all I would learn would be about the passengers and their needs as they passed through the airport. The philosophy behind the Welcome Team is to get some staff out from behind desks and counters and be proactive in offering help and information, as well as making sure passengers get through the formalities quickly and have more time to part with their money in the shops and restaurants.
Perhaps this is not a million miles from the Chaplaincy task of coming out from inside the church walls and offering the Gospel proactively by example? The reaction to the Welcome Team has been generally positive, confirming what I already believed that if we are to positively influence people we need to move out of our comfort zones, whether they be airline check-in desks or church buildings.
However I found myself challenged when I started to reflect on how doing this compared with my role as chaplain. I was struck by the new relationships I was able to develop with the Customer Services staff.
These were people who I thought I knew quite well and as chaplain had always felt welcome and respected by them. But after a couple of shifts as part of their team I began to sense that they saw me in a new way - I was part of their team, I understood their frustrations and most importantly had been shouted at by angry passengers!
