FAITH IN THE COMMUNITY: Network of 'Anna Chaplains' helping the elderly
by Emma Sneddon, Anna Chaplaincy co-ordinator, Church of England Diocese of Portsmouth
ALMOST 60 of our Anna Chaplains and colleagues met at Portsmouth Cathedral for their annual gathering - and heard about the power of stories.
‘Anna Chaplains’ is the name we give to those who give spiritual support to the elderly, named after the elderly woman in the Jewish temple who recognised the infant Jesus as the promised Saviour. We have commissioned dozens of such chaplains who visit the elderly in their homes or in care homes.
We brought them together at the Christian feast of Candlemas to be inspired by some guest speakers, and to touch base with each other.
We heard from Caroline Free, from the Anna Chaplaincy team at Warblington-with-Emsworth. They had a vision for a space for those living with dementia and their carers.
It became real in the form of an ‘Anna Café’ under the leadership of their curate, the Rev Lizzie Davidson. That café community is thriving with many, including carers, calling it ‘their church’ - despite having no church background or particular connection otherwise.
Gemma Gillard, chief executive and founder of the charity Truth Be Told, shared why stories are so valuable in sharing God’s love. She told those gathered that ‘truth plus story’ is often a more palatable way of communicating things. Gemma encouraged them to recognise that we are all part of God’s story and our stories matter.
Debbie Thrower, who originally founded Anna Chaplaincy in Alton, and Marian Muskett, both from the charity BRF Ministries, encouraged us to stay connected with the network of over 480 Anna Chaplains nationally through regular gatherings and training.
And the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, encouraged us to see that our own faith stories are not yet complete – we are still growing into our faith.
The Anna Chaplains also created a ‘Living Wall’ – compiling pictures and other pieces describing their ministry. That was then exhibited during the cathedral service to mark Candlemas. That Living Wall showed that, over the Christmas season, our Anna Chaplains supported a total of 1,075 people around our diocese. That’s an amazing statistic.
Anna Chaplaincy is an ecumenical ministry, originally launched by the charity BRF Ministries.
You can find out more about our network of Anna Chaplains ministering to older people in communities by seeing: www.portsmouth.anglican.org/anna, or go to www.brf.org.uk