Nell Cawley writes:
The sun was shining at Llangynidr Church in southeast Wales on Sunday 14 January as Bishop John Lomas, bishop of Swansea and Brecon, was welcomed for a wonderful joint service with the local two chapels during the week of Christian Unity. Also present were four Anna Chaplains! Sally Rees (recently retired), Sue Simpson, Gilly Langford and myself, Nell Cawley. Sally and I had been invited to talk about our role within the community. Sue and Gilly came to support and also introduce themselves informally to the community present after the service.
Bishop John spoke of agape love, which is most often crowned as the highest form of Christian love, as the kind of love and action that shows empathy; extends the desire for the good of the beloved; wants the best; extends help or demonstrates good intentions; and is intended for everyone.
This is perfectly connected to Anna Chaplaincy which embodies all of those. Sally and Nell were asked to talk about Anna Chaplaincy following the sermon which illustrated this love in action.
It was a great privilege to talk about our role in the community and tell people about what we do, why we do it and how they can help! It’s hoped by getting our role heard, recognised and understood we will reach those who might otherwise remain unseen and unheard.
After the service we were treated to a lovely cup of coffee (and a biscuit!) which provided a perfect opportunity to chat with people and make new connections.
We couldn’t let the opportunity for an Anna Chaplaincy team photo with Bishop John pass us by! We are, after all, each part of a growing team, reaching out to our communities with love!
Comments