Baptists commission their first Anna Chaplain

Debbie Thrower
Oct 10, 2019
2 min read

Updated: Oct 15, 2019

Wendy Gleadle, Anna Chaplain, based at Chipping Camden Baptist Church

Blazing a trail

Wendy Gleadle is blazing a trail even though she might never have imagined that would be the case. You see, Wendy came to a realisation that 'God had a plan for me'. 'There’s more to come’ was a phrase that kept re-surfacing. Soon the plan came into sharp focus.

Regardless of age

When Wendy was asked to preach at her local church, she took as her subject the fact that ‘God seems to enjoy opening doors for people regardless of their age’.

When we asked Wendy to introduce herself, in her own words, this is what she said:

'I am in my 80th year, but friends tell me I look and behave much younger! My late husband was a medical practitioner, and when we were in our late-40s he took early retirement from medicine, and we had a complete life change and went to live on the tiny island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, where we spent eleven idyllic years. I have three children and four grand-children. Before retirement I was a Christian counsellor.'

Messy Vintage

'Three years ago I became a (very) mature student, and joined an FdA course in Theology, Mission and Evangelism with the Light Project, based at Chester University. The course is not simply academic; we also have a practical placement to show God’s love. For two years my placement was with the local care home, where most residents are living with dementia, and I instigated Messy Vintage and visits from our church playgroup. I so enjoyed the FdA course that I am now starting the BA, and this time my placement is as an Anna Chaplain, and I am hoping to start a support group for dementia carers, and an "adopt a granny" scheme in our church family.'

The Anna Chaplaincy family

'I am so looking forward to being part of the Anna Chaplaincy family and to providing loving pastoral and spiritual care to the elderly in my church and town.'

Click here to listen to a recording of the commissioning on Sunday 29 September and all that was said about the importance of ministry among older people.