Joyful celebration as a large cohort is commissioned in North Hampshire
- debbiethrower0
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 14
Fourteen Anna Chaplains and four Anna Friends were commissioned at a special service held at St Paul's Church Tadley near Basingstoke on Sunday July 20. I was invited to be part of the commissioning (writes Pioneer of Anna Chaplaincy Debbie Thrower) which had a truly ecumenical flavour.
Anglican priest, the Revd Steve McKay welcomed us all to his packed church on the village green and the service was led by Methodist minister, the Revd Claire Simpson. She explained how BRF Ministries' course, the 'Spiritual Care Series' had been run twice in the area and had had a profound impact on all who took part.
The women and men who were now seeking to be commissioned as Anna Chaplains and Anna Friends as a result, included husband and wife Anna Chaplains in the movement, Pastor Pete Hay, who leads Tadley's Community Church and his wife Marian.
Pete spoke movingly of the seeds of this step going way back to a day during the Covid lockdowns. Taking 'Seeing and Longing' as the theme for his reflection, he told how he was prompted to 'see people as God sees us' and to respond to the 'longings' of people's hearts.
Recalling Jesus' having compassion on the crowds flocking to hear him, whom he saw as 'harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd,' (as recounted in Matthew 9: 35-38) Pete was struck by the Lord's words:
'“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”'
It was when not long after that Pete heard about Anna Chaplaincy - and its accessible online six-week training course- that he realised this might be the answer to his personal longing to see God's work - especially among those in their older age- become fulfilled.
Pete and Marian, who led the congregation in song throughout the service, are now among this 18-strong cohort of chaplains and friends who are drawn from many of the different churches in both Basingstoke and Tadley.
Underscoring the inter-denominational aspect of the momentum this work involves, prayers were led by new Anna Chaplain the Revd Karen West, Assistant minister in the Benefice of Tadley with Pamber Heath and Silchester; as well as representatives of Basingstoke Community Church and the Berkshire and Hampshire Borders Methodist Circuit. The latter, Methodist minister, the Revd Rachel Borgars, spoke of such ministry among older people in the light of the on-going work of God's Kingdom which is, she said, 'without boundaries and without endings.'
I had spoken about how Anna Chaplaincy began in Hampshire- just a few miles down the road from Tadley, in Alton, and was now spreading across the UK, with our latest commissioning taking place recently in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
There was fulsome praise from those who had received BRF's Anna Chaplaincy training for how 'impressive' the course had been, as well as how useful - for anyone interested in their own ageing and being alongside others navigating their retirement years- had been the Spiritual Care Series course. A generous collection was taken for BRF Ministries in gratitude for all the charity is doing to help equip Christians for discipleship and service which raised a marvellous £285.
In conversation over tea and cakes afterwards I chatted to many of the new recruits. Nigel Merry (Anna Friend) and Marianne Sales (Anna Chaplain) for example, are a team taking worship into their local care homes. Marianne said becoming an Anna Chaplain gives her authority now to minister to those who are confined to their rooms in the home and to continue to befriend more and more of those who long for companionship.
Marianne showed me her flyers she produces for her new initiative, 'Memory Worship' services - one in August, for example, being built around 'A trip to the seaside'. She is happy to share her flyer and forthcoming themes with anyone wishing to conduct similar services, and can be contacted at mariannebunn1610@hotmail.com
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