Anna Chaplain in Pudsey, Leeds, Dr Rachel Holt, who specialises in geriatric medicine, declared that she had ‘a lovely commissioning at The Oak Church on 13 March’.
We asked Rachel to introduce herself and this is what she wrote:
‘I have enjoyed spending time with older people since being a teenager, volunteering as a befriender in different cities for over 30 years. I love hearing about their passions, and how they see the world through their different experiences and memories.
‘This has also become my career as I am a doctor in older people’s medicine, caring for their physical and mental health. However, professional ethics mean that opportunities to explore spirituality with my patients are limited.
‘I know that God has called me to share my faith with older people for some time, and especially to people living with dementia and their carers, but until I read about Anna Chaplains, I couldn't see a path to doing this.
‘In my training for being an Anna Chaplain, I have been so inspired by reading about and talking to others of all the different ways they are responding to God’s call. My church, The Oak Church in Pudsey, has been so supportive of my call to this ministry and I can’t wait to share with older people in Pudsey the joy of spiritual exploration and expression.’
