Railway Mission News Summer 2016

news Summer 2016

Inside...

Wanted! Photos for our 2017 calendar Christopher’s Ordination Looking After Northern Chaplains Steve Hailes Interview Being Good Stewards Chief Constable’s Award Somme Remembered

and more...

Cover Photo of St Paul’s in the background as a Southeastern train makes its way out of London.

Photo: Softtones Photography

Welcome to the quarterly publication of Railway Mission News.

So much happens in the daily lives of our chaplains, trustees and staff that it would be impossible to put it all down in one 20 page magazine, but we’ve given you a few selected highlights to whet your appetite.

We also have interviews with some of our staff to keep you up to date with where we are and where we’re going as an organisation.

Inside...

3 From the Top

4 Chief Constable’s Award 5 Wanted! Quality Photos 6 Being Good Stewards 7 Saying Goodbye to Joshua Shinhmar 8 Looking After Northern Chaplains 10 Not Just Trains and Pains 11 Allan’s Half Marathon Let Us Talk to Your Group 12 Ordination 13 Somme Remembered 14 In the Spotlight – Steve Hailes 16 Down the Line 18 Last Word 19 Support Info

Railway Mission Rugby Railway Station Rugby CV21 3LA office@railwaymission.org

07718 971919

Railway Mission is a registered charity in England and Wales (1128024) and in Scotland (SC045897). A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (06519565).

www.railwaymission. org 2

From the Top

with Liam Johnston

Death, they say, is an inevitable part of life. Yet it is this inevitability that perhaps causes some to question life and eternity.

While walking with a friend and trying to bring a little comfort as she had recently lost her husband, she made very clear to me effect of intense grief can have on a person.

As we walked the water churned and the mud billowed in the pool, clouding and rippling, the perfect reflection distorted and dissolved into a cascade of reflected light.

In desperation she asked why, if God is a loving God could He not send a glimpse of his eternal love to bring some comfort in a time of pain?

The thought occurred to me that this was like our grief; the skies and trees were still there ready to be reflected when the water grew calm and the mud had settled.

She said she understood the illustration Paul used to express the imperfection of understanding, saying it was like looking at a dim reflection in a mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known).

I struggled with this question and for a time remained quiet. Then, as we walked came across a puddle, the water was still and bright, reflecting the trees and sky above.

Comfort comes when the turbulence of grief is stilled; God’s loving care still reflected through the lives of those around us, but the distortion of heartache, sorrow and anguish prevents us from seeing the perfection of the image.

Chaplains often find themselves at the heart of the turmoil of grief, and through their care they bring into such situations a quieting of the turmoil, a reflection of God’s love.

Liam Johnston is the Executive Director of Railway Mission

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Chief Constable’s Award

Recognition for vital chaplaincy work At a special ceremony in London’s Tavistock Square on Wednesday 18 May, a number of recipients were personally handed the prestigious Certificate of Commendation by BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther.

Richard Cook, Chaplain for the North West, received a Chief Constable’s Commendation for providing support for families and officers.

Meeting with the chaplains for C Division, Chief Superintendent Peter Holden explained that he had put Richard’s name forward for the award as a representative of the whole team who have supported the officers and staff for BTP. 4

We are extremely grateful for the hard work and assistance of all the people honoured here today, and this ceremony is our chance to say a big thank you and recognise their contributions.

Chief Constable Paul Crowther OBE Pictured above are, from the left, Anne Cook’s son Andrew Clear, Chaplain Richard Cook and his wife, Anne, with BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther.

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We are in the process of designing the Railway Mission Calendar for 2017.

If you have any high resolution images that you would like us to consider please e-mail them to calendar@railwaymission.org. We can’t promise to use your images but we hope that we can have a great variety of subjects and locations.

Criteria

CLOSING DATE FOR S SUBMISSION 12 AUGUST 2016

Photos should be the author’s work, in high resolution digital format, minimum 4000px wide by 3000px high, sharp images, in landscape aspect, showing a train or trains in a scenic location. Steam and heritage trains, including diesel, are encouraged, as long as they are in an interesting situation. Otherwise all kinds of trains and stations or scenery will be acceptable, provided the view is spectacular or intriguing.

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Your questions answered

Being Good Stewards Recently we received a letter from a supporter of Railway Mission to raise some concern about the cost of printing a magazine rather than the old style of newsletter.

Mission Calendar. Although last year we produced 55,000 calendars we reduced the cost of printing them by over £4000 while increasing the print run by over 10,000 calendars.

The question was; “How can the Railway Mission justify printing a magazine? This is clearly far more expensive than the old style of newsletter, and in these times of financial austerity is a waste of money. Why don’t you go back to printing on one piece of paper again?”

The calendar is the single largest expense outside of salaries, but as far as advertising our service this is extremely good value as the calendars remain in offices and stations etc. for a full year.

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The reality is that the last single sheet newsletter we had printed about 18 months ago cost £345 for 800. The magazine style, for 24 pages, costs us (at today’s prices) £210 for 1500 copies.

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We have also sought to find lower cost printers for the annual Railway

Magazines for friends Why not help support Railway Mission by sponsoring a quantity of Railway Mission News magazines or calendars you can give away to friends? This way you can help provide awareness of our mission and support us financially at the same time. Contact us at office@railwaymission.org for details.

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Saying Goodbye to Joshua Shinhmar It is with mixed thoughts that we say goodbye to Joshua.

On one hand we are sorry to be losing such a great member of the team, but on the other we are pleased that he is following his call into full time study to enter the Church of England as a parish priest.

Joshua has laid a good foundation for Christopher Henley, who has taken over the South West Trains and West Southern area.

Once a week Joshua has visited Woking Homes, which provides care for retired railway staff, where, he says, the Lord has opened doors to pray and share the gospel with several of the residents, many of whom don’t have family or friends visiting them. These visits have been a demonstration of Christ's love and an opportunity for end of life care, preparing residents to meet Him face to face.

redundancy due to the financial cuts to the policing budget.

In June 2015 Joshua was introduced to South West Trains staff member who had just returned to work after almost a year off due to a life threatening injury. She had never thought about God until after her accident and Joshua has since had many opportunities to pray for her and share Christ; and she has put her trust completely in Jesus and displays a strong faith.

Recently a British Transport Police Detective Inspector wrote to Railway Mission thanking us for the chaplaincy support provided by Joshua both to him and to his staff in London Waterloo. Some suffered high levels of stress and depression, while others have been anxious because they faced possible

As Joshua and his wife Jelena enter the next phase of God’s call on their lives, we pray they will not only be blessed, but will continue to be a blessing to those to whom God has called them.

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Looking After Northern Chaplains

Railway Mission has appointed Area Managers for chaplains in the North and South. Andrew Hall gives an insight into his new role

mind that many of the northern chaplains are part-time, ranging from four days a week to one day per week, so I try to avoid taking too much out of their work time.

Where possible I will try to combine a 'staff meeting' with something else of value.

For example, I recently had a group of chaplains meet at the BTP Midland subdivision HQ where we met with the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health unit and visited the Call Centre and Control.

What are the essentials of your role as Area Manager for the North?

How many chaplains do you oversee and what kind of area do you cover?

My role as Area Manager is to perform the day to day management, encouragement and support of the team of chaplains entrusted to my care.

Currently there are 12 chaplains in my group; three in Scotland, two in the North West, two in the North East, five in the greater Midlands and one in Wales. Of these, four are full-time. The geography and working days make meeting together quite a challenge. Tuesday is the one day where nearly everyone is working, so at

For me this involves regular phone contact.

I try to make this a minimum of once a week but subject to what is going on this may be much more frequent. I try to meet with the chaplains, both as individuals and groups as often as is reasonable, bearing in

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My role as Area Manager is to perform the day to day management, encouragement and support of the team of chaplains entrusted to my care

least we have some common ground.

Distance usually means that we either meet in Birmingham for the chaplains in England, or in Edinburgh, Newcastle or York for an Anglo-Scottish summit.

Sometimes it will necessitate doing both a 'southern' and a 'northern' meeting.

I am systematically working my way round the country to spend a few hours with individual chaplains. I may, however, have to hitch my caravan to the back of a train to visit Dereck in Inverness!

What is the value of railway chaplains to the rail industry?

Luke 10 shows the gospel to be relational.

Chaplains have the ability to come alongside railway staff relationally. Being independent from (although endorsed by) the Industry removes some of the barriers that would exist in an inter-staff environment.

Confidentiality is also a major issue. Many staff go through situations that need to be shared with someone who cares but that information needs to be guarded carefully. Generally people recognise this quality within the chaplains’ remit. The industry perceives this as being part of the wider welfare package for staff.

What are the challenges for chaplaincy going forward?

There are obviously challenges for us both now and in the future; the

two seemingly opposing trends of secularisation and the multi-faith agenda have, for many, put Christianity as 'one of the alternatives if you are that way inclined'. It is important that we continue to live and demonstrate the gospel in the public arena rather than expect to be able to 'preach' with words alone. It is, after all, our love and relationship with Christ rather than what we say that sets us apart from the world. Chaplaincy enables us to approach rail staff in this way.

We are very thinly spread geographically, limiting the day to day coverage of our areas. We have a challenge to address this with either volunteer associate chaplains or paid chaplains backed up by increased income for Railway Mission. Fund-raising is therefore a major challenge.

How can supporters help chaplaincy progress?

Our army of supporters are invaluable.

Many support us financially and this helps keep Railway Mission moving forward.

Many of our supporters also cover us in prayer as we engage with the industry and minister to individuals in Jesus' name.

I would encourage all supporters to pray for us as chaplains, including our families, pray for gospel opportunities and to pray for us to have grace and wisdom as we endeavour to represent Christ in the workplace.

One of the challenges we all have is promoting the fact that we, as chaplains, are available for staff. Despite our best efforts, every day we all encounter people who haven't heard of Railway Mission and have no idea what a chaplain is. Perhaps supporters can 'spread the word' where possible.

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Not Just Trains and Pains

Railway Chaplains are known all across the country for the support they give to rail staff following fatal incidents, bringing the love and care of Christ into the pain of trauma. But what if we can intervene and stop suicides even before the person gets to the point of taking their own life?

Railway Mission Chaplain for the East of Scotland, Nicola Goncalves, recently visited George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh to give a safeTALK training seminar that prepares anyone over the age of 15 to become ‘suicide-alert’.

Most people with thoughts of taking their own life don’t actually want to die, but they are besieged by the pain in their lives.

If we are able see their actions or hear what is said through the lens of ‘suicidealertness’, we could perhaps see there is often a ‘cry for help’ to stay alive.

Helpers who are safeTALK trained can recognise these pleas for help and take action with life-saving intervention, or by accessing NHS resources, or by engaging with people trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).

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Nicola is both safeTALK and ASIST trained, with the school donating £200 to Railway Mission to cover the costs of having Nicola with them for the half day talk.

It is our prayer that such talks will help those who need to seek help to do so and for those who are with them to see the signs and have the courage to help them.

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Allan’s Half

Marathon Allan Lloyd, a rail staff member from Nailsea and Weston-Super-Mare, is in training to run in the Grand Pier Half Marathon from Weston-Super-Mare on Sunday 6 November to raise funds for Railway Mission.

You can help sponsor Allan through his online donation page

www.everyclick.com/runningman

Let Us Talk to Your Group Railway Mission is on a mission, but this one is a mission to raise awareness to the wider Christian community of our vital work – the outreach and support Railway Mission chaplains provide to the rail industry, including those affected by railway related incidents.

If your church or group would like to hear about the work of Railway Mission please contact Anne at the Rugby office and we will try to arrange a speaker for you.

office@railwaymission.org

We can provide chaplains to speak to your church or group so that you can discover the important and valuable work we do across our mission field of England, Scotland and Wales.

Often churches focus on Mission as something that is done both in the local community by the congregation or in some far flung corner of the world; however, Mission in the UK is more than just to a local community, it is and must be a national outreach.

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Rev Christopher Henley, left, with the Bishop of London, and Rev Ray Porter, right.

Ordination The incredibly majestic St Paul’s Cathedral was the setting for the ordination service of 32 Church of England Ordinands. Amongst this group of was one of the Railway Mission’s chaplains, Rev Christopher Henley.

The site of St Paul’s has be a place of worship for over 1400 years, so we are pleased that Christopher has become part of that long and faithful history of service to God, and pray that the Lord will continue to bless his ministry in the Church of Christ and Railway Mission.

This service marks some quite significant changes for Christopher as he moves area with Railway Mission to take over the South West Trains and Southern area from Joshua Shinhmar.

Christopher was supported at the service by a number of Railway Mission Chaplains, Liam Johnston the Executive Director and the Rev Ray Porter, one of the Trustees.

The ordination was conducted by The Rt Rev and Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London.

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Somme Remembered No one could fail to be moved by the Somme 100 events held around the country.

Accrington was the smallest town or borough in Britain to raise a complete battalion.

Amongst the big national events, were a host of Railway focused events that marked the terrible loss of life at the Battle of the Somme and the part that the railway industry played in the war; moving amongst the passengers and staff, shoppers and sightseers, the silent and ghostly figures of WW1 Servicemen handing out cards with the details of servicemen who paid with their lives.

At the end of the Accrington Pals' first major action - on the first day of the Battle of the Somme - at least 584 of the 720 troops who took part were killed, wounded or missing. Several truces were observed to recover wounded from No Man's Land on the Western Front, where on the first day of fighting the Fourth Army had 57,470 casualties, of whom 19,240 men were killed.

Following a rallying cry by War Secretary Lord Kitchener, battalions of volunteers were formed across the country, including in the east Lancashire town of Accrington where about 1,000 men signed up.

Over the next few years the importance of the November Remembrance Service will grow.

Please support your local chaplain if there is a service at a station local to you.

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In the Spotlight

Steve Hailes Continuing our series of interviews with Railway Mission Trustees, we ask Steve for his views on the operations of the mission

How long have you been with Railway Mission as a Trustee?

I’m one of the ‘newbies’, becoming a Trustee in 2014. Prior to that I worked in the Signals and Telecommunications Department of British Rail – which became Railtrack, then Network Rail – from 1978 to 2011, so I was a ‘customer’ of the Mission for a long time!

What do you see as the role of a RM Trustee and your particular involvement?

Trustees set the strategic direction for the work of the mission and ensure it delivers its charitable objectives – in this case to ‘propagate the Christian gospel’ and ‘preserve and protect mental and physical health’.

We’re responsible to those people who financially support Railway Mission to make sure it uses their donations to deliver what they expect it to deliver. They trust us to do that – which is why we are called ‘Trustees’.

The main part I play is in the overview of the finances, including budgets.

What is the value of chaplaincy to the rail industry?

I believe that the support work done by chaplains is of huge value – our unique advantage is that the 14

in a multi-faith society where there is also an increasing trend to secularisation, we must tread a careful path to demonstrate that our Christian faith motivates us to love and care for everyone regardless of gender, religion or sexual orientation

chaplains concentrate on the railway sector, so fully understand the pressures faced in this industry.

We build relationships at grass-roots level which provide a platform for engaging with staff when they need us – we’re not just called in when there is a problem.

One of our chaplains, John Robinson, showed by his analysis how many referrals came to him as a result of relationships he had built with staff and managers of staff, who found they needed support.

I’m not sure that all the ‘captains’ of the industry realise the value their ‘troops’ see in us.

What are the challenges facing Railway Mission up ahead?

challenge to secure the funding that sustains it in the longer term.

Also, in a multi-faith society where there is also an increasing trend to secularisation, we must tread a careful path to demonstrate that our Christian faith motivates us to love and care for everyone regardless of gender, religion or sexual orientation.

Our personal lifestyles must show the reality of our faith to us, whilst our actions should prove we don’t ignore the needs of those who may be different to us.

What would you like to see as the future of RM chaplaincy?

I came to faith because a Christian railway employee invited me to his home and his church, where I heard the gospel and saw it being worked out in his life. In my church I lead a group that is focussed on ‘Service and Witness in Everyday Life and the Workplace.’

I love to hear the stories of how Chaplains are helping railway staff cope with stressful situations brought about through home or work situations, but I also hope and pray that we will find ways of increasing our support to Christians in the industry, supporting them as they do with their own colleagues.

Taking over responsibility for providing chaplaincy in London & South-East was the right thing to do, but it leaves us with a large financial 15

Down the Line with RM archivist Dudley Clarke

What’s in a Name?

journey up and down the lines people get to wonder what I am, and what my object is.’ In response he gave out explanatory leaflets, and gathered groups of supporters at various stations. He was pleased when he could gather a dozen together, but saw it as worthwhile ‘seeking the soul’ of ‘one man in a brake van’.

Looking through the Mission’s archive you will discover a range of job titles such as Missionary, Superintendent, Padre, Worker and Evangelist. The names may have varied but the work they carried out had the same objective – ‘winning souls for Christ’.

Next we move forward to the 1920s and Superintendent Will Porter (pictured opposite), who contributed an autobiographical article for the July 1949 issue of the Railway Signal entitled; ‘25 Years a Railway Padre’.

Having joined the railway at the age of fourteen he worked for three years until enlisting in the army in 1917. He resumed railway employment having become a Christian whilst serving in Egypt.

Ten years after the founding of the Mission, John Protheroe was appointed as missionary to South Wales. In the Railway Signal for June 1891 he described his pattern of work; ‘In Cardiff we have nine services a week, besides open-air services.

We get lively meetings; people shout in the Welsh tongue, “Praise the Lord!”

I distribute the ‘Railway Signals’ and tracts along the line as I travel. As I 16

In every place we have an open door, and not once have we been refused entry

In May 1924 he left the railway and joined the Railway Mission as a ‘worker among railwaymen’.

Describing his role he commented; “The work that I am privileged to do covers a wide field covering several miles of railway track, goods yards and factories. The pleasing feature about it all is that in every place we have an open door, and not once have we been refused entry. We hold meetings among the men in mess-room and factory; sometimes while men in a sheet factory are sewing patches on damaged truck sheets...we seek to do another kind of sowing”.

Station, meeting with several men on the way. There were around 45 lorry drivers stationed there, together with 60 to 70 other staff. He returned to Exeter (St. David’s), where he visited the drivers’ and guards’ mess rooms and looked in at the Goods Station.

Our final account describes the work of a Railway Mission evangelist in the 1960s. Eddie Hamilton, a former engine driver, whose ‘parish’ stretched from Bristol to Plymouth, described a typical day’s visits. From his base in Exeter he travelled to Plymouth and distributed literature at the station before visiting the locomotive depot.

He distributed some tracts there before moving on to the carriage and wagon depot. He concluded by requesting his readers’ prayers as he sought to show railwaymen ‘the Way of Salvation’.

Besides the footplate staff there were the fitters and in the area, signallers at their cabins. He recalled that “the men seem pleased to see us and gladly accept our literature.” He then walked along the track to the Goods

Pictured above: Superintendent W J Porter as pictured on the front page of the Railway Signal for July 1949.

Pictured top left: A steam special leaves Exeter St David’s in October 1965 under a very different Health & Safety regime.

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Last Word As chairman of the trustees for Railway Mission I am supposed to know where we are heading!

When as trustees we asked ourselves this question earlier this year, we agreed the most important things were – sustaining, staffing and serving. What do I mean by these?

Sustaining We need to continue to exist, which requires vital prayer and financial support, so it is important to develop and improve communication with our support base, in both the railway and church communities, remembering that it is an imperitive to continue to live by faith – so we work hard, knowing it is God who sustains us.

Staffing Our Railway Mission people are so important, whether it is office staff or trustees dealing with the administrative side, or our chaplains out and about daily with rail staff. I thank God for the team He has given us – godly, committed, competent, caring (and all very different).

Our connection to Christ is the basis of productive activity (John 15), so we need to walk closely with Him every day, having Spirit-filled lives that make others sit up and say "What is it about them?"

(1Peter3:15).

Serving First and foremost we serve the LORD Jesus Christ, whichever bit of His kingdom He has put us in, by being faithful to the good news – that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day.

Keeping this essential message, whilst negotiating all the stuff that our society requires needs much wisdom and sensitivity every day.

Crucially, Railway Mission serves rail staff, both by being there and providing support on life's journey, but also by taking the opportunities to share this good news.

I hope that helps you understand where we are heading. It is nothing new, just reaffirming what has been our goal for nearly one and a half centuries.

I do want to thank you for your interest in Railway Mission, and I encourage you to contact us if you would like to talk about anything related to Railway Mission.

Keith Rose is chairman of the Railway Mission Trustees

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Your donation takes us further…

How your gift can make a difference £10 funds a chaplain’s 20-minute support meeting with a distressed member of rail staff, a BTP officer or a member of the travelling public.

£100 funds a series of chaplain’s visits to a sick or injured rail worker, or to the grieving family of someone who has died on the railways.

£50 buys a chaplain some of the essential safety clothing needed to support people involved in the scene of a rail incident or emergency.

£1,000 provides an area’s rail staff, BTP officers and members of the travelling public with support for a fortnight.

Six ways to help us support rail staff Cheque or Postal Order You can make a one-off or regular cheque or Postal Order donation by simply sending your gft to : Railway Mission, Rugby Railway Station, Rugby, CV21 3LA.

Payroll Giving A tax-efficient way to give regularly through monthly payments from your salary. See more on our website at www.railwaymission.org.

Standing Order You can make a regular donation through your bank. Email our Administrator for more information: office@railwaymission.org.

Wills If you’d like to include us in your Will, our charity name is Railway Mission, and our charity number in England and Wales is: 1128024. Our charity number in Scotland is SC045897.

Web Go to our website at www. railwaymission.org and click onto the Donate page, where you can give via the Every Click website.

Gift Aid If you’re a UK taxpayer, we can claim an extra 25% of your donation from the Inland Revenue, as long as you meet their conditions and complete, sign and return a Gift Aid form to us.

Support on life’s journey

“They helped me through the hard times” Support on life’s journey