It’s looking for opportunities to connect even in a fleeting moment Building these relationships means that, just as there are opportunities to laugh, there are opportunities to cry. Sue mentions an intimate moment she shared with a tailor shortly after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021: ‘I asked how he was, like you normally do, and then I asked how his family was. He sat and cried and cried and cried, and I stood and I cried too. He explained that his family was in Kabul. They were scared and frightened. He was scared and frightened. I didn’t know what to say and we just stayed there, him sobbing, me sobbing. I told him that all I could do was pray and we must have been there for about half an hour when a customer came in and, bless his heart, he quickly dried his eyes and thanked me – a very gracious gentleman. ‘It’s a very humbling experience. After the lockdowns I was nervous about going back. I was afraid they might be
upset that I was nowhere to be seen when they needed me. But I couldn’t have been more wrong! I walked into the shops and I think they would have hugged me if they could. ‘Yes, I think chaplaincy is important. You have a chaplain going into their place, whether it be a prison, school or wherever, and that can make more of an impact on one person than anything else.’ ‘I recently got a call from a John Lewis partner on a day I wasn’t in the store,’ Ali continues. ‘They asked if I could go over because they had someone feeling suicidal. They were dealing with the matter, but the fact that one manager asked for my help affirmed the validity of my role. I have discovered that “being” is often more powerful than “doing” anything.’ ‘And of course, it’s not only ministers,’ Samuel says. ‘I would stress that this is
something for officers and soldiers to be involved in. I really would recommend it as a very fulfilling means of service.’ ‘Retail chaplaincy is fairly new, but I have to say that I have found it tremendous – and not only for the free coffee and discounts,’ he laughs. ‘But for me it’s primarily so that the Army and local corps have a foothold in the city centre. I firmly believe that our uniform should be seen everywhere.’ O Find out if you can get involved in your area by contacting your local Churches Together group
SIMON IS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, SALVATIONIST Salvationist 26 February 2022
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