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Beauty - A Step Towards Resilience

When times are hard these days we are encouraged to lean into our resilience. Resilience is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” It is also “the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.” But what helps to create that ability to “spring back”?

An idea made popular these days particularly by researchers like Brené Brown is that vulnerability helps to create resilience. Chosen vulnerability however is very different from enforced vulnerability through systemic injustice, war crimes, poverty and discrimination. How do people survive such horrors or relentless suffering?

The stuff I have endured pales into insignificance compared with the current evils on our planet but nonetheless I have gone through some crap during my lifetime and for what it’s worth I would like to share one way of how I survive and keep going, even in times of isolation. It may or may not resonate. If you don’t find what I have shared helpful, then I encourage you to self-reflect and consider what helps you to find your inner strength within your own vulnerability.

A key starting point for me is being drawn towards signs of beauty and wonder and sharing these. During the pandemic I developed a little ministry of posting nature pictures on social media and these received a surprisingly positive response. My pictures cheered people up and encouraged me to somehow feel connected even in my isolation.

An openness to beauty is a step towards empathy with others and a concern for a world that is bigger than me. It also helps to release me from jealousy, anger and bitterness even if only to begin with, for short amounts of time. Seeing beauty within the world gives me a wide sense of belonging and an awareness and appreciation of simply being alive and present in the universe. I matter and other lives matter too, especially lives that are too often ignored or overlooked. We all have significance, worth, value, an innate dignity and therefore there is a moral imperative to love ourselves and other lives too, including plants, animals and the very fabric of our planet.

What is beauty? Sometimes what is beautiful can be surprising. It might be a wiggly worm or a fluffy dandelion head or the play of intense colours upon the flecked bodies of starlings pecking around a busy marketplace. Like a light dusting of snow, or a surprisingly intense sunset, there is a fleeting moment of wonder, joy, hope and love. Beauty involves the other senses too – hearing a beloved voice, stroking a soft pet or the comforting smell of one’s own pyjamas.

Whatever that beauty is, it is beyond one’s own self-indulgence. It gives of itself and announces its own existence as a unique entity to be treated with respect. It summons us urgently and imperatively and illicits a response. If we are open to the call beauty will not leave us unchanged, even in a fleeting encounter. Beauty also remains in our hearts as a hidden treasure, even when we are separated by vast distances of time and space.

Beauty also persists in calling out for justice, freedom and equality. In a world where those who abuse their power throw out mere breadcrumbs to those they exploit in relationships or at work, beauty retains the living seed for real bread. Beauty laughs at these breadcrumbs in the face of danger and scorn, for She knows Her true worth and has no need of flattery or empty promises.

This is what gets me up every morning as I contemplate the day ahead. I look and listen out for signs of beauty. In Her presence I know that I am also seen and loved and deep in my soul I continue to sing out with joy, “Vive, vive, la résilience!”

#Resilience #beauty

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Back on the Buses Sept 2020

I was delighted to be allowed to resume Bus Chaplaincy on 4th September after nearly 6 months. The plan is to cycle to the garages rather than travelling to them by bus to minimise any risk of cross-contamination. On my bicycle just after 7.45 am I noticed many school pupils catching school buses for their first week in school since Lockdown. Most were wearing face coverings though of course this is not obligatory.

 Yardley Wood Garage was quite quiet due to most drivers being out on the School  Run but I found myself warmly received. It was quite emotional, actually. The fairly new Union Rep, Steve proudly showed me the food collection staff have been contributing towards for the food bank at Yardley Wood Baptist Church since Lockdown began. I knew about this foodbank from a Whats App group some Christian bus drivers had added me to a few months’ ago.

In the early days of Lockdown when bus services were greatly reduced and staff furloughed, days were extremely long and dull for those working in the garages without the usual banter. Instead Steve faced long nights with phone calls from stressed drivers about their circumstances.

 Gone were the friendly belly pats from colleagues (not on my own tummy I hasten to add!), the rubbing of bald pates and all the affectionate physicality that very much drew me into the bus chaplaincy in the early days. It was reassuring but at the same time heart-breaking to see the one-way walking systems, the removed seats in the Booking-On area, the 2-metre social distancing spots, hand sanitizers and all the posters displaying cancelled social events.

 The day’s visit coincided with a surprise physically distanced celebration of the retirement of Frank, one of the managers at Acocks Green Garage which included the traditional “bus pull”. This is when the person leaving sits in the driver’s seat of the old vintage bus. The bus is not really pulled along any more for health and safety reasons, colleagues pose for photos. I was not only invited but expected to join in.

 Afterwards there were further surprises with speech referring to Frank’s love of Abba, various tribute acts miming the songs and Frank dressed up in a frilly bright yellow ‘70s shirt before he was presented with gifts in front of his family. It was wonderful to be part of such a special occasion.

#buschaplaincy #on the buses #godatwork

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Does Faith Chaplaincy Still Matter to Society and the Church?

On 16th March 2019 Peter Sellick persuaded me to attend the North East Chaplaincy Gathering up in Durham led by the public theologian and industrial chaplain Ann Morisy. Ann’s keynote address was “Why faith chaplaincy is important for society and the church and what things could chaplains be focusing on in order to make the right difference?”

I must have been feeling unusually uplifted and energised by the day as Peter also managed to convince me to offer some written reflections on this - I am a bus chaplain after all and I am energised by being out and about! One of the things I was struck by was the genuinely warm and welcoming presence of Ann as she invited us to contribute our thoughts to her presentation. Ann is an astute and clear thinker with a very down-to-Earth manner of presenting her ideas and a gift of making her guests feel very much at home and able to reveal with congruence the joys and the challenges of their chaplaincy context.

Hospitality

For me seeing this snapshot of Ann’s personality at work as a teacher is of a piece with her theological reflection that mostly chaplaincy work consists of the give and take of conversations. All are equal partners in this learning experience and Ann views chaplaincy as being more akin to adult education than counselling. She alluded to a characteristic of early Methodism where people were helped to hear themselves think and by this process could grow.

In the past chaplains have sometimes been described as unconventional mavericks because of our independence from our churches and host organisations. Being ‘in but not of’ the world we have had the scope of being able to be a critical friend to an institution; subtle and sharp conversationalists, hopelessly heroic and never taking ourselves too seriously. The struggle has been real for prophetic justice but not without a deep reservoir of joy and sense of humour as we seek to listen with a deep concern and compassion.

However, has the place of chaplains in an increasingly atheistic society shifted from being an uncomfortable other to a place where people’s attitude is now that of distain and indifference? In Europe and North America the fastest growing group in surveys about religion is the group selecting the ‘none’ box, particularly the generation born between 1981 and 1996. Conversations are increasingly not about bringing someone to a belief but about suspending their disbelief.

So what is your experience of people’s attitudes to chaplaincy? Do any of these thoughts resonate? What descriptions might you use?

In our small group discussions someone described chaplaincy a bit like speed-dating. Sometimes a chaplain might only have a minute with someone to listen, to be present; to see the Missio Dei at work. That minute’s encounter often begins with the gaze. This gaze matters: the way we look on someone can hurt or heal and reveals our true beliefs and attitudes which cannot be masked. From babies we are hardwired to gaze. For chaplains the gaze might include reading body language – does the person want to engage in the conversation? There may be a pastoral element – spotting the one missing sheep out of a healthy flock, gazing with the ears as well as the eyes. For other chaplains a completely different scenario might apply. They might be journeying alongside someone for the long term. In this case chaplaincy might be described as being a bit like a marathon.

Mission

Another question we discussed in groups was how would you as a chaplain explain the part you play in relation to mission?

Listening was mentioned as one aspect of this. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “The first service of love one owes to others is listening to them.” Listening involves paying rapt attention. Margaret Gunther in her book ‘Holy Listening’ calls this a “double listening” – what is the person saying in this situation and what is God saying?

Ann likened the terrain of the chaplain to giving birth to God in the soul – she called this a Ministry of Awakening. In that interface between church and society the mission of the chaplain involves generous hospitality – he/she defines the space of communication and allows the person they are listening to have the forefront of the conversation.

“Strangers can be a gift to each other” in exchanging thoughts and someone who really listens can help a person distil what “we are coming to know” – there is mutuality in this exchange. For chaplains to make a real difference in our society we need to relinquish the language of expertise and place of authority traditionally held by the Church to recognise the gifts of otherness.

As an example of how this can be done Ann gave us the opportunity to reflect on the conversation of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman (John 4:7 – 26) in one of the afternoon workshops. This is the longest recorded conversation that Jesus has with anyone and it is a conversation across gender, ethnicity and religion. In the course of the conversation and banter, Jesus is visited by the insight that sustaining the conversation may place the woman in a difficult situation and asks her to call her husband. In terms of chaplaincy work this is exercising linguistic politeness to ensure the dignity of the other. The emotional rapport built between the woman and Jesus enables her to trust Jesus enough to risk making a disclosure.

Perhaps as you have been willing to be present alongside someone as a chaplain you have had this experience of building trust and seeing the other person grow as they disclose something of themselves and share their thoughts aloud? Examples were shared in our groups and workshops including the use of humour and embracing commonplace, ordinary situations to give foreground to the other’s voice. And then, have you noticed that sometimes if you encounter the person again they might be reticent to revisit their disclosure or even to talk to you? Even in the course of Jesus’ conversation with the woman, once she made her disclosure and came to recognise Jesus’ potency she retreats once more into the safety net of tribalism by emphasising the differences in their religious groups.

A Brief Encounter

At lunchtime I happened to sit at table with an elderly shopping centre chaplain who happened to be a retired bus driver. “Don’t worry if a driver doesn’t want to speak to you again,” he suddenly threw in amidst his reminiscences of the practical jokes played in the garage. “He’s dealt with that issue now. It’s over and done with. But he’ll never forget that you were there.”

That brief encounter with that chaplain and bus driver was a gift to me. It gave me a glimpse into how people feel and respond in different ways after a conversation has been exchanged and completed at a more personal level. It also goes to show that the small “micro-actions” of our conversations do have consequences like the small correction of the trajectory of a planetary probe which carries a person into a completely different place many years later.

Some final thoughts – as we rub shoulders with people with views and lives that may be very different to our own outside the comfort zones of our churches and dare to risk misunderstanding, scorn or even indifference, by being humble, receptive to the gifts of others and intentional in what we do we may help to keep the rumour of God alive.

[christinemcateer]

Older People's Development Work and Bus Chaplaincy: 'It's all of one piece'

As part of the Church of England’s @ourcofe project I shared experiences of my working life on Twitter and was humbled by people’s responses and interest.

There are two main jobs that I am very fortunate to carry out within the Church of England. The first is my paid work with St. Gabriel’s Church and Centre; situated in Weoley Castle, Birmingham. I usually work here from Sunday to Thursday.  My second role is as a volunteer lay chaplain with National Express Buses West Midlands. This is through an ecumenical organisation called Churches and Industry Group Birmingham. Bus chaplaincy happens on Fridays. 

Quite a contrast, you might think, older people – a gentler pace compared with the noisy, busy world of the buses. And, what is the attraction in working with these groups of people?

Perhaps it would be helpful if I tell the story of each role in context and then highlight what they have in common.

Working with Older People in Weoley Castle My role was created two years ago following the closure of a day centre held at the time in the church centre. There was an issue with the premises and a further worry about how sustainable this service would be. Older people within Weoley Castle and organisations that work alongside the elderly population got together to decide the way forward. The older people said that they wanted more befriending visits in the community and activities which would help them to stay fit, healthy and connected.

As well as running the Befriending Service and activities such as Knit & Natter  and Zumba, St. Gabriel’s provides lots of opportunities for volunteering and training. Many of our activities are inter-generational and we greatly value the gifts and contributions that older people make to our community. An inter-agency group Together for Older People in Weoley Castle which I chair meets every two months to share news and collaborate.

Most of the funding for this service at this present time comes from Birmingham City Council through the Body, Mind, Spirit Partnership to which St. Gabriel’s belongs. This is a partnership of 12 or so churches that work with elderly people across Birmingham offering a huge range of services.  Money available for non-statutory adult care in Birmingham will be halved in 2016 and charities will have to bid for a contract rather than apply for a grant. This means that as churches and a partnership we are feeling our way forward in how we continue to serve our older people.

Chaplaincy On The Buses with NX West Midlands

A team of three chaplains serves five garages across Birmingham. Bus Chaplaincy began three years ago in the Black Country with our sister organisation Black Country Urban and Industrial Mission (BCUIM). They currently have two bus chaplains. There is also a bus chaplain for National Express in Dundee. As far as I am aware I am the first (and only) female bus chaplain which brings its own rewards and challenges.

I visit Acocks Green and Yardley Wood depots as well as Solihull Train Station which is one of the major change-over points for drivers. As well as visiting the garages we also travel On The Buses and chat with the passengers if we are approached. It’s All of One Piece’ In both situations, Weoley Castle and On The Buses I work with the most wonderful, friendly, down-to-earth people. Weoley Castle is among the top 10% of areas with multiple deprivation in the UK.  This includes deprivation among the elderly, families and children. NX West Midlands carries more than two million passengers every day. These include many older people and vulnerable adults.

A big part of my task in both situations is simply to be ‘present’, to discern how God is moving in people’s lives and to try to see people the way God sees them – with the lens of Jesus Christ.

The skills I use include:

Listening and keeping watch

Holding people in prayer

Giving people a space to share their stories – good news as well as worries

Creating and holding a space for people to grow their gifts

Networking and creating links within both communities – for example I am often asked to link one of the garages to a local charity

Proclaiming the Good News of how “today the scriptures are fulfilled” in people’s lives – I do this through giving talks about both of my roles and writing articles

Being strategic – investing in people, developing relationships, building trust, trying to keep in mind a vision, setting and reviewing goals

And putting out the wheelie bin on Thursdays!

Really, both roles are all of one piece of how I try to live my life as Chrissy, a Christian, a human being before God. The origin of the word 'chaplain’ comes from the Latin cappelanus meaning 'cloak’. This refers to the cloak belonging to St. Martin of Tours (316 AD). Whilst he was a soldier in the Roman army he cut off half of his cloak to clothe a poor beggar.

Life is like that. What we do for others we do for Jesus Christ. And, when we empower others, Jesus rises again within us all.

- Chrissy McAteer (@McateerMc) is an older people’s development worker and bus chaplain in the Diocese of Birmingham. 

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Jesus Christ the Self-Emptying King

When considering Jesus Christ as King I have wondered about the qualities of a good leader. What qualities distinguish Christian leadership? And if Jesus is the true pattern of sovereignty then what is He calling us as His subjects to be like?

There are many popular memes on the internet which distinguish between leadership and management. For example leadership seems to be about having a vision, motivating and inspiring others and bring out the best in people. Management is about the day-to-day running of business affairs, planning and developing policies and procedures. Is it possible to be both? Yes, sometimes managers can motivate others by explaining the vision, mobilizing resources and encouraging others to use their gifts.

But what is distinctive and challenging about Christian leadership? One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry was that of service to others which required being self-emptying (kenosis). This means being vulnerable before God as Jesus was on the cross and this requires a shift in our self-understanding when it comes to building up the Kingdom of God. We are not required to know all the answers or merely to ‘do to others’ but also to be with others and to recognise our own brokenness and woundedness. This is only possible with God’s grace, a grace that allows the Holy Spirit to be at work and to heal. And, in these challenging times of falling church numbers and a financial squeeze on the Diocesan budgets Christian leaders may require a letting go of shouting loudly about their accomplishments and instead listening deeply to what is needed in the wider Kingdom of God.

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My Birmingham Velo

It was a few days later that the full emotional impact of finishing the Velo caught up with me - the wonder, the gratitude for the whole experience, the memories of the beautiful countryside and the people in all the villages giving out water. The memory of going uphill, changing to a lower gear and hearing gear clunks from fellow cyclists who as one decided it was a good idea. Of friends following me on-line and seeing their texts at my lowest point when I learnt Velo had run out of food.

I did the thing on 2 fig rolls and half a pack of wine gums. Yet it was enough.

99 miles in someone threw a water bottle at my bike to try to knock me off by Five Ways. Then beyond that friends calling my name by the Finish and the Commentator saying I was coming in strongly.

I was the kid at school always picked last for PE teams.

Kind Velo men en route kept passing me and encouraged me by saying, "We've passed you 4 times but you keep going ahead of us like a machine!" Another kind chap dropped back to talk to me for a bit between Droitwich and Belbroughton.

The crowds cheering on both sides of the Bewdley Bridge. They made us all feel special, like we were doing the Olympics. That will stay with me for the rest of my life along with that maddeningly rich intoxicating smell of the rolling countryside that had won my heart for ever.

So what next? For some time a felt at a bit of a loss. Life returned to the mundane reality and grind of surviving on zero-hours work and job applications. I do have a 2nd part-time job now; Diocesan Secretary for Birmingham Mothers’ Union and I find this very interesting and inspiring. It is great to see how this organisation works to support families through campaigning, fundraising, prayer and nurturing positive relationships.

Meanwhile my fundraising for the QE Hospital has continued. Over this summer I have been undertaking the Virtual Velo Challenge of cycling 500 miles in my own time. The challenge ends tomorrow. You will also find a link on there to an article about why I undertook this challenge in the first place.

You can still donate on https://virtual-velo-2018.everydayhero.com/uk/christine-mcateer

Maybe what's ahead is still being part of the story, whatever that might be; and all of us in our own way can work together to make a difference.

[christinemcateer]

“The First must be Last” – A View from the Back Pew

Mark 9: 30 – 37

The church was packed with two large baptism families. Many of the guests had travelled a long way for the occasion. I had arrived early to set up the refreshments. My colleague serving with me arrived a little while later with lovely homemade cakes.

I missed the beginning of the service as I refilled an already empty coffee flask, adjusted the temperamental urn and emptied the dishwasher. Then I took my seat at the back, ready to spring into action when the service ended.

For anyone who practices their Christian faith the story of Jesus teaching his disciples that “Whoever wants to be first must be last and servant of all” will be familiar. Rev Duncan Strathie’s sermon on this passage can be read here 

Duncan likes to ask probing questions and engage the imagination in his sermons and today was no different.

“Can you remember what it was like to be six years old? Remember being a pygmy in a land of giants – how tall grown-ups looked, how hard it was to climb the stairs. Remember how your arms were never quite long enough and so many things remained out of reach.”

An unequal society

Sadly for some flashes of memory from 6 years old may not always be very encouraging. For some of us sitting in the pews most of our peers still look incredibly tall and many things remain out of reach. The divide between the rich and the poor seems to have deepened even further since Jesus’ time and structures that are designed to keep the poor in poverty can do little to foster an encouraging family environment for children.

And what happens to those children who are born poor and are not nurtured or loved in the same way?

The chances are most of them will remain poor. A number of broadsheet newspapers picked up on some research into this a couple of years ago. For example the Guardian article Richer Graduates have Higher Graduate Incomes  The article also states that the report “also gives evidence of a gender gap, with men much more likely to take home higher salaries than women, even if they went to the same institution.”

Why do intelligent children, particularly girls from poorer backgrounds, remain poor when they become adults? Lack of confidence, lack of social connections and ready-made networks and lack of role-models and mentors are some of the reasons for this, I believe.  It would seem that despite a good education there is no escape for some from the drudge of unfulfilling zero-hour, low paid and temporary contracts.

So where does the Christian faith come into this? Is Jesus really advocating that we have no personal ambitions or that families should not want their children to become confident, successful adults?

History shows us that parts of the Bible have been misused by some so-called Christians to ensure that people who have been oppressed are kept down. The justification of slavery, apartheid and the Holocaust are infamous examples. And even if poorer people of faith have not been directly subjected to this kind of indoctrination; something within a discouraging up-bringing may lead them to internalise a lower sense of self-worth that are contrary to the Gospel values. Girls who have been brought up to wait hand and foot on men whilst suppressing their own needs and who turn to the scriptures for solace may mistakenly believe that always “putting themselves last” is exactly what God wills. And a lot of this may be believed at an unconscious level. This is definitely not what the Kingdom of God is about.

Belonging to God’s Family

The Kingdom of God is like belonging to a big family rather than some corporate hierarchical structure and that is what today’s baptisms were all about. The Church family like any other family is not perfect but if we are to truly work towards building the Kingdom of God in the here and the now then we need to work towards encouraging each other right from the time a tiny person arrives on our planet. And for this to work when we reach adulthood we need to encourage each other from positions of mutual respect and trust.

And for those of us who really are the last, coming from disempowered places in society and with limited opportunities on our horizons there is also hope. Jesus incarnate as a little child, self-emptying servant of all reminds us that “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name also welcomes me.” Jesus is with us in our powerlessness, reminding us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” in God’s image. We may need to ask for the courage to reach out in trust to others and to make conscious that which is unquestionably accepted in an unequal society and to challenge that where necessary; but we can still have the power to be kind and to give of our best service. Like a child we can ask for help, advice or for someone just to listen because the Kingdom of God is a network of interdependent relationships where we help one another. Education and being open to learning from one another is also key as is the willingness to teach if needed.  

Then, if that little seed of persistent hope grows one day it will unfold into a manifold crop in a field; full of hidden treasures freely available for all and we really will be turning the world upside down.

[christinemcateer]

Workplace Chaplaincy as Part of God’s Mission

When I visit the garages as a bus chaplain I am often asked,

“But what do you do?”

I answer, “I hang around and listen.”

“But don’t you actually do anything?”

A large part of chaplaincy is simply turning up, listening and joining in to some extent with the camaraderie.

This seemingly passive aspect of chaplaincy can be puzzling for many workers especially when our work-culture urges us to ever greater levels of productivity in order to keep hold of our jobs and to have 10 great ideas before breakfast.

“Find out what God is doing and join in!” (Rowan Williams)

It is also puzzling for Christians who might regard their own ministries as more mainstream. A criticism that some Christians have of workplace chaplaincy and its incarnational characteristic of ‘joining in’ and simply listening is that it doesn’t necessarily lead to an increase in church attendances or seem to be directly evangelical. But nowhere in the Bible does it say that when Jesus sent out His followers to “make disciples” that God’s mission equated exclusively to the mission of the Church. 

If Jesus is the pattern of our mission to usher in the Kingdom of God then we see that He went out to where people were in the market places, streets and places of work. God went out to where most of the people were, not just to where the so-called ‘holy people’ were in the synagogues and the temple. He met with sinners, outcasts, foreigners and people in lowly and often despised professions and he listened. He listened and then he healed and often He joined in with whatever people were doing and through simply being present He transformed people’s lives. Consider Zacchaeus or the Samaritan Woman at the Well for example. 

And many of Jesus’ stories featured workplaces and money. Many of His parables addressed the economic injustices of Jesus’ day in 1st century Palestine which contributed to poverty, inequality and illness. The man who greedily built a bigger barn to hoard all his corn, the generous gaffer who paid all the hired workers the same wages no matter how many hours they worked, the dishonest steward, the unforgiving servant and many others all point to the rough and tumble of the working world; all viewed from the lens of a Worker-God incarnate in an astute carpenter who saw structural sin but also the potential beginnings of the Kingdom of God in the here and now of everyday life.

Missio Dei

Workplace chaplaincy is not about replacing ‘church’ or about bringing God to the city. It is about recognising the presence of God already there, a God who cares deeply about the intricate details of our lives and became fully incarnate through Jesus in our humanity.

If you feel called to come aboard to serve as a workplace or bus chaplain please do get in touch with CIGB.

And in wherever you feel sent in the Mission of God remember to find out what God is doing and to join in.

[christinemcateer]

How Can Workplace Chaplains Represent Jesus?

After listening to the reports and discussion at a Bus Chaplains’ meeting our Chairperson asked asked all present to consider the question: how do we represent Christ?

The answers included just by being there; talking about Jesus but only when we are asked. We can take as positive some of the banter we hear such as drivers saying they won’t swearin our presence. Also we have examples of being positively appreciated by those of other faiths.

We should be aware that some people’s stories are reflected in scriptures and these Bible stories can be shared in those conversations. Our humanity can be helpful including, or especially, when we make mistakes. We also need integrity which may mean not entering the banter. Promising to pray can be a very powerful witness and some of us have had examples where people have appreciated this.

If you feel called to Workplace Chaplaincy or would like to come aboard as a Bus Chaplain the Introduction to Workplace Chaplaincy course will be starting in October. Do visit http://cigb.org.uk/ for details

#chaplaincy #vocation

[christinemcateer]

Workplace Chaplaincy as Part of God’s Mission

When I visit the garages as a bus chaplain I am often asked,

“But what do you do?”

I answer, “I hang around and listen.”

“But don’t you actually do anything?”

A large part of chaplaincy is simply turning up, listening and joining in to some extent with the camaraderie.

This seemingly passive aspect of chaplaincy can be puzzling for many workers especially when our work-culture urges us to ever greater levels of productivity in order to keep hold of our jobs and to have 10 great ideas before breakfast.

“Find out what God is doing and join in!” (Rowan Williams)

It is also puzzling for Christians who might regard their own ministries as more mainstream. A criticism that some Christians have of workplace chaplaincy and its incarnational characteristic of ‘joining in’ and simply listening is that it doesn’t necessarily lead to an increase in church attendances or seem to be directly evangelical. But nowhere in the Bible does it say that when Jesus sent out His followers to “make disciples” that God’s mission equated exclusively to the mission of the Church. 

If Jesus is the pattern of our mission to usher in the Kingdom of God then we see that He went out to where people were in the market places, streets and places of work. God went out to where most of the people were, not just to where the so-called ‘holy people’ were in the synagogues and the temple. He met with sinners, outcasts, foreigners and people in lowly and often despised professions and he listened. He listened and then he healed and often He joined in with whatever people were doing and through simply being present He transformed people’s lives. Consider Zacchaeus or the Samaritan Woman at the Well for example. 

And many of Jesus’ stories featured workplaces and money. Many of His parables addressed the economic injustices of Jesus’ day in 1st century Palestine which contributed to poverty, inequality and illness. The man who greedily built a bigger barn to hoard all his corn, the generous gaffer who paid all the hired workers the same wages no matter how many hours they worked, the dishonest steward, the unforgiving servant and many others all point to the rough and tumble of the working world; all viewed from the lens of a Worker-God incarnate in an astute carpenter who saw structural sin but also the potential beginnings of the Kingdom of God in the here and now of everyday life.

Missio Dei

Workplace chaplaincy is not about replacing ‘church’ or about bringing God to the city. It is about recognising the presence of God already there, a God who cares deeply about the intricate details of our lives and became fully incarnate through Jesus in our humanity.

If you feel called to come aboard to serve as a workplace or bus chaplain please do get in touch with CIGB.

And in wherever you feel sent in the Mission of God remember to find out what God is doing and to join in.

[christinemcateer]

What if Jesus was Driving the Bus?

Have you ever played the game of wondering what it would be like if you suddenly recognised or ‘saw’ Jesus in a busy situation? What would Jesus look like? What would he be doing and what would he say?

Years before I became a bus chaplain I used to sometimes play that game whilst sitting on the bus. I would gaze around at people and look at each individual and wonder, “What if that person was Jesus?” I found that my attitude towards that person subtly changed. I was reminded that that person was a cherished child of God, “fearfully and wonderfully made”, not the Son of God himself ofcourse but nonetheless I could  see something of Jesus within them. It was as though they were suddenly suffused with an inner glow.

Now, I don’t want you to run away with the wrong impression that I am some kind of living saint always infused in prayer at all times. That would be an amazing state of affairs possible only with the help of God. Sadly I can be a right old grumpadump at times, irritable and judgemental but I do try to ask God now and then to help me to become aware of his presence in my brothers and sisters.

Contemplation in Action

One Saturday morning as I began the bus chaplaincy and started to pray on the Number 11 bus I began to play my imagination game. What if Jesus was driving the bus? What would Jesus look like? How would I be able to tell that this was Jesus? I spent a few minutes feeling rather peaceful as I sat quietly and then I entered the rough and tumble of Acocks Green Garage and for a short time forgot about this exercise as I listened to conversations about the changes in the bus timetables and how the drivers were feeling. (They aren’t terribly happy about this!)

As I entered the canteen I politely greeted a driver with ‘Good morning.’ The driver replied,

“So you are the bus chaplain? I have been waiting to meet you for a long time but I have never seen you. Can I buy you a drink?” I gratefully accepted his hospitality and sat down to listen. He said that he wanted me to ‘mentor’ him so I wondered what would unfold. I felt as though I was right inside the Woman at the Well story from John’s Gospel, standing on holy ground. The driver began to tell me something of his faith journey; of how he tried to make time for Sunday worship by popping into every single church that he had seen on his bus routes whenever he had a free Sunday morning. His aim is to visit all the churches in Birmingham, regardless of denomination. As he spoke I had a great sense of his tremendous faith in God and of his intimate knowledge of the Bible, far more extensive than my own by a long, long way. He spoke of how we all operate from different reference points and perspectives. The driver always carries his Bible with him in his bag when at work On The Buses and tries to live his life with integrity.

One day whilst he was driving the Number 11 he challenged a man who got on with an out-of-date ticket. Every day the bus tickets are issued with a different code word so that is how the drivers can tell at a glance that a ticket is out-of-date. The passenger refused to pay the extra £1.80 needed and said, “I will never forget your face. The next time I see you driving the bus I will kill you.”

The driver felt genuinely frightened by this encounter and he is a tall, powerfully built Afro-Caribbean man. After a few days he began to relax and to forget about this when, as he was driving the 11 in the opposite direction, the same man got on his bus. They immediately recognised one another.

“So,” said the man, “Are you going to make me pay? When I get off this bus, I will kill you.”

The driver looked at him and said nothing as the angry man sat down. All of the passengers were silent and watching what was happening. At that moment however the driver paused to think for a moment what he should do and then felt a nudge from God.

“Come here for a moment, sir,” he called out to the man. “I have something I want you to read.” He took out his Bible from his bag. He slid the Bible under the gap beneath the cab window with the page open at Psalm 23. The entire bus was silent and waited.

“OK.” replied the man and he took the Bible.

When the man had reached his bus stop he passed back the Bible and said, “Today I shall sleep well and in peace because I now know that God will take care of me in the valley of death.”

Always remember that the person driving the bus is a human being, a beloved child of God. They work very hard driving in all sorts of conditions and weather and work very long days. They have to provide a service to many vulnerable adults and children. Please keep the bus drivers in your prayers and remember to thank them when you leave the bus.

#chaplaincy

[christinemcateer]

The Traffic Lights Man

Some time ago whilst cycling home in the pouring rain I noticed that the traffic lights by Belgrave Middleway were not switched on. Dismayed I looked at the heavy traffic race down the dual carriageway in the gathering darkness and wondered how I would cross.

Looking around I spotted a Highway Maintenance van. A Muslim man got out.

"Excuse me sir, are you fixing the lights?" I asked. "Can you help me to cross the road? I am afraid of the traffic."

Silently he accompanied me across all the sections, shielding me from the oncoming traffic which slowed down and stopped as they saw his hi-viz coat and intentional movement. When I reached the far end I watched as he quickly skipped back to the traffic lights.

Sometimes an unconscious act of kindness can be a moment of redeeming grace. I hope I will remember all these highway men working sometimes in horrible and challenging conditions at night to keep our roads safe.

[christinemcateer]

Workplace Chaplaincy as Part of God’s Mission

When I visit the garages as a bus chaplain I am often asked,

“But what do you do?”

I answer, “I hang around and listen.”

“But don’t you actually do anything?”

A large part of chaplaincy is simply turning up, listening and joining in to some extent with the camaraderie.

This seemingly passive aspect of chaplaincy can be puzzling for many workers especially when our work-culture urges us to ever greater levels of productivity in order to keep hold of our jobs and to have 10 great ideas before breakfast.

“Find out what God is doing and join in!” (Rowan Williams)

It is also puzzling for Christians who might regard their own ministries as more mainstream. A criticism that some Christians have of workplace chaplaincy and its incarnational characteristic of ‘joining in’ and simply listening is that it doesn’t necessarily lead to an increase in church attendances or seem to be directly evangelical. But nowhere in the Bible does it say that when Jesus sent out His followers to “make disciples” that God’s mission equated exclusively to the mission of the Church. 

If Jesus is the pattern of our mission to usher in the Kingdom of God then we see that He went out to where people were in the market places, streets and places of work. God went out to where most of the people were, not just to where the so-called ‘holy people’ were in the synagogues and the temple. He met with sinners, outcasts, foreigners and people in lowly and often despised professions and he listened. He listened and then he healed and often He joined in with whatever people were doing and through simply being present He transformed people’s lives. Consider Zacchaeus or the Samaritan Woman at the Well for example. 

And many of Jesus’ stories featured workplaces and money. Many of His parables addressed the economic injustices of Jesus’ day in 1st century Palestine which contributed to poverty, inequality and illness. The man who greedily built a bigger barn to hoard all his corn, the generous gaffer who paid all the hired workers the same wages no matter how many hours they worked, the dishonest steward, the unforgiving servant and many others all point to the rough and tumble of the working world; all viewed from the lens of a Worker-God incarnate in an astute carpenter who saw structural sin but also the potential beginnings of the Kingdom of God in the here and now of everyday life.

Missio Dei

Workplace chaplaincy is not about replacing ‘church’ or about bringing God to the city. It is about recognising the presence of God already there, a God who cares deeply about the intricate details of our lives and became fully incarnate through Jesus in our humanity.

If you feel called to come aboard to serve as a workplace or bus chaplain please do get in touch with CIGB.

And in wherever you feel sent in the Mission of God remember to find out what God is doing and to join in.

#mission #chaplaincy

[christinemcateer]

Taking Time Out

It often helps when times are difficult or frenetic to step away and take the long view. This means getting back in touch with oneself and getting in touch with the unique way in which God calls each one of us.

Some of the ways we can do this which I will mention briefly here are based on Ignatian spirituality. Firstly take the time to be aware of your feelings. Be honest with yourself. Did something inspire you or did you feel your heart sink in that situation? Gerald Hughes SJ says in ‘God in All Things’ that feelings are a wise guide and we ignore them at great peril.

Desire

At the root of our feelings lies desire. ‘Aha!’ you might say, ‘Isn’t putting my desire first selfish?’ If your life is orientated away from God and given over to just satisfying immediate pleasures then yes, that would be true. This is living in a state of desolation so any denial of your immediate pleasures will lead to feelings of frustration.

On the other hand if you genuinely seek to live your life in the way God wants you to then your deepest desires will reflect what God wants for you. This could be enjoyment of a hobby for example and the enthusiasm you have for that is then passed onto others in some way. How do you know whether or not you are living a life that is orientated towards God? Well, any feelings of contentment will tend to have longer lasting effects on you and others around you than a quick uplift in your mood from the simple pleasure of eating a bar of chocolate. This is called consolation. There’s nothing wrong with eating chocolate ofcourse but living on chocolate alone may bring fillings rather than fulfilment.

Review the Day

One way to tune into your feelings is a prayer technique called ‘the Review of the Day’ or the Examen. This means noticing and staying with what you found most life-giving in your day. Where did you feel most aware of God’s presence? Then notice when you felt life drain away from you or found it difficult to tune into God’s presence. Stay with those moments without judging them. End your prayer by thanking God for whatever has happened in your day.

The benefit of the Review of the Day if you use it regularly is it can help you to notice patterns. It can help you to recognise where God is in your given circumstances even if times are hard. You may begin to notice that your feelings of consolation and desolation are clustered around similar themes. This might sound obvious but sometimes these themes are barely above the horizon of consciousness and they may hold the key to making medium to long term plans.

Being in touch with your most authentic desires will help you to be a happier person. If you are happier then others around you will also feel happier. Another way of getting in touch with your desires is noticing what you feel drawn towards. If you are frantically serving on the church tea and coffee rota because you feel pushed into it for example you are likely to find this task stressful and irksome and this will come across in the way you serve others. Be honest with yourself. If something really isn’t for you then lay it to one side. Do not be guided by misplaced feelings of guilt. You’ll be surprised at how many other volunteers come out of the woodwork that would be happy to take on this role instead. You are not indispensable.

If you want to find out more about Ignatian techniques or taking time out to make a Retreat in Daily Life, feel free to visit http://www.manresalink.org.uk/

If you want to follow my reflections on-line see https://www.tumblr.com/blog/christinemcateer

[christinemcateer]

Human Beings vs Robots At Work

There has been some talk of robots replacing humans in the workplace in the media recently so I thought I would share some thoughts on this from the perspective of my current job in Reception.

An article shared on LinkedIn on 29th January predicted that 40% of jobs in the north would be lost due to using AI in industry. You can read more about the various jobs at risk here.

So could robots and machines completely replace humans in the manufacturing and service industry? We already have self-service tills in supermarkets. And why not replace Reception with an intercom to cut maintenance costs?   

And yet GNP grew unexpectedly  by 0.5% in the last quarter of the year in the UK. The cause of this  economic boost? The service sector.  Human beings, not robots, but human beings fed the increase in economic activity in the latter half of 2017.

Signposting Businesses

An intercom might allow instant access into a building but it can’t signpost lost visitors who are in the wrong building unlike a receptionist.  We human receptionists also foster economic activity by allowing people to leave their business cards, leaflets and free samples. Quite a few of our tenants do ask about the businesses that have called by. 

Indeed Reception staffed by humans is a great place to promote your business. Take someone who rents out artificial flowers for offices for example.  They ask if they can leave their flowers for a trial period. This gets the go ahead from the building managers. Guests and tenants make positive comments about the flowers. A deal is made with that business owner. As the weeks roll by many people notice the hired flowers. They have a conversation with us in Reception about this. They pick up the business cards and that business starts to grow. Could a robot do that or an intercom? 

A Listening Ear

As human beings we also cheer people up or simply ‘hold’ their emotions if they are stressed, running late or in a hurry. We ‘read’ our guests and tenants. This is not something AI can do.  Reception work involves a lot of listening skills and at times sensitivity, discretion and confidentiality. Could AI convey to another human worker or visitor that they have been heard and their feelings acknowledged?  

And what about knowledgeable banter? With Lee at 1 Colmore Row there’s a lot of football talk. Alas, if only Theology was a league sport too! Still, how many receptionists have a sense of the pulse in a church diocese or in the businesses-in-residence? Could AI converse with such passion? 

Humans in Reception work with other businesses and human workers in the area to try to deal compassionately with the increasing number of vulnerable adults on the streets too. We keep an eye out for antisocial behaviour or signs of illness. We know what is going on with the individuals. The human grapevine travels fast. We know about RTCs, travel issues, burning buildings, weather predictions and up to date news from constant conversations. Would a machine be able to keep up? 

In the supermarket self-service tills may be a convenient time-saver but will they ultimately replace human-beings? In our Western society loneliness is on the rise. For some isolated or elderly people the person at the checkout might be the only the person they have spoken to in days.

A human presence is still needed

So to conclude today’s post  I believe that although technology can be a wonderful thing; as living sentient creatures we human beings will always need other human beings at work, particularly in the service sector. Being at work is about building relationships as well as fulfilling a function. Relationships, trust, respect and honouring the presence of that other person enhances that service and without human interaction something very precious would be lost in an entirely automated workplace.          

[christinemcateer]

How to Recognise God Calling

With my new blog I intended to post only once a month or so. Today I thought I’d share an extra *bonus blog* as it was my turn to write the Thought for the Day on this week’s readings for my church pewsheet. The references are below: 

1 Sam 3:1-10; John 1:43 ff 

You can visit http://www.moseleybenefice.org.uk/ if you would like to see some photos of St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s Churches or to find out what happens in Moseley Benefice.

A theme from today’s readings is how to recognise how God is calling us. This is not always obvious. Samuel had never been taught to know God and Nathaniel was a cynic. They both failed to perceive that God was calling them until helped by their guides.

 It is through other people that we first learn to recognise the call of God. Sometimes our guides point us towards God at a cost to themselves. Eli sensed that Samuel would have a difficult message to pass on to him and Philip was ridiculed.

Many years ago a Taize brother in a talk I heard gave some tips on how to discern a call:

Firstly it is difficult to ‘hear’ God because God’s voice can be ‘soft’. God does not force anyone to follow but invites us by name; “Come and see.”

To hear God it is important to attend to our feelings - including the feeling of desire. These are not the noisy feelings of immediate desires but the deeper longings of our hearts. Feelings may be a complicated mixture of anxiety and joy.

 God will then give us a task but we may not always have what we need to complete the task. This gives the Holy Spirit a chance to work.

Finally God takes us seriously. No one is too young or too long in the tooth to be called by God. God is persistent. The ‘soft’ voice of God if ignored or unrecognised might then be a firm trumpet blast in the depths of the unconscious. We might then need a wise guide to clarify, affirm or to point this out.

#vocation

[christinemcateer]

A New Start: Workplace Chaplaincy

Most of us at the start of a New Year wonder what lies ahead or what new venture we could take up. How could God be calling you? For most of us there may not be a great shining star to lead the way but there could be other signposts ahead. Have you ever thought about workplace chaplaincy?

Here is the story of how I came into becoming a bus chaplain.

“Imagine you have a pile of £50,000 in pound notes sitting on the back seat of the bus.” said Roy Heath, a manager at Acock’s Green bus depot. “When you have finished your journey I want all those notes to be intact because what you are carrying is precious cargo.” He wasn’t talking about the price of the bus. He meant the value of human lives. This is how he inducted new drivers.

On my first visit to the depot I was immediately struck by the atmosphere of friendly camaraderie among the staff amidst the grimy, noisy surroundings. On subsequent visits I’ve also noticed when people have seemed stressed but generally there is friendly banter and signs of affection among the staff. Shoulder slapping, hand clasping, a cheeky pat on a pudgy tummy, a bit of rib-pulling. Most people say hello and make eye-contact.

The humour and human contact is important in what can be a highly stressful job. One driver confirmed what I’ve seen as a passenger. Many of the public will flash their passes or tickets at the driver but won’t even look at him or her. People forget that a human being is driving the bus.

“But 97% of the customers are good, decent people.” The same driver tells me. “I like my route. I recognise most of the people I see everyday.”

A number of drivers quit the job after only a few months but many who thought they’d just do it temporarily stay on for decades. As Stuart Revitt a former Finance Director said with animation,

“It gets into your blood.”

The job is undeniably hard work. Drivers have to have a break every 3 and a half hours. Their breaks may last anywhere between 40 minutes to 4 hours unpaid. One driver typically told me that that day he started work at 6am and would finish at 8pm.

I visited the booking-on room where drivers pick up their shift patterns from Automated Vehicle Control and the canteen. Reactions to my presence were mixed.

“You’re the chaplain. Who’s died?

“Good God. They think we need a chaplain.” Grave head-shaking followed. I sympathised with their cynicism but stood my ground and joined in conversations as I’d watched others do.

“You won’t get anyone talking to you, you know.” warned another chap. He then proceeded to talk non-stop for the next hour. So far it’s been a great privilege to listen as people share snippets from their lives. Conversations range from someone’s life philosophy to reminiscences about the Pope’s visit to Birmingham.

How did I end up involved in this? Well, whilst looking for jobs on-line I checked out the ‘Vacancies’ section of the Birmingham Ecumenical Newsletter. There was an advert on there for ‘Volunteer Fire station Chaplains’.

“Sounds great!” I thought, “Meet people in smart uniform and maybe get to slide down the pole.” I emailed the contact person, Rev Peter Sellick. A few days later he informed me that the Churches in Industry Group in Birmingham and Solihull had just started an introduction to workplace chaplaincy course and that I was welcome to come along. The CIGB have volunteer chaplains in all sorts of places such as the Bullring and the markets. As part of the course we had a field trip to the Great Western Arcade to meet one of the volunteers in action.

If you would like to find out more about volunteering as a chaplain in the workplace please visit http://www.cigb.org.uk/ More workers in the field are needed. Courses run twice a year for six weeks.  Workplace chaplaincy is not about replacing ‘church’ or about bringing God to the city. It is about recognising the presence of God already there, a God who cares deeply about the intricate details of our lives and became fully incarnate through Jesus in our humanity.

So where is God in all this? The humour, companionship, tears, utmost dedication to service and sincere respect for the value of human life are “in the blood.” God is On The Buses. Please remember those who work on or use the buses in your prayers. 

#chaplaincy