A privileged journey.

 I visited the Doctor at 10 a.m. last Friday and met a retired firefighter in the waiting room. We fell into familiar warm conversation. He had lost his wife early in the year. He was arranging a meal for retired firefighters who were going through a tough time and they would like me to attend. I then went down town for a blood test and to buy lunch, and bumped into another retired fire fighter. Again warm supportive and friendly conversation followed even though we were standing in the cold. I felt and appreciated the warmth of these two encounters.

I took my lunch to St John Ambulance and was there from midday until 2:35 p.m. in friendly conversation with various people. There was interest, concern, laughter and general sharing about life and their work. Several people said,"If you need help in the time ahead there will be plenty of people here keen to help."

I moved on to the fire stations from 2:45 until about 5:15 pm. and enjoyed more conversations. I came home feeling really privileged to have been a Workplace Chaplain. It has been and still is an enjoyable and valuable part of my life experience.

I was at an ecumenical four day seminar about mid year in 1993 and shared a motel unit with a senior military chaplain. We seemed to click and discussed theology, our work, our perspectives and experiences in life. On the last morning he asked me if I would be interested in chaplaincy in the military. "You're the type of person we are looking for!" he said. "You would be good at it." I told him that my latent pacifist tendencies may not fit well in the military.

During the four days I had similar conversations with the late Ruth Mitchell. She was director of Workplace Chaplaincy (Interchurch Trade and Industry Mission) in the Otago/Southland region. Again we talked about our work, our perspectives and some theology over breaks in the program. In the last session I ended up sitting next to her. "Would you be interested in Industrial Chaplaincy David, you would be good at it. Some ministers are not good in the workplace, but you are the type of person that could fit into the work scene." I said I'd think about it. She got in touch with me when she was preparing to run a week long live-in training week for new Industrial Chaplains. I agreed to attend. They watched your interactions with others. As well as various training sessions, they checked out your micro counselling and conversation skills. At the end of it a panel of people was to interview us and then decide. I walked into the room and immediately the chairman said, "There is no need for an interview, you are well suited for the job, we can offer you a position when you are ready."

In February 1994 I began in chaplaincy at the Fire Station for four hours a week. The chiefs there said they would review it in six months because some chaplains had not been ideal. I guess they forgot to review it and 27 years later I am still there. I am chaplain to a brewery and to St John Ambulance. I did a Newspaper for just a couple of years but four chaplaincies and Church ministry was too much.

I have been so privileged to have been a chaplain. I love the job, and feel like I have heaps of people who are real friends in the journey of life. The experiences, the interactions and the sense of being useful to people have been such a rich part of my journey. I am so grateful that I did say "Yes" to Ruth.