Annual Report 2008/2009
Professor Walter Herriot, at an April 09 meeting of the East of England Faiths Council held in Cambridge, referred to the present economic situation as 'the great unpleasantness'. The following report records how our 'at the coalface' chaplains have experienced it where they are in this area that covers Essex and 5 London Boroughs.
Barbara Dennis in Romford reports that the Romford Chaplaincy Team has recently been looking at what areas of retail have been most affected by the recession and has found that, apart from the obvious victims, the small business holders are the ones that have been struggling the most and the question is how to get alongside those who have put their life savings into a business and are now seeing it disappear? The Chaplains are having to deal with a lot of anger and frustration from vendors, but she reflects that that is the role and nature of Chaplaincy, to take the anger!
Joan Goode in Chelmsford says that her team has had a hard year. Those serving the two shopping centres have reported an increasing rate of shop closures. Shops visited one week are found to be closed the next. Young staff, working long hours are afraid to complain in case they lose their jobs, and many have. Small business units have fared the same way. Whereas the situation at Royal Mail is not good, with staff loss being a concern, there are also areas, such as Asda, where things are not quite so bad.
Also in the retail sector the Braintree Chaplaincy Team is unusual in ECCIC in that it is a team of voluntary chaplains without a core chaplain, but, with goodwill all round, with the support of Chris Bishop, David Dickens, and the invaluable talents of Liz MacNee, the work continues. Members of the team are well established in such community groups as the Town Centre Strategy Group, the Chamber of Trade and Commerce and the Cultural Partnership Board. A fresh approach has been made to working in Freeport, but the chaplains are finding that nowhere has been immune from the financial crisis. The support of chaplains at retail outlets has been welcomed and they report interesting conversations and requests for prayer.
Reporting on life at Lakeside, Colin Phillips says that all 8 team members have been visiting staff in hundreds of shops, some of which have had to close down, which has been a painful time for the staff, but the chaplains have offered their concern and presence and have been involved in a number of 'outreach' activities in the centre. The chaplains meet together once a month for discussion and prayer and are represented on the Board of Lakeside Merchants Association once a month.
Down in the London Borough of Newham, Carol Richards says that, whilst the recession has slowed the pace of building work in most areas, it has not slowed the master-planning process for developments and so she continues to be very busy with planners and consultants discussing how communities will function in the future.
Right next to where Carol is, Kelvin Woolmer working on the Olympic Site says that it has been an uphill trudge since September 08 in the construction industry, as big named companies which had been interested in exploiting the success of the Chaplaincy on the Olympic Park and Westfield New Town construction zones and were exploring the possibility of placing chaplains into some of their other large UK building projects, have had to shelve their plans. In the month before Christmas, he had been 'running the site', meeting construction office staff and tradesmen who had been served notice of redundancy, and, although there was nothing he could do, they still wanted to chat with the chaplain.
Up the M11 at Epping, Gay Ellis reports that the Epping Forest Chaplaincy has been through a time of flux with changes in the volunteer group. A presence has been maintained in the District Council Offices, towns of Epping, Debden, Loughton, Buckhurst Hill, Waltham Abbey and Ongar. The Team which meets every 6 to 8 weeks is involved in a number of initiatives in these communities.
In a very different world Chris Bishop at Stansted Airport says that they are yet to see what could be viewed as dramatic changes in the work pattern at the airport and it will be interesting to see how passenger numbers hold up later in the year when people decide if or where they will take their holidays; the Easter break seemed to be business as usual, but only time will tell.
Alison Finch in Colchester says that for the last 6 months she has been dealing with the down to earth, every day events of the credit crunch and it has been difficult and tiring. Many shops have closed down and she is still dealing with staff as they are made redundant. (A redundancy leaflet she amended and circulated has been widely and warmly received). Those staff who are still employed often feel guilty that they still have a job and are still uncertain about the future and, of course, the pressure is on them to work harder than ever. She continues to work with the police who are stretched at this time too as burglary, shoplifting and pick pocketing crimes are all up. She is also involved with Colchester's Street Pastors, with the café church event at Costa Coffee and as Theatre chaplain (light relief!) amongst other things.
Way down at Purfleet, Andy Hudson reflects on more change where the relentless queue of lorries waiting to go through security has disappeared and the car lot is full of motors going nowhere. He says that there is still talk of regeneration but talk is all it seems to be now. A well known tabloid reported that Purfleet had the highest housing price fall in the UK and that all around there are lots for sale and to let but that has been the case for the last 5 years!
Judy Shultz at London Riverside says that last year has been a time of 'unbiased listening' within the workplace, especially to those who are concerned about the uncertainty of their jobs due to the credit crunch and the effect this will have, not just on themselves, but their families. It has also been an encouraging year as she has had the opportunity, with the help of the Headteacher of a Primary School, to evaluate how her role as chaplain to the staff can be more beneficial and productive to all concerned.
Tim Ball says that preventing, protecting and responding are the marks of the modern Fire Service which inform and shape their intentions and work. They are also marks of the Eternal God that the Essex Fire Service Chaplain endeavours to point to, and affirm, in the daily routine and in the life and death crises that the Fire Service deals with.