Article originally published in Evangelicals Now, February 2012
Most people have heard of prison chaplains and hospital chaplains, and some might have met airport chaplains, but there are very few people who are aware that there are chaplains in over thirty courts and tribunals.
A work that started in September 2002 in Leeds Combined Court in response to the needs of the families, victims and witnesses of the Selby rail crash has continued to grow organically since that time.
The courts have been described by His Honour Judge Clifford Bellamy, the Designated Family Judge at Coventry County Court, as ‘a sea of misery.’ He recognised that all who enter our buildings, whether it be for civil, family or criminal proceedings are under enormous stress. There is no-one who is immune from it – the Defendants, the litigants, the witnesses, the jurors, the lawyers, the staff and the judges themselves.
It is into this environment that court chaplains are invited to enter. There are a number of local arrangements between Court Managers and people from the local community to be the chaplains. They are normally in attendance on a part-time basis, although this can vary from situation to situation.
The chaplains are not financed by the Court Service but are released from local parishes, or are members of an organisation like Workplace Ministry or (in the case of the work in Bradford) part of a charity set up for the purpose of supplying chaplains to the local courts.
The purpose of the chaplaincies is not for evangelism or philosophical debate, but for listening and caring – being listeners of stories and responding with the love of God. A typical day might include helping someone fill out forms that seem so complicated or to be the shoulder of a stranger for someone to cry on that has suffered a bereavement or facing the stresses of caring.
The chaplains are in special positions to relate to people where they are, to recognise their needs, to care when others will not or cannot care, bring wellbeing , and support those undergoing changes in their circumstances (whether fine or prison sentence, eviction from a home or a County Court Judgement, a divorce or an adoption).
The uniqueness of the role means that staff (who neither have the time or the training) will often call upon the chaplains to sit with the court users who need someone outside of the court structure to listen.
Although there is no overt evangelism, chaplains have had opportunities to tell something of their journey with Jesus and to share in carol services in the courts, even being asked to officiate at christenings!
The chaplains are predominantly from Christian denominations, although there is a Muslim full-time chaplain in Bradford and there are volunteer chaplains from other religions and beliefs. However, it is an opportunity to demonstrate the Church in the community, bringing the uniqueness of Christ into the situation.
Lord Falconer, a former Lord Chancellor, stated that: ‘Chaplaincies provide ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’ for those who feel that the light has gone out. It is about offering hope to people who may feel that they are in a hopeless situation.’
Andrew Drury, former policy advisor on religion and belief at the Ministry of Justice, with responsibility for the work of court chaplains. He is on the leadership team of West Ewell Evangelical Church, Surrey.
A work that started in September 2002 in Leeds Combined Court in response to the needs of the families, victims and witnesses of the Selby rail crash has continued to grow organically since that time.
The courts have been described by His Honour Judge Clifford Bellamy, the Designated Family Judge at Coventry County Court, as ‘a sea of misery.’ He recognised that all who enter our buildings, whether it be for civil, family or criminal proceedings are under enormous stress. There is no-one who is immune from it – the Defendants, the litigants, the witnesses, the jurors, the lawyers, the staff and the judges themselves.
It is into this environment that court chaplains are invited to enter. There are a number of local arrangements between Court Managers and people from the local community to be the chaplains. They are normally in attendance on a part-time basis, although this can vary from situation to situation.
The chaplains are not financed by the Court Service but are released from local parishes, or are members of an organisation like Workplace Ministry or (in the case of the work in Bradford) part of a charity set up for the purpose of supplying chaplains to the local courts.
The purpose of the chaplaincies is not for evangelism or philosophical debate, but for listening and caring – being listeners of stories and responding with the love of God. A typical day might include helping someone fill out forms that seem so complicated or to be the shoulder of a stranger for someone to cry on that has suffered a bereavement or facing the stresses of caring.
The chaplains are in special positions to relate to people where they are, to recognise their needs, to care when others will not or cannot care, bring wellbeing , and support those undergoing changes in their circumstances (whether fine or prison sentence, eviction from a home or a County Court Judgement, a divorce or an adoption).
The uniqueness of the role means that staff (who neither have the time or the training) will often call upon the chaplains to sit with the court users who need someone outside of the court structure to listen.
Although there is no overt evangelism, chaplains have had opportunities to tell something of their journey with Jesus and to share in carol services in the courts, even being asked to officiate at christenings!
The chaplains are predominantly from Christian denominations, although there is a Muslim full-time chaplain in Bradford and there are volunteer chaplains from other religions and beliefs. However, it is an opportunity to demonstrate the Church in the community, bringing the uniqueness of Christ into the situation.
Lord Falconer, a former Lord Chancellor, stated that: ‘Chaplaincies provide ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’ for those who feel that the light has gone out. It is about offering hope to people who may feel that they are in a hopeless situation.’
Andrew Drury, former policy advisor on religion and belief at the Ministry of Justice, with responsibility for the work of court chaplains. He is on the leadership team of West Ewell Evangelical Church, Surrey.
Comments