We are all chaplains now...

In the age of acronyms this intriguing title becomes WAACN.

On the 27th October 2010 Kent Workplace Mission (KWM) held its third day conference on this project. Started in June 2009 as the recession really started to bite and the economy as we had known it for probably two decades was wobbly and confidence was shaken. KWM lead partner David Helms by inspiration coined the phrase as in the field and among trustees and church leaders he counselled that the world of faith should rise above simply supporting workplace chaplains to encourage the local churches to embrace their local economy and the variety of workplaces because ‘we are all chaplains now!’

At each WAACN day conference KWM facilitates local church leaders and active mission minded members to look with faith and love into their locality and discern under the Spirit and in mutual conversation what mission action will benefit the people at work in the town or district. Why is this important?
KWM though its experience over more than 10 years in Kent and Medway, Bexley and Bromley has contributed to many becoming volunteer workplace chaplains. This topped 120 and has currently some 85 people from local communities of faith visiting a range of business premises and their staff. This region not only has few big companies and is well stocked in the small to medium sized employers. In conversation with the Federation of Small Business there seemed to be an opening to a faith based service to many of their members. We were asked at one stage to consider spiritual and emotional care for nearly 30 fire service places. The opportunity was adequate but we struggled to get local churches to sign up to provide. At the same time it seemed clear that denominational considerations would not be able to fund the kind of chaplaincies we had once enjoyed.
KWM had also over a period grown an understanding that simply providing workplace chaplains was too narrow a focus, even though some workplaces clearly valued their chaplaincy provision in partnership with KWM. Our operating strategy moved to what we called the 3X3 way. Three activities supported by three ‘tools’ started to shape us.
  1. To support and promote the mission service of people of faith and particularly Christians at their place of work. We had connections with some para-faith organisations in London committed to helping Christians take their faith into their work. We hoped to get strong support for this in the partner churches of the KWM LEP but with limited success.
  2. To help local churches engage within their congregations and in their areas with community action relevant to the workplace economy. Here too there seemed to be other areas of focus. Meanwhile the recession began to throw up increasing redundancy and stressed people at work, which we considered a key reason for developing the WAACN project. 
  3. Formal chaplaincy services arrangements are described elsewhere on this site. This remains a service we would like to develop with any workplace/employer who believes that caring for the wholeness of people at work could be a essential to wellbeing, productivity and motivation. 
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  4. WAACN will encourage you and your church to look with love and concern into the place where your church is located. From a day together we believe you and others will develop insights and practical plans for your local church. The challenge of course is to take the project into your church and contend for mission action in addition to the homes and local community into the workplaces that share and contribute to the human flourishing of your town. If you have missed WAACN 1, 2 or 3 look forward to the next day conference on the 23rd March 2011.Get in touch with us and get more information. We could easily arrange to come to a church leaders meeting or talk to the whole congregation at times of worship or other gatherings
  5. Feedback on the October WAACN day is positive and encouraging

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