Anna Chaplains: January

Anna Chaplains: January update from Marion Hitchins (Anna Chaplain for Southampton East)

One of the questions I am asked most frequently about Anna Chaplaincy is why ‘Anna’?

Our role is named after the biblical character who appears only once in scripture, in Luke 2:36-38, the prophetess Anna. Along with Simeon, she is in the temple when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to dedicate him to the Lord, as Jewish law required.

We are told very little about her, other than she was the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher, a widow of 84 years and worshipped in the temple day and night with fasting and prayer. When she saw Jesus being brought into the temple, she recognised him as the Messiah and spoke prophetically about him to ‘all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem’.

I just love the thought that one of the very first evangelists was an older woman! So the name was chosen for the chaplaincy because Anna represents an ideal role model. A faithful older person and one who was still very much open to God working through her!

Anna Chaplains in Southampton

Anna Chaplaincy is part of the ministry of the Bible Reading Fellowship, and at a local level in Southampton, it is organised by the Christian charity Caraway.

It started in Alton in 2010, but there are now Anna Chaplains right across the country and the organisation is growing rapidly. Firstly, Anna Chaplains support the spiritual needs of older people, but this work is carried out in many different ways. We work ecumenically, we are community based and are there to support people of great faith, little faith or none.

Much of what we do is based outside the church, in the community. We take church services into care homes, visit and make contact with lonely and isolated older people, support those living with dementia and their carers, organise and run social activities and more spiritual activities such as Vintage Adventure.

Anna Chaplains are also advocates and many of us are involved with secular multi-disciplinary groups where we try to be that prophetic voice, speaking out for the older person. Often speaking about the work of Anna Chaplaincy to any group who asks us to do so.

Our activity during COVID restrictions…

As I said earlier, one of our main areas of ministry is taking church services into care homes. I am sure you can all appreciate, this had been greatly impacted by Covid over the last year. I thought you might like to hear about some of the ways we are managing to maintain contact with the care homes that we would normally be visiting on an at least once-a-month basis.

All church services into care homes were suspended in March 2020. Contact has continued primarily over the phone. We usually speak to one of the management team, enquire after the residents and carers and offer any support we can.
Every month various members of the ministry team take it in turns to produce prayer cards which carers can encourage residents to use.
Early in the first lockdown Caraway sent some small gifts for the carers into many of the care homes. These consisted of chocolates and hand cream and were designed to show our appreciation of all they were doing and bless them in their work.
During the summer, Erica managed to make an outside visit to a care home where a short film was made that was later incorporated into a service celebrating older people that was shown on the Church of England website.

Christmas celebrations during a pandemic…

As Christmas approached we put together what we described as ‘spiritual resource boxes’. Amongst other things, these contained prayer cards, holding crosses and a set of booklets produced by the Bible Reading Fellowship for staff in care homes to help them spiritually support their residents. We delivered these just before Christmas. It was lovely to make doorstep visits and chat with some of the carers. Including a box of chocolate biscuits for the staff!
Another activity just before Christmas saw a group of the ministry team singing Christmas carols outside various care homes. This was greatly appreciated by staff and residents alike!
Finally, a few days before Christmas, using the wonders of modern technology. We managed to hold two virtual carol services, in two different care homes via the internet. It was lovely to see inside the care homes and see the residents enjoying the service and singing along to the carols.

Looking ahead:

Currently, we are looking at ways in which we can develop this ‘over the internet’ ministry so that we can once again enable acts of worship in care homes. As we eagerly wait with anticipation to see the plans the Lord has in store for us this year. How will he enable us to fulfil our ministry, even in these challenging circumstances?

We thank God for you. You are precious to Him and to us and we send you our love,

from

Marion and all the Caraway team (Anna Chaplains: January)

Anna Chaplains: January