Chaplaincy to the Tourist Industry

What is it? What are we aiming to do?

The Tourism Chaplaincy Project is about organising small teams of people to reach out to, and get alongside people involved in the tourist industry.

A chaplain is a person who is: “among people, with people, for people, providing a caring listening ear”.

A chaplain is a person who gets alongside others, in their daily life, workplace, or in our case, also places of rest and relaxation, listening to the stories people want to share – about their work, their families, their life, maybe their worries, and even sometimes about God.

It’s about being present, being available, being where we are invited, not imposing our ideas on others in any way, just showing love and care towards all.

The project aims to develop this type of ‘listening presence’ for those who work in the tourist industry.

We are looking at how we might reach beyond the walls of our church buildings, to engage in new, exciting but relevant ways with those who work in and visit this beautiful, but challenging, part of the world.

As part of this project, you are invited to following event:-

Chaplaincy Project Exploration Forum’ On Thursday 25^th January

3:00 p.m. and repeated at 7:30 p.m.

At Ambleside Parish Centre where we will share a little more about the project, and listen to how YOU think this project might work, and how we can develop it.

This meeting is for you if you:

• work in any way in a hotel, restaurant, or other tourist outlet
• are connected to any church of any denomination, and are interested in this project
• are a B&B or hotel (of any size) manager or owner
• connected to the hospitality and tourism industry in any other way
• are just interested in what we are hoping to do
• might even consider volunteering as a member of a chaplaincy team

If you can’t make it, but would like to know more, then please contact me, Maggie Patchett, deaconmaggiep@gmail.com tel: 015394 42971, or via Ambleside or Windermere Methodist Church.  

MAKING  GOD’S  LOVE  VISIBLE

          IN THE MIDDLE  EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Come to hear this heart warming and remarkable story at THE MARCHESI CENTRE, Holly Road,   WINDERMERE LA23 2AF at 7:30 Thursday 19 October and join in our special fellowship, around     tea and coffee as we celebrate the Lord’s purposes being worked out in the world.

This month, Filling Station welcomes KAREN NEEDHAM – Regional Development Manager for SAT-7, a unique television station, broadcasting in Arabic, Turkish and Farsi to 500 million people in the Middle East and North Africa.  Former church leader and solicitor – previously involved at St Thomas’ in Kendal – Karen trains and equips UK speakers and ambassadors, and herself speaks across the country.

SAT-7 is a Christian service, based in the Middle East, created by the Middle Eastern Council of     Churches, bringing together all the denominations in the region, who must agree on the programming.  More than one hundred ME Christians manage operations in Egypt, the Lebanon and Turkey. Eighty percent of programmes are made locally.  The service is free – and watched by 21 million viewers.

An estimated 13 million children are without schools in this vast region, and poverty, child marriage and radicalisation are the norm. So SAT-7 has set up an Academy channel – launched last month !  This will be their school on the air !

         “IT’S TRULY OUR CHURCH – FOR THE TIME BEING” says a secret believer.