Become a volunteer chaplain
Is God calling you to be a Disaster and Recovery Ministries (D+RM) Volunteer Chaplain? With South Australian Emergency Relief Centres (ERCs) opening along the flooding Murray River before Christmas and remaining open for months, I was very thankful that the SA-NT District already had over 20 accredited Lutheran Disaster and Recovery Ministries Chaplains (pastors and lay-people) who have volunteered to serve vulnerable people presenting to the ERCs.
Disaster and Recovery Ministries Chaplains have been rostered to serve in pairs for morning or afternoon shifts at SA Government ERCs in community centres in Berri, Mannum, and Murray Bridge. Some of these centres have been open seven days a week, requiring many chaplaincy hours. These ERCs will soon be replaced by Recovery Centres, with Disaster and Recovery Ministries Chaplains continuing to serve vulnerable people presenting there.
The Uniting Church SA coordinates the Disaster and Recovery Ministries chaplaincy network across our state, operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with the SA Government and in partnership with other participating churches and organisations, such as the LCA SA-NT District.
Disaster and Recovery Ministries Chaplains are trained to bring a listening ear and enable people to tell their story. They are non-judgemental and refrain from preaching or telling people what to do. Their focus is always on care, comfort and offering a ministry of presence to people in need. We are always recruiting more ordained and lay volunteer chaplains to offer this vital ministry of presence, care, and comfort to all people affected in these very stressful emergencies.
For more information or to talk more about training to become volunteer chaplain in this space, please contact me. Your application will need to be accompanied by a nomination form from our District office, a reference from your local Lutheran pastor and then two days of D+RM face to face training (which will assess your suitability for this ministry role).
For more information contact Heidi Smith at heidi.smith@lca.org.au or on 08 8267 5211
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