Post date: 23-Nov-2009 18:31:36
I was on the Jewish Society committee for 2 years, and the work of the Chaplaincy to get all faiths a recognised space, and a platform in the University, was testament to the true sense of devotion to students' spiritual wellbeing that typifies all of the Chaplains.
Simon, Father Mike, Sister Catherine, the Free Church Chaplains, all worked tirelessly over my three years (2005-8) to make Chaplaincy a welcoming place, a place of refuge and a place of tolerance. Without it, there would have been no Jewish Society Friday nights, no CathSoc/JSoc bible study, no community events, no Chanukah doughnut free-for-alls, no interfaith days, no masses, no meditation, no SCM meetings, no £1 breakfasts, no Wii - crucially, no place on campus for anyone to come and just chat, emote, ask, find or debate, without fear of prejudice or ridicule. Unless they were wearing a silly jumper, which Simon often did.
I wish that the diocese could see beyond their budget - if their mission is to evangelise, where better than at University (my views on evangelism aside); if they want to maintain Christian life on campuses and inspire people into community and religious action, where than on a campus full of students with time and the inclination to make the world a better place? There are easy solutions, there are surmountable problems, but most importantly, people's livelihoods and the spiritual provision for thousands of students is at risk.