Photo: Archbishop Sarah meets helpers at the community larder at St Stephen's Church, Tonbridge
Over the weekend of Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, made a pastoral visit to the Diocese of Rochester – which covers the areas of Medway, north and west Kent, and the London Boroughs of Bromley and Bexley.
It’s only her second pastoral visit since she became the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Hosted by Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Rochester, during her visit, she spent time in parishes and in chaplaincy settings, learning first-hand about the diverse ways church people - lay and ordained - are enriching the lives of their communities and being a living witness to the love of Jesus.
At St Stephen’s Tonbridge, she met with some of those involved in the church’s Living Well café which runs three mornings a week, and the community larder which takes place every Saturday.
During her time there, she was able to listen and speak with some of those who use the café and larder as well as help give out some of the products available, which are donated by local supermarkets.
Both church initiatives are offering much needed connection with others and are helping people meet the increasing pressures caused by the rising cost of living.
She also met with some of the church’s young people and their leaders, to hear how they are being supported to grow in their faith and become young Christian leaders in their own schools and daily life.
It was then on to Rochester Cathedral, where Archbishop Sarah met Dean Philip Hesketh and Head Gardener Graham Huckstepp.
There she learned more about the pioneering work the Cathedral is planning around health and wellbeing, including a community garden and music for wellbeing initiative.
In the afternoon, Archbishop Sarah met the multi-faith chaplaincy team at Medway Maritime Hospital, which is led by the Anglican chaplain, the Rev Canon Ruth Bierbaum.
After being greeted by Ruth and Chief Nursing Officer Evonne Hunt, Archbishop Sarah met with the chaplains in the hospital’s chapel to discuss current issues within healthcare as well as hear from clinical staff about the difference the chaplains make to patients and staff.
She was also privileged to spend some time on a ward with a patient.
With her own background in nursing and health care, Archbishop Sarah shared her deep gratitude for the work of NHS staff who are often under significant pressure, and for the comfort and support the chaplains offer to staff and to patients who are particularly vulnerable when experiencing ill health.
She ended the day with a visit to the chaplaincy team based at the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) Medway Make Ready Centre.
Hosted by Senior Chaplain Canon Ellen Couzens - a Licensed Lay Minister within the Diocese - alongside Interim Chief Executive, Jen Allan and Chief Nursing Officer, Jo Turner, the Archbishop toured the Medway site.
There she gained an insight into the positive impact the chaplains – who are all volunteers - make to colleague wellbeing through their offering of pastoral care, guidance and a listening ear to colleagues of all faiths and none.
The centre hosts the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s frontline operations, including frontline clinicians and road staff, the 999 Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), and the NHS 111 Contact Centre.
This means the chaplaincy service supports staff from call handlers, dispatchers and clinicians in a range of challenging environments, helping them navigate the emotional demands that can come with delivering urgent and emergency healthcare.
Archbishop Sarah said: “The Medway Make Ready Centre is offering such a great service and it has been wonderful to see all they do. It has also been great to see how they are supported by the chaplaincy service. Life is tough here, they have to make tough decisions, and the chaplaincy team is working alongside them to supporting them in this environment.”
Ellen Couzen’s explained that their role is to be a listening ear for everyone: “We joke that it is called loitering without intent. I’ll just be around for the crews, I’ll sit myself down in the crew room with a cup of tea and some cakes, and people can come in and chat about anything. It might be something informal or they may want to tell me about a bad job they have been through.”
The visit concluded with an informal evening prayer gathering, providing an opportunity for the Archbishop to pray for the wellbeing of colleagues at the centre and for the ongoing support of the chaplains.
On Sunday morning, before heading out of Medway, Archbishop Sarah and Bishop Jonathan walked from Rochester to Chatham to join in with worship at the recently reopened grade II* listed St John’s Chatham, after an extensive 2-year renovation and investment programme.
Thanks to a £4.5 million capital building project, the 200-hundred-year-old church has been transformed into a flexible and welcoming space for the community, which is watertight, insulated, and with additional meeting rooms, kitchen, and café servery area.
During the lively, all-age worship, Archbishop Sarah preached on the theme of patience and mingled with members of the congregation over refreshments afterwards.
While there, she met with the church’s leadership to learn more about the restoration of the church and the long-term plan and vision to bring connection, mission and ministry back to Chatham through the St John’s Chatham building, which, until 2021, had been closed for around 25 years.
She also heard about the church’s varied range of discipleship, community outreach and heritage initiatives, and the close partnership with the Church Army’s Medway Centre of Mission, all of which are ensuring that St John’s Chatham is a place of community and welcome for whole town.
Archbishop Sarah then travelled to the Archdeaconry of Bromley and Bexley and the church of St Barnabas St Paul’s Cray, Orpington.
There she met young people involved in the church’s innovative Bike Project. The project aims to give local young people the opportunity to learn to maintain and recycle bikes, as well as experience friendship and fellowship with others.
During her visit, Archbishop Sarah joined the young people and adult mechanics as they fixed their bikes and heard about why they enjoy coming.
One young person explained: “I like to come here. It’s much better than staying at home at the weekend and doing the usual stuff, instead, I come here. All the people running it really relate well to the young people too.”
Reflecting on what she saw, Archbishop Sarah said: “This is a very exciting project. People from the community, with support from the Metropolitan Police and the local church are working with young people so they build their own bikes. The young people’s pride in what they are doing is wonderful. This really is a church demonstrating the love of Christ.”
For Jen Coleman, who leads the project at the church, it was wonderful to be able to share what is happening with the Archbishop and others: “We have loved introducing Archbishop Sarah and Bishop Jonathan to our young people who have worked so hard in the Bike Project.
“The Bike Project is about giving young people a chance to feel encouraged about the gifting that they have. If they're more practical, here they can really shine and show their skills.
“As a Church, I think we should be in our communities sharing Jesus' love in practical ways, and here we felt that there wasn't a lot for the young people to do, so we felt Jesus was really encouraging us to set up this project and meet this need.”
After the Bike Project, Archbishop Sarah rounded off her visit to the Diocese of Rochester with a beautiful choral evensong at St Nicholas Church, Chislehurst.
This is a growing church family where people of every age are being nurtured, encouraged, and invited to take their next steps in faith. During the service, Archbishop Sarah was presented with a stole which had been made by some of the church’s children and young people.
Likewise, the Archbishop presented the Rev Rachel Curley, Rector of St Nicholas Church, with a silver scallop shell. As a traditional symbol of pilgrimage and hospitality, it was a ‘thank you’ for her church’s welcome, and for the ministry they are sharing with the community.
Archbishop Sarah explained that the shell can also be used at baptisms, when water is symbolically poured over the head of the person being baptised.