What makes chaplaincy such a vital and invaluable service to school communities across Queensland?
The answer – according to Senior Pastor and Coolum Local Chaplaincy Committee Chair, Rod Holt – is consistency and demonstrating your commitment to be in it for the long haul.
It’s not the most glamorous answer, but the results are clear. Coolum’s chaplaincy program is heartily embraced by the school community with principals, deputies and other school staff regularly attending local chaplaincy fundraising events.
For Rod, the fact that the people of Coolum know that both their school chaplain and the LCC are committed long-term to the school community makes a massive difference.
“With the last two chaplains we’ve had, they’ve served at least their full three-year contract. Our current chaplain, Mark, is now heading into his fifth year. He’s working with young people that he’s been able to help right through their senior schooling lives,” he says.
This approach carries over to the way the LCC operates too. While it may be impossible to ensure that LCC members remain in the region indefinitely, each person who serves in the committee has fully bought into the philosophy of the group, and they are incredibly passionate about the wellbeing of children and young people.
“We’ve rotated some members, but the core value of what we’re doing is that we’re here to minister to kids – and we’re not going anywhere. We’ve had some core people who have been very committed and it’s been that consistency that has been our biggest breakthrough. It has opened up so many doors,” he says.
Furthermore, both LCC members and the chaplains make it clear to the school administration and community that they are there to work within the system, and are not operating on their own agenda.
“When you first start, there’s the bureaucracy and red tape. There are a lot of protocols and processes, which are necessary. So if you’re able to find some good common ground – without having to compromise on your goal – to serve young people in need, then I’m confident that all your schools will then embrace chaplaincy. They’ll do whatever they can to make sure it happens,” he says.
For Rod and the Coolum LCC, their school community loves chaplaincy.
“Now the school is so supportive of chaplaincy because they see us committed to it and we’re doing it for real. We’re long term, not just some flash-in-the-pan program.
“We haven’t just put a chaplain in there for him to hang around. We’ve sown money into training the chaplain in programs that have really benefitted the school. The whole school is really seeing the benefits. That’s been a really healthy thing for us to see.”