Hello and welcome to Term 3!
While these past few months have certainly been full of unexpected events and new directions, I am so proud of how our chaplains have continued to wholeheartedly serve their communities. They have been creative, resourceful and steadfast in a time of great uncertainty.
We have collected many Stories of Hope over the past few months, to share what your chaplains have been doing in regions all across Queensland. If you’d like, you can read these stories here – I hope that they encourage you.
JobKeeper
The provision of JobKeeper has been a real lift for our LCCs, and our chaplains have found it has taken some stress away from finances and fundraising in this COVID-19 season.
I was greatly encouraged to hear from the chaplains about what a blessing JobKeeper has been for them in this uncertain time. I’m also very grateful for the tireless efforts of our People Services and Finance teams who helped get this across the line.
I wanted to remind you that you will be able to see the incoming and outgoing finances in your LCC balance and transaction report – please make sure to peruse this when appropriate. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please email or call support@suqld.org or discuss this with your Field Development Manager.
We ran Chappy Excellency Group on June 12, with chaplain representatives from each district coming together for a three-hour Zoom meeting to share and discuss triumphs and concerns in their patches. Although screen meetings can get tiring, many were grateful that it saved travelling a great distance to meet all together at the Brisbane office.
LCC Events
Government regulations are changing weekly at the moment, but SU QLD are committed to doing all we can to keep LCCs and volunteers safe at this time. Some LCCs are starting to think of potential fundraisers, and SU encourages LCC’s to think through any risks associated with the pandemic and abide by all current government regulations. We also encourage you to start rethinking your LCC fundraisers for 2020. As the state opens up, it would be a shame if LCC’s missed their whole fundraising objectives in 2020.
If an LCC is considering a fundraising event (like a sausage sizzle, for example), we have a new Pandemic Recovery Worksheet which will need to be filled out. This form includes a Risk Management section which will prompt you to think of appropriate social distancing and food-handling measures. When you fill in an event application, for insurance you will be sent the form to complete.
One fundraising idea that looks like a lot of fun is the “Online Music Bingo Fundraiser.” You can read more about it here:
The other thing to add is that we have been informed Everydayhero is being retired on November 30. As many of you will know, this is an online fundraising platform that is used for Champion your Chappy and some other LCC events. Our team is looking into a suitable replacement platform, and we will keep you updated once we have more information.
September Camps
Over the Winter Break, SU QLD Camps ran 4 successful online camps, including a brand new Lego camp, which was very popular! Over the coming weeks, we will be working alongside our directors to plan and execute COVID-19-safe day camps and face-to-face events for our September camping season. The camping team are working through the latest information on numbers at venues etc. and at this stage it’s looking like events will vary between day camps and residential camps.
Keep an eye out on our camping page for the latest camp news here.
Online Conference
2020 has been a historic year in more ways than one, but it was also the year of SU QLD’s first ever online Conference! Chappies all across the state met together for two days in the second week of the Winter holidays to connect with fellow chaplains, hear from inspirational speakers, and participate in top-quality, relevant professional development sessions. This year, our PD was offered in the areas of:
- Millennials, Gen Z and COVID-19
- Getting the most out of Professional Supervision
- Chaplaincy after Crisis (Long Term Pastoral Care)
- The Power of Story
- Communicating as a Leader
- Neuroscience and Anxiety in Young Australians
- Spirituality and Soul Care
On the second night, we took a moment to celebrate 30 years of chaplaincy in Queensland schools. This is a significant milestone, and it was really exciting to also celebrate alongside those who have earned their Length of Service Awards (those who have been with SU QLD for 5, 10 or 15 years). 99 chaplains received a certificate for five years or more of service, and 53% of our chaplain cohort have been serving for 5 years or more. What an outstanding achievement from our incredible chappies!
The passion and dedication that we saw from our chaplains, field and office staff was very encouraging. Although we missed face-to-face interactions, Conference 2020 was a huge success and I’m looking forward to what 2021 brings!
COVID-19 Season
The last thing to mention is, of course, COVID-19. I’d like to take a moment to recognise your efforts in supporting your chaplains through this challenging season. I know your chaplains have really appreciated your support, and we too are very thankful for you.
The feedback we are receiving from chaplains is they are enjoying the regular online clusters and inservices that have emerged as a result of COVID-19, and so throughout Term 3 we will be continuing those and, to the best of our ability, will try to ensure face-to-face connections are accessible for every chaplain.
In the next few weeks our annual review of chaplaincy services will be completed with reviews sent to Principals/Linemanagers and LCC chairs. If you could complete these quickly then Field Development Managers will organise a review meeting with each chaplain.
As always, thank you for all you do in your communities, and for your faithfulness. It’s a true joy to walk alongside you on this journey.
Blessings,
Jenni Dobbin