Pastor Allan Quak is passionate about seeing young people supported to thrive. Having served as a volunteer on the Earnshaw State School Local Chaplaincy Committee for the past nine years – four as chairman – he has enjoyed a front row seat to seeing this happen through his local chappy.
Though the LCC is small at present, Allan still has support from many other community members. He believes recognising all the individual efforts – be it great or small – is integral to running a successful and helpful LCC.
“One thing I have learned is you need to honour the time of the individuals who are in the group. Whether that’s one of the teachers from the school, the people from the community – all of these people are giving their time. They are usually going above and beyond and they are invariably the busiest people already,“ he says.
Allan is the sole pastor of Northside Evangelical Church. It is his belief that the church exists to serve more than just its parishioners, but the wider community as well.
“Our motive is to practically serve the community – particularly the school community – by being a small part of the support group which makes chaplaincy possible. Our church is not a large church, and our capacity to make a significant difference to the school community is limited. Being involved in the LCC gives us a chance to do so much more than that which could be achieved otherwise,” he says.
While his work with the LCC is truly a labour of love, Allan says it’s important to maintain a high level of professionalism to ensure each volunteer’s time is being utilised effectively for the benefit of the local chaplaincy, and of course the children and young people they serve.
This includes simple, yet important things, such as taking detailed minutes for each meeting.
“The structure of the meeting itself needs to be precise and concise because you are working with volunteers. These are people who don’t have a lot of spare time. You have to honour that time and really be focused on that,” Allan says.
“In particular, you want to demonstrate a clear efficiency and precision in what you are doing because that’s how you get more people involved. When everyone knows what they are there for and why they are there, then you can function at a higher capacity,” he says.
Allan believes the relationship with the chaplains and the greater school community is integral to seeing the betterment of the school experience for children and young people.
“A chappy provides a safe place for students to come when they are struggling with a wide range of social issues from bullying and the breakdown of families, to issues of self-esteem and image.
Young people need a friendly face and a listening ear. Chappies provide that, and that’s why I am passionate about this great work,” he says.