Things I Wish I Knew Sam Fromm – St George LCC Chairperson

Pastor Sam Fromm, the LCC Chair for five schools in the rural Queensland region of St George, has a long relationship with school chaplaincy – and it’s a cause he is passionate about.

In fact, the former cabinet maker was a school chaplain himself in Dalby prior to the introduction of Federal funding. As such, he has seen firsthand the critical need for the role in schools.

“When I was growing up I had influential people in my life that were positive role models. I see the challenges that young people face today and many of them don’t have positive influences or role models that they can connect with. I believe that chaplaincy is a way of investing in our future by connecting our young people in the community with those role models,” Sam says.

He’s seen the growth in chaplaincy as a vital win for Queensland children and young people – particularly those in rural and remote communities.

“The kids here go through a lot of the same issues that those in the city do. But here, because they’re out in the country, they’re also facing issues that are climate-related. And that creates huge pressure on these children,” he says.

It’s this heart for children in rural Queensland that led Sam to get involved in the LCC when he first moved to St George.

“I came out here initially to give a bloke a hand and help manage his farm, which I still do. I also got involved in the local church and served as the assistant pastor for some time. But I also wanted to get back to being involved in chaplaincy, even though I didn’t have the time to be one myself anymore. So I contacted the LCC and started attending meetings,” he recalls.

Since then, Sam has taken over the role as Pastor for the local International Network of Churches. Two years ago he was also invited to step in as the LCC’s Chairperson.

As passionate as Sam is about chaplaincy, he is constantly humbled by the community’s support of the chaplains.

“We’re a relatively small community and we’re responsible for raising over $70,000 a year. This is amazing when you consider we’re only about 2,500 people here in St George. To be able to do that and raise that much, we need the support of the community. The fact that they are able to provide that funding, it shows how much the people here care about the young people in our schools,” he says.

This generous support enables the St George State High School chaplain to serve full time at five days a week, and for the primary school chaplain to also serve full time across four schools – St George, Dirranbandi, Bollon and Thallon.

“The government funding doesn’t quite cover two days, so the community does a great job helping to cover those other days,” he says.

An ever humble man, Sam struggles with the idea of advising other LCCs about how to go about their business, but he is nevertheless keen to share his learnings in the hopes that it can help others.

“It’s about sharing the stories of chaplaincy. I find that people want to do something good. They want to be involved in making a difference in people’s lives. When I share with people what chaplaincy is really about and what chaplains actually do, they want to sow into that. You’ve just got to get out there and articulate those stories and that will generate people’s support,” he says.