Vision
We want to see:the pastoral needs of older people being given much greater recognition nationally and locally Anna Chaplains to be working in communities all over the country Anna Chaplaincy to be promoting standards of excellence in the spiritual care of all older people.
Community
Increasingly, many older people are feeling that they are beyond the interest and concern of their wider community and even, sometimes, their church. There is a growing focus on youth and young families, to the extent that being an older person can be isolating as well as challenging.
Anna Chaplaincy seeks to accompany older people at this age and stage of their lives. It is an ecumenical, community-based, chaplaincy promoting the spiritual welfare of older people. Anna Chaplaincy is a person-centred and non-judgemental ministry for people of strong, little or no faith at all. It involves visiting older people wherever they may be living, whether in residential and nursing homes, sheltered housing, retirement complexes or other private homes. The emphasis is on spiritual support but, clearly, people’s practical struggles will also play a part in their overall well-being.​
How Anna Chaplaincy began
Chaplaincy to Older People began in Alton, Hampshire, in 2010. There are now dozens of Anna Chaplains working across the country – spreading in recent years to other parts of Hampshire, the south coast, Kent, West and East Sussex, the Midlands and Northumbria. As people heard about Anna Chaplaincy, others who had been doing similar work asked if they might join the network too. All these men and women are, in turn, having an influence on others. Many lay people and ordained ministers are putting into practice what they have learnt while shadowing Anna Chaplains and other network members, and attending the growing number of training events.
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The first Anna Chaplain, former broadcaster and Licensed Lay Minister Debbie Thrower, works for BRF as the founder and pioneer of this work, while remaining a part-time Anna Chaplain in Alton. BRF is responsible for the promotion and development of Anna Chaplaincy, which sits squarely within all that the charity does to inspire, equip and enable people in their churches and communities.
