Anna Chaplaincy at Copelands

BCM, through its Copelands residential home are piloting a new expression of the Anna Chaplaincy model here in Northern Ireland, and our own associate Pastor the Rev. Julie Craythorne has been the first in the province to become an accredited Anna Chaplain.

Anna Chaplains are named after the widow, Anna, who appears with Simeon in Luke’s gospel; both are good role models of faithful older people. Anna Chaplains are there for people of strong, little or no faith at all. The service has grown as a targeted response for older people, out of the wider work of the Bible Reading fellowship. 

The organisation's vision is to see an Anna Chaplain in every small- and medium-sized community in the country, and for the Anna Chaplain name to become synonymous with spiritual care for older people.

On Thursday 29th May, a special launch event will be held for local volunteers and church congregations who are interested in getting involved. At the event we will be hearing from representatives of Anna Chaplaincy. We will be sharing about what chaplaincy means to our own residents (as told by them). We will also be sharing about Anna Friends, which is a vitally important aspect of the work, that can be delivered by anybody in a voluntary capacity.

Our vision for this work does not stop at the doors of Copelands, but rather extends into the heart of the local community, where our ageing populations are often isolated and yet still searching for ways to express and connect with their faith. The support that Anna Chaplaincy brings will be invaluable to unpacking the complexities of later life, as we walk alongside our older friends. Their  provision helps with simple tools for connecting faith to the contextual realities of later life e.g. when communicating to someone with a cognitive disease such as dementia. 

We have a heart for older people in our community, and from the 29th May, we would love to hear from members of the local community who share in that passion.