Community Spotlight

Colchester & Ipswich Hospital Chaplaincy

At Redeemer, we love sharing how our church family is serving in unique and meaningful ways. Jan Davy has been volunteering as a hospital chaplain at Colchester Hospital, offering compassion, prayer, and presence to those navigating illness or distress. In this blog, Jan shares her journey into chaplaincy, the challenges and joys of the role, and how God continues to work through quiet conversations and simple acts of care

“Colchester and Ipswich hospital have a full time Chaplaincy team working on each site. They recruit volunteers whose role is to visit the sick in hospital. Chaplains can come from different faiths. The training is quite involved and really interesting. I’d worked in hospitals and a hospice before retirement, so I thought that was the end of this kind of work for myself. When we moved back to this area from Wiltshire, God was clear with both myself and husband Phil what He wanted each of us to do. Mine was ‘hospital visiting’. 

Initially I was very disappointed that the training included all the things we weren’t permitted to say. We were told not to evangelise or promote Christianity. This seemed at odds given that we were volunteer chaplains, however it is NHS policy that religious beliefs are not promoted. But God said from Matt 25v. 35-40 that in as much as we help others, we are doing it for Him. It was still important to Him to be a presence in hospital for unwell people alongside other Christians working there. I figured there were ways to converse with those open to a question such as ‘Do you have a faith that helps?’ without breaking the rules or dishonouring NHS policy.

So the role involves half a day a week. I am allocated the same two wards to visit each week and see if anyone is well enough to chat. Sometimes people are very happy to engage as it has been a frightening time for them or they feel confused. Medical staff are really busy so to have a conversation creates a sense of worth and interest for patients and they can talk about aspects of their lives that define them more meaningfully than illness. Sometimes it has involved encouraging a worried family member or just being alongside them when someone is dying or has just been admitted. It might be to reassure someone who is placed along a corridor awaiting a bed. Sometimes it’s comforting people who are very anxious or upset.

We can pray with people if they request this. I don’t think people always like to ask for prayer, so I ask them when I sense it’s appropriate to ask. That is always a privilege and a joy to pray with someone.  I was asked by ward staff to read the Bible to a person who was dying and wanted the Bible read to them. That was a joy too. 

Although there are such restrictions on sharing my faith I know God called me to do this so I trust Him to lead me to the patients where they are in need of conversation or a warm smile. Some conversations can be lengthy and others are short. Whatever the length of time you are with a patient it’s a way to show Gods love for them and His interest in their lives. 

We have to introduce ourselves and tell each person we see, what our role is. T his often serves as a great encouragement and comfort to Christian’s who are in hospital. You can see their faces light up when you let them know you have come from the chaplaincy team because a fellow believer has some time to sit with them, talk and pray”.

Prayer Points

• That God leads Christian Chaplains to patients who are curious about Christianity to allow for conversation to happen about Christ.

• That Christian Chaplains can find ways to open up conversation about who Christ is.