Andrew Micklefield became vicar of the Parish of the Resurrection in Alton ten years ago, just as Anna Chaplaincy became part of the BRF Ministries family, as an article in the latest edition of BRF News (Page 3) explains.
It had begun four years earlier when founder Debbie Thrower was appointed to the role of minister for older people in the town, a new post created jointly by the Anglican and Methodist church. From that one appointment there are now over 350 Anna Chaplains (almost 400 now - as of October 4, 2024) and hundreds more Anna Friends across the United Kingdom. Andrew told us how he’s seen the work grow and how it continues to be rooted in the place it all began.
‘People are very supportive and appreciative of Anna Chaplaincy,’ says Andrew. ‘That’s in large part due to the fact that Debbie Thrower is still an LLM in the parish and she’s kept up her involvement in parish life all the way through, even after the ministry joined BRF Ministries and she took on her national role.’ There have been three Anna Chaplains since Debbie: ‘They’ve all been very different and brought different skills and gifts.’
So what difference did it make when Anna Chaplaincy joined BRF Ministries?
‘For us locally, I don't think anything really changed. I think it's about joining dots. So, we have this church thing, Anna Chaplaincy, which goes into care homes, nursing homes and so on. And then some of those people who are in touch with Anna Chaplaincy go to a lunch club, so Anna Chaplaincy is represented there. And then they go to the Dementia Friendly organisation, or the library club. And you see how at every turn, awareness of Anna Chaplaincy is just growing within the community.’
But at the same time, the people of Alton keep a close eye on national developments. As Andrew explains:
‘What has kept us really, really in this is seeing how an idea that starts in a little market town in North Hampshire, can go big, can grow through the involvement with a national organisation. We are very proud of the fact that Alton is the home of Anna Chaplaincy and that it's been given a life outside of Alton through that engagement with BRF Ministries.'
'When Debbie is asked to talk about it, and she says we now have x number of Anna Chaplains across the country, you can see, especially those people who were around at the beginning, are just so delighted to think, yes, we did that.’ Canon Andrew Micklefield
Kate Powell, Alton’s fourth Anna Chaplain
The Alton Anna Chaplain baton is now in the capable and creative hands of Kate Powell, whose remit has been to develop a team of Anna Friends and to take the ministry out into the wider community. She says of her work:
‘My aim is to try to reach lonely and isolated older people who are not at the community groups I attend and this collaboration is working well. I have regular referrals from social prescribers, occupational therapists and doctors who see an unmet spiritual need in their patients.'
‘I am always aware that there are many older people in Alton who we don’t know about but I pray that God will find a way to put those who really need us in our path. The last two and a quarter years has been an exciting journey.'
'It’s a joy to work as part of a team of volunteers who have a strong calling to come alongside older people and a testament to our team work that we have garnered the trust of people in the community allowing us to reach older people who might not otherwise have a link with the church.’
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