paulrobertson
From St Silas, Glasgow
I'm about to start a placement through ICC in Glasgow.
Part of it will involve encouraging doctors and other NHS workers in worshipping during their working day. Clearly we can't all get together to sing, so I'm looking for some creative ideas in getting folk that I work with to:
1) See that our work is worship and of value to God as part of His mission
2) Help us to be mindful of God during what can be a busy and intense day
3) Encourage us to express our faith publically at work
I have some initial thoughts but would really welcome hearing yours too.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi David, thanks for posting. Do you work in the public or private sector?
I'm looking at the project from both perspectives. All NHS hospital have chaplains who are, on paper anyway, available to support staff in their faith. In practice this rarely happens- for a wide variety of reasons.
Where I work we have a chaplain who's very helpful and we now have two prayer meeting that run during the week.
While the prayer meeting are great and encourage people to bring faith into the public sphere, they can't be the whole solution. One difficulty is that whatever time we have a meeting some staff are excluded because of differing shift patterns. The other difficulty of the regular prayer/support meeting is that it can become overly introspective and time consuming. The standard pattern of going round in a circle and aking prayer points takes a long time if there's a big group. Asking people who are already very busy with work, church and family to commit to more meetings probably isnt' the whole answer. So...
We're looking to establish an informal virtual network. Knowing how many Chrsitian staff work with you is encouraging and it provided a means of sending out prayer requests, etc.
We're looking at ways of encouraging staff to think of their actual work as participating with God in his purposes for creation - so that it's as worshipful and spiritual as the "prayer meeting".
We're looking at new forms of prayer that allow people to drift in and out of meetings as time permits.
We're looking for ways to be outward looking (by taking prayer requests from anyone in the hospital, by saying to the executive board that we pray for them and inviting prayer requests). It's crucial that Christians ae seen to be "for" the organisation they work for.
We're looking of ways to link the group to action - perhaps by providing hospitality and orientation for newly arrived medical staff in August.
hi paul,
this sounds great, its something im considering in my work also.
one idea i heard of is to give out packets of salt to people to carry around on their person to remind them they are salt and light.
God bless,
gav.
Hi Paul,
I work for an educational establishment. It is interesting how we share very similar issues. The chaplain in this instance also has dual responsibility. Our meetings are also fragmented, and though staff share common working hours, it is difficult to ask people to commit to other times...! Very occasionally prayer-points go out to an email list. Perhaps a Facebook group could facilitate our needs, a prayer-blog with RSS Feeds could go straight into an inbox...
David
Hi David,
Yeah, I've been thinking of ways of doing some virtual community to supplement the limited face-to-face time. Do you have any experience of this?
Has your chaplain been helpful?
Hi Paul,
Our chaplain is very helpful, he is excellent and always makes time available despite his other commitments (another chaplaincy and a church that I know of).
Unfortunately I don't have any experience of the virtual community side. With a 'user' hat on, it would be helpful to have weekly bulletins, news, things to pray for etc. If that could be delivered to an inbox, that would be great. How it is administered is a different issue, but there are ways: closed blogs, closed facebook groups etc.
I'm sorry I'm not more helpful,
David
Hi Paul,
I'd like to be a bit more highbrow, but it might be worth mentioning Bear Grylls to them. There's a bit in one of his episodes (I forget which), where he's in a horrible boggy wetland somewhere, is cold and wet and smells. His spirits are low, he looks up and sees a beautiful pink flower nestling in the canopy. And at that point its a reminder to him of his faith, because God created something beautiful that no one else may ever have seen. Its beauty exists just for its own sake. And I really like that as an example of worship. Giving God the glory for his creation even in adverse circumstances.
When advising, try getting the guys to focus on this when they're working. I do it when working at the somewhat less stressful Poundland, I get the other guys, when they're stressing out to be thankful of the good things, whether it be a shelf that looks good when full or a nice comment from an old lady, because God is in that too.
I've not read the book yet, but I like the title of Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things", because God, from my own experience works in the little situations as much as the large ones. Jesus always had time for the little people (ie the lady who touches his cloak in the crowd and Zaccheus up a tree just to see Jesus). Jesus always has time for people, and that's the attitude I try and act with at work, whether its changing peoples lives (as at the NHS with you) or offering items for a pound. Because people matter to God, so they matter to us.
Worship is giving God the glory and thanks for what he's done. It should be a part of our very being, not just on a Sunday.
Not sure how you'd implement that... but those are my thoughts nonetheless. :)
Hi Alex, thanks for your suggestions. I liked your ideas on the importance of gratefulness and giving thanks.
But I think the very act of working (if understood the right way) is worship. When we work well, we are reflecting God's image (as the original worker.) Our original commission is to tend, order, shape, and restore (where we can) Creation. Our everyday work, paid or unpaid, is worship when it fulfuls God's commission and is done according to his values. Worship at work is doing your job of caring for Creation well, to Kingdom values - not listening the new Tim Hughes album in your cubicle in your spare (i.e. bosses) time!
("Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" " She's not referring to the Christian God.)
Noted. I still want to read it though.
Paul, anything new with your project?
I've come to learn that you never know someone until you work with them... Which also makes it peculiar that it is usually unwise to work with friends. I think work is one place where ones faith really hits reality, and could use more regular encouragement than we often give it.
All that to say I appreciated your, and everyone elses thoughts.
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I work in a large organisation, and we have a Chaplain who is available part-time to organise, reflection, relaxation, worship, communion etc. Are you looking at the project from an institutional or individual perspective?
In my team, there are a group of us who meet 'semi-regularly' to pray, relax and have communion. I find it very refreshing and worthwhile. Is this the sort of thing you mean?
Hope that helps,
David
David