Free Churches Group Healthcare Chaplaincy Steering Committee Meeting 

The FCG HSCS met on the 18th September and the following is shared for information: 

  • We opened with a reflection on the importance of the supportive presence that chaplain provide. This was based around James A Peason’s poem ‘How to Listen’ and Jesus’s words in Matthew 11v17 ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 

  •  We discussed the 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future which had been published since our last meeting. We recognized that it will lead to different ways of working and the importance of being clear about what chaplaincy offers to negotiate/lobby for space in future contexts and systems. 

  • There is an important role for local churches to respond to consultations in their area to lobby for the inclusion of chaplaincy care within Neighborhood Health Services as they are set up.  

  • The committee would be keen to know about local initiatives as well as challenges faced. 

  • To help with the above the committee agreed keep the 10 Year Health Plan as a standing item on our agenda 

  • A number of positions on the Steering Committee have become available or will be available from the beginning of 2026. Please contact Mark Newitt or Sarah Crane if you’d like to know more about any of these: 

  • Janelle Kingham is stepping down from her role on the Network, so there is a vacancy for one of our two Network representatives.  

  • Philip Turner is coming to the end of his term on the committee, which creates a general vacancy. 

  • Sarah Crane announced she will be stepping down from her role as Chair of the committee at the end of this year.