One of the joys and challenges of university Chaplaincy is to encounter different faith traditions. Faith traditions define themselves by their styles of worship and interpretation of Holy scriptures. As Chaplains we need to be alongside all of them. I believe it is an important role to always be seeking our common ground – always seeking our Christian unity.
Unity is not the same as uniformity. Indeed, how boring it would be if everybody was the same! It is a rewarding challenge to find this common ground. Important too, because there is such a danger, particularly when one is feeling tired and vulnerable or under threat, that we gather with people who think like us and exclude others. Recent research from the University of Bristol has pointed to the ‘tribal behaviour’ in many of our churches (Professor Veronica Hope-Hailey – CofE Synod, York 2024)
Seeking unity is, I believe, a mission imperative implied by Jesus in his famous prayer recorded by John:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17: 20-21)
This week I have had wonderful experiences of different traditions. These are the raw material for this Blog. On Tuesday morning I led a modern language morning prayer with the set psalm and readings for the day. A student came who had come to faith the previous week in a CU event. She knew nothing about the Bible or readings, and it was a delight to steer her thinking. That evening, I attended a meeting in a neighbour’s front room where we learnt about the life work of Brother James Kimpton, a Roman Catholic who founded Reaching the Unreached, a charity empowering the most vulnerable in Sri Lanka and Southern India. The speaker, a retired GP who had met James, was moved in his own faith as he spoke.
Today I went to help a colleague on sabbatical by taking Mass for him in an Anglo catholic church in Bath. I enjoy experiencing different traditions. As I faced East, with my back to the congregation, saying the prayer of consecration for the bread and the wine, at the phrase ‘this is my body’ not only was a bell rung by me to signify the work of the Holy spirit but the bell in the church tower also sounded. The whole neighbourhood was therefore being informed. The same thing happened when I said, ‘this is my blood’. There was something very intimate and proclamatory about this.
Finally, I went from there to meet my Roman Catholic colleague Priest in Bath to discuss his requirements for the return of weekly Mass to campus. We have not had a Catholic Priest in the Chaplaincy team for over five years. As we shared our thoughts on the needs of young people today and worked out the logistics of this service, I felt the presence of God and a sense of doing something new.
I have described different experiences encountered this week in my work as the university Christian Chaplain. How rewarding it has been and how important to recognise that there is only one worldwide church in Christ’s name, and we are all part of it.
The Revd Nigel Rawlinson
University Chaplain
27 February 2025
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