Access Ministries and the National Schools Chaplaincy Program
Posted by Leigh Johansen on May 17, 2011
You may have noticed media coverage in recent weeks on the topic of Access Ministries and the National Schools Chaplaincy Program. Our School Chaplain, John Vander Velde, or Mr Van as he is known to all here, is employed by Access Ministries, and is funded through the National Schools Chaplaincy Program. The allegations gaining the media coverage are that Chaplains in schools are proselytising. That’s a word you don’t hear very often and it means to try to convert somebody to a religious faith or political doctrine. I can assure our school community that I have never had feedback regarding our Chaplain proselytising. I have had many requests however for Mr Van to contact and speak to parents and their children to support them through the challenges that have come their way in the course of daily life. The number of such requests is increasing as the needs increase and as the support that John provides is so valuable. John shows great compassion and understanding that is backed up with tangible support in the form of access to professional counsellors targeted to specific needs, or being a familiar face at a court hearing, or providing a voucher for a meat tray, or helping out with odd jobs around the house of a family in need and much more. I certainly don’t put this into the category of proselytising however making life better is at the core of every religious philosophy and this is what our School Chaplain does by supporting parents and children. Lots of awful things have happened in the world under the name of Christianity or other religious beliefs however it has always been my experience having worked with three Chaplains in two different government schools, that the School Chaplaincy program isn’t one of them.
I am a strong advocate for Chaplaincy and just as strong in my belief that Chaplains must not proselytise or make any judgements about other people’s religious beliefs. It has always been my experience that Chaplains, including our own Mr Van, have adhered to this code of practice that is embedded in their conditions of employment.
