Future of the Chaplaincy.

Father Peter’s letter to us all raised many questions!

The most important one is about finance. Father Robin’s comments at the AGM put the concerns into a more manageable package pointing out that there were quite a few “one offs” in the form of transport costs for old and new clergy as well as the maintenance costs for property. However, with our aging population and lack of new people coming to Spain, money will always be a problem. So as I see it, we do need to reduce costs or find more people.

Reducing costs generally means reducing the work force. So would it help to ditch a priest? I think not because at present Father Brian more than pays for himself and eases the load on the two permanent members of staff.  Getting rid of one of the permanent priests would mean that we would have to resort to Morning Prayer at a couple of venues each week. I believe that would have an immediate effect on numbers as well as offerings. At the same time it would send out the wrong message. “The Costa Blanca Chaplaincy is contracting!”

So the other alternative is to find more people. This might mean having more midweek services at places where we know there are people. What about a midweek service at Almond Court? Ciudad Patricia? The English Speaking Club? We don’t live at the coast so we don’t know many places but there must be more. What about specific services on important days such as Remembrance Day/Sunday or Mothering Sunday at a venue where we know people will come?

We know that the website does bring in Christians who come to our area on holiday. We have witnessed this over the Easter period when we have had a full church. But these true Christians probably planned this before they left the UK. What about the half Christians who come. They probably don’t have access to the internet – how do we entice these people? Do we advertise enough?  Do we have information where visitors are likely to go such as hotels, Anthony’s, English Speaking Club?

Finally the clergy are involved in many funerals over the course of a year. Is it possible to attract new people from these services?  Obviously I do not mean having a 60” screen TV showing adverts before and after the event but should we have some sort of leaflet that shows the work of the Chaplaincy in a sensitive manner?

So that is some of the choices open to us. There are many things we can do as individuals.  As Christians we should be active in the community – actions are far better than words. Visiting the sick, the unloved, giving to the poor in the community, offering our services to the elderly. From small acorns come the mighty oaks!!!