Prayer is in the news; banned from council agendas and, according to one opinion poll, ignored by many of those calling themselves “Christian”. Yet in time of trouble, crisis, and thanksgiving many of us do ‘say a prayer’. Research conducted for the charity Tearfund in 2007 concluded that as many as 20 million adults in the UK (42% of the population) pray. But for those who find it difficult,... |
Bishop Stephen Venner was able to visit Camp Bastian in Afghanistan in early February as Bishop to Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. With him was the Chaplain General of the Army together with the leaders of the other ‘Sending Churches’ who sponsor chaplains – Roman Catholic, Free Church, Methodist and Church of Scotland. |
Together they visited various parts of the base, including the airfield, the bomb disposal experts, those training the Afghan police and army, and the hospital staff. It was particularly important for them to meet the chaplaincy team, most of whom are pictured above with their visitors. Chaplains of all Christian denominations work together as a team, providing pastoral and spiritual care to the 30,000 personnel in Camp Bastian and to the service men and women deployed irrespective of denomination. Bishop Stephen says: “It was a real privilege to be able to make this visit and to understand something of the work the servicemen and women with their chaplains are doing on our behalf. We should be holding them all in our prayers, together with their families who are naturally concerned for them.”
