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The lived experience of Bolton Town Centre Chaplaincy
Just after 9 am, the shutters are slowly raised on Bolton’s town centre shops, rather like sleepy eyelids lethargically lifting to greet a new morning. As chaplain, the lull before the day’s retail storm is an ideal chance to catch up with the ‘congregation’ of the workplace community. The walk through the shopping centre to the Chaplaincy office becomes one of the most valuable parts of the day.
The route starts at Debenhams, opposite the URC of St Andrew & St George, a key supporter of the chaplaincy project. Last year, the Chaplaincy encouraged Debenhams staff to take the short trip back across the road to enjoy a much appreciated workers’ lunchtime carol concert at the church. It was a tentative first step towards opening up communication between the two erstwhile strangers.
talking
As I walk through the store, conversations naturally ensue. Sometimes, these consist of nothing more than daily pleasantries, but occasionally the need is greater and a deeper dialogue begins. For employees, the chaplaincy presence appears to be appreciated. It’s a change from customers expecting assistance or supervisors chasing sales figures. The chaplain demands nothing in return and is interested solely in their well-being.
The rules of ‘chaplaincy engagement’ quite correctly prohibit proselytising. Questions of faith frequently arise, introduced not by the chaplain but the employee. After all, the 2001 Census shows Bolton to be a place of faith. 75% identified themselves as Christian, 7% Muslim and 2% Hindu. Many are keen to point out their connection to church, a link which rarely translates into church attendance.
Worryingly, many of the conversations provide plenty of anecdotal evidence as to the reason why. Frequently, the picture is one of churches which are not always the approachable, welcoming places we would all like them to be. They are often seen as offering incomprehensible religious language and customs. Town Centre Chaplaincy helps to redress the balance offering a form of church without walls. It takes faith beyond the closed community to a much wider audience.
19,000 people are employed in Bolton town centre, accounting for over 22% of the Borough’s employment. It’s a commercial scene dominated by the retail sector. A heavy reliance on the shopping mall brings with it a workplace culture of low wages and long hours. For most of this ‘congregation’, the luxury of Sunday morning worship is not even an option.
incidents
As my morning round continues, I encounter the crime reduction staff. They dislike the label ‘security guard’ and with good reason. These uniformed personnel do far more than catch criminals; they act in a co-ordinated way (via the linked radio system) to deter crime and keep the centre safe. The cheery banter with which they greet me demonstrates what has become a relationship of mutual respect. In addition to their security duties, they provide information for customers and are usually the first on the scene in the event of a medical emergency, to offer front line care.
With an annual footfall of eight million visitors to the town centre, such crises arise relatively frequently. Once the incident is over, the Chaplaincy is commonly brought in to offer a listening ear to the members of staff who assisted at the scene. Even the most experienced first aider can be traumatised by these emergency situations. Sometimes it unlocks a related personal tragedy and there may be strong feelings of failure or blame if the casualty has not recovered.
On one occasion, the Chaplaincy brought much needed ‘closure’ following the fatal cardiac arrest of an elderly shopper. I contacted the daughter of the dead man, who expressed her mother’s profound gratitude for the way in which the staff had cared for her and her husband. The conversation initiated a call to the Parish Church, prompting the Rector to pay a pastoral visit to organise the funeral. The workplace community responded by sending a card of condolence which I read out in the funeral service.
The effectiveness of the Chaplaincy in making such connections derives from the strong emphasis on partnership arrangements in setting up the project. The initiative to establish the Town Centre Chaplaincy emanated from Christians Together in Bolton Town Centre (CTBTC). This diverse but cohesive group draws together a wide spectrum of Christian traditions including independent evangelical, Unitarian, free and established churches, complemented by active Salvation Army, Quaker and YMCA centres.
reaching outwords
CTBTC support several chaplaincies in the town and not just in the traditional areas of education and health. Bolton Wanderers and the local commercial radio station actively benefit from a chaplain. Plans to establish the Town Centre Chaplaincy were borne out of a desire to repeat earlier forays into the field of industrial mission during the 1950’s. The commercial landscape then was dominated by cotton mills and engineering works, not the malls and coffee shops of today. Five decades later, the new Bolton chaplaincy model seems to be spreading, as neighbouring Rochdale, Bury and Oldham are looking to adopt similar projects.
The umbrella organisation for the Town Centre Chaplaincy is Greater Manchester Industrial Mission, which currently has oversight of chaplaincies in areas such as Manchester Airport, ASDA and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. The Chaplaincy’s workplace partner is Bolton Town Centre Management. This non-profit making organisation operates rather like a secular chaplaincy, linking the council’s various agencies with its subscribing retail members to promote the commercial well-being of town centre businesses.
CTBTC had to convince this secular body of the need for a faith presence in its midst. A chaplaincy management group was established, which set about making an approach. They concentrated on the benefits to the local businesses of having an independent listening ear to support their employees. Town Centre Management agreed to give the initiative a chance and offered in-kind support in the form of office space alongside their small team of employees.
In the three years since the start of the project, the relationship has become ever closer. I am now an embedded member of Town Centre Management staff and as such have an open passport to the business community. The Chaplaincy is part of Town Centre Management’s website, scoring the second most number of ‘hits’ on the site.
community
As the work has developed, there has been the need to build a team of volunteers. The Chaplaincy now has three associate chaplains (drawn from URC, Methodist and Church of England) who give time each week on a voluntary basis. In addition, we have a Muslim consultant chaplain and strong links with the town’s inter-faith bodies. As chaplain, I serve on the Council’s ‘Harmony Group’ with its responsibility for monitoring community cohesion.
Of course, the workplace offers a very real opportunity to bring people of all beliefs and none together. A current initiative is to set up a prayer room in one of the shopping malls. The Chaplaincy has acted as a conduit to bring the secular management together with the faith communities to provide a spiritual space in the heart of this busy retail setting. It’s a project which has offered every opportunity for good community cohesion. It was fascinating to take a party of male and female town centre workers to observe prayers at one of the local mosques.
I have been able to discuss with Muslim colleagues the hurt caused by an increasingly Islamaphobic press. Imagine how you would feel as a Muslim male shop worker, with traditional dress and beard, as shoppers move from the inflammatory headlines on the counter to look at you. For the gentle, peace loving employees I have been privileged to meet, it feels like being placed under a daily accusatory spotlight. After three years with the Chaplaincy, I will shortly move on to become minister to a three church pastorate. So what lessons will I take with me? That faith needs to speak to the real experience of people’s everyday lives and that our sometimes unconscious use of religious language acts as a barrier to discovering spirituality. Theology is alive and well in the workplace.
On the walk across town to work recently, I found myself late for an appointment. I had to cut short one of the chance conversations, on this occasion with a shopping centre facilities manager. I apologised for having to dash saying that I needed to get to the office. At first I thought I was being rebuked when he countered that “I was always in the office”. At the sight of my worried expression he went on to clarify. “It’s alright for you, God’s everywhere and so you’re always in the office!”
Phillip Brooks is Chaplain at Bolton Town Centre Chaplaincy
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