“If it wasn’t for chaplaincy, I wouldn’t be standing today”

You are helping young people find life and a future

I wonder if you, like us, ever wonder … where are they now? Where are the children and young people today who were helped by their school chaplain 2, 5, or 10 years ago?

While there’s no way of knowing the progression or outcome of every story, we are thankful to know some.

When God’s love is shown through a chaplain, supported by your prayers and provision, lives are dramatically changed for the better.

It’s not uncommon to hear stories like the one following, where a chaplain bumps into a student later in life in the community, often at the most mundane location, like the local shopping centre. But the conversations that follow are rarely mundane.

A recent example we were blessed by was this testimony from Chappy Sean, who has been serving as a school chaplain in the Logan area for 18 years. We hope this blesses you as much as it did us…

“Hi, my name is Sean, I’ve been a Chappie now for around 18 years in the Logan area.

A young girl came to see me one day at school several years ago, and she let me know that her dad had just walked out on her and her mum, the day before her mum was due to have triple bypass surgery.

Her world just fell apart.

She got involved in drugs, and school was just crumbling around her; life was crumbling, and she attempted suicide a few times

We caught up at the shops recently, and she introduced me to her fiancé and her little girl.

She said to her fiancé:

‘If it wasn’t for chaplaincy, I wouldn’t be standing today. If it wasn’t for chaplaincy, I wouldn’t have this family I’ve got today.’

So I just want to encourage you, you don’t know what God’s going to do. You don’t know how God’s going to use you. All you have to do is just listen to God and let Him direct you.

God bless you, Sean.”

Amidst the tumult of her life, Sean was able to offer this student a stable presence each day at school, someone she could seek out and talk to when times were tough — an unjudgmental listening ear — and this support helped create not just change in the moment, but a long-lasting, future-forming, life-altering difference.

To make sure chaplains are where they need to be to meet students in need with the love of God, we need your help. Please visit https://su.org.au/chaplaincy/ to find out more about chaplaincy and how you can play a part in supporting this vital ministry.

Perhaps, like Sean, you’d even like to consider stepping into this vital role yourself and making a difference in both the present and the future!