Eileen Tomlin commissioned as Anna Chaplain

Eileen Tomlin is an LLM (Reader) in the Parish of Malvern Link with Cowleigh. For some years, her main Ministry has been with older people, visiting people in care homes, taking services and home Communions, maintaining contact with elderly people who are no longer able to attend church services and especially by praying for them. This leads to offering support to people near the end of their lives, and taking funerals.

Due to Coronavirus restrictions, it has not been possible to visit people either at home or in care homes, but Eileen has led a pastoral team, praying for church members, especially those who are ill or in distress. They have kept in touch with all the elderly members of the congregation and in some cases with their families, to make sure all is well. The group filled and distributed ‘Bags of Love’ with gifts of puzzle books, biscuits, soap, notecards, stamps and pens, and ‘Grow bags’ – small kits to enable those who live in flats or who are unable to go out into their gardens, to grow cress on the window-sill. Eileen has cycled all over Malvern, delivering home-made cards, prayer cards and paintings by local children to give messages of love and hope.

On 13 September Eileen was commissioned at St. Matthias’ Church, Malvern Link, as an Anna Chaplain to work in the Malvern Link area, continuing to offer support to older people in the community. The Anna Chaplaincy is an ecumenical project from the Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF). Anna Chaplains are named after the widow, Anna, who appears with Simeon in Luke’s gospel; both are good role models of faithful older people.

The main purposes of an Anna Chaplain are:

• Offering spiritual support to older people who are living in care homes and sheltered housing complexes, their relatives and staff who look after them
• Promoting the spiritual welfare of older people in the wider community, particularly those facing challenges living independently.

Eileen said: “It was important to me to formalise the work I was already doing with the older members of our community. If I can build up a network of Anna Chaplains in the local area, it provides a solid foundation for this work to ensure it continues even if our vicar moves on.”

Eileen is now looking to co-operate with other churches across Malvern to network and work together, sharing resources and information and co-ordinating visits to care homes and older people.

“I’d like to be able to do more to support the local care homes, but it’s difficult at the moment.” Eileen continued. “I’m currently spending a lot of time on the phone chatting to different people and we have been able to send in craft materials which the residents can complete themselves.  At the moment I’m encouraging people in the church to make lavender bags, which I’m hoping to send out with a card to let people know that we’re thinking of them, and we’re now starting to think about how we might distribute small knitted angels at Christmas.”

“Although not everyone is able to commit the time to becoming an Anna Chaplain, there are still other ways in which they can support the project. People can become an ‘Anna Friend’ and help practically, for example through helping to put craft packs together or through prayer, which is equally important.”

Although she longs to be able to go and visit her friends who are residents in care homes, and people who are too frail or afraid to go out, Eileen will be supported by her vicar, the Revd Phillip Johnson, and the pastoral team, in continuing to protect people and to keep in touch with them, supporting them during the pandemic, and especially by praying for them. The Anna Chaplaincy network shares mutual help and support and enables the Chaplains to exchange ideas and to support each other by prayer and messages of love and care.

Please pray for Eileen and for all Anna Chaplains and the many people who support older, lonely and vulnerable people.

The Anna Chaplaincy prayer:

Faithful God, you have promised in Christ to be with us to the end of time. Come close to those who have lived long and experienced much. Help them to continue to be faithful and, within the all-age kingdom of God, to find ways to go on giving and receiving your grace, day by day. For your glory and your kingdom. Amen