St Nicholas' Church' Charlwood, Surrey

“Being a chaplain is a challenge and opportunity – you never know who you will encounter so you need to be ready for anything! As a chaplain you need to be able to read a situation quickly as people may not expect you or know how to respond to you. It is important to give space and time for conversations, listen more than you speak, and be able to reflect back in the moment and later on.“For me, I find the most satisfaction in developing relationships with people outside of the church and the Christian faith. It is really refreshing for my ministry and challenges me in what it means to be a Christian and a Priest. It is showing God’s love and support for anyone and everyone in a demanding workplace.”

Describing her ministry, Sue referred to Luke 7:11–17, the story of the widow of Nain: “Jesus approaches this woman in her moment of deepest distress and need on the wrong side of the wall. Jesus does not ask her who she is or where she is from. He simply meets her in her pain and brings comfort. There are many onlookers but no one else can do what He does. It reminds me that it is only Jesus who can fully meet our needs.

“I see chaplaincy as meeting people where they are and in the condition they are in. Not everyone can do what a chaplain does; there is a distinctiveness to the role. Not every passenger is going to a stag-do in Prague, not all travel is for pleasure although it is lovely to celebrate with people! I pray that I can be a helpful, caring presence in deeply distressing times.I will be leading the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Team and the prayer spaces in the terminals. I need to get to know that team and how we can work together to love and serve the staff and passengers of Gatwick – I expect a steep learning curve as this is a varied role. There will be various meetings to attend and committees that I will sit on, so I get familiar with the people and policies.”

Sue will also be the Priest-in-Charge of Charlwood and Sidlow Bridge. She said, “My call to ordained ministry came through hospital chaplaincy at the Royal Brompton. I had a great experience on an academic placement at Jesus College, Oxford during my training. The five years I had with Thames Valley Police have been fantastic too. Chaplaincy has always run alongside parish ministry responsibilities. I feel very privileged to now work primarily as a Chaplain.