There are few people in life who stand on the front line more than our police services. The challenges are immense, and I admire their professionalism and courage.

One of my favourite scriptures is the simple statement in Joshua 1.9 which is often summarised as “Be Bold, Be Strong”. The actual verse reads; “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” This for me is at the heart of Police Chaplaincy. Together with a small team of volunteer chaplains we are there to listen, to support and to encourage officers, staff, and their families across Sheffield and throughout South Yorkshire. We are there for all staff regardless of faith and it is always a privilege in chaplaincy to walk in their space, to be a Christian presence. For me as a Christian minister within the Anglican Church, to be a light in what are sometimes very dark situations is an immense privilege and one that underpins my church ministry.

Increasingly our police officers and staff are shown little respect and like many public services, they face ever-growing demands with limited resources. We often judge the police only on what we see and not the immense - often unseen - effort that now goes into tackling cybercrime, fraud, domestic violence, mental health crisis and more.

I don’t know why it is that our officers and staff are not respected. What a difference it would make if we all adopted the Great Commission to love our neighbour as ourselves.

On reflection, I love the poem from Adrian Plass. It starts:

When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.

He said, Your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,

Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen – I think.

It ends as follows,

Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again?
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.

Many officers do not know what they will face at the start of a shift and these otherwise ordinary human beings will be frightened; and yet they serve us day in and day out.

That demands our prayers, our care and our support. My vision for South Yorkshire Police is to grow the team so that we can have a regular presence in each station across the four Districts of Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield as well as a strong multi-faith element. Anyone interested in Chaplaincy, bold enough to serve, and who can give at least a couple of hours each week can contact me. I would love to explore volunteer chaplaincy with you.

Standing on the Front Line

Safe Families

Re-imagining City Mission Church