Columns

Last week we held our University and Polytechnic Chaplaincy Annual General meeting. It was a chance to pause and reflect on all that we have been trying to do as a Chaplaincy team here on campus over the last 12 months. Primarily what we are here for is to offer pastoral care and spiritual support. Together, as a team of nine people, we are privileged to touch the lives of thousands of students and staff each year in ways which we believe enhances the well-being of our campus community. Together what we are trying to do is to model a way of caring for others which might not otherwise be on display. There are endless opportunities each day to show interest in the well-being of the people we interact with. Pause for a few minutes and reflect on all the opportunities you have to care for others, to show genuine interest in the well-being of others and to show compassion for those around you who are struggling. I encourage you to do an “emotional and spiritual well-being audit” of your flat, Residential College, office, lecture theatre or lab. How well are people in all these places listening to each other and caring for each other ? In what ways might you be able to encourage greater respect and openness to sharing honest feelings in all the environments in which you live and move and have your being ? I believe that in the end, what matters most is the quality of our relationships. Relationships with our families, our friends, our colleagues and, some would say, with our God. Our primary image of God (or our defiant refusal to be open to imaging God at all) will strongly influence who we become, how we live, and who we share most deeply with. Faith in a loving God motivates us and equips us to be more caring, merciful and compassionate people ourselves. Imaging God as a vengeful scary tyrant (not recommended) will result in lives characterised by fear. A healthy spirituality however can enhance our capacity to care and to serve others. Spirituality deepens our awareness of what are the most important things in life. Within the Christian tradition, the apostle Paul writes that there are three great things in life; faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthinans 13 vs. 13 ). May you be on the receiving end of all the faith, hope and love you need to get through the demanding season ahead leading up to exams. If any of our Chaplaincy team can help support you in any way, please let us know. Our new Chaplaincy offices are located on the mezzanine floor of the University Union building.

Arohanui,
Greg Hughson

University Chaplain
www.otago.ac.nz/chaplain