2014 Rural Chaplain Gathering in Dubbo.

February 24^th - 25^th was the time for the Gathering of the NSW Rural Chaplains, not just Julie and I, but chaplains from all the other churches- Salvos, Catholic’s and Anglicans. We met at the Salvation Army church in Dubbo and they looked after us very well.

Special thanks to Tamaryn and Mark Townsend and the team of volunteers for the great food over the Gathering.

As always, we can’t just do one thing, so we added a few side events into and onto this trip.  Firstly, we met with a new network of service providers, from government and non- government agencies, supporting those in drought. I found this most helpful. We had a great time of worship as our opening, which put us all in the right frame of mind to look at how we all could work towards building a network to assist the local farming communities over the coming months.

It was a most interesting and helpful process as we all shared what we could bring to the network to best meet the needs of those caught up in the drought and it gave me new connections in government departments and other service providers.

We also invited those that could to stay for morning tea. This value added to the building of connections. I was able to catch up with Tracey from DPI, in the Western area and with my local Salvo Chaplains, Peter and Jean.

 Over the next 24 hours we shared our stories and journeys and worshipped some more. We had an interesting guest speaker via Skype, Alison Kennedy, on the impact of deaths both accidental and suicide, on farm families. 

Suicide in rural areas brings trauma and sadness to close knit communities and Rural Chaplains are often called to provide counselling and support.

 On the fun side we went out for dinner together again, building a stronger connection between us all, it was so good. My wife, Lyn, was able to join us and meet the others I work with like Lloyd and Vicky from Bourke. These connections will prove even more important as we work to bring assistance to those on the land.

Much of our sharing was in how we use the resources God has given through the gifts of those in the wider community.

 There have been many wonderful acts of kindness – money and fodder for farmers and fuel for us. Chaplains and agencies work together to have those donations go to places of need, not only in this first wave of the government declaring drought, but as the months roll on. As chaplains we try to locate and assist those who fall though the gaps, who never got the rain others did and who will take that much longer to recover.

We have had a good rain event this year but we need so many more for things to fall into place over the next few months.

                              My flooded yard does not mean the drought is over.

Rural Chaplain - Phill Matthews