Chaplaincy Practice is in no way limited only to Benevolent and
Charitable Services
Benevolence and charitable works:
Benevolence and charitable works may be done by individual
chaplains, by group of chaplains or by chaplaincy organizations, especially
those whose aim and objectives includes showing benevolence and offering
charitable services.
People in various communities of our societies who are not
chaplains nor have anything to do with chaplaincy can also legitimately do
charitable works amongst needy people, people groups and even communities.
This benevolent act is a show of kindness and the love of the
Almighty God to the vulnerable groups and the needy.
It must be said here emphatically and very clearly too, that
chaplaincy practice is not limited to only charitable services and works.
Chaplaincy practice and service delivery is by far wider, deeper and larger
than showing benevolence and kindness to people.
Benevolent and charitable services can be offered amongst the
following groups of people by individual chaplains, group of chaplains or
chaplaincy organizations:-
1.
Vulnerable
groups such as the poor and down trodden, children, women, widows, the aged and
old people.
2.
Neglected
people groups.
3.
Victims
of circumstances such as victims of disaster, rape, crisis, terrorism, etc.
4.
People
whose lives are threatened or in dangers.
5.
Vulnerable
communities such as in famine, war torn areas, drought etc. for examples:
Examples of those who
have done benevolent and charitable works even though they are not chaplains:
a.
Communities
where people’s lives are endangered by unauthorized miners who have polluted
all rivers with lead which requires benevolent and charitable works amongst
them.
Chaplaincy organizations, group of
chaplains or individual chaplains who have the well withal may venture into
providing profitable water for such communities by sinking boreholes whose
water will not be polluted with lead again which is injurious to health and
endangers the lives of people.
b.
Provision
of portable water may also be considered for communities where people have to
trek for more than one kilometers in search of water.
Various governments of the nations
and politicians are involved in this kind of benevolent and charitable works of
sinking boreholes for communities, even though they are not chaplains nor do
they have anything to do with chaplaincy.
c.
The
first lady of the nation, and all other first ladies at the state level run some
charitable organizations, showing benevolence to the people they are out to
govern, even though they are not chaplains nor have anything to do with
chaplaincy.
d.
Some
of these people who are not chaplains go to orphanages to lavish love, gifts of
different types, food stuffs on the orphans and make them happy occasionally or
on yearly basis.
e.
Some
also visit people with physical disabilities to make them happy and give them
gifts.
f.
Some
of them pay medical bills or expenses for people who find it extremely difficult
to pay for their medical services as a show of benevolence and doing charitable
works.
Beloved, as laudable as charitable works and show of
benevolence is; it can never replace or become a substitute to proper
chaplaincy practice and service delivery.
NB: If you are sure you have a calling unto chaplaincy,
answering the call marks the first step you have taken; you must take next step
of discovering what chaplaincy is all about.
Then the third step to be taken is to discover how chaplaincy
is practiced and its services delivered in the most appropriate professional
ways. Finally, the fourth step is to begin to practice chaplaincy
professionally in the most standard way that is acceptable world over. Get
ready to acquire the needed training, education and equipping to practice
chaplaincy professionally. God bless you all.
Chap. Prof.
Mike-Jacobs
Professional
Counselor, Clinical Spirituotherapist and
Certified
Chaplaincy Educator in Private Practice
