Here’s some news from the waterways by our Chaplain Steve who lives with his wife Fiona on the canals.
Since being commissioned as Waterways Chaplains in July, we have had a busy summer afloat. The canals have been full of holidaymakers; some on hire boats and some on their own boats. Most have had time for a chat either on the towpath, or over a coffee.
The weather has been warm and dry. Sometimes rather too warm! However, with the ability to move our ‘home’ from one shady spot to another, and retreat to an airconditioned Wetherspoons as a last resort, I think we survived better than those living in sun-baked houses.
We spent an interesting couple of weeks as Waterways Chaplains for the Commonwealth Games. The athletics stadium was next to the canal in Perry Barr, Birmingham, and we obtained tickets for the session including the heptathlon long jump. It was great to see the parathletes competing too – a blueprint for future inclusive events.
The games staff were super-efficient at shepherding spectators on to shuttle buses into the city centre, but the towpath was busy with local dog walkers, armed police and the Canal and River Trust staff and volunteers. We had several useful conversations about grief, and in particular, how our faith equips us to cope with the loss of loved ones.
We made friends with the owner of the local barbers’ shop and tattoo parlour. His boys and nephews (too numerous to count) helped us through the locks there and learned how to steer a narrow boat.
Moving on, we headed up the Shropshire Union canal for the open countryside of the Llangollen and Montgomery Canals. On our way we encountered several friends from our travels earlier in the year. One had a family crisis in full flow and was so relieved to see a friendly face and to be able to offload her worries that we moored up next to them and stayed the night. Another passed us in the narrows and shouted that he still had ‘The Book’ that I had given him! I was delighted to hear that, as it was a New Testament and Psalms specially produced by the Gideons for the waterways. Hopefully he is reading it, because the life-saving words within can only transform lives if they are read, understood, and put into action.
We also made some new friends up there. ‘M by the bench’ invited us for a cup of coffee on the towpath next to his dilapidated boat. He was keen to show me that the inside was neat and tidy and that he was ready for the winter. I asked him how he coped with the cold weather. He beamed and said that it was a ‘palace’. He then regaled us with stories from his previous 8 years of rough sleeping.
Currently, our boat, Lutra Lutra is moored at Hawkesbury Junction, just north of Coventry. We have one of the local fishermen boat-sitting for us, as he experienced marriage difficulties and was left with no deposit for renting a house, so has been sleeping in a tent in the bushes. He is so grateful for the dry space with somewhere to wash and cook that he says ‘God Bless you, Fiona, my man’ every time we talk!
We meet a fantastic variety of people on the waterways, from the homeless fisherman to the ex-vice-president of General Motors who has been cruising the waterways for 28 years. Many of these people have a fascinating story to tell. And it is a real privilege when we have the opportunity to share the story of our saviour, Jesus Christ, knowing that He can help them, whatever their past history and whatever their current struggles or future battles.
…If you would like to know more about the work of the Waterways chaplaincy, would like a copy of ‘The Book’ to read, want to chat about your story, or hear more about God’s story then please contact Phil in the church office, or text Fiona on 07434191709