Airport Chaplaincy

East Midlands Airport’s chaplaincy service is 25 years old this year. A celebration to mark the anniversary took place in one of the departure lounges and was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire Michael Kapur OBE and other dignitaries.

There was also a 25th anniversary cake cut by the airport’s Managing Director, Steve Griffiths, and the Revd Roy Monks, minister of a local Baptist Church, who was a founder member of the chaplaincy team.

The Methodist minister there is the Revd Dr Moira Biggins.

“We aim to be good news to people. To be a friendly, supportive presence to anyone in the airport: staff, passengers, and anyone else who has reason to be here.

Working with staff is very different from working with passengers.

Passengers are passing through the airport; having offered support to a person, we will probably never see them again, and so never know how things turned out for them. But we can get to know staff over a period.

As chaplains, we are accredited by the airport and we understand what it’s like to work there. But we are independent, and that’s important. A member of staff can speak to us freely and know it won’t get back to management. We also look after the Prayer Room. It’s a wonderful facility, purpose-built by the airport because they realised the value of a quiet space where people can pray, meditate or just find some peace. It’s a place of welcome for people of any belief. And, of course, we pray in it ourselves, praying for the life and the people of the airport we love.

There is no such thing as a typical day in the life of a chaplain. We do get people come to us with concerns about fears of flying, but not very often. Sometimes we deal with very small issues: on one occasion I hunted high and low for a missing sock from a child’s doll. And sometimes we deal with very big issues such as the sudden death of a member of staff.

Mostly we are on the look-out for people who look like they could use a friendly word. Sometimes we drop in on someone we know who’s struggling with life. They might not want to talk, but us showing up is a reminder that somebody knows and cares.

We are here to be alongside people, whatever they are going through. To rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. We encourage people to be hopeful, and try to support their well-being, in whatever way they need.”