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UID:4874@gleanreport.com
DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20190506T183000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20190506T210000
DTSTAMP:20190501T095343Z
URL:https://www.gleanreport.com/events/colin-woodhouse/
SUMMARY:The need for non-religious pastoral and spiritual care. A Humanist 
 meeting with Colin Woodhouse
DESCRIPTION:Colin describes himself as a man with a mission to establish no
 n-religious pastoral care services in New Zealand. Colin has been a nurse 
 for 19 years mostly working in neurology and neurosurgery. Colin says “:
 I have a long standing interest in palliative care\, and I’m currently d
 oing post graduate study in that field. I want to do a Master’s thesis o
 n the need for non-religious pastoral care in hospitals. Prior to becoming
  a nurse I was a geologist so I am very much a big bang and evolution pers
 on – not a creationist. I am originally from the UK and moved to New Zea
 land in 2007 settling in Christchurch. Earthquakes aside it is a tremendou
 s place for us to live as a family. The three of us are proud possessors o
 f Kiwi passports.”\n\nAn increasing proportion\, and possibly the majori
 ty\, of Kiwis are not followers of an organised religion. This means that 
 more people who are admitted to hospitals are non-religious. The chaplainc
 y and pastoral support services in District Health Boards are run by the I
 nterchurch Council for Hospital Chaplaincy – a panel of nine Christian c
 hurches. People in hospitals be they patients\, their relatives or employe
 es are offered the opportunity to speak with a Christian support worker or
  someone from the person’s preferred religious faith. Non-religious pati
 ents have the choice of talking with a religious person or no one at all a
 bout their spiritual feelings and goals. Spirituality is part of religion 
 but religion is not necessarily part of spirituality. Although religious c
 haplains may be able to offer non-religious spiritual and pastoral support
 \, the people they offer it to may not want to talk with a religious perso
 n. The chaplaincy\, pastoral and spiritual support services offered needs 
 to be revised to meet the needs of clients.\n\nIn recent decades humanist 
 organisations have started to work and campaign for the right to non-relig
 ious pastoral support. The Netherlands in the 1950’s established “Huma
 nist Spiritual Care” in the Dutch Army provide support for non-religious
  soldiers. The Humanist Association of Germany already provides humanist c
 ounselling in many parts of their country. There are similar developments 
 in the USA\, Italy\, and Belgium. In 2018 two major steps forward were tak
 en when Norway appointed Ida Helene Henriksen as the first Humanist chapla
 in in the Norwegian Armed Forces\, and in the UK Lindsay van Dijk has beco
 me the first humanist Head Chaplain of the National Health Service. Gary M
 cLelland\, Humanist International Chief Executive says: “I think these s
 uccesses show that there is a real and common demand from across seculariz
 ing western countries. It shows a real synergy of efforts within the human
 ist  movement to achieve in public life a better reflection of the broadly
  humanist values that now shape so many of our lives.”\n\nHumanist NZ in
 vites persons interested in pursuing a volunteer commitment as pastoral ca
 re counsellors for the non-religious in hospitals and prisons to contact u
 s secretary[at]humanist.nz. We are in the initial stages for this programm
 e but it is intended to provide training for this role.\n\nAll interested 
 people are welcome\, Society members and members of the public – bring a
  friend.
CATEGORIES:Wellington
LOCATION: The Thistle Inn\, 3 Mulgrave Street\, 3 Mulgrave Street \, Pipite
 a\, New Zealand
GEO:-41.27767009999999;174.7796323
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 a\, New Zealand;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=The Thistle Inn\, 3 Mulgrave St
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