RAF CHAPLAINCY
FOREWORD BY THE CHAPLAIN-IN-CHIEF
The Venerable( Air Vice Marshal) Giles Legood MBE KHC RAF The Chaplain-in-Chief
Operating at the very heart of our communities, Royal Air Force chaplains have, for over a century, served alongside personnel in both times of peace and of war across the world. Royal Air Force chaplaincy is a ministry that offers many opportunities, some under the most challenging of circumstances. We live alongside those we serve and wear the same uniform. We provide spiritual, pastoral and ethical support as we walk with our people, embedded within the RAF family, all of this giving us the immense privilege of sharing in a very special world.
Our Mission Statement is that:“ the Chaplaincy Profession will recruit, train, and sustain chaplains from a diversity of backgrounds to care for the Whole Force across the spectrum of faiths and beliefs.” Traditionally, this was Christian chaplaincy, but since 2018 other faiths have been commissioned, including Sikh,
Muslim and Jewish chaplains. In 2023 it was also agreed that Humanists UK will be an Endorsing Authorities to provide chaplaincy within the Royal Air Force. This, along with a growing number of recognised Christian churches as MOD-approved endorsing authorities, ensures a Chaplaincy Profession better equipped to deliver chaplaincy effect, enabling spiritual needs across the RAF community.
As you read this booklet, it is my hope that you will gain a deeper understanding of the work that we are called to do, and perhaps even discover a vocation to join us. You will find this a most dynamic ministry, as we seek to enable the Royal Air Force to be spiritually ready to fly, to fight and to win.
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