Encounters of the Intentional Kind
Over 170 Fellowship chaplains in 16 different contexts across Canada are serving as an extension of the local church – demonstrating God’s love to many who will likely never visit our local churches.
Last year our chaplains reported 136 professions of faith and over 9,500 intentional encounters with folks in our communities and workplaces. Here are some stories from some of our chaplains.
From Tragedy to Family Friend
For 15 years Larry Freeman served as a hospital chaplain and never knew from day to day who he would meet. One tragic event that led to a significant connection was the death of a young man in a snowmobile accident.
“I arrived at the hospital to help the family and ended up being asked to do the funeral. At the funeral, this young man’s siblings would not engage with me or even acknowledge me. They were angry at God and I was God’s representative. The father and stepmom, however, were very grateful for the care provided to them. Fast-forward a year later and I was in my office at the hospital when the phone rang. It was the father and this is what he said: ‘You walked with our family through a very dark period, and we are wondering if you would join us for a happier occasion. My daughter is getting married and we were wondering if you would do the service.’ I not only had the opportunity to do premarital counseling with her and her fiancé and then perform the wedding, but I have since performed the weddings for all of the siblings. Yes, the pain of losing their brother is still present at these events (one sister had an empty chair at her wedding where her brother would have been sitting), but they have welcomed me into their lives and this allows me the opportunity to continue to provide the ‘ministry of presence’ to them. Having grown up in a very messy marital environment, it was a privilege for me to be able to share with each of them God’s design for marriage, and lay the foundation on which they could build their own marriages.”
Larry Freeman serves as Fellowship National’s Chaplaincy coordinator: lfreeman@fellowship.ca
Student Chaplaincy in Cape Breton
“My name is Praveen Alluri and I am both newly arrived in Canada and a new chaplain, having taken up this calling in December 2023. This report outlines my experiences and progress over the past few months, specifically focusing on my work alongside university and high school students and my occasional street preaching efforts. One of the most significant milestones in my ministry occurred recently when God opened a remarkable door for me at a local high school. After months of prayer and persistent effort, I was granted the opportunity to conduct a Bible study for the students. This development is a testament to God’s grace, and the receptiveness of the students and school administration to embrace spiritual enrichment as part of their educational experience.
“The Bible study sessions have been incredibly well received. Students have shown a genuine interest in exploring the Scriptures and understanding how biblical principles can be easily applied to their daily lives. I am particularly encouraged by the growing number of attendees and their enthusiasm for deepening their faith.”
Praveen Alluri is a chaplain in education and lives in Sydney, NS: praveenalluri84@gmail.com
From Britain to British Columbia
Luke Hughes-Bunger and his family arrived in BC from England in March 2020 to pastor a Fellowship church. You’ll recall March 2020 was the start of COVID restrictions. The church struggled through the next two years, as many did, and Luke ended up leaving as their pastor. This opened the door to become a Fellowship chaplain in 2024 and continue to serve his community:
“Our town has a local charity – Friends of Hudson’s Hope. A few months after beginning my role as chaplain, God opened the door for me to become president. To my surprise, I was nominated by a member of the church we had left. One of the deacons at that church is the Vice President. The board of Friends is now evenly split between people from our church plant, people from our former church, and people outside of the church. Far from the messy divorce that could have followed, today we are closer than ever, and showing our community what true Christian unity is all about – celebrating our diversity while joyfully working together for the good of those around us.
“We also began work to plant a new church here in Hudson’s Hope, one that fit with the vision I originally felt called to pursue. Some will see this as division, but for me, I choose to look at it as multiplication. Our community only had one church with a clear identity or vision. Now there are two, each with a much clearer sense of who they are. Just 10 weeks after our first gathering, we had 22 people worshipping together in my front room and the church we had left was growing, too.”
Luke Hughes-Bunger is a volunteer community chaplain in Hudson’s Hope, BC: luke.bunger@mac.com
A Québec couple ask, Why?
“As a chaplain, when accompanying people, we often hear these troubling questions: ‘Why is this happening to me? Why is it him who is leaving first? Why hasn’t the Lord intervened?’
“For months, I followed a couple on the brink of divorce due to immorality. The wife kept asking, ‘Why, why, why?’ In the midst of her suffering, she didn’t understand the reason for it. She had experienced a radical conversion and believed that marrying this man was God’s will. Yet what she was experiencing within the marriage seemed devoid of meaning (2 Corinthians 5:7). After months of struggle, pain, follow-up, and prayer, the lady finally received the grace to forgive her husband. Today, this couple is invited to testify in various contexts about their journey and the fact that they both witnessed God’s grace.”
Eric Lanthier is a volunteer chaplain serving in media and lives in Gatineau, QC: interventionsstrategique@gmail.com
Consider supporting a Fellowship Chaplain
Larry, Praveen, Luke, and Eric serve as Fellowship chaplains thanks in part to the generosity of God’s people. They must raise all their personal support and currently, each of them needs more support.
If the Lord prompts you to consider becoming a part of their support and/or prayer team or you desire to send a one-time gift, please connect with them or go to fellowship.ca/FellowshipChaplaincy and check out the directory of chaplains. Thank you for praying for them.