Episode 4 Chaplains: Angels of Mersey

Chaplains are modern-day disciples.

-Ta-da!

-Yay!

Excuse me, are you Jewish? Have you got any Jewish pals here?

They take the word of God out of the church

and into the places we work and play.

This is what Christ did,

he came and walked and talked and lived amongst people.

They're employed in our hospitals and universities,

at the football ground, on the street.

-We are here to help everyone who is vulnerable.

-We are very vulnerable!

LAUGHTER

All chaplaincy is front-line ministry. You are actually out where it is happening.

Tonight, how a mother faced her worst nightmare.

The first thing I did was I went to reception and I asked,

"Can you please call the chaplain? I need to speak to someone now."

How a trip abroad changed a Muslim convert's life.

I came back to the UK with a beard, a wife and a dress on.

That's the short version.

And kosher bowling and student matchmaking with Rabbi Shmuli Brown.

Yes!

We are following chaplains in the city of Liverpool,

the work they do and the people's lives they touch.

Chaplains work with all the faith groups in Liverpool,

including the city's Muslim population.

Try and keep it as straight as possible.

Today, Muslim chaplain Adam Kelwick is moving house to be

closer to the main mosque where he works.

What it will mean is, more than anything,

I will be moving closer to the heart of the Muslim community, as it were,

than I have been before.

I will be much closer to the mosque, no excuses now for not praying,

the morning prayers are at 4 o'clock in the morning.

Adam's chaplaincy is based in the Toxteth area of the city.

It's one of these places that the longer you stay,

the more it is grows on you. It really is, the people are amazing.

You can't get better than Scousers, you can't, you really can't.

I think the general image of Islam or Muslims in society today

can be a negative one, but at the same time,

I think it's incumbent upon myself

and other members of the Muslim community to try their hardest

to be extremists, to be extremely kind, to be extremely polite.

I think this is going to be the way the negativity can be tackled.

People are often surprised to discover that Adam is a Muslim convert.

His birth father is Yemeni, his mother, Mary, is from Rotherham,

and Adam was raised as a Christian.

This is Adam wearing his Christmas hat one Christmas.

Like most white British families,

we did all the Christmas things, Christmas dinner. Crackers.

Putting the trimmings up.

I was introduced to Islam when I was 17.

I remember picking up a copy of the Koran in English.

And after getting through the very biblical

style of the translation, which I was given, I did find,

without sounding too cheesy, that it did make a lot of sense to me.

There he is, my Adam there.

Adam converted to Islam, but his life turned around even more

during a trip to Yemen to meet his extended family.

That's really where I started to practise the faith which

I'd already taken on beforehand anyway.

And then I came back to the UK with a beard, a wife and a dress on.

And that's the short version.

I was a bit shocked, I'll not say I wasn't,

because it was a big step for my eldest son to take.

I never expected him to do such a dramatic move.

To be quite honest with you,

when he came back from Yemen it was like, it sounds a bit dramatic,

he'd gone as a boy and come back as a man.

Now, with his unique understanding of both Christianity and Islam,

Adam is on a mission to build bridges between Muslims

and the wider population.

University Rabbi Shmuli Brown is in Manchester

buying food for a Jewish student social event.

Kosher tenpin bowling.

It's all part of the Rabbi's mission to keep students

close to the Judaic path.

Today, we are doing a bowling event where the students will have

a very, very good time, meeting other students.

Coming together, boys and girls,

they are going to be having a nice social event in a Jewish midst.

Which is crucial for us, to keep the Jews together

and introduce one to another.

Jews, whenever we do any events,

there's always food involved, you have to keep them happy.

This is what brings the students to most of our events,

the food, of course, and the booze!

20% extra free - you've got to be Jewish to take this.

In keeping with Jewish tradition,

all the food will be strictly kosher.

Kosher means "fit". Basically, what's fitting for us to eat.

The meat has to come from an animal which is kosher,

a kosher animal has to chew the cud, plus it has to have split hooves.

Pork, pig, it has split hooves, but it doesn't chew the cud,

so we're not allowed to eat pork, so Jews don't eat that.

Fish have to have fins and scales,

and poultry, it's all laid out

in the book of Leviticus what is permissible to eat and what not.

Where now, Rabbi?

Now we're off to Liverpool, final destination.

We're going to have a blast tonight.

It's going to epic for the students, I'm telling you.

Adam the Muslim chaplain is renovating an old Mosque

with a group of fellow converts.

Up to 5,000 people converted to Islam in Britain last year

and a big part of Adam's chaplaincy work is about giving them help and support.

People come from all different backgrounds and social classes.

People will convert to Islam in prison,

people will convert to Islam in university,

old people, young people.

Converts are like a bridge in our community

between the born Muslims and the British people.

And hopefully, you know, as time goes on, we can discuss

and eradicate a lot of, you know, the misconceptions, again,

about Islam.

Sometimes people who convert to Islam can be quite isolated,

and they can sometimes think,

"Am I the only one who's done this and who is in this predicament?"

And then, when they do get to meet with other like-minded people,

they start to realise that it wasn't only them who got a funny look

in the mosque, because they weren't wearing the headscarf properly,

or they weren't the only ones who've been having major fall-outs

with their parents because they don't want a bacon sandwich anymore.

And it's things like this. So, first and foremost, bringing people together.

Caroline Gorman became a Muslim after she worked in Africa.

Like many fellow converts, her friends and family

have struggled to accept her new identity.

It is an issue for people.

That's what I struggle with, because the only things that

I've left behind are things that aren't...

that I don't think are anything that I needed in my life.

I don't drink any more,

I don't wear make-up, um, I don't go to nightclubs.

I feel like I'm being more true to myself now than I ever have been.

I can understand entirely why a person would become concerned

with one of their relatives becoming Muslim,

especially if they're reading tabloid newspapers on a daily basis.

People don't like change in general,

and I can also see,

bearing that in mind, why people might feel threatened

when Paul becomes Abdullah and starts growing a beard

and starts going to the mosque once a week and starts slipping

Arabic phrases into what he's saying.

THEY GREET EACH OTHER IN ARABIC

At advice sessions down at the mosque, Adam helps converts

to understand why choosing Islam can upset family and friends.

Can you try to understand why people around you might feel

threatened or intimidated or worried about you becoming Muslim?

Yeah, yeah.

I think that's an important part - trying to see things from their perspective.

Yeah, I think it made a difference

when you said that it doesn't really matter what I'm going through,

to just be more compassionate,

especially with people who aren't Muslim.

And at the end of the day,

Islam came to perfect the three relationships which we have.

The first and foremost is the relationship between us and God,

the second one is between us and ourselves, and the third one is

between us and the people around us.

Helping people through times of crisis is all part of a day's work

for the chaplains at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Alder Hey's chaplaincy team is headed up by Anglican priest Dave Williams.

People do find themselves faced with these situations

which are crises in their life,

and they...they sometimes engage with God for the first time, I think.

You know, most young families haven't engaged with God in school

as we did in my day, probably not in church,

and maybe this is the first time they've really had to come

and come alongside God and say, "Well, where are you in this?"

Amanda Baylis found God when she faced her worst nightmare,

hear at Alder Hey.

Today she's brought her daughter Sophie in for an eye test.

-Are you Mum?

-Yes.

-I am one of the consultants here.

-Hiya.

But six months ago, she was here in very different circumstances.

Sophie's heart was failing and Amanda was told to expect the worst.

Hello, Sophie. How are you? Are you all right?

'When you love someone so, so much you would lay your life down

'for them and you are told that they can be taken away from you,

'it's the worst feeling you can ever experience.'

Look at this again.

HE CLICKS AND WHISTLES

Good girl, Sophie.

'I remember coming out of ICU'

with a dry eye. I didn't cry, because it was just pure shock.

And the first thing I did was I went to reception and I asked,

"Can you please call the chaplain? I need to speak to someone now."

'And we went across into the chaplaincy and we literally sat down

'and we prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed for Sophie to survive.'

I have no doubt at all that sometimes we are called as a last resort,

and they're just basically looking to you to guide them and to say,

"Where do we go? What is the hope here?"

And that's that wonderful situation, that wonderful privilege of being

in that situation with them to say, "I don't know why this happened,

"I don't know why this awful thing's happened.

"I believe your child is absolutely safe with God

"and I believe God's here weeping with you.

"And that's the comfort I can offer you.

"That's the only comfort I can offer you."

On the day of Sophie's first heart operation,

Amanda had a religious experience that changed her life.

I lay her down and I was absolutely mortified to have left her

on this table, not knowing whether I was going to see her alive again.

And I came out of the theatre

and it was like a wave of calmness

had hit me, a wave of relief that she's actually in the theatre room.

Um...

A massive sense that everything was going to be OK.

I can't describe it. It's like something took over me, almost.

I've never experienced a feeling like it.

And I truly believe that that was God saying to me,

"Amanda, everything will be OK."

The future is now looking good for Sophie,

but she still needs regular check-ups at Alder Hey.

And Amanda always calls in to see Dave and the team.

To have the chaplains here as an emotional support

and a spiritual support has been immensely important to me.

They have acted, in a way, like a surrogate family almost.

Since I've come to Alder Hey, God did come into my life

and I've felt him come into my life.

And I'll NEVER turn my back on him again.

The Festival of Eid marks the end of Ramadan,

and Adam's helping with prayers down at the mosque.

Even though the mosque is quite big as a building,

there are so many people who come on Eid day that we have to do

three separate sets of prayers to accommodate for everybody.

It's a time of great joy.

All Muslims, let us not follow the path of Shaitan,

let us heed instead the advice,

the golden advice from our illustrious master,

the prophet Muhammad sala Allah alih wa salam.

Let us enhance these days of Eid with good and beneficial and fruitful...

Liverpool's Muslim community is diverse and cosmopolitan

and welcomes converts.

When you do become Muslim you don't have to change your name.

You can still be called John and you can still be called Peter

and you can still be called Daniel and you can still be called Natalie.

Although you might be required to dress modestly,

that doesn't necessarily entail that you have to wear black clothes

from head to toe, especially if it's not part of your culture

and it's not a part of who you are.

Thanks to Adam, Caroline's now hopeful she can help her family

and friends accept her new faith.

I think that I understand a bit more now why people...

why people are maybe a little bit upset about my conversion,

or why people think that I've changed,

that, like, I'm a completely different person.

But I'm still...

like, I'm still the same and I still care about the same things.

Adam...he was meant to be a Muslim, that's all I can say.

When I look back on his childhood, y'know,

he always had such a thirst for knowledge,

a thirst for everything,

and I think Islam, ultimately,

answered all his main questions.

'The thing is, it worked out wonderful.'

I've got four beautiful grandchildren

and my son and his wife, they couldn't be happier.

People always say they can see a similar look in us

and I can't see it, and my mum says she can't see it either.

Similarities.

He won't admit it, but he's got a silly sense of humour, like me.

-I'll admit that.

-Would you admit that, yeah?

I've got a sense of humour.

-Yeah.

-I hope!

He's more grown-up than me, but...

Yeah, sometimes I wonder whether he's my dad or my son,

cos he's full of good advice, aren't you, Adam?

-You are as well.

-I know. He's lovely.

I feel really embarrassed now.

Rabbi Brown is racing to get things ready for the kosher bowling.

Let's get cutting.

My hopes are, basically, that many people should come

and they should meet new people

and they will be friendly

and make new friends and have a fun night.

On the menu - food and fun.

And if the rabbi gets his way,

a spot of Jewish student matchmaking.

It's very important that they find a Jewish match,

that they find a Jewish date,

because that preserves the continuity of the Jewish nation.

That sounds quite dramatic. Is that what's at stake?

Of course, of course.

Unfortunately, many people marry out of the faith.

And we're trying to... We're trying to promote keeping in the faith,

and staying within the faith,

because there's many good Jewish boys and girls out there.

Ohhhh!

Oh!

Yeah!

The evening kicks off with a bowling-themed life lesson.

There's a very big life message with bowling, very big life message.

You see these bowls, these tenpins over here?

These tenpins over here are standing up.

They represent the obstacles and the challenges in our lives.

There are things that are blocking us.

But we have to knock them down.

If you go to the side, to the left, or to the right,

you ain't getting nothing.

This is the message of bowling tonight.

Remain centre-focused for the rest of your lives.

Guys, enjoy the food behind you, enjoy bowling,

meet one another, make new friends.

Even at the bowling alley,

everything is prepared according to kosher law.

The reason why I'm covering it is because it's a public place.

And we can only have kosher utensils and kosher items,

so I don't know what's gone on this table,

it could be ham or anything like that,

that's why I'm covering it.

Yeah!

Whoa!

One thing I can definitely say

is that it's very possible in a few weeks from now,

I'll get this telephone call,

"Rabbi Shmuli, thank you ever so much for the bowling,

"I've just found my soulmate."

Very possible I'll get this telephone call

because we have it all the time with different events we do.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

There are only 200 Jewish students in Liverpool.

But happily for the Rabbi,

the young people here are hoping to marry within the Jewish faith.

Jews have always liked to stick together.

Just as I suppose any other religion, any other culture,

any other nationality would like to stay together.

Parents are always happier if you bring a Jewish girl home.

Another strike!

There is very much a stigma

of kind of your parents will be disappointed in you

or the community will look badly on you,

or at least it feels like that sometimes.

On the count of three say "cheese".

'I will never give up.

'Giving up is a failure.

'We've got to keep on trucking,

'we've got to keep on looking for more Jewish people

'and bringing them closer to the faith,

'because this is my heart and soul.'

Guys, you were great. Great, great, great.

What's this?

Oh, she's lost, we've lost her.

Since their life-changing experience at Alder Hey,

Amanda Baylis and her daughter Sophie

have also enjoyed a very special day.

Amanda and Sophie are now regular churchgoers,

and they were baptised together.

Sophie Margaret, I baptise you in the name of the father...

..and of the son...

..and of the holy spirit. Amen.

I baptise you in the name of the Father...

and of the son...

and of the holy spirit. Amen.

OK.

I want it to be an upbeat atmosphere,

but the main focus of the day is to move forward

and to obviously have God formally enter our lives

and look forward to a really promising future

with me and my daughter.

Are you going to sleep?

There's memories of a special day for another mother and child, too.

I bet you are tired.

Carson Hartley has been at Alder Hey Hospital since he was born,

and has had ten operations to tackle various problems.

But last summer, he was allowed out for a day,

to the delight of his mother, Kirsty,

who has to spend much of her time away from the rest of her family.

Here we go.

What are you doing?

Yeah, it's the first time we've left hospital.

Panicking now! Every time the alarm goes off I'm, like, "Where's the nurse!"

On Carson's first day ever out of hospital,

he was guest of honour at a special fundraising event.

Just over the moon that we've got to this day eventually.

It's took so long and such a lot of hard work off everybody

that I never thought we'd see this day, but it's here.

And we're out.

Hey?

He feels like our baby now.

It's like, he's ours, we've got a baby!

Yes.

Amanda and her daughter Sophie, now baptised,

can celebrate the start of a new chapter in their lives.

Sophie, in her short life, has taught me

so much about life and how special and sacred it is.

Sophie has taught me the values and meaning of life.

Sophie has taught me life is too short to waste away.

Sophie has taught me patience and compassion.

Sophie, you have changed my life.

Oh! Where are we?

Before heading back to the hospital,

Kirsty showed Carson the home that she hopes he will one day come back to for good.

This is your home, Carson. Eh?

This will be your bedroom.

This is his bed.

The only bit of equipment we've got at the minute.

What do you think? Hey?

Your bedroom.

It's fab, isn't it? It's fab to have him home.

Yeah. It would just be nice to have all my children together as a family.

Because at the minute we're kind of split into two families -

the hospital family and the family at home.

Yeah.

It just feels like he should be here now.

I don't want to take him back. Keep him here.

I believe that sometimes, and quite often, good things

do come out of these bad experiences people have,

and they change their opinions on suffering

and their opinions on the world,

certainly their opinion of the need for God in their lives.

And will actually say, "I realise now I wasn't on my own in that,

"and I don't know how I got through it."

I say, "I think I do know how you got through it," you know.

Carson is still at Alder Hey.

But his mother, Kirsty, remains hopeful

that one day her family will all be able to live together.

New beginnings,

and hopefully new beginnings of a journey that goes on for life.

People do change. People do change here.

Next time...

the 999 chaplain on frontline fire duty.

It's about real life and sometimes real death situations.

Hello!

EVERYONE GASPS

And revealing the delights of Christmas to overseas students.

Lovely.

Have you been having fun?

Yes!

Does anyone know what these are called?

Brussels sprouts.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd