Chaplain speaks of privilege of service in festive message
The acting force chaplain for West Midlands Police has spoken of the privilege of being there when officers and staff need him and his colleagues in his Christmas message.
Vic Kennedy is the leading figure of the multi-faith chaplaincy at West Midlands Police, which is available all year round and has around 100 people offering up to 20,000 hours of support.
Mr Kennedy, who has been a volunteer as part of the invaluable support service for more than a decade, said in his Christmas message that policing was demanding and stressful and it was a privilege to be there when needed.
He said: “The chaplaincy team know only too well that policing is one of the most demanding and stressful jobs.
"We feel privileged to simply be around when officers and staff need them the most.
“This has been a really busy year for us. Throughout the Commonwealth Games alone we provided practical support to around 6,000 police officers.
“We support people of all faiths and none, and are looking forward to the arrival of the new lead force chaplain Khadija Azab who takes up her post on 3 January."
Mr Kennedy is a member of the Salvation Army in Birmingham.
He said that December is a hectic month, providing around 600 food hampers and thousands of toys to families in need and, this Christmas, the demand is greater than ever for help and support.
He said: "I don’t think anyone would disagree with me that the powerful values in the Christmas story such as 'love, joy, peace and hope' are values that could enrich our day to day living.
"None of these values are exclusive to any one faith group.
"We all want to know “love, joy, peace and hope” whoever we are.
"This Christmas, may these powerful values permeate and flood our lives and may they change our ordinary everyday lives into the extraordinary."
