Colchester army chaplain to star in Songs of Praise

Next Sunday’s episode of the hit BBC show was filmed in Colchester back in June and is now finally set to hit the screens. 

Songs of Praise has been running since the early 1960s, and is normally broadcast from churches, chapels, and cathedrals; Colchester bucked this trend at the weekend, however, with the Castle Park Bandstand instead acting as host for the national television cameras.

As part of the episode the Reverend Amy Walters CF, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, will be speaking about her role. 

The Rev Walters will show viewers what both a physical training session at Merville Barracks and a service in the camp’s Gurkha Temple looks like as an army chaplain.

As the unit’s chaplain, the Rev Walters is responsible for the pastoral care of soldiers of “all faiths, and no faith at all”.

She said: “As a chaplain, my role is to care for the Army’s people, I provide support to service personnel, civilians who work with the military and their families regardless of their beliefs.

“This can be pastoral support, moral guidance or spiritual support, whether that’s talking about Christianity or helping others to be able to practice their faith.”

Unity - Revd Walters participating in a service in the Gurkha Temple (Image: British Army)

The Rev Walters also talks about her own faith, which is one of the most important aspects of the role, when helping people with "all sorts of issues". 

She said: “My faith motivates me to do this job, and while I offer my ministry as a Christian, I am a non-judgmental ear to listen and advocate for people on all sorts of issues - bereavement, relationship problems, work difficulties, past issues with abuse and so on.

“I’m not here to convert people and I made a promise to myself to never start the religious conversation, but people always do it for me.”

Leader - Reverend Amy Walters in her army uniform (Image: British Army)

The Rev Walters says her 'strong faith' keeps her motivated to work as an army chaplain. 

She added: “It is a challenging, and at times difficult, role to be a chaplain, because we work alone and need a strong faith to keep motivated.

“But I get to go to interesting places off the beaten track as part of an organisation with a clear purpose, and work with interesting people who have had all sorts of different experiences in their life.”

She added: “I am a Christian and a Methodist, but I think that we have an awful lot to learn from each other faiths and beliefs.

"These are the things that make us tick and help us make decisions, and I feel incredibly honoured to be invited into the Gurkha Temple to learn more about our soldiers’ faiths."

The programme, which also contains music from British Army Band Colchester, is scheduled to air at 1.15pm on BBC1 on Sunday, August 13.