Part of a series the Roles and Journeys of Women in Ministry. Sarah Kuswadi sat down with Serena McGann to hear about her role as a high school chaplain in Brisbane.
SK: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what it is you do?
SMcG: I work as a high school chaplain at a Christian school. My husband Philip and I got married a bit over four years ago. We were going to separate churches at the time, but when we got married, I started coming to Village Church, where he’d been for a long time. At Village, I help to lead the young adults group, and I also coordinate the Bible reading team. I really enjoy seeing a wide range of people take up the opportunity to present God’s word in public. For some, it comes naturally, for others it’s a bit more outside their comfort zone—but it’s a joy to be speaking God’s word to each other. It’s also a joy seeing our young adults caring for each other week in and week out, and growing in their understanding and confidence in Jesus.
As a high school chaplain, I get to be involved in all sorts of non-academic support for the students, whether it be working through friendship issues, faith questions, mental health struggles or just how to balance all the pressures of teenage life. I spend a lot of time talking one-on-one with students, praying with them, running Bible studies and groups to support student wellbeing (managing stress, considering self-image and identity etc), organising social justice activities (fundraisers and getting students to consider the world outside their own life experiences) and chapel services, and making sure there is always a space for students to be heard and cared for.
What are your short- and long-term hopes for your ministry?
One of the biggest hopes for my ministry is for young people to know deeply in their hearts the trustworthiness of God, and for this to bring them strong assurance in all the ups and downs of life. I get excited when I see these truths spilling out in their conversations, in their stepping out of their comfort zones to care for others, and in the way they make choices or react to adversity.
Long term, I’d love to be able to move overseas and see God’s work amongst different groups of people. When I was younger I lived in Thailand for a couple of years, teaching English at a high school for students from the Karen ethnic group. I’d love to be able to go back and spend some time there again in the future.
What is your background and what is something that’s unusual about that?
I was born and raised in Brisbane. My mother is Chinese and my father is English, and I grew up with close extended family on my mother’s side. My mum became a Christian when I was about five years old. I’ve realised, now that I’m an adult, how much her story and her faith journey has impacted mine. She’d been going to a Chinese church and had been growing and learning a lot, but it was a church situation that was really difficult for my family in that season of life. An Anglican church was being built on the land behind my family home, so my mother made the decision to start attending that church instead, where she could easily take me and my younger sister along to church with her. I didn’t realise it at the time, but looking back at the sacrifices Mum made to see that we were introduced to God and his gospel message, I’m so, so thankful.
What appealed to you about the role as a high school chaplain?
When I first finished Bible college and did my chaplaincy prac, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go into chaplaincy. I really enjoyed my prac, and loved working with young people, but didn’t know what that would look like in a school setting. Out of the blue, I received a phone call from my current boss, who explained to me why chaplaincy at a Christian school would look different to chaplaincy at other schools. He shared his heart for seeing the role as a ministry role, and his passion for Jesus to be at the centre of all our engagement with students, both inside and outside the classroom. I was excited by the opportunities he described, and I’m still here, eight years later!
My hope is to show a variety of different ways that women serve in ministry around Australia and to be an encouragement to them through this. What would you want to share with other women about what has equipped you for this role?
I really feel that God equips me for ministry, day by day, through the encouragement and help of the people around me. I get emotional reflecting on the youth leaders and wise people who helped me grow and who guided me when I was younger; but equally, I realise that I’m impacted by the encouragement, friendship, and pointers to Jesus that I get every day from my workmates, church family, and friends.
I’m encouraged by the way God continues to provide opportunities for his love and gospel to be spread every day, even in the very “normal” weeks. I’m reminded by this that, even though my life situation might be a bit different than I thought it’d be a few years ago, and though I might still have different opportunities and dreams I’d love to pursue in the future, what God has for me today is worthy for his kingdom. It’s humbling to think that the normal conversations we have, week in, week out, might have eternal impacts that we never even know about!
Can you tell us about some things that you have learnt recently in your role?
Recently I have been reflecting a lot on the way I want to grow in giving every conversation the opportunity to be significant and point to Jesus. As my job often involves a huge number of conversations every day, I have found that, especially on days when I am stressed or tired, I sometimes assume what a conversation will be like or how it will go before it even starts. I’ve learnt a lot about being a more patient and thoughtful listener, even when I’m drained. As I’ve been learning this, I’ve seen how I can better reflect Jesus and the heart he had for the people around him during his time on earth. I’ve had conversations lately where I’ve had a glimpse into deep and beautiful things in the hearts of students. I’ve also found surprising encouragement from what I thought would be a normal, everyday conversation with a friend.
Is there a Bible verse that you often come back to for encouragement?
Psalm 37:4 is a verse that really encourages me and anchors me in God’s word: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” In times when I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know what my next steps are, it reminds me that my job is just to commit myself and my day to God. Rather than fretting about achieving success in the world around me, I can try to delight in God and his promises, knowing my heart will be shaped and filled by him.
