Allowah has an intentionally Christian mission and employs a part time Chaplain to provide pastoral care for the children, families and staff.
Our Chaplain is an advocate for the holistic care for each individual child.
Part of the role is to accredit and support volunteers from the church and wider community. These generous people help to provide the homely, relational warmth that is characteristic of this hospital.
Allowah Kids Church creates an opportunity for the children to build long term, loving relationships with members of the Kids Church teams. Accredited teams from various local churches visit on Saturday mornings to enjoy worshiping God together through prayer, singing, a Bible story, and other engaging activities and crafts.
Individual support is available to families as needed, by phone or personally. This can be in times of crisis or simply when dealing with the ongoing challenges of life with a child with a disability. Allowah actively respects the child’s and family’s culture, values and beliefs.
Chaplain
Available: Wed, Thu, Sun (PM)
Rochelle comes to Hospital Chaplaincy after spending the last 8 years working as both a Ministry Worker at Thomas Hassall Anglican College and Registered Nurse at the Kings School Health Centre. She has had the opportunity to pastorally care for students, parents and staff in both of these positions. Rochelle enjoys looking for the hand of God in people’s stories, and delights in the way that God can so easily become the topic of conversation. It is a privilege to enter into what God is doing in a person’s life, and journey with them for the time that He ordains.
For Rochelle, there is no greater joy than caring for children in need, like the children at Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. She brings to these roles an understanding of the sick child and the pressures their families face from 15 years of nursing at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, as well as training in both counselling and theology. Hospital Chaplaincy is an opportunity to bring the hope of Jesus to children, families and staff in their time of need when they are asking the big questions of life.
