At Sports Chaplaincy Australia, we believe in the power of playing the ‘long game’. To inspire you, we want to share with you some stories of how far we’ve already come.
Meet Jess Saruci – Taylors Lakes Football Club Chaplain
YEARS AS A CHAPLAIN: 10 years
SERVING: All teams, from Auskick all the way up. Mostly men ages 16-18. I do a minimum of 12 hours in-person chaplaincy a week, but I’m also available to other clubs post critical incident response.
WHEN AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TRAIN TO BE A CHAPLAIN?
The thing that finally got me over the line was watching my brother play rugby at an elite-level. There were two suicides within his rugby community which shook the whole community. It was at that moment when I said, ‘We can’t do this anymore’. I wanted to make sure that there was a formal option – people advocating for our young players who didn’t have support, advocating for parents that were not coping at home. I felt God was leading me to be that person – to step into chaplaincy.
WHAT SEASONS HAVE YOU BEEN PRESENT FOR AT TAYLORS LAKES?
As a chaplain you get to walk alongside people through all seasons. Covid-19 was hard. We saw a rise in incident responses due to the pressures of isolation. During this time I implemented “Chappie Chats” over Zoom sessions providing an opportunity if they needed to vent or chat. We also had ‘Spill the beans with Chappie’ – team Zooms where I brought the tea, they brought wine/beer or cheese, and we would just catch up as a community via Zoom.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE CONSIDERING BECOMING A SPORTS CHAPLAIN?
“If you love sport, if you have a heart for people, if you want to make a difference, just jump in and get in there. You don’t have to look the part.”
“To me, playing the long game is making genuine connections. It’s about getting in there. It’s about being present, it’s about genuine connections. That’s what chaplaincy is about.”
