The journey of life

News Release: 23 July 2012

Mike Reeder is the Chaplain and Spiritual Care Coordinator at St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield where he ministers to those who have incurable illnesses

He describes his job as “loitering with intent” as he walks with people on their journey of life and helps them cope with the realities of illness and death. When appropriate opportunities arise, Mike shares the gospel of hope with those he meets.

Mike said: “At St Luke’s we want to care for a person’s physical, mental and spiritual well-being  – we want to look after the whole person. You are able to help people live life to the full no matter how long or short they’ve got. Often when people are brought face-to-face with death there are lots of questions that arise about their past, present and future.

“To contemplate one’s own mortality means we do need to think about matters that relate to what comes next. For me, the words of Jesus are the key to the door and faith is the strength to believe that what is the other side of the door is just as Jesus said: ‘a place that has many rooms’. (John 14:1-3)

“But my role doesn’t end there, I also spend time looking after patients’ carers and relatives and the hospice staff and volunteers.”

One patient who Mike particularly remembers was a man called Grenville who became a Christian while at the hospice. In the hospice chapel’s Book of Reflections, Grenville wrote: “My belief in God has given me the strength I need to be strong, positive and to smile. I lost God for many years, or at least I thought I had, but now I realise that he was always by my side. There are good days and there are bad days, but with a positive smile on my face I get through them all.”