Borderlands Rural Chaplaincy (BRC) has been tending to the needs of farmers and their families across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Eastern Powys for the last fifteen years. The chaplaincy represents the hands, feet and heart of the church to the often overlooked and undervalued farming community, offering a confidential, pastoral, listening ear whilst working alongside local regional and national farm help charities and secular social services.
The Butty Van (BV), our ‘pop up’ style informal farmers’ breakfast, offers farmers, farm labourers and their families the opportunity to down tools and gather for a bacon butty, a coffee and some peer support, all served free of charge by their doorstep church community. The first BV has been running for over eight years. We now run three in total, one from the Much Wenlock area, one around Pembridge and one around Bucknell. Each is a monthly event that moves from farmstead to farmstead within a small radius creating easy, quick opportunities for farmers to take a break and enjoy some supportive fellowship. At each event, a Borderlands chaplain is present to spend time chatting and listening to any concerns. It’s all very light touch and is done primarily to help this overworked community to stop; take some time away from their farm and enjoy some food amongst like-minded people.
It’s now a proven way of rekindling community in a ‘hard to reach’ group who have been fractured by mechanisation, rising labour costs and falling farm gate prices, further isolating these individuals, who find themselves trapped on the treadmill of all consuming working farm life.
As local church, to be able to serve and show we value our farming community in this way has been a blessing for both us and the many people who attend. It’s great to hear farmers begin to realise that the church, by this simple act of service, cares about them. We are feeding more than just their stomachs and helping to feed their self-worth too!
Borderlands Chaplain and seventh generation farmer Dai Gwatkin explains, “These days, in farming, finding the time to down tools and stop for a break is a challenge, with many farmers either skipping or working through their mealtimes or eating alone on the go. So having the opportunity to meet with our neighbours and local farming community, once a month, in our mucky clothes, for a bacon bap, coffee and some support, in an environment we feel comfortable in is a real gift, and one that the farmers and their families look forward to.”
This Christmas BRC were grateful to be invited back for the second time to host a BV at Tallis Amos Group, the local (Leominster) John Deer branch, run by Cyril and Simon Amos. Not only have they supported us from the beginning at BV2, by initially lending us their show trailer; complete with tables and chairs, but they’ve allowed Roger Jones their senior Agri engineer to have time off once a month to drive the BBQ, cooking butties for local farmers he knows very well, as he serves them both as a mechanic and a BV chaplain.
Based around Bearwood Methodist Chapel in North Herefordshire, BV2 is made up primarily of local farming families who are not only understanding of the stresses within the industry but have a real heart and passion to be active, out in their communities, providing that pastoral counter to all the issues facing them. Roger, a member of the Bearwood Chapel congregation says, “Being able to show I care about them not only by fixing broken machinery but by going out on farms to feed them and create an opportunity once a month for fun and friendship, is a real privilege.”
Both Cyril and Simon have not only expressed their support practically by lending equipment and allowing their most experienced mechanic time off but have encouraged us to address the need they see across the farming community through their Agri business, amongst their client-base. When time permits both attend BVs and share some downtime over a butty and a brew.
Revd. Paul Arnold Presbyter at Bearwood and a BV Chaplain said, “It has been a great privilege to build trusting relationships with individuals who I would not normally have encountered in my day-day ministry. Listening to and learning about some of the issues facing farmers today demonstrates that local Christians, and the wider church, are keen to understand the issues they face producing food, managing and protecting the landscape and coping with the changing climate. We believe these are key issues and we want farmers to know their concerns are heard and that God cares for them. The simple act of providing a good butty and a hot drink has opened up opportunities to talk about the deeper things in life.”
Bearwood’s Butty Van was backed by and received a donation from the local National Farmers’ Union (NFU) branch in Kington who immediately saw its relevance and need, which helped fund a BBQ and other necessary equipment.
With three BV’s flourishing and a further two potential congregations and locations being considered, reflecting on why this is not only working, but being embraced by the farmers, the industry and the church is important.
One of the keys to the Butty Van’s success lies in the incarnational roots of pastoral response. When local chapels and churches are stirred to go out and address local needs to their doorstep community in a genuine, heartfelt manner with no underlying agenda, God opens opportunities that may have seemed out of reach to a small, deeply rural congregation.
The Butty Van has built bridges in a very natural way between rural chapels, churches and dispersed farming communities. It has proved to be a blessing to all who are involved in serving and all who are attending. It has changed farmers and the local Agri industry’s presupposed ideas about the church, God and Christians and provided an appropriate, necessary and well-received mission for a rural chapel or church fellowship.
Dai concludes, “When we pull on our wellies and leave the cosy comfort of our buildings and go out and see where the need is, how we can prayerfully help address it, you know what? God honours that! It’s not about getting people to come in and to join with us (though they’re most welcome to and often do,) it’s about getting out and persuading each other we need to join with them, join with those isolated individuals at work, out in all weathers, seven days a week, 365 days a year, trying to feed us. Looking out for them, looking after them and demonstrating our pastoral care is the least we can do. Exciting things happen when we look around, listen to our hearts, and are moved enough to step out in action.”
If you or your congregation would like to hear more or explore the possibility of hosting a Butty Van near you, or you feel you may be able to volunteer at an existing Butty Van, please contact the Borderlands Butty Van coordinator by email paul@trenberth.co.uk