Not Union but Communion

I have spent years attempting to figuring out how secular direct-service spaces can offer spiritual support and be competent to hold space for that. Many secular nonprofits cannot meet the spiritual element of people in their community that they serve.

There is a stark contrast between religiously affiliated nonprofits, who offer a free dinner but you have to come to services, and aggressively secular organizations that refuse to acknowledge Spirit.

As a worker in nonprofit direct service spaces, I would notice that when clients would express needs in that arena, or spiritual questions around their experiences, staff members had nothing to offer. This ignores an essential part of many people's suffering and journey through life. Many mental health staff were not prepared or comfortable to make space for discussions of spirituality, and in my option that makes vulnerable folks more susceptible to harmful unhealthy religious spaces.

How can anyone comprehensibly offer human services - housing, healthcare, harm reduction- while talking about being trauma informed and wraparound but not be able to offer the most basic spiritual support in holding space for (and maybe not answering) questions like "Why did my partner overdose, what do I do with this pain?”

I yearn to figure out how to have nondenominational/interfaith/nontheist chaplaincy integrated into these secular spaces where people are carrying so many spiritual burdens. Not everything is physical or mental health. Spiritual and moral injury are real and I see that not being recognized.

I volunteer as a post-abortion support person. So many people reach out with thoughts and feelings like "I killed my baby" and "I'm going to hell". Even though that is NOT my faith belief, and I believe most people's foundation for those beliefs is coming from a flawed understanding, it's NOT my place in that conversation to get them to change their feelings about their faith. It's not supportive for me to take that time to convince them they're wrong about their faith. Instead, I sit with them in those feelings and concerns. I remind them that they're doing the best they can, and that they can trust themselves in their decisions. I hope to support them figure out ways to process and accept

Maybe what I need isn't a union but Communion.

Lydia Mansfeild was a Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow from 2019-2020 in Portland, OR. Currently she works for Fences for Fido and volunteers with the Portland PAW Team.