London City Missionioners Tube ministry revealed

TWO LONDON CITY MISSIONERS are taking a par ticular interest in the celebrations to mark the 150th anniversar y of the London Tube, the world’s oldest underground railway system.

Steve Nichols and his colleague, Jamie Stewart, serve as chaplains to the Tube and the 19,000 people who keep the network r unning. The chaplaincy was set up nearly 40 years ago after the Moorgate Tube Crash in February 1975, when 43 people died after a train failed to stop at the end of the line.

An LCM worker was so concerned for the well-being of the staff who had witnessed what occurr ed that he of fered his ser vices as a chaplain. Demand for his ser vices was so great that a second chaplain had to be appointed. Ever since then LCM has provided two chaplains to serve the Tube.

Support during major accidents and disasters remains a priority for the chaplains. Steve Nichols was at Aldgate Station on the afternoon of the 7/7 bombings, providing assistance for the emergency ser vices, the British T ransport Police and the Underground staff who were involved in rescue efforts.

But the chaplains do not restrict their ministry to times of crisis. They visit ever y one of the Tube’s 270 stations twice ever y year and ar e available on appointment for members of staff who want to see them.

As in all forms of chaplaincy, contact over lunch or a cup of coffee in a staff cafeteria can lead to discussions of spiritual issues or personal problems.

The Tube carries a billion passengers a year and stretches over 249 miles. Staf f serving the Tube and the contractors come from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. Steve Nichols and Jamie Steward are kept busy providing all involved with the Tube network with spiritual and pastoral care.