It's Jesus Christ Superstore as chaplain hits the aisles
God and groceries will go hand-in-hand in one village as a supermarket can now boast its own dedicated chaplain.
Margaret Wallsgrove, a 64-year-old grandmother of four, is no stranger to administering to the souls of people in less obvious places than the local church, having once acted as a chaplain at Shrewsbury's Dana prison.
From this week, the former Bishop's Castle Community College teacher will be officially out and about amongst the flock at the Sunday market held at Churchstoke's Harry Tuffin's store, and expects to also be offering pastoral care in the supermarket itself in the future.
She was commissioned for the role by Bishop of Ludlow Alistair Magowan at a ceremony in Churchstoke's St Nicholas Church on Sunday.
Taking on the role had been a long time coming, she said, after being cooked up between herself and Churchstoke's missionary priest Rev Carol Whittock.
Mrs Wallsgrove said: "The idea first came to me in 2001 when I was at a Christian conference with Carol. She has been a friend for a long time, and for all those years I have been looking for ways to for this to come about.
"I was inspired after I found out about the borderlands rural chaplain scheme that has chaplains at livestock markets to talk to the farmers – and simultaneously Carol was made missionary priest at St Nicholas."
She said the scheme had the support of Roy Delves, of the Harry Tuffin's family who own the land, as well as Mid Counties Co-Operative which now owns the supermarket, and the organisers behind the Sunday market that is held on-site.
"The people there have been lovely and very positive about it," she said. "It's not a job, it's a voluntary thing. I will be going down to the Sunday market and wandering around talking to people, I'll start by doing a few hours and see how it goes."Carol already goes out to the supermarket, but I will be going there as well," she said.
Rev Whittock added: "We decided we wanted to extend out ministry from the church here, in order to bless the whole of the Tuffin's complex, as the Delves family have been so involved with the church here."
