Chaplain told by Methodist minister to remove his cross

Derek Timms, a chaplain from Solihull, was told by a Methodist minister at his workplace to remove the small cross pin he had worn for 4 years as it might ‘offend’ patients. With the support of the Christian Legal Centre, he wrote to the Methodist minister and the matter was raised with the Marie Curie regional office, which apologised unreservedly for the distress caused to Derek.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, speaks to Premier Christianity about the case: “In Derek, we’ve got a faithful man … for the past 5 years, he has really served vocationally as a chaplain in a Marie Curie hospice … He just wore a tiny little cross on his jacket and prayed in that hospice with people of all faiths and none … he loves to bring the fragrance of Christ into his workplace.”

She also commented on the joy that the Marie Curie regional office corrected the matter: “It’s absolutely wonderful that Marie Curie has done the right thing.”

Finally, she encouraged other Christians in the workplace to be courageous in expressing their faith: “There are many people who, even without being asked, feel that they cannot express their faith in any way in the workplace. I want to say to anyone out there tempted or scared or intimidated by this – shine your light bright. As we’re moving into advent, ‘O, come all ye faithful’ – let’s bring the good news of Jesus into the workplace.”