What We Carry - Hill Brown
There’s a lot of conversation about what supplies are provided by harm reductionists who work in syringe access programs. But what do spiritual care providers connected to the Harm Reduction Movement bring with them?
What is needed when directly addressing the grief and spiritual distress that accompanies the violence of the war on people who use drugs, overdose, and widespread systemic neglect? What is wanted when great milestones have been reached and must be celebrated?
This series highlights the offerings of chaplains that are part of Faith in Harm Reduction’s team.
When I worked in direct service harm reduction I saw so many people in such a short time that I often didn’t get to spend the kind of time with each person that I wanted to. I could tell that many people visiting the exchange wanted to share more and I certainly wanted to be able to listen more deeply/ask questions that would solicit longer stories that deserved undivided attention. As a drug war chaplain (which is how I think of myself in this role) I show up with more expansive time but fewer things.
The cafe where I serve is busy. It’s not uncommon for 200 free meals to be served during lunch rush. I can’t carry much but in a waistpack I keep a few things close at hand. I carry a notebook where I record prayer requests and important dates to be mindful of (job interviews, court dates, medical appointments, memorial services, etc.). On particularly bustling days, I also scribble lunch orders in this book and make plates for spiritual care recipients. Of course, I am never without naloxone and a breathing barrier. Some folks ask for prayer on the spot but other people aren’t comfortable being prayed for in public. In those cases, I slide the person a Harm Reduction Prayer/Spell card.
What medicine do you bring to those in the movement?
(Thanks to Faith Matters Network/Movement Chaplaincy Project for this language and framing.)
The medicine I am trying to bring to everyone I provide spiritual care to is committed accompaniment. The isolation and fear we’re experiencing in this moment is immense. It’s too much to carry alone. There is no immediate repair. But there is a “struggling alongside” that is possible and necessary.
I once heard that suffering is only bearable if it is relational, comprehensible, and/or meaningful. The cruelty we experience under fascism, in an escalating war on people who use drugs is beyond comprehension. But I will walk with you and do my best to make sense of what we can together.
Hill Brown (they/them) is the Southern Director of Faith in Harm Reduction. They serve as a community chaplain at 12 Baskets Cafe (Asheville Poverty Initiative) in Asheville, NC. Hill completed the Movement Chaplaincy course through Faith Matters Network. They also completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education through Sankofa CPE Center.