Anniversary - 30 Years
“CMCS was launched on 1 September, 1996. The launch was featured in
the
religious press, but apart from that it was a very quiet birth.”
These words
were part of an address given at the 10th anniversary
event in London. The full text is available in the booklet for that event.
So, how has CMCS developed over the last twenty or thirty years?
All the larger organisations and some of the smaller ones participating
in CMCS at the start and after ten years are still involved, and several more
have joined since then.
The number of CMCS counsellors at the ten-year point was 268.
Counselling
then was almost always in person. The number of CMCS counsellors is now around
160. With relevant technology (such as Zoom) improving and gaining popularity during
and after the pandemic, remote counselling has become more routine and availability
of CMCS counsellors
is rarely an issue.
In the years leading up to the tenth anniversary, 150 to 170 people were receiving counselling through CMCS each year. Over the last five
years, the average number of people being matched to CMCS counsellors by our
Area
Co-ordinators has been 375 per year.
From data collected at the 25-year point and since then, the total
number of people who have received counselling through CMCS is
around 5,750 –
to have exceeded 5,000 seems a significant milestone.
But quality is more important than quantity. Here are some feedback comments
received in just a few weeks over the summer of 2026:
“I came in thinking my issue was one thing but talking with [the
counsellor] helped me realise it was something else entirely. This has helped
me to
consider what I need to do to make my ministry more life affirming.”
“It was very helpful to have an outside perspective
from someone who
did not know me; … a perspective I could probably not have
otherwise
reached or imagined.”
“It has been very helpful, with useful techniques provided for me to
take away from sessions.”
“I would advise any minister to engage with the
CMCS, even if the issue is
old, half-remembered or a tenuous feeling that
things are not quite right.”
“I was very grateful everything was arranged so
quickly. I was glad to be able
to go to sessions about 20-30 minutes away - far
enough to give me some distance but not too far to make it onerous.”
“We used an online session once as I … didn't feel up to driving, and this enabled us to meet without causing me any worry.”
“Simply a BIG THANK YOU”
These and other excellent outcomes have been made possible because
of our carefully selected counsellors and dedicated Area Co-ordinators.
It might seem that listening to the woes of
ministers would be a sad task,
which counsellors would take the earliest opportunity to escape from! However, a counsellor preparing to retire reflected on her time with CMCS in these kind words on 2 September 2026:
“I believe it
will be about 19 years that I have been working with CMCS and
have very much
enjoyed the work with Ministers and their families, the support and
friendliness of the team and the excellent workshops which I have always found interesting and stimulating. ... I will
miss working with CMCS and will look back fondly on my work with you. ... I wish
the team and the organisation all the very best for the future.”