Jaarverslag2016Engels

AIRPORT CHAPLAINCY

2016Annual Report

Give every day the chance to become
the most beautiful of your life

Mark Twain

Content

Foreword 5

Summary 7

Calls 8

Meditation Centre 11

Travellers (guestbook and services) 13

Staff details 14


3

Annual Report Airport Chaplaincy 2016

Foreword

Appreciation. Hans van den Berge. We would also like to thank
It is with this word that I would like to begin this our account manager Vera Hoogendoorn at Royal
Annual Report. Schiphol Group for her wonderful cooperation
with us in preparing the new five-year contract.
Last year was one in which our chaplains and At the end of 2016 Vera handed over her Airport
volunteers received a great deal of appreciation Chaplaincy account to Meinou Kutsch Lojenga.
for their work at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Appreciation from travellers who turned to And our appreciation also goes out to all the
our chaplains for support and who visited our church institutions that contribute financially
Meditation Centre. We also received appreciation to one of our Foundations: the Roman Catholic
through publicity in various media on Schiphol’s Church, the Anglican Church, the Old Catholic
100th anniversary. The highlight of all this positive Church, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands,
attention was the invitation to attend the visit of the Remonstrant Church and many individual
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander to Schiphol congregations. The Airport Chaplaincy could not
during the official celebration on 19 September exist without their generosity. Equally, without
2016. On this occasion one of our chaplains was the cooperation of various church bodies including
introduced to the King and briefly told him about dioceses, synods, parishes and congregations, and
the Airport Chaplaincy’s activities. the input of their representatives on our boards,
there would be no basis of support for our four
As usual this Annual Report details the two most Foundations.
visible facets of the chaplaincy: our work at the
Meditation Centre and our aid to travellers in In 2016 our websites received a facelift and
distress. We include figures that provide insight update thanks to our webmaster Cees Borst, and
into our activities and where possible compare our information is now also available in English
these data to those from years past. On 1 January thanks to the excellent translation work by Jean
2016 we entered a new five-year contract period Laurens. New in this edition of our Annual Report
with Royal Schiphol Group under the terms is the addition of a summary. The report is also
of which we will be drawing up a Service Level available on our website.
Agreement and reporting more facts about our We look back on the year 2016 with gratitude
activities. The additional insights this yields will and look forward with hope and anticipation.
enable us to evaluate our work and steer it in the An exciting new year has begun. A year that for
desired direction. many of the people we will meet at Schiphol will
be filled with uncertainties, given the ongoing
Appreciation also describes what we as a board developments on the world stage. It is precisely in
feel for our chaplains who are on call 7 days a times like these that it is vital to nurture the hope
week, 24 hours a day, and for all the volunteers that lives within us.
without whom there would be no Meditation In 2017 we will be inaugurating our new
Centre. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Meditation Centre in Departure Lounge 2.
We would also like to take this opportunity to And this year, as every year, our chaplains and
express our appreciation to Mark Hafkenscheid, volunteers will be ready to welcome visitors to
who did an excellent job filling in for Chaplain our centre and to work alongside employees of
Nico Sarot during his study sabbatical, and to all the companies at Schiphol to help travellers on
our own former Airport Chaplain Joop Albers, their way.
who conducted the church services during Nico’s
absence. On behalf of the board,

We are also very grateful for the support we Flip Poort, chair of the Schiphol Airport Chaplaincy
received in our day-to-day work from so many Support Foundation.
Schiphol employees, for the help during our
office’s relocation from Skyport back to Terminal March 2017
West at the end of December, and for the assistance
of Royal Schiphol Group’s Communications 5
Department in the persons of Marianne de Bie and



Summary

The year 2016 saw a continuation of the Airport Cha-
plaincy’s special niche of services to travellers at Schiphol.
In addition to daily informal support provided to travel-
lers and airport staff by our team of chaplains and volun-
teers, we were also called on to provide special assistance
on 349 occasions. Most of these concerned situations of
bereavement or practical, mental support in crises.

Whereas our work is usually carried out behind the
scenes, publicity in connection with Schiphol’s 100th an-
niversary served to put our work in the spotlight much
more than in years past.

Our two main activities at the airport are the provision of
assistance to travellers in distress and running the Medi-
tation Centre. This work is made possible through a con-
tract with Schiphol, which was concluded for five years in
early 2016, and through the continuing financial support
of national and local church communities.

Looking back at the assistance we provided in 2016, two
areas stand out in particular: our aid to anxious travellers
in the wake of terrorist attacks and our emotional and
in a few cases monetary support to travellers who found
themselves utterly stuck and for whom the aid of our cha-
plains was the sole and last option.

7

Calls

As airport chaplains, we are out amidst the bust- Promotion
le of Schiphol day in, day out. Each day is punc- Staff
tuated by many spontaneous encounters with Assistance
travellers and people who work at the airport. Death
These brief moments of aid and assistance come Reunion
about without the intervention of other parties.
We also provide assistance upon request, refer- Figure 2
red to as a call. In 2016 the Airport Chaplaincy The most common requests we receive are for
received a total of 349 such calls. In many cases assistance. There are all kinds of reasons why
we assist the person in distress for a few hours, travellers might get stuck during their journeys:
with the average duration of a call being just their own vulnerability, inexperience or a risk
under four hours. Records of the total number they have taken, being barred from boarding
of calls per year have been kept since 2003 and their flight, theft, missing travel documents, a
show an increase in 2016. missed flight, drunkenness, deception, illness,
confusion, stress and so on.
Numbers of calls per year Something may also have happened while they
were abroad. When families return home to the
Figure 1 Netherlands under tragic circumstances, we reu-
The rise in calls can be attributed mainly to the nite them with the relatives who come to collect
growth in passenger numbers, leading to a pro- them in a private spot near the gate or at our
portionate increase in people in distress and thus office. Our impression is that the number of such
in the role of the chaplaincy. This rise also testi- reunions has been declining slightly over the last
fies to the evolution of the chaplaincy’s support five years, but this trend may not hold.
function in tandem with the airport itself. Awa- Reunions
reness about our services has grown accordingly,
although time and again we still notice that
airport employees and travellers are pleasantly
surprised to find the airport has a team to lend Figure 3
assistance in times of need. We make every ef- The peak in reunions in 2014 is attributable to
fort to ensure our continuing visibility and to get the MH17 disaster. In that year, we reunited
the word out on what the chaplaincy can do for many families under these tragic circumstances.
people confronted with sudden bereavement or In 2016 we were also called out relatively often
a psychological crisis. to lend assistance in cases surrounding the death
of a passenger, either in an aircraft, on the apron
Support for the bereaved or in the terminal. In 2016 the number of calls
However cheerful and dynamic an airport may in connection with a death was the same as in
be, life goes on with both highs and lows as peo- 2012. Though we have no explanation for this, it
ple set out on their travels. When people are ex- is possible that the station managers, floor ma-
periencing emotions of loss, instead of leaving
them to face these alone, we try to help them
cope with what they are feeling. The types of si-
tuations encountered over the last two years are
presented here.

8

nagers and ambulance staff are more aware that morning and from there take a night bus into
the Airport Chaplaincy can provide assistance in Zimbabwe. This was fine with Tolu, just so long
taking care of the family and making arrange- as she could go.
ments for the deceased (working with the mor-
tuary). Another possible explanation is that the We ate together and we arranged for her to stay
average age of travellers seems to be increasing. at a hotel. Suddenly help began to pour in from
People are not inclined to let a serious illness all sides. Her friends in Canada paid for the hotel,
keep them from making a trip. This is something just like that. Otherwise the Airport Chaplaincy
that we as chaplains hear from families that we would have done so. We went to get nappies.
have aided. Tolu began to relax and finally calmed down.
The next morning, I met her at the gate. She was
One of those stories is included here as an happy to be able to continue her journey, but still
example. These were the circumstances behind had a long way to travel. She put on such a brave
one request for assistance: face, and her bewildered daughter too. She said
she wasn’t ready to contemplate her brother’s
‘One evening, the Control Centre phoned me death yet, because then she would break down.
at the request of a KLM employee at one of the I helped her to board. She was allowed onto the
transfer desks. A young lady with a baby was plane first. And off she went, home.’
stranded, unable to continue her journey becau-
se her ticket turned out to be invalid. She was on In 2016 we dealt on several occasions with tra-
her way to her brother’s funeral. Having already vellers who had experienced a terrorist attack.
been at Schiphol for two days, she had no baby We provided support to the families, working
supplies left. I was asked if I could offer a liste- in consultation with the operational manager,
ning ear and perhaps some practical assistance. the embassies and – in one case – the VIP Cen-
This is her story. I will call her Tolu. Her 19-month tre. Afterwards, the passengers and ambassadors
old child was Mindy. Tolu’s father had called the concerned sent us touching letters and emails in
family together. Tolu’s younger brother, aged which they expressed their gratitude. However,
19 years, had died and the funeral had to take we could never have provided them with such
place as soon as possible in Zimbabwe. Her bro- extensive assistance without the dedicated coo-
thers and sisters were travelling from all over the peration of the care teams and the sympathetic
world. Tolu’s trip from Toronto to her family’s attitude of Schiphol itself.
village near Harare was being paid for by her
father. Promotion and Schiphol centenary
Last but not least, another figure stands out in
On arriving in Amsterdam things went wrong, the overview of calls received in 2016, namely
however, and she was not allowed to board her ‘Promotion’. This large amount is connected with
flight. She spent one night in the baby lounge the celebration of the airport’s 100th anniversary
past Security Control. She had no money to buy a in 2016. We received visits from journalists and
new ticket. She had run out of nappies. She laid photographers, a film crew, representatives from
down on the ground and worried about what to religious organisations, church congregations
do. At the end of her second day at Schiphol, I and the travel industry, emergency centres and
received the phone call. She told me about the individuals who wanted to find out about the
relatives who had already gathered and were Airport Chaplaincy and the Meditation Centre.
anxiously awaiting her arrival to be able to hold Media that reported extensively on the Airport
her brother’s funeral. About not having eaten Chaplaincy as part of the flood of publicity con-
anything all that day, whilst she is a nursing mo- cerning the airport’s centenary included Omroep
ther. She burst into tears. Meanwhile, KLM had Max, Noord-Hollands Dagblad, NRC, Reformato-
come up with an alternative for her. There were risch Dagblad, Nederlands Dagblad and Kerk in
no more flights to Harare, but she could conti- Mokum.
nue her journey via Johannesburg the very next

9

The proverbial crowning moment of the overwhel- Juxtaposing the data in figures 2 and 4, we can con-
ming attention for our work during this centena- clude that in 2016 the Control Centre regularly con-
ry year was the presence of one of our chaplains tacted us in cases of death, need for assistance and
during His Majesty King Willem-Alexander’s visit to representation/PR.
Schiphol on 19 September 2016.
Indispensable
Origin Cooperation with other services both at and outside
When we register a call, we also want to know who Amsterdam Airport Schiphol remains indispensable
made it. Based on our data, we have observed an for the performance of our work. We are fortunate
increase in calls received through the Schiphol Con- to have short and strong lines of communication
trol Centre in 2016. with the information desks, Medical Services, Ro-
yal Netherlands Marechaussee, floor management,
An increased number of calls were made by email. Axxicom, the morgue, the Salvation Army, Schiphol
This is a positive development that may have been Social Work and many other operational actors.
fostered by our websites. The number of problems We also enjoyed good working relations with the
reported through the Meditation Centre also saw a embassies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emergency
slight increase. centres and health agencies.

Mail
Salvation Army
Meditation Centre
Direct
Control Centre

Figure 4

Nico Sarot Marieke Meiring-Snijder Gerard Timmermans

10

Meditation Centre

In 2016 the Meditation Centre continued to operate ‘A friendly man stuck his head inside and asked
at its temporary location at the top of Pier F. if he could meditate here using his mobile. Sure,
Staffing the Meditation Centre are our volunteers, I said, as long as it didn’t make any noise. He said
all of whom demonstrated a huge commitment. OK.’
It is they who facilitate and safeguard the use of
the area for its designated purpose. While on duty, ‘When I arrived one of the chaplains was with a
they welcomed visitors and helped them find the woman from Venezuela who wanted to charge her
quiet space they needed, even when the centre phone. I had a remarkable chat with a woman in
was busy. her mid-twenties who had to wait 11 hours for her
flight. Her boyfriend lives in Abu Dhabi and she
We were delighted to welcome several new said she was very much in love, but also wondered
volunteers this year, but sadly also had to say if she wants to renounce her belief in Roman
farewell to several dear members of our team. Catholicism and what it will be like to become part
Most painful was the loss of Anneke Blom-Baars, of a completely different culture. Afterwards, I
who passed away on 30 July 2016. Originally from talked with the chaplains about the limits to our
Haarlemmermeer, she grew up on one of the farms right to go into the life-changing event this lovely
that later made way for Runway 18R-36L. Her work woman was facing; where should we draw the line
for the Airport Chaplaincy was a way to reconcile in our work?’
herself to the airport’s expansion. The inspiration
and warmth that she invested in her work remain ‘A very sad Indian lady was going on an urgent
unparalleled. In December we honoured the trip to Delhi, her 80-year old mother having passed
contributions of Jan van ’t Slot and Tineke te away the day before. After half an hour she had
Velde, who after a respective ten and twenty years collected herself enough to continue.’
of volunteering had each decided to give up their
chaplaincy work. We will miss them, but we are ‘At one point four men and three women from
also pleased to welcome two new volunteers – India entered and sat down in two groups to say
Anita Plasmeijer and Ton Brinkman – who will take their prayers. At precisely the same time a French
their place. priest asked if he might be allowed to read the
mass. After talking it over with the Muslims,
Our volunteers went on a number of study days naturally we said it was fine. It was another ‘multi’
in 2016. We feel it is important to build their moment at our centre – very moving to see.’
knowledge and skills and we are grateful to
rely on their experience and talents in turn. Our ‘Two large groups visited today. First 40 kids from
volunteers also keep a logbook of all their activities Argentina. They settled on the ground and Gerard
and interactions while on duty at the Meditation conducted the service. They sang and played the
Centre. guitar. It was wonderful! The second group was
from Chile. They conducted the service themselves,
From our volunteer logbook singing and clapping. All were on their way to
‘A Zen Buddhist from Japan came in and looked Poland for the Roman Catholic World Youth Day.’
around for a place to sit. We conferred and
together found a spot where he felt at ease. A ‘Arrived at Schiphol early (7 am) to assist a transfer
Muslim was seated at the table and watched our passenger travelling from Birmingham to Seattle.
search. Afterwards this gentleman complimented But when the flight arrived, he wasn’t there.
me on finding a suitable spot. The Zen Buddhist Naturally I went to find out what had happened.
made himself comfortable on one of the cushions On contacting the care facility, it turned out that
and began to meditate. This space is for everyone.’ his trip had been put off for a week. So I’ll be back
again next week!’

11

Other prayer rooms In 2016, ties between the Baggage Operations
The Meditation Centre is not the airport’s only supervisors and the Airport Chaplaincy were
space to sit and reflect. In 2010, in consultation renewed and intensified, and the chaplaincy was
with the management, a number of spots were regularly contacted with queries from the rooms
designated for staff to use as prayer rooms near in the basements and piers. Employees are very
their workspace. Six sparely furnished rooms have pleased to have a space to pray and they continue
been created in the baggage basements for use by to express their immense gratitude to the Airport
baggage personnel, cleaners, Customs, the Royal Chaplaincy for these facilities.
Netherlands Marechaussee and technical service
staff – mostly Muslims and a few Christians.

In 2016 the meditation centre greeted some 60,000 visitors

12

Travellers (guestbook and services)

The Meditation Centre offers a place to meditate “Had a great feeling today because of the respect
24 hours a day. On Sunday mornings there is also and love Schiphol Airport showed me today,
a 30-minute church service. Passengers greatly giving us this opportunity, to have our prayers
appreciate both activities, as attested by the before travelling. Much respect and love for
many expressions of gratitude and personal Schiphol facilitator and Management. Dr. Gadi A.
messages recorded in our guestbook in 2016. The 14/12/2016”
centre continues to spark connections between
people from all over the world and provide a On the Sunday services:
space to lay aside anxieties and stress. “Asalamu alaikum (May peace be upon you),
Thank you so much for this multicultured
Travellers wrote: space of prayer facility! I am a muslim who came for my
“Thanks for creating this small daily prayers whilst a church group was doing
communion in a big world out there. a communal one, was lovely to see this place
Peace and love. “ being used so diversely, even now someone is
meditating and someone else is conventionally
12 May 2016 praying,
“Such a great idea. The room is quiet and is a May positivity come into the lives of the organisers
perfect place to pray and relax away from the and maintainers of such a homely place!
hustle and bustle of the airport.Thank you! Sichra (frm London › Houston › Amsterdam › Dubai
I love the availability of religious books inside › Saudi Arabia)”
from all religions. It is a great way of encouraging
unity & peace” “Wonderful Christmas Service on December 25th
at 11 am. What a nice surprise! I am glad the
“Very nice, please keep this room available airport remembered it is x-mas day as the airlines
for my many travels, that is why I use KLM all the seem not to have. I have visited this chapel many
time. Thanks.” times before and always enjoy its tranquility.
Thanks, Leslie from Toronto, Canada”

“I’ve been able to think things over quietly here.
Anne”

13

Staff details

Volunteers in 2016 Board members of the Roman Catholic Airport
Chaplaincy Foundation (RKLHP):
Anneke de Blieck
Anneke Blom-Baars († 30 July 2016) Jos Traudes, chair
Dethmer Boels Sandra Kluyskens, secretary (until September)
Ton Brinkman (from December) Ton Overgaag, secretary (from September)
Deirdre Burk Lano Jansen, treasurer
Dineke Cohen Mieke Blankers-Kasbergen
Peter Daas Steven van Weede (advisory member for the dio-
Eva Dalmulder cese of Haarlem-Amsterdam)
Annemarie Fakkeldij
Jan Hemink Board members of the Old Catholic and Anglican
Fransje Hoogendoorn-van Schaik Airport Ministry (OCAAM):
Ton de Kleijn
Harriët Kroon Dave Thomas, chair (from July)
Elly van Kuijk-Spaans Corinne de Klerk, chair (until July)
Gerrit Medema Jaap Wijker, vice-chair
Hans van de Pieterman Alex Blok, secretary
Anita Plasmeijer (from May) Iwan Tensen, treasurer
Petra Ringenaldus-Burgerhout Kees Borst
Nico Schoorl Benjamin Arthur
Jan van ’t Slot (until December)
Stieneke van Stam Board members of the Schiphol Protestant Air-
Tineke te Velde (until December) port Chaplaincy Foundation (SPLS):
Toos Verkuijl-de Nie
John Visser Flip Poort, chair
Ati de Zeeuw-Kroesbergen Jan Blankert, secretary
Jans de Zeeuw-van Rees Han Warning, treasurer
Marja van Gaalen-van Veen, SPLS representative
Team members: in the Hoofddorp PKN classis
Reverend Marieke Meiring-Snijder, Protestant Aranka Goijert, former SPLS representative in the
Church in the Netherlands Amsterdam PKN classis (until May)
Gloria-Jeanne de Meijer, representative of the Re-
Pastor Nico Sarot, Old Catholic/Anglican Church, monstrant Church
replaced by Mark Hafkenscheid and Pastor Joop
Albers during his study sabbatical from Septem- Website:
ber until December SOLS: www.luchthavenpastoraat.nl/index.php

Father Gerard Timmermans SMA, Roman Catholic
Church

 
Board members of the Schiphol Airport Chaplain-
cy Support Foundation (SOLS):

Flip Poort, chair
Jos Traudes
Corinne de Klerk
Dave Thomas (from July)
Jan Blankert, first secretary
Sandra Kluyskens, second secretary
(until September)
Ton Overgaag, second secretary
(from September)
Lano Jansen, first treasurer
Han Warning, second treasurer
Cees Borst

Over every mountain there is
a path, although it may not be
seen from the valley

Theodore Roethke