Being out in nature, by water, is a powerful combination bringing freedom, healing and release to many people. Kenny Frost has felt that himself since his childhood on the Dorset coast. These days, serving with OM in the West Midlands as Community Evangelist, Kenny couldn’t be much further from the sea. But he’s never far from water: in an area rich with canals, Kenny and his wife Madhu love serving the boating community in another role – as Waterways Chaplains. Kenny shared their story with OM writer Nicky Andrews:

The UK’s canals are an enduring legacy of the early Industrial Revolution, the super-highway of their day, transporting coal, iron and other heavy goods before the advent of the railways. These days they’re regarded as picturesque places of relaxation and pleasure where people walk, cycle, fish or sail. The Canal and River Trust (CRT) who are responsible for the maintenance and development of 40 per cent of navigable inland waterways, took a census in 2022 which revealed over 35,000 canal boats in England and Wales.

Although the majority of these are leisure craft, at least  15,000 others are people’s year-round homes. Roughly half have long-term moorings, often in canal basins or marinas, while the other half are itinerant ‘continuous cruisers’ staying a fortnight maximum in any one location. One day in 2018, God showed Kenny His heart for this largely hidden community of ‘liveaboards’.

God sees these floating homes

“I do my ‘best’ praying walking by water,” says Kenny. Walking along Dudley No.2 Canal, close to his home, he was asking God which people in that area were ‘least reached’ by the gospel. Noticing a narrowboat in poor condition, with a family living on board, Kenny prayed, “Who looks after these people, Lord?” God’s reply was immediate and clear: “How about you?” Kenny protested that he knew nothing about the canal boat way of life, but God reminded him that few people do! Kenny rushed home to tell his wife Madhu – and within days, they heard a Waterways Chaplain interviewed on Christian radio about the need to recruit more Chaplains!

Who are the Waterways Chaplains?

The Waterways Chaplaincy is a national Christian charity with about 100 volunteer Chaplains covering 2000-plus  miles of waterways. Quoting their website Chaplains can “offer care and support to anyone and everyone on and around the navigable inland waterways of the UK…we aim to be seen and to be available to listen, chat and, if asked, to offer support and care to anyone in need. We build and maintain relationships that often help to sort out more involved issues with the boater such as poverty, or health and financial problems.”  The WWC  have Micah 6:8 as their ‘strapline’: “Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

Next steps

Despite his lack of canal boat experience, the Chaplaincy was glad to accept Kenny’s application and he was made a probationary Chaplain for a year.  Probationers receive comprehensive training including subjects like statutory requirements for boaters; canal safety and practicalities like opening and closing lock gates; how to access the benefits system or mental health services for someone in crisis; in-depth local knowledge of the waterway(s) one is assigned to, etc.

Kenny was commissioned as a Waterways Chaplain at the start of 2020. But training doesn’t stop there: every qualified Chaplain receives ongoing training and refreshers, giving a high level of professionalism.

Birmingham and beyond

There are over 500 miles of navigable inland waterways in the West Midlands region, chiefly in a complex network of 20-plus canals. It is often said that Birmingham has more canals than Venice! Kenny’s ‘patch’ covers a broad area:  the 100-mile Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN), Dudley No.1 Canal (4.6 miles), Dudley No.2 Canal (5.5. miles) and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal (46 miles.) Across two or three days a week, Kenny rotates through his patch for a few hours at a time, walking the towpath on the sections where most mooring-up occurs.

He’s accompanied by his wife Madhu who qualified as a Chaplain in 2023; Kenny finds serving as a couple adds an extra dimension to all his interactions. They also appreciate the flexibility of the Chaplaincy role, which dovetails with their ongoing commitments as members of OM.

Kenny became Senior Chaplain for the West Midlands area in 2023, leading a team of nine Chaplains. Whilst still responsible for his own area, he also arranges or provides cover if a boater in an area without a Chaplain makes contact.

Connecting with the community

Kenny does encounter some people on a casual basis, such as holidaymakers hiring boats, and other canal-users like walkers and fishermen, but most of his time is spent with the ‘liveaboard’ boating community. Whilst that is drawn from a broad cross-section of society, Kenny finds that the folk seeking a Chaplain’s listening ear or practical assistance are often single men who prefer the freedom of ‘continuous cruising’.

Boaters can self-refer via the Chaplaincy and CRT websites. However after seven years Chaplaincy service, Kenny has become a familiar and trusted face amongst the boating community on ‘his’ canals. Contact arises naturally out of those relationships, or maybe someone, aware that a fellow-boater is struggling in some way, will suggest they approach Kenny directly as he walks the towpath.

A broad involvement

Problems may be financial, practical, social or emotional and may have followed the boater from their previous existence on dry land. The Chaplains don’t always have the answers but signpost clients to other sources of help. Kenny recalls Boater W whose boating licence had expired: his benefit payments were expedited after Kenny intervened, meaning W could renew his licence, avoiding enforcement, with the risk of having his boat seized. Another favourite memory is helping alongside health and social services when Boater K, alone and elderly, was no longer coping afloat: Kenny and Madhu accompanied her through the whole traumatic process of leaving her boat and entering a care home. “I feel hugely privileged to make a difference like that,” says Kenny.

The initial purchase price of a boat may be less than bricks-and-mortar but Kenny comments wryly that “those with the most needs buy the boats with the most needs, and if things go wrong on a boat, they go really wrong!” Being stranded without heating, or with a defective engine, is especially serious in winter. “Boaters don’t talk about the number of years they’ve lived on a boat”, he continues. “They count the winters they’ve been through!”

God in the conversation

As an OM evangelist, Kenny has spent years initiating faith conversations in a very direct way. However he has adapted well to the Chaplaincy style, allowing others to take the spiritual initiative. Whether it’s a boater, or a passer-by intrigued by their ‘Waterways Chaplain’ uniform gilets, Kenny and Madhu find people ask questions very readily: about them, their role and their faith. For example, some ‘liveaboards’ are ex-Forces or former prisoners, who are used to ‘chaplains’ in those contexts. “What do you do as a chaplain?” is a question they often ask, giving Kenny a natural opening for a faith conversation.

When Boater M declared that ‘Mother Nature’ had healed him from alcoholism through the boating lifestyle, Kenny replied, “How about the Creator of the world healing you?” This led to a deep and interesting spiritual dialogue. As a ‘continuous cruiser’ M moved on soon after, and Kenny hasn’t seen him for two years. But that won’t spell the end of the relationship; the other day, Kenny heard his name being yelled out across the canal, and turning round, saw Boater S whom he hasn’t seen for nearly three years. They’ve renewed their friendship, and S is happy to be prayed for, as Kenny did before.

G owns a tour boat on a canal in central Birmingham, and is another special friend. When engine failure impacted his trade, G was thrilled when Kenny offered to pray for God to bless and rebuild his business once a new engine was installed. Kenny says this took their friendship in a new direction; G was fascinated when Kenny and Madhu spent six months serving  on the OM ship Doulos Hope in 2024,and they could share with him quite deeply afterwards about what they had done and why.

Could you or your church support the boating community?

Living and worshipping near Dudley No.2 Canal, Kenny and Madhu are well placed to encourage their own church’s involvement with the boating community. They also work closely with a church in a neighbouring parish, a highlight being a pitch at the Bumble Hole Boating Festival, which draws up to 15,000 visitors every September.

Kenny shares how the Waterways Chaplaincy would like to establish more partnerships with churches located in close proximity to waterways, especially to ‘stand in the gap’ where there are no current Chaplains. Visit this website to find out more about this opportunity, or request a Chaplain to speak at your church.

Or how about becoming a Chaplain, serving as a single person or as a couple? If you’re a practical ‘outdoor’ type who loves the Lord and people, with an open heart and life experience, there could be a role for you. Like Kenny, you don’t even have to be a boater yourself, just sense God’s call to serve. To enquire please visit this website.

Last words from Kenny: “No two days are the same. Even if it’s a cold wet day and everyone’s inside their boats staying warm, our patrol is our prayer walk, asking God’s blessing on this very special community. I love being there for them – it really is my privilege.”

This article can be found here on the OM website.