Assistance Amid Catastrophe
In the heart of Wuppertal, Ben Sulzbacher, a 29-year-old chaplain, has been providing essential services since mid-2025. His role, that of an emergency chaplain, is one of spiritual caregiver, counselor, and neutral support figure.
Sulzbacher coordinates the interdenominational emergency chaplaincy with a half-time position. His team, comprising around 20 employees, includes theologians and volunteers, ready to offer spiritual and emotional support to the police, fire brigade, and those affected by emergencies around the clock.
The emergency chaplaincy's primary responsibility is to provide spiritual comfort, emotional support, and psychosocial care during stressful and often traumatic circumstances. This includes offering prayers, rituals, or comforting words, regardless of church affiliation or worldview.
Sulzbacher's role is crucial in times of crisis. Many of the people he supports feel overwhelmed and helpless in the aftermath of a disaster. His mission is to stabilise them so they can take action following a traumatic event.
In addition to his emergency chaplaincy duties, Sulzbacher is also the project leader of the new counseling center ZeeBra of the Evangelical Church in Lennep since the end of 2024. He has gained experience in dealing with complex emotional needs, having worked as a volunteer at the telephone counseling service for five years and becoming a systemic consultant before taking on this role.
Dealing with children after the accident or suicide of a parent is particularly challenging for Sulzbacher, but he approaches each case with empathy and sensitivity. He believes that as humans, we are not entirely on our own, but that there is a force that carries us.
On average, the emergency chaplaincy team responds to two to three calls per week. They are typically called by the control center to support relatives after sudden deaths or suicides. In these situations, Sulzbacher inquires about relatives, friends, or neighbours who can support the affected person in the coming days.
Sulzbacher's age does not bother him in his role, as those he helps find his presence comforting. He provides emotional support to those affected, offering listening, silence, and encouragement to process their feelings and questions. Despite the challenges, Sulzbacher finds his work rewarding, with the decision to make his volunteering his profession growing in recent years.
In the course of his work, Ben Sulzbacher extends his services beyond emergency chaplaincy by leading the counseling center ZeeBra, focusing on health-and-wellness, mental-health, and offering various therapies-and-treatments to those in need. During these sessions, he provides a safe space for those struggling with emotional trauma, such as the loss of a parent, to process their feelings and find comfort.
