Volunteer work is so rewarding! Give it a try if you think you'd be good at talking to people who may have just seen their only child die or have been told they have terminal cancer. I think an atheist would be good at comforting both the religious & non-religious, while a believer may be only able to help other believers.

There are several sites that offer free or low cost ordainments to humanists and atheists for the sole purpose of non-religious folks being able to perform services like weddings/funerals etc., for their peers. I see nothing wrong with it, to get the legal status for an atheist to help other atheists.

I clicked the "ordain me" button at [spiritualhumanism.org] to get the necessary credentials to be able to perform marriages and have made my living doing weddings, funerals and such for the past 12 years. For atheists, by an atheist.

I also think about offering my services to my local hospital, hospice and possibly even our local jail. I firmly believe that the non-religious folks going through a tough time should have a chaplain who understands their own spiritual or philosophical needs during times of distress. There are non-denominational chaplains, but I wonder how often they understand the needs of the totally non-religious, without belief in supernatural deities.

Secular folks also need counseling from time to time, maybe from a peer sharing their own spiritual views, but I also wonder if secular folks are better off with a trained psychologist who shares their spiritual views. (atheistic-agnostic-humanistic)

I'm basically self trained with my own research and various classes and seminars on conducting funerals, weddings, and such, having no credentials really except a few seminar diplomas and an online ordainment.

Besides getting a free or cheap online ordainment, do you have training or resources to show your worthiness in administering to the needs of atheist patients and families in hospitals? What do you have to show that you are serious in helping them? I personally feel there is a real need to have atheist support for patients and their families, but am curious what credentials are helpful to have to be on that volunteer chaplain list.

If this "church" is just a way to use their religious loopholes to do it then I have no issues with it. I really hate the use of such language though because it plays into the hands of those that want to equate a lack of belief to a belief in a god so then we just like their religions. This is a ridiculous argument but they are winning it since they rule an area society has decided to wall off from rational thought.

And that is why I never called myself an atheist. I simply Do Not Believe in god or Religion!

Very needed but be prepared. It’s hard! People aren’t just sad. They are angry and can’t think rationally at times.
I don’t want to dissuade you. But things that will help you are crisis management skills, de-escalation, of course communication.

everyone could use someone to talk to in hospital and they might feel better saying your their church chaplain leaves it unconfirmed and so maybe removes some outside stress