March 2017 Vol. 19 No. 2

Certification Commission Report
by Jana Troutman-Miller MA BCC

“We are called not to see through each other, but to see each other through.” Author Unknown.

This quote has become for me a mantra of what the business of certification for professional chaplains is about. It gets to the heart of what the people we serve should expect of us as chaplains and what applicants and candidates should expect of those of us who journey with them on their path towards certification. To do this our certification process must always be held up to high standards and be willing to always find ways to change and grow when needed.

This past February 2-4, each of the 12 BCCI® Commission on Certification members and 12 out of the 16 Area Certification Chairs came together at the APC™/BCCI® offices in Hoffman Estates to dream, plan, and organize together...Read More

COMISS Report
by Patricia Appelhans JD

Representatives from APC™ including APC™ President Kimberly Murman, MDiv MBA BCC , APC™ President-elect Martha H. Rucker MDiv BCC CT and APC™’s CEO Patricia Appelhans JD attended the COMISS (Commission on Ministry in Specialized Settings) Network Annual Forum in Alexandria Virginia in January. The COMISS Network is a national organization of chaplains, Religious Endorsing Bodies, Pastoral Accreditation and Certification organizations, pastoral care organizations, military chaplains and chaplain and pastoral care employers. The COMISS Network is a forum for dialogue for its members and APC™ is honored to be an integral part of this collaboration.... Read More

Member Spotlight

Recently a member of APC™was featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal. Chaplain Joel N. Berning MDiv BCC was highlighted for his innovative Spiritual Care techniques in the ICU, at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. The story highlights the benefits in using a Spiritual Care Board as part of the care that patients receive. The article alsoquotes Chaplain Seigan Ed Glassing and Chaplain Daniel Grossoehme DMin BCC whom are also members of the APC™. The article was published on February 21, 2017 and is available to read at the Wall Street Journal website. Read More

APC™ is Holding a Spring Symposium for 2017
Symposium Registration is Now Open

The Association of Professional Chaplains™ is hosting its Spring Chaplain Symposium in Littleton, CO at Denver Seminary on Thursday, March 16, 2017. The theme, “The Importance of Collaboration in Achieving Common Goals,” will feature relevant and inspiring content from which chaplains in all practice settings can benefit. Registration will be available through March 14^th... Read More

News
Mercies in Small Talk

by Rev. Jessie D. Lowry, BCC

Most of us don’t really like small talk; chit-chat; jibber jabber; seemingly meaningless conversation of the sort like “How about this weather?” or “I am so glad it’s almost 5:00” or “Doing anything special for the holiday?” Most people do that kind of talk just because it’s what we do. We fill the spaces. We interact more for the sake of interacting than for the quality of the conversation. And we actually do this with most of the people in our lives, I think. It is a chosen few who get the real, raw, honest conversations about what we really think and feel, what we worry about, what is distracting us, etc.

To me, it sometimes felt like spiritual care’s primary work was sifting through the small talk to get to some of the deeper stuff more quickly. And people do share the deeper stuff, don’t they? It is odd if you think about it...Read More

Staying at the Conference Hotel Saves You Money and Effort!

If you are planning to attend this year’s APC™ Annual Conference in Houston, pay attention because we have some information that will save you money and a lot of effort. Not only is this year’s conference being held at a brand new hotel with amazing amenities and dining options, but we have also gone through great efforts to make it economical and easy... Read More

RFP $1.8 Million - Research on Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapies
by P. Scott Richards PhD

The Consortium for Spiritually Centered Psychology and Education housed within the David O. McKay School of Education at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, is pleased to announce a three-year $1.8-million-dollar grant competition supported with funding from the John Templeton Foundation. The project is a research initiative dedicated to creating an international, interdisciplinary collaborative network of researchers and practitioners who will help advance research and practice about spiritually integrated psychotherapies...Read More

Univ. of Mississippi Medical Center Chaplains Participate in High School Career Days

by Jeff Murphy MDiv BCC

University of Mississippi Medical Center chaplains promoted professional chaplaincy as a career to high school students at the Alignment Jackson Career Expo and at the Rankin County Medical Career Day.

According to its website, Alignment Jackson exposes Jackson, MS high school freshmen to career tracks. The hope is that this “advances our community’s economic and social well-being by helping Jackson Public Schools students prepare for college, career, and life.”...Read More

2017 APC™ Annual Conference: Spiritual Needs Task Force Update
by Bettie Jo Tennon Hightower DMin BCC

Greetings from the Spiritual Needs Task Force for the 2017 APC Annual Conference! We are so pleased and very excited as we await your arrival in Houston, Texas. Our conference theme is "The Powerful Voice of Chaplaincy." In planning the spiritual program for the conference, we reflected on what it means to say "The Powerful Voice of Chaplaincy” and what it means to us to make our voices heard in hospitals, workplaces, military, or other places of ministry and service.
Every day, chaplains live and work with patients, families, and staff at many intersections of life ... Read More

Chaplains and Need for Self-Compassion
by Chaplain Marcia Marino DMin BCC

The concept of self-compassion is a relatively new one in the field of health care/psychology/self-care. It has been researched and presented by a number of practitioners including Kristin Neff, Ph.D., Tara Brach, and others.

Self-compassion is related to self-care, but is internal in its focus. In her book Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind Kristin Neff defines self-compassion by saying that “it requires that we stop to recognize our own suffering…If we’re in a difficult or stressful situation, we rarely take the time to step back and recognize how hard it is for us in the moment.” Chaplains are focused on the patient/client/student/soldier/inmate/staff member, etc. with whom they are working at the moment, and aren’t able to stop...Read More

Chekc out what's Hot in Houston!

Aside from the beautiful weather and the upcoming APC™ Annual Conference, June 22-26, the downtown Houston area has quite a bit to offer visitors. The sprawling new Marriott Marquis Houston Hotel is perfectly located within walking distance of three major Houston sports arenas including Minute Maid Park (home of the Houston Astros), The Toyota Center (home of the NBA Houston Rockets) and BBVA Compass Stadium (home to the Major League Soccer clubs, the Houston Dynamo and the Houston Dash). Not a sports fan? No problem – there is plenty to do in Houston... Read More

Ideas
Resource Reviews for Continuing Education and Reference March 2017

Divine Film Comedies: Biblical Narratives, Film Sub-Genres, and the Comic Spirit byTerry Lindvall, J. Dennis Bounds, and Chris Lindvall

Mortal [DVD]: Bobby Sheehan, Director

PAGANISM: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by Joyce and River Higginbotham

Restoring the Healer, Spiritual Self-Care for Health Care Professionals by William E. Dorman DMin

Learn More about the Institute of Pastoral Studies

Memorials

Rev. H. Graciela Jortack, Retired Board Certified Chaplain

Chaplain Sandy Lysander Williams, BCC

APC^TM extends our sympathy to the family and friends of members who have died. Memorials are listed on the website in alphabetical order by last name.

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Save the date:
2017 APC^TM Annual Conference
June 22-25, 2017, Houston, TX

APC^TM Forum: News and Ideas in Chaplaincy Care invites the submission of articles from members of the association and others connected to the chaplaincy field. APC^TM Forum is the successor publication to APC^TM e-News.
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