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1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. A reminder about NACC Office Summer hours
3. Theme of NACC 2011 National Conference
4. New members needed for Editorial Advisory Panel
5. NACC mentors are offering themselves to members
6. How do I count continuing education hours within the revised NACC standards?
7. State Liaison calls with members
8. New positions for NACC members
9. Upcoming NACC audio conferences
10. Remember the Spiritual Care Champions Series!
11. 2010 One Book, One Association Selection
12. APC webinars
13. Are you planning to give any presentations on chaplaincy?
14. Order your video promoting the chaplaincy profession
15. Local/regional event dates
16. Other education events
17. Healing Tree: a request for prayers
18. Recent job postings
19. Positions wanted
In this past Sunday’s reading I was struck by the juxtaposition of the messages of “comfort care” and “rejoicing” in Isaiah 66 (as a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you) and the warning of rebuff in Luke 10 (“among wolves” and “they do not receive you”). “The Kingdom is at hand” is the message spoken/lived. How do we live in the mystery of God’s reign in our ministry? How is providing comfort care and rebuff lived side by side? Here are just a couple thoughts:
First of all, is not the ministry to God’s reign as a chaplain at times something like Luke’s counsel, “Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you’”? You enter a patient’s or resident’s room with “no money bag, no sack, no sandals” and no agenda. You listen to and receive “what is set before you” as the person and/or family share their joys, hopes, grief, anxiety. Our listening to and helping them to identify and express their life’s meaning and purpose, and the connections they are making with themselves, their bodies, and their families, assists their recovery as they are nourished by the sources of their own spirituality they discover or recover during our conversation with them. Is this not an experience of participating in God’s “cure”?
When we look up the meaning of cure, medicinenet.com offers, “The word cure comes from the Latin cura meaning care, concern or attention. The current use of the word cure is believed to reflect the belief that the right care, concern and attention were tantamount to a cure.” Is not our spiritual care ministry of “the right care, concern and attention” that makes our ministries instruments of God’s cure?
Secondly, we know that Jesus’ proclaiming God’s reign both affirmed some traditional Jewish expectations, but also upturned his listeners’ preconceived ideas and perspectives on life and beliefs, challenging them with a new vision of the nearness of God’s power as both here and now present, as well as a future fulfillment with its growth not of human making or planning. Surprise and wonder based on the belief in God’s nearness, power, and compassion qualify ministry to God’s reign. When I think about our spiritual care ministry, how often and in how many ways do we express “the kingdom is at hand” by noting/affirming a patient’s or resident’s faith, resilience, patience, courage to fight, or an associate’s compassionate care, clarity of ethical thought, firmness to fight inhumane care, or a family member’s hope beyond hope, bedside vigilance, plea for family reconciliation, persistence to pursue medical transparency when they feel that information is not forthcoming?
Are not both of these embodying Isaiah’s prophetic comfort, as we minister to God’s Reign? However, we know the challenges to do so, and the sometimes resistance/rejection we can encounter by the very title we carry and the preconceptions people can have of who we are and what we do. So how are you a minister of God’s reign in your work setting? How is God’s Kingdom at hand? What does the nearness of God’s power look like in the here and now?
NACC Now Items and Approaches
You will notice that most of the items in this issue of NACC Now are repeats from the past NACC Now. It’s in part because member communication about events and requests for help is much less. The pace has slowed down. It’s also because we are finding that we need to repeat items so that members who did not read the prior issue have a chance to catch it this time. I hope you realize that you can access all back issues on our NACC website at www.nacc.org/resources/e-news/nacc_now.asp.
We continue to learn how to make this communication tool better, and we look to you, our members to let us know what is most helpful to you. My dream is that more and more members ask one another through the NACC Now for help for resources. This has been working well, as we usually get someone asking for something in almost every issue. Fortunately, most who request items of our members get a good number of responses. In turn we ask those who receive helpful information to share it with those who responded and to send a copy to us at the NACC office so we can make it available to all our membership. We build together our resources for one another!
How else can we improve the NACC Now? Please let me know?
What are your thoughts?
Appreciatively,
David A. Lichter
Executive Director
NACC
A Reminder about NACC Office Summer Hours
The NACC Office will again this summer, starting June 1st, be open Monday-Thursday, 8:30-5:00 p.m., CDT, and Friday’s 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CDT. Thank you.
Theme of NACC 2011 National ConferencePathways to Healing: People and Communities is the theme of the NACC 2011 National Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This theme will enable us to seek plenary speakers and workshop leaders to develop our theme through the lens of theologian Bernard Lonergan’s transcendental imperatives. The Planning Task Force for the 2011 Conference is complete. We put thought and prayer into developing our theme. Many thanks to Task Force members:
We appreciate your prayers and your ideas as we move toward finalizing speakrs and workshop leaders. Please contact Linda Piotrowski, Conference Chair, with your ideas at Linda.F.Piotrowski@hitchcock.org.
New members needed for Editorial Advisory PanelThe NACC Editorial Panel meets every other month by conference call to assist Laurie Hansen Cardona, Vision Editor, with strategic thinking and planning for Vision direction and content, as well as helping as best one can with writing, selecting, and suggesting authors for articles. The Panel can use at least two new members. Would you consider this? For the Editorial Advisory Panel roles and responsibilities and an application to be a candidate, please go to www.nacc.org/vision/panel.asp.
NACC mentors are offering themselves to membersOver the past weeks, we have alerted you to our plans to initiate a mentor offering for members who seek to grow in their professional development. This mentor program was linked to the spiritual leadership competencies developed by the Care Services Task Force. Please go to www.nacc.org/resources/career/mentoring.asp for questions and answers regarding mentoring. Several NACC members are generously making themselves available to be mentors. You are welcome to contact us to discern whether such a relationship might be possible. Again, we are grateful for these mentors’ generosity. These mentors will also be invited to participate in regular group conference calls.
How do I count continuing education hours within the revised NACC standards?We continue to receive calls from our members regarding how to categorize/count their continuing education hours within the framework of the revised NACC Standards. Go to www.nacc.org/certification/renewal.asp for guidelines and suggestions, particularly noting the Certification Procedures Manual section on Renewal of Certification. Each particular revised Standard from 302 through 305 (Theory of Pastoral Care, Identity and Conduct, Pastoral, and Professional) corresponds to one of the old Standards (Theological, Pastoral, Professional) and you will need to read over the revised Standards (302-305) in order to see where your continuing education hours may fit in. A very helpful document which compares our old Standards with our Revised Standards is the Parallel of 2-2006 NACC Standards and Revised 11-2007 Standards at the same location. For more information, please plan to participate on our Renewal of Certification Audio Conference, August 19 (12:00 noon central time).
State Liaison calls with membersSeveral NACC state liaisons have requested conference calls with their state members. The NACC office has helped schedule several of them for June and July. If you want to set up such a call or are interested in learning more about such calls, please contact Cindy Bridges (cbridges@nacc.org).
New positions for NACC membersJust a reminder to you, please let us know if you have accepted a new position/responsibility. E-mail Cindy Bridges (cbridges@nacc.org). We want to congratulate you and let others know, too. Below is our current list of updates from members:
Catherine Elia
I have recently (May 24th) begun a new job as Director of Spiritual Leadership at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City, OR. This community hospital, which was formerly non-faith based, affiliated with Providence Health & Services last October. This role is a broad one - modeled on the Spiritual Leadership competencies. It is an exciting challenge and adventure to bring spiritual care into every level of PWFMC. I do count on prayer support from my NACC colleagues.
Sr. Mary Jo Szpila, SND, M.A.P.S.
Sr. Mary Jo was hired January 11, 2010 as Coordinator of Pastoral Care, Mercy St. Charles Hospital, Oregon, Ohio.
Jim Retzner, OSA
After leaving hospital chaplaincy for a parish assignment for three years I have been blessed to return to fulltime chaplaincy at Children’s Hospital – Los Angeles. An all pediatrics ministry is going to be a different ministry than general hospital chaplaincy. Please keep me in your prayers.
Rev. Peter Gelfer, OH, BCC
I will be moving to Ojai, California on June 1st to take up my new assignments as Chaplain, Vocation Promoter, Initial Spiritual Formation.
Sr. Ruth Brings
On May 3, 2010, I began a new position at Nativity of Mary Parish in Janesville, WI. The new position is Director of Pastoral Outreach.
Upcoming NACC audio conferences
NACC is pleased to announce our audio conferences planned for July through September. Please mark your calendars and register early as space is limited.
1. “Theology of Self-Care” presented by Elizabeth Berne DeGear and Mary Winters
July 22 and July 29, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. central time to 2:00 p.m. central time
These audio conferences (2) will provide participants an introduction to new perspectives on self care.
For more information and to register, click here.
2. Renewal of Certification with the NACC
August 19, 2010 at 12:00 noon central time to 1:30 p.m. central time
This audio conference will provide participants with an overview of the renewal of certification process and documentation and provide a forum for answering questions about NACC renewal of certification.
This audio conference is offered to our members at no cost. For more information and to register, click here.
3. Certification with the NACC
August 26, 2010 at 12:00 noon central time to 1:30 p.m. central time
This audio conference will provide participants with an overview of the NACC certification process, with special attention to the revised NACC standards and procedures. We will present key information about certification and provide a forum for answering questions about certification with the NACC.
This audio conference is offered at no cost. For more information and to register, click here.
4. “Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying: Theology and Practice of the Rites” presented by Bruce T. Morrill, S.J.
September 9 and September 16, 2010 at 12:00 noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
These audio conferences (2) will start with an overview of what the best of current biblical and historical scholarship tells us about the phenomenon of healing. We shall then turn to the anointing of the sick, viaticum for the dying, and the other pastoral rites associated with them in Pastoral Care of the Sick: Rites of Anointing and Viaticum (1983) to explore how these renewed rites grace us with treasures from the tradition that meets genuine human needs today.
For more information and to register, click here.
We will continue to hold the audio conferences on Thursdays so as not to conflict with the Champion Series that are held on Wednesdays. For questions about our audio conferences, please contact Jeanine Annunziato (jannunziato@nacc.org).
Remember the Spiritual Care Champions Series!Please remember that you can sign up for individual sessions of the Spiritual Care Champions Series. For more details on how to register for these sessions, go to: www.che.org/mission/index.php?id=46. Upcoming sessions include:
We are excited to introduce our One Book, One Association selection for 2010 – The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner. This NACC project has been designed to gather you, the members, together as a community by selecting one book and encouraging reading, writing, and discussion. More information will be available in the July/August issue of Vision and on the website. Be sure to start reading now! We thank all of the members who have participated in our book selection group. If you have questions or are interested in hosting a book club gathering that we can help to advertise to other members in your area, please contact Susanne at schaw@nacc.org.
APC webinarsHave you visited the APC site to learn about their webinars? You can review and sign up for them by going to this link.
Are you planning to give any presentations on chaplaincy?We continue to encourage members to promote the chaplaincy profession. Please remember that the NACC office staff want to make sure you have resources to share. If you are planning to do a presentation, please contact Cindy Bridges (cbridges@nacc.org) so that she can send you brochures. Also we remind you that you can access on our NACC website the Chaplaincy Ministry video (or order one – see below) as well as two PowerPoint slideshows to use as a basis for the presentation at www.nacc.org/advancing/promo.asp.
Order your video promoting the chaplaincy professionOur video on Chaplaincy, both a recruitment version (that begins and ends with “Is God Calling You?”), and a version without this question, is available in DVD format. The charge is just $6.00, the cost of production and shipping. You may preview the video at this link. To order copies please email Cindy Bridges for instructions.
Local/regional event datesMore local gatherings are being set. Please review the list below, and mark your calendars. More details of events will be in future NACC Now's.
Here are other events for our members. For a complete listing of events, go to www.nacc.org/resources/edops.asp.
• August 2-4, 2010, Novi, MI. "Healthy Wholeness = Balanced Living + Giving” See details. • September 15-16, 2010, Germantown, NY. "Palliative Care - Compassionate Care for the Whole Person" See details.
Healing Tree: a request for prayersPlease let us know if you would like our membership to pray for your health and healing. We continue to pray for: Ginny Conron (POP surgery next week), Sister Maria Theresa Hronec, SS.C.M. (surgery later in June), Marcella Keefe-Slager (lung cancer and treatment), Fr. Art Schute (at the death of his father, Arthur Edward Schute), Tom Regan’s granddaughter, Kathryn Rose in NICU (born prematurely, weighs 3 lbs. 15 oz. with many developmental issues), Sr. John Marie Stack, OSF (lymphoma cancer), Mary Pawicz (recovering from shoulder surgery), Gloria Troxler (preventive chemotherapy after ovarian surgery), Fr. Kevin Ikpah (eye troubles), Sr. Micheletta McGee, RSM (pancreatic cancer), Lourdes B. Ruta (wife of Peter Ruta, in recovery), Fr. Bob Nee, BCC, LICSW, CT (intractable epilepsy), Kelly Elizabeth Sexton (cancer: daughter of NACC member Melyssa Sexton), Joyce Fink (heart attack/recovery from open heart surgery), Fr. Bill Spacek (detached retina and other eye issues); Sr. Nancy Crane, OP (cancer treatment); Sr. Hilda Mallet, MHS (cancer treatment), and Sr. Rita Rzeppa, IBVM (recovering/rehab from knee surgery).
The following positions have been posted in the last two weeks. Please go to www.nacc.org/positions/available.asp for more information.
DIRECTOR, SPIRITUAL CARE & ETHICS
Laguna Beach and Mission Viejo, CA - Mission Hospital
PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Huntington, WV - St. Mary’s Medical Center
PM STAFF CHAPLAIN
La Crosse, WI - PM Staff Chaplain Gundersen Lutheran Health System
REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SPIRITUAL CARE
Central California Coast
DIRECTOR, PASTORAL CARE
Evansville, IN - St. Mary's Medical Center
In this time of change and uncertainty it is more important than ever to use every resource available. If you have lost your job recently, if you’re just seeking a new or better position, or if you are an employer seeking a chaplain for your organization, be sure to visit our Positions Wanted webpage. NACC members can take advantage of this free service by placing a job-seeking ad, for free, which will run for 60 days. To see the ads, visit www.nacc.org/positions/wanted.asp.
To place your own ad, send an email to Phil Paradowski: pparadowski@nacc.org.