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1. Executive Director’s Reflection
2. Call for Workshop Proposals for NACC 2011 Conference!
3. We seek your advice on NACC Conference 2012
4. Online voting for our 2011 Board Candidates begins September 13th!
5. Ongoing thanks for our annual member support campaign!
6. New State Liaison for Maine!
7. Another special ministry: the Door of Hope
8. This is the final week of NACC Office Summer Hours
9. Welcome new members to NACC!
10. New positions for NACC members
11. Upcoming NACC audio conferences
12. Remember the Spiritual Care Champions Series!
13. APC webinars
14. Thank you! Request: Ritual to Expand Blessing at Time of Miscarriage
15. Thank you! Request: Mass Stipend
16. Thank you! Request: Communion Services
17. Are you planning to give any presentations?
18. Order your video promoting the chaplaincy profession
19. Local/regional event dates
20. Other education events
21. Healing Tree: A Request for Prayers
22. New job postings
23. Positions wanted
“How can I ever thank you enough or repay you for what you have done for me and my family?” Have you ever heard that? Such comments can come at times when we were questioning or doubting ourselves, and our effectiveness. It can be like a waft of cool air on a hot day. While it’s hard to admit, wanting to know if what we do makes a difference is part of what we want for what we do. In faith we know, in most situations, we don’t realize the impact we have on people. We reap what we did not sow, and sow what we will not reap.
However, identifying “outcomes” for our work is expected. Developing and tracking outcome measurements is a critical piece of being accountable. We need to identify what we see happening because of our interventions. Many systems are making strides with this. For instance, at our 2008 National Conference, Rose Shandrow, Director, Spiritual Care Services, and Gordy Hilsman, CPE Manager in Franciscan Health System, Tacoma, WA, showed how they worked with the chaplains to identify behaviors they anticipate when specific interventions are used. For instance, his team decided that “supportive validating” responses would bring the outcomes of “talks openly, expresses feelings, cries, relaxes, considers resources.” NACC needs to continue to support these types of efforts.
Still, yesterday’s Gospel from Luke 14 included: “Rather, when you hold a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” I found myself asking the question, “Is wanting to know if my work is effective a type of wanting to be repaid?” Professionally I know I need to watch for and track outcomes. “How am I doing?’ is a fair question that can show I want to improve performance. However, I probably need to stay alert to my motives for seeking the outcomes. If I need to see outcomes to validate my work, seek evidence to shore up my sagging self-worth, or adjusting my responses so that people will like me, I am most likely on the “repay me” response track, and need to see these tendencies as ones that will obstruct and distort good ministry. The poor, crippled, lame and blind can be well off, physically fit, and highly insightful people who just are understandably too absorbed in their personal trauma at the time to recognize or express their appreciation for how we are ministering with them at the moment. Recognizing in ourselves the “repay me” lure, when it occurs, is a good moment of self-checking. We let it go, and thank God for the grace to serve.
What do you think?
What has happened with NACC Strategic Plan’s Goal I and its objectives?
As I look at the NACC fall calendar I am particularly struck by the plethora of educational opportunities that are packed into these next four months: four NACC audio conferences, four CHE webinars, three APC webinars, and thirteen local events to date. There are many more offerings noted in NACC Now, on our website, and of which you are aware as well, I realize. You will also see below NACC’s planning efforts with its 2011 national conference, as well as seeking input for its 2012 conference.
NACC’s 2007-2010 Strategic Plan’s Goal I is “To support Association Members with Creative Educational, Spiritual, and Communication Opportunities.” And Goal I’s first three objectives addressed the need to strengthen active participation of members at the local and national levels, promote education and training options, and develop, offer, and promote educational opportunities for members. I think the NACC has come a long way in its efforts to meet these objectives. We are grateful to all our members who have assisted in making these offerings a reality!
Appreciatively,
David A. Lichter, D.Min.
Executive Director
As we move forward with plans for the NACC 2011 Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from May 21-24, 2011, we would like to share with all of our members the Call for Workshop Proposals. You can access this information at the NACC Website. We encourage you to consider submitting a proposal or sharing the information with colleagues who also may be interested. Our theme, Pathways to Healing: People and Communities, invites interested colleagues to share their special expertise by presenting workshops that will challenge and stimulate the learning process of attendees. More information about the theme can be found at the link above. There you will also find an application for pre-conference workshops and 75-minute workshops. Before completing the proposal form, please be sure to review the submission guidelines. Once completed, workshop proposal forms should be emailed to the NACC National Office to Jeanine Annunziato at jannunziato@nacc.org by Sunday, September 19, 2010.
We seek your advice on NACC Conference 2012As we begin to explore our possibilities for our NACC National Conference in 2012, we are looking at having a symposium-style conference. We would like your feedback on which of the following themes would be most helpful to you in your ministry or if you have other suggestions.
Please email your responses to Susanne Chawszczewski at schaw@nacc.org
Online voting for our 2011 Board Candidates begins September 13th!Please watch in the coming days for information regarding our membership voting for the two elected member positions on our NACC Board for 2011. We are very grateful to and excited about our two board candidates, Jane Mather and Mary Lou O’Gorman, who bring diverse and valuable gifts to our NACC Board at this point in our history. Click here for more information about Jane and Mary Lou.
Ongoing thanks for our annual member support campaign!Thank you to many of you who have responded to the second invitation to support this year’s Member Support Campaign! Please join your colleagues in supporting our Annual Member Support Campaign!
New State Liaison for Maine!Sr. Patricia Mooney, RSM, has graciously accepted to be the new State Liaison for Maine. Thank you Sister Patricia! For more information on State Liaisons go to this page.
Another special ministry: the Door of HopeAfter retiring from hospital ministry, our NACC member, Chaplain Joan Carlson, created The Door of Hope grief and loss support groups, seminars and presentations. The Door of Hope is an ecumenical community outreach service. It is an eight-year established successful ministry with approved credibility in Door County, Wisconsin. The Door of Hope is online at thedoorofhope.webs.com. What other ministries are YOU involved with? Let us know. Contact Phil at pparadowski@nacc.org.
This is the final week of NACC Office Summer HoursWe remind our members that this week of August 30th is the final week of the NACC Office summer hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:30-5:00 p.m., CDT, and Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CDT. Next week we resume our normal office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., CDT. Thank you.
Welcome new members to NACC!Why weren't we doing this earlier! Monthly we want to extend a very warm welcome to our new members of NACC. Click here to see all new members who have joined us in 2010! Monthly we will announce our new members! Welcome!
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:
Joseph Rinderknecht
Joseph Rinderknecht, D Min. has been hired by Lutheran Chaplaincy Service to be Director of Spiritual Care at Medina Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Medina Ohio starting August 16, 2010. Mr. Rinderknecht leaves a position as Healing Services Practitioner/Spiritual Care Specialist in the Medical Intensive Care Unit of the Cleveland Clinic main campus. Prior to that position he completed four units of a CPE residency at the main campus in Cleveland, OH. From 1978 to 2008 he served two congregations as a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In December of 2009 he and his wife Gail were received into the Roman Catholic Church.
Patricia Stockdale
Patricia Stockdale has been appointed to head the ministry to the Sick and Homebound at the parish of St. James in Stratford, Connecticut.
Rev. George Henninger
Reverend George Henninger has a new assignment as the parish priest at Holy Family Parish in Victoria, Texas. Father George has three major hospitals that he visits.
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. “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.
2. “The Parables of Jesus: Hope for a Broken World” presented by Dr. Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan
October 14 and October 21, 2010, at 12:00 noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
More details coming soon.
3. “Spirituality and Aging” presented by Dr. Kathleen Fischer
November 11 and November 18, 2010, at 12:00 noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
More details coming soon.
4. “The Heroic Journey of Chaplaincy: Discovering the Wounded Healer Within,” presented by Edward M. Smink, Ph.D.
December 9 and 16, 2010, at 12:00 p.m. noon central time to 1:00 p.m. central time
More details coming soon.
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:
Have you visited the APC site to learn about their webinars? You can review and sign up for them by going to this link.
Thank you! Request: Ritual to Expand Blessing at Time of MiscarriageOur member, Deacon Charlie Stump, thanks those who shared with him rituals being used to expand the “Order for the Blessing of Parents after a Miscarriage” to include the Naming of the Child. These were very helpful.
Thank you! Request: Mass StipendOur member, Brother Kenney Gorman, C.F.X., thanks those who shared with him their policies and procedures regarding priest stipends. They were very helpful.
Thank you! Request: Communion ServicesOur member, Frank Zlotkowski, thanks the 18 respondents who shared with him how communion and communion services are handled at their hospitals. They were very helpful. He shared the findings among those who responded. Thank you!
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, are available in DVD format. The charge is just $6.00, the cost of production and shipping. You may preview the video below. To order copies please email Cindy Bridges for instructions.
More 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.
Recent job postings
The following positions have been posted in the last two weeks. Please go to www.nacc.org/positions/available.asp for more information.
PRIEST STAFF CHAPLAIN
CHRISTUS Hospital - St. Elizabeth, Beaumont, TX
CHAPLAIN
Sheboygan, WI - St. Nicholas Hospital
CATHOLIC PRIEST CHAPLAIN
Bridgeport, CT - St. Vincent'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.