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| news and information from
the Association of Professional Chaplains |
July, 2008 |
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Voting Deadline July 23 |
Don't forget to vote!
By now, all APC members in good standing should have received 2008 APC election ballots and candidate information sheets in their mailboxes.
If your Continuing Education, Maintenance of Membership and dues are up-to-date, and you do not receive this mailing by Wednesday, July 18, please call 847.240.1014 or e-mail info@professionalchaplains.org
Your vote can make a difference so be sure to send it in. Ballots must be postmarked by July 23, 2008 in order to be counted.
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Seeking National Leaders
By Floyd O'Bryan BCC
August 15, 2008. What makes this date so important? From a personal viewpoint, it is the birthday of my oldest grandchild. She is such a wonderful gift to me in my personal life. From a professional viewpoint, it is the deadline for applications to be submitted for elected leadership positions in APC. APC continues to be a wonderful gift to me in my professional ministry.
We APC members have the unique opportunity to enhance our profession, to serve our colleagues, and to develop and share our leadership skills by participating in various positions of leadership within APC.
The Nominating Committee is seeking nominees who will serve APC as a national leader, taking office in November 2009. But the first step in that process must be completed on August 15, 2008, the deadline for applications to be submitted!
APC needs members who are willing to offer their expertise and experience to further enhance the work of APC. We especially seek members who have some local leadership experience and/or previous service on one of the councils, commissions, committees or the APC Cabinet of Liaisons. Most of all, we seek members who have a passion about fulfilling the vision of APC. If this sounds like you, I invite you to visit the APC Web site to view the leadership position descriptions and print an application for nomination form.
From a personal viewpoint, I am so grateful for a day to celebrate the gift that my granddaughter is to me and my family. From a professional viewpoint, I am grateful for a day that marks a window of opportunity to serve my APC colleagues and to enhance professional chaplaincy by submitting an application for an APC national leadership position.
August 15, 2008. It is a special day!
Floyd O'Bryan BCC is the director of the Department of Chaplain Services
at Mayo Clinic Hospitals in Rochester, MN, and is the chair of the APC Nominating Committee. He can be contacted at obryan.floyd@mayo.edu.
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Recognize Exemplary Service to APC
By Valerie Storms BCC
In my office early one morning in February of 2004, I received a phone call from Mary Whetstone, who at that time was chair of the Membership Services Council. She was calling to inform me that I had been selected to receive APC's Outstanding Local Leadership Award for 2004. She also said she hoped I would be able to come to the annual meeting that year in Dallas, where the award would be presented. I was speechless! When I regained my ability to talk, I asked how I had been selected to receive the award. She said another chaplain in Florida, Chaplain Dick Shannonhouse, had submitted the nomination.
I had just completed the two terms allowed to serve as the State Certification Chair for Florida (just before we went to Area Chairs), just "minding my own business," and a colleague decided that I should be given a chance to be recognized for the work I had done. Chaplain Shannonhouse took the initiative to complete the application, found other chaplains to write letters of support for his nomination and sent all of the information to the national office. Because of his efforts, I have an experience and a memory that will bring joy and a sense of gratitude to me for the rest of my life.
Can you do that for a chaplain you know? Are you willing to take the time to nominate someone, providing the possibility that they may be chosen to receive an award to be remembered for a lifetime?
Pick up your pen and paper now, or sit at your computer, and jot down a few names and ideas that you can use for the nomination you will send in to the national office by the August 15th deadline.
Complete criteria for all leadership awards and instructions for submitting nominations are available on the APC Web site.
Valerie Storms BCC is the manager of pastoral care at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. She serves as chair of the Membership Services Council and can be reached at Valerie.Storms@moffitt.org.
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 Start Making Plans for Summit '09
By Mary Kendrick Moore BCC
Begin making your plans now to attend the Spiritual Care Summit '09 to be held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Walt Disney World, FL, on Feb. 1-4, 2009. Hosted by the six participating organizations of the Spiritual Care Collaborative, the conference invites attendees to bridge the gulf between disciplines, celebrating that which unifies and honoring that which separates, so all may work together toward the common goal of holistic care.
Plenary sessions and workshops will explore universal themes that underscore the importance of spirituality in all aspects of care, from prevention to crisis. A variety of pre-conference workshops will be held January 29-31.
In addition to a host of collaborative events, the conference will include many "traditional" APC events: Certification Committees will meet January 29-30. On January 31, APC leadership groups will hold their meetings, followed in the evening by the APC Grand Banquet, celebrating the new board certified, provisional certified and associate chaplains. The APC awards and recognition breakfast will be held February 1, and faith groups will host their breakfasts on February 2.
The following links and tips will provide further information to assist you in your planning:
The Summit Steering Committee and many subcommittees are hard at work to ensure a successful conference. Excitement is building for a conference that promises to set the stage for future collaborative efforts.
Mary Kendrick Moore BCC is the publicist for APC and is serving on the Summit '09 Publications Committee. She may be contacted at mary.moore1014@comcast.net. |
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Planning Interfaith Services
By Swami Sarvaananda PhD BCC
For ideas for planning interfaith services, one can now go to the APC Web site Worship Folder in the Professional Resources section. The Sunday Interfaith Worship Service from the APC 2008 Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, has been posted on the site as a template for any chaplain's use.
Along with the service bulletin is a series of suggested methods to use and mistakes to avoid when planning an interfaith service. With pre-planning, using a variety of persons and resources, what is chosen will most likely be the best possible program - a "win-win" for everyone involved. From my tradition, we call such an event one that "is of benefit to someone and harm to no one." With this possible goal in mind, may your service reach many. Feel free to contact me with specific questions.
Swami Sarvaananda PhD BCC is the chaplain supervisor at Hospice of the Piedmont, Charlottesville, VA. She coordinated the Spiritual Needs Committee for the APC 2008 Annual Conference. She resides at Satchidananda Ashram, Yogaville in Buckingham VA. She may be contacted at swsarva@yogaville.org.
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The Idea Box
Chaplaincy Face Book Facilitates Getting to Know Staff Members
With his belief that names are of profound significance, Chaplain Robert Kidd BCC at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX, found a creative way to learn the names of staff members on his clinical units. What he found as a result was the deepening of staff relationships and a more complete integration into the interdisciplinary team.
I've done it a hundred times - I'm greeted heartily by someone in the hospital hallway, someone whose face I know, someone I've passed for years, someone who knows my name...and I don't know theirs. Running for cover, I would resort to subterfuge: "Hey! How're you doing?" I figure if I say it with enough enthusiasm, they won't notice that I didn't speak their name in return. But who am I kidding? They know I'm covering. Frankly, I find these encounters somewhat embarrassing. After all, I'm a pastor here! I'm supposed to know people's names!
Use The Idea Box to share creative ideas you have successfully implemented to help you in your day-to-day work as a chaplain. Submit ideas to Rita Kaufman at rita@professionalchaplains.org. Your participation will help grow a collection of articles in The Idea Box on the APC Web site.
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Board Looks to APC's Bright Future
The APC Board of Directors met in June to begin outlining near-term and long-range plans for the association. During the three-day session at the Q Center in St. Charles, IL, the board began outlining a series of strategic goals that will lead to a variety of initiatives to benefit APC members and the chaplaincy profession.
"The goals the board is outlining are being directly shaped by the wealth of feedback and ideas gleaned from the 2008 Membership Survey," says Jo Schrader, executive director. "The board members are giving the survey results careful attention and consideration as they determine how best to position APC and its members for future growth and success."
Additional information on the strategic planning process will be presented in the August issue of APC e-News.
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