Did you know you can access full conference details from the ACPE app? 

Hotel and travel info, local maps, schedule changes / notifications.  From your ACPE app, tap "Event Guide Lookup," then download the "Austin 2014" guide.

To download the app, from your Apple or Android device, simply search in the Apple App Store or Google Play Marketplace for "ACPE."

Or select a version that matches your phone specifically:  

• Google Android 
• Blackberry
• Blackberry 5.0 (Storm or later models)
• Blackberry 4.7 (Storm or later models)
• Blackberry 4.5
• Windows Mobile

By John B. Pumphrey, CSI Lead

ACPE members report high ratings for annual conferences. Thirty-eight (38%) say the overall quality is excellent while another thirty-six (36%) indicate it is good. When combining both excellent and good ratings seventy-three (73%) are pleased with plenary speakers. Reasons for attending conference align with findings from other professional associations and business conference attendees: educational content being at the top and conducting the business of the Association next with networking following. Business and association studies of conference attendees' expectations show that learning is primary; learning that is hands on, participative, experiential and fun! Sharing, networking or making connections along with peer learning rank close to the top. Today conference goers also want to be "players," to own part of the process, that is, to be involved before, during and after. More and more expect to use their wired devices as part of active engagement in the conference itself. There is a greater expectation that speaker knows the organization and actively engages, participates with conference attendees.  A close look at the feedback received from ACPE members shows a similar pattern of expectations. The ACPE Conference Structure Initiative (CSI) Task Group discovered that while there is concern about costs, a growing one for attendees, it has not yet risen to the point of being prohibitive - except of course for those for whom it is! 

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The FCPE Board has been hard at work and there are encouraging developments on our fund-raising efforts. The success of these efforts will depend in part on the support of the membership. There is no greater indicator of support, as far as outside donors are concerned, than full participation by the membership. The regional Champions met by conference call a short while ago and discussed strategies for encouraging giving at the regional level. You will be hearing from your Champions soon, if you have not already.  We will be inviting our regional leaders to join with the national leaders to make a gift. 

If you have already made a gift, we thank you.  Please encourage your friends and colleagues in ACPE to do the same. As before, our overall goal is to achieve 100% participation and the size of the gift matters less than the level of our participation. 

You will be hearing more about FCPE initiatives from Greg Stoddard and the Board at our annual conference in Austin. Meanwhile, I encourage you to contribute to support the Holy work of ACPE.

By Misti M. Johnson-Arce, ACPE Supervisor

Help us understand ACPE's objective 309.5 "to develop students' skills in providing intensive and extensive pastoral care and counseling to persons?"  This was the question I was recently asked by the Director of a new Master of Divinity program that just opened at an institution of higher education in our local area.  We have been developing a relationship over the last several months in hopes of having our CPE program become an option for their students to consider in order to fulfill their practicum placement requirements. The Director was hoping that my response would create an opportunity for him to defend Clinical Pastoral Education against a faculty member who is not in favor of having students participate in this "action reflection model of learning" and professed that we taught "no counseling skills."

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