Many denominations require that their clergy participate in a CPE program before beginning their ministry. CCCG trains chaplains through their CPE program to serve in a variety of settings; hospitals, hospices, and senior living centers. Barbara Pendergrast, M.Div., BCC has found a unique setting in which she is able to use the invaluable training she received from CCCG in her CPE residency at Northside Hospital. She serves as a chaplain at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. With 220,000 passengers a day transitioning from one place to another, as well as airport and airline personnel, the opportunities are varied, unpredictable and hold the invitation to "meet the strangers in our midsts".  

Sometimes it is assisting a grieving passenger to a gate, talking with a domestic violence victim in the APD precinct, housed at the airport, escorting military remains or helping an elderly gentleman find a wheelchair.  In each situation Barbara experiences her vocation to be a mutually fulfilling one, dependent on these encounters with "the stranger." As you or others make travel plans, remember that the Atlanta Airport offers Interfaith Chaplaincy Services that include prayer spaces and services for all faiths in any of the three chapels located in the Atrium (second floor), Concourse E and F.   CNN recently profiled Atlanta's Airport Chaplaincy Program, click here to watch the video.