Weekly Chaplaincy Newsletter – Update 8.10.20

THIS WEEK’S  – WHAT CHAPLAINS NEED TO KNOW…

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From Michael Skaggs, Executive Director

We hope this issue of our newsletter finds you well. Even while the pandemic continues to be a disruptive presence in all our lives, and especially those in areas now experiencing a surge in cases, chaplains continue to do their vital work.

For those of you who could benefit from some extra support, we’re pleased to announce the opening of the application process for chaplain support groups, part of our project “Building and Supporting Resilience among Frontline Spiritual Care Providers” with support from the Henry Luce Foundation.

We also invite you to join us for three webinars this week: “The COVID Pandemic: Experiences from the New Frontlines,” today at 3 PM Eastern; a Q&A session at noon Wednesday for those interested in applying for a microgrant in our “Building and Support Resilience” program; and a webinar on trauma and spiritual care on Thursday, August 13 at 2 PM Eastern.

Be sure also to download the Lab’s newest eBook, Trauma and Moral Injury, by Shelly Rambo, Joe Wiinikka-Lydon, and Jasmine Terry Okafor.

Spiritual care remains more important than ever before. Thank you for all you are doing.

EVENTS ON DECK

As always, we have a number events on deck that may interest you. You can find more information here.

• Today at 3 pm EDT, we’ll host four chaplains for “The COVID Pandemic: Experiences from the New Frontlines.” Our guests will discuss those parts of the country that are now experiencing critical levels of COVID infection for the first time. Our guests will discuss what they’re seeing and experiencing, what lessons they learned from the early days of COVID elsewhere in the country, and what’s unique about their settings. Free registration is available here. We’ll be joined by:
  • Stacy Auld, MDiv, BCC, Director of Spiritual Care &  Education, Houston Methodist Hospital
  • Erica DeLoney, MDiv, ACPE Certified Educator Candidate, Chaplain, Emory University Hospital Midtown
  • Dr. Jacqueline Kelly, Jackson Health System
  • Robert Kidd, Director of Spiritual Care & Values Integration, Methodist Hospital System
• On August 12 at noon EDT, we’ll host a free Q&A session for those interested in applying for a microgrant in our project supporting resilience in frontline workers. We especially encourage those who may be inexperienced in grantwriting to attend and gain valuable information on drafting a competitive proposal.
• On August 13 at 2pm EDT, Professor Shelly Rambo of Boston University and Senior Advisor to the Lab will moderate a panel on trauma and spiritual care. Registration is free; our panelists include:
  • Danielle Buhuro, CPE Supervisor, Advocate South Suburban & Trinity Hospitals
  • Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, Trauma-Informed Rabbinic Training Program, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
  • Mark Scott, Program Director, Trauma Response and Recovery, Boston Public Health Commission
  • Pamela Ayo Yetunde, ThD, Assistant Professor of Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Counseling and Director of Interreligious Chaplaincy, United Theological Seminary; Vice President of Faculty-Community Relations, Upaya Institute and Zen Center.
• On August 18 at 3pm EDT, we’ll host the first in our webinar series from the project Building and Support Resilience in Frontline Staff of COVID-19. Join chaplains, executives, and other leaders for a webinar discussing how the ongoing COVID pandemic has brought to the fore issues of moral injury and moral distress in a variety of settings. You can register (free) here; our guests will be:
  • Christopher Antal,Chaplain, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Centert
  • Aaron Klink, Chaplain, Pruitt Hospice
  • Teresa Mateus, Co-Founder and Program Coordinator, Trauma Response and Crisis Care (TRACC) 4 Movements
  • Caesar Rentie, Vice President of Pastoral Services, Methodist Health System

“Building and Supporting Resilience among Frontline Spiritual Care Providers” is a new project that will offer individual support, webinars and other educational materials, and more for front-line chaplains – in hospitals and beyond – for use during the COVID-19 pandemic and future crises. We encourage you to get involved in two ways:

• Now open is the call for proposals to fund projects of $25,000-$50,000 for front-line chaplains to collaborate with administrators in their institutions to expand and enrich the spiritual care offered to the staff with whom they work. To be considered for funding, submissions are due by 5pm EDT on September 11.  A Q&A webinar for applicants, open to all and for any questions you may have, will be held on August 12 from 12-1 EDT.
• We are excited to launch today a series of support groups for chaplains. These free and confidential groups will meet four times via Zoom, with 8-12 chaplains, and are intended to invite candid conversation about the experience of being a frontline spiritual care provider, in any sector of spiritual care. Read more and apply for consideration for one of the groups here.

NEW EBOOK

We’re proud to announce a new eBook. Trauma and Moral Injury: A Guiding Framework for Chaplains, by Shelly Rambo, Joseph Wiinikka-Lydon, and Jasmine Terry Okafor is now available. This is a critical resource as chaplains grapple with the many sources of trauma that impact both those they serve and themselves. You can download this free eBook at ChaplaincyInnovation.org.

 

PARTNER PROJECT

The Lab is proud to partner with ACPE and Boston University School of Theology on a new project funded by the Wabash Center. “Innovations in Chaplaincy Education” will strengthen chaplaincy degree programs at schools across the country, with the participation of faculty at theological schools teaching chaplaincy-related courses. 

Theological educators can apply to participate and will receive a small stipend. Participants will bring their courses into active conversation with current research on chaplaincy and spiritual care; reflect on their pedagogy and talk with other educators teaching similar courses; and engage in facilitated discussions to support teaching and strengthening chaplaincy programs in their home institutions.

If you would like to apply to participate, please visit the call for proposals here. Please note the deadline is September 1, 2020.

 

NEW ARTICLE

A new article on telechaplaincy has been published in Supportive Care in Cancer. Read more about “Feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention in a large, outpatient oncology center” here.

 

SEEKING PROFESSIONAL

The CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care, a partner of the Lab, is seeking a professional to provide a lecture on the impact and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers, along with an explanation of moral distress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Find more information here.

 

SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT

Reverend Gail Riddick, a doctoral student at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio, is requesting participants for a study titled “The Components of Chaplaincy Burnout with Chaplains in the USA.” The aim of this discovery project is to increase chaplains’ awareness and understanding of the components of chaplaincy burnout and increase awareness of the importance of self-care. Input from any and all chaplains is greatly appreciated; you can find the survey here.

 

BLOG POST SERIES – REFLECTIONS

Several chaplain colleagues at Mount Sinai in New York have offered reflections on what it means to be a hospital chaplain during the COVID pandemic. This growing collection of reflections is now available at ChaplaincyInnovation.org. These are powerful stories from the frontlines and we know they’ll resonate with many of you.

 

FREE ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION

This evening from 7:30-8:30pm, join Zen Buddhist chaplains and teachers Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison and Sensei Robert Chodo Campbell for a free online information session to discuss the transformative and practical aspects of contemplative caregiving and the nine-month online  Foundations in Contemplative Care program. Attendees will be able to ask questions, meet other interested students, and discuss the training in a group setting. You can find more information here.

 

PODCAST: “HEALTH IS EVERYTHING”

Dr. George Grant, colleague of the Lab and Executive Director of Spiritual Care for Emory Healthcare, recently appeared on an episode of “Health is Everything.” You can find a link to the podcast here.

 

THREE-DAY COURSE FOR CLINICIANS

Our colleagues at City of Hope, where Lab advisor Dr. Betty Ferrell is Director and Professor in the Division of Nursing Research and Education, is finalizing a new Interprofessional Communication Curriculum. This free three-day course is designated for teams of two clinicians consisting of nurses, chaplains or social workers who work in adult oncology. The first course offering will begin January 2021. For more information, contact Yesel Arvizu at yarvizu@coh.org or (626) 218-2987.

 

WORKPLACE CHAPLAINCY

Workplace chaplaincy is a segment of the profession little explored by scholars and not well understood by chaplains in other sectors. With this in mind we invite proposals from those interested in appearing on potential panels at the 2021 Faith @ Work Conference, which will provide chaplains operating in for-profit settings the opportunity to hear from, speak with, and collaborate with chaplains in settings more traditionally associated with spiritual care. If you are interested, send a proposal of no more than 250 words by September 1, 2020.

 

WELLSPRING CHAPLAINCY INITIATIVE 

We are excited to welcome Wellspring Chaplaincy Initiative as a new partner of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. Furthermore, Wellspring’s Founder & President, Ali R. Candir, BCC, has generously agreed to join the Lab’s Advisory Group. You can find more information about Wellspring, which is dedicated to the advancement of healthcare chaplaincy in Muslim communities in the US, here.

Facebook for Chaplains Only

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! Consider joining the Lab’s private Facebook group for chaplains. Be a part of our lively conversations and connect with chaplains willing to support and help. Looking for resources? Join us!