I have written before that the work of Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors is often isolated and lonely work.  This sentiment has been stated again and again by Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors who serve on the CBF’s Council on Endorsement.  Though our endorsed are serving in settings around the world, it seems there should be ways for them to connect with others.  If we had a place to share a story, to ask for prayer, to post job listings, etc. it would be a small step in the right direction.  To try to meet these needs for our Endorsed, the Council on Endorsement is announcing two new ways for our Endorsed Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors to connect with one another. 

The first way for our Endorsed to connect is through a group on Yahoo.  This group is a closed group, that is it is only open to those who are endorsed or those who are students preparing for careers in Chaplaincy or Pastoral Counseling.  This group allows the exchange of messages, links to professional websites, downloads of CBF forms and information, a calendar of events and more.  It is designed to help our endorsed stay more connected with CBF and with each other.  To subscribe to this group send an email to CBF_Chaplains_And_Pastoral_Counselors-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBF_Chaplains_And_Pastoral_Counselors and follow the link to join the group.  Again, this is a group only for those who are currently endorsed by CBF or for students who are working towards these careers.

The second way to connect with others is a group  on the social networking website, Facebook.  For those who are already a part of Facebook (or who are willing to join) there is a group for CBF endorsed Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors.  Once on Facebook, you can do a search for the group or go to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5792156518&ref=ts and click on join.  This group is also only open to those who are already endorsed.  Facebook offers a number of ways to share about yourself, stay connected with others, find those with similar interests, and more.  I have already connected with friends from high school, college, seminary, CBF, Work, Church, and previous churches.  I love tracking the status of my friends and seeing what they are up to.  To have a way to find others endorsed by CBF just seemed like a natural exetension of these connections for me.

I hope that those who are endorsed by CBF will take advantage of these two new ways to stay connected and will find friendship, prayer, and professional support there.