By Liz Andrasi Deere On February 24, the U.S. Navy announced the selection of CBF endorsed Navy reserve chaplain Terry Eddinger for promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral (Lower Half). On October 1, he will become the Deputy Chief of Chaplains for Reserve Matters for the U.S. Navy, a three-year assignment and the highest … Continue reading
By Liz Andrasi Deere John Ray Roberts, CPT, USAR is the Coordinator for Leadership Assessment at The Citadel’s Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics. On staff at The Citadel, his alma mater, Roberts engages Cadets in service learning and reflection. He invites them to explore different points of view on campus, in the surrounding community … Continue reading
July 21, 2020 By Aaron Weaver and Jeff Huett DECATUR, Ga. — A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-endorsed healthcare chaplain with more than 20 years of experience meeting the unique spiritual, religious and cultural needs of patients, their families and healthcare providers has been named as CBF’s Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministries Director. Renée Lloyd Owen will … Continue reading
By Aaron Weaver DECATUR, Ga. — George Pickle, an innovative and formative leader of CBF’s chaplaincy and pastoral counseling ministries, passed away June 22 at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga., following injuries sustained in a fall at his home the previous week. In June 2013, Pickle retired after 12 years of service as CBF’s … Continue reading
By Jennifer Colosimo When Rev. Cari Willis started her professional career, she was climbing the corporate ladder, preparing Human Resources reports; she was not writing sermons. Little did she know then, that God was prepping her for a path toward something very different. Plenty of incarcerated men and women will tell you they’re glad God did. Twenty years into her career, an eye-opening conversation with her grandmother drove her to leave … Continue reading
Ministers, deacons and congregational care-givers are facing a surge in the need for pastoral care—yet many of the ways we have offered care in the past are no longer possible. How do we address our anxiety over having to adapt to new ways of doing things; navigating physical danger; financial struggles; and other things we … Continue reading
In this special episode of the CBF Stories Podcast, Clark Hill connects with two CBF-endorsed chaplains as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the front lines of where the virus is most pervasive, their ministries of presence are most challenged by the need for physical distancing while needing to be spiritually close. Chaplain Renee … Continue reading
January 17, 2020 By Jeff Huett Gerry Hutchinson, who has served as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Manager since January 2014, has announced that he will retire later this year. Under Hutchinson’s leadership, CBF endorsed nearly 200 chaplains and pastoral counselors, including CBF’s 1,000th endorsement in 2016. Over his tenure, Hutchinson increased … Continue reading
By Rev. Elizabeth Denham Thompson As a pastoral counselor and a congregational consultant, I have facilitated quite a few retreats, trainings, and workshops over the years, and am trained in crisis response work. So, when the email arrived from CBF at the end of September, asking if any endorsed counselors were available to be spiritual … Continue reading
By Ashleigh Bugg In June of 2019, Mary Nell McCoy co-led the first Disaster Spiritual Care training as a part of the CBF General Assembly in Birmingham. The Disaster Spiritual Care program is used to train chaplains to work with teams deploying to help people during crisis and disasters. According to McCoy, the DSC chaplains minister to emotional … Continue reading
