by Caleb Mynatt With a nearly 30-year career as a chaplain under his belt, Paul Byrd can’t imagine his life being any different. But before his career began as a resident in a Clinical Pastoral Education program, Byrd had never really considered pursuing a career in chaplaincy. In childhood, Byrd thought he would grow up … Continue reading
By Hannah Moody Throughout this pandemic, all have been affected. No matter one’s background or social standing, each of us has been affected. Coronavirus is relentless that way, not caring where you are, who you are, anything. If not physically, you have likely been affected mentally, emotionally, financially and spiritually. I know my own stress … Continue reading
Since 1985, the Network on Ministry in Specialized Settings (“COMISS”) has observed the last week of October as Spiritual Care Week – a time when we celebrate the sacred work of chaplains and pastoral counselors. This year’s Spiritual Care Week theme is “Collaborative Healthcare: Chaplains Complete the Picture.” Sometimes a picture is more informative and revealing than words. Often … 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
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
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
Each year the COMISS Network promotes Spiritual Care Week. It is an occasion to recognize the different disciplines who offer spiritual care to persons. The theme for 2019 is Cultivating Space. Throughout this week you will hear from CBF endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors as they focus on this theme. Below is Part 6. Learn more about … Continue reading
Each year the COMISS Network promotes Spiritual Care Week. It is an occasion to recognize the different disciplines who offer spiritual care to persons. The theme for 2019 is Cultivating Space. Throughout this week you will hear from CBF endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors as they focus on this theme. Below is Part 5. Learn more about … Continue reading
