Something to Give

Something to GiveThree different roles in Pastoral Care1Matthew 25:33-40We all have something to give TO JESUS!SONG: Something to GiveEph 4:11,12 different gifts, goal is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.TODAY we are thinking specifically of Pastoral Care ministries, and IN THIS SESSIONTHREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTORAL CARE WORKERSNB most of these comments are most relevant to acute care hospitals

2We all have something to give:3Volunteer:AKA Lay visitorJob Description a lay representative of a particular church or denomination, who provides pastoral care to own faith that is not specific to the clergy, eg. RCs bring Eucharist but cannot offer Sacrament of the SickQualifications in good standing with and mandated by church/denomination, some basic trainingPotential Pitfalls respect boundaries and limitations, MUST NOT proselytize*4Pastor:AKA community clergy, community spiritual care providerJob Description - an ordained representative of a particular church or denomination, who provides pastoral care to own faith specific to the clergy, eg. RC priest can offer Sacrament of the Sick, confession, etc.Qualifications Bachelors degree, ordination, in good standing with/mandated by faith groupPotential Pitfalls stigma of clergy in our post modern culture, MUST NOT proselytize*

5Chaplain: AKA Spiritual Care ProviderJob Description: while they are often ordained ministers, they are hired by the institution and do not represent any specific faith, but provide emotional, spiritual or religious care to all patients, families and staff regardless of faith affiliation (or none). Qualifications: Masters degree minimum*, ordination/recognition, Clinical Pastoral Education, training in bereavement, Health Ethics, Critical Incident Stress Management, working on interdisciplinary team in a multifaith environment, etcPotential Pitfalls: MUST NOT proselytize*, can be post-ChristianEtc basics of psychological frameworks and coping mechanisms, familiarity with other cultures and faiths, attends interdisciplinary rounds, family conferences, must document all work in patient chart.6Access to patient lists: This varies from hospital to hospitalIn some hospitals if you have ID showing you are either a clergy or volunteer, you can access lists of patients from your faith onlyIn other hospitals neither clergy nor volunteers have access to patient lists, and can only visit those whom they already knowChaplains have access to all patients in their hospital or assigned unit, regardless of faith7What about calling yourself a chaplain to open doors?There have been some negative connotations associated with church workers and clergy, so some advocate calling yourself chaplainThis may seem to help in some settings, but please note it may also backfire. On what basis/mandate can you genuinely call yourself a chaplain?Turf Wars: some chaplains do not want ANY Pastoral Care volunteers AT ALL, volunteering in their settingChaplain is not yet a protected term such as Social Worker or Physician but work is underway to protect the termSome professional chaplains are now calling themselves Spiritual Care Providers as it is a more multi-faith title, whereas chaplain = Christian

8AHS Spiritual Care review: Not officially released yetUtilizes elements of National Scottish modelIncorporates something like roles weve discussedTriangle

AHS has a great variety of how Spiritual Care is delivered in its 90 hospitals, ranging from UAH to Athabasca and in between (SCH)9So, Are there places for me to serve? YES! YES! YES!Jesus said, THE HARVEST IS GREAT BUT THE WORKERS ARE FEW! PRAY THEREFORE FOR LABOURERS thats usWe all have Something to GivePossibilities: Ask your local hospital whether they accept volunteers. Find the volunteer coordinator of the local long term care / assisted living facility. Marketplace Chapel style ministries in malls Prison chaplains often use volunteers. Visit shut-ins at home. MUSIC ministry opens MANY doors!!Get more training if you want to go further, e.g. one past volunteer is now a LTC chaplain.

10We all have something to give:11Something to GiveSomething to Give - Carolyn Arends, track 5Other200971.8