For four Sundays in a row I got to be in worship at Calvary! I preached on Holy Trinity Sunday at Calvary.  The sermon was an outgrowth of things I’d been learning and pondering in the theology class, and I felt like it wrote itself…a great feeling!!   Some people have asked for a copy of the sermon.  You can read a copy of the sermon online at Pastor Matthew’s blog.  

As I write this, orientation for Clinical Pastoral Education is in full swing.  We are plowing through the 163 page handbook, learning policies, expectations, procedures, philosophy and methodology, and oh so much more.  We got official badges and a grand tour of the facility.  This is the 66^th CPE group our supervisor Rev. Kent Schaufelberger has trained, and needless to say, he is well up to the task.

I am blessed by diversity in our group of six students.  Among us many faith walks are represented---Church of God, Universal Unitarian, ELCA Lutheran, Evangelical Covenant, Sufi Muslim, and a Zen Buddhist priest. There are two men and four women with ages in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. This is a well-traveled group, touching Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Africa. Two have lived on kibbutzim in Israel.   Discussions have been assumption busting and mind expanding, and keep in clear focus the need for pastoral care to be about where the patient is and what the patient needs. 

Orientation ends tomorrow, and on Sunday I will shadow my Clinical Partner to see how this is really done.  My assigned areas are surgical/medical, oncology, and maternity.    My on-call night has been switched to Tuesday, and from 5:00 P.M. to 8:30 A.M. I will be the only person from the chaplain’s department in the hospital, so my assigned area is everywhere.

I am staying with my dear friend Kathleen in Albany.  Her church is in the process of calling a pastor, so I have had some sneak previews of that process.  Their first candidate answered questions at a soup supper last night and then conducted worship.  I’m taking notes! 

Peace and every blessing to each of you.  Do know I appreciate your well wishes and prayers.

Peace,

Katherine B

Seminary Student