EMS grads pursue chaplaincy roles
by Eastern Mennonite SeminaryPrint Article Email to a Friend
HARRISONBURG, Va.—Many people prefer to avoid hospitals and nursing homes, but many Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) graduates have chosen these places to do ministry.
About a dozen recent EMS graduates are pursuing chaplaincy roles as their ministry field, partially due to the Clinical Pastoral Education program at EMS. CPE gives students opportunity to explore ministry in a hospital or retirement community. Because of this, many choose to continue their ministry as chaplains after seminary.
“CPE at EMS helped me find a home in ministry,” says 2005 seminary graduate Todd Warren, a hospice chaplain with Mount Carmel Health Systems in Columbus, Ohio. “I was struggling to find where I could join in God’s work in the world and where my gifts could be used most effectively and faithfully. My CPE experience was instrumental in my becoming a chaplain.”
Mary Jo Bowman, a 2007 EMS graduate and currently a chaplain resident at University Health System in Charlottesville, Va., says, “CPE at EMS was a major factor in my deciding to be a chaplain.” Bowman was a nurse and massage therapist before attending seminary and enjoys using her professional health background in ministry.
Jill Gerig, a 2007 EMS grad, is a chaplain resident at the University of Colorado hospital in Aurora, Colo. “Chaplaincy work really puts life in perspective,” she says.
“It’s an honor to be with hospital patients and their families in helping them deal with difficult situations,” she adds. “I enjoy the challenge of offering support to total strangers in a time of crisis. I’m continually blessed by the courage and faith I see in so many patients.”—EMS
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