The Rev.
Martha R. Jacobs on taking a close
look at ourselves
Are
You Compassioned Out?
We are approaching
the four-year anniversary of the
tragedy of 9/11. As I ponder that “anniversary”I
have been thinking about all that
has occurred over the past few years.
There have been a number of highly
emotional events in our lives that
have affected us. Whether through
personal situation, work situation,
national or international events,
we as chaplains have been influenced
by many stressors from both the outside
and from inside. And that concerns
me.
Some of you may have read the article
in the recent issue of Chaplaincy
Today that I wrote entitled, “The
Unquiet Soul.”[1] This article
was actually a speech that I gave
less than a year ago. The article
touches on the fact that I had overloaded
myself with hospital work and volunteering
at Ground Zero. I realized that a
part of my soul had died and needed
to be revived. I was busy using my
energy to protect me from the dangers
that might befall New York City at
any moment. Instead of speaking out
against injustices, I was quietly
holding myself together hoping that
there would not be a repeat of 9/11
but at the same time being “ready”if
there was.
I also realized that the questions
we get asked as chaplains from time
to time were really bothering me
because I did not have the answers.
I could not respond to “Why
did God do this?”or “Why
did God allow this to happen?”.
As a chaplain I was taught not to
justify or defend God. I usually
can just let those questions go,
but in the years following 9/11,
I found it harder and harder. I then
realized that I started asking those
same questions. I had no answers,
not even for myself. Then, the Rev.
Richard Sparrow, a friend and colleague
who works for the United Church of
Christ’s Parish Life and Leadership
Ministry, sent me an article that
helped me begin to put this into
perspective. It is entitled, “The
sturdy, reliant, self-destructing
pastor.”[2] While it was written
from the perspective of church pastors,
there were many similarities.
As chaplains we know that we are
serving the One in whom we believe.
We have been endorsed by our faith
group and so have the stamp of approval
of our denomination to do the work
we do. We face life and death every
day through our work with patients
and families. We have found ways,
as individual as we are, to handle
the pain that we see, feel and even
touch. And yet, as I have come to
realize and deal with my own pain
around 9/11 and the lives and memories
of those whom I served in the hospital
for so many years, I wonder how my
colleagues are doing. I wonder how
the readers of PlainViews are
dealing with their pain and sadness.
My colleagues in other parts of
the world have dealt with much more
terrorism and natural disasters than
I have. They have seen death on a
level that I can only begin to imagine.
And so I wonder how my colleagues
are doing in other parts of the world.
While I do not believe in being
self-indulgent, I do believe that
we need to advocate for ourselves
to ensure that we remain healthy…or
get healthy. We deserve it…and
so do our families…and so
do our patients. Don’t wait
until you feel no compassion, have
little or no patience, start questioning
your call to serve. Take the time now to
take care of yourself. Do a self-evaluation –ask
yourself those tough questions that
will help you determine whether you
have really been able to
let go of the pains and the hurts
and the fears and the grief that
you have witnessed and perhaps felt.
Give yourself the time to heal and
to gain a clearer perspective on
your work. The difference that you
will feel as your soul starts to
revive will be remarkable and you
will serve others, yourself and God
in a whole new way.
[1] Jacobs, Martha R. “The
Unquiet Soul,”Chaplaincy
Today, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Spring/Summer)
2005, 33-36.
[2] Guess, Ben. “The sturdy,
reliant, self-destructing pastor,”United
Church News, February 2005.
(Available at http://www.ucc.org/ucnews/feb05/pastor.htm)
In addition to her role as Managing
Editor of PlainViews, the
Rev. Martha R. Jacobs is the associate
director of outreach and community-based
programs at HealthCare Chaplaincy.
An ordained minister of The United
Church of Christ, she is an adjunct
professor at New York Theological Seminary
and serves as the chair of the Ordination
Committee of The Riverside Church.
For eight years Martha served as chaplain
for HealthCare Chaplaincy at New
York United Hospital Medical Center,
Port Chester, NY. She received an M.Div.
from New York Theological Seminary
where she is currently pursing a doctorate
degree (ABD), exploring the attitudes
of UCC clergy around death and dying
issues. She is a member of the American
Association of Pastoral Counselors,
sits on the Quality Commission of the
APC,and is the president of the United
Church of Christ Professional Chaplains
and Counselors.
Do you have thoughts about advocacy
you’d like to share with your colleagues?
Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.
 |
|
Education & Research |
| |
|
Chaplain Judith Seicho
Fleischman on music as
transformational prayer
Going
Forth
Earlier this summer, I was privileged to offer
pastoral care at a long-term
healthcare facility on
the verge of closing
its doors permanently.
I had trained there for
eight months but left
the facility in the spring
when the Pastoral Care
Department was closed.
I was invited to return
three days prior to the
closing date to help
the staff and a handful
of remaining residents
cope.
The situation was riddled
with conflict energy,
and strong emotion. The
staffs of the various
departments were paralyzed
by their impending loss
with no effective ways
to engage feelings and
meaning. The community
appeared fractured to
me. People who had worked
side by side for over
thirty years now faced
feelings of rage and
disappointment, which
led to a great sense
of isolation, distrust,
and marginalization.
I wanted to offer a service
that was inclusive and
co-creative.
We began by singing, “Kumbaya,”which
means “Come by
here.”Everyone
joined in. I then offered
a spontaneous prayer,
which set the theme of “Going
Forth.”
Next, I invited people
to share stories that
connected to the meaning
of having served in this
facility. This was met
largely with silence.
The process of “naming
and claiming”the
grief was stalled somehow.
I realized that people
did not feel safe and
perhaps their pain was
too great to be engaged
directly.
I turned again to music,
lifting up a tambourine,
whose surface was decorated
with a healing prayer
and a painting of many
hands encircling a rose
blossom. I said, “Sometimes,
words are insufficient.
Sometimes, the pain is
so great that it needs
to be expressed in another
way. Sometimes, all we
can do is play what is
in our hearts.”I
then let my hand fall
forcefully on the tambourine.
A loud and sharp sound
reverberated throughout
the room. People jolted
in their seats. I called
attention to the hands
painted on the instrument.
I invited each person
to play the tambourine
and then pass it on.
With tears in her eyes,
a senior administrator
shook the tambourine.
She then smiled gently
towards the director
of nursing and handed
her the tambourine. The
director shook it as
well in her own unique
way.
Their leadership served
its purpose. Soon, that
tambourine was passed
throughout the group
and played by everyone.
We began to sing. For
me, this became a transformative
form of prayer. As each
prayer was expressed
and witnessed by the
assembled community,
healing occurred throughout
the room.
The CPE training I received
was essential for understanding
and skillfully responding
to all that was happening
that day. My pastoral
formation offered me
both the structure and
the flexibility I needed
to continually assess
and refine my approach.
In particular, I was
able to utilize spontaneous
prayer as a way to lift
up the meaning of the
journey for those assembled.
As a chaplain, I am
keenly aware that this
is what we offer. We
open doors. We invite
those in need to walk
through. Perhaps most
poignantly, we let go
of any attachment to
the outcome. In doing
so that day, I connected
with the greatest meaning
for me: to embody and
exchange kindness.
A recent graduate of
HealthCare Chaplaincy’s
Pastoral Residency program
in New York City, Chaplain
Judith Seicho Fleischman
is co-coordinator of the
Buddhist Peace Fellowship,
New York Chapter and Social
Action Chair of the Village
Zendo in New York City.
Chaplain Fleischman is
also an active member at
Congregation Rodeph Sholom.
Do you have thoughts about education & research you’d like to share with
your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.
|
 |
|
Spiritual
Development |
| |
|
The Rev.
Charles J. Lopez, Jr.
on words of gentleness
and forgiveness
The
Bronze Boot
I will
always remember the “bronze
boot.”Physicians,
nurses, social workers,
chaplains, and home health
aids are at one time
or another affected by
the people they visit.
Some people make lasting
impressions. From a chaplain’s
perspective, Harry made
an impression on me.
I will always think of
forgiveness and the bronze
boot when I think of
Harry.
Harry received the bronze
boot for his many years
of service with the United
States Army. He proudly
displayed the bronze
boot and other military
honors in the room where
he eventually died. Anyone
who visited heard about
the bronze boot. Harry
loved this country and
served the United States
of America with dignity,
pride and honor.
Whenever I visited,
Harry remembered his
military time in Italy
during World War II.
Harry was wounded and
spent some time recovering
in a military hospital
in Europe. Tears came
to Harry’s eyes
as he shared a story
about asking for a chaplain.
One day a chaplain was
making rounds and stopped
near Harry’s bed.
What Harry shared next
was hard to imagine during
war time. Harry requested
that the chaplain pray
with him and he asked
for his favorite psalm
to be read –Psalm
23.
The chaplain responded
by saying that Harry
needed to ask for “his
own kind of chaplain.”You
see, Harry, was African
American and the chaplain
was white. The military
still had segregated
troops during World War
II. Tears came to Harry’s
eyes even now as I listened
to his story. What Harry
said next was even more
amazing and revealing
of Harry’s character, “You
know I forgave that chaplain
for saying those hurtful
words.”I started
to cry and thanked Harry
for sharing. Harry had
touched me with words
of gentleness and forgiveness.
Harry asked me to be
at his memorial service.
I remember sharing these
words with the family
at Inglewood Cemetery, “…love
the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with
all your strength, and
with all your mind; and
love your neighbor as
yourself.”Harry
not only loved God, Harry
loved his neighbors as
well.
Harry’s children
loved their father and
recognized the strength
he shared with them to
live in this world filled
with people of color,
diversity and prejudice.
Thanks be to God for
Harry and all people
of this world who practice
forgiveness.
The Rev. Charles
J. Lopez, Jr, PhD.
was raised in Chicago.
He has been in ministry
for 30 years: 27 years
as Lutheran (ELCA)
parish pastor in NJ,
PA, and CA; pastoral
psychotherapist; 3
years as hospice chaplain;
Ecumenical Ministry
Team with the Pacifica
Synod/ELCA; completing
certificate in spiritual
direction from the
Sisters of St. Joseph,
Orange, CA & Loyola
Marymount University,
Los Angeles; member
of: Interim Ministry
Network (IMN), Association
for Death Education & Counseling
(ADEC), Association
of Professional Chaplains
(APC), and Academy
of Parish Clergy (APC).
Listed in Who’s
Who in Religion. Charlie
loves baseball, basketball,
bicycling, traveling
and classical music.
He lives in Anaheim,
California with his
wife, Nancy.
Do you have thoughts
about spiritual development
you’d like to share with
your colleagues? Send
an e-mail of any length
to info@PlainViews.org.
|
 |
|
EthicsWalk |
EthicsWalk addresses
spiritual care as an
ethical enterprise.
It explores why relationships
between spiritual care
providers and those
they serve need protection,
and examines what that
protection entails. PlainViews invites
our readers to share
their responses to
each EthicsWalk column,
which will be published
in the following issue.
If
you’d like to respond
to EthicsWalk,
please send a comment
of no more than 100
words. You can use
the e-form below (click
on "hearing
from you," link)
or submit your commentary
to the editors in the
body of an e-mail (or
as a Microsoft Word
attachment) sent to Info@PlainViews.org.
Please put the phrase
“EthicsWalk”
in your subject line.
We look forward to hearing
from you.
Conscience
Clauses: Who
Benefits?
Pharmacist
Neil Rosen’s
assertion that conscience
forbids his filling
birth control prescriptions
or transferring them
to another pharmacist
has provoked national
debate and a flurry
of legislation concerning “conscience
clauses.”[1]
What ethical values and moral dilemmas are implicated in the conscience clause
debate? Can spiritual care providers’experiences inform the discussion
in hospitals or state legislatures?
Frequently
conscience clauses
are triggered by reproductive
rights issues. For
example: a hypertensive,
diabetic 45-year-old
Jewish woman seeks
to abort a ten week
pregnancy. Her GYN
confirms its medical
desirability but neither
he nor the local hospital
provide abortions citing
their religious objections.
The nearest clinic
is 250 miles. There
is no public transportation,
the patient has no
one in whom she is
comfortable confiding
and is medically prohibited
from driving.
Four
fundamental ethical
values are implicated:
autonomy, nonmaleficence,
beneficence, and distributive
justice. Depending
on interpretation,
each value conflicts
with the religious
freedom, guaranteed
by the United States
constitution, [2] of
either provider or
patient. Conflicting
values create ethical
dilemmas. However,
conscience clause debates
are often less conflicts between values
than conflicts of values
interpretation and
application.
The
woman is competent
with capacity to choose.
She chooses a legal
procedure which is
unavailable because
of personal conscience
objections by her providers.
Advocates for the woman
would argue that respecting
her autonomy requires
providing her the legal,
medically indicated
procedure she chooses.
Distributive justice
calls for access to
skilled professionals
in a safe environment
convenient to her.
Her religion places
a premium on saving
the life in front of
one (hers in this case);
the denial interferes
with her exercise of
religious freedom.
Advocates
for the health care
providers would argue
that requiring participation
offends their decision
making autonomy and
violates their religious
freedom. For them,
abortion is an act
of malficence which
abrogates any possibility
of beneficence to the
fetus.
Reasonable
people make both arguments.
The
first EthicsWalk column
(7/04) suggested that
for care providers,
the first ethical question
is, “What
should I do in relation
to the patient’s rights
and/or well being?”The
focus when applying
ethical principles
to the patient’s
situation is the patient’s perspective.
If the patient’s
choices are legal and
within good practice
standards, the patient’s
perspective prevails
over the professional’s.
[3] From the woman’s
perspective, an abortion
is the beneficent act.
Spiritual
care providers minister
daily to people whose
religious convictions
and moral interpretations
differ from their own.
Their expertise respectfully
navigating the religious
traditions of others
while remaining grounded
in their own, is embodied
in a new Common
Code of Ethics for
Spiritual Care Professionals.
[4] It sheds light
on how they reconcile
situations when interpretations
of moral values collide.
Pertinent standards
confirm that they:
1.3
Demonstrate respect
for the cultural and
religious values of
those they serve and
refrain from imposing
their own values and
beliefs on those served.
1.4
Are mindful of the
imbalance of power
in the professional/client
relationship and refrain
from exploitation of
that imbalance.
4.5
Seek advice and counsel
of other professionals
whenever it is in the
best interest of those
being served and make
referrals when appropriate.
Spiritual
care providers could
help medical colleagues
adapt these standards
to diverse interpretations
of ethical principles
and diminish the conscience
clause clamor.
Do
you agree that as
a spiritual care
provider you must
abide by the code
of ethics that has
been adopted by the
six major cognate
groups? What might
be situations where
your conscience would
cause you to opt
for a different standard
of practice than
the code endorses?
[1]
Conscience clauses
are enacted by state
or federal legislation
to allow entities or
individuals, without
penalty, to deny funds
or services for medical
procedures contrary
to the provider’s
moral or religious
beliefs.
[2] The First Amendment reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof… Federal
and/or state monies (through the Fourteenth Amendment) import constitutional
standards to virtually all health care entities.
[3] Some argue that abrogating a provider’s option to deny a procedure
on his or her moral grounds is the slippery slope to Nazi medical atrocities.
In the latter case, practices violating providers’consciences were forced
as the will of “the state.”In the present example, the legal procedure,
medically indicated, is the informed choice of the patient.
[4] The constituent boards of six organizations of spiritual care professionals
affirmed this document in November 2004. More information is available at www.professionalchaplains.org.
Anne
Underwood has an undergraduate
degree in religious studies,
a master’s degree in
rural sociology and a
mid-life law degree obtained
after working over a
decade as a college administrator.
She has mediated for
the Maine family courts
since 1983. Currently
she serves as an advisor
to the ethics commissions
of ACPE, APC, the CCAR
(Central Conference of
American Rabbis), and
NAJC, and consults with
a variety of Protestant
faith communities on
issues of power, fair
process, and congregational
conflict management.
Her articles on mediation
and restorative justice
have appeared in the
ACPE News, The APC News
and on the ACPE web site.
Articles on clergy accountability
and judicatory processes
are published by the
Alban Institute and The
Journal on Religion and
Abuse. A
chapter, “Clergy Sexual
Misconduct: A Justice
Issue,” appears in Body
and Soul: Rethinking
Sexuality as Justice-Love,
Marvin Ellison and Sylvia
Thorson-Smith, editors,
The Pilgrim Press, 2003.
|
 |
|
Reviews |
Macky
Alston reviews the
film –
A
Time for Burning
This
Academy Award-winning
1966 documentary
follows a white,
middle-class church
in Omaha, Nebraska,
struggling to reach
out to the African
American population
in that city.
A Time for Burning explores
the complex emotions
arising from the
Church’s effort
to break down racial
barriers, as congregants
and the pastor of
Augustana Lutheran
Church wrestle with
conflicting ideas
about how and when
to proceed. Some
eagerly seek to cross
the racial divide
while others view
the challenge with
trepidation. Still
others think the
time is not right.
Tension within the
church walls builds
to a wrenching conclusion
that articulates
the hurdles that
we continue to face
in this country in
how to bridge critical
divides and actualize
the ethic of equality
for all.
This groundbreaking
film was used by
the Harvard Business
School as a case
study for examining
patterns of social
change and chaplains
will find A Time
for Burning a
riveting and very
useful tool to mark
how far this country
has come over four
decades and how far
it has yet to go.
Macky Alston is
the director of Auburn
Media, a division of
the Center for Multifaith
Education at Auburn
Theological Seminary
committed to supporting,
cultivating and promoting
powerful, engaging,
balanced and responsible
media on religion,
spirituality and ethics.
He is a graduate of
Union Theological Seminary
and an award-winning
documentary filmmaker.
Completed:
1966
Running Time: 58 Minutes
Director: William Jersey
Executive Director: Robert E. A. Lee
If you are interested
in purchasing this
film, you can do
so at www.hartleyfoundation.org.
Just click on “Masterworks”on
the homepage. The
cost is $19.99/VHS.
Do you have thoughts
about reviews you’d
like to share with
your colleagues?
Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.
|
|
.gif){kind=spacer}
.gif){kind=spacer}
9/7/2005
Vol. 2, No. 15
