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ACPE's Monday Briefing is a weekly digest from ACPE Executive Director Trace Haythorn.
Each week you will receive related articles and updates on ACPE transitions. Also included are helpful links to keep you connected, better informed, and well-resourced for the week ahead.
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While we celebrate the New Year with our Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters, we cannot help but mourn with those who have endured earthquakes and hurricanes. The images and stories are filled with the depths of human pain, and yet there are so many stories of hope as well. I cannot help but marvel at the complexities of the human spirit and feel such gratitude for all that you do to help teach and nurture such spirits every day.
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G'Mar Tov to our Jewish colleagues, and may you have an easy fast.
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Official Notice of US Department of Education Recognition
As you may recall, Wayne Maberry, Chair of the ACPE Accreditation Commission, Marc Medwed, ACPE Director of Programs, and I traveled to Washington DC in June to meet with the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). This is the committee that recommends to the Department of Education our continuing recognition as an accrediting body. Last week, we received official notice from the US Department of Education that they accepted NACIQI's recommendation, thus we are fully recognized without qualification for the next five years. Congrats to all who worked to make this such a successful process, and here's to another five years of outstanding leadership in the field of clinical pastoral education!
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Leadership Development Committee Reminder
Stephen Robinson, Chair of the Leadership Development Committee, sent out a "News You Can Use" last week seeking folks interested in serving on committees and commissions of the ACPE. Click here if you missed it.
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Request from Jan McCormack
Got a prayer you can share? Jan and a colleague have a book contract and are looking for great material from ACPE. Click here for more information.
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Please Register!
We're just a couple of weeks away from fall regional meetings. Please register if you plan to attend! For more information, click here.
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A Poem for Reflection
In addition to the celebrations of the Jewish and Muslim new years last week, we also celebrated the first day of autumn. In that spirit, I offer the following poem:
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The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up,
as if orchards were dying high in space.
Each leaf falls as if it were motioning "no."
And tonight the heavy earth is falling
away from all other stars in the loneliness.
We're all falling. This hand here is falling.
And look at the other one. It's in them all.
And yet there is Someone, whose hands
infinitely calm, holding up all this falling.
-Rainer Maria Rilke
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Something Extra:
While we have plenty to do in ACPE, I think it is important to make sure we also keep abreast in what is happening in the larger world of religious education. If you aren't familiar with the Religious Education Association, please take a look. Formed from a merger of the practitioners' Religious Education Association and the Association for Professors and Researchers in Religious Education several years ago, they are asking many of the same questions we are about the future of theological education, effective pedagogy, and the imperative to not only study but advocate for diversity.
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This Week on the Calendar
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Tuesday, September 26
* Mashí'yyat - Bahá'í
The beginning of the eleventh month of the Bahá'í year, meaning "perfection."
Thursday, September 28
* Birth of Confucius - Confucianism
The birthday of the philosopher Confucius [K'ung-tzu] in 551 B.C.E. in the Chinese state of Lu, known today as Shandong Province.
Friday, September 29
* Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement] - Judaism
The holiest day of the Jewish year. To reestablish their relationship with God, Jews ask for forgiveness and forgive others [Kol Nidre], and then they can confess their sins and ask for divine forgiveness. Prayer and fasting begin at sundown on this day and continue through the following day.
* St. Michael and All Angels - Christianity
A celebration of the archangel Michael and all angels (from the Greek angelos, "divine messenger") mentioned in the Bible.
Saturday, September 30
* Dashara, Vijaya Dashami, or Dussehra - Hinduism
Celebrates the triumph of Durga, the Divine Mother who manifests fierce compassion, over the forces of evil, as well as commemorating Rama's victory over the demon Ravana.
* Worldwide General Conference begins - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
This is the largest worship service for Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons) and lasts for two days. Conference proceedings are broadcast live over the Internet and through other electronic media.
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