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October 22, 2018
Smitten by the Plentitude of Achievements
Nancy Anderson
Nancy Anderson,
ACPE Foundation President
Now that the time has come for me to conclude my service over the past four years on the ACPE Foundation Board of Directors, and to end my two-year term as ACPE Foundation President, it would be remiss of me not to express my heartfelt gratitude to all ACPE members who have given so generously of their gifts and talents. In particular, I offer accolades to our richly diverse office team and to our Foundation board members. I am especially grateful for the vision and inspiration of those who preceded me on the foundation board.


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2018 ACPE Election Results
Thank you to all the members who participated in the 2018 Leadership Election! 560 (40.8%) of 1,371 electors voted in this ballot. The election results have been reviewed Leadership Development Chair Stephen Robinson and ACPE Secretary Miguel Santamaria.

Please mark your calendars for a Runoff Election next week. Ballots will be emailed Wednesday, October 24th at 5:00 am eastern. Polls will close on Wednesday, October 31st at 5:00am eastern.
Certification Updates
As we move further into using the New Certification Process, we want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of some key aspects.  For even more information, please take the time to review the documents on the New Certification Process webpage and to review the New Certification Process Manual.


2019 ACPE Annual Dues Billing Coming mid-November
As we approach our billing season, we want to provide you with information to explain your center's invoice. This year's billing statement will look similar to last year's, but there will be additional items that appear. If you have any questions after receiving your bill, please contact accounting@acpe.edu or call Jennifer Rochner, Senior Accountant, at (678) 636-6214 or Zizi Krasteva, Accountant Assistant, at (678) 636-6220.

Research Committee Report
Judy Ragsdale SQ
Judy Ragsdale,
Research Committee Chair
Greetings ACPE! ACPE's Research Committee has reviewed all the literature we could find focused on CPE Level I (which used to be known as "Basic") and Level II (previously known as "Advanced"). The reason for offering these historical names is that much of what we reviewed is old. As some of you may have noticed, old writings frequently contain wisdom for the present day. Here we're thinking of the sacred texts of every known faith tradition! Our plan is to take turns every two weeks (more or less) sharing salient concepts from this literature with you. Our goal is to get you hooked on research! 

Who? What? When? Images from ACPE's Past

Do you recognize these folks or the event in the photo above? Send us a note at  webmaster@acpe.edu .
Thank you for your responses to last week's photo! Your answers helped us identify (from center to right) Emeritus Educator Urias Beverly and Bill Nisi, long-time Certified Educator from the former South Central Region. 
In Case You Missed It
Chaplaincy Innovation Lab
Over the last year, Wendy Cadge, Professor in the Department of Sociology at Brandeis University, has led an effort to bring together chaplains across all of the different contexts in which they serve. Wendy is an expert in contemporary American religion, especially related to religion in public institutions, religious diversity, religion and immigration, and religious and moral aspects of healthcare. ACPE partnered with her and many others on Transforming Chaplaincy, a think-tank with a mission to promote research literacy in chaplaincy to improve patient outcomes.

With Transforming Chaplaincy completing its work in June 2019, Wendy and our colleagues have worked to identify what the next step will be for the profession. ACPE is a proud supporter and partner of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. This article from "America" provides an excellent overview of where we are, what the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab hopes to do, and where we are headed.

Read "How the new Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is building a learning community for ministers"
Reflective Practice - Special Offer
If you would like to order a copy of the latest volume of Reflective Practice for your own personal use and maybe one for your CPE library or for a CES, you can purchase 2 copies for $40 (normally $30/copy). Either send
a check for $40 or request an invoice and Rod Seeger will send an invoice to you. 

The Volume 38 theme is "Leadership in Ministry". There is also a Forum: Chaplain as Prophet and another section: Chaplaincy Education, that might be of interest to you.
 
Contact Rod Seeger, Managing Editor, for more information.
ACPE & AAPC Explore a Common Future 
The American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) and ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education (ACPE) are pleased to announce we have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to become one organization in 2019. A copy of the LOI is available here.

A few weeks ago, ACPE Chair Amy Greene and AAPC President Tere Tyner Canzoneri sent letters to their respective memberships to inform them of conversations that began several months ago when AAPC struggled to come to terms with persistent budget shortfalls.

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2019 Annual Conference Call For Poster Applications
You are invited to submit a poster session proposal for the 2019 ACPE Annual Conference.

The ACPE Research Committee invites applications to present research posters at the 2019 ACPE Annual Conference on May 8-10 in Scottsdale, AZ. Applications will be reviewed by the Research Committee and selections will be made by the following criteria:

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Transitioning from the Old Certification Process
Mary Stewart Hall
Commission Chair
Now that we are well into the New Certification Process, we have recognized that it is not only possible, but maybe even preferable, for candidates who are in the Old Process to transition to the New Process.  While the Certification Commission previously stated that those who achieved candidacy had the choice of transitioning to the New Process, the pathway wasn't as clear as it is now, so we are once again presenting candidates with an opportunity to transition to the New Process.

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Theory Integration Presentation Mentors
Over the past few months, we held our first two training cohorts and now have 25 trained Theory Integration Presentation Mentors. As we know our numbers of CECs will continue to grow, we have scheduled our next four cohort groups so that we can train a sufficient number of mentors. If you are interested in becoming a Theory Integration Presentation Mentor, please click here to complete the sign up and indicate which training cohort will work best in your schedule. If you have questions about the mentor's role, please email Robin Booth or Anastasia Holman.
Spiritual Care Week 2018
Weekly Highlights
This Week's Reflection
In the south, we have an expression that most folks know means so much more than the simple three words imply at first glance: "Bless your heart." If you find yourself in traffic, you may wind up behind a car with a bumper sticker or license plate frame that reads simply, "Blessed." When asked how they are feeling or how their day has been, patients often reply, "I am blessed." "Bless" is a rich and deep word, one which Alicia Suskind Ostricher mines in this simple but evocative poem:
"The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog" by Alicia Suskind Ostricher

To be blessed
said the old woman
is to live and work
so hard
God's love
washes right through you
like milk through a cow

To be blessed
said the dark red tulip
is to knock their eyes out
with the slug of lust
implied by
your up-ended skirt

To be blessed
said the dog
is to have a pinch
of God
inside you
and all the other
dogs can smell it
extra
Many years ago, Trace's family was invited to gather with new friends. The hosts had a practice of saying grace before each meal, but not knowing the religious traditions of their guests, they invited each person to share a gratitude for something about their day or week. The following story takes that practice to the next level: 


A Year of Magical Thanking
Wednesday, October 24
* United Nations Day

* Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji - Sikhism
This day commemorates the martyrdom of the ninth of the Ten Sikh Gurus (1621-1675 C.E.). He is remembered for defending the Sikh faith, as well as the rights of Hindus and the cause of religious liberty. 

* Pavarana - Buddhism
This day is the end of the three-month Vassa or rains retreat observed by Theravadin Buddhist monks.

Saturday, October 27
* Karwa Chauth - Hinduism
A day of fasting for married women, in which they dress like new brides and offer prayers for the long lives and safety of their husbands. Husbands offer sweets to their spouses at the end of the fast, once the moon is sighted.

Sunday, October 28
* Atmasiddhi Rachna Divas (Creation Day) - Jainism
On this day Jains celebrate that, in 1896, the poet Shrimad Rajchandra-ji (who was a spiritual guide for Mohandas Gandhi) wrote the legendary treatise Shri Atmasiddhi Shastra, which explains the quintessence of Jainism.
Visit the ACPE website for more information. 
  • Last week we received the following message from Jacob George, ACPE Certified Educator at Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System: 
I am in Panama City, Florida, responding to those impacted by Hurricane Michael...The Health System I work for in Oklahoma owns Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart in Panama City. The hospital sustained structural, roof, & water damage; also cooling and plumbing issues, loss of information system etc. All in-patients have been evacuated. ER is operational with staff from our sister hospitals across the country. The hospital has about 1700 employees, most of them have been been impacted... In the midst of this tragedy, I heard many people express gratitude for safety and provision along with feelings of pain, sorrow and many difficult emotions. Please feel free to refer to this in your Monday emails. Blessings on your work. Thanks for serving all of us. Jacob George, Tulsa, OK. 
Visit the ACPE Memorials and Milestones page for more details. Please email webmaster@acpe.edu to add someone to our thoughts.
This Week's Career Opportunities & Residency/CEC Openings
Visit the ACPE website for a complete list of Career Opportunities and Residency/CEC Openings.

Want to advertise with ACPE? Learn more.
Other Happenings This Week
ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education
(404) 320-1472 | Email | Website 

ACPE is the premier, DOE-recognized organization that provides the highest quality CPE programs for spiritual care professionals of any faith and in any setting. We do this through a rigorous accreditation and certification process for centers and educators that provide CPE. The depth of our training enables students to realize their full potential to strengthen the spiritual health of people in their care as well as themselves. 
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