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March 4, 2019
The More Things Change...
Amy Greene
Amy Greene,
Board Chair
There used to be a saying (that sounded better in French), "plus la change, plus c'est la meme chose." Meaning: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, I couldn't disagree more. I think the more things change....the more they change! We are going through tremendous changes and there seems to be an endless font of details to track. The best thing I know to do about that is just keep repeating, rereading, re-asking, and trying very hard to stay patient with myself and others. I find myself getting irritated at having to answer something for the third or fourth time - until I realize that I've just asked someone else to answer a question they already answered at least that many times. I'm realizing there's a lot of grace in this organization and a lot of patient people. And I'm happy to say, I'm not finding the devil is in the details...I'm finding angels there.

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ACPE Invites Former AAPC Members to Join 
ACPE members recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of our consolidation. Now we enthusiastically invite you, as a former member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), to apply for ACPE membership. With our shared history and joint commitment to the wholeness and well-being of the communities served by our members, there is much work for us to do together. We hope you will consider joining us in this exciting new chapter of spiritual care, education, and counseling.

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Do You Want to Become a Member of the National Faculty?
We are pleased to share that the Certification Manual section on Becoming a Member of the National Faculty has been updated. The page includes an overview of how to become National Faculty and what must be done to maintain this status.  Additionally, the page has links to documents that provide the National Faculty Competencies as well as a National Faculty Competencies Assessment Form.
Annual Ethics Form due by March 15, 2019
Brian Conley, Chair
Professional Ethics Commission
Please complete the online form to report on your status regarding ACPE ethics by March 15, 2019

The Professional Ethics Commission will follow up with any questions or concerns.

Please send your questions to Brian Conley, Professional Ethics Commission (PEC) Chair, at  bjconley@partners.org
Online registration for the 2019 ACPE Annual Conference is now open! We hope that you join us in Scottsdale, Arizona this spring for what is sure to be an incredible time.

Early bird registration ends on March 30th. Register today to take advantage of the early bird rates and secure your workshop selections!

Help ACPE host a terrific conference! Please consider making a sponsorship gift to support a specific conference event or scholarships for students.

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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 ACPE Certified Educator David Carl at the 1990 ACPE Annual Conference in Baltimore. David served as Chair of the National Conference Committee that year. 

Have any photos from your personal ACPE archive that you would like to share? Send them to webmaster@acpe.edu to be featured in an upcoming newsletter. 
In Case You Missed It
Accreditation Corner: Keeping You Informed...ACPE's New Accreditation Process
John Pumphrey, Chair, Accreditation Work Group
Welcome to the first of a new series of communications designed to keep you informed and assist in the transition to the new accreditation process.

We hope that you had the opportunity to view the overview presentation that we shared previously and to read the draft Accreditation Manual that has been out for comment.

Did You Know Your Internet Browser Can Make a Big Difference?
John Roch 2018
John Roch, Director of Communications
ACPE anticipates it will unveil its new SharePoint site next week providing members with the latest modes for certification and accreditation collaboration and staying connected with their colleagues! Your ACPE team has conscientiously worked to design an online environment that is easy to navigate and simple to use. 

To help you get started, we have created a series of step-by-step instructions, with screenshots, to perform actions; such as:


Certification Updates: CEC Evaluations and Pre-Admission Participation in Peer Groups
Cecelia Walker, Certification Chair
I hope everyone is doing well, staying warm, and enjoying winter! Your Certification Commission has been hard at work since we began our terms in January. In our most recent conversation, we focused on two main topics: CEC Evaluations and pre-admission participation in peer groups.

CEC Evaluations
This past January, we implemented a significant change in our certification process that eliminated structured units of Certified Educator CPE. 

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ACPE Introduces New Usernames to Sign into Website
SharePoint
In preparation for ACPE's new Office 365/SharePoint platform, ACPE updated member usernames to sign-in to the website to register student units, access the member directory, etc. Member's updated usernames are their new ACPE email addresses. Members will use their new usernames (with their current passwords) to sign-in.


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Weekly Highlights
This Week's Reflection
Leaving February behind can feel a bit like a marathon run, an obstacle course completed, the removal of boots after a long uphill hike. It seems odd that the shortest month of the year can be experienced as the longest for so many. This year, many places recorded the wettest month on record. Others endured a polar vortex. And many just prayed that the sun might finally break through the clouds, both physically and metaphorically. So in that spirit, we offer the following poem:
"Winter Grief" by David Whyte

Let the rest
in this rested place
rest for you.

Let the birds sing
and the geese call
and the sky race
from west to east
when you cannot raise
a wing to fly.

Let evening
trace your loss
in the stonework
against a fading sky.

So that
you can give up
and give in
and be given back to,
so that you can let
winter
come and live
fully inside you,
so that
you can
retrace
the loving path
of heartbreak
that brought you here.

So you can cry alone
and be alone
so you can let
yourself alone
to be lost,
so you can
let the one
you have lost
alone, so that
you can let
the one
you have lost
have their
own life
and even
their own
death
without you.

So the world
and everyone
who has ever lived
and ever died
can come and go
as they please.

So you can
let yourself
not know, what
not knowing
means.

So that
you can be
even more generous
in your letting go
than they
were
in their leaving.

So that you can
let winter
be winter.

So that you can let
the world alone
to think of spring.
extra
Whether you're a morning person or an evening person, we all have habits, practices and routines that shape our days (even if it feels like organized chaos). Here's a piece from the NYTimes about what successful people do for their morning routines. (You have to wonder in light of this about the stresses hospital routines places on Type A folks, especially on the cardiac units.) 

Tuesday, March 5
* Maha Shivaratri - Hinduism
A night devoted to the worship of the god Shiva, whose cosmic dance creates, preserves, destroys, and recreates the world. Believers recite texts, sing, make offerings, and tell stories while holding vigil and fasting.

Wednesday, March 6
* Ash Wednesday - Christianity (Western churches)
The beginning of Lent, a forty-day period (excluding Sundays) in which Christians pray, repent, fast and reflect on Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem. It is a preparatory period for Holy Week and Easter; on this day, believers often receive an ashen cross on their foreheads to mark their repentance and mortality.

Friday, March 8
* Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti - Hinduism
A celebration of the birth of the teacher of Swami Vivekananda, who introduced Hinduism to the United States at the first Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Sunday, March 10
* Cheesefare Sunday [Forgiveness Sunday] - Christianity (Eastern churches)
This feast marks the last day of eating dairy products prior to Holy Pascha (also known as Easter). The Great Fast or Great Lent begins at sundown and is marked by forty days of vegetarian fasting, intense prayer, and almsgiving in preparation for Holy Week. The following day is known as Clean Monday.
Visit the ACPE website for more information. 
  • ACPE Certified Educator Lisa Jeffcoat's mother died on Wednesday, February 27. 
  • Bill Ball, the father of ACPE Certified Educator Jonathan Ball (CPE Coordinator, Northside Hospital; Pastoral Team) died February 26 after a long illness. Jonathan shares the news this way: "This morning my father died from this world and landed in the arms of God."
  • We send our thoughts to ACPE Certified Educator Cecelia Walker whose son died on Saturday, March 2 at the age of 31. No funeral arrangements have been made at this time. 
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
  • Career Opportunities 
  • Part-time Certified Educator, Griffin Hospital, Derby, CT
  • Chaplain Home Care, VITAS Healthcare, Eustis, FL
  • Residency/CEC/CPE Unit Openings
  • WellSpan Health, York PA
  • Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH
  • California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
  • Covenant Medical Center, Lubbock, TX
Visit the ACPE website for a complete list of Career Opportunities and Residency/CEC Openings.

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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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