Survival, Development and Transformation
The Rev. Thomas S. Rogers, III
On May 18, the Bishop Anderson House staff had a retreat where we looked at where we are at right now with COVID-19 and all that is going on in the world. We did this by shifting our thinking from cause and effect (A + B = C) to systems thinking – taking in our wider context and thinking systems (i.e. Christmas tree lights on a Christmas tree where if one light goes out, the whole strand goes out). At the heart of the theory of living human systems is the idea that systems survive, develop, and transform from simple to complex through a developing ability to recognize differences and integrate them.

What this means for Bishop Anderson House (and most of us these last 18 months) is that we have been focused primarily on survival – each member of the staff keeping themselves and their families safe. Doing what we were able to do during the height of the pandemic such as caring for healthcare workers, doing telechaplaincy visits with family when visitor restrictions were in place, and taking our spiritual care visitor training program and board meetings from being face-to-face in person to Zoom. The good news is that as a living human system Bishop Anderson House has survived!

While the pandemic is certainly not over, READ MORE

Announcing a New Member of the
Bishop Anderson House Team:
The Rev. Dr. Ebony D. Only

One of the things that happens in many organizations is a group will engage a topic like bringing in an outside speaker or read a book, but when the board at Bishop Anderson House engaged social responsibility and racial justice they had an action step: hiring a community-based chaplain to facilitate relationship and community building through the provision of spiritual, emotional, physical and social support to families, business, corporations, schools and groups in the near West side of Chicago.

I am pleased to announce that after a search process involving 15 applicants, three phone interviews, and two face-to-face interviews, we have called The Rev. Dr. Ebony Only to be our first Community-Chaplain Fellow. I had the great joy of getting to know Ebony READ MORE

"As healers and caregivers, it is our duty to acknowledge, in the words of Bishop Anderson, 'where institutions of humanity are falling short', and to be the agents of transformation and change that promote equity and wholeness. We have been called for such a time as this and my prayer is that you will join me in this work." Rev. Dr. Ebony D. Only
Workshop: Spiritual Care in the Age of Black Lives Matter
Please join us on Saturday, September 25 for this exciting workshop presented by The Rev. Dr. Danielle J. Buhuro from 10:00a-11:30a. Registrations close on Thursday, September 23. The workshop will be followed by the quarterly SCVTP alumni meeting from 1:00p-2:00p. 

If you have any questions, please contact The Rev. Rose Cicero.
SAVE THE DATE / Ryba's Rockin' Retirement

Please hold Saturday, November 6 from 5:00p-6:00p for a virtual celebration of Ann Ryba's ministry for over 30 years at Bishop Anderson House as she prepares to retire on 12/22/21. Watch your email as details are finalized.
Chaplaincy // Social Responsibility & Racial Justice
Spirituality & Wellness // Education
Bishop Anderson House is an interfaith agency rooted in the tradition of the Episcopal Church,
providing pastoral services and education programs for faith and health care communities.