Location: Zoom Meeting Attendees: Alex Allain, Dorothy Balser, Elaine Bayless (President-elect), Kate Bell, Sherry Black (Immediate Past President), Carla Davis, Peggy Determeyer, David Fleenor (President), Mark Jeske, Kate O’Connor, Barbara Pendergrast, Andrew Peterson (Treasurer), Paul Rajan, Margaret Rose, Marshall Scott (Web/Communications), Cheryl Sherman, Chuck Stewart, Jana Troutman-Miller 1. Welcome and Introductions - David Fleenor 2. Noonday Prayer - David 3. Opening Remarks - David 4. President’s Report - David
5. President-elect’s Report - Elaine Bayless:
6. Treasurer’s Report - Andrew Peterson:
7. Web/Communications Report - Marshall Scott:
8. Open Forum
9. Acknowledgment of Newly Certified Chaplains
10. Closing and Benediction
11. Next Meeting: TBD - July 30, 2025? Notes recorded by AI Respectfully submitted: Mark Jeske, Secretary August 1, 2024
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2023-2024 Newly Certified Chaplains
Patti Blaine APC Board Certified Chaplain December 2023 Linda Card Clinical Chaplain and a Pastoral Counselor by CPSP December 2023 Mariegrace Doran APC Board Certified Chaplain December 2023 Christy Dumont APC Board Certified Chaplain in April 2024 & Doctor of Ministry in Integrative Mental Health Chaplaincy from Vanderbilt University with Honors May 2024 Michael J. Engfer Received recommendation to be APC Board Certified Chaplain 2024 Kayla Ford APC Board Certified Chaplain October 2023 Therese Newell APC Board Certified Chaplain 2024 Kate O’Connor APC Board Certified Chaplain December 2023 President Elect Report, Annual Meeting, July 31, 2024
Elaine Bayless, President Elect 1.Accepted position in the fall of 2023, after the First Annual Retreat a. Participating in regular meetings b. Offering proof reading and feedback on website design c. Considering steps for organizational updates d. Occasional leading of Noonday Prayer 2. Assisted with planning for our table at General Convention a. Brainstormed about new materials necessitated by new name b. Designed and procured badge reels with new name and logo 3. Began work on planning Annual Retreat for 2025 a. Researching locations b. Talking with other members c. Thinking about potential theme and speakers d. Obtaining quotes to be discussed at meeting on August 2nd President’s Annual Report of the Association of Episcopal Chaplains (AEC)
The Rev. David Fleenor, AEC President July 31, 2024 We are the Association of Episcopal Chaplains (AEC). Anyone who identifies as an Episcopalian and a chaplain, whether endorsed, certified, ordained, or not, is welcome to participate. A major milestone this year was changing our name from the Assembly of Episcopal Healthcare Chaplains (AEHC) to the Association of Episcopal Chaplains (AEC). This change reflects our inclusive mission to serve all chaplains within The Episcopal Church (TEC), not just those in healthcare. Our new logo, featuring the labyrinth of the Cathedral in Chartres, symbolizes our shared journey of life and faith. Our vision is to be a community for all chaplains in TEC that fosters recognition, connection, and growth through advocacy, community, and education. We are led by a strong Executive Committee comprised of the Rev. Mark Jeske, Secretary; Mr. Andrew Peterson, Treasurer; Past-President, the Rev. Sherry Black; President-Elect, Ms. Elaine Bayless; and your truly, the Rev. David Fleenor, the current President. We also have two very valued ad hoc members: the Rev. Marshall Scott, our Web/Net Chair, and the Rev. Susan Roberts, a past president. We meet monthly to care for one another and to manage the AEC's affairs. Regrettably, Andy, our treasured treasurer, has come to the end of his service. Andy has served this association faithfully and capably for many years. I speak for all of us when I offer this heartfelt thank you. Andy, thank you for all you have done for us and this association over the years. We will miss you in that role and hope you will continue to be an active member with us. We will need to find a new treasurer soon, so if you have the skills and the time, please get in touch with us. In support of our vision, we have become a more active association over the last year.
As we look ahead, we face two challenges: one big and one small. Let’s begin with the small one. The AEC is a non-profit organization. We learned some time ago that we lost our official non-profit status. We assume it was due to failures in filing annual reports with the government. We are actively working to re-establish AEC as a non-profit organization so that we may resume receiving dues and donations, which are vital to the health and durability of this association. We are actively engaged with a law firm that will help us once again become a non-profit organization. Now, on to the big challenge: TEC's most significant challenge at this point in our history is the steep and irreversible decline in church attendance. Twenty-five years ago, when I became an Episcopalian, we had nearly 2 million members; now, we sit at around 1.6 million. Half of all Episcopalians are ages 65 and older. Our numeric decline has been and is projected to be very steep. Our denomination is searching for ways to stem the tide of decline and discern our purpose, which will never change. And that purpose is, in a word, Love. As the American folk hymn says, Love, Love, Love, Love. The gospel in a word is Love. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love, Love, Love, Love. I am convinced that this grand challenge is also a great opportunity for us as chaplains. We are uniquely positioned to continue living the Gospel of Love no matter how many people choose to walk into an Episcopal Church on a Sunday. People may stop attending church, but they will always show up at hospitals, prisons, workplaces, and other so-called non-parochial settings. And in those places, we will continue to be present, providing spiritual care and doing the work of Love during some of the most mundane and most intense moments of people's lives. Our great challenge is to remain faithful to our vocations as chaplains no matter how large or small our denomination is. And the AEC is here to support us as we face and overcome this challenge, which is best done by being in community with one another. We are people of the resurrection. As a denomination, we may be at the foot of the cross or three days in the grave. But we Episcopalians practice resurrection every Sunday and every Easter. We are prepared for this time, and we know what to do. We know how to remain steadfast in faith, trusting that we have given our lives to the God of Love, who never leaves nor forsakes us and whose very nature is oriented towards resurrection. We may not know what the future looks like, but we trust that God will bring it to pass and that we Episcopal chaplains will always have a role to play in the healing of the world. In conclusion, I would like to offer this blessing: The God of Love, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen. Sincerely, The Rev. David Fleenor President, Association of Episcopal Chaplains Today we have an essay by Elaine Bayless, President-elect of AEC. Her opinions are, of course, her own.
A common complaint, often phrased as feedback, is that DEI programming creates division and harms community. People in the majority often feel uncomfortable when they face the oppression or harm done by members of their “group” to other groups. I believe this is the blind spot of privilege. Pointing out differences, or talking about current and past events, is not inherently divisive. You might as well say that a colonoscopy causes colon cancer. When we acknowledge events in the past, we are illuminating the ignorance of the past. As a 20th century white woman, I did not participate in the US slave trade. However, I did benefit from it. Understanding how I benefited from it can cause all sorts of feelings, many of them uncomfortable. Feelings like guilt, sorrow, self-doubt and anger. But having to face uncomfortable feelings is not divisive. It does not place a barrier between me and a Black person for me to acknowledge that I have benefited today from the suffering of their ancestors in the past. It gives me a glimpse into their story, and how it intersects with my story. What can create the barrier is how I chose to handle my uncomfortable feelings. I hear many people scoff at the idea of white privilege, saying they earned their degrees, their jobs, their health, their homes. And it is true that I worked hard to earn high grades, to be responsible with my money, to make healthy decisions. But I had free time to spend studying, because my parents provided for me financially out of their own success. I had a safe home to study in because they were the children of homeowners and could borrow money from their family instead of a bank. I could afford to make healthy choices because my parents always could find and afford fresh fruits and vegetables. And where did my parents’ wealth come from? Their parents, who, despite the Depression, had stable housing and enough food to eat. My ancestors never had their neighborhoods razed to the ground by the city they lived in. My ancestors were never thrown in jail for voting. My ancestors were free to attend any college they chose. We can choose to numb our discomfort by claiming that all we have came from our own hard work. But even if this is true, what about the Christian principle of stewardship? As a Christian, can I really say that my blessings and successes are not from God? I don’t believe that I can. God gave me gifts and talents, and God placed me in my family, at this time. And the Bible is clear that tithing is an act of worship and faith. My former pastor, Mark Batterson, used to say that when we tithe, we are saying that God can do more with 90% than we can do with 100%: in other words, when we only have 90% of our money, God can bless us far better than we can bless ourselves if we kept 100%. So then, how can I claim that my success is only from my hard work? We are taught to prioritize individual success and hard work, often to the detriment of community. And this leads to the blind spot of privilege: when we are not aware of how deeply community and our ancestors have contributed to our success, we reject the idea that discrimination against one’s ancestors and communities have contributed to a person’s lack of success. And so we fight back against DEI programming because it makes us uncomfortable by challenging our individualistic concept of success. But Christianity pushes back just as hard against this concept. Christianity says that obedience to parents will bless one thousand generations! Stewardship should make Christians as uncomfortable as DEI programming: our success or failure is not our own, as even our lives and our bodies are not our own: we belong to the Body of Christ. DEI programming shows us how we have failed to follow our Christian ideals. It shows us the deep illness of prejudice in our society, and how complicit we, the majority group, have been in that prejudice. To paraphrase Paul, does this mean that DEI is bad? No, not any more than the ideal of stewardship is bad! At the end of the day, truth is a tool of liberation. DEI programs often reveal truths that we have been content to remain ignorant about. But the Christian message also reveals truths that we would like to remain ignorant about. As Christians, whether it is the Bible or DEI programming, we are not meant to be comfortable in the world. We are meant to be liberated by the truth, and to bring that liberation to everyone. Elaine F. Bayless, MA, MDiv, BCC Clinical Chaplain, Pastoral Care Services UNC REX Healthcare Oh my goodness! General Convention is back again! And, of course, General Convention brings out the wonk in me. With that in mind, I’m looking at resolutions that I think will be of interest to chaplains.
The first one I want to highlight is A073 A Standing Commission for Human Health and Wellness. At various times the Church has had a Standing Commission on Health. The last one ended at the 2015 Convention when most standing commissions and other continuing bodies were discontinued. This is an effort to restore a commission with this focus. From the Explanation for the resolution: “The scope of this new commission will be to address matters of ministry in the forms of welcome, inclusion, support, encouragement, empowerment, and advocacy for people facing challenges in physical, mental, emotional, relational, or spiritual health; and to support churchwide efforts to strengthen health and wellbeing.” www.vbinder.net/resolutions/520?house=HD&lang=enIf the commission were approved and funded, it would bring together concerns for both physical and behavioral health and wellness. For example, there is reference to the program to provide all Episcopal clergy with training in mental health first aid (approved in 2022, and an outline presented at this Convention). Also of interest is the fact that the Assembly of Episcopal Healthcare Chaplains is explicitly mentioned (with other organizations) as a possible partner in this work. This is certainly one to watch. You can find it at www.vbinder.net/resolutions/520?house=HD&lang=en. Related to this (although in a different legislative committee) are resolutions A074 Completing Mental Health Ministry Curriculum for Clergy; A075 A Directive for Clergy Mental Health Ministry Training; A076 Strengthening of Churchwide Training in Mental Health First Aid; A078 Promote Equity and to Reduce Differences in Mental Health Outcomes; and A079 Mental Health Sunday. You can connect to all of those resolutions at https:www.vbinder.net/resolutions?committee_id=604&house=HD&lang=en. I’m sure between now and the beginning of Convention I will find some more, but those are enough to start with. The Executive Committee of the Assembly of Episcopal Healthcare Chaplains met in June and have the following information to share:
The Assembly of Episcopal Healthcare Chaplains will have a retreat October 3-6 at the Trinity Wall Street Retreat Center in West Cornwall, CT. Details will be coming soon! We will have our annual meeting via Zoom on September 13, 2023 beginning with Noonday Prayer at 12 Noon CDT/ 1:00 pm EDT. Important topics for the meeting include:
Sherry Black President, AEHC AEHC Web Report
5/11/2022 AEHC members should be aware the Assembly has four locations for web presence. The first is our Facebook Page, Assembly of Episcopal Healthcare Chaplains. To date, 512 Facebook members have liked the Page. Posts over the last 12 months have reached an average of 69 people. Those results have spiked around annual meetings last year and preparing for this year. We also have a closed Facebook Group, AEHC Chaplains and Friends. The Group currently has 55 Members. There have been 40 posts in the last 12 months. Applicants to join the group face several basis questions. This helps us separate out folks who are only interested in adding to their lists of Friends. The Assembly of Episcopal Healthcare Chaplains has a Mailchimp account. This is used for email communications. We have 345 Subscribed Contacts and 50 non-subscribed Contacts. When we send a message we have an average Open rate is 25% or about 100 readers. Campaigns (emails) with information about Annual Meeting, both before and after, have the highest readership. Finally, we have the AEHC Website, episcopalchaplain.org. The website is on the Weebly platform. In the past month (prior to the meeting), the site had 146 Unique visits and 270 Page views. Because we are using a minimal plan, Weebly provides limited statistics. However, it does appear that this also spikes around Annual Meeting. The site does include a blog page, named for “Chaplair,” the printed AEHC newsletter. All members would be welcome to participate in our web presence. Participating on Facebook is, of course, the easiest way. You can also feel free to make contributions to the Chaplair blog page, or to make suggestions about our web site or messages to members. Marshall Scott Web/Net Chair Siblings, Happy New Year, and Happy Feast of the Presentation! It’s been a while since you’ve heard from AEHC, but with a new year there are always new opportunities to share.
One thing we need to share is an opportunity to serve AEHC, one that is unexpected. As a non-profit business chartered in Ohio, AEHC needs someone to serve as Statutory Agent. The Statutory Agent is a person or business office to represent AEHC in Ohio. From the Ohio Secretary of State’s website: “A statutory agent will be served all legal documents regarding your business entity and is responsible for sharing this information with you. The statutory agent must be one of the following: (1) A natural person who is a resident of this state; or (2) A [business or] association that has a business address in this state.” Essentially, the Statutory Agent is a point of contact for the state of Ohio when forms need to be updated or fees need to be paid. The agent wouldn’t be responsible for the work, but for forwarding the necessary information to the officers. Again, the only requirement is that the agent have an Ohio address. So, if you are in Ohio, please consider taking on this small but important role for the Assembly. There is another note about opportunities. AEHC has long met during the conference of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) because it offered the best opportunity to combine time with colleagues with opportunities for continuing education. In addition to meeting requirements for APC or ACPE, some workshops this year will qualify for CEU’s under the National Board of Certified Counseling (NBCC). This year APC’s annual conference will be entirely virtual. This is a joint conference with the Association of Professional Chaplains (ACPE). The dates are May 9-12, and you can find information at https://web.cvent.com/event/20f557f2-8212-41ac-94c0-f4e46ce95048/summary. AEHC will also meet virtually on May 11 at 9:00 a.m. CST. There will be more information prior to the conference. This year’s meeting will offer another opportunity: this year we elect a President-elect. If you feel called, the Executive Committee would like to hear it. Even if you don’t feel called to be President-elect, please join in to vote for and welcome the person who is called. Please stay connected. Remember our Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/episcopalhealthcarechaplains); consider joining our Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/episcopalchaplain.org); or check out our website (http://www.episcopalchaplain.org) We’re always happy to hear from you. Below is the 2021 Financial Report submitted by Andrew Peterson, AEHC Treasurer. The report provides information beginning when he assumed office in 2019. Note that AEHC has stopped accepting credit card payments for the time being due to the high fees noted in the report.  |
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