“I completed fieldwork by providing pastoral care to a farmer while riding a combine in a North Dakota cornfield. Being church has become and continues to be people in the body of Christ living out their vocations wherever they are, and we are called to meet people where they are.”
“The time I spent in class learning to examine family systems and face my own emotional and spiritual issues made me a wiser, more compassionate pastoral caregiver when I was doing my rounds. I learned that I wasn’t there to cheer patients up, solve their theological problems, or pray for them; I was there to hear their anguish, make a safe space to ask the questions they were afraid to ask, and pray with them. CPE taught me both confidence and humility in the pastoral role.”
“CPE was an incredible blend of self-discovery, growth and sometimes even discomfort all set against the backdrop of chaplain ministry. During CPE I became critically aware that I needed to slow down and feel the feelings that I sometimes like to push aside. I realized the value of silence, listening and being in the moment, rather than deferring to my high energy style of “doing” or trying to fix an issue or problem.”
