A Year as a Chaplain
This week I celebrated one year working as a hospital chaplain at a critical access hospital in northwest Montana. Had you asked me 5 years ago what was on my 5 year plan it certainly was not the life I live now. And I am so thankful.
Something that was on my mind while moving here was to find a creative way to serve the local community without being in competition with local churches. After spending years working at churches of all sizes, I realized most of the church world is just trying to offer a more attractive service to get folks from other pews into the ones I was associated with. What a drag.
I was approached by a denomination and asked to consider planting a church. Something about that just did not sit right in my spirit. We don’t need another church in our area. There is a church 300 yards from my house with empty seats, another one about a quarter mile away with a half empty parking lot on Sunday mornings. We need more.
As I became a chaplain and learn about my community, I see that there are plenty of actual needs, many of which local churches can and are assisting with. But really what the people in this area need is compassion. My community hurts and grieves. Each and every loss is felt. We need more kindness, comfort, generosity, and compassion.
And I think that is true of most everywhere. We don’t need more hate spewing, divisive, and dehumanizing rhetoric - we see enough of that in the media. We don’t need yet another half-filled building. We need the power of presence.
I was asked by my friend what my reflections are this week as I celebrate a year of this cherished and challenging work. To be honest, this week hasn’t been the easiest going and I haven’t yet had the chance to sit and reflect on what it has meant. I wrote back with those words and shared honestly. I’m thankful for income, I’m thankful for what this affords me, and I occasionally get personal fulfillment.
Some days I am doing advanced directives with people that are not ready to die. Some days I am consoling a family experiencing their worst day. Some days I’m celebrating a person going home. And everyday I have no idea what I am walking into. Folks leave and I don’t get to know how that story ends.
There is a difference hear that I am learning about. As a pastor, I am used to spending weeks, months, even years in relationship with people. Here, sometimes I only get 20 minutes. Pastoral care is different in that it goes the distance and chaplaincy… well sometimes I’m asked to leave before I can even say hi. And yet, I love this work.
Thank you for celebrating with me on the journey of chaplaincy and for being a beloved reader of my Substack.