Dear colleagues, 

On March 27, 2024, the ACPE Board of Directors announced Lynnett Glass as ACPE's next Executive Director. From the early days of April 2024, when I first met Lynnett, until news of her sudden and unexpected death, I have had the privilege, the pleasure, and the opportunity to count her as a visionary leader, a strategic thinker, a person who modeled professionalism, and a person of deep faith.

As an association, we will continue to feel her loss and grieve her death for a long time to come. When she assumed office, she joined the board of directors with the 2023 strategic plan already in motion, and she began to leave her fingerprints diligently on every stream and every opportunity in ACPE's life. I have experienced few people with the poise with which Lynnett carried herself.

In the coming days and weeks, we will, of course, gather at our annual conference. There, we will collectively feel her absence, and it will be a time of mourning as well as a time to celebrate who we are as an association. This is not the kind of liminal space that any of us wants, but it is the liminal space that we train and prepare people for in units of CPE and in spiritually integrated psychotherapy.

During the conference, we will have a time of remembrance for Lynnett and all those who have passed but contributed to the life and vitality of ACPE. In addition, the staff is currently working on a memorial page on our ACPE webpage in honor of Lynnett. Any members who would like to send a note of reflection on Lynnett’s friendship, mentorship, and/or impact on our organization can email them to me at David.carnish@acpe.edu. As we receive these emails, we will share them on that page with our members. We will also share them directly with her family as a part of our expression of love and care. We will continue to post letters we have received in our bi-weekly newsletter so that you can see the expressions from across the ethos of spiritual care professionals, and how their lives were touched by Lynnett's care and leadership.

The ACPE national staff, like you, are shocked and saddened by her death. But we are working to implement the strategic plans already in motion, and that will be forever touched by Lynnett's call for us to implement more professional systems to support the work, professional people, and professional accountability. This work is a joint effort to transform ACPE into a global spiritual care education, member association, certifying, and accrediting body.

Lynnett had a question she ended every staff meeting in the national office with. "Are all hearts and minds clear?" It chokes me up to think about that question because my answer right now is 'no'. We miss you, Lynnett. And we pray that you now receive your rest. I feel her presence lingering in the work we have before us, in the care we have as a community, and in the vitality of every part of what we offer to the world.

A few years back, I gave a quote to the ACPE board about the difference between being a good descendant and a good ancestor. The former looks to measure up to what was given; the latter dreams of those that are not yet here. Lynnett is a good ancestor. Your ACPE staff will continue on in that spirit.

Please let us know if there's anything we can do for you in this time. As soon as we have information about funeral arrangements and/or other ways to honor Lynnett, we will make those known to you, our beloved members. 

Sincerely, 

David Carnish

Your Acting Executive Director of ACPE