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February 4, 2019
 Asking the Right Questions
Amy Greene
Amy Greene,
Board Chair
One of the things I learned in my brief career as a journalist was that the key to getting the right information was....wait for it....asking the right questions. How many times do we find that true in our spiritual care, or education, or anything else we endeavor to accomplish with some purpose?

In my role as ACPE Board Chair, one of its greatest privileges is working alongside leaders of our spiritual care strategic partners (APC, CASC, NACC, NAJC). So, based on a stimulating conversation with the President of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), Rev. Ron Oliver, I thought it might be helpful to give the high points of our recent conversation. 

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ACPE Referendum on AAPC Consolidation: Polls Open
For the last few months, ACPE and AAPC, American Association of Pastoral Counselors, have been in conversation about AAPC's dissolution and consolidation with ACPE.

ACPE has posted articles and hosted virtual town hall meetings regarding the ongoing conversations which are archived on the ACPE website here.

New Accreditation Manual Open for Review and Comment
John Pumphrey, Chair, Accreditation Work Group
The Accreditation Work Group is pleased to present the new ACPE Accreditation Manual that will guide the process of ACPE center accreditation effective January 1, 2020! We hope that you had the opportunity to view the overview presentation that we shared a few weeks ago. The release of the Manual for initial review is the next step as we roll out the new accreditation process.


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Candidates in the Old Certification Process Must Complete a Certification History Form
Are you a candidate in the old certification process? Have you completed the Certification History Form?

If you are a candidate in the old certification process and have not completed a Certification History Form yet, contact coordinators Tania Hammer-Lueken and Ramona Cass immediately. Tania and Ramona are serving as coordinators for the Old Certification process.

If you fail to complete the Certification History Form, you will miss current and ongoing policy updates.
Research Committee Review of Correlates of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in Chaplains and Other Clergy who Responded to the September 11th Attacks in New York City
Mark C. Lee, ACPE Research Committee
The study by Flannelly, et al,  explored the prevalence of burnout experienced by the respondents to the 9/11 attacks in New York City. The research measured the differences in burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction differences between those chaplains and clergy with CPE and those without. The bottom line finding is that CPE "appears to serve as a buffer against compassion fatigue and burnout."  


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ACPE Certified Educator Releases Book
Patricia Wilson-Cone
Patricia Wilson-Cone,
ACPE Certified Educator
The Reverend Patricia Wilson-Cone, PhD, an ACPE Certified Educator at Providence Alaska Medical Center released a book entitled "Multicultural Diversity". 

Patricia writes, "the ultimate purpose of this book is to create for readers, as I and others have experienced, a consciousness of the degree and depth of multicultural diversity that, I believe, dwells not only in me but in most people. Through this book, you will glimpse the past year of my life and thoughts through my personal notes from the sermons, speeches, comments and prayers of others, as well as my own poetry and prose." 

Her book is now available for purchase on Amazon.
Who? What? When? Images from ACPE's Past
Do you recognize these folks or the event in the photo above? Send us a note at  webmaster@acpe.edu

Thank you to ACPE Certified Educator Glenn Calkins who responded to the photo in last week's newsletter. Glenn wrote: 

"Looks like Keith Kiedel.  He was from Sibley Memorial and one of the first "Supervisors" to go to Hong Kong to conduct a unit of CPE. He l ater wrote an article in the Journal Of Pastoral Care about the CPE Hong Kong experience." 
In Case You Missed It
2019 Peer Review Instructions
Chat Graphic
If you are due for a Peer Review in 2019, you should receive a notification email by the end of January.  However, if you do not hear from the office and you know that you are due for a Peer Review, please be in touch with your Director of Community, Practice, and Member Development (DCPM) to be sure that we have your correct information and to initiate your process.

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BoardEffect Access
In anticipation of our transition to our new SharePoint platform and to allow the Area Committee Reviewers to assess the annual reports, access to BoardEffect has been disabled.  All documents that are in BoardEffect will be migrated to the SharePoint site over the next few months. If you are in need of a particular document, please email Kimberly Yates at kimberly.yates@acpe.edu with your request. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to make everything more accessible to you!
Annual Ethics Form due by March 15, 2019
Brian Conley, Chair
Professional Ethics Commission
Please complete the online form to report on your status regarding ACPE ethics by March 15, 2019

The Professional Ethics Commission will follow up with any questions or concerns.

Please send your questions to Brian Conley, Professional Ethics Commission (PEC) Chair, at  bjconley@partners.org
Online registration for the 2019 ACPE Annual Conference is now open! We hope that you join us in Scottsdale, Arizona this spring for what is sure to be an incredible time.

Early bird registration ends on March 15th. Register today to take advantage of the early bird rates and secure your workshop selections!

Help ACPE host a terrific conference! Please consider making a sponsorship gift to support a specific conference event or scholarships for students.

Learn more
Spring Certification Hub: Registration Open 
Registration for our Spring Certification Hub in Scottsdale, Arizona is now open for those meeting for Associate Educator or Certified Educator in the "old" Certification process. Please go to the Certification Hub page to register no later than February 22.

Additionally, if you are in the "old" Certification process and would like to submit theory papers during one of our five virtual hubs this year, please go to the Certification Hub page for deadlines and instructions.
Weekly Highlights
This Week's Reflection
In the wake of the polar vortex, where parts of the Midwest and Canada were colder than Antarctica, it seems appropriate to also remind us of some of the lovely images of winter. This poem speaks to the kind of loving, determined, and patient heart that endures even amidst the coldest days, perhaps showing a kind of commitment and love that can warm even the coldest of our moments:
"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hadley

Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?
extra
During my first unit of CPE in Colorado, I would often drive up to the mountains after a really rough day just to gaze at the stars. Staring up at the incredible array of stars, it helped remind me of the vastness of all that is amidst the concrete pain of a day in an ICU. In my more lucid moments, I wondered about the deep darkness of the sky - if there are so many starts, why is the sky so dark? Leave it to Popular Science to provide an answer: 

Why is the night sky dark?
Avery Smith
Avery Smith is a nonbinary student at Louisville Seminary and was a CPE intern at Norton Healthcare St. Matthews in Louisville, KY during the fall 2018.  They served on two medical surgical units and provided on call services.  After one long on-call, they wrote this poem in their journal for ACPE Educator, Ted Hodge, and gave permission to submit it to ACPE.  Avery also has an excellent book of poems entitled, "The Kin-dom" in the Rubble: a queer Christian's wrestling with God, scripture, and humanity.  It is available on Amazon. Avery can be contacted at avery.smith@my.lpts.edu.
At Lou's Bedside by Avery Smith

i know that your favorite coat

is olive green with big red poppies. i know

you love to fish - you and your wife

liked nothing better than to spend a day on the lake,

waiting for the tug of the line as sunlight soaked

into your smiling skin.

Tuesday, February 5
* Chinese / Vietnamese / Korean New Year - Buddhism / Confucianism / Taoism
The first day after the new moon is a religious and cultural festival for Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese persons, marking the first day of the year 4717, the Year of the Earth Pig or Boar.

* Birthday of Maitreya Bodhisattva - Buddhism [Pure Land schools]
Marking the birth of Maitreya, who will come at the end of time to renew the pristine Buddhist teachings.

Thursday, February 7
* Mulk - Bahá'í
Beginning of the eighteenth month of the Bahá'í year, the name "Mulk" means "dominion."

Sunday, February 10
* Vasanta Panchami - Hinduism
A North Indian celebration associated with Saraswati, the goddess of learning, and with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.
Visit the ACPE website for more information. 
  • ACPE Educator Emeritus Rev. Dr. William T. Scott, Jr. (Bill Scott) died on Sunday, January 27th.  Bill was a chaplain educator at The Williamsport Hospital in Williamsport, PA, The Stamford Hospital, in Stamford, CT, and ended his career at the VA San Diego Health Care Center in San Diego, CA.
Visit the ACPE Memorials and Milestones page for more details. Please email webmaster@acpe.edu to add someone to our thoughts.
This Week's Career Opportunities & Residency/CEC Openings
  • Career Opportunities 
  • CPE Educator, Littleton Adventist Hospital, Littleton, CO
  • CPE Educator/Director, Urban Interfaith Center, Los Angeles, CA
Visit the ACPE website for a complete list of Career Opportunities and Residency/CEC Openings.

Want to advertise with ACPE? Learn more.
Other Happenings This Week
ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education
(404) 320-1472 | Email | Website 

ACPE is the premier, DOE-recognized organization that provides the highest quality CPE programs for spiritual care professionals of any faith and in any setting. We do this through a rigorous accreditation and certification process for centers and educators that provide CPE. The depth of our training enables students to realize their full potential to strengthen the spiritual health of people in their care as well as themselves. 
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