For Those About To Be Rocked, I Salute You
For those in certain pastoral preparation programs, Memorial Day weekend has a special significance. It isn't the debate on the role of patriotic songs in worship (We did hear "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" as the closing hymn at the G'burg Lutheran Church I attended today. But when you have a soldier shot on the steps of the church during the battle, I think you have to.) No, the event is the beginning of CPE, your Clinical Pastoral Education. Prospective minister candidates from various traditions will spend the summer being chaplains at hospitals, nursing homes and other settings. It is an opportunity to learn what "doing ministry" means and the emotional and physical toll it takes on you. My own experience last summer was difficult . Spending 10 weeks at a hospital only 4 months from my dad's death and after spending the week prior taking care of my mother who was hospitalized with double pneumonia added to my challenge. It colored my experience