We who believe in freedom cannot rest

Of course, we must rest, we need to breathe, we need to ground ourselves for the next step forward, for the energy and courage to face whatever form the resistance takes this time. Because we know it will come. It always does, often dressed up as something else, but always deep down the same old thing. “We who believe in freedom cannot rest.” 

I hope as members of this association you are proud of this work, and that you are deeply grateful for the leadership of Danielle Buhuro, Tammerie Day, Melissa Lemons, Mary Martha Thiel, Michael Washington, Malu Fairley-Collins, and Marc Medwed (staff). In so many ways, the enormous amount of time, thought, and heart that this small group has put into this process will require a great deal from many of us as we look to the future. We hope that some of you have been inspired to step up as we strive to address the many forms of bias present in our work. We know that there is not an endpoint to this, that as human beings we will struggle with the kinds of bias that plague our world even as we seek to be faithful in the kinds of spiritual care we offer and teach. And yet no individual, no small group, not even our collective association management can do all of this or get it all right. 

As we make our way on this journey, I trust we will find new ways to do many of the things that make us ACPE. Ways we talk, organizational processes, events, and education all deserve careful and thorough scrutiny. And underneath it all, I trust we can approach this work with a sense that everyone is usually doing the best they can from where they are. If we can start from such an appreciative place, we can find ways of walking together towards a future marked by anti-racist practices. 

Over the past several weeks, board leaders have met with a variety of members through CoP gatherings, a town hall, and Q & A sessions about our possible merger with APC. We shared, but it bears repeating, that Tammerie Day has been working with the APC board on their own commitment to anti-racism and deconstructing white supremacy. As we have noted elsewhere, we have two  town halls remaining, one in late May and one with APC in June. Board leaders will continue to meet with CoPs in the meantime to address questions that may be more specific to those groups’ needs or concerns. The ACPE board will meet June 3 to discuss next steps for their ongoing work in this process, including plans for ACPE elections of committees, commissions, and boards during a transition period should the merger be approved, as well as plans for those same groups if the merger fails. 

During the months of June and July, I will be away working on a book about chaplaincy. It is in the spirit of a memoir, written with eight chaplains from around the US who are serving in a variety of contexts and come from a variety of backgrounds. If published, it is the kind of book I hope you can give to that family member who has never really understood what it is that you do. Marc Medwed will cover all matters related to ethics in my absence, and John Roch will support board leaders as we come closer to the merger vote. I’m grateful to the board for this time away, and I look forward to coming back and diving into whatever will need to be done post the merger vote.