Black Chaplains Association

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Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 5:27pm

From Chief of Naval Personnel Diversity Directorate

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy’s first black Sailor to be promoted to the rank of captain died April 16 in Norfolk.

Funeral services for retired Capt. Thomas David Parham will be held April 21, at 1 p.m. at the Little Creek Amphibious Base chapel. The Reverend Dr. Barry C. Black, U.S. Senate chaplain and retired U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains will deliver the eulogy.

Parham, 87, was commissioned in 1944 and promoted to captain in February 1966. He was also the second black chaplain in the Navy.

Born March 21, 1920, in Newport News, Va., Parham earned a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University in 1941. He then graduated magna cum laude from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1944, and was ordained by the United Presbyterian Church on May 17, 1944.

While five other members of his seminary class entered the Navy chaplaincy upon their graduation, Parham was told his application could not be accepted. He continued to work in a student pastorate in Youngstown, Ohio. Later that summer, he saw a newspaper photograph of a recently commissioned black chaplain. When he returned to the officer who had earlier rejected his application and asked why, he was told, “We can take your application now.”

His first duty assignments included Naval Training School, Hampton, Va.; Camp Smalls at Great Lakes, Ill.; Manana Barracks, Hawaii; and the Naval Supply Center, Guam; ministering to exclusively black units.

Parham left active duty in 1946 and returned to his ministry in Youngstown where he served as pastor from 1946 to 1950, while remaining in the Naval Reserve.
He returned to active duty in January 1951, soon after the outbreak of the Korean War. From 1951 to 1956, he was the only black chaplain on active duty.

After he had been given the impression that a black chaplain would never go to sea duty, he married Eulalee Marion Cordice on June 1, 1951.

Subsequently, when he was to be stationed on board USS Valley Forge (LPH-8), a captain complained to the Chaplains Division that Parham would be the only chaplain on the ship while the only black Sailors were a few stewards: The belief that black chaplains were only for black Sailors was predominant. Then Chief of Chaplains Stanton Salisbury published an article in the Christian Century stating that the Chaplains Division had no plans to give Parham any segregated duty, demonstrating the progress made in the Chaplains Division and in the Navy.

Parham’s other duty stations included Charleston Navy Yard, S.C.; Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan; Naval Air Station Iwakuni, Japan; Menninger Foundation, Topeka, Kan.; First Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Amphibious Squadron 1 and Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, San Diego; Naval Air Station and Commander Fleet Air, Quonset Point, R.I.; Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington; Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Md.; and Chief, Pastoral Care Service, Naval Region Medical Center, Portsmouth, Va.

In 1969, he earned a Master of Divinity at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. At American University he received both a master's and a doctorate degree. Parham retired in April 1982.

For more news from around the fleet, visit www.navy.mil.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:55am

Faculty in Pastoral Theology and Congregational Care - Wesley Theological Seminary seeks to fill a tenure track position in Pastoral Theology and Congregational Care. Teaching duties include core introductory and elective courses in pastoral theology, care and counseling. Candidates should be skilled in contextual, intercultural and interfaith approaches to care. Candidates should demonstrate a history of engagement in the local church and a commitment to the formation of pastoral ministers. Qualifications include: Ph.D./Th.D. (advanced doctoral candidates will be considered); M.Div. or equivalent degree preferred. Rank: open with junior or mid-career preferred. Wesley is an EEO/AA employer. Ethnic minority candidates encouraged to apply. Position begins July 1, 2011. Interested candidates should contact Dean Amy G. Oden at pastoralcaresearch@wesleyseminary.edu or 4500 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20016. Applications must consist of all graduate transcripts, three reference letters, a complete vita, and a cover letter stating interest and qualifications for the position. For more information on Wesley please visit: www.wesleyseminary.edu.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:55am

Wesley Medical Center - Director Pastoral Care and Education/ACPE Certified Supervisor. Wesley Medical Center, owned by HCA, has an opening for an ACPE Certified Supervisor/Director of Pastoral Care and Education. Wesley Medical Center is located in Wichita, KS in the south-central region of the state and is a friendly and diverse community with a population of nearly 600,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Wesley Medical Center is a Level 1 Trauma Center, licensed for 760 beds. Wesley Medical Center is accredited for Level I, Level II, and Supervisory CPE. The Director leads the Pastoral Care and Education team in the design, development, implementation and provision of pastoral care services and programs designed to nurture and support the patient focus component of the organization, patients' loved ones, and staff. As a CPE supervisor, the Director is responsible for oversight of the Clinical Pastoral Education program and for collaborating with the other CPE supervisors in curriculum development and program implementation. A yearly average for supervised students is 23. There are no fundraising responsibilities involved in the position. The Department of Pastoral Care and Education provides in-house 24/7 coverage for our facility. We offer a competitive salary/benefits package. In order to find out more information regarding the facility, please visit www.wesleymc.com. In order to apply, please go to www.workatwesley.com. You may call Cheryl Wortman, Human Resources, at 316-962-2630, if you have questions. For more information regarding Wichita, please log on to www.wichitakansas.org.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:54am

Sharp HealthCare - Chaplain Supervisor-in-Training. We have an excellent opportunity available for a Chaplain Supervisor-in-Training. In this role, you will provide pastoral care services to patients, families and staff while participating as a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) student to achieve ACPE supervisory certification. Position Requirements include: Minimum 4 units of ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education, Ordination, Faith Group Endorsement, and M.Div. or Equivalent (ACPE Supervisory Candidate Status preferred). Stipend is $38,600 with additional benefits. Application deadline: August 28, 2010. Additional inquires and instructions for how to submit a CPE application, please contact Rev. Mica Togami 858-939-4709 or email at Mica.Togami@sharp.com.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:54am

Sentara Healthcare, in Norfolk, VA, is currently seeking a full time Manager, Chaplaincy Services for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, home to the areas only Level I Trauma Center and burn trauma unit. Candidate will serve as mentor by role modeling a professional practice consistent with organizational goals, customer service, clinical effectiveness and standards of care. They will lead the team in developing quality, creative ways to respond to the spiritual needs of patients, families, physicians and staff consistent with organizational goals and Sentara “standards of care” for Chaplaincy Services. They will support the ACPE accredited School of Clinical Pastoral Education. They will be responsible and accountable for daily operations of the department on a twenty-four hour basis, seven days a week. They will develop, implement and monitor compliance to department operating budget.
Minimum Requirements include:
- Master of Divinity degree or equivalent
-Four (4) units of Clinical Pastoral Education
-Three (3) years of previous pastoral experience
-Five (5) years of previous hospital chaplaincy experience preferred
-Previous management experience to perform responsibilities of the job
-Demonstrated ability to work in multi-staff and culturally diverse setting
-Ordination or commission to function in ministry by a recognized religious group
-Religious group endorsement for hospital chaplaincy
-Board Certified Chaplain
Candidates may apply online at www.sentara.com/employment (under keyword search, search as " MGR, CHAPLAINCY SERVICES"). EOE. M/F/D/V Drug Free Workplace. Criminal History Background Check.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:52am

http://www.acpe.edu/LeadershipAccreditation.html

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:44am

Advanced Bible Study Group
(Meat Eaters Only)

Every Friday at 6PM
Room 506
3 Cooper Plaza (Across from Cooper University Hospital)
Camden, NJ 08013

Are you REALLY hungry for God’s Word? Are you tired of Bible Studies that just skim the surface and never dig for the truths that defy denominational dogma and the traditions of men? Then this is the Group for YOU! Sometimes we will examine Books of the Bible, sometimes we will do Topical Studies, or we will attack controversial issues.

Teacher: Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min

October – The Letter to the Galatians
November – The Teachings of Jesus
December – The Holy Spirit

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:43am

I was fortunate to have found a CPE Supervisor that let me get CPE training for free, I just covered HIS On-Calls and that was payment. (smile) God is good, I agree that Psychology training more than sufficient instead of 4 Units of CPE, CPE in a lot of ways is "cheap labor" for the Full Time Chaplain staff to have at beck and call. I have a Certificate in Psych Rehab (15ch) from UMDNJ I felt I needed it working at a Psych Hospital.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on October 5, 2010 at 10:26am

Thanks for sharing that Rev. Harris, I retired from the USAF and I was an Air Traffic Controller...I got sick with Sarcoidosis before I could become a military Chaplain, I had already recieved my Masters in Ministry before I retired, I am COGIC and fortunately they are not very connected to the ministry of the Chaplain so I really kind of "flow on my own", My denomination doesn't see me as a "Pastor", but I know different. I am the Head of Protestant Worship at a Psych hospital on Sundays, and I am the Head of Pastoral Care Volunteers at another, I have a rough time training volunteers because they don't realize that hospital ministry is not evangelism and prosletysing, but prayer and comfort. Please drop by again I enjoyed what you shared!

Comment by Rev. Joyce Irvin Harris, M.Div. on October 5, 2010 at 10:09am

Thanks for the invitation. Please permit me to jump right in on this discussion about how chaplaincy is perceived. Yes, you are both clergy and clinician. And, yes, the issues you'll face will most often not be religious, but spiritual in nature. This makes chaplaincy different from ministry in a sectarian setting. However, there are other dynamics that make chaplaincy "weird".

Chaplaincy is indeed a weird dynamic because civilian ministers don't consider you to still be "in the ministry". I've been in ministry now for 30+ years. I was a Navy Chaplain for 20 years including being senior pastor of Protestant Chapel and achieving senior chaplain status. In the Navy, being senior pastor of chapel is different from being a senior chaplain. Yet when I went to civilian clergy meetings, I was not considered to be one of them. At first I thought it was the usual chauvinism at work. Then I heard my male colleagues complain about the same thing. Hmmmmmm...!

Another quirk of chaplaincy is that after your denomination endorses you to chaplaincy, when you leave your chaplaincy position and desire appointment to a civilian congregation, your years of service may "discounted". You will be considered a near-newbie despite your years of chaplaincy experience. In a congregational polity, you'll have to take great pains to explain how what you've done qualifies you for consideration as their senior pastor. If you're in an episcopal polity, you will be expected to "pay your dues" by taking a much less than what your experience qualifies you to receive.

The oddity for me was completing a wonderful career as a Navy chaplain and not being able to get hired as a hospital chaplain (a position I had filled as a Navy chaplain) because I didn't have 4 units of CPE. Never mind that I have two degrees in psychology, 20 years of chaplaincy experience, and a boatload of clinical experience. Does this make sense?!!

I loved being a military chaplain. The experience and relationships I gained are invaluable. Just don't expect your chaplaincy experience to receive its due. Part of it is ignorance. Folks don't really know what institutional chaplains do. Unfortunately, part is also discrimination. If you're not a local church minister... Enough said.

What am I doing now? I'm a very happy teaching minister. I teach undergraduate psychology, criminology, and religious studies for a Jesuit university; I'm Associate Minister of Education at my local church; and author of LIVING YOUR MANIFEST DESTINY. My debut book will be released Spring 2011.

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