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Written by Fr. Michael Callahan

Book Review
By Rev. Michael Callahan
Executive Director, The Pastoral Care Resource Center
http://tpcrc.org

Finding Your Way After Your Parent Dies (Paperback)
By Richard B. Gilbert
Paperback: 124 pages
Publisher: Ave Maria Press; 1 edition (September 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0877936943
ISBN-13: 978-0877936947

Available on the TPCRC Amazon Affiliate Store

Those of us involved in grief and bereavement ministry understand that everyone grieves in their own way. With that said, Finding Your Way After Your Parent Dies is an excellent book that presents people many options in dealing with their particular grief.

Losing a parent in death is something that nearly every one of us will encounter. Many of us however who experience the death of a parent are not prepared for the ensuing pain and grief. Even those of us who’s elderly parents have gone through a lengthy end-of-life journey with an “expected” death, are struck by grief, loneliness, and a sense of being “orphaned” at the passing away of a mother or father. The Rev Dr. Richard Gilbert has created a compassionate guide for those bereaved and struggling with the loss of a parent. This book is equally bennificial for those who are involved with hospital chaplancy, hospice chaplaincy and other pastoral care professionals who minister to families working through the loss of a parent.

Rev. Richard Gilbert
Gilbert, who has numerous years of experience as a hospital chaplain, author, and presenter, provides people with words in a time when they feel loss, inspiring them to look within for strength beyond themselves. Gilbert encourages the bereaved to heal through faith in a “Holy Presence” that is very real inside us all.

A bereaved reviewer wrote:
“I am only two chapters into this book and already it has been such a help to me. So many things have been discussed about the emotions I have… A part of me is gone. Life will never be the same but he has helped me to understand that the feelings I have are normal. A great book for someone who has lost a loved one.”

Gilbert’s warm, empathetic approach and expertise in grief and bereavement, makes Finding Your Way After Your Parent Dies a valuable resource for those who have lost a parent and by those who minister to them.

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Rev. Michael Callahan
Executive Director,
The Pastoral Care Resource Center
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Pastor volunteers to serve as chaplain to police

Written by Chris Sholly

TPCRC Newswire

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Staff Writer
Lebanon Daily News

CAMPBELLTOWN — South Londonderry Township supervisors have approved a police-chaplain policy and accepted the volunteer services of a local minister.

The Rev. Dan Travis, pastor of Palmyra Grace Brethren Church, Airport Road, offered his services to the police department.

Township manager Thomas Ernharth said last year the police department sent a letter to residents looking for volunteers to help with some police functions. The 55-year-old Travis was the only one who responded. Police Chief Jeffrey Arnold and Ernharth developed a policy to set the chaplain’s appointment and duties.
Travis said he has been pastor of the local church for the past two years.

“One of the things I always wanted to do is to find a way to integrate into the community. It’s one way for me to get to know the area and the people in need at the same time,” he said.

Travis said he has experience as a chaplain at a college and has been involved with planning boards in other states.
In a letter to the township, he said his two great passions are teaching the Scriptures and leading tours to the Holy Land. He described part of his role as police chaplain to help people who are going through traumatic situations and to help police officers with any issues they may have.

He said he hopes to make a difference in the community, and through Scripture, give people hope for the future.
“Integration into the community is the key for me,” he added.

Travis has been a pastor for 22 years and has lived in Iowa, California and Georgia. He and his wife, Joanne, have two grown children and moved here in the fall of 2005.

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Volunteer chaplain serves double duty at Fire Station 46 in Arlington

Written by Gale Fiege

TPCRC Newswire

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Herald Writer

Arlington, -- The aromas of halibut in cream sauce and garlic mashed potatoes drew Capt. Scott Hillis into the kitchen at Fire Station 46 for a taste test.

On a recent Monday evening, Kelly Penny was cooking supper for the B shift firefighters at the station, and Hillis and his crew were eagerly waiting for the call to come to the table.

Penny is the leader of Support 46, a group of seven volunteer chaplains who work alongside north Snohomish County fire crews, emergency medical technicians and police. Support 46 helps the victims of house fires, car accidents and other disasters.

Cooking at the fire station isn't part of the expected duties of a chaplain. Being part of the dinner rotation with the B shift is simply a matter of sharing a friendship with the crew.

"Kelly is awesome, and we can't say enough good things about her. We get out there to save lives and she comes in to help the families," Hillis said. "And she's there for us to talk to when our work gets tough, when a child doesn't make it."

The community relations manager at Cascade Valley Hospital, Penny, 35, has volunteered with Support 46 for about three years.