Today is Saturday and it was my last day of employment as a hospital chaplain. Tomorrow is Sunday and it will be a day marked by me being unemployed. However, Monday morning I will start my new job as a hospice chaplain.

In this post I simply want to reflect on going from a hospital chaplain to a hospice chaplain. In case you are not familiar with hospice, it’s a medical program for those whose disease has no cure so the focus shifts to end-of-life comfort for physical, emotional, social, and spiritual support for patients and their families.

I feel very good about leaving my current hospital chaplaincy position, because I am looking forward to my new work and admittedly, the hospital has been a grueling road. Chaplain work at this trauma hospital required more than I had initially anticipated. Just over two years ago I was asked to come to this hospital on a temporary commitment because of its staffing crises. I came from a sister hospital and while I did fall in love with the culture of active involvement of chaplains in acute patient care, my long-term goal was always to move to hospice care.

My 35+ year career has centered on serving as a church pastor, which I have for 8 churches in 2 states, but since 1990 I have always had my foot in a hospital as a PRN chaplain. In my mind, though, I have always had an interest in getting into full-time hospice chaplaincy, even considering it the role I wish to have as my retirement job.

Just over two years ago before coming to this current hospital, I laid out my goal to secure a hospice chaplain job within the county I was about to move to. It took me 26-months and three interviews to land a hospice chaplain position, but I have to admit, I didn’t know how much longer I could have held out at this hospital. The Lord’s timing of opening up a hospice chaplaincy opportunity couldn’t have been more perfect.

The physical demands of this multiple hospital campus and scheduling requirements that include weekends plus 16-hour overnight shifts were beginning to wear on me. The walking distance between the office to the ED to the separate specialty care hospitals, with close to 600 patient beds, meant an 8-hour shift felt more like an exhausting multiple laps walking around the Disney Parks.

The emotional demands probably have taken a lesser toll on me than the physical, but since it was a trauma hospital I got a daily first row seat to some of the most horrific accidents and blindsiding fatal diagnosis. A day rarely went by that I did not rub up against the impact of unexpected death and unexpected fatal disease, supporting patients and families in navigating their shock and weighty grief.

Allow me to be clear, I have no regrets for making this temporary assignment a full-time position and I don’t believe I ever complained about the difficulties or demands. I simply kept the burden of my heart, my pastoral calling, focused on God in prayer and trusting in Him to open the hospice position according to His timing, and He did.

I have always been committed to serve where the Lord has had me. I considered every day at the hospital an honor to serve the Kingdom of God. Each day began for me by focusing on the Lord and the opportunities that the day will bring according to His will. Each day began with a consciousness of Colossians 3:23 which says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

Now, I am so looking forward to pastoral care in the full-time context of hospice. I am looking forward to ministry focused on the end-of-life issues common for families. I am also looking forward to being able to invest a little more time with families for the sake of quality of life in the dying process.

At the hospital, part of my assignment was at the inpatient hospice unit. Patient’s who came to the inpatient hospice unit were only hours or days away from their last breath. Visits in the inpatient hospice unit were nearly always with just the family because patients were typically unresponsive by this point. So I am looking forward to opportunities to support families and patients who have months instead of just days of life expectancy.

It has been grueling but it has also been a promise fulfilled according to God’s timing, not mine, but He has come through. Two promises from Psalms come to mind as I reflect on this ending: Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart” and Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

And so… I am moving on from hospital chaplaincy to hospice chaplaincy.

I will miss the Spiritual Care team of chaplains and priests at the hospital I am leaving and hope we can remain in touch, especially through social media. I wish them all God’s leading and success in their goals. My heart is still with you all.

I am also anticipating a great deal of joy and fulfillment from my next adventure with hospice chaplaincy. Monday morning will find me excited and eager to embark on this new pastoral journey. I am ready to learn and am moving forward knowing the Lord’s leading has never left me disappointed.

Stay tuned, because I am sure I will be sharing more about this journey, soon.