{"id":47314,"date":"2024-12-20T08:30:50","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T13:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.presbyterianfoundation.org\/?p=47314"},"modified":"2025-01-06T12:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T17:28:09","slug":"jarvie-program-chaplain-completes-certificate-in-older-adult-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/resources\/news\/jarvie-program-chaplain-completes-certificate-in-older-adult-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"\uc790\ube44 \ud504\ub85c\uadf8\ub7a8 \uad70\ubaa9, \ub178\uc778 \uc0ac\uc5ed \uc790\uaca9\uc99d \uc218\ub8cc"},"content":{"rendered":"

\uc178\ub9ac S. \uac00\ub4dc\ub108 \ubaa9\uc0ac \uac00\uc785\u00a0\uc790\ube44 \ud504\ub85c\uadf8\ub7a8<\/a>\u00a0as its full-time chaplain on May 1, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was surging in long-term senior care facilities and beginning to make its wayinto cities across the nation.<\/p>\n

Although she\u2019d worked with older-adults as Associate Pastor of\u00a0\ub274\uc800\uc9c0 \uc8fc \uc6b0\ub4dc\ube0c\ub9ac\uc9c0 \uc81c\uc77c \uc7a5\ub85c \uad50\ud68c<\/a>, since 2010, this was her first foray into full-time chaplaincy and into older adult ministry.<\/p>\n

Gardner began working on an interim basis with the Jarvie program in the summer of 2019, and by that winter had resigned her associate pastor position. It felt like the right move, and a new calling in ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been around older adults, but I hadn’t really taken the time to understand what that stage means or what that stage could be in life because it wasn’t a stage that I had experienced,\u201d she said of her first years as Jarvie\u2019s chaplain.<\/p>\n

Established in 1934 as an elder-care program to provide social work services and financial support to elderly individuals in the New York City metropolitan region, the Jarvie program helps beneficiaries who meet certain qualifications as defined by James N. Jarvie, a lifelong Presbyterian who endowed the program.<\/p>\n

Despite the distancing and isolation required by pandemic precautions, Gardner worked diligently to reach out to Jarvie\u2019s beneficiaries, numbering up to 90 people at any given time. She called beneficiaries to check in on them and provide spiritual care. Before too long, she initiated bi-monthly journal based on the liturgical seasons and scripture as another means of connection.<\/p>\n

The impact of these journals is recognized by the administrative and social work staff of the Jarvie program, who say it is just one example of Shelley\u2019s compassionate care for beneficiaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese thought-provoking messages encourage reflection and foster meaningful discussions among beneficiaries,\u201d said Karen Appel, executive director for the Jarvie Program. \u201cThe feedback we receive is overwhelmingly positive, with many beneficiaries expressing appreciation for the inspiration and sense of connection these mailings bring. This outreach has become a cherished resource, offering spiritual encouragement and engagement even from a distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Gardner explored more ways to engage the elder beneficiaries as a chaplain, she realized the training she\u2019d received in seminary and during Clinical Pastoral Education (required as part of her education) was primarily geared toward serving people like her: people with families, those with children, and those in the middle stages of life.<\/p>\n

She discovered the Certificate in Older Adult Ministry<\/a> program at Columbia Theological Seminary\u2019s Center for Lifelong Learning and applied, \u201cso I could become better equipped to minister and serve and advocate for the Jarvie beneficiaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Created in the early 2000s in conjunction with the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network<\/a> (POAMN), the four course certificate program found its home at Columbia in 2014 as a residential program. Sue Erickson, former director of the program and a board member of POAMN, said Gardner\u2019s experience as working with older adults at Jarvie was different than many participants ministering in congregations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI invited her to speak from her context and help us understand,\u201d said Erickson. \u201cI said I think we can all learn from it, so her coursework did reflect that. And I appreciate how different the experience was for her to constantly make that translation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the certificate program, Gardner said she continually learned new things to bring into her work at Jarvie. Sometimes it was something seemingly small, such as ensuring the font size and style in her journal was appropriate for older eyes. Other times, the program caused her to better understand how receiving cards and phone calls was an important means of connection. She brought these insights into into her daily work.<\/p>\n

Now that COVID restrictions have eased, Gardner sees up to 15 beneficiaries in person each month in addition to regular phone and letter contact with many more.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning to age means accepting dependency with grace, that frailty can coexist with strengths, that someone who walks with great difficulty may have a strong voice, strong will and strong self-esteem,\u201d she says of key takeaways from certificate coursework on the process of aging. \u201cIt\u2019s important not to allow ageism to come into play or judge somebody by their mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another course taught Gardner how each season of life is marked by theological inquiry and how for many older adults, identity no longer presents itself as their vocation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you can return to the baptismal promise that your identity is in Christ and in in the grace of God,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to watch that play out in conversations with older adults.\u201d<\/p>\n

The work of spiritual care is integrated into the whole-person care provided to Jarvie beneficiaries and is an important part of the program\u2019s offering, Appel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe collaboration between Pastor Shelley and the Jarvie social work staff is a key element in ensuring the best possible outcomes for our beneficiaries,\u201d she said. \u201cBy working closely together, they integrate spiritual and social support, addressing both the emotional and practical needs of each beneficiary to provide holistic care and enhance their well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

This sentiment is echoed by those entrusted with seeing James N. Jarvie\u2019s vision continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving Shelley as a full-time presence at Jarvie represents our deep commitment to caring for the whole person,\u201d said Doug McArthur, previous chair of the Jarvie committee. \u201cHer role embodies our understanding that spiritual and emotional wellbeing are foundational to our beneficiaries\u2019 quality of life. By integrating spiritual care into our everyday services, we’re able to provide support that goes beyond physical needs to nurture hope, meaning, and connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ministry has been transformative for Gardner as well. Her dedication to building connections with and among Jarvie beneficiaries and their families, and learning how to better serve older adults, has encouraged her as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate the beneficiaries who welcomed me into their homes and welcome me into their lives,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir children know of me, and I know of them and, you know, it\u2019s been a wonderful bonding experience \u2013 a wonderful experience of faith.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rev. Shelley S. Gardner joined\u00a0the Jarvie program\u00a0as its full-time chaplain on May 1, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was surging in long-term senior care facilities and beginning to make its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":47459,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47314"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47472,"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47314\/revisions\/47472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presbyterianfoundation.louderstaging.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}