Prepared to Serve The Chaplaincy Services Division of Baptist Community Ministries comprises 13 professional chaplains and one vice president. Each of these chaplains, including the vice presi- dent, is credentialed with professional status through a board certification process with either the Association of Profession- al Chaplains or the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Both organizations set high standards of qualifications which must be met before an individual is even allowed to apply for certification. The process may take six to 18 months and includes a list of 31 competencies which must be met through written essays and verbatims. Once the written portion of the application process is completed and submitted, he or she must then meet a committee of three to five professional chaplains to further demonstrate how the required competencies are met. After an individual successfully concludes the board certifi- cation process and is afforded professional status, he or she must maintain that status by completing 50 hours of continu- ing education each calendar year. Caring Across Faiths, Cultures and Crises Professional chaplains understand that no one is immune to crisis or trauma. Therefore, they dedicate themselves to providing the best possible spiritual care and emotional support to those in need — regardless of their circumstances, Chaplaincy Services Spiritual Care and Emotional Support Above, L to R: Rene Dorsey; Allen Mitchell; Jane Mauldin; Karen Heserot; Debra Guidroz; Joe Cull; Faith Berthey; Tina Balentine; June Wilder, BCM Vice President, Chaplaincy Services; Philip Peavey; Brian Cleveland; Barbara Duke; not pictured, David Watson and Royce Ballard “Our chaplains are willing to meet people where they are physically, emotionally and spiritually.” — June Wilder, DMin, BCC BCM Vice President, Chaplaincy Services faith, tradition or cultural background. They are willing to meet people where they are physically, emotionally and spir- itually. For this reason, BCM chaplains are assigned to several different venues across the New Orleans metropolitan area. • Chaplains Allen Mitchell and Barbara Duke serve at Children’s Hospital • Chaplain Jane Mauldin serves at Touro Infirmary • Chaplain Tina Balentine serves at Tulane Medical Center main campus and Lakeside Women’s Clinic in Metairie, LA 14