Our team at Cumberland has experienced several lifecycle events in 2020. We grieved when several parents passed away, rejoiced when babies were born, celebrated the news of a pregnancy and worried about the global pandemic. As a group we have been filled with many emotions—sadness, grief, joy, and anxiety—and have leaned on each other during these trying times.
Supporting one another has strengthened our company, yet our leadership team knew we needed something more to take care of our employees’ mental and spiritual health. Recently we hired a Chaplain through Corporate Chaplains of America. Since none of us have worked with a Chaplain before we didn’t know what to expect or how our staff would react to having a person of faith in the office. This new hire made many of us nervous, but we felt strongly that we needed someone to help our employees grow and feel valued.
Chaplain Tim Offers Encouragement and Hope
Chaplain Tim’s sole purpose is to remind people they are loved, valued, cared for, and not alone. He focuses on building relationships with staff and operates with the mindset of “earning the right to be heard.” This means he engages in The Bible if someone is open to hearing about it. If someone doesn’t want to talk about Jesus, then he won’t talk about him. If someone wants to know which Bible verses can help with specific questions then he provides verses. Chaplain Tim wants to be invited into the story of our lives so he can provide personal encouragement, hope, and love through all life’s ups and downs.
We are at the beginning of our relationship with Chaplain Tim, but early feedback has been incredibly positive. As a steward of our organization, I hope this special relationship will fortify our team spiritually and personally which in turn will create unique growth within our company.
If you would like more information about Corporate Chaplains of America visit their website at https://chaplain.org/.