Reflections on the Rule

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“Hey, don’t be so scared to look around you and find God!”¹

Dr. Brandon Beck

Lay Chaplain, COHI

Monk, The OOOW

Theology Student, Brite Divinity School

In “God’s Time” (Feb/Mar 2011) Sr. Jeana Visel of The Sisters of Saint Benedict, Ferdinand, IN, writes about The Rule in today’s society. She says that the values Benedict teaches in The Rule are community, seeking God in prayer, care for the needy, and hospitality to others. Sr. Jeana offers a very valuable insight about these values in our modern era - especially for those of us who follow Benedict in the world rather than in vowed-cloistered communities. She says, “Hey, don’t be so scared to look around you and find God!”

As Community of Hope lay chaplains, community, seeking God in prayer, care for the needy, and hospitality to others are our essential goals as well. On every pastoral call, in every Circle of Care meeting, and even in representing COHI to the larger community, these four pillars guide us. Yet, when we read The Rule each day and reflect on Benedict’s words, the context for our reading and reflection is different today than it was the first time we read the Rule twenty years ago and different than it would have been for the monks who lived with Benedict 1500 years ago. What we read and how we reflect is different from the experience of Sr. Jeana and those cloistered in Indiana with her see and hear.

Still, across time and space, we all share community, seeking God in prayer, care for the needy, and hospitality to others.

Benedict and his original followers had to choose daily to turn toward God and away from self; Sr. Jeana and those cloistered in Ferdinand have to do the same. As COHI lay chaplains, we also choose to turn away from self and toward God daily. No one has ever said this is easy (or even that it’s easier for those cloistered or ordained!).

But, Sr. Jeana tells us something that speaks to us in this time and place: “Hey, don’t be so scared to look around you and find God!”

So often we get caught up in the procedures and rubrics and liturgies that we forget the people. We’re afraid of making a mistake, and we forget to look around. We lose God in the muddle of the human expectation.

If we trust in community, seek God in prayer, look at those for whom we care, and offer hospitality to all, we will find God in it all. And in finding God, the job does become easier and more rewarding.

“Hey, don’t be so scared to look around you and find God!”

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 ¹Sr. Jeana Visel, OSB, Ferdinand, IN, thedome.org

C of H Hospital Visit

Barbara Swesey

I’m sharing a story that has been another step in confirming that God is with me at all times.

I had been speaking with a lady at a company that has done some work for me.  Our conversations had taken place over a period of about 2 months. Early on she mentioned to me that she would be out of the office for a few days. In later conversations, she shared that she would be out to take her husband to his appointments at a local cancer treatment center. I could hear concern in her voice. I just asked if it would be ok if I prayed for her husband. She seemed so thankful for any extra prayers. I had never met this lady or her husband, so my prayers have been for “Joni’s husband.”

A couple of weeks ago, our Community of Hope group was scheduled to make visits at Baptist Hospital. We were led to the 4th floor and instructed how to introduce ourselves and left to walk down the halls and just select a room at random for what I would define as a “cold call.”

I walked down the hall and just chose a door. I was wearing a name tag, I knocked and was invited in with a soft “come in.” My first words were “I’m Barbara Swesey” and before I could explain my role as a lay clergy in training, this lady walked toward me with tears in her eyes, hugged me, and gave me her name … it was Joni.

I walked toward the patient in the bed to introduce myself, and he smiled and said “I know who you are.”

We had a very meaningful visit and I offered a prayer for both the husband and for Joni. We prayed for healing, comfort, and strength.

Call it a coincidence that I would have chosen that door out of all the doors on the 4th floor … but think again. On my way to the hospital that night, I prayed that God would help me with that night. I did not feel qualified to be talking to people I did not know. There is no doubt God answered my prayer. I learned you don’t have to be “qualified” – you just have to be present and care.

I have remained in touch with Joni and her husband through calls, text messages, and cards. I believe our sharing of our faith and friendship will continue. If you ever have doubts about what God is leading you to do … just ask and then listen.  He will send the answer.

Introducing Trinity's Pet Therapy Ministry

Janie Godbold- Trinity Episcopal Cathedral-Columbia SC

In her 1859 “Notes on Nursing,” Florence Nightingale wrote, “A small pet animal is often an excellent companion for the sick, for long chronic cases especially.” Today, the idea that human interactions with companion animals can result in physiological changes and psychological benefits is widely accepted. Did you know pet therapy visits can even lower your blood pressure?

Trinity Members Sherrerd Hartness and Rusty Miller are both members of our lay chaplain team. Sherrerd and his little dog Joujou and Rusty and his dog Lily (who thinks she is a little dog) have gone through the process of becoming registered pet therapy teams so that we can offer this service to our parishioners. Lily and Joujou are pictured here during a recent visit to the Columbia Police Department.

Grace Episcopal Church Holds Retreat at The Wings Retreat Center

Karen Murphy- Leadership Team Member and Training Coordinator-Gainesville GA

Grace Episcopal Church COHI recently held a day-long retreat at The Wings Retreat Center. Their COHI group had four new folks who had just completed training via Zoom through the S.E. Regional COHI training COHORT. They did their practice visits, had a period of discernment, and were ready to join the Grace COHI Center. 

The Leadership Team planned the following:

• Gather and Mingle (we all wore our name badges-badges as new folks had been ordered in advance).

• Opening Worship was contemplative with prayers, reflections, readings, and a period of silent meditation after each one.

• The group studied the Rule for the day using the 4 A’s method of getting into the text: What Assumptions do you think St. Benedict made? What do you Agree with? What do you want to Argue about? What do you Aspire to act on?

• We spent some time going around to “tell our stories” using jumping-off points to help keep it brief:

• What is your name?

• How did you come to Grace?

• What brought you to COHI? 

• What does community mean to you?

• Keeping this activity “brief” wound up taking a nice chunk of time. (Upon reflection- we all need more time to share our stories!)

• Since this is COHI’s 30th-year celebration, we watched the 19 min. video of COHI History by Helen Appelberg.

• Our priest Rev. Dr. Stuart Higginbotham was our guest speaker on community. He led us through a discussion on community and offered two ways to think about community: a Venn Diagram which separates some groups into the “them and us” or an image of nesting dolls using the concentric rings model where we all can accept each other as humans.

• Wildflower seed packets were distributed with a little reading about wildflowers growing in community.

• One of our members had ordered and picked up lunch for us and folks gathered as they wanted to outside or inside in small groups.

• Since we have four new members, we began some discussion about our Grace COHI Norms for this year.

• We closed with more contemplative prayers, taking a brief time to meditate after each one. We used The COHI Prayer, Blessing of the Hands, washing of hands, and a Survival Kit which is a baggy with scripture readings, a pencil to write your blessings each day, a pack of gum to stick to it when the going gets hard, or a rubber band to be flexible, etc.

We have signed our covenants and will recommission on Sunday, Sept. 8, in front of the congregation.

It felt like a great way to kick off our new year with our new folks as we continue building community!

Bishop Harmon Speaks at St. James UMC Retreat

Willie Bobo-Communication Chair-Little Rock

April 13, 2024 marked the second regional retreat for the COHI South Region since the pandemic. We were thrilled to have the newly ordained Episcopal Bishop for Arkansas, Bishop John Harmon, as our keynote speaker. His presence certainly contributed to our larger-than-expected attendance, and what a joy it was to have him! He wowed the audience with his message explaining "God is not nice. God is kind," and the difference between friendliness and friendship.

His speech was the talk of the community for weeks after the retreat. Along with his speech, Bishop Harmon presided over the Holy Eucharist and Healing and Blessing of the Hands services. The Reverend Greg Schick (St. James UMC) provided inspirational and energetic worship music to start our day, which set the tone for the rest of the retreat which proved to be the wonderful experience we all hoped it would be.