From Maggie Johnson:

Beloved Shallowford families, 

Part of this seminary journey of mine means participating in a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. This is an internship as a chaplain. It is a requirement for ordination in the PC(USA), but it is also an amazing opportunity to deepen my understanding of pastoral care both in and outside of the Church. 

This summer, I will complete a CPE unit at Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute. I will work M-F in the hospital from 8:30-5:30pm. It will be a very different summer than I have ever had, as most of my summers have been spent packing a suitcase and traveling from trip to trip with youth groups. However, I am excited about this opportunity. Excited, nervous, ready, and aware of all that is to come this summer. With that being said, I wanted to answer a couple of questions you might have: 

Will we see Maggie at Shallowford at all this summer? Yes! I will be present on Sunday mornings and in worship periodically. Sundays will also be when I reply to all emails and send out newsletters, communication, etc. Otherwise, I will be sporadically checking my email as my schedule allows. 

What does this mean for youth this summer? Luckily, Shallowford has a fantastic team that is bigger than just me. (Thanks be to God!) Rev. Bradley Kibler will be leading the youth trips faithfully. I will be praying for you all while you are away.

What happens after Maggie’s chaplaincy internship? I am particularly thankful to say that I will still be your youth director for the 2023-2024 academic year and will kick off with you all in the fall!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you, Shallowford, for allowing me some space this summer to grow in my pastoral care abilities. I can’t wait to be back “in full swing” with you all this fall! 

Gratefully,
Maggie

From Rev. Bradley Kibler:

Shallowford Youth and Families,

I am pumped to join you all this summer for our summer trips and support Maggie as she completes her chaplaincy internship. She will be using her physical, emotional, and spiritual energy in a whole new way, and I can’t wait to see how she grows and hear about all she learns!

How can you support Maggie?

    • Be patient and flexible with her! Maggie’s SPC work day will be Sundays; please do not expect an email response from her until Sunday. 
    • Feed her! Let’s support Maggie by being sure her belly is full all summer! Please take a moment to sign up to bring her dinner–https://takethemameal.com/DNDC5681.
  • Pray for her! Chaplaincy has been known to be one of the most difficult ordination requirements because of its intensity, so please keep her in your prayers and find ways to encourage her when you see her!

We will welcome her back to her total capacity in the middle of August! Go, Maggie, Go!

With joy,

Rev. Bradley Kibler
Associate Pastor for Congregational Vitality