Chaplain completes WELS Chaplain Certificate program
As we all travel through life, we experience things differently from others. However, no matter what point we’re at, we can all be pointed back to the comfort that we all have in Jesus.
“Jesus’s love doesn’t change no matter what we are going through. Jesus goes with us no matter how much life hurts,” said Pastor Patrick Feldhus. Pastor Feldhus is a chaplain at Hope Residence and is also a Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM) coordinator in Minnesota.
Hope Residence, a ministry of The Lutheran Home Association (TLHA), is a disability housing community in Belle Plaine, Minn. Pastor Feldhus provide Bible studies, worship services, devotions, and personal visits for residents and team members. JCM assists congregations in developing outreach ministries for people with special needs, their families, and their communities.
Pastor Feldhus recently completed the WELS Chaplain Certificate offered by the WELS Chaplaincy Certification program in cooperation with Martin Luther College. To earn the certificate, he completed five classes including Communicating Forgiveness, Chaplaincy Issues and Fieldwork, and Geriatric and Care Facility Ministry.
“I learned that each situation is different,” he explained. “When dealing with people, I must understand where they are and how to comfort them in every type of situation.”
The program also allows chaplains to receive ongoing education and training opportunities so that they may enhance and increase their skill sets as they learn new insights for sharing the love of Christ with others. The program enhances the existing qualifications that a pastor has.
“It’s wonderful to see Pastor Feldhus taking the initiative to complete this program. Although he has on-the-job experience, this course was designed to enhance his existing qualifications and to help him to use his gifts to handle common situations that chaplains encounter,” explained Pastor Joel Gaertner, vice president of ministry.