We have stipends available for placement at:
Affinity Health Systems – a general hospital setting
Dodge Correctional Facility - a maximum security state prison
Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh - a community of services and housing for the elderly
Ministry opportunities at Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh include:
Long term relationships
Worship leadership
Small group spiritual programs (development and leadership)
Christian education for the older adult
Grief and loss
Ministry among those with chronic illness, dementia, stroke, and other sudden life altering health crisis
Ministry opportunities at Affinity Health System include:
A broad variety of patients from the Fox Valley Area
Specialty centers include: Cancer, Women and Family,
Cardiac, and Neurology
A rotation at Franciscan Care - nursing home
Shared responsibility for On-Call and the Emergency Room
Ministry Opportunities at Dodge Correctional Institution:
Inmate care and support including some work with family members
Learning to work with and within a secure facility
Community Outreach - Restorative Justice initiatives
Observing and contributing to existing treatment programs for inmates including anger management and offender treatment
Issues of faith, hope, worth, meaning, and family
Strengths of the Lutheran Homes Residency Program:
As a member of an established Pastoral Care Team the CPE resident will minister to staff, patient's (inmate and facility residents) family members, and patients while developing specialized skills for the particular setting.
The diversity of clinical settings adds richness to our ministry reflections and depth to the types of issues we regularly address. Justice, grief, tragic illness, loneliness, dementia, ethical conflicts, the implications of different ethnic backgrounds, societal attitudes, church life, faith, and practice.
The opportunity to become a significant part of a chaplaincy team.
We are the only place offering a year long residency in corrections. (Every one of our CPE residents who has completed the program and has also met the other requirements for certification and employment have been able to find positions as prison chaplains)
We are creative problem solvers. We have been able to provide training for a number of people needing to continue their ministry while pursuing clinical training
Challenges unique to this program:
Our students must operate independently
The student peer group meets twice a week and other opportunities for getting together are greatly limited
It requires intentionality to develop a sense of commonality
People come from a distance to meet (scheduling and time management are often concerns)
The Nitty Gritty
- To apply: send the standard application to Chaplain David Rumbold at Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh.
- The application fee of $25 must accompany the application to be considered. The application fee will be applied to the tuition costs of those who are accepted and participate in Lutheran Homes programs.
- Applications are reviewed when received and those passing the first review are invited to a round robin interview in May. Those who interview will be informed of the outcome of the interview before they leave on that date. This year's interviews will be held on May 20th!
- The tuition is $400 for the first unit and $150 for each subsequent unit for those working in our placements. Students using their own ministry settings for their clinical work are charged $400 for each unit.
- The stipend for the year long residency is $18,000. This includes two weeks of vacation time.
- CPE residents who do not have health coverage are eligible for a grant to purchase a basic health insurance policy for the year.
- Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh is in the community of Oshkosh, Wisconsin which sits on Lake Winnebago about 50 miles south of Green Bay and 80 miles north of Milwaukee. The surrounding area is known as the Fox Valley and is home to a number of universities and colleges as well as a minor league baseball team, the Timber Rattlers. The Fox Valley has a small town feel with all the convenience of a metropolitian area.
