Legendary comedian George Burns once said, “The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, and to have the two as close together as possible.”
Fear not. This is not a sermon but rather a summary (read “short”) of Sun Health’s Spiritual Life department created in 2015 to provide spiritual care, counsel, support and education to Sun Health residents, members, staff and the greater community.
Shortly after I was hired as the department’s director, Rev. Alrick Headley and Rabbi Jesse Charyn joined the team.
You’ll find us leading worship opportunities, communion services, Bible studies and Shabbat services at each of Sun Health’s Senior Living communities. We also plan and celebrate religious holidays. In addition, we provide general counseling and grief and loss counseling when people are facing death and dying.
We also offer numerous education and learning opportunities including book clubs and lectures on topics ranging from world religions, medical ethics instruction and the Hebrew language. We take interested residents on field trips to local religious sites, and we are planning an upcoming trip to Israel in April of 2019, led by Rabbi Jesse and me.
We’ve also worked hard to establish ties with local clergy and to invite the community to attend our events. On that note, I’d like to invite you to attend a World Religion Panel Discussion, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 26 at The Colonnade, 19116 N. Colonnade Way, Surprise. Representatives from several world religions will share their perspectives. To RSVP for the panel discussion, please call 623-207-1703.
