Baylor chaplains honor volunteer for service_81103

Posted: 8/8/03

Baylor chaplains honor volunteer for service

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS--Baylor University Medical Center chaplains honored a volunteer for completing the Baptist General Convention of Texas Hands-On Ministry training classes with praise and a certificate.

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Posted: 8/8/03

Baylor chaplains honor volunteer for service

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–Baylor University Medical Center chaplains honored a volunteer for completing the Baptist General Convention of Texas Hands-On Ministry training classes with praise and a certificate.

A group of about 20 chaplains gave a rousing round of applause as Chaplain Mike Mullender presented volunteer chaplain Dan Steerman with the certificate.

Steerman, who has volunteered for almost a year at the hospital, is an exemplary worker, Mullender said.

“Dan's the kind of guy who wants to help everyone,” said Mullender, a BGCT-endorsed chaplain. “He wants to please everyone. He is the perfect volunteer.”

Steerman credits the Hands-On courses, a 42-hour BGCT program that teaches the basics of the ministry, with helping him in the work. In addition to learning useful lessons, the courses inspired Steerman to continue the ministry.

“They were so interesting,” said Steerman, who works for the city of Dallas. “The speakers really brought the information and presented it in such a way that you wanted to do the work.”

God worked to enable him to attend the classes, said Steerman, who attends New World United Methodist Church in Garland. A friend invited him to take the training. His discipleship class voted to move their meetings from Thursday to Tuesday to allow him to get trained.

Steerman gets nervous before knocking on each door, he said. He is not sure how they are going to react to his presence, and several people have asked him to leave them alone.

But he compares it to playing golf. A person may make many bad shots, but one good shot motivates people to keep going. The same is true with chaplaincy, Steerman said. When he connects with people and meets spiritual needs, he feels he is doing God's work.

The chaplaincy skills he learned in the Hands-On courses have helped Steerman visit homebound people through a ministry in his church. This is a common result of the training, said Mullender, a speaker at the classes.

The classes have helped expand chaplaincy beyond the walls of the hospital, a need that has become increasingly in demand, according to Mullender.

“It helps to give a real solid base for training hospital and home visits,” he said. “Hands-On Ministry has been a way to enhance our volunteers. It's really helped.”

For more information about Hands-On Ministry, contact Reba Gram at (888) 311-3900 or [email protected].

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