ATLANTA – Sometimes Laura Mannes wishes she could fix the pain, grief and suffering that she encounters each day as a chaplain. Then she reminds herself of her mission.

"I have to realize that I am a human ‘being’ and not a human ‘doing’ and that sometimes sitting on the ash heap being beside someone is the most powerful care one can give," said Mannes, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship endorsed chaplain at Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Mannes, a graduate of Fellowship partner school Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, fulfills her mission by caring for patients and family members when they face new diagnoses, end-of-life decisions, spiritual and emotional distress or death. Often that care involves connecting patients and their families to their faith communities.

Recently Mannes responded to a call for an emergency room patient who was not responding to treatments. Mannes helped facilitate the family’s discussion as they confronted end-of-life decisions regarding their mother’s care and ultimately decided to follow their mother’s wishes by foregoing life support.

The family shared with Mannes that their mother found joy in singing. So Mannes led the family in song and prayer at their mother’s bed side. As they sang a benediction hymn, their mother died.

"It was a very holy moment, one that you knew and felt God’s presence in that room," Mannes said." That room was a sacred place at that moment."

Mannes believes that death is not a taboo subject and no longer fears it like she did as a child.

"Jesus talked about his impending death with his disciples, and his disciples had trouble with it," Mannes said. "I think that is the way it is today – many individuals have trouble with it – but I see death as part of life. I do not see it as an end, but another beginning to life eternally with God."

Mannes did not grow up in church, but started attending a church as a teenager when a friend invited her. Her background gives her insight into patients or families who do not belong to a church or came to know Christ later in life, she said.

For Mannes, a prayer by Teresa of Avila inspires her to be the presence of Christ to others. One line states, "God of love, help us to remember that Christ has no body now on earth but ours, no hands but ours, no feet but ours."

"I believe that being present with others and being that reminder of Christ on earth is what my ministry is all about," Mannes said.

In addition to her work with patients and families, Mannes mentors chaplain residents and interns and confronts ethical challenges as a member of the hospital’s ethics committee. As a participant in interdisciplinary care rounds, Mannes collaborates with a nurse, social worker, physician and dietician to care for patients’ physical, spiritual and emotional needs.

She also ministers to staff and conducts a "Blessing of the Hands" ritual to remind staff members "that their hands are a tool of healing by bringing touch and comfort to the patient, and that what they do is a calling, not just a job," she said.

Mannes said she sought endorsement from CBF because of the organization’s emphasis on relationships. Endorsement, an official declaration by the Fellowship that a person is in good standing as a minister, is often necessary for certification and employment.

"I have found CBF to be a family and relationship-oriented which is one of the most important things I need in nurturing my spirit," Mannes said. "George Pickle (CBF’s specialist for chaplaincy and pastoral counseling) has been a comfort and one of my chaplains when I have needed a chaplain. Endorsement to me is about relationship, being connected, and being accountable to the gifts and graces that God has given me."

To learn about endorsement with CBF or to locate a CBF-endorsed chaplain, contact Pickle at gpickle@thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.