MISSION STATEMENT
Foundations CPE Center’s mission is to provide professional training in the Art of Spiritual Care.
VISION STATEMENT
Foundations CPE Center's vision is to provide
a robust education for learners in a variety of ministry contexts.
Through learning spiritual formation and integration, awareness of self and others, relational dynamics, spiritual care interventions, and professional development while recognizing that some religious traditions are more open and affirming of diverse populations of people than others.
Foundations CPE Center, LLC was born through the collegial relationship of the center faculty in the Winter of 2022. As conversations pursued that winter, a gap in spiritual care was recognized for those who desire to gain skills in the art of spiritual care ministry. The center faculty realized there were many people in the community, church, synagogue, mosque, and society already serving in various ministry settings. These folks desire to learn how to offer spiritual care, but they would need an innovative and creative means to acquire the skills. Thus, the center faculty held the first official meeting on Friday, January 6, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.
From that meeting, they concluded that a new CPE center offering flexibility and clinical creativity was needed. They noted that potential students faced challenges in finding programs that empowered them to learn through a CPE program while maintaining their jobs, caring for family, and attending to their personal needs. It was decided that a significant aspect of the new center was to provide students with a foundation in the art of spiritual care. With excitement, the name “Foundations CPE Center,” was agreed upon and the center was established.
Chaplain (Reverend) Robert A. Renix, M. Div., D.Min., ACPE Certified Educator, BCC, is from Memphis, TN and is a decorated US Army Persian Gulf War Veteran. He is ordained Baptist minister with the American Baptist Churches (ABC-USA) and is endorsed by the Alliance of Baptists. Robert is a Certified Educator with ACPE: The Standard for Education and Spiritual Care and serves on ACPE's Board of Directors since 2019. Chaplain Renix is a Board-Certified Chaplain with the National Association of Veteran Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC), and BCCI, an affiliate of the Association for Professional Chaplains (APC). In September 2014, Chaplain Renix became the first African American to serve as Director of Chaplain Service at Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington DC (District of Columbia), since the behavioral health hospital’s doors opened in 1855. Dr. Renix relocated to Dallas, TX to join the North Texas VA Health Care System's Chaplain Service in July 2022. He has served on the board of the National Alliance for Mental Illness’s DC Chapter (NAMI DC) in 2014, and as Board Vice President 2015-17. Robert served as the President of the Alliance of Baptists Board of Directors (2022-23). He holds a BA in Psychology from University of Memphis, Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Educational Leadership from Virginia Theological Seminary. His doctoral thesis is Welcoming Persons with Serious Mental Illness Into the Body of Christ, in which he developed a training to teach clergy and church members to access the skills at their disposal in caring for people with mental illness.
-
Provides foundational spiritual care skills for students to build upon
-
Clinical creativity (beyond the walls of a hospital) – (community building)
-
Flexibility for people who cannot do a brick-and-mortar program (social justice)
-
Making CPE accessible for people who are bi-vocational and may not meet the minimum requirements to participate in a traditional CPE program.
-
Curriculum focusing on spiritual care skills transferable to diverse settings.
-
Inclusive curriculum
We have a robust Board of Directors, Executive Director, and Professional Advisory Group team that spearheads our center’s administration and educational programming:
Board of Directors
The Rev. Danielle Buhuro, D.Min.
Sankofa CPE Center, LLC
Chicago, IL
The Rev. JoAnne Nelson, J.D., M.Div.
G.V. Montgomery VA
Jackson, MS
The Rev. Wallace R. Henry, III, Ed.D.
Pastor of Inner Light Ministries UCC
Washington D.C.
Odell C. Nickelberry, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Blue Cross Blue Shield Arkansas
Little Rock, AR
Raymond Taylor, Jr., MBA
Houston, TX
The Rev. Ardella Gibson, M.Div.
Serenity CPE Center, LLC
Chicago, IL
Professional Advisory Group
The Rev. Danielle Buhuro, D.Min.
Sankofa CPE Center, LLC
Chicago, IL
The Rev. JoAnne Nelson, J.D., M.Div.
G.V. Montgomery VA
Jackson, MS
Chaplain Thelma Lucas, M.A.
Catholic Chaplain Consultant
Saint Elizabeths Hospital
Washington D.C.
The Rev. Ardella Gibson, M.Div.
Serenity CPE Center, LLC
Chicago, IL
The Rev. Courtene’y Martin, M.Div.
Staff Chaplain VA North Texas Health Care System
Dallas, TX