To Be With Them: A Hospital Chaplain's Reflection of the Bedside Ministry to Terminally III and Dying People

The author, an ordained Lutheran pastor, reflects upon his experiencesas chaplain at a small hospital in southwestern Germany (Tropenklinik– Paul Lecher Krankenhaus, Tübingen). Besides itsexpertise in the treatment of tropical diseases this 100 + bedhospital serves as the referral hospital for terminally illand dying patients from the local University hospitals and thesurrounding area. The experiences at the bedside of such patientswith various denominational and religious backgrounds challengedthe chaplain to go beyond the confines of any fixed theologicalsystem or counseling technique. They made him to discover threeessentials as the very basis of such ministry, which he sharesin this article. He identifies these as (1) the necessity torealize the situation sober mindedly, (2) the desire to becomea companion, and (3) the venture of confident faith, where holdingon to any genuine perspective of life is deemed ridiculous.