The Heart of a Great Chaplain and Manager: Honoring a Colleague

I have had the blessing of working for and with Rev. Dr. Terry Wilson at my current place of employment for almost 17 years. He was instrumental in the movement to my current hospital and I will be forever grateful that he invited me to join the chaplain staff in the sacred and human work of hospital chaplaincy. I have told him, on numerous occasions that he is one of the most “patient” and “longsuffering” chaplains/minsters that I have ever known; probably the most if I had to decide definitively. I wanted to acknowledge Terry’s patience towards patients and families, hospital staff, the chaplain staff, and me. I have asked him how he is able to be so very patient and almost always he has never answered me. I get it. It’s part of his soul and his being. It’s obviously from his own gifts and God’s gifts.

Let me share a brief portion of scripture (Colossians 1:9-14) which captures it all:
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Verse 11 is the key and heart of Terry: “…so that you may have great endurance and patience.” God provides the power to ensure ‘great endurance and patience.’” Thank you, Terry, for your steadfastness towards patients in need and families in distress during your 23 years at MUSC. God’s power at work in you has given patients, families, staff, and me, the time and space to grow into what God would want. We are on God’s clock for sure and most of us need all the patience we can find! May your days in retirement continue to empower you to help people and give you joy everlasting.