Last fall, Rev. Dr. Rebecca King, chaplain at Fairhaven Community, took her ministry a step further when she was approved as a board-certified chaplain through the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), a national nonprofit professional association.

She was the second United Church Homes chaplain to become certified through the APC after Rev. Dale Brown, chaplain at Trinity Community in Beavercreek, Ohio.

Rev. Becky was called to ministry with United Church Homes in March 2013, first as interim chaplain and then as the full-time chaplain in February 2014. She came to ministry after working as an optometrist in northwest Ohio.

In 2004, Rev. Becky saw a message in her church bulletin that asked, “If you could do anything in the world, what would you do?” She immediately thought, “I would be a full-time minister.” The thought did not just come and go; it stuck. In fact, it would not leave her alone.

After talking with friends and family and processing her call to ministry, it became clear to Rev. Becky that she should enter seminary.

Rev. Becky said UCH leadership demonstrated their commitment to staff development by lifting her up throughout her year-long process to become a board-certified chaplain.

The process is designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance and designate professional chaplains who demonstrate the knowledge essential to the practice of chaplaincy care, according to the APC.

Attendees of a UCH leadership summit in Columbus, Ohio, whistled and shouted their support when Rev. Becky called President and CEO Rev. Kenneth Daniel to share the good news in October.

Through the process, Rev. Becky had two mentors: Rev. John Cramton, a UCH Board member, and Rev. Greta Wagner, director of Pastoral Care CPE and supervisor of the Accredited Clinical Pastoral Education site at Trinity Community. They both reviewed the materials Rev. Becky wrote for her application to provide feedback.

Now, Rev. Becky is hoping to pay it forward by becoming a mentor to other UCH chaplains as they consider the process to become board-certified.