Rev. Richard Ziglar was scheduled to stand here today to introduce his friend and colleague to receive this award, and laments that he cannot be here because his wife is ill. As the Regional Minister of Oklahoma, I am quite honored to stand in Richard’s place to present to you the recipient of the 2020 Alberta Z. Brown Distinguished Minister Award for Institutional Ministry.
The Rev. Dr. Jacob George is a Board Certified Chaplain and ACPE Educator, ordained and endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University and became a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains in 2002. He has worked in the field of health care chaplaincy for over 20 years.
Dr. George, recently named Director of Pastoral Care Service at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Okahoma, has been the staff chaplain and Clinical Pastoral Education program coordinator and supervisor at Hillcrest for almost twelve years. Under his leadership, Hillcrest’s CPE program has become a premier training center because he is a proactive advocate for his students and peers, always going the extra mile to selflessly help other chaplains in his community both professionally and personally. He has trained hundreds of chaplains to do the same in countless contexts ranging from the Multi-Faith Spiritual Counselor at the Family Safety Center in Tulsa to chaplaincy positions in United States military, the Cancer Treatment Center in Zion, Illinois, to sports chaplaincy positions for the U.S. Olympic team.
From teaching in rural communities of India and Nepal to his early years as a chaplain resident at Pine Rest Mental Health Services in Michigan, he has often found himself with the honor of offering respect and empathy amidst places of suffering and brokenness.
Dr. George served as a chaplain and director of Spiritual Care at Hospice of Green Country where he drove many miles in Northeast Oklahoma to provide comfort in the homes of many terminally ill patients in rural areas. He served as Chaplain and Pastoral Care Coordinator for the department of Hospice and Palliative Care at Saint Francis Health System, becoming the first non-Catholic chaplain to serve at St. Francis. Dr. George has also served as an ACPE supervisor at Veteran’s Hospital in Muskogee and as an adjunct faculty member at Phillips Theological Seminary. Throughout these calls, Dr. George’s inclusive compassion and his own personal experience in immigrating to this country from his native home of India have contributed to his incredible gift in flexibly providing support to families from diverse religious, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
In 2005, Dr. George travelled to Sri Lanka to provide disaster relief efforts for the month following the Tsunami. His presence here required him to step into the unknown, and required him to risk his own safety and comfort in a nation torn by civil war. Dr. George ministered to survivors, “who ended up being all at once victims, rescuers, grieving family members and search-and-recovery workers” and trained over 100 volunteers how to counsel people amidst grief.
In October of 2018, On the heels of Category 5 Hurricane Michael, Dr. George was deployed to Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart, Panama City, Florida to provide spiritual care and support to the staff and community. He arrived to discover the hospital operating with only a functioning ER to cater to the wide range of urgent needs from patients in the area.
Jacob met with staff in the command center and supported personnel and employees who had lost employment, income, and/or possessions from damaged or destroyed homes. He also toured the neighboring area and met with pastors from several congregations. When he realized an over-abundance of food had been donated to Bay Medical Center, Jacob contacted a local rescue mission to share this donation. Dr. George also ministered to responders from across the country, some who were injured while helping others in need. Realizing the sheer amount of time needed to travel back and forth between a hotel in another city after the damages, Dr. George instead chose to spend his time “camped out 24/7 in the hospital with cot and a curtain with a sign attached that simply read: CHAPLAIN”.
In 2019, Dr. George received the Power of One award from Hillcrest Medical Center, an honor that recognizes the outstanding commitment of a single employee in the Hillcrest Medical Center system, acknowledging his incredible dedication to his call as a chaplain at Hillcrest as well as his service in Panama City. Also in 2019, he received the 2019 Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Professional Chaplains.
He is an extraordinary chaplain who “goes above and beyond to care for their loved ones, community, employees, patients, and clients through the power of presence, listening, and prayer.”
In the midst of all he does as a chaplain and teacher, near and far, Dr. George takes the time to participate local clergy gatherings and Regional events in Oklahoma. And most importantly, he is a very proud father! He takes every opportunity to be present to, walk alongside, and care for his daughter, JoAnna, and they both cherish the life they share.
So it is with deep gratitude and great joy I present to you The Rev. Dr. Jacob George to receive the this year’s Alberta Z. Brown Distinguished Minister Award for Institutional Ministry. Congratulations, Dr. Jacob George!
Rev. Pamela Holt
Regional Minister
