The Rev. Harper Turney is a bit of a trail-blazer. When she became chaplain for clergy spouses in the Diocese of Ohio, she said, "We didn't have any model."
The job has grown to encompass ministry to all clergy family members and to include a second chaplain, the Rev. Elizabeth Kelly. Other diocesan staff work specifically with youth.
"I'm available to any clergy spouse or family member calling me at any time," said Turney, who also is rector of St. Andrew, Mentor. "The idea really is that we are there first of all to listen. ... It can be a call out of desperation. It can be a call for information."
"It runs the gamut of very simple conversation to really working on tough domestic issues," she said. Often just talking will clarify the next step for people, be it discussing something with a spouse or contacting the bishop, she said.
"I think we as clergy families, no matter what member of the family we are, put expectations on ourselves as families that are very tough to achieve and to stick by all the time. It's not so much that, I think, it's spiritual pride as it is that we don't want to fail God or our parishes or our families or ourselves. And so I think that clergy have some of the hardest times reaching out for help."
Talking to the chaplain can make that first, difficult step a little easier.
"I listen and I ask questions and I keep confidences strictly, and I point people toward the best help," Turney concluded.
