Michael kindom Young Chaplain Found Challenges, a Home at Hospital

Hinsdale asking if he would consider a job as a chaplain there. He was interested, and the hiring process was very quick. By January, he and his family were on a plane from sunny California to Chicago, Illinois.

“The decision was fast, the move was fast, and we had to adjust very quickly,” Kindom said.

And his adjustments were just beginning. A few months after he started, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. His wife and daughter were isolating in their home, and they had virtually no contact with anyone. He was going to work every day, dealing with sickness and death and at the same time worried about bringing the disease home to his family.

Like many people in healthcare, he was exhausted, stressed and unsure what to do in the situation. Patients were dying, and everyone was worried about what was happening.

“During that time, I really asked myself: What about the mission has changed? And the answer was: Nothing,” he said. “For all of history, chaplains have ministered to people through all kinds of sicknesses and other challenges. I had to look back on the legacy of chaplaincy and gain strength from that.”

Kindom also gained strength from knowing he was part of a health care organization that reflected his own beliefs.

“Working at an Adventist, faith-based hospital has promoted and fostered my expression of my faith. It has helped me to express my faith more freely in all its various facets,” he said. “I truly believe that it has empowered me to be more pastoral than I probably could otherwise be.”

He has also realized that being a chaplain is about more than simply having faith. It is about being there for people in their times of need.

“My favorite Bible verse is Matthew 25:40: ‘I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’” Kindom said. The pandemic was a time of great service to God’s people. But even as the pandemic has eased, Kindom still finds inspiration in that verse.

“Chaplaincy is a ministry of presence,” he said.