It’s a morning like many in his 15-year career when the Rev. Dr. Allan Kramer-Moyer returns to his desk after meeting with his clinical pastoral education students at Phoebe Ministries in Allentown, Pa. But today he begins to think about his retirement in early September, and leaving the place he’s poured his heart into — and his eyes fill with tears.
In his time at Phoebe as vice president of pastoral care, Kramer-Moyer has worked tirelessly to develop innovations such as spiritual assessment, life review, Phoebe Dial-a-Prayer, the Phoebe Book of Prayer and a volunteer chaplain program. The list of his accomplishments goes on, but it can’t be written without mentioning his role in bringing an accredited clinical pastoral education (CPE) program to the organization.
Shortly after arriving at Phoebe in 1996, Kramer-Moyer cast a vision for what would become the thriving CPE program that exists there today. His drive? A desire to share the stories of Phoebe’s residents.
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“When I came here, I saw myself as a storyteller,” Kramer-Moyer says. “Now I see myself as a story evoker. Our residents have a great spiritual depth to them. I wanted to discover that spiritual richness.”
Now he also works to preserve his students’ stories by capturing their experiences on video and producing a collection called “CPE Tales.”
Since 1997, 150 students have completed the CPE program, going on to become ordained and licensed pastors, certified chaplains, parish nurses and lay visitors.
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| Rev. Allan Kramer-Moyer speaks with a resident at Phoebe Ministries. |
In fact, several of Phoebe’s current pastoral care staff members are graduates. Kramer-Moyer says that one of the most rewarding moments of his career was witnessing two of his students, the Rev. Corrine Dautrich and the Rev. Albert Martin, become board-certified chaplains at Phoebe Home.
The program has earned nothing but support from everyone involved. “The program fits right in with our serving others as a God-honoring organization,” says President and CEO Scott Stevenson. “There is so much benefit to the students, and it fits right in with our mission and vision. He has structured a very strong, well-run program.”
The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education agrees, recently reaccrediting the program with no notations. Reviewers for the association remarked that the CPE program is obviously an essential part of the Phoebe community.
As for its creator, his story is told through the hundreds of lives he’s touched at Phoebe. “I think people at Phoebe will remember Allan as someone who brought cheer into the room,” Stevenson says. “And his legacy here is that he built a five-star, top-notch program that we’re very proud of.”
For now, Kramer-Moyer looks forward to giving someone else the opportunity to take his work to the next level. And when it comes to serving others, he won’t miss a beat. Immediately following his departure from Phoebe on Sept. 6, he and his wife will embark on a mission trip with fellow CHHSM ministry Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Miss.
