Chaplain’s Corner

I first became interested in healthcare chaplaincy when I moved to the United States to attend Fuller Theological Seminary. Back in my home country, Kenya, clergy frequently provided pastoral care to the sick by visiting their church members in hospitals. While attending Fuller Theological Seminary, I learned that chaplaincy is a ministry outside the church context in places such as hospital settings. The school offered an information session on chaplaincy, and during the session, I could not help but wish that a chaplain had visited me and my family during times when we had someone sick in the hospital. After completing my seminary education, I chose to do the chaplaincy residency because it provided me with the opportunity to learn more about end-of-life issues, including other aspects of bioethics. 

– Rev. Charity Ngaruiya, PhD, BCC

Meet Rev. Charity Ngaruiya, PhD, BCC

Rev. Charity Ngaruiya serves as Presbyterian staff chaplain at LAC+USC Medical Center. She is a member of our presbytery and earned a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Biola University and a Masters of Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Furthermore, she also holds a Masters of Divinity from International Leadership University in Kenya. She is a board-certified chaplain and has been ordained specifically for chaplaincy service. 

LAC + USC Chaplaincy

This Chaplaincy at LAC+USC is made possible by your support through the Presbyteries of the Pacific, San Gabriel, San Fernando, and Los Ranchos and the Synod of Southern California. This consortium is the only Presbyterian chaplaincy that has been at the same location for over sixty years.

LAC + USC is the largest county hospital serving people in poverty and those without insurance, and absolutely no one is turned away.

Notable ministries of this chaplaincy are:

Blanket Ministries – Annual Christmas time event when all churches and women’s groups knit and distribute blankets to patients to help with healing and experience the love of Christ

Angel Interfaith Network – our partner that provides goods, services, and emergency needs 

Annual Burial of the Unclaimed Dead – a community of people from various organizations who honor the deceased whose remains were unclaimed

Other Chaplaincies

The presbytery has pastors serving in various chaplaincies throughout Southern California and Hawaii. Some serve in hospital settings, mental health facilities, and in the military. Our chaplains add to the rich diversity of our presbytery and help expand the presbytery’s reach of assisting those who need pastoral care.

RESOURCES:

Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies 

Military Chaplains Association

PCUSA Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel