Jackson Park Hospital
Since 2002, Hyde Park Union Church has provided spiritual care at Jackson Park Hospital (JPH), a community hospital treating an underserved population on the south side. At the suggestion of one our members, Dr. Georgia Lubben, we devoted part of the Lilly Pastoral Residency grant to develop a chaplaincy program at Jackson Park.

In 2010, Rev. Wesley Sun became the first Director of the Gilead Ministry to expand our role at JPH and to insure its continuation beyond the completion of the Lilly Grant. In the summer of 2013, Celeste Grace Groff became the Interim Director of the Gilead Ministry and of Spiritual Care at the hospital. In February 2014, Rev. Erma Croom became the second Director of the Gilead Ministry. She trains student interns, coordinates volunteer chaplains, meets and prays with staff and patients, serves on the Ethics and Customer Service Committees, and holds hospital wide prayer services and unit specific spirituality groups.

Gilead Auxiliary
In 2011, the Women’s Society at HPUC voted to become the Auxiliary for the Gilead Ministry at Jackson Park Hospital. The Gilead Director works with lay members in the Auxiliary to support the ministry at JPH. The Auxiliary organizes layettes for newborn infants, memory boxes for stillborn infants, magazines for waiting areas, Christmas caroling, and clothing donations. This formalizes the generous donations of time and resources that church members have contributed to the hospital ministry since its inception.

Want to Get Involved?
Anyone is welcome to join the Gilead Auxiliary and to volunteer their time and resources to support this ministry. If you are ministry student, Jackson Park is a great place to do a field placement or internship. Several students have completed units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Jackson Park.