Ora et Labora: A New Assignment

Today was a great day. It was my first official day as a community liaison/marketer for Affinity Hospice. I’m incredibly excited to be joining Affinity Hospice, particularly because of the significant milestone this role marks in my career.

For those interested, it’s story time.

A long, long time ago, I had what I thought was a novel idea. To support my calling as a bivocational, “tentmaking” pastor, I started a business serving aging and care-dependent adults throughout the Pittsburgh area. Despite having absolutely zero experience in home care or healthcare, I somehow managed — through sheer force of will — to figure out how to launch, market, and operate a fully licensed private duty home care agency.

To say it was a lot of work would be a massive understatement. Between managing the administrative side of the business, assisting with client needs when employees called off or needed extra help, and driving referral growth, I was rarely home. However, despite the challenges, that business — and the “baptism by fire” it provided — gave me precisely the experience I needed to discern my calling.

Eventually, I had to accept the reality that I could not continue managing that business alone while also serving a church and starting a family. I stepped away in search of professional growth and leveraged my education and background as a pastor and former military chaplain to enter the field of hospice care.

I accepted chaplain positions with one important caveat: I could not be confined solely to that role. Most chaplains understandably focus entirely on spiritual care. That is their calling. They are chaplains and chaplains only. I deeply respect that, but God clearly knit me together differently. In my mind, serving as a chaplain was my entry point into the field — not my only calling within it.

Over the years, I learned everything I could about the business side of hospice care. I even went back to school and earned an MBA to pair with my MDiv in order to strengthen my business credibility within the industry.

Eventually, the drive to officially transition into the business and growth side of hospice became too strong to ignore. I pursued opportunities within the company where I was already working, but the doors were not opening as I had hoped. At first, I became discouraged. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I hadn’t discerned my calling as clearly as I thought.

Then I started sharing my story and my passion for creating value with colleagues throughout the industry. To make a long story short, I quickly found myself in the unexpected position of choosing between multiple competing offers — and I’m still getting calls even now.

At the end of it all, I proudly chose to join the team at Affinity for several reasons.

First and foremost, I trust the people leading the Pittsburgh office. In my many conversations with their leadership team, I discerned a genuine desire to provide the highest quality care possible to patients and families in need. No games. No pressure tactics. No bait-and-switch. I truly believe Affinity Hospice is positioned to become a standard-bearer for quality hospice and palliative care in the Pittsburgh market.

Second, I’m excited about the opportunity itself. Affinity Hospice is still relatively new to the Pittsburgh market. They’ve established a strong foothold and are eager to continue growing. That’s where I fit in. I’m not stepping into market share someone else already built. I’m finally being given the opportunity to flex the entrepreneurial muscle within me that has been aching to stretch again. I’m excited to join a team eager to build something new, fresh, and potentially game-changing within the local hospice industry.

And finally, I’m simply excited to have fun at work again.

As you can imagine, hospice and palliative care is emotionally heavy work. It takes a deep toll on the people who serve within it. Yet in every conversation I had with the local Affinity team, one theme repeatedly surfaced: enjoying your work and finding joy alongside the people you serve with.

Case in point: tomorrow I’ll be helping put smiles on people’s faces with baby goats at a local nursing home. Honestly, that sounds like a pretty great way to spend the day.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for taking an interest in my professional journey. I’m incredibly grateful for the door God has opened through Affinity Hospice, and I’m excited for what comes next.

If you ever have questions about hospice or palliative care, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always happy to talk about it. It’s literally my job, now. :)

God bless.