Compassionate Bereavement Counselor with Chaplaincy Experience

Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Shanka Morris Sr.

Charlotte, NC 28205 704-***-**** ***.**.******.**@*****.***

PROFESSIONAL

SUMMARY

PASTORAL & HOSPICE

EXPERIENCE

Provided bedside spiritual care to patients in hospice, home and palliative care settings

• Supported families through anticipatory grief, legacy conversations, and bereavement

• Facilitated memorial services, prayer rituals, and spiritual reflections honoring diverse traditions

• Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to ensure holistic, patient- centered care

• Offered staff support through debriefings, prayer, and reflective listening

• Documented spiritual assessments and care plans in alignment with hospice protocols

With 25+ years of Pastoral Ministry experience, including chaplaincy, counseling, congregational leadership, and community engagement. Adept at providing emotional and spiritual support to patients and families during end-of-life transitions, offering presence, comfort, and guidance in moments of profound vulnerability. Skilled in grief care, ethical discernment, trauma-informed pastoral support, and interfaith ministry that honors diverse beliefs and cultural backgrounds. Committed to upholding dignity, fostering peace, and walking alongside individuals and families with empathy, respect, and unwavering spiritual care.

• Participate actively in interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings, collaborating with nurses, social workers, aides, and medical staff to ensure holistic, patient centered care.

• Document spiritual assessments, interventions, and outcomes in the electronic medical record (EMR) with clarity, accuracy, and compliance with hospice regulatory standards.

• Provided bedside spiritual care to patients in hospice, home and palliative care settings.

• Supported families through anticipatory grief, legacy conversations, and bereavement.

• Facilitated memorial services, prayer rituals, and spiritual reflections honoring diverse traditions

• Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to ensure holistic, patient- centered care

• Offered staff support through debriefings, prayer, and reflective listening

• Documented spiritual assessments and care plans in alignment with hospice protocols

WORK HISTORY

LEAD PASTOR 07/2014 to PRESENT

NorthDavidson A United Methodist Congregation Charlotte, NC 28205

• Provide pastoral counseling to individuals, couples, and families, offering spiritual guidance, emotional support, and biblically grounded wisdom during crises, transitions, grief, and personal discernment.

• Deliver chaplaincy care through hospital, home, and facility visits; provide prayer, presence, and support for the sick, shut in, and those facing end of life realities.

• Conduct comprehensive spiritual assessments for hospice patients and families, identifying beliefs, values, sources of meaning, and spiritual distress to inform individualized spiritual care plans. E M

3400 Winterfield Place Charlotte, North Carolina 28205

• Offer compassionate bedside ministry during end of life transitions, including prayer, scripture, rituals, and sacred presence that honors the patient’s spiritual tradition and cultural background.

• Provide anticipatory grief support to families and caregivers, helping them navigate emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges before and after the patient’s passing.

• Facilitate family meetings to support communication, resolve conflict, clarify goals of care, and promote emotional and spiritual well being during difficult decisions.

• Offer crisis intervention, trauma informed pastoral care, and immediate emotional stabilization for patients and families experiencing acute distress, fear, or spiritual struggle.

• Provide spiritual education and coping resources to caregivers, helping them manage stress, prevent burnout, and cultivate resilience during prolonged caregiving journeys.

• Share personal experiences and faith reflections to foster trust, deepen relationships, and inspire hope in ways that are pastoral, ethical, and culturally sensitive.

• Officiate special services such as weddings, wake keepings, funerals, baptisms, memorials, and nursing home worship services, ensuring each service is meaningful, inclusive, and spiritually grounded.

• Lead individual and group pastoral care sessions, peer support gatherings, workshops, retreats, and recovery focused activities that promote spiritual formation and holistic wellness.

• Preach and teach with theological depth and pastoral sensitivity, ensuring worship services are Spirit filled, inclusive, and rooted in Wesleyan tradition.

• Collaborate with hospice staff, ministry leaders, and community partners to strengthen outreach, discipleship, bereavement care, and spiritual support services.

• Support bereaved families through grief counseling, funeral planning, memorial services, funeral planning, and ongoing pastoral presence throughout the bereavement period.

• Build relationships with local clergy, faith communities, and cultural leaders to ensure patients and families have access to spiritual resources aligned with their traditions.

• Maintain confidentiality, ethical integrity, and professional boundaries in all pastoral counseling and chaplaincy interactions, adhering to HIPAA and hospice regulatory standards.

• Provide spiritual support and encouragement to hospice team members, fostering a culture of compassion, respect, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

• Educate individuals and families on coping strategies, self care practices, spiritual disciplines, and wellness tools to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and faith.

• Provide crisis intervention and trauma informed pastoral care during emergencies, losses, or congregational challenges. LEAD PASTOR 07/2000 to 07/2014

Spencer Memorial United Methodist Congregation Charlotte, NC 28205

• Duties are “Same as Above”

EDUCATION

PhD Candidate in General Psychology (Enrolled)

North Central University – San Diego, CA

Ordained Chaplain - Chaplaincy Ordination

Christian Chaplain & Coaching – Leesburg, GA

D.D. - Divinity – (Honorary)

Agape Bible College & Seminary - Gastonia, NC

MDiv - Divinity – (Graduated)

Hood Theological Seminary – Salisbury, NC

Includes coursework in Pastoral Counseling, Clinical Ministry, and Death & Dying Licensed in Pastoral Ministry Pastoral Ministry

Western NC Conference School for Local Pastors – Lake Junaluska, NC Bachelor - Business Administration

Cambridge International School of Business – Monrovia, Liberia

• Member The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC)

• Past President – Associate Members & Local Pastors, Western NC Conference

• Past National Treasurer – National Fellowship of AM&LP, United Methodist Church General Conference

• Former Executive Member – Board of Ordained Ministry, Western NC Conference, UMC

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PROFESSIONAL

AFFILIATIONS

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