The Social, Intellectual, Physical, and Spiritual at Clermont Park

Posted: August 30, 2017

Brian Bortz and I were having lunch and talking about the work we are called to perform as chaplains at Clermont Park. We concluded that we have the best place to perform our work as spiritual caregivers. It is a place that looks and sounds very much like the first group who followed Jesus, 3000 people, by the way. Here is how it reads, listen for the Masterpiece Living principles of SIPS (attending to the areas of Social, Intellectual, Physical and Spiritual development):

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. … They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” (Acts 2:42, 45-47a)

Did you hear SIPS being practiced? They listened to teaching, Intellectual; they had fellowship and broke bread, Social; they prayed, Spiritual; and they got out of their homes made commitments to sell even their own possessions and met the needs of the poor, Physical.

This is what we do every day here at Clermont Park Life Plan Community. We learn at the College of Creative Life, we break bread and have fellowship with each other all the time in so many ways, we pray for one another and provide support during times of need. We reach out and are the hands and feet that meet the needs of our neighbors. Thank you for this gift and thank you for showing us all how to age successfully and finish well.

– by Mike Van Eps, a chaplain at Clermont Park, given at the graduation of Clermont College in August 2017