REV. PAUL STEINKE CPE FUND

Paul D. Steinke (pictured far left) composed poetry, paddled rivers in a kayak, became an ACPE Educator Emeritus, served as a licensed professional counselor at Mental Health Services of the Roanoke Valley, wrote about providing spiritual care to the elderly, loves Jack Russell Terriers, is immensely proud of the accomplishments of his children, David, Jonathan, and Darcy. Paul is absorbed in bluegrass music and added meaningful poems at the end of his CPE student evaluations. His last full-time position as chaplain and educator was eleven years at Bellevue Hospital Center, the city hospital of New York. That last role was not an accident. It combined his passions for teaching and caring for the less fortunate.

 

Rev. Steinke was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 1961, after which he was a parish pastor for 10 years. He left the parish and went to Norwich State Hospital for a CPE residency. He followed that with two years of supervisory training at Philadelphia State Hospital, before taking his first job as a CPE supervisor at Mental Health Services in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1984 he became the Director of Pastoral Care at New York University Hospital where he served for 22 years before moving literally next door to Bellevue. 

 

Paul supervised countless seminary students and dozens of future CPE Educators. 

One of his requirements for his CPE students at Bellevue was that each one spent time on psychiatric units, serving New York’s most needy and troubled. He taught out of a deep faith in the human responsibility to care for others, as well as a deep faith in human goodness.

NIGHTLY WALKS

We walk the streets of San Francisco every night, attending to physical and mental needs, providing harm reduction as well as companionship to the people who fall between the cracks of San Francisco’s social services. The people we serve are marginalized and often go unacknowledged despite being members of our community.

CARE LINE

 

Every night, 8 pm – 4 am PT, the San Francisco Night Ministry Care Line is open. This is a multi-faith organization that is  spends time with absolutely anyone on any topic. We will talk and listen deeply without judgment. And, we are overseen by trained professionals in clinical therapy and suicide prevention.

COMMUNITY BUILDING

 

We build programs that welcome anyone who is honestly seeking community. We’re here to engage in mutual care, respect, and support regardless of your faith background or preference. Whether it’s a Tuesday Gathering, Guided Meditation, or Open Cathedral– whether it’s an area of interest for you or just something you are curious about and want to try, we want you to be here.

CLINICAL PASTORAL ED. (CPE)

We believe in the power of counter-cultural deeply compassionate and undivided presence. We’ve seen it support people for over 50 years, and we want to see this work continue well into the future. Clinical Pastoral Education is training in compassionate presence. Helping professionals from any walk of life can apply to our fully accredited ACPE program.