Site Mission:

The Campbell-Stone retirement communities serve as advocates for older adults by providing housing, services, education and involvement in the community-at-large. We maintain an environment that enhances quality of life, encourages personal development and promotes mutual respect for all of its participants, staff, and other constituents.

About the Site:

Sponsored by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Georgia, Campbell-Stone is made up of two apartment complexes for the elderly with an emphasis on affordable housing. One apartment is in Buckhead, and the other is located in Sandy Springs. Persons of all faiths and ethnicities are welcome here. While the Buckhead area is often perceived as an upper class neighborhood, the 345 room apartment complex located in Buckhead has a heavy emphasis on affordable housing. The Sandy Springs apartment complex has 190 apartments, including one floor of Assisted Living. The average age of residents at the two complexes is 79.

Out of the 600 residents of the apartments, each student is assigned approximately sixty persons as their own "parish." Students meet the residents one-on-one throughout the year. Small group leadership is also a possibility. In the second semester, students have leadership in one worship setting and visit “parishioners” if they are in the hospital or a rehabilitation center. The site allows students to do their visitation on a fairly flexible schedule.

A Student's Perspective:

LaRonda says,

"As a chaplain intern, I was enriched by being able to provide meaningful companionship to elderly people while learning from their stories of life lived through seven, eight, and even nine decades. Although I have always been comfortable around senior citizens, I was challenged by the pastoral care aspects of serving as a chaplain intern at Campbell-Stone apartments. How do you give spiritual guidance to someone who has experienced so much more of life than you have? I learned that many of the residents merely wanted me to be present with them. They wanted me to listen to their health, family, or religious concerns and to engage them in spiritual practices such as reading passages from the Bible or praying.

One of my most transformative experiences came from discussing Scripture with someone who was suffering from a mental illness. She shared her strong desire to continue building her relationship with God. She did so in an articulate, intellectual, and engaging manner. Out of this conversation, I became keenly aware of the connection between vulnerability and spirituality, an awareness that will stay with me in my future ministry.

I encourage all incoming interns to seek new challenges as part of the Contextual Education experience. Be willing to propose projects or activities that will allow you to develop new strengths and areas of interest. Most importantly, be willing to interact with people of different backgrounds, religious traditions, and varying physical and mental capabilities."