Rev. William Gaventa Awarded COMISS Medal (NJ UCEDD)
February 1, 2008
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| Rev. William Gaventa (NJ UCEDD) |
New Brunswick-The COMISS Network
The Network on
Ministry in Specialized Settings has awarded the Rev. William (Bill) C. Gaventa,
the prestigious COMISS Medal for his significant contribution to pastoral care
during thirty years of ministry in developmental disability. Rev. Gaventa is
associate professor of pediatrics, and director of Community and Congregational
Supports at the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities in the
Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School.
The honor recognizes Rev. Gaventa's
length and depth of contribution in this specialized field and his focus on
community and congregation. His creativity in taking Clinical Pastoral Education
"outside the walls of the hospital" and into community agencies such as The
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, was specifically noted by the selection
committee.
The COMISS Network is a national network on ministry with organizational membership representing pastoral care and counseling in virtually all specialized settings. The COMISS Medal is the organization's highest honor and Rev. Gaventa is only the fifth recipient of the award since its inception in 1988.
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| The COMISS medal is presented to Rev. Gaventa |
Rev. Gaventa, a minister of the American Baptist Church, served on
the Coordinating Council for COMISS' Dialogue '88, a conference in Minneapolis
in 1988 of several thousand pastoral care and counseling professionals, and he
was treasurer of the Coordinating Council for Dialogue '94 meeting in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Since its founding, Rev. Gaventa has been a representative to COMISS
Network from the Religion and Spirituality Division of the American Association
of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) (formerly
AAMR).
In his role at The Boggs Center, Rev. Gaventa works on community
supports, training for community services staff and workforce development,
initiatives in cultural competence, aging/end of life issues, supervision of a
program in Clinical Pastoral Education, and inclusive congregational supports.
He also coordinates a training and technical assistance team for the New Jersey
Self-Directed Supports Projects.
Before coming to New Jersey, he was
coordinator of Family Support for the Georgia Developmental Disabilities
Council. He moved to Georgia from New York, where he served as chaplain and
coordinator of Religious Services for the Monroe Developmental Center. He is a
graduate of Stetson University in Florida and Union Theological Seminary, New
York City. In volunteer roles, Rev. Gaventa has served as executive secretary
for the Religion and Spirituality Division of the AAIDD since 1985. He has
received both the Service Award and a Presidential Award from the
AAIDD.
Rev. Gaventa is editor of the Journal of Religion, Disability and
Health, editor of two newsletters, and a columnist for Insight, the national
newsletter of the ArcUSA. He also has authored journal articles, book chapters,
monographs, resource collections, booklets, and four edited books.
Rev. Gaventa lives in Belle Mead, NJ, with his wife, Beverly, a professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. His son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Sarah, live in Charlottesville, Virginia.
