NEICC SOCIAL FAMILY NIGHT PROGRAM

NEICC held its monthly halaqa gathering on Sep 7th, at Turkish Cultural Center, Clifton, NJ. Program started with evening prayer and then continued with potluck dinner with authentic foods from variety of cuisines.

Following dinner, Imam Eyup recited the Quran and then guest speaker Mrs. Aysenur Gumustekin, Chaplain for Morristown Medical Center, gave her speech on the subject of  “Perspectives of a Muslim Chaplain in Hospital settings”.  First, Mrs. Gumustekin informed how to be a Hospital Chaplain and corresponding studies, and then mentioned the serious shortage of Muslim Chaplains in Hospitals all over United States and invited audiences to this profession. She further explained the duties of Chaplains and inter-working with Chaplains from different schools of faiths in the hospital. Then, she talked about her experiences with patients and especially how patients’ initial “negative” reactions transformed, after her spending time with them by listening their problems/worries/concerns and then answering/addressing questions to her best abilities.

Overall, audiences showed a great interest to the subject and asked many questions and especially one audience indicated that this is a new topic/profession that she never heard of it prior to this event which was really reaction of most, if not all.