New Faces in Chaplaincy: January 2022

Chaplaincy and Care Ministry welcomes Don Shin and Micah Bruxvoort as endorsed chaplains for the Christian Reformed Church. Learn more about their work and ministry below!

Don Shin

My name is Dong S. Shin (a.k.a. Don Shin). I am a staff chaplain at Ascension St. Vincent’s hospital in Jacksonville, FL. I was born and raised in South Korea, ordained as a Presbyterian minister after finishing my M.Div. In 2002, I attended Calvin Theological Seminary for a Th.M., and then I moved to Illinois to spend fifteen years for my doctoral studies (ABD), church ministries, and social work. I started CPE in 2017, ended up with seven units of clinical training and current full-time chaplaincy. My wife Eun Suh is a sonographer working in Northwest Community Hospital in Palatine, IL, and my son Issac is a sophomore in high school there.

I like writing Reformed reflections on the books that I read, movies I watch, and clinical experiences I encounter. I am excited to be part of CRCNA Chaplaincy and Care Ministry since I have always felt that I am a Calvin scholar, pastor, and minister.

Micah Bruxvoort

My name is Micah Bruxvoort and I am grateful to be endorsed for chaplaincy ministry in the CRCNA. I have recently accepted a position at Children's of Alabama, serving the hematology and oncology patient population. My new colleagues at Children's are quick to inform me that I am not the first Christian Reformed chaplain to serve here; Rev. Mark Knoper, whom some of you know, preceded me. 

So what am I doing in Alabama? My wife and I moved here with our two kids so that she could accept an Assistant Professor position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Katia is an epidemiologist by trade and recently published the results of her COVID 19 research in the British Medical Journal. Prior to moving here, we lived in Sun Valley, California where I served Bethel Christian Reformed Church for 8 years as their pastor.

I completed my M.Div at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2007 and my residency at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in 2008. It's exciting to re-enter the world of chaplaincy and to be back in a pediatric setting.

Please pray for my ministry here in Birmingham, that God would work through me to bring hope and healing to children and their families.