Tea For The Soul

Rev. Joseph Oloimooja

Tea for the Soul gives people a spiritual lift and relieves stress during difficult times.

It’s 5:00 a.m. when Mom and Dad enter the surgical waiting room to await news about their toddler. They sit, anxious and teary-eyed. Then suddenly someone brings them tea and freshly-baked cookies and sits with them just to talk. They feel calmer, comforted and uplifted.

The Tea for the Soul team performs the same comforting service for family members and caregivers throughout the medical canter. “We are there to hold their hands, pray with them and wipe away their tears,” says the Rev. Joseph “Chaplain Joe” Oloimooja, director of South Bay’s Spiritual Care Services department and creator of the Tea for the Soul program.

Tea for the Soul, the only program of its kind in the Southern California Region, reaches out to anyone who may need words of comfort during times of stress or sadness.

“We’ve seen many worried family members calm down after being served a hot cup of tea by a caring chaplain,” say members of the preoperative staff. The tea also regularly visits with employees to support them in their challenging work. “This is a great program,” says Jan Boyd, RN, executive director. “It adds a profound dimension to the care we provide.”

Rev. Oloimooja is pastor at Christ the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, a Board Certified Chaplain and holds Masters of Divinity degree from the International Theological Seminary in Los Angeles.

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