This is the story of a woman overcoming the odds to minister to a suffering community outside the church. The model of Spiritual Accompaniment, which she developed for her ministry, changed her own life, along with the lives of those with whom she ministered. For those experiencing a call to ministry and wondering where to go beyond ""the age of belief,"" here is a story that will inspire and point the way toward sharing a journey into belovedness. ""When the church equivocated in the early years of the AIDS crisis, Pat Hoffman boldly initiated a ministry with persons with AIDS, many of whom were wary of anything religious. This moving and poignant story of how her own life prepared her to gently join them on their journey may help all of us who serve the 'spiritual but not religious.'"" --Chris Glaser, activist, author, blogger ""In this rare and compelling testimony we, too, are 'summoned and shaped' by the sacred stories and soulful encounters of one who was called to work and serve with the AIDS-affected community. Hoffman's abiding passion and 'serene strength' for this ministry of spiritual accompaniment were propelled by the deep losses of marginalized, castigated, and grieving persons whose belovedness won her heart in profound ways that we should affirm and absorb with reverence and vocational purpose."" --Dean K. Thompson, President and Professor of Ministry Emeritus, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary With a history of grassroots advocacy, including supporting the United Farm Workers movement (Ministry of the Dispossessed: Learning from the Farm Worker Movement, 1987), Chaplain Pat Hoffman later championed a meaningful and spiritually compassionate response to AIDS (AIDS & the Sleeping Church, 1995). Pat and her husband, Cecil, live in Pasadena, California, where Pat continues to write from her heart.