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This study examined person-centered comforting communication among members of hospice interdisciplinary teams. Five teams were studied in one hospice organization. The results indicate that hospice team members employ sophisticated comforting strategies in responding to another team member who appears emotionally distressed. Training in hospice was negatively associated with person-centered comforting message strategies. Results from the analysis of survey items indicate that satisfaction with perceived comforting communication from other team members was positively related to satisfaction with the team's communication and evaluation of the team's success in accomplishing its tasks.

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Because of the importance of symbolism in religion, this study analyzes language use and storytelling in congregations of two religious denominations -Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) and the Southern Baptist Convention -in Southern Appalachia. Interest centers uponrecurrent themes, stories, and metaphors in church leader talk. Attention is given to the role such language plays in symbolizing organizational values. While study findings showmany similarities between the two denominations, fundamental differences in church values are illustrated through both qualitative and quantitative methods. This study emphasizes the importance of stories andmetaphors in understanding religious lifeand the usefulness of discourse analysis in research on religious organizations.Although some research has pointed to the importance of storytelling in organizations (Martin, 1982) and even in churches (McGuire, 1982;Darrand and Shupe, 1983), sociologists of religion have paid little systematic attention to this methodological tool. The purpose of this study is to examine two forms of symbolic discourse, stories and metaphors, in congregations of two Southern Appalachian religious organizations, the Church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee, and the Southern Baptist Convention. The data gathered for the study illustrate the significance of storytelling for understanding organizational experience within churches.

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