proper  and  polite  to  explain  the  reason  for  the delay. For example,  “If you can wait a moment, I’ll  see  if  the  chaplain  is  available.  He’s  in  the chapel  complex.  ”  NOTE:  The  RP  should  check back regularly with the person on hold to ensure that  the  connection  is  not  broken. CRP  PLANNING The RP is often given numerous instructions on  planning  and  coordinating  the  Command Religious  Program  by  command  and  other  as- signed  chaplains.  It  is  extremely  important  for RPs to make reminder notes when instructions are given. This is especially true when instructions will not  be  carried  out  immediately. In the office of the chaplain, planning in sup- port  of  the  CRP  is  one  of  the  most  important functions  that  RPs  help  perform.  The  following two  sections  will  be  devoted  to  explaining  the  RP’s role   in   scheduling   appointments   and   CRP activities  for  the  office  of  the  chaplain. Scheduling Appointments The office of the chaplain receives numerous visitors and telephone calls during the course of any given day. These visits and calls are often in regard  to  making  appointments  to  see  a  chaplain. RPs are normally tasked by command chaplains to   coordinate   the   scheduling   of   these appointments. It is imperative that the RP keep an accurate appointment  schedule.  Appointments  should  be recorded  on  each  chaplain’s  desk  calendar  and scheduled  with  sufficient  time  between  sessions to   ensure   that   appointments   do   not   overlap. Figure  2-4  is  an  example  of  an  appointment calendar. Activity Calendars Command Religious Program chapel facilities are used for a multitude of religious, command, and civil activities. A chapel complex is used dur- ing  normal  duty  hours,  in  the  evenings,  and  on weekends.  Sound  management  practices  are needed to handle this tremendous amount of ac- tivity  to  ensure  that  there  are  no  conflicts  in scheduling. An  activity  calendar  such  as  the  one  shown in figure 2-5 should be prepared and maintained by  the  RP.  A  good  practice  is  to  have  three activity  calendars  prepared  (one  for  the  current month’s activities and one for each of the follow- ing  2  months).  It  is  not  uncommon  to  receive requests  to  schedule  meetings,  ceremonies,  and other activities a month or more in advance. Ac- tivity calendars should include four elements for every activity scheduled. They are: time of event, description of event, place of the event, and per- son responsible for coordination of the event. For routine recurring events such as regular weekly religious   services,   the   person   responsible   for coordination  purposes  is  not  needed  on  the calendar. It is advisable for the RP to make duplicate calendars  so  that  command  chaplains  will  have an  up-to-date  list  of  chapel  complex  activities. Also,  any  changes  in  scheduling  should  be  im- mediately made on the calendars to ensure that continuity  is  maintained. PRIVILEGED   COMMUNICATIONS Privileged communication is a technical legal term  which  is  defined  as  a  special  relationship  in- volving   a   spoken   or   written   communication between  two  or  more  persons.  This  relationship seals the confessor/counselor from releasing any information   derived   from   the   privileged   com- munication.  The  person  protected  is  referred  to as the penitent/counselee. Privileged communica- tion  includes  communication  between  a  person and  a  minister,  priest,  rabbi,  chaplain,  or Religious   Program   Specialist   in   special circumstances. Earlier  in  this  chapter,  it  was  discussed  on several  occasions  that  RPs  do  NOT  function  as chaplains  or  members  of  the  clergy  in  the  per- formance of their duties. It was also stated that personnel selected for the RP rating were limited to  performing  religious  program  tasks  which  do not   require   ordination   or   licensing.   However, because  of  the  nature  of  the  duties  that  RPs perform   and   their   unique   relationship   with chaplains,  there  will  undoubtedly  be  situations that arise in which the privileged communication statute also applies to RPs. Listed below are situa- tions in which the RP would probably be bound by  the  privileged  communication  statute: A service member approaches an RP in the barracks  for  the  primary  purpose  of  having  the RP  relay  information  concerning  a  personal problem  to  a  chaplain. 2-8