Church of God Chaplains Commission

Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 3/5/2010

Friday, March 5, 2010 at 2:56 pm

Choice Christian Greetings!

We are getting ready to dedicate, on May 22^nd, a one-million dollar (construction cost) comprehensive chaplaincy and care center located in the beautiful city of Oradea, Romania. The dream for this beautiful five-story facility came out of meetings from more than five years ago. Present in that meeting was Dr. Radu Tirle, now Senator and President of the Bihor Region of Romania; Reverend W.D. Watkins, who was at that time Senior Pastor of the Stratford Heights Church of God, Middletown, Ohio; a handful of Romanian leaders; and me. We envisioned a center that would do the following: provide medical services to the poor, benevolence goods in times of crisis, and chaplaincy training and development for Romanian pastors and laity. That dream has finally become a reality. We are already offering numerous services through this facility. At this celebration, we will honor those individuals who made this dream possible. They will include both Americans and Romanians. This indeed is a joint project, hands together, of our US chaplaincy leaders and ministers in Romania. You will be hearing much more about this and other special chaplaincy projects and programs.

News From the Fields

· Long-Term Pastoral Counselor, Dr. Lloyd Looney, Lawrenceville, Georgia, notes: “Pray for my father, George Looney, who was recently diagnosed with skin cancer. Also, pray for a pastor of a large non-denominational church, who is facing serious behavioral charges. I have a burden for pastors of all types, especially our Church of God pastors, who are dealing with many critical personal and family issues. This past month, I joined with the pastor of our own Lawrenceville Church of God, in delivering a series of messages giving focus to ‘Staying in Love.’ Following this series of messages, we had a couple’s retreat.

· Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Matthew Boyd, Alamogordo, New Mexico, just returned from a successful “ministry-filled” deployment. He informs us that he now has new orders for Lackland Air Force Base, Texas (San Antonio). His reporting date is April 30^th. Congratulations to Chaplain Boyd in that he recently was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his outstanding ministries while deployed to the Middle East. Send congratulatory notes to Chaplain Boyd at: Boydm@q.com

· We receive regular notes from Sergeant Edward Washington, Church of God minister/member, who is deployed to the Middle East with one of our National Guard units. Edward, is endorsed as “our” volunteer chaplain. He writes: “We are still receiving lots of incoming mortar rounds. The last one landed just a few yards from my housing area. As the rounds rained down on us, we made our way to the bunkers; I could hear the voices of some of my soldiers. Some were angry, many worried, and others sat in silence. During this ordeal, I had the opportunity to minister to one of our young female soldiers, 20 years of age, who was kneeling near me crying uncontrollably. As things calmed down, I gave her the opportunity to surrender her life to Christ. I am no fan of mortar rounds; but, if that is what it takes for one person to get closer to Christ, then I have to say, ‘It’s worth it.’”

· Church of God Campus Chaplaincy Ministries Coordinator, Chaplain John Unthank, Knoxville, Tennessee, has two very important tasks: First, he is a full-time Campus Chaplain at the University of Tennessee, which is a university of more than 40,000 students. In this role, he also serves as the Chair of all Campus Ministries for this large university. Secondly, Chaplain Unthank coordinates our campus chaplaincy ministries around the world. This includes ministries on many small and large university campuses; thousands of personal contacts with students, prayer booths on many campuses, Christian materials distributed to students, student worship events, and many other Christian campus services.

· Army Chaplain (LTC) Mickey Jett, currently deployed to Afghanistan, reports: “Continue to pray for our troops from many different nations; and especially for their families. Pray for Nabar, an Afghan Christian, who lives with the harsh reality of his dad being murdered simply because he was a Christian. This past week, Nabar was beat-up badly, but he loves Jesus.” Also this week, we learned that Chaplain Jett, in response to his outstanding ministries in his last command, was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Send your notes of congratulations to Chaplain Jett at: Mickey.jett@us.army.mil

· Community Service Chaplain Dale Lawley, Cordova, Alabama, reports: “In our Celebrate Recovery Ministries Program, we average 124 attendees monthly. This past month, five of those who participated in this program came to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Special Reports

· This first special report highlights the tremendous, but stressful, ministries of our military chaplains. Since September 11, 2001, Church of God Chaplains have experienced some 75 deployments. Of course, many of our chaplains have had multi-deployments, primarily to combat areas in the Middle East. I often ask myself the question, “Who is monitoring the stress level of our military chaplains and family members? And, who even cares that they are offering unselfish, sacrificial ministries to our sons and daughters in uniform?” One of those chaplains, my “Chaplain of the Week,” is Marine Chaplain Brian Jacobson, who recently completed an assignment with the Coast Guard, and is now with a Marine Unit at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Chaplain Jacobson reflects on the last five years of his “very intense military ministries.” He notes:

Sometimes, a chaplain feels his or her ministries are so intense that they just have to cry ‘Abba Father,’ and collapse at the Lord’s feet. For me, in my last assignment with the Coast Guard, in one way or another, I had to deal with 350 deaths of Coast Guard personnel, their family members, civilians, and their family members. Added to this heavy responsibility was the fact that my dear wife, Keersti, had multiple surgeries. Grief for military chaplains is sometimes compounded. The only rest that is significant is at the feet of our Lord. I did learn something in this heavy responsibility; ‘Grief is one of the by-products of love.’ The more we surrender ourselves to God, the deeper our grief. And, the deeper our grief becomes, the closer we get to our Jesus on the cross.

Thank God for our military chaplains! They experience multi-deployments to combat areas, separations from their families, leading hundreds of soldiers and family members to the Lord, and all the other difficult and wonderful things that come from these deployments. They have brought much honor to themselves, our church, their families, and most especially, the Lord Jesus Christ.

· In addition to our military chaplains, what about our clinical chaplains? They are constantly being pressured to bring more, and deeper, ministries to the dying AIDS victim, the mentally dysfunctional, and all the other patients and staff connected to these clinical services. You will find our chaplains in clinics, working in rape crisis intervention centers, and all the other areas that call for a high-level of professional training and unbelievable commitment. This week, we want to lift-up one of our many clinical chaplains, Mental Health Chaplain Dennis DuPont, Odenton, Maryland. As far as I know, Chaplain DuPont is our longest serving, ever, Church of God chaplain in this special clinical area. This week, he sent the following note:

My daily duties as a chaplain include group consultation sessions with patients, special duty of attending to deaths of patients and staff, and all the other services and ministries within our hospital arena. We have had staff members to lose husbands and fathers; and one nurse recently lost her 24-year-old niece during the delivery of her baby, a young woman that lived in West Africa. I spent an hour with this nurse as she unfolded and processed the shock; and, then asked for my prayers. Here I was, a “global chaplain,” ministering to someone grieving over a loved one thousands of miles away. In addition to these ministries, during the Martin Luther King celebrations, I was guest at the Washington Hebrew Sabbath Service that honored Dr. King. This was a congregation of a civil rights activist, Rabbi Heschel, who, in reflecting on his experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, stated, ‘When we marched to Selma, we were sanctified; I felt as if my feet were praying.’ I am grateful to be a part of this ministry. It is a tough duty, but I have been truly blessed and privileged.

It is so easy to take for granted our chaplains; just two of the thousands representing our church in the military, clinical centers, law enforcement agencies, jails and prisons, university campuses, and the list goes on and on. In fact, today we have chaplains in 41 different types of settings; even chaplains on the “backside” of the race tracks. But, let us not forget the tremendous burdens that these chaplains carry as they reach our sons and daughters. Chaplains are in the trenches attending to the deep needs of a broken society . . .if the Church of God only knew the great gifts that are embedded in these chaplains’ hearts.

Finally

In disaster relief language, chaplains are “immediate responders,” and not “first responders.” The “first responder” title during a disaster is given to the firemen, police, emergency personnel, and others that will attend to the physical and emotional needs during those first hours following a disaster. Shortly thereafter, however, chaplains join these first responder groups to offer other types of disaster response ministries, including counseling, helping to bury the dead, debriefing for those suffering with what is commonly called post-traumatic stress disorders, etc. We have seen this ministry in so many areas: during the hurricanes that ravaged Florida, as well as the surrounding states, Hurricane Katrina, the tsunamis in Indonesia and other places of the world, and most recently the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. One of our Disaster Response Chaplains, Chaplain Kathryn Schuck, Lanett, Alabama, recently returned to the streets of New Orleans, where she spent many weeks during and following Katrina. She reflects on this return visit:

As I made a trip back to the streets of New Orleans, in the heart of the French Quarter, the command of Romans 12:15 to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn became vivid. In 2005, I met a Cherokee lady while serving right after these disaster; we have since became good friends. I am thankful to report that, after much disaster response services and ministries, she is doing great. On this return trip, we spent a week with her visiting some of the areas where we had ministered previously and offered God’s grace to those on the streets. There, we met a 45-year-old former Pentecostal preacher, now broken-hearted and living on the streets, being used by pimps and lawbreakers. He clutched onto us as he lamented his story. We had the privilege of both praying with him and grieving with him. Our prayers were that God will now lift him out of this pit of hell that he has fallen into. As we reflect on these ministries in these areas that were ravaged by Katrina, our prayers go out for all those in the French Quarter and other areas of New Orleans.

There you have it; this is the impact of ourimmediate responders. They are the ones who have not only touched a broken city during a terrible disaster, but they have so embedded the images of those that live there that they must again and again return to proclaim the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for the thousands of full-time and volunteer chaplains who are involved in these ministries. Haiti and Chile alert us to the need for many more trained “immediate responder” chaplains.

Sincerely,

Robert D. Crick

Weekly Bible Verse

If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me and I would give you living water.

John 4:10 (NLV)

Contacts

Director, Dr. Robert D. Crick, cricksot@att.net

Full-time Chaplaincy, Dr. Jerry McNabb, jmcnabb@cogchaplains.com

Community Service Chaplaincy and Training, Dr. Jake Popejoy, jakepopejoy@aol.com

Public Relations and Recruitment, wroberson@cogchaplains.com

Special Projects, Reverend Tom Offutt, tomoffutt@att.net

Prayer and Family Care, Elaine Offutt, elaineoffutt@att.net

General Information, chapcm@cogchaplains.com

Web Site/Page: www.cogchaplains.com

RDC/als

Correspondence

Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 2/19/2010

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 11:52 am

Choice Christian Greetings!

All chaplains know that chaplaincy is about giving and receiving. And, most chaplains will admit it is easier to give than to receive from inmates, patients, military personnel, and all the others that we serve. Every day, those that we serve want to give something back to us. Please note, I am not referring to monetary gifts, but to those gifts that allow care recipients to feel as our equal. It may be the gift of their time, their story, or something that is a reminder of their life and experience. Receiving their “gifts” helps remove the stigma of feeling inferior to the caregiver. The following story, which is in a new book to be released shortly, The History, Theology, and Practice of Chaplaincy Ministries, illustrates this need to be receivers as well as givers. It is the story of a man who would not receive our offer of food and other support following Hurricane Ike before he gave us the “gift” of some of his unique experiences. Only after he shared with us could he then receive our support. The story goes along with the fact that patients, or others in crisis, may be sick, but not powerless. The integrity of all of us who are in need must be observed at all times. This is one of the core principles of chaplaincy. Their shared gift may be nothing more than their story, or some other common reality, but it puts them on equal ground with us. Otherwise, they are treated as superiors or subordinates. Jesus was masterful in making even the most, lowly sinner (at the point of His relationship with them) His equal. The story is as follows:

Following Hurricane Ike’s devastation in 2008, the Church of God Chaplains Commission sent a group of care responders to Houston, Texas. The storm swept through communities with rage and water levels that were unbelievable. At times the winds reached well over 125 miles per hour. In visiting the small community of San Leon, we had the privilege of walking down the street with our disaster response chaplains, visiting homes and talking to families whose entire belongings were in their yard, water-soaked beyond any further use. One gentleman, a rather rugged truck driver, first refused the meal we prepared for him and his family. But, after taking it, asked the question, “Would you like to see what the storm did to my home?” In other words, all he could give in return for our gifts were the emotions that he felt as he faced a possible death situation. With a note of personal pride, he showed us the watermarks, the damage to a recently purchased large TV, and the hole in the roof that he made in order to pull his wife from the raging waters. That was all he had to give; and, hopefully, we received his “gift” in a manner that affirmed his worth as he dealt with the crisis. Regardless of the gift, chaplains know that they must receive it with a sense of humility and grace. It may simply be their story, a smile, or in most cases, their deepest pain; but, nevertheless, it is a gift that if received properly, can lead to a much deeper relationship with those who we are called to serve. Chaplaincy is about giving and receiving.

Chaplaincy News

· Navy Chaplain (LT) Harry Hansen, Souda Bay, Crete, tells us that very shortly he will be reassigned to the USS Carter Hall, NAB Little Creek, Virginia. Upon leaving his recent assignment, he was awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

· Sheryl Walker, wife of Army Chaplain (LTC-P) Bryan Walker, sent us this recent note: “Thank you sincerely for the wonderful care packages that you made available to my family and to Bryan. The packages were filled with love and goodies. The kids and I celebrated Christmas, along with Bryan’s parents, and with Bryan by way of Skype (Bryan is deployed to Iraq). Through this electronic means, he got to talk to everyone, as well as see the kids open the presents.”

· What would we do without our Community Service Chaplains? We have trained, in many countries, more than 7,000 of these significant volunteers. Every day they touch the hearts of thousands around the world. One of those, Chaplain Jessie May Newman-Munson, McDonough, Georgia, reports that in one jail service five inmates came to the Lord. She also states, “We testified to many Haitians coming home by way of Fort Lauderdale. It seems as if God is putting these in our path for care and ministry.”

· Navy Chaplain (LT) Brian Jacobson, just completed a most successful three year tour with the Coast Guard and is now assigned with the Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Upon leaving, I sent Brian this note:

Your Chaplains Commission is so proud of you; knowing that you have just finished one of the toughest military chaplaincy ministries anywhere. You dealt with 350 deaths during a three-year period; sailors, many civilians, and their family members. Multiply this vast responsibility many times as every death means that you have to deal with the command, families, and all the others who are connected to this vast network. If anyone deserves rest, it is you. But here you are, going from the Coast Guard to the Marines. We have nothing but love and commendations for you and Keersti. Your story is one of passion, commitment, call, and a deep love for God, country, and most especially, your family. We wish you well in this new Marine assignment.

· Retired Parchman Penitentiary Prison Chaplain, Mississippi, Aaron Mize, sent us this note: “Continue to pray for us, especially my grandson, Richard Evans, who will be deploying shortly with the Tennessee Army National Guard, 278^th RCT, to Iraq. He is 23 years old, just got married, and we want him undergirded with chaplaincy prayers.”

· Prison Chaplaincy Director, Jackson, Mississippi, Chaplain Eugene Wigelsworth, informs us that his wife Florie, had a bad fall recently, but is recovering following surgery. Gene and Florie have been on this chaplaincy journey for more than 20 years dating back to Atlanta, where as a social worker, he packed up, came to seminary, and is now the Director of a statewide chaplaincy program.

· Chaplain Daniel Wessell, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, notes: “I continue to see a number of students through my pastoral care ministries. A number of faculty members come by for prayer and support. On this campus, with 2,000 students, we recently had three faculty members who lost parents.”

· Army Chaplain (CPT) Ismael Obed Serrano, deployed to Iraq, reports: “I recently conducted a baptismal service in which my battalion commander, 1^st Sergeant and Sergeant Major, all were baptized. I also led a footwashing service, with the lay leaders of our gospel service. I have the privilege of ministering to over 250 service members and civilians each week.”

· Army Chaplain (LTC) Mickey Jett, deployed to Afghanistan, notes: “It was a privilege to receive two letters from our General Overseer, Raymond Culpepper, thanking me and all of our chaplains for faithful service to God and country.”

· The following is a letter that I received from LTC Robert Ault, the Commander of Church of God Army Chaplain (CPT) Abraham Sarmiento, currently deployed to Afghanistan. The Colonel notes: “I just want you to know that Chaplain Sarmiento is currently deployed and doing well serving soldiers and making a difference. He is a valuable team member in a multi-functional aviation task-force of over 500 soldiers and civilians, with 40 army helicopters. He is doing great. We appreciate his efforts and spiritual guidance to the soldiers of this unit. Thank you for your prayers and support.”

Special Report

Local Church Chaplaincy Trainer, Chaplain Jack Smith, part of the chaplaincy ministries at the World Outreach Worship Center, Newport News, Virginia, just returned from Uganda. In summary, he sent the following report:

The training started at the church of the national overseer, with 194 attending our lay chaplaincy course. One lady, named Esther, had taken our training and now has a powerful prison ministry. In another setting, in meeting with General David, I was given the privilege of presenting our Local Church Chaplaincy as a model for the military. This will open many doors for chaplaincy ministries. On one military installation, Kakiri Barracks, we provided ministry to 132 soldiers and their family members. A little girl was brought to us with a racing heart beat and very high fever. Through prayer, she was healed. At the end of the training, we anointed and prayed over the entire group. In another chaplaincy training session, we had 102 in attendance. Again, an anointing took place during the graduation that empowered everyone. As part of this trip, our East African Church of God Bishop flew me to Yei, southern Sudan, to provide chaplaincy training for 58 pastors and leaders. We had to land at an airport with a dirt runway that is frequently invaded by goats and cattle. The training went well. As we left, I found out that a team was in the same area disarming land mines left over from the recent war. The last training was at Kampala Police Department. There, we had 39 in attendance. I am happy to report that during this trip we trained 525 pastors and laity for local church chaplaincy ministries. (If you are interested in a full report of Chaplain Smith’s unique international Local Church Ministries, you can contact him at: srchapjack@cox.net)

Finally

Chaplaincy, almost without exception, is a ministry that includes both “life” and “death” issues. I have learned in these many years of chaplaincy ministries that life isn’t always good and death isn’t always bad. One patient, who I had the privilege of ministering to during a six-month battle with cancer, noted at the conclusion of his journey that “During these six months, knowing that I was dying, I have had more significant ‘living’ than I had in my previous 62 years.” During this journey of his dying, he formed a new and deep relationship with his kids, his grandkids, his wife, his church, and all those others that were in on this significant six-month journey with him.

This story, with its deeper meaning, also tells us of a God who has a different time table than ours. He can make six months a “lifetime of good life and ministry.” Never underestimate God’s optimal moments; for, in just a few moments of time, a whole life of chaotic events and pain can be reconciled. Much of chaplaincy ministries simply allows God to break-in on our time-focused world, stops us dead in our tracks, and let us know that a moment with Him is more significant than a million years without Him. These moments normally appear as one, like in the story above, struggles to salvage a life of poor relationships and dysfunctionalities driven by human need to get somewhere, regardless of how much destruction we may cause to ourselves and to others. God’s timetable is not ours; a chaplaincy principle practiced everyday in hospitals, prisons, the military, and all those other places where God has allowed us to send Church of God chaplains with the good news of His grace and love.

Sincerely,

Robert D. Crick

Weekly Bible Verse

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)

Contacts

Director, Dr. Robert D. Crick, cricksot@att.net

Full-time Chaplaincy, Dr. Jerry McNabb, jmcnabb@cogchaplains.com

Community Service Chaplaincy and Training, Dr. Jake Popejoy, jakepopejoy@aol.com

Public Relations and Recruitment, wroberson@cogchaplains.com

Special Projects, Reverend Tom Offutt, tomoffutt@att.net

Prayer and Family Care, Elaine Offutt, elaineoffutt@att.net

General Information, chapcm@cogchaplains.com

Web Site/Page: www.cogchaplains.com

RDC/als

Correspondence

Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 2/11/2010

Friday, February 12, 2010 at 4:16 pm

Choice Christian Greetings!

One of our primary tasks in supporting more than 3,000 chaplains in 73 different countries is to ensure that they are strong and healthy – body, mind and spirit. These are difficult times; and often, chaplains, like our national workforce, are not asked to do just one job, but several jobs. Our nation is spiritually and economically unsettled with 10% unemployed and another 17% underemployed. Rather than hiring extra persons, employers are laying these extra burdens on their weakened workforce. Employees are willing to carry that extra burden for fear of losing their jobs. The question centers on what does this do to those workers, emotionally and spiritually?

Our chaplains tell us, almost across the board, they are doing a job that used to take two or more chaplains. For example, our military chaplains have experienced multiple deployments and lots of extra duties, which have put a tremendous burden, not only on the chaplain, but his/her family. One chaplain wrote this week that during his last three year assignment, his installation experienced 350 deaths, and the last one died as a result of the H1N1 virus. This young 18-year-old entered the hospital thinking he was dealing with the flu bug. When the chaplain visited the young man, the doctor was prepping him for amputation of his legs and arms. The chaplain wrote, “Maybe, fortunately, the Lord decided to take him just a few hours after they removed his legs.” Can you imagine what it would be like to deal with this many tragic situations? Multiply this responsibility many times as you consider the vast network of all those other individuals, commanders, fellow workers, and the family members connected to the deceased. That gives one an idea of the great demand that is placed upon our chaplains. Of course, personal and family concerns – as with anyone- still persist outside of job duties. In the case of this particular chaplain, his wife had multiple surgeries during his assignment, placing additional burdens upon him and his family.

Are we praying and supporting our chaplains and their families enough? That is the issue that I deal with everyday as your Director. They are under great stress, but carrying out amazing ministries. Keeping them strong is our number one task.

Military Chaplaincy Notes

· Army Chaplain (CPT) Neal Durham, Germany, notes: “I just got confirmation that we will be staying in Germany for another tour. We will be moving to Kaiserslautern to join a special troops battalion.”

· Army Chaplain (MAJ) David Santiago-Cruz, Germany, suffered and has fully recovered from heart surgery. He states, “Continue to pray for the families of three soldiers who were killed as a result of a helicopter crash. This has greatly affected our Stuttgart community. Army Chaplain (CPT) Barron Wester, was directly involved in helping at the scene of this accident. This month, I was privileged to conduct a Strong Bonds Retreat for couples; a retreat that took place in beautiful Garmisch, Germany.”

· Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Victor Pagan, Italy, states: “Pray for the family of one of our soldiers killed in action. On a joyful note, I recently had the privilege of holding a beautiful baby boy in my arms; a child, whose mother almost aborted him. After counseling with her, the Spirit convicted her not to proceed with those plans. To God be the glory!”

· Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Jonathan Hurt, San Antonio, Texas, just returned from a very successful ministry in Afghanistan. By the way, his home church, the Princeton Church of God, Princeton, West Virginia, pastored by his dad, Dr. Ray Hurt, gave tremendous support to Chaplain Hurt during this deployment with packages, Psalm 91 bandanas, devotional material and the like. Chaplain Hurt notes: “I am back at my home base; assigned to the Gospel Service. We are in the process of adopting another child and desire your prayers. The support that I received while I was deployed was unbelievable. The Church of God takes better care of its chaplains than any of the other endorsers that I have ever observed. As a chaplain in the Church of God, I feel supported, loved, and covered in prayers.”

· Navy Chaplain (CDR) David Gibson, Pensacola, Florida, was recently awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, in recognition of his outstanding ministries while serving as Director of Professional Development, Navy Chaplains School, Newport, Rhode Island. Among other citations in this significant award, it stated, “His inspirational leadership delivered a program that resulted in a Joint Chaplains Corps and Bureau of Medicine sponsorship in combat operational stress control and the associated family dynamics. His training products received high praise from the White House, Congress, and the Surgeon General, and they have had a global impact with attendees from the North Atlantic Treaty Organizational Countries and Japan.”

Institutional Chaplaincy Reports (Industries, Campus, Prisons, Hospitals, Etc)

· Prison Chaplain Joseph Miller, Newland, North Carolina, tells us that his daughter was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy, a mild, yet crippling form of muscular dystrophy. He states, “After much prayer, many tears and fears, and a whole lot of believing and trusting God, our daughter has been completely healed!!!”

· Juvenile Detention Center Chaplain Floyd Coffman, Fairfield, California, was recently given a commendation certificate in recognition of his “Outstanding Service to the Solano County Juvenile Detention Facility.”

· Nursing Home Chaplains Mike and Bonnie Francis, Centreville, Maryland, sent this testimony: “We give the Lord praise as He performed a miracle with a sister who is part of our ministry. The doctors told us and the family that there was no hope. After much prayer, she is now released from the hospital and witnessing to others.”

· Community Service Chaplain Reese Hamar, Huntsville, Alabama, is someone close to my heart. Back in the 1960s, I had the privilege of putting Reese through jump school and watching him develop as a Chaplain’s Assistant. After the military, Reese continued his outstanding achievements in business. In his last note, he asked us to pray for his wife Thea, who is suffering from carsonoid cancer. Chaplain Reese is also a good supporter of Army Chaplain (LTC) Mickey Jett’s ministries in Afghanistan; supporting him with packages of goods and devotional materials for his troops. Can you believe that this relationship with Reese Hamar goes back to some 40 years? May I note that this has been the strength and the reason for the success of our chaplaincy ministries? It is made up of deep, long, and abiding great relationships.

Chaplain of the Week

Chaplain Carl L. Adams, North Hampton, Ohio. Over the years, I have observed this Community Service Chaplain and the significant way by which he has reached thousands for Christ. Let me give you an example of his many ministries this past month. At the Clark County Jail, he had the privilege of ministering to 29 juveniles; one had declared himself totally “burned out” with religion. After several sessions with Chaplain Adams, the young man came back to the Lord and stated, “I feel so wonderful since God came back inside me; he has forgiven me and changed my life.” Even the staff has noted to Chaplain Adams how this man’s countenance is much more serene and peaceful. At the Mechanicsburg Jail, Chaplain Adams, during this month, told of a jail service, where four rowdy inmates tried to disturb the worship. But even in that disruption, an inmate made his way to the altar and wept his way into a new relationship with Christ. In addition to all the other ministries, Chaplain Adams just recently released his new book, “God Prints;” published January 19, 2010. The book contains true-life stories about God being in the midst of troubles and adversity. If you want additional information concerning this book or others written by Chaplain Adams, be advised they are listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Special Report

Prison Chaplain, Dr. Betty Standifer, Chattanooga, Tennessee, reports: “I am one of a team of ministers conducting a revival at our prison. I cover our women’s division. For three nights I preached to 100 women and staff. Each night many came to the altar. Eleven were saved and 78 rededicated themselves back to Christ. I asked the women to bring pictures of their children. During the service we prayed for the inmates and their children. I wish everyone could have seen the inmates holding the pictures of their children heavenward and crying out to God for their children…hundreds of children of all ages. The tears flowed; and I know God heard every prayer!”

Finally

I got many responses from you concerning my discussion of the therapeutic and spiritual process of going “down, in and ultimately up and out.” Most of you agreed that God is taking us, individually and denominationally, down deep into unchartered spiritual waters. Some of you related your own experiences of how your pain, sickness, and in one case, the loss of your employment, led you into a deeper dependency upon God. Many of you applied these experiences to the church today. That is, the church has to be taken down into the deep, dark waters of its soul before it rediscovers those cardinal doctrines that we use to not just quote, but believe. Such expressions as, “I am saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Spirit.” These doctrines were our spiritual compass. When that spiritual compass is misplaced or lost, even the smallest task seems insurmountable.

One chaplain wrote, “I have witnessed that the harder one grieves, the more one feels loved. In reality, I have come to believe that grief is one of the many by-products of love.” Another chaplain wrote, “God loves the church so much that He will intensify her pain until she once again discovers and practices the deep tenants of our Pentecostal faith.” So here again, down, in, and hopefully up and out. There will be no recovery until the pain has intensified, and we, the church, recognize and accept responsibility for our pain. We welcome your continued comments. I know of no group more qualified to speak to this matter than our chaplains, who spend their ministry life walking with persons whose lives are riddled with diseases and traumas, such as we witness in Haiti. Chaplains have learned that God does indeed take us deeper into our pain, and eventually, helps us to rediscover our true identity for ministry to a wounded world.

Sincerely,

Robert D. Crick

Weekly Bible Verse

That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to Him and never stop trusting Him.

Hebrews 4:14 (NLT)

Contacts

Director, Dr. Robert D. Crick, cricksot@att.net

Full-time Chaplaincy, Dr. Jerry McNabb, jmcnabb@cogchaplains.com

Community Service Chaplaincy and Training, Dr. Jake Popejoy, jakepopejoy@aol.com

Public Relations and Recruitment, wroberson@cogchaplains.com

Special Projects, Reverend Tom Offutt, tomoffutt@att.net

Prayer and Family Care, Elaine Offutt, elaineoffutt@att.net

General Information, chapcm@cogchaplains.com

Web Site/Page: www.cogchaplains.com

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Church of God Chaplains Commission

Ministering Beyond the Gates

Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 3/5/2010

Friday, March 5, 2010 at 2:56 pm

Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 2/19/2010

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 11:52 am

Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 2/11/2010

Friday, February 12, 2010 at 4:16 pm

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