Church of God Chaplains Commission

Church of God

Chaplains Commission

Weekly Update           27 Apr 2007

Choice Christian greetings!

Chaplaincy ministries offer hope to those in transition and crisis.  It is that brief prayer or the sharing of scripture while on an aircraft with troops who are getting ready for an airborne drop.  It is a short visit with an auto accident victim in the emergency room, knowing that the awaiting surgery may not save him/her.  Or, in the case of our prison chaplains, while visiting an inmate who is so violent that the guard tells you, “Chaplain, make it quick and move on.”  If a chaplain is looking for a routine, predictable ministry, he/she is probably out of place.  There are occasional times of permanency; but, watch out!  Here comes another crisis!  In a sense, that is why chaplaincy is so relevant in today’s world.  Do you know of anything today that is stable or predictable?  Is it your local church, the community where you live, or, your kids or grandkids?  Is there anyone in industry that can say with assurance, “I know my job is permanent; I will be able to spend the rest of my life here and retire with a good package?”  God expects us as Chaplains to deliver the very best on the run, in the middle of some local, regional or national disaster.  Our world is in transition. God is moving us toward that great day when “every knee will bow and every tongue will proclaim him to be Lord.  Only in Eternity will we find the permanency we all desire.   

VIRGINIA TECH AFTER-CRISES REFLECTIONS:

As a result of the Virginia Tech catastrophe, we have been alerted to the need to solidify, strengthen and promote our campus chaplaincy ministries at every level. We know now that no place is safe, not even the institutions we send our sons and daughters to be educated. We are all vulnerable. The incident at Virginia Tech also gives focus to our national mental health crisis.  Years ago, to save money, we decided to do away with most of our large hospitals for the mentally ill.  We dismantled these programs and began to send people to outpatient care, with little or no follow-up.  Therefore, many of those who in previous times received permanent residency and care are now on the streets.  You find many of them in our prison system.  In addition to our college campuses, we must have trained chaplains in the workplace, in every agency of our society and, if I had my way, even on the streets of our large cities.  Minimally, we must train our pastors and key lay persons to understand that, on a given Sunday morning, you have many individuals sitting on our pews with multiple problems and in need of professional care.  You cannot possibly understand this need unless you are trained.  This raises the bar for our community service chaplaincy courses.  State administrative bishops should take advantage of our chaplaincy courses in order to respond to the crises coming their way.  My commendations go to Dr. Michael Baker, State Administrative Bishop of Virginia.  Long before the Virginia Tech incident, he scheduled for ministers and laity several Basic and Advance Chaplaincy courses. When the Virginia Tech incident took place, he was able to call on numerous endorsed and trained chaplains.

Mental Health Chaplain Dennis DuPont, Odenton, Maryland, gives us this reflection concerning the need for chaplains with clinical training.  He states:  “This has, indeed, been a dark week for all of us who work with the mentally ill.  Following the Virginia Tech incident, I began to reflect on my call to this special ministry.  I was at Lee University, assigned as chaplain to Walker Hall.  We had two students who had emotional and mental problems.  On one occasion, I had to break them apart as they almost came to blows.  One was a Vietnam Veteran; the other was an ex-Marine who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.  As you can see, very early I felt a call to respond to these human needs.  Following the Virginia Tech incident, in my self-esteem group we debriefed each other on what it means to have mental illness, and our responsibility to respond to those who have these problems.  We talked about the lack of community, the missing support networks and the role of faith in caring for people before their problem results in a major catastrophe.  We must continue to be advocates of appropriate care for those with mental problems.”

For all of you who have been touched by the Virginia Tech incident, ask yourself the question, “Am I trained and ready to give good ministry response if a similar incident happened in my community?”  If the answer is no, please contact the Chaplains Commission and we will introduce you to the very best resources the Church has today to make you ready to be more than just an “observer.”

ANOTHER REASON FOR CHAPLAINCY TRAINING:

Long-term Law Enforcement Chaplain Roger Daniel, Cafee Junction Church of God, McCalla, Alabama, tells us why chaplaincy training is important for pastors and other leaders.  This is Chaplain Daniel’s accounting of an incident that happened as he was getting ready for his Easter Sunday morning service.  He notes:  “As we were preparing to begin our musical drama, one of the church members came to me and said, Randy Foster is in distress; he cannot breathe.  I rushed to the foyer to find Randy half-sitting, half-lying on a chair.  Another member who is a nurse was trying to help him breathe.  We immediately called 911. Other members of our congregation, one a respiration therapist, were doing CPR.  A few of our ladies were caring for Susan, Randy’s wife.  The emergency personnel were there within ten minutes.  They took Randy to one of our large medical centers. He was pronounced dead on arrival.  I gave the cast members some time to pray and reflect; and asked them if they wanted to cancel the drama.  They all wanted to go ahead with it.  They had a great service without me.  I was at the hospital ministering to this broken family. Randy was a great Christian man with a tremendous testimony.  At 10:40 a.m., he was sitting in the foyer of the church; at 10:50, he was walking through the vestibule of Heaven! 

I can say without doubt my chaplaincy training kicked in immediately.  One of my members told me later, I couldn’t believe how well you handled this situation.  I told her that years of experience and the best training on earth made the difference.  You can imagine the long details of taking care of Randy’s family, arranging for the funeral and helping a grieving church.  At the viewing for Randy’s funeral, I learned one of Susan’s friends had just received a phone call from her daughter, informing her that her husband, Gary, had been found dead in their home.  I thought, how could it be that two best friends would both lose their husbands just hours apart?  Here again, I had the opportunity to put into action my chaplaincy training.  I found Susan, took her to a private room and notified her of Gary’s death.  Surprisingly, her reaction was not as bad as I thought it would be.  Now, I had two unexpected deaths to deal with.  To myself, I whispered again, thank God for chaplaincy!  I relate this to your Update readers, not to toot my own horn, but to emphasize to everyone the importance of chaplaincy training in the life of a pastor.  I was able to minister with confidence, and I did a good job…and I know why.  I had been trained by the best.  You have never met Susan or Rhonda, but through you and the Chaplains Commission training, you have impacted their lives in a special manner.  Though they are unaware of it, God is not.”

In addition to being an endorsed law enforcement chaplain, Chaplain Daniel is also one of our certified chaplaincy trainers.  He will be teaching a law enforcement course in New York City during July 11-13, 2007.  If you are interested in receiving this training or participating in one of our other courses, please contact the Church of God Chaplains Commission, 423-478-7033, or visit our website:  www.cogchaplains.com.

OTHER CHAPLAINCY REPORTS:

1.      Army Chaplain (CPT) Clayton Gregory, Korea, reports:  “Recently, I was invited to attend the 100th Anniversary of a large Korean church.  During the Korean War, an American by the name of David Danbom, serving with the 1169 engineer unit, helped restore this church.  It is amazing to think that during so much destruction and death, the Lord made a way to have a church built less than 30 miles from the DMZ.  Mr. Danbom is 79 years old, but was invited back as a special honored guest.  The pastor, who benefited from David Danbom and other military personnel’s generosity, is still alive and was present for this celebration.  The reunion of these two men was humbling.  When I walked into the service, I could feel an awesome presence of the Lord; tears began to swell up in me.  I was escorted to the front of the church and was invited to share my testimony with the people.  The congregation seemed to really appreciate having an American chaplain present.  When they honored David Danbom, it was awesome.  David began to cry as he was given gifts and honor.  It is significant to note that since the building of this church in this area, more than 100 other churches have also been built.  God has brought about a great revival throughout Korea.  At the celebration dinner, I met with David and many local pastors.  Needless to say, I cried with him and shared that the Lord had allowed us this time to see the fruits of his and others’ labors.  David’s wife passed away some ten years ago, and I was able to listen to his stories of her and allow him to share his loss.  This past weekend is just a touch of what we military chaplains are privileged to experience.  To think, years ago, the Lord spoke to a single military person to get involved in helping to restore a church; and today, this congregation is well over 500 and is still growing!  Keep them in your prayers.”

2.      Law Enforcement Chaplain Marvin Ellis, Canton, Georgia, called me this week to inform me that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  He is scheduled for extensive surgery in May.  Send your notes of prayer support to Chaplain Ellis at:  elliscant@alltel.net. 

3.      Clinical Chaplain John Corcoran, Kettering, Ohio, notes:  “During the past several weeks, I have had two demanding critical incidents and the death of my sister.  In one incident, I was called for on-scene support and defusing for a motor vehicle accident.  During the defusing, we learned that it was an adult and 6 year old girl who died.  The 5 year old boy survived.  I learned the adult victim was a 30 year old nurse who only recently completed her Masters in nursing.  In the second incident, a 33 year old officer was murdered by his wife.  I knew many officers from this local police department, as well as the victim.  I know you will join me in praying for these family members.”

4.      Army Chaplain (MAJ) Steven Cantrell, Fort Benning, Georgia, sends this testimony:  “We have been having a full house in our Pentecostal services.  Also, thanks to Chaplain and Mrs. McNabb who were special guests at my promotion ceremony.”

5.      Veterans Affairs Chaplain Pablo Gonzales, Huntington, West Virginia, informs us that his wife, Mona, recently went through a 10 hour radical hysterectomy, with the removal of her lymph nodes.  I know all of you will be praying for them.  Send your prayer notes of support to:  PABLO.GONZALES@MED.VA.GOV.

6.      Army Chaplain (CPT) Everett Franklin, Fort Rucker, Alabama, has requested prayer for their daughter, Lindsey, who was diagnosed with scoliosis two years ago during their assignment in Hawaii.  Lindsey is scheduled for surgery on August 2.  The curvature is still at a 50 degree angle, and it seems to be slowing down.  This is a good sign. 

7.      Air Force Chaplain Jonathan Hurt, Okinawa, informs us that he and his family will be transferred this fall to Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. 

8.      Hospital Chaplain Gene Bordeaux, Metairie, Louisiana, gives this update following his surgery:  “Thank you for praying for me.  I will be returning to work this week.  As you know, I had two very bad tears in my rotator cuff, and a lot of bone spurs.”

9.      Navy Chaplain (CMDR) Gerald Felder, Great Lakes, Illinois, tells us that he helped conduct the funeral services of 20 year old Lauren McCain, who was shot and killed last week during a German class in the massacre that left 33 people dead at Virginia Tech.  Chaplain Felder ministered to this family while stationed in the Norfolk, Virginia area.  Lauren’s father is career Navy.  Chaplain Felder baptized Lauren when she was eleven years old.  Pray for the McCain family, as well as all the families affected by this tragedy.

10.  Pastoral Counselor and Retired Army Chaplain Randy Imhoff, Carthage, New York, informs us that his daughter, Sheena, is now home recovering from her devastating injuries.  He states:  “It is good to see Sheena respond, especially when in church.  Prior to her accident, she assisted with the youth at her local church.  She had a special connection with the kids.  Darlene and I took her to the youth group this past week and noticed the connection between the youth and Sheena.  It is exciting to see this bond and how God is working in the lives of the youth at church.  We were all surprised this week when Sheena said the word, Mom.  We believe God will, indeed, restore her health.  Keep us in your prayers.”

11.  Army Chaplain(CPT) Barron Wester, wounded while on duty in Iraq, has been recovering at a military hospital in Germany. We just received word that Chaplain Wester in now back with his unit in Baghdad.  I know that all of you will be praying for him and our other military chaplains.

FINALLY:

As you can see, there is not enough space to report the vast activities of our chaplaincy family.  While it is impossible to send you a report of all the notes we receive from around the world in a given week, we do select those who represent the heart and soul of this ministry.  Our Church, like never before, must have a strong chaplaincy program.  It is a bridge to the places where the Gospel is most needed.  It keeps us from falling into the error of cheap grace.  It keeps us from making promises we can not keep, making claims that are self-centered.  People may be poor, sick or injured, but they are not without moral insight.  They can look in our eyes and tell whether or not we live by the claims we declare.  Chaplaincy holds us to the Word of God that clearly declares, “As you do it unto the least of these, you do it unto me.”  If we fail to care for the wounded, we insult the Lord, Jesus Christ.  We keep Him naked, hungry and destitute.  Thank God for Church of God chaplaincy.  If given half a chance, it will bring us back to the core of Pentecostal care.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert D. Crick

Director, Chaplains Commission

Director’s email:  cricksot@worldnet.att.net

Office email:  Chapcm@bellsouth.net

Website:  www.cogchaplains.com

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