Church of God Chaplains Commission

Weekly Update 15 July 2007

Choice Christian greetings!

All organizations, to include the Chaplains Commission, work within either a good or bad "polity." The word, "polity," means, according to Webster, "the form of government of a nation, state, church or organization"; or, in a more theological sense, "the covenant which a religious group understands as its governing principle." The polity for our chaplains is spelled out in our guidelines; that is, this office is our chaplain’s technical supervisor and support. Their more direct ecclesiastical authority and support comes by way of connectivity to a local Church of God and to the Bishop’s office of the region where they are assigned. Chaplains generally get into trouble when they ignore this polity. Some chaplains like to think that they have no responsibility to a local Church of God or to their regional Bishop. But every chaplain, like every other ministry within a state or region, falls under the spiritual supervision of that regional/state Bishop. Additionally, as a Church of God member, we all owe an allegiance to a local Church of God. Chaplains function best when they have a local church that supports them with prayer, spiritual supervision and all the other resources that can only come from a dedicated congregation.

When students arrive at the Seminary, I often ask them, "Who sent you?" The typical answer of those who have been raised in our post-modern world is, "No one, I came here on my own." My response is, "Go find someone to be your spiritual sponsor, who will be praying for you and giving you support during this long, arduous three years of study at the Seminary". Would it not be a sad state of affairs for our military chaplains serving in Iraq to not have local congregations lifting them and their families in prayer every Sunday morning? Would it not say something about our broken polity if we had a chaplain diagnosed with cancer, and someone calls the state office for support to learn they have never heard of that chaplain? Or, in checking the records, find that he/she has failed to report regularly, has never attended a state meeting and is virtually out there "alone?" Individuals and the Church generally live and die by good "polity." It is similar to those Covenants found throughout Scripture, such as Leviticus 26, under which God’s people are governed. Very clearly, in verse three, it says, "If you will follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season. The ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit." Who among us would want to be in chaplaincy ministries all "alone?" All of us need the polity of the Church; whether it is that governance and support of the Chaplains Commission, local church or area Bishop. Mavericks have no place in chaplaincy ministries. There are no "neutral" chaplains. When you are endorsed through the Church of God, you are a "Church of God chaplain," and are governed by its polity which guides you through the good and difficult times. Thank God for Church of God chaplains; thank God for their faithfulness to the Covenant which they took when they entered this special ministry.

VOLUNTEER CHAPLAINS – OUR HEROS OF THE WEEK:

Our "volunteer chaplains" are actually titled, "Community Service Chaplains." The word, "volunteer," does not adequately describe their commitment to good chaplaincy ministries. Many of these chaplains have professional training that equals most, if not all, full-time chaplains. A good number of these chaplains commit themselves to more than 40 hours per week, whether with a law enforcement agency, FBI, college campus and the list goes on. We estimate there may be as many as 2500 CS chaplains now serving in 69 countries. On a given week, from hundreds of CS chaplains, we receive reports that describe their fantastic ministries. They share things like, "Conducted 7 jail services, with 15 saved." "In our college chaplaincy ministries, we had 11 special student groups; and this week, 3 students gave their hearts to the Lord; one was baptized in the Holy Spirit." Or, as is the case with an FBI chaplain, "This week, I had the privilege of being on the debriefing team of one of our agents who was in a crisis that took the life of his partner." These common threads that run through the ministries of our CS chaplains tell us of their personal commitment and their untiring, sacrificial service to a hurting world. This week, 74 pastors and other ministers attended courses taught in New York City. Most, if not all, of those attending will leave these courses to conduct volunteer chaplaincy ministries. They will be assigned to public schools, law enforcement agencies, jails and prisons, industries and all the other places where the need is great. Thank God for our Community Service chaplains. We simply could not do without them.

OTHER CHAPLAINCY NEWS FROM THE FIELD:

1. Army National Guard Chaplain (MAJ) Taz Randles, Cleveland, Tennessee, reports: "I am continuing to work with our Guard, conducting chapel services and ministering to soldiers who are in transition from one deployment to another. Our Guard and Reserves have been pushed to the limits. They need our prayers and support. In September, we will hold a "Welcome Home" ceremony for returning deployed soldiers in the Chattanooga and surrounding areas. Each will receive a flag and coin in a nice mounting case."
2. England Prison Chaplain Donald Williams, also our European Coordinator of Care Network, reports "We have experienced many crises in England that calls for chaplaincy response. I am sure you have read about the plots to blow up our airport and public buildings. Also, several areas are still under water due to the recent flooding. One of our churches in Sheffield is still under water. Casualties are low, but sadly the damage is great. Thank God for our chaplaincy ministries. They are trained and ready for these crises. We just completed our "Reaching Beyond the Gates" Conference. Bishop Brown and his wife, Millicent, were our guest speakers. Pray for us as we continue to develop the European Care Network for chaplains’ support. This network will bring chaplains and their families into dialogue, fellowship, and hopefully, later a European Chaplains’ Conference."
3. Chaplain (CPT) Roderick Swanson, Walter Reed Medical Center, Washington, D.C., completes his present assignment and will be going to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His new unit is the 7th Aviation Battalion.
4. Jail and Prison Chaplain Russell Lawley, Cordova, Alabama, reports: "Continue to pray for my wife; she found out last week that she has 80% blockage in the right side of her neck in the main blood vessel. Also, I am happy to report that during June, we ministered to 170 inmates; 16 gave their hearts to the Lord."
5. Puerto Rican Chaplaincy Coordinator Ismael Ponce sent this testimony: "I have had the privilege of visiting Panama and Columbia, giving them an overview of the benefits of having a national chaplaincy program. In Panama, I spoke to 3,000 persons concerning the significance of chaplaincy outreach."

CHAPLAINS COMMISSION OFFICE PERSONNEL CHANGES:

The Chaplains Commission has gone through extensive changes within the past few weeks. They include: 1) Theresa Williams for a number of years has been the Assistant to the Coordinator of Training and Community Service Chaplaincy. She will be leaving us to move to her new home in Albany, Georgia. 2) Dr. Doc Williams will continue as the Coordinator of Training and Community Service Chaplaincy, but will be located in Albany, Georgia. We will be forwarding you his new contact information as it becomes available. 3) Wayne Roberson, who for a number of years was a vital part of our chaplaincy ministries, is back with us. He will serve as the Assistant to our Training and CSC Coordinator, taking care of the office work that was previously carried out by the Williams. 4) For a number of years, Pamela Kay Overbey has served faithfully our offices. She has taken a new position as the executive secretary for the Women’s Ministries Department. 5) We welcome to our staff Geri Cobb, who will join our administrative staff in the areas of business and finance. 6) We also welcome Luann Leonard as secretary to the Assistant Director, Dr. Jerry McNabb.

If you have any questions concerning our office transition, please send us a note.

FINALLY:

Chaplains, like all ministers throughout the Church world, need "grass roots support." On July 1, we asked all of our U.S. churches to set aside a time to pray for our chaplains and troops in Iraq. We are receiving good reports from those special services. In one of the services, a young soldier’s mother was asked to read from the bulletin insert we provided the testimony of Army Chaplain (CPT) Megan Hodge. The mother exclaimed to the pastor, "This is the Chaplain who ministered to my son while he was in training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri!" It is all about "grass roots support." The local church prays and holds up before God our chaplains and troops; and when one of their sons or daughters goes into the military, hopefully they will come face-to-face with a chaplain of the caliber of Megan Hodge. It is all about caring for sons and daughters. Continue to pray for our chaplains, and for their families.

Sincerely,
Dr. Robert Crick
 Director, Chaplains Commission