Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 3/20/2009
Friday, March 20, 2009 at 9:19 am
Choice Christian Greetings!
This week, at two different memorial services, we grieved the loss of Dr. John D. Nichols and celebrated his almost 50 years of dynamic ministry. As I sat in one of these worship services, it dawned on me that our Pentecostal faith is the intermingling of tears and expressions of joy. Often times, at a Pentecostal altar, we will see someone with their hands raised giving expressions of joy for their salvation and their baptism in the Holy Spirit experience; yet simultaneously, tears are flowing down the side of their face. That is our life; that is our theology. We cannot separate Resurrection Sunday from Jesus’ passionate death on Good Friday. However, as one old preacher stated, “This is Friday, but Sunday is coming!” In other words, hope is always forthcoming; the hope of resurrection and the hope of a great and continued harvest. There will be other things said about Brother Nichols, but I can assure you that the wonderful seeds of care ministry that he planted will be carefully cultivated by generations to come.
This principle applies to all of our ministries. We work frantically, as if there is no end to our individual pursuits; while, at the same time and often behind the scenes, we look to others who will carry the torch of our ministry passion long after we are gone! I experienced this reality in a dramatic way in 1964 at a Ministry to the Military retreat in Germany. One of the speakers for that retreat was Reverend Herman Lauster, the founder of our ministries in Germany. Prior to World War II, although comfortably situated in the United States, he wanted to go back to Germany as a missionary to his own homeland, in spite of the dark clouds of war gathering for what became a powerful and destructive Nazi regime. Lauster not only survived World War II in Germany, but went on to build a strong ministry there. By the time of the retreat, Lauster had been semi-retired due to failing health. However, just before he spoke, he announced that he would be coming out of retirement to work until Jesus called him home. Little did we know that upon completion of his sermon that morning, in a very dignified manner, with “Amen and Amen,” he would sit down, bow his head, and within seconds, die from a massive heart attack. We all sat in stunned silence. I will never forget the message that came from the Lord through an interpretation of tongues; “Behold, my servant has fallen. Someone quickly pick-up the banner of the Lord Jesus Christ and carry it faithfully.” That night, a young, struggling soldier who had come with me, responded to this call as a result of an amazing experience he had while alone in his room praying. He recalled, “With my spiritual eyes I saw Jesus enter my room carrying a blood-soaked banner”. He vowed that he heard this message, “Don, would you now carry this banner of love for generations to come?” It was from that experience that Don began his successful ministry as a military chaplain, with hundreds coming to the Lord. In addition, he ministered as a missionary and established a program to rescue young boys and girls from the streets of New York for a redeeming and restoring ministry.
It is with much grief we say goodbye to Brother Nichols; but, we also celebrate with tremendous joy the way in which God has taken this young, former Marine through 50 years of dedicated service with his wife Norene, at his side. And, while we celebrate the faithful work and ministry of Brother Nichols, we must also hear the Lord’s call to “quickly pick-up the banner of the Lord Jesus Christ and carry it faithfully.”
Other Reflections on the Life and Ministry of Dr. John D. Nichols
It is hard to believe that I have known John Nichols and been affiliated with his ministry for more than 40 years. I will share a few of the things that I remember about him, hopefully, giving you an idea of his personal character and ministry passion:
1. Watching Brother Nichols during a typical campmeeting service preaching from one of his favorite passages which talks of eagles. In Isaiah 40:31, the prophet says, “They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, and they will walk and not faint.” In the middle of that powerful message, dramatically demonstrating how a mother eagle teaches her eaglets to fly, Brother Nichols, messing up his hair and passionately jumping off a high stage, showed us that before that eaglet would hit the ground, that mother eagle would soar underneath with her expanded wings to softly catch her offspring. As Brother Nichols would say, “The Lord wants us to soar to unbelievable heights; and with His tender mercies, He guides us and protects us in such pursuits.”
2. The trips I took with John and Norene, to Europe and other overseas areas; observing this couple that had been married many years and were still deeply in love; watching John search for that special gift to give to the one he treasured beyond expression. He passionately loved his family.
3. In two international care conferences, one in Nashville, Tennessee, and the other in Atlanta, Georgia, we saw first-hand Brother Nichols’ tremendous care for a wounded world; illustrated with several hundred delegates who were touching thousands of destitute individuals and families through the influence and passion that the Lord gave him. Here was a person who had seen it all (large conferences with thousands in attendance, Executive Committee member, department head, Overseer of several states), but the experiences most dear to his heart were those ministry experiences with the disadvantaged. He loved to recall stories about young orphan girls in Guatemala, destitute families living on the city dump in Paraguay, and other experiences which illustrated his passion for those in need.
We will miss Brother Nichols, but we know beyond a doubt that his passion and care for hurting people will continue to be lived out through many others. Send your notes of prayer support to Norene and her family at JDNorene@aol.com
News From the Field
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Army Chaplain (MAJ) Steven Cantrell, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, who is attending the Command and General Staff College, requests prayer for his father, Bill Cantrell, who recently tested positive for cancer.
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The recent Turning Point Jail and Prison Conference, Kenly, North Carolina, brought together several of our endorsed Chaplains. They represented 26 full-time and 58 volunteer Church of God Chaplains who are directly involved in prison ministries. Those at the conference included Chaplains James Turnipseed, Joel Hammons, Mable Manning, Marie Bunch, Betty McDermott, and their spouses.
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Pray for Elna Roberson, 92-year-old mother of Reverend Wayne Roberson, the Chaplains Commission Training and CSC Administrator. Sister Roberson is in ICU in a hospital in Terrell, Texas, suffering from pneumonia and other complications.
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Campus Chaplain Ken Land, Cochran, Georgia, sent this report: “Six months ago we began a campus ministry at Middle Georgia College. In these six months we have seen God add 84 students to this ministry.
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Valarie Durham, wife of Army Chaplain (CPT) Neal Durham, who is currently in Iraq, sent us this testimony: “Thank God, Neal was able to come home with the family for an R&R in January after eight months in Iraq. After he returned to Iraq, the Stars and Stripes Magazine gave a story of his ministry with soldiers called “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage,” by Mark Gungor. The story told of the high divorce rate in the military and Chaplain Durham’s ministry to his soldiers. He stated in the article, ‘Deployment takes a lot out of a marriage; this seminar helps my soldiers to think and prepare for re-deployments with their families.
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Sergeant Dale Elliott, Louisville, Kentucky, sent this note concerning his recent tour of duty in Iraq. He states: “There were very few Pentecostal/Full-Gospel Chaplains in Iraq. Many of our Gospel services were lay-led. One Chaplain, of a non-Pentecostal denomination, came to our services thinking that he would observe and stand on the sidelines. But, as the service unfolded, he was in tears and most responsive to the gifts of the Spirit. If the truth were told, the Full-Gospel Pentecostal Services attendance is greater than all the other combined Protestant worship services. These Full-Gospel/Pentecostal services are made up of people of so many different races; soldiers from Uganda and other countries, military and civilians. I would encourage other Church of God ministers to consider military chaplaincy. What better place to find soldiers who need you and need the message you will bring.”
New Chaplaincy Programs
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The Commission field tested in several local churches our new, developing Local Church Chaplaincy Training Program. This 17-hour course helps mobilize a local church into a chaplaincy outreach center. After receiving the course, lay chaplains are assigned to various institutions within their community. If you would like additional information concerning our Local Church Chaplaincy Program, or have some suggestions in regard to it, contact us at chapcm@bellsouth.net
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We are continuing to work toward putting our Community Service and Local Church Chaplaincy courses on-line. If you have any questions or suggestions in regard to this new endeavor, please contact us at chapcm@bellsouth.net
Finally
The more I delve into chaplaincy ministries, the more I appreciate the “in-breaking” of the Holy Spirit. Chaplaincy ministry represents the best of two scriptural realities. First, the Lord requires all of us to have the very finest, professional training and experiences. He expects us to give the “very best” to those who have the deepest needs. On the other hand, regardless of how professionally trained we are, we must always give the Holy Spirit the right to break-in on our professional agenda. That is why, even in the middle of the most delicate therapeutic process, the Holy Spirit will often take us in another direction, silence our renderings for prayer, or some other process that to a secular therapist would be interpreted as an interruption. To Chaplains and other pastoral specialists, this is simply the way we do business. We come to these ministries with the best possible training; but we acknowledge that it is not by “works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy.” It is professionalism coupled with the acknowledgement that He is always present, and He has a right to be a prominent part of our ministry at all levels.
Sincerely,
Robert D. Crick
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Weekly Bible Verse
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
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Contacts
Director, Dr. Robert D. Crick, cricksot@att.net
Full-time Chaplaincy and Public Relations, Dr. Jerry McNabb, jmcnabb@cogchaplains.com
Community Service Chaplaincy and Training, Dr. Doc Williams, dwilliams@cogchaplains.com
Community Service Chaplaincy Administrative Information, wroberson@cogchaplains.com
Disaster and Compassionate Care, Reverend Tom Offutt, tomoffutt@att.net
Prayer and Family Care, Elaine Offutt, elaineoffutt@att.net
International and General Information, chapcm@cogchaplains.com
Web Site/Page: www.cogchaplains.com
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Correspondence
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