Church of God Chaplains Commission

 

Choice Christian Greetings!

 

We learned a long time ago that we cannot win the world, but we can make significant impacts on parts of it.  We simply do not have the resources to go everywhere; therefore, we focus our chaplaincy ministries on specific areas.  This strategy is based upon the following:

 

1.       The leadership in an area is 100% convinced that they need chaplaincy ministries, and they are willing to support it wholeheartedly;

2.      An area where there is the potential to not only offer chaplaincy courses, but chaplaincy programs to government and civilian agencies;

3.      The availability of a core of chaplains who have been trained and are willing to expand this ministry through their country or region. 

 

Over the past several years, we have identified those areas of strength and potentiality:

 

1.       South America:  We have been in this area for 20 years, with our base at the South American Seminary (SEMISUD).  We now offer chaplaincy programs to all ten South American countries.  At our seminary, where we have an academic chaplaincy chair, we offer chaplaincy majors both at the bachelors and masters level.

2.      Eastern Europe:  We have strong chaplaincy programs throughout Eastern Europe, with our strongest and greatest potential program in the country of Romania.  It is in Romania that we have built our Eastern European Chaplaincy Training and Development Center, appropriately called RAFA, a “place of healing.” 

3.      Philippines:  For the past 25 years we have had chaplaincy programs throughout the Philippines.  We have trained more than 1,000 pastors and leaders, and recently established a strong Philippine chaplaincy partnership with the Word for the World International Christian Fellowship.

4.      Africa:  We now have a chaplaincy trainer assigned specifically to develop chaplaincy training/programs for Africa.

5.      England:  The overseer, as well as his fantastic staff and trained chaplains, have a strong chaplaincy outreach.  At the present time they have more than 20 full-time chaplains, with a core of more than 300 volunteer chaplains.

6.      Caribbean:  We have a strong chaplaincy presence in most of the Caribbean countries.  More notable is our chaplaincy training and programs in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. 

7.      The United States:  We have never been stronger than we are right now in the US.  With some 250 full-time chaplains, a core of 1,000 volunteer and part-time chaplains, this will continue to be a strategic area for growth.

 

Of course, we are in many other areas; in fact, in 71 different countries.  We know that we must strategically go to those areas that will not only promote chaplaincy conferences and courses, but believe that God has given the church a mandate to have a strong “ministry beyond the gates.” 

 

 

Upcoming Chaplaincy Special Events

 

·         July 21-23, 2009:  Basic Community Service Chaplain Training Course and Specialized Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Training Course, Church of God of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York

 

·         August 13-15, 2009:  Basic Community Service Chaplain Training Course, as well as, a Specialized Course in Domestic Violence; King George Church of God, King George, Virginia

 

·         August 27-29, 2009:  Basic Community Service Chaplain Training Course; Centreville Church of God, Centreville, Maryland

 

·         September 9-11, 2009:  Basic Community Service Chaplain Training Course, as well as, a Specialized Course in Law Enforcement Chaplaincy; Clinton Church of God, Clinton, Illinois

 

·         September 18-19, 2009:  Local Church Chaplaincy Course/Conference; Anaheim, California

 

·         October 8-10, 2009:  Basic Community Service Chaplain Training Course as well as a Specialized Course in Law Enforcement Chaplaincy; Metro Church of God, Birmingham, Alabama

 

·         October 27-29, 2009:  Hispanic Conference on Care; Lakeland, Florida

 

·         November 10-11, 2009:  Chaplains Commission Fall Board Session; Cleveland, Tennessee

 

·         November 19-21, 2009:  Basic Community Service Chaplains Training Course; Shekinah Full Gospel Church of God, Cape Town, South Africa

 

·         November 19-21, 2009:  Basic Community Service Chaplains Training Course; Church of God Campground, Tifton, Georgia

 

 

Special Prayer Needs

 

ü  Scottish Chaplaincy Coordinator/Trainer, Dr. Sheila McLaughlan, who suffered a ruptured blood vessel to the brain; spent time in intensive care at Tübingen University Clinic, Germany; and is now recovering.  The outcome looks very favorable.  I know you will keep her in your prayers. 

 

ü  Continue to pray for our chaplains that are stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and other critical areas.

 

 

Other Chaplaincy News

 

¨       Army Chaplain (MAJ) Roderick Swanson, Afghanistan, reports:  “I am happy to report that we recently baptized four soldiers who gave their hearts to the Lord.  They attended the Gospel service at the Enduring Faith Chapel, of which I am the pastor.  Incidentally, this is the largest Protestant worship service in Afghanistan.”

 

¨       There is no more important area of ministry than that of our hospital chaplains who, on a daily basis, are ministering to individuals and families going through critical medical transitions and, sadly but all too frequently, death.  Recently, Hospital Chaplain Henry Thomas, Mobile, Alabama, received a note from a family who had lost a loved one.  It read: “Our family would like to express our deep appreciation and gratitude for your kindness on May 5^th.  Your support, presence and prayers in the emergency room were over and above anything we would have ever anticipated.  You stayed with us from the start, and walked with us as we completed our goodbyes.  May God continue to bless you in this, His ministry.” 

 

¨       Clinical Chaplains Gene and Ruth Ann Bordeaux, Knoxville, Tennessee, sent this very encouraging report: “Ruth Ann is a counselor with Scarab Counseling Group, doing in-home educational counseling with juvenile sex offenders and their families.  I am a counselor at DRD-Knoxville Medical Clinic doing addiction counseling in a recovery clinic.  Our lives have gone through many transitions since we left Katrina-ravaged New Orleans and moved to this new location, but I know that God has it all figured out and that we are part of Kingdom ministry.”

 

¨       Community Service Chaplains Andrew and Cherry Landrus, Crab Orchard, Tennessee, report: “We are the most western county falling under Second Harvest of Knoxville, and have been the beneficiary in 2008 of almost $500,000 of support from county agencies.  We continue to work with this and other organizations to set-up Christ-based care centers modeled after the Crab Orchard Care Center Rural Pantry Program.  There are over 10,000 people in Cumberland County that constantly go hungry; so continue to pray with us for these initiatives.”

 

 

Special Reports

 

Ø  Dr. Paul Stockard, missionary to Paraguay and a tremendous chaplaincy developer for all of South America, has recently been appointed the added responsibilities as Chaplaincy Missionary/Trainer for South America and Africa.  This is a tremendous step forward to meet the serious need for international chaplaincy programs.  Already, Dr. Stockard has conducted chaplaincy programs in several countries in South America and Africa.  You will be hearing more about this unique partnership between our Chaplains Commission and World Missions Department.

 

Ø  Chaplain Eugene Wigglesworth, Jackson, Mississippi, has been Director of Chaplaincy Services for the Mississippi Department of Corrections for a number of years.  A recent report of his many activities included a personal testimony, of which I am sharing only a part.  Chaplain Wigglesworth states:

 

In addition to my supervisory position, I am now doing some direct chaplaincy ministries at a facility housing 3,100 offenders.  Let me share with you, my fellow chaplains, just one experience.  One of our young offenders is dealing with a most complex problem.  He is serving a 15-year sentence, has been labeled a sex offender for the rest of his life, and now has little hope that he will even see the child which he fathered.  I did what I could do to contact those that were significant to him.  The next day, when I told him I was unable to do so, he broke.  He and I both knew that the only opportunity for him to ever fix this situation would happen as a miracle.  That day I shared with him about a true father who loves to adopt sons and work miracles in their lives.  To minister to him does not mean to neglect the facts of what he has done, that is, to ignore the pain he has caused others.  But, it is my effort to teach him to depend upon the Heavenly Father that I have introduced him to; the one who gave His Son to set us free from our sins and our fears.  I pray first that he becomes a son of God and that God will allow him one day to become a father to his child.

 

 

Finally

 

This week, I was blessed with the visit of Army Chaplain (LTC) Calvin Eastham, and his wife Barbara.  It is hard to believe that we have more than a 30-year history of knowing each other and ministering together.  Some of our more significant memories center around our colleagueship together at the seminary; those times of shared fellowship, worship and conferences in Germany; and, most especially, his compassion and encouragement as I grieved the loss of my younger brother.  Barbara, who has been on this 25-year chaplaincy journey with Calvin, is a professional teacher with a genuine call to pour herself into the lives of her students.  Chaplain Eastham anticipates retiring in August 2010.  Like all chaplains in this category, we both agreed that the next phase of ministry for Calvin and Barbara, wherever it may be, will be just as exciting and challenging as these 25 years as a military chaplain.  I don’t believe the word retirement is in God’s dictionary.  We simply go from one great ministry privilege to another one.  Thank God for chaplains of this caliber.  They are what make this ministry so great. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Robert D. Crick

 

Weekly Bible Verse

 

Don’t forget those early days when you first learned about Christ.  Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering.

 

Hebrews 10:32 (NLT)

 

 

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

General Information, chapcm@cogchaplains.com

 

Web Site/Page: www.cogchaplains.com

 

RDC/als

 

Correspondence