Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 8/21/2009
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 10:15 am
Choice Christian Greetings!
As chaplains, we are responsible for the dignity and value of all human life. We may have our political and social differences in regard to many issues; but, when it comes to our ministry, there is nothing more important than that person facing us with their struggles, pain, and other needs. We may even be hard-core when it comes to the issues of crime, but when sitting with that inmate on death row, that issue fades into insignificance in comparison to the spiritual needs at this life/death moment. Or, when a soldier comes to us facing a severe disciplinary action, it is not our rank that encounters this situation but our pastoral identity and call. At that moment, we are simply a pastor giving full attention to a person in need.
The daunting task of chaplaincy work has not changed since its beginning. It does not matter where we are assigned; we receive all who come to us – unconditionally. Individuals needing care are neither democrat nor republican, rich or poor, black or white; they are simply someone in need and sent to us by God. We must receive them, whatever their condition, as a gift from the Lord. We must be that safe place where the grieving are given a voice and a place to weep, and the wealthy business executives are given a moral compass to navigate through the muck of corruption and greed. This role of a chaplain comes from an understanding of God’s relationship with humanity. He created us-all of us; and, from the moment of inception, He has treated all of us, regardless of our plight in life, with the highest dignity and eternal value.
Chaplaincy News
· Clinical Chaplain Rodney Vickers, Virginia Beach, Virginia, requests prayer for his mother-in-law, Margaret Williams. He states that she is a breast cancer survivor, but, is now going through tests facing the possibility that the cancer has spread to her liver.
· Caribbean Chaplaincy Coordinator Ismael Ponce, Puerto Rico, reports: “I just returned from chaplaincy conferences in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. In the Dominican Republic, with 100 leaders present, I presented an overview of our vast chaplaincy ministries and training courses. And, in Nicaragua, with 800 present, I gave an 8-hour short course on chaplaincy ministries.”
· Community Service Chaplain Judy Ramsey, Oxford, Ohio, is one of several thousand volunteer chaplains who do fantastic ministry. She reports: “Through our outreach chaplaincy program, I am dealing with a young family with two small children. The husband and wife are on the verge of a divorce; he has a drug problem, and one of the children told me that her mother has been using her to steal food from local grocery stores just to survive. I was able to help them through various food pantries, counseling, as well as other resources.”
· Prison Chaplain, Lucius Edmondson, McDonough, Georgia, reports: “Through Team Jesus Ministries, we conduct 15 services each Sunday, and 15 Bible studies during the week. In just a couple of our services, 15 received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.”
· Veterans Affairs Chaplain Thomas Mills, Danville, Illinois, reports that he was able to take 10 of his elderly veterans on a special fishing retreat. Several of those who go on these special events are palliative care patients, and many are from our mental health unit. Chaplain Mills states: “These vets remind us of the fragility of life. I am so often moved by the fact that God is offering His redeeming love to those at the very edge of death.”
· This letter comes from Sergeant Edward Washington, Cleveland, Tennessee, a Church of God minister who just recently deployed to Iraq with his reserve unit. He notes: “As you know, I deployed a few years ago with this reserve unit; and, during our deployment I leaned heavily on your prayers. In our first deployment, we were fortunate to have Church of God Army Chaplain (CPT) Aaron Jones as our Unit Chaplain. Through him, God moved in miraculous ways. Here we are, going back to Iraq; and, at the present time, we do not have a chaplain assigned to our battalion. Would you please remember us in your prayers; for a sold-out, spirit-filled chaplain, so that again we can honor the King as a witness of His grace, mercy and love? I know it was the prayers of the righteous that brought us through our first deployment, and I am certain that the same will bring us through this one.”
A Special Report
As some of you know, the three military chaplains schools have relocated together at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The final graduation ceremony of the Naval Chaplains School at Newport, Rhode Island, took place August 12th. One of our chaplains, Chaplain (CDR) David Gibson, the Director of Professional Development at the Naval Chaplains School, was part of this final graduation at their old location. The following report comes from Commander Brian Simpson, Naval Chaplains School Public Affairs Officer:
“The final graduation of the Naval Chaplains School at Newport, Rhode Island, took place August 12th. Graduating were 30 chaplains and chaplain candidates who completed the basic course of instruction, which prepares them to serve the men and women of the sea services – Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The Naval Chaplains School came into existence in February 1942, when large numbers of civilian clergy entered Navy service during World War II. The school was temporarily decommissioned in 1945. In 1951, after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, the school was re-established at Newport, Rhode Island, as part of Naval Schools Command. During the time that the school has been in Newport, it has trained more than 50,000 chaplains to serve the men and women of the sea services. The last 10 chief-of-chaplains (two-star admirals) have been graduates of the school. The school counts among its graduates Chaplain Robert Brett, for whom the school’s building is named. Chaplain Brett was killed in action in South Vietnam less than six months after his graduation. Putting the three schools together is a design to foster closer cooperation among the three chaplain corps, as well as, enhance opportunities for shared instruction and training.”
Our special thanks go to Chaplain (CDR) David Gibson; not only as a highly successful component of the Naval Chaplains School, but for arranging for the donation of the thousands of books from the old Naval Chaplains School library to our Seminary library. Chaplain Gibson moved this week from his present assignment at the Naval Chaplains School to an assignment at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida.
Finally
How many persons personally pray for you every single day? Is it ten? Or, is it even three? How do their daily prayers for you create a ring of spiritual resources around you, your family and your ministries? Wouldn’t it be great if we did know of at least 10 persons, who daily, lifted our name up in prayer? I believe that if we do not have such a resource we should seek it. It is for that reason that we have asked Elaine Offutt, one of our Chaplains Commission staff persons, to be responsible for reminding us each day of those whose names need to be lifted up in prayer and whose faces should be burned into our hearts. It is that ring of prayer that serves as a protected shield for a person encountering daily challenges and crises. It is comforting for a mother to know as she deals with that sick child in the wee hours of the night that she has a group of prayer warriors standing in the gap on her behalf. Ed Washington, as he left with his reserve unit for Iraq this week, had but one request of the Chaplains Commission; “Pray for me and my soldiers like you prayed for me on my first deployment.” In other words, “Cover me, clothe me, bathe me with your daily prayers.” Even as I dictated this note to you, names suddenly came flashing through my mind. They were our chaplains in Iraq and Afghanistan: the chaplain who is struggling with a child who is accused of murder and is sitting in a prison cell; a chaplain’s wife who is having to make the decision whether to join her husband overseas and leave behind a struggling son who is in his first year of college; a chaplain who is overburdened and nearly burned out in his hospital assignment trying to do double duty following the dismissal of fellow chaplains for financial reasons; the list goes on and on. Is a ring of prayer by family and friends who do not forget us too idealistic? Not so, if we take serious the belief that we are, indeed, “our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”
Sincerely,
Robert D. Crick
Weekly Bible Verse
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.
Romans 8:38 (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
Categories: Weekly Update
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