Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 11/20/2009
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Choice Christian Greetings!
By the time you receive this update, I will be in the middle of a large chaplaincy conference/course in South Africa. Our relationship with South Africa goes back almost 30 years. When I first visited the country, the government was all white and was labeled an “apartheid” system. What followed was a vast revolution that brought down that system and allowed a new one to rise in its place. This is but one example of how fast our world is changing. It is in the middle of these changes that we are experiencing phenomenal chaplaincy growth.
The reasons for this growth are many. First, we are indeed living in times when the entire church understands the new principle that “they will not come to us, we must go to them.” That means that if we are going to be effective in reaching a desperately frustrated world, we do so by entering into their arena, listening to their stories, and responding to their needs. These needs are great… food, clothing, healthcare, critical incidents, trauma, domestic violence, etc. Secondly, we have been able to respond to these needs professionally and compassionately. Beyond relieving the pain of an empty stomach, there is a need to debrief an entire generation traumatized by war, internal conflicts, and families in disarray. Our chaplains are well trained; 7,000 have taken our Community Service Chaplains Basic Training Course, which gives them the skills to deal with the day-to-day crises; and many of these are educated with a master’s degree or higher. Thirdly, we have been able to put together a team within and a team without. We have a highly-skilled Chaplains Commission staff and a number of field coordinators and trainers who assist us in this mission. We learned a long time ago that we cannot carry out this mission without partnership and colleagueship with other departments within the Care Division. Under the directorship of Dr. Donnie Smith, the Care Division provides us an umbrella whereby we can draw from the skills and expertise of other members of the Care Division. Our theme for these past 30 years has been “Ministry Beyond the Gates.” This text, found in Hebrews 13, tells us that Jesus, our Lord, was crucified outside the gates where the needs were the greatest, and that is where we must go to minister to Him as we minister to those in need.
A Letter to Pastors and Churches Concerning our Military Chaplains Needs
Dear Pastor,
As you know, the United States has been involved for a number of years in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other critical areas. A large number of Church of God chaplains have been deployed to these areas; several of them with multiple deployments.
This letter is asking you and your church to consider sending packages of goods to one or more of our nine, presently deployed, Church of God Chaplains. When the chaplains receive these packages from your church, they will distribute the goods to their troops during the Christmas holidays. Our goal is to provide each of these Church of God chaplains with enough care boxes – containing a variety of goods – to be distributed to the troops either during the chaplains’ worship services or during the chaplains’ visits to troops in isolated areas.
If you are able to be a part of this project, send a note back to us at chapcm@bellsouth.net The coordinators for this project are Tom and Elaine Offutt, Directors of our Special Projects and Prayer and Family Care. Please be aware that the packages can only be sent through the United States Post Office (not UPS, Fed-Ex, etc), in that they must be sent to an APO address in either Afghanistan or Iraq. The postage is not cheap; in fact, it may cost almost as much as the goods within the packages.
How do you get started? Send us an email, or call us at 423-478-7706, to obtain a chaplain’s name and address, as well as a suggested list of the goods to be put into the packages. If you are going to be a part of this project, you must do it immediately. We will be asking our chaplains to send back to you and your church notes of thanks from them and from their troops.
Again, thank you for caring for our chaplains and our military troops. By all means, pray for them, and, if possible, in a special worship service, remember that they are still “there” in a most dangerous place. The good news is that they are continuing to win hundreds to the Lord Jesus Christ; with great worship services, healings, baptisms, and a wonderful time of fellowship in a strange land.
Other Chaplaincy News
· French Chaplain Jacques Roffidal, Paris, France, was recently awarded the La Legion d’honneur. This special award was given to Chaplain Roffidal as an expression of his many years of ministry in so many places around the world. I am asking several of you to send notes of congratulations to Jacques, and his wife Francoise, at JFRoffidal@infonie.fr
· Army Chaplain (CPT) Thomas Lesh, Korea, informs us that he now has his family with him on this special assignment. He notes: “It is a thrill to have Lora and the three kids with me in this great opportunity for ministry. The living conditions are not the greatest; we are still in the process of looking for more permanent housing, but Lora and the kids are doing well. Keep us in your prayers.”
· Pastoral Counselor and Chaplains Commission Board Member Gail Lemmert, Cleveland, Tennessee, sent this note: “I just returned from a wonderful, very successful, women’s conference in Santiago de Cuba. In addition to the conference, I was able to minister in various churches. The Christian faces in Cuba shined with much hope in comparison to those who do not know the Lord.”
· Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Christopher Underwood II, Colorado Springs, Colorado, sent us a note that he is now home from his deployment to Bagram, Afghanistan. We also heard that, as a result of his outstanding ministries, Chaplain Underwood will receive the Army Commendation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Joint Service Achievement Medal. Welcome home!
· Community Service Chaplain David Bagwell Jr., Rembert, South Carolina, sent us this note: “Our benevolence ministries are going great. We were able to distribute 72 winter coats to those in need. We were led to many folks that were homeless; people that had little or no protection from the cold. It was great to have my five-year-old grandson, Miles, to go with me for this care ministry. He represents a fourth generation of ministers in reaching out to those in need.”
· Jail and Prison Chaplain Carl Adams, North Hampton, Ohio, reports: “This past month we have had the following opportunities for ministry: In one service, of 27 inmates, three came forward to give their lives to Jesus Christ in tears. Two of the men who were saved were immigrants from Mexico. They spoke very limited English, but through an interpreter, they genuinely accepted Christ. In another institution, where I am a member of the Death Row Ministry Committee, I conducted four services in one day. Two of the services were with death row inmates, and one of the services was for inmates of high security risks. The ten men on death row that I had the privilege of ministering to came to know the Lord Jesus Christ through me and other prison ministers. In one of the services – with 50 men in attendance – the inmates actually stood to their feet, clapping their hands, singing, shouting and praising God. Some broke into tears while the songs were being sung. In that service, as well as in others, several came to know Jesus Christ.”
· Community Service Chaplain Raymond Griffey, Theodore, Alabama, reports: “In our chaplaincy food bank program this past month, we were able to give away 1,100 bags of food to 110 families. We also had 25 hospital services.”
· Scouting Chaplain Ken Golden, Leonard, Michigan, reports: “During recent conferences, 442 scouts received their youth knots and 45 of these came to Christ.”
· Mental Health Chaplain Dennis DuPont, Catonsville, Maryland, sent this special prayer need: “First and most important, pray for our patients. We continue to see miracles. Several months ago at chapel, one of our elderly, wheelchair amputees requested prayer for his sister who had kidney failure. His prayer was… ‘Chaplain, she is all that I have left of my family.’ A few weeks later, he reported in our group that God indeed had healed his sister. I had the privilege of visiting with her, and hearing her say, ‘Thank you chaplain for your prayers. He is 78; I am 81, and we are all that is left of our family.’ All the doctors, nurses, and staff on the unit are keenly aware that she could have died. They simply shook their heads, acknowledging that this was nothing less than a miracle.” On a special note, also pray for Chaplain DuPont; he is experiencing some difficulties with his left eye.
· Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Lance Giannone, Italy, reports, “Katrina, Sophia and I arrived to this new assignment September 2009. We had a very short notice before our transfer. We were blessed with being able to sell our house in San Antonio in just eight days; and we did not lose any money. To God be the glory. It is a miracle that we have made this transfer in such a short period of time and with few problems. We have been very busy since arriving. The base had two tragic deaths which required lots of counseling and care. The work load is immense. I am privileged to be assigned with another Church of God Chaplain, Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Victor (Danny) Pagan. He was my sponsor and a tremendous help. Also, we live right across from Ministry to the Military Directors, Melvin and Delores Lane.”
Finally
In one of my recent classes at the seminary, I made the comment, “care leads and evangelism follows.” Several students were interested in that remark, and we had some wonderful follow-up discussions. One of the more inquisitive students asked the question, “When did you discover that principle?” We then had a focused discussion where I recounted again and again those personal experiences; whereby, I came to understand that I didn’t need a theological dissertation, just a caring touch. In one of those instances, Jeanette was diagnosed a terminal illness. I came to understand that I didn’t need to argue about theology; I just needed someone to sit with me. It is not so much what we say when we minister during those critical times, but it is simply “who we are.” It is during times like this that we demonstrate the love of Christ. In giving others His unconditional love, eventually, the discussions will lead into the arena of evangelism. Indeed, care leads and evangelism follows.
Sincerely,
Robert D. Crick
Weekly Bible Verse
Shout with joy to the Lord, O earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100 (NLT)
Contacts
Director, Dr. Robert D. Crick, cricksot@att.net
Full-time Chaplaincy, Dr. Jerry McNabb, jmcnabb@cogchaplains.com
Community Service Chaplaincy and Training, Dr. Jake Popejoy, jakepopejoy@aol.com
Public Relations and Recruitment, wroberson@cogchaplains.com
Special Projects, 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
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