Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 11/6/2009
Friday, November 6, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Choice Christian Greetings!
The Chaplains Commission was formally launched in 1978. As we began this vast expansion of chaplaincy ministries, it was in a world that was so different from today. In the 70’s and 80’s, ministry was basically thought of as flowing from the “top down.” In other words, create an idea, generally at church headquarters and departments, and then let it flow “down” to the local church. What a change that has happened these past few years. We all woke up to the reality that, in accordance with Scripture, there is nothing higher than a local church congregation in its worship and life. To use military language, the local church was the “Queen of the Battle,” and not some church department or headquarters. In fact, church headquarters and departments function for one reason only, “the local church.”
With that in mind, we created a new paradigm for chaplaincy ministries. We began to ask ourselves the question of “how does our ministry intersect with, support and draw its energy from the local church?” It was the inversion of this ministry paradigm that kept us relevant. Let me list a couple of changes that came with this shift in paradigm. First, instead of thinking of ourselves as an agency that just seeks full-time chaplains, we began to develop volunteer chaplaincy programs at all levels. We knew that our full-time chaplain’s ministries would only be strong if they were plugged into the general church ministries, particularly the local church. During these past 20 years, we have now trained more than 7,000 pastors and key lay persons in our 40 and 20-hour Community Service Chaplaincy courses. This impact has been felt throughout our ministries. You will now find volunteer Church of God chaplains in every nook and corner of our communities; shopping centers, juvenile courts, college and university campuses, industries, jails and prisons, hospitals, hospice sites, and the list goes on and on. And, most of these volunteer chaplains are pastors, staff and active lay members of local churches.
We have learned that we cannot exist without connecting to our local churches. It has been our local churches that have kept our full-time chaplains before the Lord in prayer during critical times; especially following 9-11, with our military chaplains and their troops deployed around the world. The local church has sponsored military units and chaplains, participated in fund drives in order that we would be able to send vital resources to our chaplains for their soldiers, and, has kept these ministries in the hearts of the people who sit on the pews every Sunday. Again, by shifting our paradigm to the local church, and helping to meet some of their needs, we are now enjoying passionate energy that cannot exist in departments when they think they can “go it alone.” As far as we are concerned, it all begins and is centered in local church ministries. Long before we became chaplains, specialists, or department personnel, we were led, through the local church, to an altar of prayer. And it was most often in a local church that we received our call for this ministry; and it is there that our specialized ministries must be centered in order to be relevant to the people we have been called to serve.
Dr. Steven Land Honored
Dr. Steven Land, President of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, was inducted into the Hall of Honors at the Seminary. In a special chapel service, followed by a luncheon, professors, students, Seminary administrators, Seminary Board, and others gave commendations to Dr. Land for his 30 years as a professor, academic dean, and, now President of the Seminary. I had the opportunity to speak at this special event, highlighting the way in which the Seminary and our chaplaincy ministries have been interwoven together. Dr. Land is a great supporter of these ministries. If you would like to send your own notes of congratulations to Dr. Land and his family, you may do so at: sland@cogts.edu
News From the Field
· Chaplaincy Coordinator for England, Donald Williams, reports: “During this year we have been able to develop ministries in all 12 prisons in the Midlands area. This ministry has also been expanded into hospitals and care homes, with a strong group of full-time and volunteer chaplains. I was recently appointed as a padre to the Air Cadets, a program of the Royal Air Force Chaplaincy Service.”
· Prison Chaplain, Dr. Betty Standifer, Chattanooga, Tennessee, just completed a revival at one of the largest correctional institutions in the country, the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Mississippi. She states: “I spoke many times at different units on this vast prison campus. I have never had an audience as attentive as these men. God came and met with us in each service. Many very angry men came seeking for God’s forgiveness. One stated that he had been a terrible person and wondered if he would ever be forgiven. Some 200 men attended these services; and I have to believe that this was ordained by God.”
· Army Chaplain (CPT) Jeff Bartels, Fort Eustis, Virginia, states: “I work with hundreds of advanced infantry training students. Recently I conducted a prayer lunch for our cadre; trainers who take care of some 1,900 troops. This was an opportunity for our leaders to re-group, re-charge and evaluate current styles and trends. I emphasized to them the necessity of staying ‘spiritually fit’.”
· Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Jonathan Hurt, currently deployed to Afghanistan, reports: “Among the many I serve in this critical area, is a young British soldier named Nathan, who lost both his feet in an IED explosion. He is now heading home to his fiancée; their wedding is set for October of next year. Also, pray for a young marine, who took shrapnel to the face. In our conversation, he talked of the fact that he is the only one of his brothers who is not married. It was apparent that this was weighing heavy on his heart and that he was thinking ‘maybe I will not be attractive to anyone anymore.’ I have been preaching six times weekly to cover all those who want to come to church. The services are small, but so appreciated.”
· Army Chaplain (COL) Richard Pace, Atlanta, Georgia, just returned to home base after participating in the “Bright Star” Military Exercises in Egypt. Eleven nations participated in these exercises. Chaplain Pace states that of the 11 nations, only two, the US and Jordan, brought chaplains with their staff during the exercises. He states, “It was a good learning experience working with chaplains from a nation that approaches chaplaincy from a different perspective than ours.”
· Sergeant Ed Washington, a volunteer chaplain who is currently deployed in Iraq with a reserve unit from Cleveland, Tennessee. He notes: “Your prayers and support mean everything to me and my soldiers. A few days ago, a soldier from another unit decided to take his life. I do not know any details of him, but it reminds me of the importance of letting our soldiers know every day that God is real and that He understands our pain. Keep our soldiers before God in your daily prayers.”
· Army Chaplain (MAJ) Taz Randles, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, reflects on his ministry during the last month. “Our memorial chapel is growing every day. Many of our transient wounded soldiers from the ‘Warriors Transition Brigade’ are coming to our services, with their family members. This past week, one lady came broken, with tears, confessing that she had not attended church in many years. She has now given her heart to the Lord, and wants to be an active participant in our chapel activities. It is a joy to serve alongside Army Chaplain (COL) Charles Howell, our Command Chaplain. As always, I deeply appreciate your prayers and support.”
Special Report
Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Matthew Boyd, reflects on one of the military’s most sacred ceremonies, honoring fallen warriors. He states:
The vans arrived at the aircraft and lined up in formation, surrounded by airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines, to honor fallen warriors. The formation moved in unison as the Commander called all of us to attention. With command of ‘present arms,’ our salute slowly brought a wave of emotion. Some stood with tears streaming down their faces while others displayed a stoic pride. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a wounded soldier on crutches standing in honor of his fallen friends. With sharp professionalism, the honor guard removed every casket and carried our fallen warriors through the columns of honor. We stood there for an hour motionless as the flag draped caskets passed by. Never had our base seen so many casualties in a single day. Someone later mentioned that this was a common occurrence everyday in Vietnam. After the last hero had been placed on the aircraft, our final salute was given. As the Commander gave the order to ‘fall out,’ we all boarded the aircraft and bowed our heads. Shoulder-to-shoulder we packed along the inside walls of the C-17; everyone facing the flag draped caskets. I took my place next to the commander at the head of the caskets and rendered our prayer aloud. We prayed for God’s help, for the families and friends of our fallen warriors, for us who remain to carry on the fight for freedom and for peace. With our prayers ended, our Catholic priest knelt in prayerful reverence and laid his hand on a coffin. As we all departed the aircraft in silence, he made the sign of the cross. Walking back to the terminal a young soldier commented to me, “Chaplain, I will never be the same.” These words of Jesus flooded my mind that early morning; “Greater love has no one than than this; that he lay down his life for his friends.” I thank God for the honor to participate in receiving and sending our fallen warriors home.
*Chaplain Boyd is currently deployed to Southeast Asia and is the Chaplain for Command Forces Special Operations Central Command.
Finally
I love the diversification of our chaplains and their ministries. We represent the vast fabric of ministry in today’s society; blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians, women/men, young and old, with chaplaincy programs in many different areas. We believe that God did not give up, or give away His love for everyone, to include what is often called the “secular environment.” It is there, in those areas beyond the gates of our local church, that chaplaincy thrives. We know that, even though these institutions do not publicly acknowledge it, this is “God’s territory.” We do not go there to reclaim it for God, because we know that He never gave it up. This love for diversity, embracing what the church used to avoid, is why chaplaincy is expanding around the world. It has shifted the paradigm; rather than waiting for them to come to us, we are going to them. Keep our chaplains and their family members in your prayers; they are “out there,” because “out there” is where the church has been moved as the result of the redemptive plan of our Lord. As one old prophet stated, “Jesus visits our churches in here; but, His permanent residency is out there.”
Sincerely,
Robert D. Crick
Weekly Bible Verse
So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives, and we ask Him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.
Colossians 1:9 (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
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