Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 12/11/2009
Friday, December 11, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Choice Christian Greetings!
During this time of the year, in anticipation of Christmas, folks do a lot of waiting. My two grandchildren, Rachel and Jonah, are, of course, waiting for Santa Claus. They get a little confused when I talk to them about what they want for Christmas asking the question, “Are you getting it or is Santa Claus bringing it?” Well, as we all know, there are many Santa Claus’; and some of them come in the form of grandparents.
Waiting can be a very positive event in our lives. For a military chaplain who has been selected for a prestigious new rank, he just waits until the time his number comes up; and he wears the rank and gets the pay increase. In the case of my oldest son, David, and his wife, Robyn, they are waiting for their new baby, Samantha, who is expected to arrive in just a few days. Or, there are the events of waiting for the wedding, waiting for that special person to “pop the question,” waiting to move into that more exciting job, waiting for a new car, and all the other things which make life somewhat stressful, but positively exciting.
In chaplaincy ministry, waiting can also take on a deeper, more profound dimension. I think of our clinical chaplains, who, even as I am dictating this update, are sitting with someone simply waiting to die. Or, for our military chaplains, as was the case this week with Navy Chaplain Gerald Felder, waiting for the funeral to begin for a 21-year-old Marine killed last week in Afghanistan. Someone once said, for most of us, we live between that last great enlightening experience with lots of joy or in the valley waiting for that next exciting event. This is life “in the meanwhile.” It consists of long hours for that mother tending to her very sick child and waiting for the fever to break. Or, for the millions who live in our ghettos, on our streets, or other devastating circumstances, they wait for a break, a job, and a warm house; for others, they wait to just live life without the danger of getting shot, stepping on a mine, or some other frightening circumstance. Chaplaincy, as I have experienced it over the years, is “life in the meanwhile.” It is standing outside of a door marked Surgery, sitting with an inmate who has finally gotten his date of execution, or grieving with a person who just lost his job and is about to lose his house. We spend a lot of our life in the meanwhile. With my human thoughts, I envision that God visits the mountaintops, but spends most of His time in the valley, in the meanwhile. That is why Psalm 23 is so important to all of us: “Though I walk through the valley…I will fear no evil.” Thank God for chaplains; they have been to the mountaintops, yet they choose out of great compassion to be with individuals in their valley of meanwhile.
Military Chaplaincy Notes
· As most of you know, we have been encouraging local churches to sponsor a chaplain and his/her troops who are deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan. This note comes from Carolyn Hurt, Princeton Church of God, Princeton, West Virginia. She reports: “Our local church recently sent more than 100 boxes of items to Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Jonathan Hurt, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan. We also sent the same number of boxes to our local reserve unit from the Brushfork Armory, Bluefield, West Virginia. These troops are currently deployed to Iraq. We are proud to support our chaplains and the troops they serve.”
· The Chaplains Commission recently sent to our nine deployed chaplains in Iraq and Afghanistan 2,880 boxes of Little Debbie Christmas Fudge Brownies. These brownies will be distributed by our chaplains to their troops during the holidays. This is but one of the many Christmas projects carried out by the Chaplains Commission in support of our chaplains and those they serve.
· Sergeant Edward Washington, Knoxville, Tennessee, who is currently deployed to Iraq notes: “As you know, I am serving a Reserve unit from the Cleveland, Tennessee, area. It is so good to know that you have made me your ‘Auxiliary Chaplain,’ as I take spiritual responsibility for my troops. It is amazing how God is working. I have begun a soldier-led Bible study in my unit. One of our newest soldiers began to ask questions about faith and forgiveness. He expressed a desire for a closer walk with Jesus. It was an awesome moment as we prayed with him and he accepted Jesus as his Savior. As much as I miss my wife and children, my pastor and church family, it is worth it all to see the spiritually dead come to life.”
· Navy Chaplain (LT), Brian Jacobson, is transferring this month from the US Coast Guard Yard in Maryland, to his new unit, Second Marine Division Force Recon Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Chaplain Jacobson received many commendations for his outstanding ministries with the Coast Guard.
· Army Chaplain (CPT) Ismael Serrano, deployed to Iraq, notes: “Pray that the Lord gives all of our chaplains wisdom and anointing as we enter into the holiday season. It was my honor to escort the Chief of Chaplains during his recent visit to Iraq. I had the opportunity to brief him on our ministry activities. Chief of Chaplains, (Major General) Douglas Carver, while with our unit, presented my Chaplains Assistant with an award for Excellence in Ministry.”
· We were surprised and happy to see Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Tom Baize, on television earlier this week. He appeared on one of the brief clips that the major networks carry of deployed service members sending Christmas and holiday greetings to their families back home.
Institutional Chaplaincy (Prison, Clinical, Campus, Industrial, Etc)
Clinical Chaplain Richard Gilbert, Vancouver, Washington, notes that his hospital recently received national acclaim on all the major TV networks for a program aimed at “Awareness for Breast Cancer.” Chaplain Gilbert was a part of this endeavor.
Law Enforcement Chaplain Sam Saylor, Bismarck, North Dakota, reports: “I was heavily involved in helping notify a family after the tragic suicide of a young man. He just had gotten a DUI following a vehicle accident, and the stress seemingly was too much for him to bear.”
Community Service Chaplain Judy Ramsey, Oxford, Ohio, was recently honored as the “Top Fundraiser” and “Top Team Leader” for the Butler County MS Walk. Her team raised $5,700.00, and she was asked to be a speaker at the National MS Dinner to be held in Cincinnati.
As most of you know, we have more than 4,000 Community Service Chaplains, serving in 72 different countries. These volunteers continue to make their mark in outstanding ministries with reports like: “Eight services in the local jail, 732 in attendance, five saved and three baptized in water.” Or, “As a law enforcement chaplain I am very busy, with two suicides and two other deaths. In our agency, there is never an incident without an on-the-job chaplain.” Finally, a note from a CSC Chaplain in Ohio, “Last month we conducted 12 different jail and prison services; hundreds were in attendance and many came to the Lord.”
Jonathan Comes Home
I received a phone call from Church of God Navy Chaplain (CDR) Gerald Felder, who is currently stationed in Jacksonville, Florida. He was on his way to conduct the funeral of a 21-year-old marine who was killed last week in Afghanistan. Gerald and I agreed that the most appropriate title for his sermon was “Jonathan Comes Home.”
This young marine was raised in the church; in fact, prior to going to Afghanistan, he declared publicly to his church, “Don’t worry about me; I am right with God and regardless of what happens, I will meet all of you in heaven.” This young man was always patriotic, – a member of the Sea Cadets and ROTC in high school – and it was his desire to serve his country as a strong Christian. What makes this funeral so personal for Chaplain Felder is the fact that his oldest son, Joseph, is currently on a deployment to Afghanistan doing the same job as a this young marine. I asked Chaplain Felder his feelings as he was on his way to this funeral with more than 1,000 expected to be in attendance. He stated:
This is personal for me. I have met this family, and I know something about their deep grief. Even though mom and dad are both Christians, they are raising the questions that all of us raise, that always begins with ‘Why?’ And yet, in the midst of their grief, they recount story after story that depicts this young marine as ‘very special.’ In preparation for my participation, in such a highly sacred event, I did, as all chaplains do, search my soul to make sure that I participated in this holy event with ‘clean hands and a pure heart.’ When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, with family and friends, I want to make sure that I am close enough to God to give this family God’s very best.
This story has unfortunately been lived in the hearts and minds of our Church of God military chaplains dating back to Vietnam. Probably no event is more difficult, nor more sacred, than when a chaplain is asked to be a part of an event which Chaplain Felder simply entitles, “Jonathan Comes Home.” I know that you will be praying for our military chaplains and, especially, those that they serve so faithfully.
Finally
Do you ever wonder what is at the “heart” of a minister who chooses chaplaincy as their unique place in God’s kingdom? Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Matt Boyd, currently deployed to Qatar, gives us an idea of what is behind this special call. He notes:
People enter the military for different reasons: needing a job, wanting to serve their country, along with many other reasons. I grew up in a home with a father who was a WWII Veteran. He was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and fought battles in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. He instilled in me and all my siblings a great appreciation for the blessings that we enjoy. It was not until I was in Chaplains School, four years after my dad passed away, I recognized that he most likely had suffered over the years with PTSD. He spent two years in combat fighting for his life. In my dad’s final days on this earth he told me that he did not know how God could forgive him for killing so many people. It was at that moment that God opened a door of ministry for me into my father’s life where I had the honor of sharing God’s grace and mercy with him in his time of need. Many warriors who survive combat leave something behind on the battlefield – a piece of themselves that they can never get back. But that doesn’t mean that these deep hurts cannot be healed. I am reminded of Psalm 147:3, which states, ‘He (God) heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.’ I count it an honor to serve and be a vessel that God uses to bring healing to His children.
This article, which will be shared later in more detail, gives you an idea of the passion that lies in the hearts of our chaplains who feel this call for “ministry beyond the gates.” I know that you will be praying for our chaplains and the thousands that they serve so faithfully in some of the world’s most unique places.
Sincerely,
Robert D. Crick
Weekly Bible Verse
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on His shoulders. These will be His royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (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
Categories: Weekly Update
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