Chaplains Commission Weekly Update – 4/16/2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 8:24 am
Choice Christian Greetings!
Chaplaincy has always been about hanging around long enough to see and experience events and persons beyond the routine “surface level.” So often, being impressed with the forest, we fail to see the uniqueness of each tree that occupies it. The same is true with ministry. We get hung up with facts and figures, bottom line budgets, bureaucratic hogwash, and miss the reality that it is not about things, but about persons. Jesus demonstrated this reality in His encounter at the well (John 4). As we all know, the disciples were anxious about this encounter for two reasons: it slowed up what the disciples envisioned to be “their” agenda, i.e., getting to the next event on time; and it risked Jesus’ reputation and ministry, i.e., spending too much time talking to this destitute and questionable character. Had He been, like most of us, who just wanted to get at the quickest, bottom line issue, He would have missed the fact that, in spite of this woman’s questionable history of bad relationships, she had a hunger to find someone to relate to her who would not abuse and use her. That explanation, “I found a man,” tells the whole story. She found someone that would take the time, to look beneath the surface, and to offer her that spiritual relationship that undoubtedly she had searched for all of her life.
Chaplaincy takes time and patience. When tough first sergeants rush into the military chaplain’s office, with abusive language, challenging some rather insignificant administrative issue, the chaplain normally will ask himself/herself the question, “What is really going on here?” Over a cup of coffee, after taking a little abuse from the first sergeant, you hear a confession of one entrapped in a bad marriage, or, some other critical struggle. Or maybe, just the fact that life feels meaningless and stuck on a dead-end street. The same goes for our civilian chaplains; who often will hear words from a dying patient, “Chaplain, I just don’t have time for you today.” Is this a message that is sending us away, or a plea for us to take that person seriously? Should we stay, in spite of their negative behavior, and experience with them their pain, confusion, and fear, even if it is only for a few moments? Patience and time are qualities that make for a good chaplain, and for that matter, for good ministry at all levels. Could it be that our denomination’s financial dilemma, the conflict, and the mistrust between local churches and state and national headquarters could get resolved with “patience and time?” There is always a hidden agenda behind those words, “I don’t trust you.” It is, on the one hand, a means to create even more distance between those persons and entities who are in conflict; but, it is also a plea to not let these negative remarks of mine close down the dialogical process. “I have met a man,” who demonstrated both patience and time, and eventually he got to my “real issue.”
Reports from Dr. Jake Popejoy; Coordinator of Training and Community Service Chaplains
1. CSC Course in Moldova: A Community Service Basic Course was conducted in the country of Moldova, with 210 pastors in attendance. Jake Popejoy and Missionary Bob Schmidt were the lead teachers. While in Moldova, the Overseer appointed a National Chaplaincy Coordinator along with a chaplaincy board.
2. Chaplaincy Training Course, Durban, South Africa: The second Community Service Chaplaincy Training Course took place in beautiful, tropical Durban, South Africa. There were 104 pastors who took this very strategic chaplaincy course. This course was the “principal component” of a care and compassion conference sponsored by the Bethsaida Church of God in Durban. Senior Pastor EJ Moodley, the First Deputy Moderator for the Full Gospel Church of God, was the sponsor for this course and care conference.
3. Chaplaincy Courses in Washington State: Westgate Chapel, Edmonds, Washington, with Senior Pastor, Alec Rowlands. This course had 40 students who, not only took the course, but will be given chaplaincy assignments in the Edmonds area. This unique church, with a fantastic community outreach, has produced some 300 Community Service Chaplains who are now serving throughout the Pacific Northwest. Cindi Bowen, Chaplaincy Director for Westgate Chapel, and Dr. Popejoy were the primary instructors.
Chaplaincy News From the Field
· Several chaplains who are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan sent us pictures and testimonies of their Easter services. Army Chaplain (LTC) Mickey Jett, serving a NATO Command Area in Afghanistan, had several nations in attendance.
· Army Chaplain (CPT) Jeff Bartels, Fort Eustis, Virginia, sent this Easter report: “We gathered at sunrise to celebrate our risen Lord. We then had our regular Easter service, where I had the privilege of preaching on ‘Our Response to a Risen Savior.’ When the time came to close the service, of the more than 100 in attendance, eight soldiers came forward and gave their lives to Jesus Christ. After the service ended, an elder of our chapel came forward in tears telling me that this was the first time in nine years that an altar call had been given at this chapel.”
· Army Chaplain (CPT) Thomas Lesh, Korea, sent this Easter report: “We had Easter services, full of honor and glory.” We prepared for this special event with an extended fast. I had the privilege of giving the Easter sermon at one of our Korean churches. Afterwards, we had our own Easter sunrise service, and later an outstanding general, Easter service. We serve a God where there are no limits.”
· Fire Department Chaplain William Howard, Saginaw, Michigan, reports: “One of our churches sponsored a special Sunday service, just for firefighters. We honored those who put their lives on the line for us every time there is a fire or other tragedy. We gave special honor to a 39-year-old female, who died in a recent fire on March 6th. Keep our firefighters and families of fire victims in your prayers.”
· Jail and Prison Chaplain Carl Adams, North Hampton, Ohio, gives chaplaincy coverage to a number of jails and prisons. He reports: “At one prison, I had the privilege of ministering to 29 juveniles; some of them with serious dysfunctionalities and suicidal tendencies. At another prison, I had the privilege of preaching to 200 inmates. Many of them came forth to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. And, in another prison, I have been working with several inmates in our mentoring class. Many tell us that these classes have brought them much closer to the Lord.”
· Army Chaplain (CPT) Abraham Sarmiento, deployed to Afghanistan, sent this testimony: “Through the efforts and sacrifices of our soldiers, we are gradually winning the hearts of a lot of Afghan people. This month we had our task force prayer breakfast; with 60 Brawler soldiers in attendance. In a recent ceremony, 31 of my soldiers were honored for their support of our chaplaincy programs.”
· Community Service Chaplain FD Sexton, Pastor of the Beckley, West Virginia Church of God, had the awesome responsibility of ministering to one of the families whose husband/father was a recent victim in the West Virginia mine explosion. Chaplain Sexton states, “Robert E. Clark, 41, had come forward and committed himself to the Lord just a few months prior to this tragic event.” I know that all of you will be praying for the Clark family, as well as all the families who suffer from this and other mining tragedies.
Finally
One of my best friends during my 20+ years as an Army Chaplain was Lutheran Chaplain Conrad Walker. We had joint assignments in Vietnam and at Fort Benning, Georgia. I would guess that Connie and I made together, at least 50 Airborne jumps. On one occasion, we were challenged by the Jump School Commander to help him set a record for the most jumps in a single day. He had heard, through numerous sources that someone had jumped 16 times; therefore, Connie and I joined him, and a handful of others, to do 17 jumps in a single day. You can imagine how we felt, jump after jump, arranged by an eccentric Colonel who was driven to break a record. More than just jumping, Lutheran Chaplain Walker was a real brother in the faith. We had the privilege in Vietnam of conducting joint worship services where many men came forth to give their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. One seriously overweight Mess Sergeant, who had been a problem over the years, finally came to Christ. He must have weighed 300+ pounds. It was our responsibility to baptize him in a raging river that was adjacent to our temporary encampment. We were wise enough to tie a rope around him. As he stepped into the river, you know the rest of the story. The river currents caught him, and had it not been for the rope, he would have been on his way down the river into the vast waters of the China Sea. After finally managing (with the help of a whole platoon) to get him back to the shore, I will never forget his words, “Wow; I am glad that you don’t have to do this baptism twice.” As I reflect back on almost 50 years of chaplaincy type ministries, military, hospitals, counseling centers, mental health clinics, the list goes on and on, it is these faces that are burned in my heart for forever. These “living human documents” are the rewards of 50 years of chaplaincy ministries. That is, Chaplain Walker, a happy sergeant who had given his life to the Lord, and the thousands whose lives have been transformed because they got introduced to one of the greatest ministries of our time–both full-time and volunteer. Keep our chaplains and their ministries in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Robert D. Crick
Weekly Bible Verse
Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
John 8:12 (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
Correspondence
Categories: Weekly Update
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