What Do Chaplains Do Anyway? Part 4

Chaplains care!

Chaplains care about the troops who they serve. Of course we are here to insure and facilitate the freedom of religious expression that our nation is built upon. But even beyond this, we have the opportunity to live out the calling of our Lord to love one another. The ministry of Jesus could certainly be characterized as a ministry of caring. Chaplains reach out in a variety of ways to show people that they are appreciated and cared for by their fellow Air Force community. Counseling and listening are just a couple of ways. Sometimes the chaplain will carry out hot chocolate in the cold of the night or early morning to those working in the cold. We drop an encouraging word, clasp a shoulder, or shake a hand wherever we get the chance. Yesterday, I had the privlege of doing an invocation/prayer for about 30 newly promoted airmen at our Wing's monthly promotion ceremony. It was inspiring to see the joy and eagerness in the faces of these men and women, some of them very young, as they take on additional responsibilities. Earlier that day, my supervisor put on his Lt. Col. leaves. His service to others has been recognized and he is on to bigger things and a wider avenue of service and responsibility.

Chaplains care: whether we are in the gym working out and stop in coversation, visiting a family of a deployed member, in a chow line visiting troops, by a hospital bed or carrying a litter on or off a plane, whether we stand saluting, or bow our heads in prayer -- we hope to convey to those who see and hear -- they are cared for: by God who created and redeemed them and by their fellow human beings with whom they work and for whom they serve.

An Air Force Year to Remember

An article on military.com states that for the Air Force 2005 was a year to remember. Certainly for myself, this was a year to remember: an "Air Force" year to remember. One year ago I was a parish minister in a very slow country setting of a small church. Today I'm part of a team that serves almost 10,000 folks. I've been through loads of training, done loads of counseling, and had the responsibility to make several large chapel projects happen. My family made a major move from the hills of Tennessee to the metro area of DC. I went from a job that offered little more than a slow pace to an exhilorating and demanding climate. Rewarding -- that is how one can describe life in the Air Force as a chaplain. There is always something worth doing and the joy of knowing that what one does makes a real difference in the lives of people who are making a difference.

I suspect 2006 will be a year to remember as well. In one week, I'll depart for six more weeks of intensive training, including deployment training.

A couple of links for you to peruse to see what kind of stuff the Air Force is up to:

US Air Force Year in Photos 2005

2005, An Air Force Year to Remember

A blessed happy new year to you.

A Quiet Night

Christmas Eve found our family at a Candlelight service at one of our chapels at Andrews. My daughters lit the Christ candle as we focused on the theme that Jesus the light of the world is already here and because of that hope shines bright. Hope for peace because of the one who is the Prince of Peace shines in our world. Hope that my job as officer and chaplain will soon be obsolete. There will be peace on earth and no more need for military or other such folks. There will be peace between God and people and no more need for shepherds of the flock for Christ will be here and all shall know Him.

Our choir did such a wonderful job with "Still, Still, Still" and our organist/pianist had the perfect touch in accompaniment. I especially enjoyed the harpist that the chapel contracted. She played music before the service, a special piece during, and accompanied our hymns. And the chapel was lit with candle light brilliance. It was truly an enjoyable experience leading this service.

Christmas Day, I'll be able to sit with my family in church -- the first time I've done that on a Christmas since my wife and I were first married. I've always been holding the services. Its nice to be able to enjoy the best of both worlds -- parishioner and one of the flock.

I have to put a plug in for our chaplain assistants. The rest of the base is on a four day stand down (mostly, no base ever completely shuts down), but our assistants were out there Christmas Eve and will be Christmas Day getting everything ready for the multitude of services offered in the Protestant and Catholic communities here on base. Many people sacrifice time with family, not just so Christmas can be celebrated, but so that the nation is kept safe. I know of many folks working today -- taking care of wounded, flying and maintaining aircraft, and more.

Stuff headed for desert

Today, with the help of one of our first shirts, I mailed out over 1300 dollars in school supplies to a commander from our base who is forward deployed for a project entitled "Operation Outreach". Thanks to the generous donations of many of the attendees of our Sunday morning Chapel 1 protestant services and to vendors who service our local commisary, we sent 30 boxes of school supplies, hygene kits, sandles, and toys to school children in Iraq. The brings pretty much to a close a project that has been in works for about six weeks.

Now I turn my efforts to focusing on my upcoming temporary duty for training down in Montgomery. Six more weeks of training, this time focusing on being a chaplain who is prepared for deployment into an area of operations.

So this touches on a couple of other areas that chaplains work in -- special ongoing projects and training -- lots and lots of training. Just like everyone else, we stay trained so we stay ready to go and do the job.

What Do Chaplains Do Anyway? Part 3

Visitation. Lots of visitation. Every Air Force base is composed of numerous groups of people organized around a particular tasking which are called Squadrons. Each chaplain is assigned to a number of squadrons. I currently have a very large squadron, two smaller ones, and am the point chaplain for a large tenant unit that is located here. As one Commander shared with me, I'm only good to him if his troops know who the chaplain is. So chaplains spend a lot of time out where the troops are getting to know them and what they do.

There is always a chaplain on call 24/7. The duty chaplain will visit the work areas that are spinned up after normal duty hours like the hospital, the Command Post, various security posts and service areas.

The Air Force has a neat term for this: "Ministry of Presence". We are not out there necessarily pushing religion down anyone's throat, but we are out there to let the troops know that someone cares about them and is available to them if they need someone just to listen. Its wonderful to see how much an encouraging word can mean to our folks.

Saturday I spent the afternoon visiting with families of children who have cancer. The base sponsors a special Christmas gathering for them every year complete with activities, plays, music, and of course Santa. There were loads of volunteers there giving their time to make it a special time for the kids and families from firefighters, security forces folks, pilots with some aircraft available to tour and so forth. It was a wonderful opportunity to not only support these families but to show appreciation for the airmen who so willingly gave of their time and efforts for them.