Chaplaincy coast to coast
People with a keen eye for detail may have noticed that there have been very few posts on this blog for the past two months. There is a very simple reason for this. Most of March and April has been spent wearing the uniform of an Air Force Reserve chaplain.
Last month I supported our medical unit’s annual tour at the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. Our Air Force Reserve unit was embedded with the staff at the naval hospital (which itself contained a mix of naval active duty and reservists). It was impressive to see how smoothly our members became part of the team despite wearing a different uniform and speaking a slightly different language. Both sides managed to learn from each other. The military increasingly deploys in joint environments. It is critical that all branches know how to operate as one team.
As chaplains, we were responsible for patient and staff visitation. One day we served as the on-call chaplains, ready to respond to any emergency requests that came through. Every member of our chapel team provided multiple counseling sessions throughout the hospital. In addition, we helped lead worship in the hospital chapel. Finally, we also got a chance to shadow our naval colleagues at the San Diego Navy Base to learn more about shipboard ministry.
After a brief return to Dexter for Holy Week and Easter I put the uniform back on and headed to Scott AFB for my normal unit training assembly (drill weekend). From there I headed out to the east coast. This time it was to attend the Deputy Wing Chaplain Course at the Air Force Chaplain Corps College. In 2008 the chaplain schools from the Army, Air Force, and Navy were relocated to the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center at Ft. Jackson, SC. The campus includes a building for the Army, a shared building for the Air Force and Navy, and the Army Chaplain Corps Museum.
The course provided an excellent introduction to the work of the deputy wing chaplain and gave us an overview of how to successfully run a military chapel. Our class was fairly evenly split between active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve. Although each component does things slightly differently at home station, it was gratifying to hear firsthand stories of how well total force integration works when we get out into the deployed environment.
Following graduation from the deputy chaplain course I made another quick dash back home to Missouri. My thirty-six hours in Dexter allowed me just enough time to do a load of laundry, teach a class, and lead worship.
The final destination of the month was the Air Force Reserve Command Chaplain Corps Conference in Chicago, Illinois. This was the first conference the AFRC has held in five years. It brought Reserve chaplains and chaplain assistants from all over the world to hear from our senior leadership and to learn about changes in the chaplain corps.
Most importantly, we were gathering to hear academic lectures on moral injury and soul care from Dr. Jonathan Shay and Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock. Dr. Shay is the author of Achilles in Vietnam, a book that helped my grandpa to heal from his experience as a prisoner of war in World War II. Dr. Brock is the founder of the Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School and was the keynote speaker at the United Church of Christ denominational chaplain conference two years ago. It was great to hear her once more and to have her expertise find a wider audience.
Despite the intensity of the past six weeks, I am very grateful for all the experiences that I have had. Through our training we learned a lot, did some great networking, and were exposed to new ways of doing things. The real-world counseling and crisis interventions that I got to be a part of were incredibly rewarding. The stress that our people uniform experience is all too real. Combat, suicide, and sexual assault leave scars that never go away. Please keep these brave men and women in your thoughts and prayers.
Finally, I want to thank the people of First Christian Church, Dexter for all your support over the past two months. Your flexibility in allowing me to use my continuing education time for annual tour and to take unpaid leave for longer absences is greatly appreciated. Both options have been utilized this spring.
Of course, I know that this flexibility comes at a cost. It is inconvenient and frustrating to reschedule meetings around my military schedule. There is extra difficulty coordinating pulpit supply and worship leadership. Funerals, weddings, and other significant events in the life of our church have been missed. Additional burden is placed on the elders to take up the slack in pastoral care.
While it is insufficient compensation, please know that it breaks my heart every time that I am not able to be there for you and your family. Even though the exhaustion of twelve to sixteen hour military days precludes phone calls and emails, not a day goes by that the men of women of our church are not in my prayers. God gave me an incredible gift when I was called to serve as pastor of this congregation. Thank you for letting me be your missionary to the men and women of the Air Force Reserve.
