wfn.org | On ministrys front lines

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Note #7718 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

26-May-2003
GA03028

On ministrys front lines

Chaplains do their best to bring sanity to an insane situation

by Vicki Fogel Mykles

DENVER, May 26  Bringing sanity to an insane situation is the work of a
military chaplain, says Major David M. Terrinoni of the United States Air
Force, a chaplain who returned recently from a four-month tour in Bahrain.

	We provide continuity  a sanctuary, if you will  for military men
and women who are struggling with questions of faith, worried about family
members back at home, suffering the loss of a comrade, feeling fearful, or
looking for comfort in a surreal environment, Terrinoni said.

	Military chaplains are responsible for all the services any
congregation offers: worship services, Bible studies, youth groups and
childrens ministries. They perform Baptisms, offer counseling and provide
spiritual and ethical guidance to the troops. Their ministries are carried
out in field and mobile units, hospitals, bases, and ships, providing oases
of stability in highly unstable environments. They walk the decks, halls,
posts, camps, and work areas, touching churched and un-churched alike with a
quiet ministry of presence. A chaplains services are so highly valued that
no military unit will go into the field without its chaplain.

	When Major Valerie St. John, an Army chaplain at Fort Richardson in
Anchorage, AK, entered San Francisco Theological Seminary in the 1980s, her
father, a Navy doctor, suggested that she consider a career as a military
chaplain. She was active during Desert Storm in 1991, the sole female
chaplain on an ammunition ship in the area of operations.

	She is pleased to provide a Christian presence among the troops.
Often we are the first contact for women and men who have been raised
without faith, she said. 

	St. John interacts with all levels of military personnel. During
Desert Storm, she held confirmation classes for new members, among them the
captain of her ship, who asked her to Baptize him. He is now an elder in a
Presbyterian congregation.

	The Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel held
its annual General Assembly luncheon Monday. The featured speaker was Col.
William Hufham (retired), a former Army chaplain who thanked the more than 50
chaplains in attendance for their enduring commitment to those who serve
America on the front lines. 

	The Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, moderator of last years General Assembly,
also thanked the chaplains for their presence and for touching people at some
of the most important times in their lives. The Rev. Susan R. Andrews, this
years moderator  the daughter of a WWII chaplain  also expressed gratitude
for this valuable branch of Presbyterian ministry, vowing to support their
continuing work.

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