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Army chaplain tells of his conversion to Christianity
GA02035
June 17, 2002

Army chaplain tells of his conversion to Christianity

by Emett Barfield

Columbus, OH - Thomas K. Chadwick, the director of the Council of Presbyterian Chaplains and Military Personnel, played host to military and civilian guests at the council's first General Assembly-related luncheon.

	The speaker for the event was Gen. David Hicks, deputy chief of U.S. Army chaplains, a 25-year Army veteran from New York who said he came to Christian faith through the efforts of a chaplain when he was an enlisted man.
 After his conversion, Hicks left the Army, completed college and seminary, then returned to military life.

	"There is no better time to be a chaplain than today, in our great military," Hicks said. Asked what it means to be a chaplain, he said chaplains are called to provide spiritual leadership, which confers four obligations: to recognize that religious cooperation is necessary if the world is to survive; to model the integration of faith service to the community; to inject faith into daily life; and to be men and action of action. "They must be 'doers of the Word,' as Paul wrote," he said.

Hicks spoke of his experience after the Sept. 11 terror attack on the Pentagon in Washington, DC, when he and numerous other chaplains gathered to comfort survivors and the families of victims.

	Hicks concluded with words of praise for the PC(USA) for its support of the chaplaincy through the Council of Chaplains, and asked for continuing prayers for those who serve.

	Fahed Abu-Akel, the newly elected moderator of the General Assembly, made an unscheduled stop at the luncheon and spoke briefly of his gratitude to chaplains who helped his family through a time of crisis.
							
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