“Ministry can take many shapes. Some chaplains work in a chapel environment. Some chaplains never preach from behind a pulpit. They might serve communion from the tailgate of a Hummer or a truck….” ~ Military Ministry: Chaplains in the Twenty-First Century (page 187)
There hadn’t been a chaplain at the small FOB during the three years the it had been in operation, but now that things were heating up and people were dying, our leaders decided to send a chaplain and I was selected. My job was to build a religious program from scratch, take care of the spiritual needs of the people, and provide a “ministry of presence.” To do that, I needed a ministry team, some “boots on the ground” partners, especially after my Chaplain Assistant was injured and had to return to the States.
One Sunday morning, two female soldiers from the Motor Pool arrived early for church.
“We hear your Chaplain Assistant had to go home.”
“Yeah, she did,” I replied. “She was an amazing NCO and Chaplain Assistant, but was wounded and went back to the States for surgery.”
One of the two continued. “MSG France was awesome. She’s the one who told us you were doing church. Well, since she’s gone, we’re here to volunteer as your new assistants.”
They were a fantastic pair of ministry partners: always there, always early, always joyful. One of them told me, “My daddy’s a pastor back home. I grew up in the church, so I know the ropes. We can do anything you need help with.”
She was right. Both of them were sharp, spiritually minded, and experienced in church ministries. They could do it all.
The Lord provided a fantastic ministry team to cover for the absence of my Chaplain Assistant. It was like having a pastoral staff right there in the desert. I wasn’t a lone wolf trying to be-all, know-all, do-all. There were people in place who were ready to help, pray, advise, and share the load.
The differences between us were obvious: different denominations, different personalities, different spiritual gifts, different skin color, different genders. But the fact that we worked together, supported one another, and honored each other had an immediate impact on the people at the base. Just as important, it seemed the Lord was pleased with the way we handled things, and he blessed our efforts from day one.
The two church-trained volunteers were clearly sent by God to help in the work of the ministry. That partnership provided a unity that paved the way for the presence of God and the power of God to be experienced in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
Military Chaplain Guide 