Holy Trinity Church describes itself as a "...vibrant, growing and caring community in the Anglican tradition". I found it to be that and more! It is a relatively small congregation in a ethnic diverse neighborhood called Inwood in the upper tip end of Manhattan, New York City, which has a most hospitable welcome for all who pass through its doors.
The church nearly folded a few years ago. However, the Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of New York wisely appointed a new vicar, the Rev. Johann-Karen Johannson-- a very passionate, positive leader whom the congregation obviously deeply respects and loves. She, and the small handful of others who were the congregation at the time, bonded together in their commitment and the church is experiencing a new vibrancy in attendance, worship, fellowship and mission. Nowadays on any Sunday there are about 40 or so regular worshippers and the congregation is once again a viable presence in the community with important local ministries which are described on their web site, http://www.holytrinityinwood.org/.
The age and culturally diverse members make up one of the most friendly congregations I have encountered. The members --young, old and in between -- seem genuinely happy to greet each other and visitors before and after worship. And the same is true during the well-attended coffee hour (which is actually a pot-luck, sit-down lunch each Sunday!) where almost everyone stays and enjoys the fellowship in their simple, crowded parish hall and kitchen. Genuine love and acceptance seems to abound at Holy Trinity.
During the two Sundays I visited the congregation I have witnessed beautiful, spirited singing by "the pew-choir" -- i.e. the entire congregation (their only "choir"); well-done, non-elaborate Episcopal Church liturgy; and a conversation-style homily by their gifted communicator-preacher-vicar, Mother Johanna. At the time of the homily, a chair is brought to the center aisle amidst the congregation and she "preaches" conversational style while seated. The listeners are very attentive to the Gospel-centered, engaging sermon. Some even audibly respond to her occasional question and all warmly laugh at her natural humor.
I was invited to Holy Trinity in my role as the Director for Federal Chaplaincies in the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies. (The Rt. Rev. George Packard is my "boss" and also happens to know Mo. Johanna.) Apparently the majority of the members at Holy Trinity are opposed to the war in Iraq, yet they decided to reach out in a non-judgemental manner to some of those men and women of the U.S. armed services who have bravely volunteered to serve and now are asked to put their lives on the line in an unpopular war.
Janis Handte, one of Holy Trinity's outreach-ministry leaders, contacted our office about their already in motion plan to "adopt" a platoon at Ft. Drum, NY -- a unit which is about to deploy to Iraq. She said this is venture "outside the box" for Holy Trinity and asked to discuss it with me and also to come speak with their congregation. Among other things, I talked about our HoST (Home Support Team) program suggestions we have posted on our web page, http://www.tec-chaplain.org/, especially geared for congregations and dioceses which recognize the need to engage in outreach with persons directly or indirectly touched by the war -- including non-church members in the community as well as those in their church family.
None of Holy Trinity's current membership is part of the military and none has immediate friends or family serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Yet the church is reaching out and "feeling its way" into this ministry of compassion. It has resulted in the church establishing rapport with the platoon by way of the Platoon Leader, Second Lieutenant Paul Moeller of the 2nd Platoon, Company 57 (Transportation) of the 10th Mountain Division Light Infantry at Ft. Drum, NY -- located more than three hours north of New York City.
Although Holy Trinity's "Adopt a Platoon" coordinator Janis Handte had spoken with LT Moeller via telephone, on Sunday, October 21, the congregation finally met LT Moeller for the first time. He worshipped with them at their 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist and stayed for the fellowship lunch afterwards.
During the worship service Mother Johanna blessed 2o copies of the Episcopal Church's "A Prayer Book for the Armed Services" and 20 Church Service crosses which can be attached to a service member's "dog tag" ID. These were presented to LT Moeller for him to make available to the platoon members. Prayers were offered on behalf of the platoon as it prepares to deploy to Iraq very soon.
Throughout the platoon's 15-month deployment the congregation hopes to stay in touch with LT Moeller and the other members of the unit -- supporting them with regular prayers and with occasional "care package" items which hopefully will brighten their long days a bit.
Christian hospitality is at the very center of being Christian and being church; of living out the Great Commandment of Jesus to "love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves." Holy Trinity, Inwood, is beautifully demonstrating Christ-like hospitality to its neighborhood and now to a platoon that is heading into harm's way.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Jesus, make it easy to follow you, please
During the nearly 22 years I served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy I, like other chaplains, spent a great deal of energy and time preparing for field and chapel homilies and Eucharists, leading Bible studies and mini-retreats, as well as counseling young individuals and couples who had been referred by the command or simply sought out "the chaplain" for assistance.
When appropriate and without proselytizing, I tried hard to find ways to effectively communicate the grace-giving (and thus joyful), reconciling --and yes -- demanding truths of faith in God as lived out in Jesus. I now wish I had been open to using written verse, especially, solid contemporary poetry, in some of those efforts.
In recent years -- since retiring from chaplaincy and in my current role as one who helps recruit, develop and support Episcopal Church priests for chaplaincy service at federal prisons, VA hospitals, and U.S. military -- I have come to read and appreciate some contemporary poetry by writers such as Mary Oliver and Jude Simpson, in addition to the classical poets like T. S. Eliot and George Herbert.
Both Mary Oliver and Jude Simpson have helped me see that poetry can sometimes communicate the mystery of truth for our increasingly secular world by using an economy of penetrating words that mere prose simply cannot. I have come to believe that poetry for youth and young adults -- who almost all are attracted to song lyrics including rap and hip-hop -- just may be a mode of communicating truth that they will more readily hear and consider.
For instance, the young female poet Jude Simpson is truly amazing when it comes to writing poetry which both entertains and yet speaks with deep passion and insight. She is a British writer who is described on one web site as a "comic poet, entertainer and all-around lover of words."
The Church of England web site folks asked Jude to write "five 'funny' poems about Jesus" and to also document her creative process in an audio diary. (All five poems and the audio can be enjoyed at www.rejesus.co.uk/expressions/jude_simpson/index.html.
For yet more info on this gifted and humorous poet, you can also visit her own web page, www.judesimpson.co.uk/.)
When I read her poems recently, I found my heart and mind greatly engaged by some of her rhythmic, metaphoric word choices such as these lines in the poem "You won't find Jesus on Myspace":
Jesus doesn't have a Myspace page.
He hasn't composed a profile
which sums him up in fifty excruciatingly well-chosen words
making him sound like God's gift.
All of her five poems are humorous yet have a depth of truth that sort of sneaks up on you. For instance, in perhaps her best of the five Jesus poems -- "Not cut out for religion" -- she has some really penetrating lines, especially for those of us in the "first-world," Western culture with our addiction to getting lots and lots of things fast, if not easy. Simpson writes:
Give me bite-sized thoughts in a faith shape sorter,
No more spilt blood or living water,
just a pint-sized god who's a straight talker.
Make it easy to follow.
I want fruit-flavored shots of the Holy Spirit,
bite-sized, trite truths in Boyband lyrics
"love" and "above" -- yeah, that should fill it.
Make it easy to follow.
Then a few lines later she writes,
You say, "you are not my servant, now you are my friend".
You say, "I will be with you until the bitter end".
And I'm like, "why bother?" -- I wanted happiness on prescription.
Isn't that the whole point of getting religion?
Enough said.
Thanks be to God for poets like Jude Simpson who speak truth powerfully to youth and young adults -- and to us "foremerly young" folks too!
When appropriate and without proselytizing, I tried hard to find ways to effectively communicate the grace-giving (and thus joyful), reconciling --and yes -- demanding truths of faith in God as lived out in Jesus. I now wish I had been open to using written verse, especially, solid contemporary poetry, in some of those efforts.
In recent years -- since retiring from chaplaincy and in my current role as one who helps recruit, develop and support Episcopal Church priests for chaplaincy service at federal prisons, VA hospitals, and U.S. military -- I have come to read and appreciate some contemporary poetry by writers such as Mary Oliver and Jude Simpson, in addition to the classical poets like T. S. Eliot and George Herbert.
Both Mary Oliver and Jude Simpson have helped me see that poetry can sometimes communicate the mystery of truth for our increasingly secular world by using an economy of penetrating words that mere prose simply cannot. I have come to believe that poetry for youth and young adults -- who almost all are attracted to song lyrics including rap and hip-hop -- just may be a mode of communicating truth that they will more readily hear and consider.
For instance, the young female poet Jude Simpson is truly amazing when it comes to writing poetry which both entertains and yet speaks with deep passion and insight. She is a British writer who is described on one web site as a "comic poet, entertainer and all-around lover of words."
The Church of England web site folks asked Jude to write "five 'funny' poems about Jesus" and to also document her creative process in an audio diary. (All five poems and the audio can be enjoyed at www.rejesus.co.uk/expressions/jude_simpson/index.html.
For yet more info on this gifted and humorous poet, you can also visit her own web page, www.judesimpson.co.uk/.)
When I read her poems recently, I found my heart and mind greatly engaged by some of her rhythmic, metaphoric word choices such as these lines in the poem "You won't find Jesus on Myspace":
Jesus doesn't have a Myspace page.
He hasn't composed a profile
which sums him up in fifty excruciatingly well-chosen words
making him sound like God's gift.
All of her five poems are humorous yet have a depth of truth that sort of sneaks up on you. For instance, in perhaps her best of the five Jesus poems -- "Not cut out for religion" -- she has some really penetrating lines, especially for those of us in the "first-world," Western culture with our addiction to getting lots and lots of things fast, if not easy. Simpson writes:
Give me bite-sized thoughts in a faith shape sorter,
No more spilt blood or living water,
just a pint-sized god who's a straight talker.
Make it easy to follow.
I want fruit-flavored shots of the Holy Spirit,
bite-sized, trite truths in Boyband lyrics
"love" and "above" -- yeah, that should fill it.
Make it easy to follow.
Then a few lines later she writes,
You say, "you are not my servant, now you are my friend".
You say, "I will be with you until the bitter end".
And I'm like, "why bother?" -- I wanted happiness on prescription.
Isn't that the whole point of getting religion?
Enough said.
Thanks be to God for poets like Jude Simpson who speak truth powerfully to youth and young adults -- and to us "foremerly young" folks too!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
"God's Warriors," religion and the news media
At a time when the U.S. and the rest of the Western world is showing signs of finally connecting the dots between political events and religion, it is interesting that major newspapers and news magazines have continued to eliminate religion journalists positions. However, there seems to be an increase in the number of rather well-researched and objective religious reporting being done in some of the "mainstream" electronic media.
For example, Christiane Amanpour, the chief international correspondent for CNN, and perhaps one of the most familiar "faces" in evening news reports from Iraq and other locales in the Middle East, has now completed a much anticipated three-part religious series entitled "God's Warriors". It is being shown this week on CNN.
In the three-part series, Amanpour travels to six countries on four continents to report on the "intersection between religion and politics" and "the effect of Christianity, Islam and Judaism have on politics, culture and public life."
The CNN schedule indicates the following 9:00 PM EDT showings (but perhaps start-times may vary in different TV markets).
--Tues, Aug 21: "Jewish Warriors"
--Wed, Aug 22: "Muslim Warriors"
-- Thur, Aug 23: "Christian Warriors"
It will be interesting to see if this series sparks interest by other major networks to more intelligently and objectively discuss and report the intersection of politics and religion. And who knows, perhaps the print media might even consider re-establishing some of its religion journalist positions.
For example, Christiane Amanpour, the chief international correspondent for CNN, and perhaps one of the most familiar "faces" in evening news reports from Iraq and other locales in the Middle East, has now completed a much anticipated three-part religious series entitled "God's Warriors". It is being shown this week on CNN.
In the three-part series, Amanpour travels to six countries on four continents to report on the "intersection between religion and politics" and "the effect of Christianity, Islam and Judaism have on politics, culture and public life."
The CNN schedule indicates the following 9:00 PM EDT showings (but perhaps start-times may vary in different TV markets).
--Tues, Aug 21: "Jewish Warriors"
--Wed, Aug 22: "Muslim Warriors"
-- Thur, Aug 23: "Christian Warriors"
It will be interesting to see if this series sparks interest by other major networks to more intelligently and objectively discuss and report the intersection of politics and religion. And who knows, perhaps the print media might even consider re-establishing some of its religion journalist positions.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Police chaplain serves near Twin Cities bridge tragedy
The Rev. Deborah (Debbie) Brown is an Episcopal Church priest in the Diocese of Minnesota and for the past 12 years she has served alongside first-responders as a volunteer police chaplain.
So last Wednesday, August 1st, when the Interstate 35 West bridge collapsed in nearby Minneapolis - Saint Paul during evening rush hour killing at least five and and injuring many other motorists, Debbie prayerfully readied herself for whatever response her team might be called upon to offer.
In her role as the Chaplain Coordinator for the Eagan, Minnesota Police Department, Debbie supervises other chaplains and shares the volunteer ministry with them. Also, for the past five years, she has served on the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team which means she is trained and certified to assist in debriefing first responders and others who have experienced the trauma that often comes in police related work.
The Office of the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies (where I serve at the Episcopal Church Center -- our denomination's national headquarters -- in New York City) our three-fold mission is to recruit, develop and support federal chaplains of our Church -- namely Federal Bureau of Prisons chaplains, Veterans Affairs Hospital chaplains, and military chaplains.
While our mission and work does not directly include "diocesan chaplains" such as Police Chaplain Debbie Brown, we do maintain a somewhat loose relationship with our brother and sister non-federal chaplains who serve under the oversight of their own local diocesan bishop as chaplains for local hospitals, correction facilities, police, firefighters, emergency medical responders, etc. Police Chaplain Debbie Brown serves under the watch-care of her local diocesan, Bishop James Jelinek.
When the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies, the Rt. Rev. George Packard (my "boss") and I learned of the tragic bridge collapse, Bishop Packard who is currently temporarily away from New York City, asked me to check with Mr. Richard Ohlsen, the Episcopal Relief and Development's (ERD) director of Domestic Disaster Preparedness and Response, just three floors up from our offices.
I learned from Richard that he had already offered ERD assistance to Bishop Jelinek in Minnesota and was standing by for their response. I shared with him that our office database indicated there is one diocesan first-responder chaplain, Police Chaplain Debbie Brown, located in a community very near the collapsed bridge and that I would phone her to see if our office might support her in any way.
Concurrently, Bishop George Packard contacted Bishop Jelinek in Minnesota and assured him that while ERD's Domestic Disaster office would appropriately be the first point of contact and support for the diocese from the national church headquarters, his office in NYC would also be available to support him, his Police Chaplain Debbie Brown, and any of his clergy, should we be needed.
Since last Thursday, I have stayed in contact with Debbie by way of phone calls and emails. In a call I had with her late today she said the bridge situation is still quite fluid and the metro Minneapolis-St. Paul area is still trying to deal with the grief and unknowns of this sad event.
Debbie also said one of several hopeful and positive signs was the recent interfaith worship service that was coordinated by a committee of various area faith group leaders.
The service was held at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Minneapolis and attended by over 1,400 people from many of the metro area's religious traditions. Readers and prayer leaders came from Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Native American and Hispanic faith communities.
We all know from such events as the 9/11 attacks, the Katrina storm and floods, the recent deaths of nine firefighters in Charleston -- and of course the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- that grief and various other kinds of stress can impact communities, families, and individuals in many ways for weeks and sometimes for months and years.
Volunteer first-responder chaplains such as Deborah Brown in the Twin Cities and Rob Dewey in Charleston stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the victims, police, firefighters, EMT teams, families, and countless others touched by life's tragedies. Chaplains, other clergy and lay ministers become to many the incarnation symbol of God standing beside and walking with them in their confusion, pain and loss.
So last Wednesday, August 1st, when the Interstate 35 West bridge collapsed in nearby Minneapolis - Saint Paul during evening rush hour killing at least five and and injuring many other motorists, Debbie prayerfully readied herself for whatever response her team might be called upon to offer.
In her role as the Chaplain Coordinator for the Eagan, Minnesota Police Department, Debbie supervises other chaplains and shares the volunteer ministry with them. Also, for the past five years, she has served on the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team which means she is trained and certified to assist in debriefing first responders and others who have experienced the trauma that often comes in police related work.
The Office of the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies (where I serve at the Episcopal Church Center -- our denomination's national headquarters -- in New York City) our three-fold mission is to recruit, develop and support federal chaplains of our Church -- namely Federal Bureau of Prisons chaplains, Veterans Affairs Hospital chaplains, and military chaplains.
While our mission and work does not directly include "diocesan chaplains" such as Police Chaplain Debbie Brown, we do maintain a somewhat loose relationship with our brother and sister non-federal chaplains who serve under the oversight of their own local diocesan bishop as chaplains for local hospitals, correction facilities, police, firefighters, emergency medical responders, etc. Police Chaplain Debbie Brown serves under the watch-care of her local diocesan, Bishop James Jelinek.
When the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies, the Rt. Rev. George Packard (my "boss") and I learned of the tragic bridge collapse, Bishop Packard who is currently temporarily away from New York City, asked me to check with Mr. Richard Ohlsen, the Episcopal Relief and Development's (ERD) director of Domestic Disaster Preparedness and Response, just three floors up from our offices.
I learned from Richard that he had already offered ERD assistance to Bishop Jelinek in Minnesota and was standing by for their response. I shared with him that our office database indicated there is one diocesan first-responder chaplain, Police Chaplain Debbie Brown, located in a community very near the collapsed bridge and that I would phone her to see if our office might support her in any way.
Concurrently, Bishop George Packard contacted Bishop Jelinek in Minnesota and assured him that while ERD's Domestic Disaster office would appropriately be the first point of contact and support for the diocese from the national church headquarters, his office in NYC would also be available to support him, his Police Chaplain Debbie Brown, and any of his clergy, should we be needed.
Since last Thursday, I have stayed in contact with Debbie by way of phone calls and emails. In a call I had with her late today she said the bridge situation is still quite fluid and the metro Minneapolis-St. Paul area is still trying to deal with the grief and unknowns of this sad event.
Debbie also said one of several hopeful and positive signs was the recent interfaith worship service that was coordinated by a committee of various area faith group leaders.
The service was held at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Minneapolis and attended by over 1,400 people from many of the metro area's religious traditions. Readers and prayer leaders came from Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Native American and Hispanic faith communities.
We all know from such events as the 9/11 attacks, the Katrina storm and floods, the recent deaths of nine firefighters in Charleston -- and of course the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- that grief and various other kinds of stress can impact communities, families, and individuals in many ways for weeks and sometimes for months and years.
Volunteer first-responder chaplains such as Deborah Brown in the Twin Cities and Rob Dewey in Charleston stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the victims, police, firefighters, EMT teams, families, and countless others touched by life's tragedies. Chaplains, other clergy and lay ministers become to many the incarnation symbol of God standing beside and walking with them in their confusion, pain and loss.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Caring for the emotional and physical wounds of wars
Conflicting feelings of pain and gratitude still linger as I reflect upon a recent journey to Texas to visit with chaplains at two two Veterans Affairs hospitals --one in Waco and the other in Temple--and one at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio:
--Pain for U.S. military service personnel who have been severely wounded in Iraq or in Afghanistan and still others from service prior to those two wars. I saw one young man, still healing from severe body and facial burns plus amputation, eating lunch in the dinning facility at Brooke Army and chatting with some fellow patients. I later saw him determinedly wheeling himself out the door and across the street back to the special, brand new Center for the Intrepid rehabilitation center where he, along with a host of others, spend many hours each week trying to prepare and figure out how to move forward into some kind of hopeful life.
--Gratitude for the VA and military hospital staffs who, with great compassion and expertise, faithfully assist veterans--young and old--to find some meaning, joy and hope in bodies and minds racked with damage and hurt; gratitude for New York real estate developer Arnold Fisher, who has invested his own time, energy, influence and millions of dollars into his family's Fisher House Foundation which provides housing at all major U.S. military medical facilities for family members who are visiting their wounded loved ones or for veterans returning for out-patient care. At Brooke Army Medical Center Mr. Fisher spearheaded a project allowing private donations (instead of government monies) to design and construct the Center for the Intrepid (CFI), a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center at Brooke.
--Gratitude for chaplains, especially our own Episcopal Church chaplain-priests at those three facilities --VA Chaplains Tom Rardin and Mark Wilburn in Waco and Temple, and Army Chaplain Phil Kochenburger in San Antonio--each with a heart and mind for caring for those struggling to find spiritual as well as medical support through the maze of coping and recovery.
Yes, I know that the odd mixture of pain and gratitude, not unlike like fear and love, are the stuff of life. Yet it all comes with such strong, in-your-face ambiguity when we see them in the faces of the scores of veterans and their loved ones who have been impacted by the violence of wars.
Oh dear God, how we pray for the peace of Jerusalem -- and Sudan, and Iraq, and Afghanistan, and all other places that need healing that only comes when God is allowed to save all our souls -- Muslims, Christians and Jews alike -- from hatred and power grabbing.
--Pain for U.S. military service personnel who have been severely wounded in Iraq or in Afghanistan and still others from service prior to those two wars. I saw one young man, still healing from severe body and facial burns plus amputation, eating lunch in the dinning facility at Brooke Army and chatting with some fellow patients. I later saw him determinedly wheeling himself out the door and across the street back to the special, brand new Center for the Intrepid rehabilitation center where he, along with a host of others, spend many hours each week trying to prepare and figure out how to move forward into some kind of hopeful life.
--Gratitude for the VA and military hospital staffs who, with great compassion and expertise, faithfully assist veterans--young and old--to find some meaning, joy and hope in bodies and minds racked with damage and hurt; gratitude for New York real estate developer Arnold Fisher, who has invested his own time, energy, influence and millions of dollars into his family's Fisher House Foundation which provides housing at all major U.S. military medical facilities for family members who are visiting their wounded loved ones or for veterans returning for out-patient care. At Brooke Army Medical Center Mr. Fisher spearheaded a project allowing private donations (instead of government monies) to design and construct the Center for the Intrepid (CFI), a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center at Brooke.
--Gratitude for chaplains, especially our own Episcopal Church chaplain-priests at those three facilities --VA Chaplains Tom Rardin and Mark Wilburn in Waco and Temple, and Army Chaplain Phil Kochenburger in San Antonio--each with a heart and mind for caring for those struggling to find spiritual as well as medical support through the maze of coping and recovery.
Yes, I know that the odd mixture of pain and gratitude, not unlike like fear and love, are the stuff of life. Yet it all comes with such strong, in-your-face ambiguity when we see them in the faces of the scores of veterans and their loved ones who have been impacted by the violence of wars.
Oh dear God, how we pray for the peace of Jerusalem -- and Sudan, and Iraq, and Afghanistan, and all other places that need healing that only comes when God is allowed to save all our souls -- Muslims, Christians and Jews alike -- from hatred and power grabbing.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Finding Katterbach, Germany
When U. S. Army Chaplain David Waweru and his wife, Chaplain Christine Waweru, learned that they both had orders to detach from duty at Fort Hood in Kileen, Texas and report for chaplain service in Katterbach, Germany, they immediately began trying without success to find the town on a map of Germany.
They asked Army friends at Fort Hood, many of whom had been stationed in Germany, but no one knew Katterbach. Christine and David then began to really wonder about this mysterious garrison that no one seemed to have heard about.
Alas they bumped into a Lieutenant Colonel and his wife who had just returned to Texas from duty at Katterbach. This fine officer and his spouse excitingly assured the Wawerus that they were in for a wonderful place to live and serve. The LTC's spouse followed up with phone calls to Christine in which she provided helpful contacts in and around Katterbach and other information about their soon-to-be "home town" for three years.
Katterbach is located in Bavaria. The nearest somewhat-large city is Nurmberg -- site of the post WWII Holacaust trials. Katterbach is a small town very near the old and interesting small city of Ansbach. I drove the five-hour trip from Ramstein/Landstuhl on Saturday, May 5 to visit with the Wawerus at chapel on Sunday and to make chaplain rounds with them on Monday.
My compact visit included participating with the Wawerus in the Katterbach Chapel Liturgical (Episcopal Rite) Holy Eucharist where David and Christine are co-pastors. Their two fun-loving, spiritually-maturing sons, Baraka (17) and Imani (13), also serve faithfully in the chapel life. Baraka takes his turn as an usher and as a scripture reader; Imani plays percussion (gently, rhythemically playing the drums) and he substitutes as pianist when the regular keyboard person is away.
The Sunday afternoon Episcopal chapel-community lunch at the home of newly commissioned lay Worship Leader, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Crogan, and his wife Jackie; my Monday separate chaplain rounds with Christine then with David; and the Monday evening dinner-out with the Waweru family -- all allowed me see something of how this dedicated, faithful, happy family is making a positive difference in this relatively small military garrison community.
The Waweru chaplains along with their gifted, smart and athletic sons, have indeed found Katterbach, and as a result, Katterbach is a good deal better place to live and serve. They are gently, good-naturally and faithfully serviving God, the Episcopal Church and the U.S. peace makers/keepers and their families stationed here. Thanks be to God.
They asked Army friends at Fort Hood, many of whom had been stationed in Germany, but no one knew Katterbach. Christine and David then began to really wonder about this mysterious garrison that no one seemed to have heard about.
Alas they bumped into a Lieutenant Colonel and his wife who had just returned to Texas from duty at Katterbach. This fine officer and his spouse excitingly assured the Wawerus that they were in for a wonderful place to live and serve. The LTC's spouse followed up with phone calls to Christine in which she provided helpful contacts in and around Katterbach and other information about their soon-to-be "home town" for three years.
Katterbach is located in Bavaria. The nearest somewhat-large city is Nurmberg -- site of the post WWII Holacaust trials. Katterbach is a small town very near the old and interesting small city of Ansbach. I drove the five-hour trip from Ramstein/Landstuhl on Saturday, May 5 to visit with the Wawerus at chapel on Sunday and to make chaplain rounds with them on Monday.
My compact visit included participating with the Wawerus in the Katterbach Chapel Liturgical (Episcopal Rite) Holy Eucharist where David and Christine are co-pastors. Their two fun-loving, spiritually-maturing sons, Baraka (17) and Imani (13), also serve faithfully in the chapel life. Baraka takes his turn as an usher and as a scripture reader; Imani plays percussion (gently, rhythemically playing the drums) and he substitutes as pianist when the regular keyboard person is away.
The Sunday afternoon Episcopal chapel-community lunch at the home of newly commissioned lay Worship Leader, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Crogan, and his wife Jackie; my Monday separate chaplain rounds with Christine then with David; and the Monday evening dinner-out with the Waweru family -- all allowed me see something of how this dedicated, faithful, happy family is making a positive difference in this relatively small military garrison community.
The Waweru chaplains along with their gifted, smart and athletic sons, have indeed found Katterbach, and as a result, Katterbach is a good deal better place to live and serve. They are gently, good-naturally and faithfully serviving God, the Episcopal Church and the U.S. peace makers/keepers and their families stationed here. Thanks be to God.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Serving out on the edge
Chaplains have a sense of adventure and an ability to serve "out on the edge." In fact a willingness to serve outside the relative stability of a local congregation is a basic requirement to be able to serve faithfully and effectively over the long haul as a chaplain.
All chaplains are expected and strongly encouraged to retain their connectedness to their home diocese and also with a local church and the local diocese where they are geographically assigned.
Before any chaplain is endorsed by Bishop George Packard, our Church's Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincy, he/she is required to have had at least two years of service in parish-centered ministry. But a capacity to serve "outside the camp" of the local, settled-nature of congregational life is a must for any institutional chaplain whether it be in the military, in a hospital, in a prison, etc. (See my first column in this series.)
Chaplain Gerry Bebber and his wife Ilene are folk who don't blink when asked to serve in out of the ordinary places. Last year they were asked by the US Army Chaplain Corps assignment officer to once again to move to Alaska to serve -- this time at Fort Richardson, near Anchorage. Some years ago they served at a post near Fairbanks and fell in love with the "last frontier" state of Alaska. Recently they even purchased a small, rustic cabin three hours north of Anchorage in a pristine, scenic, sparsely populated area but near a main road. This is their spiritual and physical retreat cabin for now and maybe for their retirement years too.
Alaska is by far geographically the largest of any of the 50 U.S. states but with less than 700,000 inhabitants, it has in many ways remained a frontier wilderness of great beauty and quietness. Moose and other wildlife freely roam even near the few cities and towns.
I had an opportunity to visit Gerry and Ilene Bebber last month in their snow covered neighborhood and inside their very hospitable home. I made Sunday rounds with Gerry for chapel services and then on two weekdays which included witnessing him effectively lead the Monday morning chaplain staff meeting. His intentional warm, few-words-n0-nonsense yet laid back approach make him easy to relate with by those he serves in the post chapel communities, and during his garrison encounters with officers and enslisted personnel.
As a senior Lieutenant Colonel, one of Gerry's responsibilities is to supervise and mentor three junior chaplains and two enlisted chaplain assistants. He does it with steady grace and calmness. It is effident by the way the chapel team relates to him that he has earned their deep respect and trust.
Although he maintains contact, Gerry is far away from his home Diocese of Quincy, Illinois. But as an Army active duty (i.e. full time) chaplain he and Irene have almost always been geographically distanced from mid-America. Gerry's tours have not only included duties in the eastern, southern and Pacific northwest states, he also has spent time in the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq.
A willingness to live and serve "out on the edge" is one of the qualifications for serving in just about any chaplaincy context, but especially for the military chaplain. Gerry Bebber and his supportive and equally flexible dear wife Irene serve God and their Episcopal Church faithfully and well.
All chaplains are expected and strongly encouraged to retain their connectedness to their home diocese and also with a local church and the local diocese where they are geographically assigned.
Before any chaplain is endorsed by Bishop George Packard, our Church's Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincy, he/she is required to have had at least two years of service in parish-centered ministry. But a capacity to serve "outside the camp" of the local, settled-nature of congregational life is a must for any institutional chaplain whether it be in the military, in a hospital, in a prison, etc. (See my first column in this series.)
Chaplain Gerry Bebber and his wife Ilene are folk who don't blink when asked to serve in out of the ordinary places. Last year they were asked by the US Army Chaplain Corps assignment officer to once again to move to Alaska to serve -- this time at Fort Richardson, near Anchorage. Some years ago they served at a post near Fairbanks and fell in love with the "last frontier" state of Alaska. Recently they even purchased a small, rustic cabin three hours north of Anchorage in a pristine, scenic, sparsely populated area but near a main road. This is their spiritual and physical retreat cabin for now and maybe for their retirement years too.
Alaska is by far geographically the largest of any of the 50 U.S. states but with less than 700,000 inhabitants, it has in many ways remained a frontier wilderness of great beauty and quietness. Moose and other wildlife freely roam even near the few cities and towns.
I had an opportunity to visit Gerry and Ilene Bebber last month in their snow covered neighborhood and inside their very hospitable home. I made Sunday rounds with Gerry for chapel services and then on two weekdays which included witnessing him effectively lead the Monday morning chaplain staff meeting. His intentional warm, few-words-n0-nonsense yet laid back approach make him easy to relate with by those he serves in the post chapel communities, and during his garrison encounters with officers and enslisted personnel.
As a senior Lieutenant Colonel, one of Gerry's responsibilities is to supervise and mentor three junior chaplains and two enlisted chaplain assistants. He does it with steady grace and calmness. It is effident by the way the chapel team relates to him that he has earned their deep respect and trust.
Although he maintains contact, Gerry is far away from his home Diocese of Quincy, Illinois. But as an Army active duty (i.e. full time) chaplain he and Irene have almost always been geographically distanced from mid-America. Gerry's tours have not only included duties in the eastern, southern and Pacific northwest states, he also has spent time in the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq.
A willingness to live and serve "out on the edge" is one of the qualifications for serving in just about any chaplaincy context, but especially for the military chaplain. Gerry Bebber and his supportive and equally flexible dear wife Irene serve God and their Episcopal Church faithfully and well.
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