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The Voice for Chaplaincy - Chartered by Congress - Serving Since 1925
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Weekly Newsgram - May 2nd 2018
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Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Charlotte Oliver
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Enhancing Resiliency in South Korea
Even as the world watches and prays for peace on the korean peninsula, chaplains continue to serve in the region and build relationships to sustain and bridge cultural divides.
In support of these efforts,
Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Dondi Costin, the U.S. Air Force Chief of Chaplains recently
spent a week with more than a dozen Air Force chaplains and chaplain assistants from U.S. Pacific Air Forces and their South Korean counterparts in a visit to Daegu Korea.
The chaplains and their assistants worked with Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force chaplains to build not only the resiliency of their forces but build upon their alliance and friendships.
The chaplains shared ideas and experiences from both on and off the battlefield about how to better assist U.S. and South Korean forces maintain not only their spiritual fitness, but also their mental fitness and physical fitness.
"We're here to help Airmen, help Soldiers, Sailors and Marines - our warfighters - and their families to get the job done," said Costin. "The chaplain's job is to walk alongside with the chaplain's assistant, walk alongside the warfighters and their family members through good times and bad times. We're there for every Airman, whether a person is a person of faith or of no faith, the chaplain corps is there for them."
The U.S. chaplain corps and the ROK chaplains compared experiences and teachings across an array of faiths on how they, as chaplains and chaplain assistants can better serve their service members, whether they are religious or not.
The main topic was how to maintain and improve the resiliency of our forces. Costin said that many Airmen may feel that the word resiliency eludes to another program that the Air Force offers and will tune it out, but what he and the chaplain corps are striving for is to get Airmen and other warfighters to not think of it as a program but as a normal lifestyle.
"People talk about resiliency as being the ability to bounce back," said Costin. "We know from human experience that difficulties are going to come, we know that we're all going to have trouble, and the question is are we going to be prepared when these troubles come?"
We continue to support all our chaplains in forward deployed locations. While our national attention may be on political arrangements, we remember all who support our nation and come along our allies to pursue peace and justice for all.
Full article and more pictures from DVIDS
here
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In Memoriam
Captain, Chaplain Corps, United States Navy, Retired
Roman Catholic
born May 9, 1936
deceased April 30, 2018
Hingham, MA
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Executive Director
Notes
Thanks to all who are holding us in prayer as the NEC meets at Fort Jackson, SC. Yesterday we spent time looking forward to our annual meeting in November of this year and discussed potential recipients for our annual awards. If you have nominees for the National Citizenship Award, the David E. White Leadership Award, or the William Dando Volunteer Service Award, please forward them to us at [email protected].
We also discussed the topic for our meeting in Arlington, VA on November 6 and 7. Our overall theme for the meeting is Chaplaincy in a Post-Truth World.
You may want to visit this page from the Barna Group to review findings from Barna research regarding related trends in our day and age.
More to follow next week.
Executive Director
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Chaplain Victoria Chappell at the Ammam SOS Children's Village
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US Chaplains and Jordan Armed Forces Plan Together and Bring Joy to Children
AMMAN, Jordan - When U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj.) Pinkie Fischer first met with Imams from the Jordan Armed Forces she didn't know that their religious affairs exercise would turn into her and about 40 other service members affecting the lives of local orphans just two weeks later.
Fischer, the Chaplain for the U.S. Army Central Contingency Command Post, and the other religious affairs service members were in Amman participating in Exercise Eager Lion 2018, a two-week bilateral military exercise lead by the JAF involving about 3,500 U.S. military members.
The idea came out while discussing ways to combat religious extremism at the Jordanian Center for Countering Extremism April 11, where they met King Abdullah's Grand Mufti as he expressed how civilian and military Imams work together cooperatively in providing religious support.
"The bigger picture was that in the middle of our exercise, to take a tactical pause to go and be a blessing to the children," said Fischer. "This was really what the end state to strengthen our partnership and our cooperation between the U.S. and the Jordan Armed Forces was about."
After receiving permission from the Grand Mufti, the JAF Imams, Fischer and other U.S. and JAF religious affairs service members arranged the visit to the Amman SOS Children's Village April 23. During the visit they played with the children, handed out soccer balls, age-specific toys, and household items to children who are sponsored at the village and their relatives.
"They were really, really excited. They knew for a week that the U.S. Army would be coming here and they wanted to play with them," said SOS project accountant, Dalia Quasem.
While some of the service members were getting to know the children on an interpersonal level, some of the leadership was laying ground work for how to continue support to the village. The village was originally founded by the JAF and is now run by the SOS, but Fischer explained that there is a potential for USARCENT to provide ongoing support.
"It was a win-win for both the U.S. and the Jordanian Imams because it was something that we actually planned together. There was that partnership in the planning and the partnership in the execution," said Fischer. "We can look at planning beyond this one event and see how we can continue that relationship."
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A survey that gives back to Military and Veterans
A Veteran Research Survey Opportunity
Michael Scholz, a 4th year graduate student at Wheaton College is currently focusing his research on military and veterans and how to help them transfer home more successfully. More specifically, he is looking at the effects of deployment and other difficulties that may arise due to the military lifestyle and how military and civilian communities, can better support military members when they return from deployment.
The survey is open to all current and former members of the armed forces.
More information is available on the attached flyer.
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The Military Chaplains Magazine
2018 Themes and Submission Deadlines
Spring Issue
- The Intersection of Spiritual and Psychological Care
Articles to be submitted by April 30
Publication May 21
Summer Issue -
Chaplains and World War 1
Articles to be submitted by June 30
Publication July 23
Fall Issue -
Religious Accommodation in 2018
Articles to be submitted by September 30
Publication September 24
Winter Issue -
Chaplaincy and Religion in a Post-Truth World
Articles to be submitted by November 30
Publication December 21
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If you missed the April 25th
edition of the Newsgram
click here
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SUPPORTING CHAPLAINCY IN AND OUT OF UNIFORM: Active, Retired and Former Chaplains of the
United States Army,
United States Navy,
United States Air Force, Department of
Veterans Affairs, and
Civil Air Patrol
AND THOSE THEY SERVE: military members, veterans, and their families
at home and around the world
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The Military Chaplains Association of the USA
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