Fr. Razz Waff, DMin, BCC

[email protected]

Cell: 847-269-9066

Manassas, VA

Story by Terry Brown, Duty Calls

He earned the Minute Man Award for demonstrating superior initiative, technical skill, contribution to mission support and leadership during civic, cultural and professional activities in the military and civilian community. 

Additionally, Henderson was recognized by the 109th as the Wing Staff Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

In recognition of their support of his military career, Henderson made sure his pastor, Bill Smith of Pineview Community Church in Latham, and parishioners received an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award.

Henderson says Smith and the Pineview Community Church parishioners went above and beyond caring for the service member's family and kept him informed about current events during the six months the sergeant was deployed overseas. During the deployment, several church staff members reached out to him to check on his well-being. Parishioners sent cards and letters to the airman. The church also provided his family with meals on several occasions, as well as moral support.

Henderson's most recent deployment was to U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa Headquarters at Remstein Air Base in Germany, where he served as manager of a Chaplain Corps in support of 2,000 wounded soldiers.

As a chaplain's assistant and now a religious affairs airman, he partnered with chaplains to form religious support teams to help meet the spiritual needs of service members and their families, as well as to advise leadership and assist with crisis intervention.

Anglican Communion News Service

Chaplains serving the UK military personnel will continue to be trained by the Church in Wales, after the Anglican province won a contract to provide training for the next five years. Britain's Ministry of Defence awarded the contract to St Padarn's Institute, the Church in Wales' new training institute. The Church in Wales has been training British military chaplains since 2001, but has to re-bid every five years. It beat off stiff competition from some of the UK's top colleges and universities.

"To be chosen as the UK institution supplying high-level theological training for the MOD bolsters our post-graduate work, and keeps us at the forefront of an important area of Christian mission," St Padardn's Principal, Professor Jeremy Duff, said. "We are delighted that our MTh Chaplaincy Studies Course covering areas of military ethics, contemporary mission, reflective practice and the broader areas of faith, belief and spirituality, is recognised as the best in the country and the first choice for the Ministry of Defence moving forward.

"Military Chaplains are agents of transformation to those parts of society and to those parts of the world that the traditional church struggles to reach. They can be found in some of the most dangerous parts providing spiritual support, pastoral care and moral guidance. They make a significant difference."

Major Andrew Latifa has served alongside troops in Iraq and Afghanistan during more than 10 years as an Army chaplain. He says it is "a very privileged place to be."

He said: "I have seen soldiers with tattoos of Jesus on the cross, which probably didn't mean much when they had it done, other than it being artistic. All of a sudden, when they are in combat, that tattoo becomes central to their lives - they see the significance of Jesus and prayer becomes important.

"I've seen lads with texts of scripture which they'd written out in thick pen on canvas adhesive and they would put it on their bags and would quite happily talk about how they would read those words and say a prayer for their partner at home and just think about what they were doing that day.

"When the busyness of everyday life is stripped away you are left with what really matters - life and death - and it is then that people see there has to be more to life and faith becomes important. In a place of conflict people start to entertain the thoughts that they wouldn't dare to when there's a World Cup on TV or the sun's out and the family is going to the beach.

"Thoughts of God aren't all that alien anymore because they understand that this world doesn't have all the answers, that here are limits to what people can do and that there has got to be something better."

At the June 19 Military Chaplains Association SC Chapter meeting @ Ft Jackson, Chapter President,  Chaplain Dave DeDonato, was presented with the prestigious College of the Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Humanitarian Award for his work with military and public safety chaplains. 

Chaplain DeDonato was nominated for the award by his high school classmate, Hal Blaisdell. Hal received a memento to remember the occasion from MCA National President Michael Langston. Hal and his wife Sherry are members of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains Legion of Honor and promote the work of the foundation. 

                                              

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