Video Transcript: Commissioned to Visit — Your Calling as Chaplain Officiant

Henry - Well, Tom, we're at this last sojourn here at the end of this class on  officiating chaplain. And so now I to me it really is just reflecting, even though it's online and we're talking together, just sort of it's time to reflect on you, the  student, your role. What is the Holy Spirit putting on your heart? As you've heard now various presentations, you've read readings, and now you're saying, Okay,  Lord, what is the next step for me? So let's just talk some steps through here.  So step one, basically revisit your testimony, your first credential, your testimony. How did you meet Jesus? What pain or struggle has He redeemed? What  milestones shaped your journey and your first credential is your testimony. And  what we often talk about at Christian leaders Institute is, what have you been  saved from? How has Christ saved you? Your credential is not the credential  you might buy or the ordination card. It really is the truth of your own  transformation. Have you noticed that, that in the end of the day, it all starts  here?  

Tom - Yeah, and I like that, that it's all you know. What has, how has God  changed your life? What? Who are you? Because you're a new creation in  Christ Jesus, you know it's, it's important to know a lot of stuff about chaplaincy,  and a lot of stuff about taking care of people, and a lot of stuff about the Bible.  But if it's not real in your life, you're going to have a very difficult time making it  be a real thing in other people's lives, right?  

Henry - So in a sense, we talked about that too, like one of the things we want  all ministers to do is to have their public testimony, a little bit of their journey, to  be transparent and to know that, you know they have been saved, and they  need a savior. Step two, connect testimony to calling chaplaincy often grows out of your own wilderness. Who do you feel called to walk beside? What  brokenness have you known where compassion stirs? Where does compassion  stir in you?  

Tom - And different people will feel a calling to be with other people, depending  on their experiences, depending on what's happened in their lives. Some people have an affinity for medical support personnel. Some people have a desire to  help, particularly people in law enforcement. Lots of opportunities in all sorts of  like we talked about, the Bicycle Club, the motorcycle club, all sorts of  opportunities.  

Henry - Step three, discern your chaplain parish from Greek para oika to dwell  beside your chaplain. Parish is your circle of influence, workplace recovery  group, shelter club, online group, discerning your parish. So did you? Now you  thought of it that way. You maybe didn't use the word parish, but ultimately, 

talking to you last fall, and just sort of research this and seeing your life. I mean,  at what point in your life did you say, This is my parish.  

Tom - I'll let you know when I figure it out. Still figured it out, but you know, I I  was a missionary, and loved being a missionary in the Dominican Republic. I  enjoyed being a pastor, and then when I was called to become a military  chaplain, it put the mission field, if you will, aspect of being in a different culture,  a different place, a different world, together with parish ministry, which was  teaching and counseling and discipling, it kind of put all those things together. I  really felt, and feel an affinity to the Coast Guard. So I was a Navy chaplain, and then I just happened to be assigned to the Coast Guard. And it was about two  days after I was assigned to the Coast Guard that I said to Jackie, this is my  home. Wow. Because I love the Coast Guard mission, a humanitarian mission of saving lives. I loved getting to know the people in the Coast Guard. They're kind  of a mix between the military and the fire department. You know? They're a  military force. Course, but they're but saving lives and property is a huge focus. I really appreciated the people, and they were a group of people that I just felt  very comfortable with. I'm not I did a Marine Corps assignment, which I  appreciated, and it was a great assignment, but being around Coast Guard  members, as opposed to Marines. I was much more the humanitarian side of  things than the military side of things. And I don't see myself as a as a warrior as much as a lifesaver, which is more of the Coast Guard. So even in retirement, I  don't want that to end. I want to continue to help people in the Coast Guard,  even though it's not my job anymore. So last fall or last winter, I went and spent  10 days on an icebreaker in Alaska, on a Coast Guard ship, and I visit Coast  Guard units here in the area. And I can do it when I can do it, and when I can't  do it, I don't do it, but I'm, you know, I get to go to the other side of the state this  week and teach a suicide class. I can, I can use the, what I hope is the  credibility I've built up over many, many years to still allow me to have an impact  on on that parish.  

Henry - So real, practical reflections. Now, as we what is your parish? Maybe  write it down. My Chaplain parish is, let that sentence shape your ministry path.  And in some ways, to name it is, in some ways, the discernment comes when I  know, when I named my parish is the country club, again, it's, it's not your typical parish, but it's a parish. And, you know, and these people in the country club and my friends there, who like to golf, many of them do not go to church. They have  church in their residue in the background. And last year, two years ago, I had led on hole six Johnny who went through a real crisis where his girlfriend left him for someone else, and he was very upset, very, very upset. And that hole six had  led him to the Lord, and he wanted to know the Lord. And interestingly enough, 

he died three months later, and I did the funeral of the country. Wow, but that's  an example of what we're talking about here.  

Tom - And you know, you said that that's maybe not a I don't remember what  word you used traditional thought of a parish, but that's why that line is so  important. My Chaplain parish is you may be a person who has a connection  with people who are bike riders or softball players or a fishing club or a  gardening club. I mean, it can be anything, because everybody needs that  reminder of the sacred and the spiritual Wow in their lives. So whether anybody  else thinks of it as a parish really doesn't matter if that's where God has called  you and given you a voice and an opportunity that can absolutely be your  parish.  

Henry - So, so, so amazing. So anyway, the steps complete your training plan.  You know, timeline, goals. I know around here. This is online correspondence.  So you bring the discipline to this. We don't have cohorts. You're not going to go  in student debts because you need cohort. I mean, that's pretty expensive. So if  you can be a self starter, okay, get your target date, get your study goals. Break  down the goals, your credential goals, you know you need endorsement and  endorsements for further Chaplain programs, ordination celebration goal, mark  your commissioning. All of those things that you go through are about legitimacy and about building public trust, as we've talked about earlier. Step five, one of  the things we have here is a soul center. And what that is, is a ministry hub, so  it's publicly recognized. You have a mailing address registered with the Christian leaders Institute directory. Actually it's the Alliance directory there, I should say,  anchored in a chaplain parish, you'll actually publish what you're ministering to,  and it becomes a platform for weddings, funeral and care for your community.  And you know, Tom, this is something I'll just comment on, because I know you  don't know too much about soul centers, but what they really are about is how  local, credentialed ministry Chaplain can if he has or her parish is the country  club, then, hey, he's a chaplain and or a fire department. It just more and more  in our society, our attorneys tell us that ministry people have to have a  transparency level that. They're going to need to reveal it's not a private I'm a  chaplain private. It is definitely you have a public trust in your chaplaincy, and  that's true whether you're with the military or whatever. So at Christian leaders  Alliance, we are making that available for people as well. We say name your  soul center, like Soul cares for veterans, Hope House for recovering, recovery.  Chaplaincy, healing table, grief and prayer. Ministry, crossroad, Soul center. So  we actually give you some examples. Again, you don't have to have a soul  center to be a credentialed chapel at the chaplain at the Christian leaders  Alliance, but we are giving you ways to keep advancing your ministry. So we're  at this point now for the final charge. You are not just finishing the course. You 

are beginning a calling. Bring your story. Step into your parish, stay rooted in  Christ, become fully present for others, As the Father has sent Me, I also sent  you. This is your commissioning, go and sojourn, become a chaplain where  people need Christ's presence. So we're here to wrap this up. You know, this  has been fun, and I gotta tell you, Tom, you know, when I first met you, decades  ago now, and to see that decades later, like your birthday is May 13, my birthday is May 14. So we just had our birthday. It's like May here. And as time goes on,  I'm more conscious. I knew you're more conscious, more to reach the world, and you've seen the power of the Lord being revealed, and an army of sojourners.  

Tom - Yeah, this is, this is been exciting, and I've learned a lot about chaplaincy  today that I hadn't thought about before. So this is very thought provoking.  Thank you.  

Henry - Well, God bless you and Lord willing Tom will come back and help us  even develop chaplaincy more at Christian leaders Institute and Alliance.