War Church on the Battlefield: How We Serve Those Who Protect Us By Lynne DeMichele  | | Chaplain assistant Jayme L. Kendall (left foreground) protects a worship service in the field during a training exercise at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Ft. Jackson, S.C., in this file photograph. Kendall is now a second lieutenant and a seminary student at Asbury Theological Seminary. A UMNS photo by Nella Hobson, U.S. Army. |
On Jan. 15, the Rev. Chris Kneen, senior pastor of North Branch United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, got a phone call from the Navy. Two days later, Chaplain Kneen was on a plane to Camp Lejeune, N.C. leaving his parish, his wife and four daughters, ages 15 to 5, to manage without him.
Every day, hundreds of military men and women kiss their families goodbye, don 80-pound packs and board planes or aircraft carriers bound for the Middle East. As they head for an unknown fate, they are accompanied by specially trained people who go to apply ministry, not munitions. As our country prepares for war – and in spite of varying opinions about it -- the Church connection extends as far as there are people in military service. Currently, 402 United Methodist chaplains are on active military duty or in the Reserve. Just last week, 23 new chaplains were endorsed, representing 14 different United Methodist annual (regional) conferences. Many of the reservists, like Kneen, are now being “called up” as part of the latest, massive deployment. In many cases, they’re given only days to prepare themselves and their families.  | | United Methodist Chaplain First Lieutenant Ernest P. West Jr. (front) performs flutter kicks during 5 a.m. physical training at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Ft. Jackson, S.C. West is an ordained elder from the West Virginia Annual Conference. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. |
After many years in the Reserve, this is Kneen’s first call to active duty. His local church is in the midst of expansion and had just received a new associate pastor. His very full pastoral ministry took an abrupt turn with that call from the Navy. Susan Kneen doesn’t know where her husband might end up, but keeps a positive outlook. “Its pretty amazing how the church really banded together and figured out how to manage everything,” she says. “Everyone has been extremely supportive. The bishop even called, and he assured us we could stay in the parsonage for as long as needed.”
Susan has had to put her final year of college studies on hold, but she’s optimistic about her family’s coping. “I try to be strong. I’m interested in raising (our daughters as) strong women and see this as an opportunity for us.” To that end, she’s keeping busy and is conscious of the importance of taking care of herself. She hosts a “Moms’ Movie Night” in her home each week, has rejoined a local book club and tutors at the college writing lab.  | | United Methodist Chaplain Captain Edward H. Franklin Jr. (right) helps another trainee over an obstacle on the confidence course at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Ft. Jackson, S.C. In addition to being spiritually fit, chaplains must be physically fit enough to keep up with the troops. A UMNS photo by Nella Hobson, U.S. Army. |
Like so many other churches, North Branch has several families with one or the other parent now serving in the military. Just as military families at home need spiritual sustenance, so, too, do our chaplains. This need has not always been widely understood. “We did not do (pastoral care) well during the Vietnam War,” says Chaplain Greg Hill, “and we don’t want to make that mistake again.” Hill is the newly appointed Director of Endorsement and Pastoral Care for United Methodist Section of Chaplains and other Ministries, based in Nashville, Tenn.
Patricia Barrett is head of the Church’s Section on Chaplains and Related Ministries. It is through her office that prospective chaplains receive their official church endorsements required by the military. Barrett concurs with Hill’s observation, and stresses an urgent need, now, for “praying for peace in the sense of shalom, wholeness, restoration.” She adds that, “We as a connection have both a ministry of presence and a prophetic ministry” as war looms ever closer.  | | U.S. Army chaplains, (from left): Maj. Mitchell Lewis, Maj. Matt Woodbery, Col. Greg Hill and Maj. Mike Charles look over a map while discussing ministry opportunities at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Fort Jackson, S.C. A UMNS photo by Nella Hobson, U.S. Army. |
That in mind, communiqués have just been sent out to bishops, conferences and districts calling for continuing prayer support for those serving and their families. Local church leaders are also being asked to utilize new worship resources provided online (see side bar). Special training seminars for chaplains and their spouses are scheduled throughout the coming months: For example, “Caring for the Caregivers: Who Cares for Us While We Care for Others,” a three-day, paid retreat for chaplains and their spouses, will be offered several times around the country this year. A “Transition Retreat” in Nashville, Tenn. is set for Sept. 4-6 for endorsed chaplains who have recently or will be retiring in less than two years, as well as those who are changing settings.
Christian churches in the Middle East are few to none, leaving our chaplains with an even broader pastoral responsibility. If conflict there is inevitable, our troops will find themselves in an environment that is hostile geographically, culturally and even spiritually. Our chaplains have their work cut out for them. Send prayers. Lynne DeMichele is a professional writer, editor and former director of communications for the Indiana Area United Methodist Church.
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