2011_v1__Winter - International Ministerial Fellowship

®
Rev. Ron Brovold
V.P. of Chaplaincy Services
with IMF Chaplain Stephen Labue
“International Ministerial Fellowship®” , “Serving those who serve others®” and the IMF Cross Logo are Federally registered service marks of International Ministerial Fellowship.
© 2011 International Ministerial Fellowship. All rights reserved.
Winter 2011
co
on
n tteennttSs . . .
C
Notes from the general secretary
2Notes from the General Secretary
3 Military and Civilian Chaplain Corps
5 The Call of the Military Chaplain
6 Falling off a Roof and Landing in the Center of God’s Will
7A Journey toward Destiny 8 Living and Ministering in the Middle East
9 A Circuit Rider Preacher in the U.S. Army
10A Visible Presence of the Holy
11Serving in Sicily
12A Call to Mercy
13Save the Date
14 A Spiritual Heart Transplant
15A Soul Practitioner
16Working on Hearts
17 Ephesus: Adopted as Sons
18 Standing in the Gap
19 New Credit Card Rules
20There’s a Reason for Everything/Know Your IMF Staff
21A Sergeant’s Death/Living Memorials 22 Welcome/Networking 23Like Links in a Chain/Missionaries Throughout the World
24Board of Directors
The official magazine of International Ministerial Fellowship, Winter 2011
International
Ministerial Fellowship
P ublisher
International Ministerial Fellowship
®
®
Executive Editor
Rev. Frank Masserano
M anaging Editor
Becky Tracey
Design & P roduction
Sandi Holmgren
C ontributors
Rev. Paul Anderson
Bruce Bruinsma
Rev. John Ferret, Jr.
Tracey Finck
Rev. Cheryl Hauer
Pastor Fred Kelly
Rev. Frank Masserano
Pastor Paul Murphy
Julie Saffrin
Barb Schahn
Pastor Paul Sundell
Becky Tracey
Pat van der Merwe
Chp. Paul Vicalvi
Serving Those Who Serve Others
®
PO Box 100 • Navarre, MN 55392-0100
Phone (952) 346-2464 • Fax (763) 571.6835
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© 2011 International Ministerial Fellowship.
All rights reserved.
2 | A G athering
Serving Military and
Civilian Chaplaincy
I suppose the roots of our IMF chaplaincy program go back to when I received
my undergraduate degree and a Second
Lieutenant Commission in the Air Force
Reserve. It was the mid-Sixties and the
Vietnam conflict was just ramping up.
I was a senior at Memphis State University and my fourth year of Air Force ROTC.
I had qualified for pilot’s training and began work in the LINK trainers when my
Commander heard I was talking about the
possibility of Christian service as a chaplain. He called me in and told me that I
Pastor Frank Masserano
would have to make a decision, because
Air Force ROTC
I could not continue in Pilot’s Training if
(prior to commissioning as 2nd Lt.)
there was a chance I would later choose
chaplaincy. After much prayer I told him I could not promise I would not
follow the Christian ministry. He transferred me to category C (general officer training) and that’s when I began making decisions that took me through
three years in the Air Force chaplaincy candidacy program while I earned my
M.Div at Asbury Theological Seminary.
As God sometimes does, he allows us to change our plans. Instead of
active duty or reserves I resigned my commission and attended Princeton
Seminary for a second graduate theological degree. However, it was during
my experiences in seeking Ecclesiastical Endorsement as an “Independent
Minister” in order to qualify for the Chaplaincy Candidacy Program that
I laid the groundwork for the later development of our own IMF Military
Chaplaincy Program and IMF’s recognition as an approved Ecclesiastical Endorsing Agency. IMF’s experiences as a recognized Ecclesiastical Endorsing
Agency led us into endorsing of clinical chaplains and today we have approximately 109 chaplains serving in Military, Hospital, Hospice and other
chaplaincy settings around the world.
A key relationship in the development of the IMF military chaplaincy
office was a working relationship with IMF Chaplain David Plummer who
served as a military chaplain for some 14 years, as an endorser for some additional 15 years and for the past 5 years as both an endorser and hospital
chaplain. David is the founder and Executive Director of the Coalition of
Spirit-filled Churches and also serves as Hospital Chaplain for Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Newport News, Virginia. He has been an ordained minister
of IMF for the past 11 years.
The late Rev. Mike Peterson served as our IMF Coordinator of Chaplaincy
Services for about 3 years prior to his untimely death in January 2008, after
which his good friend Rev. Ron Brovold accepted the responsibility for managing and directing the program
Rev. Brovold has served on staff of IMF for the past 10 years and was
recently named Vice President of IMF Chaplaincy Services. Under his leadership the program has more than doubled and IMF has been established as
its own free-standing endorsing agency. While we are fully independent
we choose to hold an Associate Membership in the National Association of
Evangelical Chaplains’ Commissions (NAECC) in order to demonstrate solidarity with some 800 plus additional evangelical military chaplains. Chaplain Paul Vicalvi (Colonel Retired), previously Commandant at the United
States Army Chaplain Center and School at Fort Jackson, SC, is the current
Executive Director of NAECC and has been a great friend of IMF.
continued on page 4
From the Desk of the President
Military & Civilian Chaplain Corps
Pastor Fred Kelly
IMF President
The Military Chaplain Corps
One of the most difficult jobs in today’s military must surely be the chaplaincy. For many centuries the men who were
selected to minister to the troops and often the King himself have been unarmed clergy who believed the army had the
same right to spiritual comfort as parishioners at home. Naval chaplains were active in 1775 during the American Revolution, and for many years before chaplains served the British army with distinction. It was a robe which had been split by
the owner’s sword so it could cover a wounded man that brought the world the word “chaplain.” The word comes from the
type of robe which was used to provide comfort and succor on the battlefield. It soon referred to any man whose job it was
to care for the spiritual needs of the soldier.
Doubting the reality of soldiers’ needs for spiritual support has led some modern critics, notably
Christopher Hitchens, to claim the government
has no role in supplying salaries to men whose
sole duty is to bring a spiritual message to government employees. The rank and file obviously disagrees, because the Chaplain Corps has expanded
to meet the needs of an ever-growing number of
Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, and
Marines. The quiet voice of calm and comfort is
more needed now than ever in a world filled with
violent enemies of the United States
What is the content of the quiet, calm words of
the chaplain? While numerous faiths are represented, often it is the Christian gospel. As much as
progressive politicians seem bent on removing all
religion from public life, Congress has staunchly
supported a strong Chaplaincy Corp. Young men
in basic training learn early the need for strength
and guidance. A chaplain wearing officer’s uniform and insignia usually receives respect and
honor, something for which his civilian counter-
part often struggles. Indeed, the military could
teach civilians much about duty, honor, and country. The same principles which help guide young
men and women in uniform shape the theological
content of Christian sermons each Sunday. Our
duty to each other is noted by preachers, our need
for Christ’s integrity in daily affairs is the subject
of many Sunday school lessons, and the wonderful freedom to worship freely in America is taken
as a sacred trust in churches from coast to coast.
Civilians, too, are guided by duty to God, honor
for those who serve in ministry, and profound respect for the framers who gave us this nation of
freedom. I fervently hope all three are being supported in your congregation.
At the heart of today’s chaplain corps are men
and women who believe in a living God, a Heaven
to be gained, and a Hell to shun. Their messages
likely don’t reflect all they believe about these
three essential elements in our faith, but enough
is present to let the service members know who
God is, what He promises and what He expects.
The mention at the beginning of this article about
the difficulty of the chaplain’s job is found at this
point. Scared, sick, possibly wounded men and
women on the front line of an assault in Afghanistan want truth. They need comfort, but might be
frightened by a hellfire sermon. Calmly, seriously
and quickly the Christian chaplain ministers in
Jesus’ name. Offering forgiveness, hope and a
new life in this world and the world to come, the
chaplain has often been a heroic figure risking his
life to help and minister to a fallen soldier. Often
shaken and fearful himself, his life becomes more
Christ-like.
Who will become the chaplains of the future?
Our own young men and women who feel God’s
call to ministry ought to be challenged to spend
their early years of ministry in military chaplain
service. If our country is to thrive, our wars must
be won. And if that is to happen it will take more
than better bombs. It will take a better soldier,
one who is infused with hope and faith by the officer who wears the cross.
The Civilian Chaplain Corps
Spending time in hospitals and nursing homes is regular duty for most
pastors. It isn’t easy and it is often a drain on the pastor’s energy and time
because of the frequent visits to the same people. How can the average pastor spend all the time he should in his study preparing for Sunday’s sermon,
and in the prayer closet seeking God’s direction for his ministry, and in the
hospital or nursing home visiting? Is there time left for family, much less for
parishioners who need counsel and encouragement?
What we need is a corps of men and women who see this as their calling.
Thank God we have at IMF such a group of people who serve as chaplains in
health care facilities, in hospices, in prisons, and often on college campuses.
These civilian servants of God do an outstanding job, and are as much on the
“firing line” as their military counterparts. I have spent much time in Georgia’s prisons, mostly in the death row quarters of the two institutions which
at one time or another have been tasked with that responsibility. I became
known to the administration and to inmates who wanted spiritual succor.
First I sent literature, and then I followed up with a visit. It was very rewarding, but also very time consuming. The drive alone took hours. How could
I build my church and build a prison congregation? Thank God for prison
chaplains. Who else will go to the prison? Will you? It is a young person’s
game. Please pray about it. Someone must go.
There are many other chaplains who volunteer their time and give years
of ministry services—police, fireman, jail, prison, marketplace, professional
football and NASCAR racing chaplains—just to name a few. Most of them
never receive a dime for their years of service. But God keeps the books and
one day He will return to Earth bringing his rewards in his hands. I can’t
help but believe these chaplains will have a front-row seat to be called out and
given their rewards for millions of souls saved and brought into the Kingdom
of God.
God bless all our chaplains and protect them and anoint them with healing and saving power to the glory of God and His eternal Kingdom.
Pastor Fred Kelly is President of IMF and serves on its Board of Directors. He is a graduate
of Cincinnati Bible Seminary and is the Senior Pastor of Landmark Church in Norcross,
Georgia, where he has pastored for 35 years. Pastor Kelly can be reached at pastork@
mindspring.com.
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 3
Serving Military and Civilian Chaplaincy
Continued from Page 2
Rev. Leith Anderson, Pastor of Wooddale
Church (15,000 members) in the Minneapolis
area is the President of National Association of
Evangelicals (NAE) and will host our NAECC
Chaplains Training Conference at Wooddale this
coming August, 2011.
Every opportunity for ministry is a special
gift from God and we thank Him for every Senior
Pastor, staff pastor, missionary and para-church
leader as well as all of our chaplains, but military and civilian chaplaincy carries complex and
challenging rules. IMF is here to help our chaplains maneuver those requirements in an ethical
and professional manner while remaining true to
our evangelical faith.
Please pray for all our chaplains, but especially
for military chaplains because we are in a war—
not only for freedom and liberty as we know it,
but most importantly for the souls of our young
men and women who are willing to lay down
their lives to protect those of us who remain at
home in this nation.
The Bible says, “There is no greater love than
to lay down one’s life for a friend” (John 15:13).
Pray for our IMF chaplains that they will return
home safely to their families and IMF.
Pastor Frank Masserano is a co-founder, along with wife
Carol, of International Ministerial Fellowship, a Minnesota Corporation. He serves as General Secretary and
is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary, Princeton
Theological Seminary and is a clinical member of the
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
IMF Military Chaplains include…
Chaplain Susan R. Addams, Army-Active
Chaplain Geraldine Amato-Youlden, Air National Guard
Chaplain Edward R. Baccich, Army-Active
Chaplain James William Barrow, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Erica Ashley Bell, Air Force-Reserve
Chaplain David Wayne Benavides, Army-Reserve
Chaplain William James Bridgham, Air National Guard
Chaplain James Eric Bryan, Navy-Active
Chaplain Johnny Burnham, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Bernard Buzulak, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Brian K. Campbell, Army-Reserve
Chaplain (MAJ) Howard F. Cantrell, Army-Active
Chaplain Jae Young Chang, Army-Candidate
Chaplain Quentin Dwayne Collins, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Anthony Black Cuchens, Sr., Army-Active
Chaplain Keith E. Dobbe, Air National Guard
Chaplain James Anthony Duck, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Jesus Antonio Garriga, Army-Active
Chaplain Anthony Gasso, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Dr. Matthew L. Gibson, Army-Active
Chaplain Karen Hallett, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Mark David Hoffman, Army-Candidate
Chaplain Kevin Geoffrey Holt, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Donald R. Horner, Air Force-Active
Chaplain Daniel Carl Idell, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Thomas Reid Jensen, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Dennis Jenson, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Dustin Wayne Kennedy, Army-Candidate
Chaplain Kenneth Roy Kerstetter, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Abraham Young Ki Kim, Army-Active
Chaplain Bill E. Kim, Air Force-Active
Chaplain Eun Soo Kim, Army-Active
Chaplain Stephen Anthony Labue, Navy-Active
Chaplain Mark A. Lafler, Army-Active
Chaplain Todd Luken, Army-National Guard-Ret.
Chaplain Joseph Lunsford, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Crystal Lykins, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Steven C. Mendoza, Civil Air Patrol
Chaplain Steven C. Mickel, Army-Active
Chaplain Gary Ross Munson, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Richard Nelson, Civil Air Patrol
Chaplain Andre Queiroga Sy Ong, Air National Guard
Chaplain Robert Dale Patterson, Army-Active
Chaplain David William Peters, Army-Active
Chaplain Jeremy David Phelps, Navy-Active
Chaplain Hernan Pinilla, Navy-Reserve
Chaplain James M. Pitts, Air Force-Active
Chaplain Shawn Patrick Redmon, Navy-Active
Chaplain Diane C. Ricci, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Kelly Rinehart, Army-Reserve
Chaplain David K. Sanders, Navy-Active
Chaplain Daniel Sauer, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Gabriel Keith Smith, Army-Active
Chaplain Darren Turner, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Gary L. Usher, Army-Reserve
Chaplain Steve E. Veinotte, Army-National Guard
Chaplain Atley B. Vickers, Navy-Candidate
Chaplain Stephen James Warfield, Navy-Active
Chaplain Dr. Gerard M. Young, Army-Reserve
IMF CIVILIAN Chaplains include…
Chaplain Paul Vincent Anderson, Prison
Chaplain Robert F. Anderson, Fire/Hospital
Chaplain Femi O. Bab-Oke, Candidate
Chaplain Celinda Cleone Bachara, Hospice
Chaplain Simon Sung Yop Baik, Workplace
Chaplain Samuel Charles Blair, Hospice
Chaplain Robert W. Booth, Jr., Fire/Hospital/Red Cross
Chaplain Ronald Brovold, Police/Prison
Chaplain Colleen Byrne, Hospital
Chaplain Michael Byus, Hospice
Chaplain Elizabeth Capistrant, Hospital
Chaplain Trudi L. Champion, Police
Chaplain Carol Collins, Nursing Home
Chaplain Jessie Czebotar, Prison
Chaplain Lois D. Degling, Nursing Home
Chaplain Kenneth G. Dutro, Hospice
Chaplain William A. Earman, Nursing Home
Chaplain Walter M. Enoch, Sports Chaplain
Chaplain G. Paul Filippelli, Corporate Chaplaincy
Chaplain Kevin S. Finger, Prison
Chaplain John Franich, Virginia Defense Force
Chaplain Dr. Mary Renee Glenn, Police
4 | A G athering
Chaplain Mary Kathleen Gosse, Women’s Recovery Center
Chaplain Christopher Charles Green, Fire/Police
Chaplain Frederick J. Gudzinas, Prison
Chaplain William H. Hankins, Jail
Chaplain Jade Hildahl, Hospital
Chaplain Brian L. Houston, Civilian Counselor
Chaplain William W. Howe, Workplace
Chaplain Jeremy A. Hudson, Hospice
Chaplain Joanne Mae Jacobson, Prison
Chaplain Debra A. Jenkins, Hospital/Healthcare
Chaplain Dr. Taube Diane Jenkins, Hospital
Chaplain Michael Lamberti, Prison
Chaplain Joseph C. Lieb, Hospital
Chaplain Roberto Little Cloud, Jail
Chaplain Judy L. Marks, Nursing Home
Chaplain Terry L. Mashtare, Jail
Chaplain James R. May, Police-Prison
Chaplain Jon P. McWilliams, VA Hospital
Chaplain Don Allen Meggelin, Marketplace
Chaplain Gregory L. Newell, Hospital
Chaplain Holly Annelle Page, Hospital
Chaplain George Paterson, Prison
Chaplain Arthur J. Pellichero, Hospice
Chaplain Clark Alan Peterson, Hospital/Healthcare
Chaplain David B. Plummer, Hospital
Chaplain William T. Potter, Jail
Chaplain Joseph W. Prisk, Prison
Chaplain Michelle Annette Reis, Hospital
Chaplain Eugene Roddenberry, Hospital/Prison
Chaplain Sam R. Sailors, Jr., Fire
Chaplain Randy R. Shoun, Hospital
Chaplain Robert M. Sievert, Police
Chaplain Edward Sischo, Hospital
Chaplain M. Ann Starling, Jail
Chaplain Harold Stanley Stephenson, Nursing Home
Chaplain Carlis W. Stuber, Hospital-Volunteer
Chaplain Donovan Tatman, Motor Racing
Chaplain Rafael Toledo, Jr., Police
Chaplain Jefferey L. Turk, Sr., Hospital
Chaplain Ann Marie Turner, Prison
Chaplain Kim R. Van Holla-Serba, Retirement Community
Chaplain Laura Bradford Walker, Hospice
Chaplain Carol Watler, Hospital
Chaplain Paul J. Williams, Prison
Chaplain Raymond Neal Wilson, Hospital
S
CHA P LAINCY RE P ORT
The Call of the Military Chaplain
Chaplain (Colonel) Paul Vicalvi, Retired
NAE Chaplains’ Commission, Exec. Dir.
omeone once
said that the
military chaplain
represents that spirit
that the enemy
cannot kill.
Barely six weeks after the Army was established by the Continental Congress, following the establishment of the Infantry as the first
branch of the Army, the chaplaincy was established as its second
branch by order of General George Washington. General Washington was concerned for the morale and morals of his Soldiers and believed the Army should provide religious leaders to meet their spiritual needs. For over 234 years, military chaplains have been called to
“bring Soldiers to God and God to Soldiers.” They now serve in all of
the Branches of the military.
General George C. Marshall, who is best remembered for his leadership in the Allied victory in World War II and the reconstructive
effort for Europe after the War once said, “The Soldier’s heart, the
Soldier’s spirit, and the Soldier’s soul are everything. Unless the Soldier’s soul sustains him, he cannot be relied on and will fail himself,
his commander and his country in the end.” The military chaplain
is called on to help sustain the life of the soul of those serving in uniform as well as their families.
Being a military chaplain is a special and high calling. It is one
that is not to be taken lightly. To sign up for this pastoral ministry
is to put one’s life on the line for the sake of God’s Kingdom. During the Revolutionary War, several chaplains were called on to lead
troops into battle with rifle in one hand and the Bible in the other.
The chaplain of today is a non-combatant, given to a sacrificial and
sometimes dangerous ministry of being with Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen through the thick and thin of
the modern high tech battlefield. Our military members are counting on them to focus on their needs as they fight America’s wars and
when they are down they call for their chaplain just as they call for
their medic.
Chaplains have one foot in the military and one foot in the
Church, being accountable to both. They are ordained and sent in by
their particular faith group to help to provide for the free exercise of
religion of service members as promised by the Constitution. They
live in a very unique culture. They work alongside chaplains of many
other religious persuasions, and are called to cooperate without compromise with each faith group. They are called on to be a prophet
and boldly speak up when something is wrong. They are called to be
priests of God’s Kingdom offering hope of better things that will and
can be in relationship with our Creator. They are asked to provide
spiritual leadership for the entire military family.
Six chaplains have received the Medal of Honor and 27 have received the Distinguished Service Cross. Four Chaplains, one a Catholic Priest, one a Rabbi and two Protestants, gave their lives for those
they served when they gave up their life jackets to those who needed
them when the USS Dorchester was sunk by an enemy torpedo on
February 1, 1943. As the vessel sank into the cold waters of the North
Atlantic, these 4 chaplains were seen with locked arms singing hymns
and praying together. These four men were all posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross and a special
award for heroism, The Four Chaplains’ Medal, which would never
be given again.
Chaplain Tim Vakoc, a Roman Catholic priest was severely injured
by an improvised explosive device while visiting his Soldiers in Iraq.
He would eventually die as a result of these wounds. Father Tim once
said, “The safest place for me to be is in the center of God’s will, and
if that is in the line of fire, that is where I will be.” This past August, Army Chaplain Dale Goetz, 43 years old, was killed in combat
in Afghanistan while ministering to his troops. These men served
and gave themselves for a cause bigger than themselves—they gave
of themselves for others for the sake of Christ. That is the call of the
military chaplain.
Chaplain (Colonel) Paul Vicalvi, United States Army, Retired, served for 30 years
on active duty. His last assignment was as Commandant, United States Army
Chaplain Center and School. He currently serves as Executive Director of the
National Association of Evangelicals Chaplains Commission. In this capacity
he helps to recruit, endorse, encourage, visit and train chaplains in all military
branches as well as the Veterans Administration. He also creates a forum for
many other evangelical endorsers to discuss issues and challenges surrounding
evangelicals in the military and specifically in the chaplaincy. He is comfortable
discussing the role of chaplains in the Armed Forces today, issues facing evangelicals in the military, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and caring for veterans and
their families in a time of war.
International Ministerial Fellowship is an Associate Member of the National Association of Evangelicals Chaplains’ Commission. The NAECC is a friend and
resource to IMF’s Vice President of Chaplaincy Services, Rev. Ron Brovold.
Note: If you feel called to be a chaplain or would like more information, please
contact Rev. Ron Brovold, Vice President of Chaplaincy Services. He can be
reached at 952-346-2464 or [email protected].
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 5
CHA P LAINCY RE P ORT
Falling off a Roof and Landing in
the Center OF God’s Will
Rev. Ron Brovold
IMF V. P. of Chaplaincy Services
One minute Ron Brovold, general contractor, was perched atop a 30-foot
high roof, steadying himself against a freshly nailed-down truss and reaching for the next one. Suddenly, he was in the air heading for a pile of construction debris at breath-taking speed, unable to make himself let go of the
200-pound roof truss he had grabbed. Moments later, he was a part of that
pile, his heels and back fragmented from the impact, his body crushed from
the weight of the truss he brought down with him. His men thought he had
died.
Ron was unconscious but alive; in fact, he was about to become more alive
than he had ever been. While oblivious to the chaotic scene around him,
Ron heard an audible voice ask, “Ron, will you trust me now?” He wondered
who was talking. Was it the homeowner? Was it one of his men, saying, “I
told you that roof is dangerous. Why didn’t you listen to me?” No. In a flash
of revelation he knew he had heard the voice of God. And God was waiting
for an answer. Would Ron, after all these years, finally trust him now with
his life? “What choice do I have?” was his answer. Amazing how a crisis can
help us see truth more clearly.
This happened in 1994. Ron was 34 years old and had been a nominal
Christian but really was missing a deeper relationship with Christ. When he
surrendered that day and agreed to trust God with his life, he instantly was
aware of something filling him. He says, “It was as if someone took a pitcher
of warm honey and filled me and then I began to shiver. I was shuddering
and even laughing. It didn’t heal my wounds, but that didn’t matter to me.
I remember thinking to myself, whatever it was that just entered me, I never
want it to leave. And I can honestly say it never has.”
After some time, all his wounds were healed, praise God. He vividly remembers the first time he was well enough to drive. He was heading up to
his brother’s farm when he had an overwhelming sense of God’s love for him.
He said, “God, you’re too much. I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack.
You’re killing me with your love. You don’t know your own strength!”
“Ron, I want you to go to seminary,” God said. Ron laughed. “Are you
sure you’re not talking to the car next to me?” But apparently God was serious. Ron couldn’t believe that God would want Ron to represent Him, yet
he obeyed.
Starting with Anoka Ramsey Junior College and moving on to Bethel University in St. Paul for a BA, Ron continued all the way through Luther Seminary and graduated the spring of 2001. Shortly after that, he joined the IMF
family and serves in what he believes is the center of God’s will for his life.
Ron is now an ordained minister by IMF and Vice President of Chaplaincy
Services. He provides pastoral care to his chaplains and processes ecclesiastical endorsements for military and hospital chaplains as well as supporting
non-endorsed chaplains. Ron and fellow IMF member Rev. Bob Sievert created the Anoka County Chaplain Corp for the Anoka County Sheriff’s Department, and Ron continues to serve as one of eight chaplains for the various
police units around the county. His vision for the IMF Chaplaincy Department is to connect more personally with each chaplain, visiting when possible, offering special and leadership training while providing pastoral care.
“I want them to know they are not alone. Chaplains can get dumped on. The
counseling and funerals can be exhausting. I’m here for them.”
In addition to working administratively with chaplains, Ron handles IMF’s
physical plant and oversees all maintenance at the new headquarters, making
use of his background in construction.
Ron likes to quote this insight from Mother Teresa: “Many people mistake
our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.” Though he has
many tasks and responsibilities that comprise his “work,” Ron’s true focus is
on his “vocation” of loving and receiving the love of Jesus—and passing on
that love. Because of this, when he wakes up in the morning, he doesn’t feel
like he’s going to a “job.” He’s eager to carry on his vocation.
“From being a carpenter to serving The Carpenter,” Ron says, his life has
been “an amazing story of trust” and he trusts the Lord for an even greater
opportunity to serve IMF and all our chaplains around the world
Note: Like many others who have served as staff at IMF, Rev. Ron Brovold is self-funded
through the prayers and financial support of his church, family members and friends. If
you would like to know how you can help support Ron in this wonderful ministry to our
U.S. service men and women, call Ron at 952-346-2464 or email [email protected].
FROM BEING
a CARPENTER
TO SERVING
the
CARPENTER
6 | A G athering
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF M i l i t a r y C h a p l a i n s
A Journey toward Destiny
Chaplain Tom Jenson
IMF Licensed Minister
IMF ordained Chaplain Tom Jensen’s military
journey began when he was nine years old and
his father, a Presbyterian minister, went on active
duty as a U.S. Army Chaplain. His dad packed up
his wife and two sons, and headed to Fort Jackson,
South Carolina for his first assignment. Later they
were shipped off to Germany for four years.
Tom loved Germany and as a teenager with an
adventurous spirit he often took the street car into
town to experience the sights and sounds of the
European culture. “So many people in the
military stay on base with other Americans
and have no desire to learn about other
cultures,” Tom said. “They hardly know
they’re in another country.”
Years later, Tom learned that his problems may
have stemmed from being a third culture kid. “A
third culture kid (TCK) is someone who accompanies a parent to a foreign country during their
childhood for a significant length of time”, Tom
stated. “They integrate aspects of both their birth
culture and the foreign culture, thus creating a
third culture. They don’t seem to fit into either
culture.”
In spite of his own struggles, Tom always had
However, when he returned to the states two
years later, Tom had an uneasy feeling. He enrolled in college but he couldn’t fit in and quit after only one year. “I felt like a square peg trying to
fit in a round hole,” he said. He needed money to
live on but struggled to find a job. So he did what
felt natural. He joined the Air Force and requested
to be sent back to Germany.
Tom journeyed a long way before he finally
accepted his call to the chaplaincy. “But God’s
timing is perfect,” he said. “When I took the first
step in 2008, the doors swung wide open and He’s
been in it all the way. I had just made the
cutoff age of 42 when I was accepted into
the Chaplain Candidate Program.”
Currently, Tom works as a chaplain at
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC. He deems it a privilege and a
pleasure to minister to veterans of all wars
and conflicts, especially the Viet Nam Vets.
“After all these years, many still cry out in
tears, trying to come to grips with the horrors of that war,” Tom said. “They feel tremendous rejection and many still struggle
with suicidal thoughts.”
Youth groups and other wholesome
activities occupied Tom during his adolescence. But for whatever reason, his older
brother struggled with drugs and alcohol
and had been in some legal trouble as well.
This resulted in his being sent back to the
states. “I was crushed,” Tom said. “When
I said good-bye to my brother, he was intoxicated and could hardly stand. I felt
sure he would end up in prison or possibly
dead—and I would never see him again.
My parents’ pain seemed unbearable.
Yet, they showed amazing, unconditional
love,” Tom said. “These things shaped my
spiritual foundation and a stirring began to
take place in me. I had no idea what to do
with it or how to have a real relationship
with God—but I knew I needed him.”
Then New Year’s Eve, 1982 while attending a chaplain’s retreat with his parents and other military leadership, the
stirring Tom had felt earlier intensified.
He never doubted God’s existence but he
never prayed either. He didn’t even know
how to pray. He stood outside that night,
alone, looking over the beautiful German
countryside and cried out to God. “I want
to know You. I want to commit my life to
You.” Suddenly, he experienced the Lord’s
overwhelming presence. “For the first time in my
life, God became real to me,” he said.
20 years in the Air Force and joined the Army National Guard, but Bobbie still had a long career
ahead of her. She also had an eleven-year-old
daughter. So after they had their first child together, it made sense for Tom to be a stay-at-home
dad for a while.
Tom has also ministered at Wayne County Correctional Center, a medium security
prison for adult males. “In the prisons, the
biggest need is for someone to visit the inmates—just to talk with them,” Tom said. “I
have visited with every brand of prisoner—
wiccans, white supremacists, murderers and
rapists—you name it. They are all hurting
in some way, but find it hard to trust. One
old inmate, a lifer in for rape, kidnapping
and murder kept testing me to see if I was
authentic,” Tom said.
a heart for the broken. People gravitated toward
him when they needed someone to talk to. Even
his supervisor came to him for counsel. Though
he lived with his father’s calling most of his life,
being a chaplain was the furthest thing from his
mind. He felt spiritually immature. Yet, he knew
God was training him for something. When he
met Bobbi, his future wife, they became good
friends and had many spiritual conversations.
“That’s when I began to get back on track spiritually,” Tom said.
By the time they married, Tom had completed
Currently, he is working on completing
his Master in Divinity at APEX Theological
Seminary as well as completing the Army
Chaplain Candidate Program. He’s not sure
where the Lord will take him when he completes his studies but he’s open to whatever
God wants. “I love the military,” Tom said.
“Bobbi and I call it, Government Financed
Ministry. Who knows? Maybe I’ll go back on active duty.”
He and his family attend Or HaOlam Light of
the World Messianic Congregation in Goldsboro.
His brother was radically saved and made new.
He has been an on-fire missionary for twenty five
years.
Chaplain Tom Jensen is a graduate of Phoenix University (Phoenix, AZ) with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal
Justice. He can be reached at thomas.jenson@w8n4iam.
com.
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 7
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF M i l i t a r y C h a p l a i n s
Living and Ministering
in the Middle East
Chaplain Dennis Jenson
IMF Ordained Minister
IMF Army Chaplain Dennis Jenson has a front
row seat to history in the making. He is ministering to a support-and-advise battalion sent to wrap
up the Iraq War. This battalion makes up one-fifth
of what might be the very last brigade deployed
to Iraq. They left November 14 and hope to be
back in about a year. That’s the plan, but of course
military life is uncertain—not that any of us know
where we’ll be next year at this time. James 4:15
(JBP) teaches all of us to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,
we shall still be alive and will do this or that” Living and ministering in the Middle East these days
must make it easy to keep that humble mindset
about the future.
This is Dennis’s second stint in the military. His
first began, ironically, just before the first Gulf War
was declared. Dennis was 18 years old, had just
graduated from high school, and had no particular plans. When an Army recruiter called, Dennis
signed up for three years, 1990-93, the entirety of
which he spent in Fort Jackson, South Carolina—
first in basic combat training, then serving on a
supply unit (which he signed up for on the advice
of his mother, who didn’t want him to join the
infantry).
Although he never made it to Iraq to see frontline action, Dennis did make it to a church, where
he saw a lot of front-line Kingdom action. “Every
week felt like a Billy Graham crusade, so many
people were getting saved,” says Dennis. “Those
three years were a great spiritual experience. I
learned a lot about prayer and evangelism.” And
the seeds of chaplaincy ministry were sown at that
time. Dennis had his own supply room. He would
play Christian music and keep the door open to
encourage soldiers to stop by for fellowship, which
they greatly appreciated. So even during those
early years, Dennis was acting as a type of unofficial chaplain.
Now, almost two decades later, Dennis has returned to the army, this time as an official chaplain, endorsed by IMF.
How has Dennis spent the intervening years?
After leaving active duty, he went into the Reserves
and then transferred to the National Guard, where
he served until April, 2001. Meanwhile, he completed college and Dallas Theological Seminary,
and then accepted a call to a Korean United Methodist church in New Brighton, Minnesota. He met
Pastor Frank Masserano and Rev. Ron Brovold and
the IMF family through a connection there and
was impressed by their emphasis on Scripture and
the genuineness of their lives. Ron ordained Dennis and later endorsed him as a military chaplain.
But before that could happen, Dennis had to go
through a number of crucial steps.
First, although Dennis felt God calling him
to serve as a military chaplain, he believed God
would lead him and his wife as a family. He assumed his wife would not be open at all to his
going back into the service—especially because of
their two young children. But when Dennis asked
her, she was completely willing.
Next he had to apply to the Army. After being
accepted, he went through the Army’s Chaplaincy School, which started for him on January 10,
2010. Seminary training and two years full-time
active ministry are prerequisites to acceptance, so
this school only deals with specific applications to
military life. And of course there is Boot Camp,
including confidence training. They do rappelling and ropes courses; they have to go into a gas
chamber and take off their masks. Chaplains are,
after all, soldiers and need to be able to relate to
other soldiers’ experiences. Chaplains don’t carry
weapons, but they live as the soldiers live, under
rugged conditions, and need to be in shape. The
military does assign an infantryman with a rifle to
travel with the chaplain at all times.
After Chaplaincy School, Dennis was stationed
at Fort Riley, about ten minutes from Manhattan,
Kansas. Forty chaplains are stationed there, one
per battalion, and they represent different religions and denominations. If one of Dennis’s soldiers asks for a Catholic priest or a Jewish rabbi, for
example, Dennis will try to find a fellow chaplain
to fill the bill. The rule is a chaplain must “respect and accommodate” persons of other faiths,
but will never be asked to perform a religious act
outside their own faith tradition. His experience
so far is that there is general respect for various
religions and certainly no pressure to change his
own beliefs or compromise his convictions. It’s
understood that each chaplain is loyal to his sponsoring organization and faith.
Once his battalion was scheduled for deployment, they were all sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana,
for a month of simulated war conditions. Six of
those days were intense fighting. Dennis and his
assistant donned battle gear, helmets and all, and
rode in a Humvee with the soldiers into the field
where a war zone was staged. His battalion consists of six companies, so he went with a different
company each of the six days.
Soon after this time, one soldier came to Dennis and said he wanted to know more about God.
He listened while Dennis shared the Gospel. The
soldier agreed to come to a weekly Bible study
when they got back to their base in Kansas. His
wife wanted to come as well, as did another couple
on the base.
Whether at the base, in combat training, or on
the actual field, one of a chaplain’s main duties is
counseling. And counseling sessions can’t always
be scheduled. A soldier needs counseling when
he needs it, so Dennis tries to make himself available whenever possible for listening and for prayer.
Just as Jesus walked with the people and was available to them, a chaplain is with the soldiers and
available to them.
The fact that the United States Military realizes
the need for spiritual counselors and provides for
this need with chaplains is a reason to thank God.
The fact that Dennis is willing to put himself in
harm’s way in Iraq to share the Gospel is a reason
we all should be thankful to God, Dennis (and to
his family).
Chaplain Dennis Jenson is a graduate of Northwestern
Bible College (St. Paul, MN) with a Bachelor of Arts in
Pastoral Studies and Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas,
TX) with a Master of Theology in Bible/Missions. He can
be reached at [email protected]
IMF, its Board Members, Staff and members are very proud of all 60 military chaplains and
chaplain candidates, as well as all of our civilian (hospital and hospice), paid, and volunteer
chaplains serving jails/prisons, police/fire departments, marketplace, professional football
and NASCAR racing—all who stand in the gap and sometimes in harm’s way to proclaim the
Gospel—using words when necessary.
8 | A G athering
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF M i l i t a r y C h a p l a i n s
A Circuit Rider Preacher
in the U. S. Army
Chaplain Ken Kerstetter
IMF Ordained Minister
question. You have every faith: Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, even Islam. You
have to look at it, even though I am part of the army, as a mission field.”
A highlight for Chaplain Kerstetter was attending the U. S. Army Chaplains Center’s training center at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina in the summer of
2010. For six weeks, 1st Lt. Kerstetter, along with two other chaplains, taught,
counseled, prayed and preached to 225 soldiers. On the last Sunday, they
baptized 25 soldiers. “Those kids left home and found Jesus Christ in the
army,” Chaplain Kerstetter said. “It was a testimony that God can and does
do tremendous things, even in the United States Army.”
He also encourages military soldiers and their spouses to attend “Strong
Bonds,” a couples’ weekend workshop. “Strong Bonds,” is a heavily funded
program led by the U. S. Army Chaplains Corps. It is in retreat format and
held in hotels. “”What the Army has recognized is that if they have soldiers
who are struggling at home, which deployment tends to exacerbate, then the
soldiers are going to be less effective,” Chaplain Kerstetter said. “The best way
to help soldiers is to be proactive and ‘Strong Bonds’ helps them do that.”
IMF ordained minister 1st Lt. Ken Kerstetter serves as battalion chaplain
for the 3-116th Field Artillery Battalion for the Florida Army National Guard.
His duty is to perform and provide for soldiers. On drill weekends, the chaplain holds worship services, teaches, serves communion and counsels. A large
percentage of the soldiers are 18, 19 and 20 year old privates. “They’ve got all
the same things going on in their lives as those their age in civilian life do,”
Chaplain Kerstetter said. “Some of them are facing a loved one’s death for
the first time. I help them, pray with them, and get them in a mindset for the
weekend, as it’s a high-tempo pace. Whether the commanders are believers
or not, they see the value of chaplains getting the soldiers to feel better about
their circumstances.”
Among his field artillery battalion’s duties are driving launcher vehicles,
performing vehicle maintenance and field drills. “Worship isn’t always on
Sundays,” 1st Lt. Kerstetter said. “We may have a field service where I will
have a simple order of worship, do some teaching and sing one or two songs.
If I do a service, it might be on a Saturday and may be held in a staff or conference room.”
Chaplain Kerstetter likens a battalion chaplaincy to that of a circuit rider
preacher. “You’re traveling to where they are. It’s exciting. You’re never doing the same thing twice. It’s pure ministry,” he said.
1st Lt. Kerstetter grew up in the military. His father was stationed at Patrick Air Force base, the controlling center for the Cape Canaveral Air Station.
“I saw the first space shuttle launch, and I’ll see the last one,” the chaplain
said. “Growing up in the military, I’ve always had a tremendous respect for
men and women in uniform. Also I had served as a pastor on the civilian side
and being a chaplain is the best of both things.”
The U.S. Army recognizes four faith groups for whom they provide chaplains: Christian, Jewish, Islam and Buddhist, with the vast majority being
Christian. “The army is a secular organization,” Chaplain Kerstetter said.
“As a result, it is pluralistic. The military is a cross-section of society, without
Chaplain Kerstetter also performs the religious aspect of the U. S. Army’s
ceremonial functions such as praying at a change-of-command, where everyone in the battalion is present, in formation, and at attention. “When I am
asked to pray at these functions,” Chaplain Kerstetter said, “I am requested
to pray in a way that would exclude no one. However, in my own worship
services I experience my right to pray in the name of Jesus, in my own faith
tradition.’”
Lt. Col. Kerstetter has the choice to opt out of praying at these functions.
“People say that we are restricted, but we’re not,” he said. “We can choose
not to pray. But at these times, the U. S. Army expects me to minister in a
way that considers all.” Chaplain Kerstetter believes opting might ruin future
opportunities to touch someone’s life in the battalion. “God knows my heart
and prayers for these soldiers,” he said. “The soldiers need to see me as someone who cares about the battalion and hopefully it may open an opportunity
for me to speak.”
Aside from the ceremonial functions as a Christian chaplain, 1st Lt. Kerstetter is expected to perform his duties that are consistent with his faith and
his ecclesiastical endorser, IMF. “I have no restrictions on me and my official
ministries,” he said.
To provide for soldiers is also a part of Kerstetter’s duty. If a Catholic soldier wants to have Mass or communion outside of Kerstetter’s Protestant worship services, Kerstetter calls a local priest and arranges it for that soldier. “In
that sense, I’m not performing but I’m providing for them,” he said. “But if I
can speak Christ’s love into soldiers’ hearts, I’m going to do it, and if it means
contacting a priest for them, I do. I believe they look at me a little less like
someone who is against them and as someone who cares for them.”
Chaplain Kerstetter lives in Rockledge, Fla., with his wife Danella and their three children,
Tyler, Taylor and Tara. He is principal of Rockledge Christian School. He received his
M.Div. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, was commissioned in December
2009 and serves as battalion chaplain for the Florida Army National Guard.
Chaplain Ken Kerstetter is a graduate of Palm Beach Athletic University (West Palm
Beach, FL) with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (New Orleans, LA) with a Master of Divinity. He can be reached at ken.
[email protected].
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 9
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF M i l i t a r y C h a p l a i n s
A Visible Presence of the Holy
Chaplain Lt. Col. Don Horner
IMF Ordained Minister
According to the U. S. Chaplain Corps, there are more than 500 active duty Air Force chaplains, with an additional 600 in service with the Reserves and
Air National Guard. The duty of a chaplain is to be available to his fellow soldiers and to be the “visible presence of the Holy.”
“What that ‘holy’ is, though, is sometimes complex,” said IMF ordained minister Lt. Col. Don Horner, 56, a chaplain in the Air Force who has served both
in reserve and in and out of active duty, deploying to Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq in 2007. “It cannot be what I view as holy. My job is not to evangelize
soldiers. It’s to facilitate their access to the Holy. It’s a pretty humbling, amazing experience to be in the center of people’s lives. It’s been a humbling honor
to help them through transitions.”
In a war zone, that presence may mean Chaplain Horner is on base one day, at a hospital in a remote location the next, and flying to another base the third
day, consoling and comforting not just the injured but also the staff who sometimes work twenty hours straight. “Particularly in conflict or war situations,
it’s a chaplain’s role to be sensitive to their needs and to be open to the Spirit as to what I can do to help these people,” Lt. Col. Horner said.
The “presence of the holy” includes ministering to all branches of military. “Before 9/11, the branches worked separately. 9/11 changed all that,” Lt. Col.
Horner said. “We all work as one.” It also means caring for the needs of the highest ranking general and the first-time person in the military.
Lt. Col. Horner’s most memorable event as a chaplain was in 2004 when he was on a flight from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan to lead a worship service for
Special Operations at Bagram Air Force base. As the plane landed, he saw a car with sirens coming toward the plane. At first, the chaplain thought the base
had been hit. But the car was for him. He got in, surrounded by military personnel. “We heard you were coming,” one of them said. “One of our missions
is just about to take off and they would like to you to pray with them before they leave.”
When Lt. Col. Horner arrived, the C130 was so ready to leave, its engines were on. A big, noise-blocking headset was placed on his head. As he stood in
front of the aircraft, he could see the pilot, co-pilot and flight’s attending crew in the cockpit, looking at him. There in the moonlight, in the middle of the
Afghan air field, the chaplain prayed for several minutes, that “God would protect them and truly be with them,” he said. He opened his eyes and saw military
on the air field around him, all on their knees. “I didn’t realize the whole plane and those on the ground had heard me. I thought I was praying for the cockpit
crew.” Horner said, choking up, “I had no idea what anyone’s faith was, but in the midst of such chaos, God made Himself so present. In that moment we were
all united under God,” he said. “It’s these kinds of experiences I have valued in my 24 years in the Air Force and I’m not leaving until they kick me out.”
Lt. Col. Horner’s other role as a chaplain is to help soldiers transition from active duty to life back in the United States, something he must practice too.
“One moment soldiers are running around with guns on the streets of Afghanistan and the next having a barbecue in their backyard,” he said. The first
night Lt. Col. Horner spent back in his home in St. Paul, Minn., after returning from active duty, he awoke to the sound of a car backfiring. “I jumped up
and went under the bed,” he said. “When you are in a war zone and hear a siren or a bang, you take cover because you think the base is being hit. It’s an
impulse response.”
The chaplain’s role is to brief soldiers before they return home. He helps families too, to realize that when their spouse comes back, they may be physically
present, “but their souls have not caught up with them,” Lt. Col. Horner said. “Because war has changed us.”
Lt. Col. Horner served as a chaplain with the 1st Special Operations Wing, based at Hurlburt Field in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., for the past 10 years. In November 2010, his attachment shifted to Langley Air Force Base and the CIA’s headquarters, where in January 2011 he will work in Command Combat. He and
his wife Mary have three grown children, Jason, Joel and Jennifer. He is on staff with Eastside Community Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Lt. Col. Horner came late to the military. It wasn’t until he was 10 years into his marriage and had two children that he became a commissioned officer on
April 16, 1986. “I was in seminary at Luther-Northwestern on my way to lunch,” the chaplain said. “There was a recruiter there and they were looking for Air
Force chaplains. It could have been the Army, Navy or the Marines – it didn’t matter what branch. I signed up and five minutes later I was a commissioned
officer. I just knew I was put on this earth to serve in the military.”
Chaplain Don Horner is a graduate of Lutheran Bible Institute (Seattle, WA) with an Associate in Arts in Bible Studies, Metropolitan State University (St. Paul, MN) with a Bachelor
of Arts in Music Education, and Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN) with a Master of Divinity. He can be reached at [email protected].
10 | A G athering
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF M i l i t a r y C h a p l a i n s
Serving in Sicily
Chaplain Stephen Labue
IMF Ordained Minister
We live for something greater than ourselves. The average citizen may not
know this, given that the Self is the idol of choice in many circles these days.
But as Christians we know that our only glory is in being citizens of God’s
kingdom, obeying and serving God, whatever that may mean personally.
In 2006, Stephen and Bethany transferred to Groton, Connecticut, for his
first shore-based tour. He taught electronics and computer networking at
the Naval Submarine School there and was division officer over the other 26
instructors and the 720 students per year in that department.
Military life gets it right on this point. Personal preference and comfort
take back seats to cause and country. And though we’ve all heard stories of
people who lose their faith in the military, others have come to faith while
serving. IMF ordained minister Stephen Labue grew up in a Christian home
and has been a believer most of his life, but it was while serving in the Navy
that his faith was reawakened—through the ministry of the military chaplains. Now Stephen himself is a Navy chaplain, serving at Naval Air Station
Sigonella, Sicily, Italy.
During the first few months in Connecticut, they attended a marriage retreat hosted by the Navy chaplains. At that retreat, Stephen heard God telling
him, “This is what I want you to do for me.” Stephen’s immediate response
was, “You want me to put on marriage retreats?” It was this dialogue with
God which began Stephen’s journey to Naval Chaplaincy.
Stephen grew up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in a family that loved to sail.
His grandmother and grandfather met at a yacht club; they displayed in their
home a large plaque of an eagle holding a flag and banner reading “Don’t
Give Up the Ship.” This majestic eagle now hangs on the wall of Stephen’s
office, spurring him on and reminding him that there is a cause to live for
larger than himself.
In 1996, just after he graduated from high school, Stephen enlisted in the
Navy, in the Submarine Force. After basic training, he completed electronic
and navigational school. In 1997, he reported to USS-Parche SSN-683, a nuclear powered submarine, and immediately left for a four-month deployment.
It was the start of a 14-year career as a Submariner. At that time he had no
thoughts of serving as a chaplain. In fact, he describes his spiritual life during that time as a “cycle of ups and downs.” When he was younger, he had
gone through some rough periods of bullying. His defense was to put up
emotional walls to protect his brokenness and to seek acceptance wherever he
could find it. In the fall of 2002, the Holy Spirit was reignited inside of him,
reminding him that he was fully accepted by the Father whose acceptance
matters most.
After Parche, he was stationed in California as a member of an operational detachment of the Naval Research Laboratory. There he “maintained
a very high operational tempo,” meaning that he would be deployed for several months, come home for a month or so, and deploy again. Whenever
he was on shore, he attended Camarillo Christian Church and was active
with a group of twenty-somethings. A certain young woman, by the name
of Bethany, moved from Michigan out to California to work for Habitat for
Humanity. She started attending this church at a time when Stephen was
away on a six-month deployment. Upon his return, he attended a gathering
of this group and noticed the new face across the room. He walked up and introduced himself, saying he was in the Navy. She said her name was Bethany
and she was in the peace movement, protesting the war. Ironically, the huge
political difference put them greatly at ease with each other, since they knew
they could never be “more than friends.” That was in 2003. The following
year they were married.
Just before they started dating, Bethany began working as the short-term
missions coordinator for Christian Associates International, headquartered
in Thousand Oaks, California (and also in the Netherlands). In connection
with this job, Stephen and Bethany attended a leadership summit in Lisbon
in 2005. Still needing to completely heal from the emotional scars of his
past, Stephen was powerfully touched by God at this conference. And it was
here Stephen met a friend by the name of Brian, who helped him to bring
down the wall of protection he had built and to put himself in a position to
use his past to heal others in the future.
Stephen went to his command chaplain, Chaplain Jane Vieira, to find
out what he needed to do. He learned that he needed a Masters of Divinity
from an accredited school, at least two years of active ministry experience, an
ecclesiastical endorsement, and approval from the CARE advisory board in
Washington, D.C. “God opened every door that was needed,” says Stephen.
Step one was to enroll in an online degree program through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, a part of Liberty University, based in Lynchburg
Virginia.
Step two was ministry experience. This was not a problem, since the
church they were attending was eager to put both Stephen and Bethany’s
leadership experience to use and invited them to serve on staff. This job
kept Stephen busy in his off-duty hours—when he wasn’t doing his online
studies.
Step three was ecclesiastical endorsement. For this, God led him to Ron
Brovold and IMF.
Step four was to pass his CARE board, which he did in December, 2009.
Step five was completing the Navy’s Officer Development School and Basic
Chaplains School. On May 22, 2010 Stephen departed home in Connecticut
for five weeks of Officer Development School in Newport, RI. From Newport,
he then traveled to Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, for seven weeks
of Basic Chaplains School and to learn the intricacies of this unique ministry.
Finally, on August 22, 2010, Stephen and his family arrived in Catania, Italy,
on the island of Sicily, for duty.
Now Stephen and Bethany
are settled on the island with
their darling 17-month-old
daughter, Morgan, who goes
to an Italian-speaking daycare
while her dad ministers to a
community of Navy, Air Force,
and Italian forces of about
4,000 personnel at Naval Air
Station Sigonella. Meanwhile,
Bethany provides pastoral care
to missionaries stationed in
Europe and is also in the early
stages of planting a church in
downtown Catania.
Naval Air Station Sigonella
Chaplain Stephen Labue is a graduate of Thomas Edison State College (Trenton, NJ) with
a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (Lynchburg, GA) with a Masters of Divinity. He can be reached at [email protected].
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 11
Highlighting imf civilian Chaplains
A Call to Mercy
Cahplain Lyn Westman
IMF Ordained Minister
At a very young age, IMF ordained minister
Dr. Lyn Westman, dreamed of becoming a missionary nurse and even though she was from Chicago, she knew she would one day live in Texas.
Missionary movies that she watched at church
had stirred her heart for such a calling. “I loved
going to church as a child,” Lyn said. “I came
from an abusive background and it was my sanctuary.” She lacked foundational teaching, however, and as a result, for years her spiritual life
rose and fell like mercury in a thermometer.
In spite of her personal struggles, Lyn’s academic life soared. She earned a three-year nursing diploma, a Bachelor’s in
Psychology, a Masters in Psychiatric Nursing and a Doctorate
in Industrial Psychology. “I was
always good in school,” she said.
“My personal life was the problem.”
things happen. But we as the Church are called
to fight. According to Isaiah 49:23b, ‘Those who
hope in God shall not be disappointed.’ We have
to be careful that we’re not fighting for our own
outcome, but because we trust God,” she said.
“When I quit trying to figure out what we did
wrong, I was energized to fight—not only for Jeff,
but for everyone else in that hospital.”
In 2004 Jeff successfully completed his cancer treatment. (He’s still cancer free today.) At
the same time, Lyn had been working as a chaplain for Mercy Ships for four years, and felt led to
apply for ordination. She was ordained by IMF
Because she was a single mom, Mercy Ships
policy didn’t allow Lyn to travel overseas longterm. It wasn’t until her son Jeff graduated from
high school and began college that she began to
feel the impact of her childhood dream.
Then in 2003, Lyn experienced the most
traumatic time in her life. While in his junior
year in college Jeff was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a very lethal form of bone cancer. “I was
in shock and disbelief,” Lyn said. “When we’re
faced with something we can’t handle, we soon
find out what our theology is. I was so traumatized, I couldn’t pray—I couldn’t read Scripture—
I couldn’t absorb anything spiritual.”
In the midst of her devastation, Lyn read a
book called, God at War by Gregory Boyd which
revolutionized her thinking. “Essentially the
message was that God doesn’t cause catastrophe,”
she said. “People have choices and as a result
12 | A G athering
God moves powerfully in the children and
brings emotional and spiritual healing when
they take their pain to the cross. It’s a time when
the children write down their painful experiences, of sin and unforgiveness and bring them
to the cross. They also have the opportunity to
come to Jesus.
Lyn is always amazed to see what God does—
in the children and in others. A teacher from
the children’s class who had been skeptical was
so moved by what he saw that
he brought his own pain to the
cross and received Christ.
One of Lyn’s more personal
experiences came while teaching a class in Ghana. She came
in contact with one of Liberia’s
former notorious warlords, Joshua Blahyi. He had been a high
priest for the Krahn Tribe, responsible for the deaths of more
than 20,000 people. “He was the
most feared of these generals,”
Lyn said. But like Saul of Tarsus,
Joshua was converted and has
led thousands to Christ.
Following a failed marriage, a
series of unhealthy relationships
and an ultimate breakdown in
1991, Lyn literally ran to God.
She has served Him faithfully
ever since.
“I was a single mom with a 14
year old son when I began my career with Mercy Ships in 1996,”
Lyn said. “The only available position was Human Resources Representative and my background
with a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology fit the position.”
churches. They said, ‘No, we want you to have
our children.’”
and in October she traveled overseas for three
months. Following that, she joined the Mercy
Ship Anastasis as Head Chaplain until the ship
was retired in 2007.
A year later, Lyn developed the now thriving
Mercy Ships Mental Health program which offers services in countries served by the non-profit
organization. “Mental health is a problem that
is rarely addressed in the developing world,” she
said. “Our goal is to train and bring awareness
by offering counseling skills to health care workers, teachers, social workers, church leaders and
others.”
They also work with orphans and abused children. “We developed a children’s camp where we
see about 50 children a year,” she said. “Last year,
we brought teachers and social workers from the
Ministry of Education and Health and Social Action together with church leaders. “I told them
that we’re evangelistic and if they’re not comfortable with that we can work solely with the
Still, he suffered from effects
of his past atrocities. In some
ways he didn’t know how to walk
in his new life. While counseling and working with him, God
did a tremendous miracle. “He put a mother’s
love for him in my heart.” As a result, she and
Jeff invited Joshua to be part of their family. “He
is my second son,” Lyn said.
This year Lyn’s role has taken a dramatic
change. “I’ve been long-term Mercy Ships for 14
years and it has been an incredible journey,” she
said. “In my new position, I’ll be a consultant
to Mercy Ships. I’ll still be responsible for the
mental health program, but I’ll be able to release
some of the administrative burden. “Besides, I
have this missionary call to the world,” she said.
Rev. Lyn Westman is a graduate of the University of Texas
(San Antonio, TX) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, of
the University of Houston (Houston, TX) with a Bachelor of
Science in Psychology, of the University of California (Los
Angeles, CA) with a Master of Nursing, and the United States
International University (San Diego, CA) with a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. She can be reached at
[email protected].
MORE C o n f e r e n c e 2 0 1 1
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 13
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF C i v i l i a n C h a p l a i n s
A Spiritual Heart Transplant
Chaplain Harry Stephenson
IMF Ordained Minister
IMF ordained Chaplain, Harry Stephenson’s heart was shattered the day his 13 year old son Matthew
was killed. God, however, has used the story of Matthew’s death to bring healing to Harry’s broken heart.
“In fact,” Harry said, “God has given me a new heart—one that is more tender and compassionate. Grief
is like having a leg amputated,” he said. “I still walk with an emotional limp but my heart is more sensitive to the needs of others. It’s this gift that has led me to the chaplaincy ministry.”
Harry was raised in a Christian home in Duluth, Minnesota, but he
always viewed himself as a self-made man. It’s not that he didn’t believe
in God, he just preferred to do things on his own. He was a successful photographer and life seemed good. However, when he was 25 he
reached a point where things were spinning out of control. A dark cloud
had settled over him and he didn’t know how get to out from under the
heaviness. In desperation, he turned to his mother for answers. She
explained that Christianity is simply surrendering to Jesus Christ and
allowing Him to take control.
The next day, Harry decided to test that concept. “God,” he prayed,
“I need you to take control of my life.” Nothing happened right away
but while driving in his car a day later, the cloud miraculously lifted. He
was so amazed that he pulled over to the side of the road and cried out,
“Lord, I surrender.” He felt something break and he sobbed like a baby.
Harry also experienced a newfound boldness and told whoever would
listen that, “God is real.”
Harry met a young lady named Vicki in Duluth whom he married
during his first year of college. Three years later, Harry and his wife
packed up and headed for the Twin Cities to attend seminary. There he
received his Master of Divinity degree from Bethel Seminary.
Harry felt the Lord wanted him to stay on at the seminary. So he took
a position in Institutional Services and stayed for nineteen years. In
addition, he served the international community on a volunteer basis.
“The students sought me out,” Harry said. “I was building relationships,
making our home their home.” During that time, their family grew and
they were blessed with three children. Harry has also shared in parenting a friend’s adopted daughter from China. “She’s my daughter—I’m
her dad,” Harry said.
Then Christmas Day, 1999 while Harry and his family were driving to Duluth, the unthinkable happened. Their vehicle was forced off
the road by an inattentive driver. “My wife and my son Matthew were
thrown from the car,” he said. “Vicki sustained severe injuries, and Matthew was killed instantly.”
In the midst of unbearable pain, God gave Harry and Vicki tremendous peace. Their assurance was in Christ and the hope of seeing Matthew again. That peace was obvious to many people and doors of opportunity opened for them to minister and impart that hope to others.
In ministering to others, God began to heal Harry’s broken heart.
“But the real healing came when I realized that God’s Son was also
killed.” Harry said. “I knew then that He grieved my loss and came
alongside me with His comfort and His peace.”
14 | A G athering
While Harry was completing his chaplaincy residency at Fairview
Hospital in Minneapolis, he was asked to speak to a young man who had
recently emigrated from China. The man was seriously ill and professed
to be an atheist. “But I believed he was seeking,” Harry said. “I visited
with him 2-3 times before he began to open up.” He told Harry that his
Chinese, Christian neighbors had invited him to their church and he
wanted to know about their God.
“I gave him a word picture of the 23rd Psalm,” Harry said, “of the
Shepherd caring for his sheep.” When Harry began to read the Psalm to
the young man, it was as though a light bulb went on. He wanted this
God and accepted Christ as his Savior.
Another situation occurred more recently at the Villages in North
Branch, MN where Harry now works as a chaplain. He visited an elderly
woman and helped her work through some things in the line of unforgiveness and bitterness. She had been a Christian, but over time had become angry with God. “I spent 2½ hours ministering with her,” Harry
said. “She recommitted her life to Christ and experienced an immediate
release from the things that had tormented her for years.”
When Harry prepared to leave, the woman asked him, “Why did you
come?” He told her that he felt prompted. Then she looked him straight
in the eyes and with a little smile said. “It was God wasn’t it?”
“It was God,” Harry told me. “Three days later the woman passed
away.”
Harry had been ordained in 2008 by Woodland Hills Church in St.
Paul. However, as a chaplain he felt the need to connect with a body
of professional colleagues so he applied to and was ordained by International Ministerial Fellowship.
When people ask Harry what he’ll do when he retires he responds,
“With this particular calling, I don’t believe there is such a thing as retirement. God gave me the gift of a new heart but it isn’t mine to keep.
I must share it with others.”
In addition to working at the Villages, Harry visits other nursing
homes and hospitals through his church. He’ll soon be adding to his
work schedule chaplaincy support twice a week at Lyngblomsten, a seniors community in St. Paul.
Chaplain Harry Stephenson is a graduate of Bethel College (St. Paul, MN) with a
Bachelor of Arts, and Bethel Seminary (St. Paul, MN) with a Master of Divinity. He
can be reached at mntstep@comcast.
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF C i v i l i a n C h a p l a i n s
A Soul Practitioner
Chaplain Carol Collins
IMF Ordained Minister
The Rev. Carol Collins works as a hospice chaplain for Valor Hospice Care in Green Valley, Ariz.,
35 miles north of the Mexican border. On a typical day, the chaplain may drive to Nogales’ Holy
Cross Hospital, then to an adult care center, then
on to a long-term care facility that may be a small
home or doublewide trailer. The last pay period
she logged 100 miles each day. “The towns are
few and far between, sometimes way off the road,”
she said.
Still, she loves being a hospice chaplain. “I love
the one-to-one ministry,” she said. “I love to step
into a person’s life and help them connect with
their spiritual values. I love hospice. It’s so relational and full of hope. People will say to me,
‘What’s the hope?’ Well, medicine is not going to
fix them. But we have hope in Christ.”
She tends to patients
who, on average,
have less than six
months to live.
“When times are
good, many people
drop the religious
thing or don’t make
time for it,” she said.
“But when they’re bedridden,
housebound
or failing, they have
time for those very deep
thoughts.” At times, she
has prayed with patients to
receive Christ. “I lead people
in something like the sinner’s
prayer. I don’t call it as such,
but I’ll ask, ‘Let’s pray together.
You say after me.’”
She asks the Holy Spirit to give
her the words or to bring something to mind about that person as an entrée
into people’s lives. “I’ve marveled at how God
has helped me, especially with those who have
dementia.” Looking through dementia patients’
Bibles with them is often a connection point.
“People put things that are important to them in
their Bibles,” she said. “Death notices, news clippings, a little article that touched their heart.”
She will talk with them about the saved papers.
She also may ask them to sing “Jesus Loves Me”
with her or have them say “The Lord’s Prayer” in
their native tongue. “People with dementia often
revert to their native tongue when they say that
prayer,” she said. “I’ll ask them, ‘Who taught you
that?’ and they’ll tell me that their grandmother
or mother taught them. I will print the prayer in
big letters in their native tongue for them to use.”
Her biggest challenge is when someone who is
under hospice care returns to Mexico to say goodbye to family members, but dies while outside the
United States. “We cannot minister to the family
in that situation,” she said.
Collins, 64, came late into ministerial work.
During a time when women could not simultaneously be married and attend college, Collins chose
marriage at 18 over a full nursing scholarship. She
and her husband Tim raised a son and
daughter and she began
work at Hamline
University in St.
Paul, Minn., as an executive
secretary to the dean, taking classes on
the side for fun. The dean encouraged Collins,
then 40, to get her bachelor’s degree. She finished
her degree in 15 months.
At that time, tragedy struck. Her son Michael
lost his life to suicide. She enrolled at Bethel
Seminary to get some answers. “I did not deny
my faith. I questioned my faith. I didn’t have a
focus,” she said. As part of a requirement for a pastoral care course, she worked as an unpaid intern
to get a feel for what pastoral care was. “And I just
fell in love with that side of ministry,” she said.
“Not the pulpit. Not inner city. Not sitting on
boards. I just loved the hands-on part.”
According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, more than 41 percent of
all deaths in the United States in 2009 received
hospice care. From its inception in 1974, the number of hospice programs has grown to 5,000. The
U.S. Congress of 1982 enacted the Medicare hospice benefit and as such, Collins works for a secular, for-profit company, under federal guidelines.
“My company understands I am a Christian Chaplain and that I am called by Christ to be His hands
and feet and to care for people,” she said, “even if
they are not of our faith.”
Chaplain Collins remembers her hardest moment as a chaplain. She was called to minister to a family where a six-month-old girl
was dying. When Collins walked into the
hospital room, the baby was dressed in a
little red dress. “She didn’t look sick. She
looked liked a little valentine,” the chaplain said. The little girl was already on
life support and medical personnel had
recommended life support be withdrawn.
The parents were not married and
the mother’s parents were ostracizing the father, who was grieving
the loss of his baby. “Emotions
were very high. There was no
spiritual aspect in their lives,”
she said. “It was really hard to
meet all the various needs because the family was so fragmented and everybody was
angry at somebody.” The
child lived only a few minutes
and when Collins asked the family if they
wanted her to stay, they declined. “They wanted
to live with their anger,” Collins said.
She sees faithless situations like this as a trend.
“More people are coming into hospice without
faith. “You’re starting from square one instead
of building on their faith,” she said. “It’s a commentary on how empty many homes become in
our nation that has moved away from little recognition or knowledge of God. It reinforces the
need for Christian hospice chaplains who can
stand between the dying and an eternity without
God, offering perhaps their last opportunity to
be introduced to a living and loving God and life
eternal.”
Chaplain Carol Collins is a graduate of Northwestern College (Roseville, MN) with a Bachelor of Science, and Bethel
Theological Seminary (Arden Hills, MN) with a Master of
Divinity. She can be reached at ccollins@valorhospicecare.
com.
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 15
h i g h l i g h t i n g IMF C i v i l i a n C h a p l a i n s
Working on Hearts
Chaplain Jessie Czebotar
IMF Ordained Minister
Jessie Czebotar, (pronounced Se-bo-ter)
IMF ordained Chaplain and mother of
6 works 50 to 60 hours weekly at Legacy
Immanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon.
Much of that time is spent in Neonatal
ICU (NICU), holding, singing and silently praying for babies, and ministering to
parents. “It’s my calling and I love it,”
she said. “I accepted Christ when I was
four and knew at a very young age that
I was called to serve Him.”
Her mother was a strong influence in her life and an excellent role model.
As a teen, she and her mother ministered in nursing homes, schools and
churches. They performed puppet shows and did clowning; they put on children’s dramas and Christmas cantatas. For a season, through their church,
they had an inner city bus ministry to 200 kids.
Jessie always believed her primary gifting was in evangelism until one day
she clearly heard the Lord speak to her. “You will work on hearts,” He said. “I
thought that meant I was called to be a surgeon—a cardiologist, so I enrolled
in premed classes.”
However, through a series of circumstances, the Lord quickly moved her in
another direction—from Green Bay, Wisconsin to Minnesota Bible College in
Rochester, Minnesota. It was there she met Jacob who became her husband
after a short courtship.
While still in their first year of college, they received a blow when Jacob began experiencing physical weakness and severe migraine headaches. He was
diagnosed with symptoms of MS—a progressive disease which influenced the
couple to go deeper with God to find out what they should do next. They felt
led to Crown College, a private Christian college in St. Bonifacius, MN where
Jessie received her Bachelor’s degree.
It seemed Jessie had spent years trying to fit into the call she knew God
had put on her life. But it finally became clear when she did a one year residency as a chaplain at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, MN. “It’s like
when you find that niche where all of your gifts finally come together,” Jessie
said. “I knew then, I was called to be a chaplain.” The word the Lord gave
her years before now made sense. It wasn’t physical hearts she would work
on—it was spiritual hearts.
Jacob fully supports Jessie in her calling. “When he had not been able to
graduate from Crown College he told her, ‘Let’s get you through your Master’s
program. When the time is right we’ll work at finishing mine.’” Not long after, the family moved to Portland where Jessie enrolled at Multnomah Biblical
Seminary. She completed her Master in Divinity this past July.
Their six children range in ages from 1 to 12. Jessie home schools the
16 | A G athering
three older children with the help of a friend who comes in three times a
week. In addition to doing the family meals, Jacob also pitches in by helping
with homework. “He’s a great problem solver and he’s good with direction,”
Jessie said. “I’m directionally dyslexic and wouldn’t be able to find my way
anywhere without Jacob. We do everything as a family, even grocery shopping (which is sometimes at 10 o’clock at night).”
As Chaplain, Jessie tries to bring hope to those who seem to have none.
She tells of a situation where she ministered to a dying man who had a “do
not resuscitate” order. He was heavily sedated and couldn’t speak, but seemed
able to hear. Jessie told him, “I know you can’t communicate but if I were
in your place, I would want to make peace with God.” She then touched his
hand and began to softly sing hymns. “Before I left,” she told me, “I actually
saw the Lord come and put His hand on the man’s cheek.”
The next day she returned to find the man awake but still uncommunicative. He tried to write something but Jessie struggled to read it. “When I
kept guessing wrong he became so frustrated that he finally blurted out, ‘Tell
doctor I want to live. If I die bring me back.’”
“Some cases are harder than others,” she said. “The number one rule as
chaplain at Legacy is not to force my beliefs on anyone, but I am free to respond when they ask. Recently, she helped a young mother who obviously
had no spiritual foundation prepare for the death of her 6-week old son. It
was Jessie’s first time with the death of a child. Without permission to quote
God’s Word for hope and strength, Jessie encouraged the child’s mother to
touch her son—to hold him—to say her good-byes. It’s during those times it
becomes a ministry of presence and a lot of silent prayer.
Jessie’s residency at Legacy Immanuel is up in August, 2011. Once again,
she and Jacob are praying fervently for God’s leading. “We have grown to
love the Portland area and would prefer to stay. Still, we’re willing to go
wherever God leads us.”
Chaplain Jessie Czebotar is a graduate of Crown College (St. Bonifacius, MN) with a
Bachelor of Science in Christian Ministry, and Multnomah Seminary (Portland, OR) with
a Masters of Divinity. She can be reached at [email protected].
Biblical Teachings
Ephesus: Adopted as Sons
Rev. John Ferret, Jr.
IMF Licensed Minister
The ancient city of Ephesus is located in Asia
Minor on the western coast of what is now Turkey.
Here Paul and the apostle John contributed significantly to the New Testament writings.
fore the days of Christ to after 100 A.D., human
life in Rome and Greece was not valued. Thus,
many women did not want the inconvenience of
a baby to interfere with their sensual and hedonistic lifestyle. To get rid of an unwanted infant one
might resort to abortion (very risky in those days),
drowning, or infant exposure (the family would
simply take the child out beyond the city and
abandon it to die from exposure to the elements).
Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, reports
that the Jews considered abortion, infanticide, and
exposure as murder. It is not surprising, therefore,
that Christians consider abortion and infanticide
murder, largely due to our Jewish roots.
The picture below is of the ancient gates of
Ephesus. From this history we know that someplace outside these gates there may have been a
“baby dump” – the place where the pagan girls
would bring their unwanted babies to die of exposure.
To grasp the full power, clarity, and purpose, of
any book of the Bible, one must not separate scripture from its original historical context. Instead
of making our hearts burn, sometimes Scripture
makes us scratch our head in confusion. Quite
simply, the Bible is a Jewish book written by Jews
to mostly a Jewish audience in an ancient culture unfamiliar to most 21st century Christians. Ray
Vanderlaan, a famous Bible historian and teacher
states, “Once you know the who, what, and where
of a Bible story, you will be better able to understand the why.”
Consider the verse: “In love He predestined us
to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”
(Ephesians 1:5) Paul uses the word “adoption”
here and in a few other verses (Romans 8:15,23,
Romans 9:4, and Galatians 4:5). In these verses
Paul is writing to three pagan Hellenistic cities:
Ephesus, Rome, and probably Ancyra (now Ankara, the capital of Turkey), the capital of Galatia
in Asia Minor in his day.
Is there something about the ancient culture
for the Holy Spirit that inspired Paul to talk about
adoption? Is there something we can’t grasp since
we have been cut off from this ancient culture?
Let me suggest a possibility by examining the culture of those days.
A gruesome practice in Greece and Rome was
called infanticide. It was considered legal and encouraged in ancient Rome and Greece. From be-
Another aspect of this horrible ancient culture
that is also important is related to the agora (the
city’s market). The picture below is of the agora in
Ephesus. Here one could find shops and booths
selling silks, excellent wines, and exotic foods.
There would be booths for craftsmen like tentmakers, jewelers, and carpenters. This would be the
place that Paul would go to work as a tentmaker.
But it was also the place to buy slaves. Ephesus,
from 100 B.C. till after 100 A.D., was the leading
center of the slave trade in the ancient world.
Where could the slave merchant get “free bodies” to be slaves? Was there a way the slave merchant could simply get slaves at no cost? Yes! In
the pagan cities of Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome,
all they needed to do was go outside the city to the
“baby dump.” There they would find live infants
that they could “adopt” as slaves and raise them to
be sold in the agora for a handsome profit.
Imagine being a slave in those days—one who
was abandoned at birth at the “baby dump” outside the city walls—a baby who was only saved to
be “adopted” by a slave merchant and sold to a
master in the agora of Ephesus. Imagine the slave
who became a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and God, and understood they were a new man
or a new woman “free” in Christ (Galatians 5:1).
They might still be a slave from the world’s point
of view, but now, in Christ, they had attained new
life and the new hope of life everlasting.
Is this why Paul brought up adoption in Ephesus or in Rome or in Ancyra of Galatia? We may
never know for sure, but the ancient culture shouts
out to us in the 21st century how powerful these
words of Paul would have been to the slaves listening to the message of the gospel. Ephesians 1:5
may offer greater clarity and purpose we did not
see before without the historical background. And
for us, we can relate even better to this concept of
being adopted by the Father. Why? Because we
are slaves to sin from birth. We are slaves, and until we come to our Lord, and accept Him as Savior
and Messiah, we also will die in our sin as slaves to
Satan. But, thank be to our Lord, through Jesus
and the Cross we are free; we are adopted as sons
and daughters of God.
Rev. John Ferret, Jr. is a licensed minister in Bible teaching with the International Ministerial Fellowship and the
co-founder of Light of Menorah Ministries. He has two
Master’s degrees and is a seasoned, enthusiastic and powerful teacher. Rev. Ferret continues his studies for a 3rdMasters in the ancient Biblical history of the Middle East.
He also leads Bible study tours to Israel and Turkey and is
available as a speaker and workshop leader. He travels to
Kenya, Uganda and Mexico to teach pastors and ministers
the Jewish roots of Christianity. His current website is
www.xanga.com/rockscrying.
“ And be ye kind to one
another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ’s sake
hath forgiven you..”
Ephesians 4:32
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 17
A view from Israel
Standing in the Gap
Rev. Cheryl Hauer
IMF Ordained Minister
“May we as a church stand in
the gap for the nation and people of Israel.” I have heard it said
so often, yet I fear that sometimes those who say it don’t really know what it means.
The other day I was speaking with a Christian
gentleman, a man who loves the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob and a man who is a great supporter of Israel. As we talked of the current threats that
Israel is facing, he said, “Well, we serve a mighty
God. It’s His land and by George, He’ll have his
way! Hallelujah!” That seemed to be enough for
this guy: “God will have His way.” Christians are
fond of that phrase and grateful for the concept. It
is indeed true, God will have His way. But what is
our responsibility in the process?
After we finished our conversation, my mind
continued to toy with his statements and I was reminded of the likes of Moses, Jeremiah and Isaiah.
What if they had been content to say, “Well, it’s
too bad, but God will have His way,” as they each
went on their merry way despite the impending
doom that Israel faced in their respective generations? What if they had failed to prostrate themselves before the Lord on behalf of His people?
What if they had neglected the hours and hours
of heartwrenching supplication we read about in
Scripture? What if they had failed to don sack-
cloth and ashes and repent on behalf of a nation
in turmoil? What if they had surrendered to complacency and there had been no-one to beseech
God endlessly for His mercy and intervention
when Israel’s enemies stood at the gates?
Perhaps our modern world would be much different. Obviously, the nation of Israel as we know
it would not exist because biblical Israel could not
have existed. There would have been no “Judeo”
or “Christian” to develop the values on which our
society is built. All of the anti-Semitic attempts to
destroy the nation and people of Israel throughout
the ages would have been unnecessary because
that destruction would have been accomplished
thousands of years before through the failure of
Israel’s own prophets. And would there have been
a Messiah? Certainly not the one born in Bethlehem, raised in the “West Bank” and crucified for
our sins outside the walls of Jerusalem. The message would have been loud and clear: Israel’s God
is unable to keep His covenants.”
But He is able. And Israel is our proof. That tiny
nation, besieged and fought over, ravaged and spat
upon, tossed through history from conqueror to
conqueror like a hot potato, exists today as the
only democratic nation in a sea of oppressive Islamic regimes. It is the only nation in modern
history to have gone from a third world to a first
world country in less than 50 years and stands
today as a testament to the faithfulness of an allpowerful, covenant-keeping God. Those prophets
who took seriously their mandate to stand in the
gap for Israel were tools in His hands as He guided
His people Israel through the pages of history.
But what about today? God’s word is clear that
those who call upon His name, those who recognize Him as God of the universe, have an obligation to His people because of His covenant with
them. Repeatedly His word calls us to stand in the
gap as did the prophets of old.
What should that mean to us as Christians today? The sages of Israel taught that he who builds
a wall is great, but greater is he who stands in the
gap. In the ancient world, “standing in the gap”
referred to placing yourself physically in any hole
in the city wall through which the enemy might
enter, willingly risking your own life for the honor
of God’s name.
It means we should be diligent in prayer, lifting Israel before the throne of God, reminding
Him of His promises and invoking His blessing
and protection. For every dire situation Israel has
ever faced, prayer has always been the answer. The
pages of both the Christian and Jewish scriptures
are filled with examples of individuals interceding, crying out to God on behalf of the nation of
Israel. In the Torah, the Prophets and the books of
the Judges, it is clear that historically, when the Israelites found themselves in serious trouble, they
called upon God and He answered them. The message seems simple: when the going gets tough, the
tough get on their knees and pray.
In Deuteronomy 22:30, we are told that God
looked among His people for one that would stand
in the gap for Israel and found none. May that
not be the case today! Yes, God will have His way,
and like the prophets of old, He wants us to be His
tools in accomplishing it.
After serving seven years as the Bridges for Peace (BFP)
Deputy National Director in the United States, Rev. Cheryl Hauer currently serves as the BFP International Development Director (IDD). In that capacity, Rev. Hauer
is responsible to guide the development of BFP in new
geographical areas and oversee National Offices in several countries as well as the International Representative
Network. As IDD, she serves as Deputy to CEO Rebecca
Brimmer and works closely with her to develop new materials and educational resources for the worldwide network.
Cheryl is a published author and speaker who teaches on
a variety of Israel-related subjects as well as the Hebraic
roots of Christianity. She also has extensive experience in
Jewish Christian relations and teaches on the Holocaust
and related topics. Cheryl is an ordained minister with
International Ministerial Fellowship and holds a doctorate in religious philosophy. She resides in Jerusalem with
her husband, Steven, who also serves Bridges for Peace as
International Business Manager.
18 | A G athering
financial management
New Credit Card Rules
Bruce Bruinsma
CEO, Envoy Financial
The following addresses an important issue for consumers and leaders alike: new
credit card rules.
New Rules Protect Credit Card Consumers
For decades, the rules that guided credit card transactions were subject to change
— whenever the card issuer deemed it necessary. The Credit Card Accountability,
Responsibility and Disclosure Act (CCARD) changed all of that by establishing new
rules to guide interactions between credit card issuers and consumers. The final
provisions of CCARD took effect during August 2010 and the act helps consumers
by:
• Limiting interest rate changes
In the past, credit card issuers could increase rates at any time, for no reason. With CCARD, unless your account is 60 days past due or you agree
to a variable rate, credit card companies cannot change your interest rate.
If, after missing a payment, you make payments on time for six consecutive months, the card issuer must restore your original interest rate.
• Establishing payment allocation rules
In the past, if you had balances that were assessed different interest rates
– for example, if a transferred balance was assessed zero percent interest
and new charges were assessed 12 percent interest – many issuers allocated payments to the lower interest rate balance first. Under CCARD, credit
card companies must apply all payments above the monthly minimum to
the balance carrying the highest interest rate.
• Eliminating double-cycle billing
Some credit card companies used double-billing cycles to charge customers more interest. CCARD requires card issuers to use only the current
month’s balance when calculating interest charges. In other words, they
can no longer use the averages of customers’ current and previous monthly balances, a practice that was known as double-cycle billing.
• Protecting against overdraft fees
Credit card issuers cannot charge overdraft fees unless you have requested
that you be allowed to exceed your credit limit and agree to pay a fee
when it happens.
When the bank asks if you want to avoid the embarrassment of having
your card rejected, think carefully about the cost of overdraft fees.
Stay Informed
These are just a few of the new rules designed to protect credit card consumers.
You can learn more by visiting the Center for Responsible Lending at www.responsiblelending.org.
At Envoy Financial, we are here to help you be wise stewards of the resources
entrusted to your care or leadership. If you need any assistance, please contact us at
(888) 879-1376, option 1 or by email at [email protected].
Bruce Bruinsma
Envoy Financial
Trusted Advice Along The Way
You can make a
difference by
including IMF in
your estate plans.
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 19
G u e s t Ed i t o r i a l
There’s a Reason for Everything
Pastor Paul Anderson
IMF Ordained Minister
“There’s a reason for everything,” said a struggling teen. Her mom had
tried to commit suicide. I stopped the girl and said, “There’s not a reason for
everything, at least not a good one. Your mom should not have done that,
and you are not to be carrying the burden for the household.” The difficulty
with the statement, “There’s a reason for everything,” is that it implicates
God in the action of the mother. Her decision was unfortunate, and the
blame cannot be laid at the feet of God, even as an accomplice.
Another problem is that it overlooks the reality of Satan. He gets his licks
in, and not recognizing his presence makes God and the devil partners. Their
strategies are mutually exclusive, as Jesus pointed out in His clear statement
about bringing an abundant life, but a rigid predestination sounds like it puts
them on the same team.
A third difficulty is overlooking the brokenness of our world and the fallout that creates. People contract cancer because of unhealthy fumes spewed
into the atmosphere. Blame progress. Those who say that “there’s a reason
for everything” are not usually prepared to point the finger at toxic waste.
They are looking into the air of heaven and somehow suspect that God is
engineering death and disease to “teach us an important lesson,” something
that we couldn’t learn any other way.
The glorious truth in the midst of this madness is that “all things do work
together for good for those who love God and are called according to his
purpose.” But don’t jump from “work for good” to “are good.” Don’t try to
call the attempted suicide, or crib death, or the disease that crippled up my
sister “good.”
Those who call things like this good (or at least somehow fitting into the
cosmic plan) are fatalists, not people of faith. To say “there’s a reason for
everything” sounds suspiciously close to “whatever will be, will be.” “Whatever” theology does not stand remotely close to orthodox Christianity. It discounts sin, Satan, cause and effect, and a fallen race in one pathetic phrase.
“There’s a reason for everything” theology makes a ridiculous learning
game out of life:
-“I ran over my cat this morning backing out of the driveway. I was given a speeding ticket on my way to work. I’m
not sure what God wants to teach me.” (Maybe you need to
slow down.)
-“I had an abortion. I feel terrible about it, but there’s a reason for everything.” (No, the reason it happened is that
you made a wrong decision. Don’t bring God into your
mistake. You should have brought him in before the abortion.)
-“We prayed for him to be healed, but God took him anyway.
I guess whatever will be, will be.” (Are you saying that
prayer remains a hopeless exercise against the ironclad will of the Almighty? He is moved by the prayers of
the righteous.)
Do our frivolous statements give God an out so He can do whatever He
chooses? Or do they let us off the hook so unwise decisions morph into the
will of God? That reduces prayer to wishful thinking and faith to a whim.
My daughter Karis, then twelve, said, “You know how people say, ‘Everything happens for a reason.’ Everything doesn’t happen for a reason, because
you could make something happen yourself. If you eat too much ice cream,
20 | A G athering
you get a stomach ache. God can make good things happen. But you’re not
going to punch someone, then say that everything happens for a reason.” She
concluded, “There are good reasons for things happening and bad reasons.”
Karis didn’t know it, but she was tussling with the issue of divine sovereignty
and human responsibility. The conclusion she was coming to is that:
1. Not everything that happens is good, because of sin and Satan.
2. God isn’t the cause behind stupid or sinful things.
3. God can use everything.
I recently heard a great statement, “Don’t believe everything you think.”
If you think that “there’s a reason for everything,” put that statement to work
for you.
We see the cross before we experience the resurrection. To “survey the
wondrous cross” means to see a suffering God, not one coming up with obscure lessons to teach his confused children. God enters into our sorrow and
brokenness rather than simply trying to placate us with answers. Better than
an explanation to a girl whose mother almost ended it all is the quiet presence of the One who feels her tragedy better than anyone else—and doesn’t
explain a thing. That kind of God can be trusted. He is divine—and he is
human! He is real—and personal.
Pastor Paul Anderson is an ordained minister of IMF. He is a graduate of UCLA and Luther Seminary and served as a pastor in Southern California before moving to Minnesota
to direct the work of Lutheran Renewal. Paul recently published three books, “The Father’s
Gift,” “Dare to Dream,” and “Dare to Dream Workbook” and co-authored “Mastering
Pastoral Care.” He travels extensively as a conference and congregational speaker, here
and abroad. He can be reached at [email protected].
KNOW YOUR
IMF STAFF
Alena
Chereshnevskaya
Alena Chereshnevskaya was born in
Ukraine and moved to the U.S. 9 years
ago with her wonderful parents and 3
brothers for a better future. They all
love being here and thank God for
the every day’s countless blessings.
Interning at IMF is a wonderful blessing because
Alena’s always wanted to work and be around people who love
God. She’s heard many extraordinary life-experiences of how God
called upon people, but now has the opportunity to meet missionaries who serve him all over the world. Alena is seeking God’s calling
as well.
From the war front
A Sergeant’s Death:
IMF Chaplain
MInisters to Fort Drum Soldiers after Loss
Chaplain Anthony Cuchens, Sr.
IMF Ordained Minister
By Paul Guillaume
posed to be, bringing ministry to soldiers of the
U.S. Army.”
DAND, AFGHANISTAN — Capt. Anthony B.
Cuchens begins his sermon over the roar of nearby diesel generators. The chaplain’s pulpit? A
picnic table, around which cluster dusty troopers
of the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, from
Fort Drum.
His ministry as squadron chaplain took on
even more urgency as the 1-71st grappled with the
recent death of a respected sergeant.
(embedded with soldiers from Fort Drum)
The chaplain was joined by a combat stress
team in traveling to all of the squadron’s outposts as he offered spiritual guidance to mourning
troopers Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s important, after an event like that, that
I have a ministry of presence with the soldiers
so that they have me to lean on in these trying
times,” Capt. Cuchens said.
While most of his time was spent speaking
privately with individual soldiers, Capt. Cuchens
made time for a service at each outpost, mixing
Scripture and homespun allegories in a message of
Biblical forgiveness.
Getting to church services here for Capt.
Cuchens entails a jarring ride along roads threatened by improvised explosive devices that so far
have claimed the lives of seven soldiers since the
squadron deployed here in May.
“I am called to do this,” said Capt. Cuchens,
42, of Freeport, FL. “I feel this is where I’m sup-
Yes!
Capt. Cuchens had his message planned earlier in the week, but found that it fit the needs of
the soldiers following the loss of a comrade. He
told the soldiers about “forgiveness as a whole.”
“When we hold resentment and animosity, it eats
us away from the inside out, so we need to forgive
as we have been forgiven by God.”
Capt. Cuchens’s topical sermons resonate with
soldiers doing jobs under unrelenting pressure
while separated from the emotional support of
family and friends back home.
“The message about forgiveness, about taking
the moral high ground, it’s a time to reflect on the
importance of family and the sacrifice you’re making,” said Sgt. David E. Guthrie, 35, of Grimes, IA.
Capt. Cuchens travels without a weapon and
says he is protected by body armor that cannot be
seen.
“I trust in God to protect me and give me
strength to provide ministry to the soldiers of
this squadron,” he said. “It always comes back in
ways they don’t understand. One of the ways is
the love and caring compassion of the soldiers to
me. This is affirmation to me that I am where I
am supposed to be, fulfilling the call that God has
placed on my life.”
Article reprinted with permission of the Watertown
(NY) Daily Times
Chaplain Anthony Cuchens is a graduate of Faulkner
University (Montgomery, AL) with a Bachelor of Science
in Management of Human Resources, and Asbury Theological Seminary (Orlando, FL) with a Master of Arts in
Theological Studies. He can be reached at [email protected].
I am enclosing a Living Memorial Gift of:
$________________
(amount)
“. . .The righteous shall be in
everlasting remembrance.”
o I do wish the family to know the amount. o I do not wish the family to know the amount.
o In Memory of ______________________________________________________________________________
o In Honor of ______________________________________________________________________
Psalm 112:6
Given by:__________________________________Please send Memorial Card to:
Name__________________________________________________ Name_____________________________________________
Address________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________
City___________________________________________________ City______________________________________________
State___________________________________________________ State______________________________________________
Zip____________________________________________________ Zip_______________________________________________
Given by:
Frank & Carol Masserano
In Memory of:
Rev. Mervin K. Peterson
of Blaine, WA
Audrey Paterson
of Laguna Vista, TX
Janie Blake
of Rockford, MN
Phone_________________________________________________
Clip, enclose check, and mail to: International Ministerial Fellowship, P.O. Box 100, Navarre, MN 55392-0100
Living Memorials
“. . . The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.”
Below is a listing of those who have recently given
Living Memorials to IMF in memory or in honor
of their friends and loved ones.
Psalm 112:6
Dr. Richard Steinhauser
of Wilmore, KY
W inter 2 0 1 1 | 21
Welcome
to the Family IMF 1250 Plus Members
The IMF Board of Directors, officers, staff
members and other IMF members welcome the following new members to the
IMF family. Altogether these new members bring with them numerous years of
ministerial experience along with a wide
variety of educational backgrounds and
ministry fields.
Ordained
Gregory Clark, Georgia
John Daniel, Georgia
David McIver, Minnesota
Kendall Owen, Minnesota
Hyunmin Paik, California
David Roeske-Carlson, Minnesota
Licensed
Scott Boecker, Minnesota
Steven Chavez, Minnesota
Aisha Doris, New York
Jonnel Doris, New York
Audrey Gustafson, Minnesota
Jeffrey Meadows, Georgia
Adriana Mueller, New Jersey
Thomas Richards, Minnesota
Heather Roth Schwalen, Georgia
Ryan Senters, Arizona
Corliss Vadner, Minnesota
Rebekah Westgard, Minnesota
Associate Member
Jeremy Oltmann, Minnesota
Special Ministry License
Libby Beasley-Perdue, Georgia
Lester Ellis, California
Steve Fedewa, Michigan
Nona Hovey, Minnesota
Russell McDowell, Virginia
Joshua Miller, Minnesota
Corey Palmieri, California
S. Brad Rymer III, Tennessee
Thomas Strack, Georgia
C. Landon Taylor, Georgia
Cathy Warner, Illinois
Certified Christian Worker
Joanna Buckley, Florida
Jack Renick, Florida
Upgrade from Licensed to
Ordained
Martin Bownik, Minnesota
Stephen Carlson, Minnesota
Jae Young Chang, Georgia
Ken Krahn, Minnesota
Andrew Myvett, Minnesota
NOTE:
See www.i-m-f.org for complete member listing.
®
NETWORKING
Notices will be published in four consecutive issues upon each written request to our office. Please limit notices
to name, address, phone, e-mail address, and a maximum of 100 words describing your ministry. We recommend that all our ministers make their tapes, reference letters and other pertinent ministry information available to all inquirers.
NOTE: Some copies of this magazine are distributed to persons who are not members of IMF (i.e., inquiries, guests of member’s church, etc.). We,
therefore, cannot be responsible for non-members who contact members advertising in the Networking section. Be sure to verify that the person
contacting you is a member of the Fellowship. You may do so by calling the Membership Services Department at 952-346-2464 or checking the
IMF website at www.i-m-f.org.
REV. DUDLEY DANIELSON,
CLAYTON, NY
REV. LINDA YAZZIE,
NEWCOMB, NEW MEXICO
Like Caleb, we’re not looking for retirement but looking for reassignment! My wife and I recently bought
a motor home to actively pursue a new ministry. Interim Pastor could work well for us. We feel called
to be “Encouragers”. My special gifts are in visuallyoriented speaking, photography and writing as well
as good counsel. My wife, as executive secretary, is a
fine help-mate; she can organize and detail any ministry office to run smoothly. We love to pray with and
anoint folks in need. Contact Rev Dudley and Diane
Danielson at 315-778-0007 or e-mail: Dudley@revdd.
com.(4)
Sermon and Native American (Navajo) actor’s story of
deliverance through Jesus Christ from alcohol, drugs,
incarceration, homelessness, and the restoration of
marriage. Contact Rev. Linda and Wil Yazzie, P.O. Box
7465, Newcomb, NM 87455. Phone: (505) 696-3209
or (505) 809-0060, e-mail: [email protected]. (1)
REV. KEITH ACHESON,
VICTORIA, BC, CANADA
I have a Handbook for a Christian Family Finances
Seminar available as an e-mail attachment along with
four Excel spreadsheet models for personal budget
preparation, and I am quite happy to let members
adapt/adopt my material for their own use as the Lord
gives them leading. This can also be used as an evangelistic tool. E-mail Keith at keith_acheson@hotmail.
com. (3)
REV. GREGORY D. SCHILLO,
MARIETTA, GEORGIA
My new book, The Dad Who is There: My Journey to
Becoming a Plus-side Father, can be ordered in print or
as a download from http://www.tatepublishing.com/
bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61663-934-1. It is an
autobiographical, confessional, and biblically-based
encouragement to dads to let God the Father lead
their efforts to be earthly husbands and fathers. It is
available in bookstores and on Amazon. I am available to speak to groups and do book signings. Please
feel free to call me with any questions, and feel free to
let others know. Contact Greg Schillo at 404-754-6155
or email [email protected]. Website: www.
gregschillo.com. (1)
IMF Military Chaplaincy
Serving Those
Who Serve
Others
®
22 | A G athering
International
Ministerial Fellowship
NON- PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
®
U.S. POSTAGE
Serving Those Who Serve Others
®
PAID
P.O.
Box100
100
P.O. Box
Navarre,
55392-0100
Navarre, Minnesota
MN 55392-0100
spring park, MN
PERMIT #51
Address Service Requested
INSIDE
DIRECTORS
Notes from the General Secretary
Military and Civilian Chaplain Corps
The Call of the Military Chaplain
Falling off a Roof and Landing in the Center of God’s Will
A Journey toward Destiny
Living and Ministering in the Middle East
A Circuit Rider Preacher in the U.S. Army
A Visible Presence of the Holy
Serving in Sicily
A Call to Mercy
Save the Date
A Spiritual Heart Transplant
A Soul Practitioner
Working on Hearts
Ephesus: Adopted as Sons
Standing in the Gap
New Credit Card Rules
There’s a Reason for Everything/Know Your IMF Staff
A Sergeant’s Death/Living Memorials
Welcome/Networking
Like Links in a Chain/Missionaries Throughout the World
Chet Masserano
Chairperson of the Board
Plymouth, MN
INSIDE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rev. Fred Kelly
President
Norcross, GA
Robert Rampi, CPA
Secretary
Brooklyn Center, MN
Fred Stelter
Treasurer
Minneapolis, MN
Rev. Benton M. Tippett, Jr.
Chairperson, Board of Elders
East Palatka, FL
Rev. Frank Masserano
Founder & General Secretary
Fridley, MN
❦
Pastor Randy Alonso
Rockledge, FL
Rev. Londa Lundstrom Ramsey
Lakeville, MN
Pastor Robert Cottingham
Arden Hills, MN
Rev. Ken Raymes
Evansville, IN
Kristi Moss
Paradise Valley, AZ
Dr. Robert Self
Jasper, GA
Rev. Charles (Chasz) Parker, Jr.
Syracuse, NY