Chaplains' Stories
Sunset Drive Home From The Zuni Nation Last night, I drove home to Gallup from Zuni right at sunset. Gallup has its striking beauty, but it pales in comparison to the land that belongs to the Zuni nation. The mesas rise straight out of the verdant land, striped white and red. When you begin the decent into that valley, the world looks huge and grand. At sunset, the light hits the red rocks suddenly and they explode with warmth and light. Read more... Baptism - A Spiritual Perspective Many years ago, I did part of my chaplaincy training at a long-term psychiatric hospital. Young and inexperienced, I was quite overwhelmed by this assignment. I led groups on spirituality for the adults and for the teens that I hoped would somehow help these severely mentally ill folks heal a little bit. Read more...
What Can A Christian Learn From A Buddhist? This past week my wife and I had the delightful experience of attending the Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura where we participated in their “Zazen in English Experience” followed by a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I suspect a number of the readers of this column might be surprised to learn that a Christian chaplain would do such a thing. Christian readers might conclude I had sold out; non-Christian readers might question how I could possibly be so open minded. So why would a Christian chaplain attend a Buddhist temple? Read on...
Leadership Journal.net [August 1, 2011] Making Ministers of Inmates If I told you there was a place where the church was growing dramatically-conversions followed by baptisms and discipleship, red-hot leadership development, and measurable improvements in the well-being of the surrounding community-and it was in North America, not Africa or Asia, you might not believe me. Unlocking the potential of the church within Angola prison. Read on...
Special Forces Chaplain: "Liberate the Oppressed" Rev. Peter Hofman graduated about a year ago from the U.S. Army’s Ranger School, making him one of the first Christian Reformed chaplains to complete the grueling training and become a member of the Special Forces. As a result, Hofman can wear the Ranger insignia on his uniform, placing him in a unique position with those he serves. Read on…
Military Spouse Ministers to Military Families When Benita Koeman found herself caring for three young children as her husband, Rev. Scott Koeman, was stationed overseas as a Christian Reformed military chaplain, she was overwhelmed. “I had the stark realization that I was alone in this, and that was tough,” Koeman said of the stretches when her husband was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, and Kuwait. Read on… Chaplain (MAJ) Scott Koeman made a video from his last tour in Afghanistan (July 2009-July 2010) showing the living conditions and troop activities of the 4-23 Infantry Battalion.
I was in prison and You visited me... The heavy prison door slammed behind him. Suddenly the cold, clammy cell triggered feelings that frightened him. After what had been a roller-coaster ride of danger, violence, and adrenaline, he broke down in this strange atmosphere of confinement. Sounds like the stifled sobs of a small child welled from deep within him. Read on… Communities of Care Late at night you can often find Rev. John W. De Vries in the emergency room of the newly opened Metro Health Hospital in suburban Grand Rapids, Mich. But he’s not there in a medical capacity. De Vries serves under the umbrella of Chaplaincy and Care Ministries, one of six Specialized Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Read on…
Dan was homeless and had served his country. Now I stood at the foot of his hospital bed with only the staff in attendance: two resident doctors, a social worker, three nurses and two young community case workers. Dan had a long mental health history and was well known to the broken mental health system. He served in Vietnam. Dan had experienced things there he could not talk about. Things that changed his life forever. Now, unconscious, Dan had no family or friend to make medical life and death decisions on his behalf. “You need to go and visit with Dan” the ICU nurses would tell me, “he has no one and he’s dying”. I did visit Dan. I whispered in his ear, read Scripture to him. Then I would sit and listen to staff as they expressed how sad it all was. The staff’s moral distress was palpable on the unit. For weeks Dan had been receiving the best medical treatment our system could offer, but the best care was futile. Treating Dan with dignity and respect would mean allowing him to die a natural death. Yet his suffering was being prolonged because there was no immediate legal authority to stop treatments. Then I was called as part of the Ethics Consult team. After much ethical consultation, a court-appointed guardian, and a proxy decision, we were able to stop life support and give Dan the peace and rest he long sought after. His medical record revealed his religious preference: Baptist. I called the staff together to gather around Dan’s bed during his finally moments. We paused to respect Dan's life, his service to his county and committed him to his God and Savior. After a prayer and scripture, I sang a song: "when other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me." The young case workers and the professional intern were in tears. They had come to love this man. The staff were still as we watched the monitor go to flat line. Welcome home, Dan, rest in peace. Rev. Dirk van der Vorst is an Associate Pastor of First CRC Denver commissioned in the specialized ministry of Healthcare Chaplaincy at Denver Health Medical Center where he is the Director of Chaplaincy Services.
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