This summer, forty-eight credentialed Church of God ministers gathered in Trinidad for Community Service Chaplaincy training.
These ministers, hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Antigua, devoted three days to intense Chaplaincy training.
The course highlighted the many ways in which the church can implement Chaplaincy ministry, based on the principle that Community Service Chaplaincy is universal; wherever there are people, there are spiritual and emotional needs. Since many of the attending pastors represent churches which engage in evangelistic community outreach, they were excited to learn about how they might expand these initiatives through Chaplaincy.
This course offered the practical applications needed for pastors to involve their congregations in a ministry that leads with care.
“One of Community Service Chaplains greatest strengths is their ability to reach people across a broad spectrum of religions and cultural backgrounds,” stated Richard Pace of the Chaplains Commission. “In the Caribbean, however, that element is especially crucial.
The islands of Trinidad, Tobago, and the surrounding Caribbean countries are incredibly diverse, both culturally and religiously. Their people have strong ties to India, Africa, Spain, and Middle Eastern countries, and nearly a quarter of their 1.3 million citizens adhere to religious groups which often go unrecognized.
Chaplains have the ability to serve these groups in organizations outside of the Church and reach many more than they might in a religious setting.”
Church of God World Missions partnered with the Chaplains Commission to provide this training, which was only made possible through the generosity of donors seeking to make international training a reality.
Pace offered a special thank you to Bishop Don Douglas, Minister Clara Douglas, Minister Rachel Lendor, Bishop Carlos Thompson, and Dr. Philip Bonaparte for all they did to make this training a success, and thanks to Administrative Bishop Ishmael Charles for his vision for CSC training in the Caribbean.
(Source: Church of God Chaplains Commission)