Church of God Chaplains Making the Difference in Southern Ohio
By Denise Wilson, Pulse-Journal Staff Writer
When Monroe police officers and other department personnel have difficulties dealing with job-related incidents or personal problems, they have a new place to turn for help: the Monroe Clergy Unit.
 |
|
Rev. Frank Nation from Stratford Heights Church of God |
The volunteer unit is the brain child of Monroe Police Officer Eric Walton with the help of the Rev. Lamar Ferrell, a minister at Berachah Baptist Church in Middletown and the coordinator of the Middletown Police Chaplains Unit. The program is designed to have “on call” clergy for police officers during times of need: a death scene, an injured officer recovering, an officer’s domestic or personal problem, police officials said.
Besides Walton, the unit consists of the Rev. Frank Nation from Stratford Heights Church of God in Middletown and the Rev. Duane Mecklen of Lifeway Church in Monroe. Nation is a full-time chaplain for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. “These clergy will be here for the police officers if there’s a death in an officer’s family. A clergy will be there for them to counsel and give them guidance. If we have police funerals, the clergy is there to assist with the funeral,” Walton said. He said policy calls for the clergy to put in 12 hours a month riding on patrol with officers, sitting with dispatchers and talking with auxiliary officers to establish a relationship. “The clergy is going to be used if we come out here and investigate a homicide scene or a suicide scene or sudden death. They can be called out here to assist the family members so we can do our jobs.” he said. To learn more about the Church of God Chaplains Commission chaplaincy programs, visit the Chaplains Commission website at: www.cogchaplains.com.
