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Team Shaw chaplains orient Sumter ministers

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Amber E. N. Jacobs
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Thirty two spiritual leaders from the Sumter area visited Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. to participate in an orientation, May 17.

Clergy Days, facilitated by the 20th Fighter Wing chaplains corps, in coordination with Third Army/ARCENT, are a military effort to educate local clergy members about the spiritual needs of Team Shaw members and their families.

This clergy day focused on post-traumatic stress disorder and deployments.

The day started with a welcoming from Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Richard Fitzgerald, 20th Fighter Wing chaplain, who then introduced Col. Don Godier, 20th Fighter Wing vice commander.

Godier pointed out that most Team Shaw members who attend church, attend church off base.

"You're honing in on some of the issues they deal with as a result of their military service," Godier said.

There are more than 170 congregations available in the local area. For the last two months, local spiritual leaders have been invited to visit Shaw and talk to base chaplains about the special spiritual needs of military members and their families.

Pastor Randolph Paige and his wife are pastors at Spiritual Life Christian Center and retired military who always try to stay connected to the base and service members.

"We love our military families, and we want to do what we can to support them," he said.

Building external ties to the local religious community has been one of the main goals of Clergy Day in order to create a menu of spiritual programs and guidance for members of Team Shaw, explained Chaplain Fitzgerald.

By building relationships with local congregations and making referrals, we can continue to better meet the spiritual needs of Team Shaw, he added.

The local churches provide far more than we ever could, explained Chaplain (Maj.) Matthew Boarts, 20th Fighter Wing chaplain. It's amazing what the community has to offer our military families.

But on the other hand, they have questions about the military and we have a different culture, added Chaplain Boarts. We want to reach out the clergymen and make it less of a mystery.

The day followed with a roundtable discussion with several different speakers, lunch and ended with a tour of the flightline.

"They have pilots and maintenance crews in their pews all around Sumter, and yet they've never seen a jet up close or never seen a maintenance shop," said Fitzgerald. "This way they can come in and see it, and can probably enhance their own ability to counsel and identify with their flock."

Clergy Days will continue to be held throughout the year focusing on different topics relevant to the military and religious communities. The next one will be scheduled for July.