The Decision
I really don't have much in my history to suggest that I would have decided to become an Army Chaplain. I doubt it would have appeared on the radar screen ten years ago. I can't say that I have had special interest in military affairs or soldiering or any thing like that. Years ago, while I was still in college I took one of those interest tests that scored me high for functioning well in a disciplined environment.
Even the call to ministry was not consistent. When I was a child I remember wanting to become a priest, but even that didn't remain constant. I've done many things including studying funeral directing, studying economics, admissions at an art college, working in a bank, and many an odd job. Most recently I have been a pastor at a church and an interim pastor at another.
I remember my interest in military chaplaincy surfacing while working as the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry/Assistant Director of Community Service at my alma mater, Franklin and Marshall College. I had the sense that I wanted to have a purpose beyond the campus which had become cozy for me, but not necessarily home. I had grown up in Lancaster and even though I had been away for a few years, I felt that I needed more of an adventure so that a new chapter would open up in my life.
Plus, I didn't feel that all my skills and talents were being drawn upon at campus. I felt the call to serve young people who were working to get a leg up in the scheme of things. Whereas, for the most part, our students had many options open to them. My thoughts began to center around military service as a chaplain. I think if most are honest about what they do in life, it has not only to do with what they can contribute and what they can get, but also what it is they need. I have a need to be recognized. I also need to take the hero's journey so that I can come back changed--stronger and more capable and confident that I did something worthwhile. It is my hope that upon my return, rewards (material and spiritual) will be available to me that I might find what it is that will bring the greatest amount of happiness for me and those around me.
In a way, I'm also a "faith junkie." I need to see how people's lives play out and the obstacles they overcome, that I too might take more faithful risks. Yes, the uniform, the camaraderie, the order, the triumphalism, the learning, the hard work, all have significance for me. But, the decision to be part of it all was simply a matter of saying "yes" and recognizing what a friend once told me: Ministry is just an excuse for being there.
Even the call to ministry was not consistent. When I was a child I remember wanting to become a priest, but even that didn't remain constant. I've done many things including studying funeral directing, studying economics, admissions at an art college, working in a bank, and many an odd job. Most recently I have been a pastor at a church and an interim pastor at another.
I remember my interest in military chaplaincy surfacing while working as the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry/Assistant Director of Community Service at my alma mater, Franklin and Marshall College. I had the sense that I wanted to have a purpose beyond the campus which had become cozy for me, but not necessarily home. I had grown up in Lancaster and even though I had been away for a few years, I felt that I needed more of an adventure so that a new chapter would open up in my life.
Plus, I didn't feel that all my skills and talents were being drawn upon at campus. I felt the call to serve young people who were working to get a leg up in the scheme of things. Whereas, for the most part, our students had many options open to them. My thoughts began to center around military service as a chaplain. I think if most are honest about what they do in life, it has not only to do with what they can contribute and what they can get, but also what it is they need. I have a need to be recognized. I also need to take the hero's journey so that I can come back changed--stronger and more capable and confident that I did something worthwhile. It is my hope that upon my return, rewards (material and spiritual) will be available to me that I might find what it is that will bring the greatest amount of happiness for me and those around me.
In a way, I'm also a "faith junkie." I need to see how people's lives play out and the obstacles they overcome, that I too might take more faithful risks. Yes, the uniform, the camaraderie, the order, the triumphalism, the learning, the hard work, all have significance for me. But, the decision to be part of it all was simply a matter of saying "yes" and recognizing what a friend once told me: Ministry is just an excuse for being there.
posted by Chaplain (CPT) Fokas at 5:08 PM
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