LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The Lackland Chapel Service was recently awarded the 2007 Charles I. Carpenter Award, for recognition as the best large base chapel organization in the Air Force.
"I am so proud of this team because they make it happen, not me but them: the chaplain assistants, the civilians, the volunteers, the white ropes, and the chaplains - they are all a part of it," said Chaplain (Col.) Carl Andrews, wing chaplain for the 37th Training Wing. "This is the most exciting and diverse place to work in the Air Force," said Chaplain Andrews.
According to Chaplain Andrews, one of the most exciting aspects of being assigned to Lackland is the chance to work with the basic military trainees.
"You get to watch and are a part of the trainees' lives from the second they get off the bus until the time they are a part of permanent party somewhere else," said Chaplain Andrews. "You can watch them grow physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually."
While the work is rewarding, the Chaplain Service faces many challenges when working with trainees.
Chaplain Andrews said, "A trainee told it to me this way, 'You took away my culture. You took away my hair. You took away my clothing. You took away the way I think. The only thing you left me with was some beliefs that I know I needed to build on.'"
Because of those sentiments and Air Force Instruction 52-103, which directs all wing-level chapel programs to develop a Spiritual Fitness Program by Oct. 1, the Lackland Chaplain Service has created spiritual fitness courses with appropriate levels for all different members of the Lackland community.
"All of the different services and education we provide are aimed specifically at the ground zero basics, because we need to assume that they might never have had any basics and that they need to grasp hold of something," Chaplain Andrews said.
Spiritual Fitness 101 is aimed at basic military trainees with Spiritual Fitness 201 specifically geared toward Airmen in technical training schools. For permanent party members, there is a Spiritual Fitness 301 that aims to incorporate Airmen into a faith community atmosphere. Finally, there is a Spiritual Fitness 401 course, titled "Crisis and Combat, for deploying Airmen."
Trainees are permitted one hour a week for worship and one hour a week for religious education. Consequently, the services and classes are packed with trainees. "BMT Chapel is one of the most-used building on this base," Chaplain Andrews said. The chapel will see at least 4,000 trainees during weekend services. They are going to experiment with different faith traditions to figure out where they are going to grow spiritually," Chaplain Andrews said.
The spiritual fitness classes at Lackland have been so successful that they have caught the attention of Air Force headquarters.
Lackland also offers two programs unique to the base. The Haven is a permanent party outreach and dayroom retreat area for those living in the dormitories, while the Refuge is a similar sanctuary, reserved for technical school students. The Refuge will be moving to a new, more extensive location no later than November.
In addition to the Refuge and Haven there is a "white rope" program.
This leadership program draws on technical students who want to help the chapel community. While the program can be found at a few other Air Force bases, this resource is vital to the Chaplain Service mission at Lackland. There are currently 90 to 100 white ropes at Lackland.
"Without the white ropes, (technical) training and BMT Chapel operations would not and could not function," Chaplain Andrews said.
"They are an integral, critical force multiplier. Some of them get up at (4:30 a.m.) to volunteer and help out at a multitude of services."
Currently, the Lackland Chapel Service is working with the 37th Training Group to ensure the white rope program becomes an official leadership program within technical training.
"One white rope may cover a Protestant service, a Jewish service and a Wicca service all in one day," Chaplain Andrews said.
"Every Sunday afternoon at the Refuge they receive the leadership training as well as continuing training on how to support the Chaplain Service operations. I couldn't ask for a better group of chaplain assistants, the civilians, the volunteers, the white ropes, the chaplains, and I would cheerfully work for them anytime," Chaplain Andrews said.
"They're the ones that earned this award."