At 1 point in my life, I relocated to change jobs. My wife had to remain behind to prepare the home to be sold, while I had to find a rental in a new town, 120 miles away. I had been given the name of a landlord to speak with. I met with the lady, whom I noticed something unusual about her. I felt compelled to ask her if she was a clergy-member. As it happened, she was an ordained minister who conducted services every Sunday for those campers who visited the campground she owned. Essentially, she was a chaplain.

You likely had some similar experiences. Maybe you have sensed that someone is unusual somehow. You perhaps couldnt quite put your finger on it. Something inside of you, your soul, figured it out. You likely felt the Divine Mark upon that person.

Chaplaincy is still growing. Since the beginning, it has changed to meet whatever unique situations it has been presented with. People are anything but static. Individuals must work and survive. Individuals may move, travel, go to school, get married, get sick, get better they live. On occasion, careers force people to move around a lot and make it difficult go to church services consistently in a particular community. Chaplains will be able to help people fill their spiritual void in these types of circumstances. Some places in which chaplains serve are:

Ski and holiday resorts.

Businesses.

Retirement communities.

Airports.

Police or fire departments.

Hospice centers.

Most chaplains, at least within the U.S., have been based in the Christian faith. For the 1st part of the 20th century, the armed forces only recognized 3 religious groups as chaplains: Catholic, Protestant and/or Jew. Sometimes, Unitarian chaplains could slip through claiming to be Protestant. Now chaplains have begun entering the military from Wiccan/Pagan or Muslim groups. Hospitals and hospice centers have also followed suit.

Having pastors, serving as chaplains, making themselves available to businesses and/or schools has been another increasing trend. With the rise of crazy shootings in schools, as well as additional violent happenings, this has become much more necessary. To learn about how to start a new church, I once went with a mission team to Baltimore. As part of the program, we were given a bus tour of Baltimore by the Baltimore Police dept.. As we drove by a school, the police officer informed us that the Baltimore school system was asking pastors and other religious leaders to come onto the school grounds to act in the capacity as chaplains. Of the mere presence along with counsel from chaplains greatly reduced the levels of violence within the schools.

The planet is changing. Modernism has been replaced by something termed post-modernism. Communities have become a lot more integrated, both culturally and religiously. Growing up, I became aware that individuals congregated using commonalities. There is usually one dominant religion. Fiften years ago, my community is 80% Catholic, 10% Episcopalian or the rest had been a mix of Protestant, Jew and no claimed religion. Now the county has about 50 percent Catholic of using the remainder filled by Protestant, 2 Jewish congregations, Unitarian, Christian Science, Mormon, Jehovahs Witnesses, or many new age groups.

As you will be able to see, chaplains today become faced together with many a lot more belief systems to deal together with. The chaplain then must be a individual of great tolerance. Or the chaplain must be far more knowledgeable of other religions as well. One tool the chaplain can have belonging to his or her arsenal has been completion of the Master of Comparative Religion learning experience as a result of of the ULC Seminary. Knowing where others are coming from has been essential in the event you want to chat competently with them and minister to them. Authors Naomi Paget and Janet McCormack have this to say about it:

The need is great.

Everywhere in the world, individuals are hurting. There are individuals who are sick and dying in hospitals needing comfort. For those who work nights and weekends, they're not able to go to church together with folks from the same faith. Police officers and Firefighters get worn out from seeing ugliness every day and need a person to pray with them or merely to listen to them or offer gentle counsel.

A chaplain can help come to those who have been hurting. A chaplain is there for folks who are religiously unattached, but still have a need for help. For those who are lonely or fearful, a basic prayer, kind words or caring touch does more than you can think.

A Chaplains job has been to keep the sacred this has been done by ministering to others. It is our job, as ministers, to care for the life which has been given us. The Supreme Being The Universe All that is Divine, honors and accepts a ministry from the heart. It reflects Divine Glory. To learn more about becoming a chaplain, visit the ULC Seminarys Chaplaincy Program.