A Message from Jay Sekulow...

Battle lines are being drawn. Whose side will you be on? Please, please, please don't sit idly by on this issue. Join the ACLJ TODAY...

With elections coming, your church is at serious risk.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) and other similar groups are intimidating churches into silence on abortion, same-sex marriage, and other important moral issues - using a vague, half-century-old law.

The IRS can strip your church of its tax-exempt status - and force your church to pay taxes like a business - if someone complains that the church is involved in "politics"!

This is why it's urgently important that Congress pass the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act.
Support the ACLJ as we march into Congress to protect our pastors' constitutional right of free speech by giving your secure online gift TODAY.

During this election season, AU is reportedly blanketing the nation with letters to more than 117,000 houses of worship, warning of the possibility of lawsuits - and the loss of tax-exempt status - for any churches where these issues are discussed.

They will do everything in their power to intimidate ministers into silence. They will try to scare people away from giving donations. And the IRS itself has announced it will be on the lookout for any church that gets involved in politics!

But who gave AU the authority to tell a pastor what he should or should not say from the pulpit? Who ordained AU as the "thought police"? This cuts against everything upon which our country was founded!
We must fight back. For the sake of your religious liberty, I urge you to give your immediate generous (and still tax-deductible!) online donation to the ACLJ.

The law must be changed. It violates the First Amendment rights of people of faith. For 52 years, the IRS has been free to "watchdog" America's houses of worship ... and their censorship of First Amendment free speech rights has often been discriminatory - with AU as their search-and-destroy squad.

With only a few exceptions, AU tends to challenge conservative churches - and leave liberal churches alone.

Remember seeing TV coverage of Senator John Kerry holding the equivalent of political rallies in big liberal churches? Americans United hardly blinked.

But let a minister speak out about the sanctity of life, or the institution of marriage, or any other moral issue from a conservative, biblical standpoint - and AU swings into action.

(AU has filed complaints with the IRS against an Arkansas pastor whose 4th of July sermon called on Christians to vote. They have complained to the IRS about a Catholic diocese in Colorado whose bishop called on parishioners to vote against candidates who favored abortion, stem-cell research, or euthanasia. And the list goes on.)

The constitutional free speech rights of every minister must be preserved. This is why the ACLJ helped Congressman Walter Jones and other members of Congress to draft the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, and why we are working hard to get a vote on it. We are committed to seeing this bill passed.

But we need your help. Give right now to help the ACLJ's legal and legislative efforts to ensure those rights - and to see passage of the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act.

Your gift will enable us to move forward on this vital issue and continue all of our work across the nation: preparing briefs for the Supreme Court of the United States, fighting for the unborn, protecting your religious liberties, and more.

So please act now. When conservative ministers duck the same-sex marriage issue in their sermons for fear of their churches losing tax-exempt status - when Christian action groups withdraw into a shell as Election Day approaches - when even devout Catholic priests are afraid to talk about abortion - it's time for a change!

HELP US GET A NEW LAW PASSED TO PROTECT YOUR CHURCH and ensure your own free speech rights. Thank you for taking action on this immediately, for the cause of freedom.

A Victory for All Chaplains!

This article was written by Jay Sekulow of ACLJ just this week. It declares a victory for all Chaplains, regardless of religious tradition...But it is especially meaningful for people like myself who are evangelical Christians. Let there be no doubt, the forces of evil will continue to wage war against both Christians in specific and uniformed Chaplains in general. That bizarre notion of "separation of Church and State" is going to be used as a weapon, but we must bear in mind that this phrase is the equivalent of a blunt sword--The only reason the phrase is effective is because the real history of the phrase is not made known in the process. The average American on the streets has no idea what it means, but in blissful ignorance, will be willing to accept whatever the Liberal Media declares it means. It sounds good, and it sounds authentic, but all it really means is that the government itself has no right to form a State-sponsored Church in which the people are forced to worship as the government sees fit. If you want to know what that looks like, just do a little research about countries like North Korea.

Those who oppose Christianity are always going to cry foul when they learn that uniformed Chaplains are being given rank and pay and benefits while serving as clergymen/women in the United States military.

This morning, I also read an article by Christopher Hitchens, a prolific writer for "Vanity Fair" magazine. Hitchens article, titled "G.I. Jesus" railed against the decision that Sekulow describes below, and Hitchens encourages military officers to prohibit Chaplains from praying at official military proceedings.

Here's how Hitchens begins his article, which will give you a pretty great idea where he's going with this non-sense:

"That was a very narrow and underreported squeak in Congress last Friday. For some while, the vote on the nation's defense budget was held up by a preposterous wrangle over the rights and duties of military chaplains. Now, a reluctant compromise has been reached, and the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 has been passed in time for the House and Senate to leave town. But imagine how the media might have covered this argument if it had taken place in an Islamic republic: Lawmakers arguing seriously over how much religious instruction and rhetoric should be permitted in the ranks and how explicitly monotheistic that instruction and rhetoric ought to be. See how these primitive societies lack our freedom and tolerance!"

Hitchens continues with the following:

"The contested proposal had come from three conservative Republican House members: Todd Akin of Missouri, Randy Forbes of Virginia, and Walter Jones of North Carolina, all of whom wanted military chaplains to be able to specify the name of Jesus when offering prayers. They felt that nondenominational invocations were not enough, and that identifiably Christian views should be available from identifiably Christian pastors. At the very last moment, they agreed to withdraw this proposal (which was supported by Focus on the Family and other evangelical groups). But they did so in exchange for a deal, whereby the Air Force and Navy "guidelines" on religious expression are to be abrogated. This compromise is in many ways worse than the original proposal that sectarian observances be financed, in our armed forces, by public money.
To refresh your memory: The guidelines were imposed after the disclosure in 2004 of an atmosphere of religious coercion at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. It was asserted by staff members, alumni, and cadets of the academy that evangelical propagandists were harassing agnostic and Jewish cadets and insisting that only those who accepted Jesus as a personal savior were fit to serve. The deputy commander of the academy, who one might have thought would have more pressing duties in time of war, sent out e-mails proselytizing for a national day of (Christian) prayer. A chaplain named MeLinda Morton, who complained about this bizarre state of affairs, was abruptly transferred to a distant base in Japan. Rep. Steve Israel, a New York Democrat and member of the House armed services committee, was made aware of what was going on and managed to raise enough hell about it to get it—temporarily, as it now seems—stopped. (One can imagine the expressions on the faces of the Colorado Springs crusaders when they learned the name of this lawmaker.) Over the weekend, Rep. Israel said that while the latest compromise fell short of endorsing specifically denominational activity, it nonetheless reopened 'old loopholes that permitted some acts of coercion and proselytizing.'"

Hitchens goes on to say that the American people are at war with theocracy, and that they have the Constitution on their side. I don't believe the Constitution is on the side of Hitchens and his ilk, but if it comes right down to it, I'd prefer to have God on my side any day.

Hitchens also later accuses Chaplains of being a "clear and present danger to the national defense"--And he says we should be treated as such.

I would have copied and pasted Hitchens entire article here, but most of his writing is a big, fat waste of time. As a matter of fact, I read his article this morning, after doing my morning Bible reading in the Book of Romans, and now, thanks to Hitchens, I feel dirty all over again.

Hitchens, by the way, is a Darwinian evolutionist and an atheist, and though he is a conservative in terms of his politics, his theology is waaaayyy off. Anyone who thinks that all the problems in the world could be solved if you got rid of religion could use some re-education of his own.

Where do these writers come from? Why do they waste all their time publishing their opinions? Clearly, there are some deeper issues here that need to be analyzed. The Bible tells us that the unrighteous suppress the Truth in their unrighteousness. It also says that the god of this age (Satan / the Spirit of Antichrist) has blinded the people of this age. Let us pray that the power of the Holy Spirit gives people like Mr. Hitchens illuminates the darkness and allows him to see the Truth.

Just remember, if God is for us--and He most certainly is--who can possibly be against us?

Anyways, now that we've gotten the opposing viewpoint well out of the way, let me proceed with Jay Sekulow's discussion of our victory. I guess that means I saved the best for last...

Everything that follows was written by Jay Sekulow and published on his site. Let us continue to pray for Jay as he continues to fight to preserve our God-given, Constitutionally-guaranteed rights.

For the past year and a half, our Office of Government Affairs at the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) has been working on behalf of military chaplains throughout the country and around the world in order to protect their right of freedom of speech. Regulations issued in 2000 and 2005 by the military significantly curtailed the ability of chaplains to pray according to the dictates of their conscience. This issue became so significant that chaplains began contacting our office and the offices of Congressman Walter Jones and others expressing their concern over this censorship. In case after case, chaplains were told not to pray in Jesus’ name or to refrain from using a “specific deity.” It reached such a point of concern that legislation was necessary to end this censorship and discrimination.
Our Government Affairs team, as well as our senior attorneys at the ACLJ, worked with Congressmen Walter Jones, Todd Akin, and Duncan Hunter to draft language into the Defense Authorization Bill that would protect the chaplains’ right to pray. As you can imagine, groups on the left opposed chaplains’ free speech initiatives. Nevertheless, the United States House of Representatives’ leadership stood firm on this issue. The legislation passed overwhelmingly in the House and was on its way for approval when a roadblock appeared in the United States Senate. We mobilized our members from around the country to demand that these chaplains be protected. By radio, television and email, we pursued an aggressive strategy to protect the right of military chaplains to pray. Despite the Senate roadblock, I am happy to report a major victory for our chaplains.
While the Senate did not adopt the language that we helped negotiate from the House of Representatives, they did put a provision in the bill which rolled back the existing regulations that have served as the basis for the censorship. These regulations issued by the Air Force and the Navy became the foundation from which these acts of censorship took place. In a temporary victory, Congress rolled back those regulations that were causing the difficulty for the chaplains and reinstated earlier regulations that were more protective of the free exercise of religion. Congress also said that they will visit this issue fully in January when the new Congress returns. We anticipate major hearings on these issues. In the interim, we have a victory for our chaplains, but this is only the first phase of this engagement. Next will be the major hearings before the United States House and Senate and permanent legislation to protect chaplains’ right. As Congressman Todd Akin pointed out in his press release:
“I am happy that we have taken a step towards restoring the freedom that our military chaplains ought to enjoy,” said Akin. “The Navy and Air Force regulations that we are striking prevented chaplains from praying according to their faith and conscience, whether they were Muslim, Christian, Jewish or of any other faith.”
“While I would have liked stronger language protecting the religious freedom of chaplains, this legislation is a first step forward in protecting the First Amendment rights of chaplains and all the men and women serving our country in the military,” said Akin.
I concur with Congressman Akin and am pleased that we have this temporary victory for our United States Military chaplains.

Honoring the Dead

The International War on Terror has been successful...But it, like many wars in previous U.S. history, has not been without its fair share of casualties. Death is not something to be taken light of, but it is, unfortunately, a reality of war.

A great deal of the deaths just this year are within the Special Operations community (Special Operations aviation units, Army Special Forces, Army Rangers, etc.) I am including this list of fallen Special Operations soldiers as a memorial to them, as a means of remembering that, if we do not stay the course, their deaths may very well be in vain.

These men are heroes in the purest sense of the word. They did not simply make sacrifices, they made the Ultimate Sacrifice: they laid down their own lives for the country that they loved. The country that we love.

My friend and mentor Charlie Robinson's name is included on this list. He was a Captain in the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He and his driver were killed by an I.E.D. in Afghanistan just last year.

When I first learned of Charlie's death, it hit me extremely hard--even harder than when I learned of my own Grandfather's death. I remember trying to tell my Mom about it, only to find myself so overcome with emotion I was rendered completely unable to speak. I was forced to thrust the magazine containing the information into her hands while I tried--in vain--to compose myself. Knowing that his beautiful young wife Laura was suddenly a widow was almost too much to bear.

I think of Charlie's death every single day. It drives me to do what God has called me to do, despite the hardships of seminary life and the sometimes overwhelming desire to find something easier than the ministry. It gives me the focus that I need.

Below, I have given a list of the Special Forces personnel who have died in the War on Terror. This is a tribute to them, a memorial.

May God grant comfort to their friends and loved ones.

May they rest in peace...

The Army Special Operations Command added 49 names of soldiers killed this year in Iraq and Afghanistan to its memorial wall, as well as the one who was killed last year but not added to the wall then.

Afghanistan

(Operation Enduring Freedom)

Staff Sgt. Leroy E. Alexander, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. 1st Class Victor H. Cervantes, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Capt. Jeremy A. Chandler, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Staff Sgt. Edwin H. DazaChacon, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Master Sgt. Emigdio E. Elizarraras, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Falkel, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Pfc. Damian J. Garza, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
Staff Sgt. Shamus O. Goare, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Sgt. 1st Class Chad A. Gonsalves, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Pvt. John M. Henderson Jr., 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Sgt. 1st Class Allen C. Johnson, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
1st Sgt. Tobias C. Meister, 321st Civil Affairs Brigade, San Antonio, Texas.
Sgt. Alberto D. Montrond, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Staff Sgt. Clinton T. Newman, 321st Civil Affairs Brigade, San Antonio, Texas.
Sgt. 1st Class James S. Ochsner, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. Jason T. Palmerton, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Piper, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. 1st Class James "Tre" Ponder, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Maj. Stephen C. Reich, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Capt. Charles D. Robinson, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher L. Robinson, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, Elliott, Miss.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Russell, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.
Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

Iraq

(Operation Iraqi Freedom)

Master Sgt. Joseph J. Andres Jr., Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Staff Sgt. Ricardo Barraza, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Sgt. Dale G. Brehm, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Sgt. 1st Class Lance S. Cornett, Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. 1st Class Trevor John Diesing, Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Maj. Gregory J. Fester, 322nd CA Bde., Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr., 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Master Sgt. Robert M. Horrigan, Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Master Sgt. Ivica Jerak, Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Pfc. Dillon M. Jutras, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Kimmell, 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Sgt. 1st Class Obediah J. Kolath, Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. 1st Class Steven M. Langmack, Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Cpl. George A. Lutz II, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group, Fort Bragg.
Master Sgt. Michael L. McNulty, Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. 1st Class Lawrence E. Morrison, Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, Fort Bragg.
Sgt. Regina C. Reali, 351st Civil Affairs Command, Mountain View, Calif.
Cpl. Timothy M. Shea, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
Staff Sgt. Ayman A. Taha, 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Maj. Jeffrey P. Toczylowski, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Panzer Kaserne, Germany.
Sgt. 1st Class Brett E. Walden, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Campbell, Ky.
Sgt. Cheyenne C. Willey, 351st Civil Affairs Command, Mountain View, Calif.
Master Sgt. Anthony Ray Charles Yost, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg.

All gave some. Some gave all. May they rest in peace with the thanks of a grateful nation. And may they always be remembered for the heros they are.

Sign this petition NOW!!!

Last week, I listed to the radio program of Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice. He was talking about the fierce battle being waged over the issue of Chaplains' rights--Specifically, the Christian Chaplains' rights to pray in the Name of Jesus Christ. I hadn't really thought much of this issue since debating it (fiercely!) at the Chaplain Officers Basic Course at Fort Jackson, S.C. this past summer. I took Jay's advice to heart, and I take his call to arms / action seriously. For that purpose, I'm beginning a more aggressive campaign, using this site, to rally my like-minded troops...

If the links don't work below, don't fret. Just visit the American Center for Law and Justice's site at https://www.aclj.org/Petition/Default.aspx?SC=3197&AC=1

Copy and paste the above web address and/or visit the ACLJ site for more detailed info. This is a topic of great controversy within the Chaplain Corps right now, and we cannot afford to stand idly by while activist judges steal away our God-given, Constitutionally-guaranteed rights.

Add your name to the group of 51953 people who have already signed using the Internet! Let Our Military Chaplains PRAY FREELY in Jesus' name!

Today, the future of a chaplain's right to pray freely still hangs in the balance. We must do all we can to ensure that this right is not taken away! Our U.S. military chaplains do so much, even risking their lives for the safety and security of our country. Let's take a stand for them today. Please read the form below carefully and declare your membership with the ACLJ by signing the Petition to Protect Military Prayer below.

Petition to Protect Military Prayer
To All Members of the United States Senate

"Military chaplains have served our nation faithfully for well over 200 years. Many have suffered and some have even died in the line of duty. Meanwhile, our men and women in uniform have benefited greatly by having the full and free ministry of chaplains available to them. To censor the prayers of chaplains in their ministry to our servicemen and women is an outrage; yet this is an immediate possibility unless Congress passes legislation protecting our chaplains from such restrictions. Unfortunately, there are strong forces at work in our country which would advocate such restrictions. So we urge you strongly to give your full support to the legal protection of our chaplains to pray according to the dictates of their conscience."

Please click here to print a copy.

Please click here to print a copy with spaces for multiple signatures.

The Four "Immortal" Chaplains

A convoy of three ships and three escorting Coast Guard cutters passed through "torpedo alley" some 100 miles off the coast of Greenland at about 1 a.m. on February 3, 1943. The submarine U-223 fired three torpedoes, one of which hit the midsection of the Dorchester, a U.S. Army troopship with more than 900 men on board. Ammonia and oil were everywhere in the fast-sinking vessel and upon the freezing sea.

The four Chaplains on board, two Protestant pastors, a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi, were among the first on deck, calming the men and handing out life jackets. When they ran out, they took off their own and placed them on waiting soldiers without regard to faith or race. Approximately 18 minutes from the explosion, the ship went down. They were the last to be seen by witnesses; they were standing arm-in-arm on the hull of the ship, each praying in his own way for the care of the men. Almost 700 died, making it the third largest loss at sea of its kind for the United States during World War II. The Coast Guard Cutter Tampa was able to escort the other freighters to Greenland. Meanwhile the cutters Comanche and Escanaba, disobeying orders to continue the seach for the German U-Boat, stopped to rescue 230 men from the frigid waters that night.

The four Chaplains were Father John Washington (Catholic), Reverend Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed), Rabbi Alexander Goode (Jewish) and Rev. George Fox (Methodist). These four Chaplains were later honored by the Congress and Presidents. They were recognized for their selfless acts of courage, compassion and faith. According to the First Sergeant on the ship, "They were always together, they carried their faith together." They demonstrated throughout the voyage and in their last moments, interfaith compassion in their relationship with the men and with each other. In 1960 Congress created a special Congressional Medal of Valor, never to be repeated again, and gave it to the next of kin of the "Immortal Chaplains."

Up-Coming Promotion Board

As many of you now know, the promotion boards are coming up soon. I, along with several others, have received e-mails stating that we are being considered for promotion to the rank of Captain. If anyone has already begun the process of completing your promotion packet, please feel free to comment with some tips for the unitiated / uninformed. I understand that the Chaplain Candidates who have put in their promotion paperwork in recent years have a whopping 100% success rate for promotion to Captain. This is cause for real optimism, but there's not much time left. Only five weeks to go until the promotion board meets on November 7th.

Rangers' Bible...?

While surfing the Web today, researching about the Chaplains who serve the Army's elite 75th Ranger Regiment, I came across a quote about a so-called "Rangers' Bible," supposedly distributed by the Chaplaincy Department. I've now initiated a search for these Bibles, hoping they'd be available for sale somewhere. I have no idea what translation this is, nor do I know for certain that they are available for retail sale. One way or the other, I do know I want one, and badly. If anyone knows where I can obtain a copy of "The Rangers' Bible," please let me know. Should I not receive any feedback concerning this question of mine, I may have to contact the Chief of Chaplains Office or perhaps the Regimental Chaplain for the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Invitation to Lunch for Chaplain Candidates

Attention! Any and all Chaplain Candidates in the Kentuckiana area, please take note: Chaplain Dukes at Fort Knox is working with USAREC (the U.S. Army Recruiting Command) and would like to take candidates and any seminary friends to lunch.

If you are interested or know of any folks who might be, his contact info is: Hugh and Linda Dukes (h.dukes@insightbb.com), cell (502) 424-3181. If you'd prefer not to contact Chaplain Dukes directly, just notify me at nathan.german@us.army.mil. I'll be sure to pass the info on to Chaplain Dukes and /or Chaplain Harlow.

Just for my records, who is the current leader of the Ministers to the Military group at Southern Seminary? I'll be honest--I have no idea, and I'm starting to wonder if the group is still up and running...

Scholarships for Chaplain Candidates

Hey! I stumbled onto this information while doing a perfectly random web search. Hope this information comes in handy...


Looking towards a Career as a Military Chaplain?


MCA Chaplain Candidate Scholarships


One way the Military Chaplains Association "speaks with a professional voice" is through support for training the next generation of chaplains. Each year, we provide scholarships to seminary students who are currently serving as chaplain candidates in the Air Force, Army, or Navy. This MCA program was established in 1992. Since then, we have helped fifty-three chaplain candidates with a total of $106,000 in aid. Funds to support our annual scholarship awards come from donations by individuals, Chapel Funds, Chiefs of Chaplains Funds, and contributions made through the Combined Federal Campaign (#2118).


Are You Preparing for Ministry as a Military Chaplain?

For the Academic Year 2006-2007, the MCA will award Chaplain Candidate Scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each. The number of awards is determined every year by our Scholarship Committee depending on available funds and the number of applications. The application period is from 1 March through 30 May 2006. Eligibility requirements are:

Full time enrollment in an accredited seminary.

Ecclesiastical endorsement for future ministry as a military chaplain.

Appointment and active service as a "Chaplain Candidate" in one of the Armed Services (Air Force, Army, or Navy)

Completion of the MCA Chaplain Candidate Scholarship application form and submission of all requirements which must be received in the MCA National Office by 30 May 2006.


Application Procedures:

The application form and instruction letter is available by clicking on this link.

You will need to print out the form, follow the instructions, and submit the form along with the required attachments to the MCA office at the address tiven on the form.
2005-2006 Scholarship Recipients

Click here to view presentations published in the January-February 2006 issue of The Military Chaplain.

Track Workouts

For all those Chaplain Candidates in the Louisville area, you're probably trying to get into good running shape for CHOBC in the summer...Or even the physical challenges of being on active-duty. If you're looking for a good running workout, you may want to consider joining us on Tuesday nights at 7:00 at Waggener High School. Larry Holt, the owner of Ken C9mbs Running Store, organizes all participants into ability groups, and he ensures that the workouts are productive. For more information, call 895-3410. See you there!

Special Forces Chaplains

Throughout my intensive Internet searches, I have endeavored to track down any and all information I possibly can about the U.S. Army's Special Forces. Despite my very best efforts, I can find very little information about the Chaplains that serve the various Special Forces Groups. If anyone knows how I can go about requesting assignment as a Chaplain to a Special Forces Group, whether at Fort Campbell, Fort Bragg, or otherwise, please be sure to let me know.

Chaplain Candidate Games

Right now, there are some ideas floating around regarding how to build better unit integrity and esprit de corps within the ranks of Chaplain Candidates, especially those at Southern Seminary and Louisville Seminary. One outstanding idea is to host a type of Olympic-style event in order to showcase the physical athleticism of Chaplain Candidates (which would also serve to establish rivalries between the Chaplain Candidates of the various branches or even establish rivalries between the different schools.) Personally, I'd love to see the Army's Chaplain Candidates square off with the Air Force's and the Navy's.

If you have any ideas regarding how to best put on this type of competition, if you know of a quality venue, or if you just want to compete, please be sure to let me know.

Of course, you can't compete at all unless you're already a Chaplain Candidate. If you want to become a U.S. Army Chaplain Candidate, give SFC Jamille Phillips a phone call at 1-888-390-5751.