Adopt-A-Chaplain
http://www.adopt-a-chaplain.org/
The Bay Ridge United Church's latest adoption is that of Chaplain (CPT) Kurt Geib
Want to encourage a chaplain?????
How you can write encouragement to a chaplain when you don't have a name or address. Send a letter or card to Adopt-a-Chaplain, 1244 Rosalia Avenue San Jose, CA. 95117.
Note: Chaplain’s security and safety is very important. All cards or letters received will be opened and checked for content before it’s forwarded. Marriage proposals (We’re not making this up) or other inappropriate messages won’t be forwarded.
What motivates chaplains to serve. It is to...
BRING GOD TO SOLDIERS AND SOLDIERS TO GOD
Check in with Adopt-a-Chaplain on Facebook.
group.php?gid=48637551181.
September 18, 2010
Hi Kurt ,
I hope your trip home was uneventful. We have sent you 5 or 6 boxes of goodies and a few baby dolls for the children. I hope you will be able to use them, if not one of our former Chaplains taught a Baby 101 class to new Marine fathers going home. I sent some pics of the class.
Our church is praying for the familes and the friends of the soldiers that were lost. I saw in the article that they are younger that my two sons and still now brings me to sorrow for their familes.
This is the link for our church in Brooklyn,NY. http://churches.rca.org/bayridge/
Maybe you were curious about us.
Thanks for you and your families service to our God and our country.
Jim Cruickshanks
Jim,
Thanks for the email. I am currently still enroute on my way home. Currently in Kuwait and it is way too hot here.
Our forward support company has a truck platoon that likes to throw stuff from their trucks to kids. One sergeant was mentioning they have been trying to throw more stuff to girls. I am sure they will be able to give the babies away. That class for new fathers is an awesome idea.
Yes, they were young guys. Deluzio was engaged to be married next spring. Very sad.
Will check out the link.
thanks,
Kurt
oh yeah, forgot to include a link to a short piece about a 9-11 remembrance ceremony we conducted at FOB Gardez. It has a picture of the service.
Please tell my adopted family I thank them for their prayers.
Kurt
Army: Chaplain is 1st killed in action since '70
DAN ELLIOTT
From Associated Press
September 02, 2010 3:19 PM EDT
DENVER (AP) — A chaplain killed in Afghanistan this week was the first Army clergyman killed in action since the Vietnam War, the military said Thursday. Capt. Dale Goetz of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., was among five soldiers killed by an improvised bomb on Monday. Before Goetz, the last Army chaplain to die in action was Phillip Nichols, who was killed by a concealed enemy explosive in Vietnam in October of 1970, said Chaplain Carleton Birch, a spokesman for the Army chief of chaplains.
The Air Force said none of its chaplains were killed later than 1970. A spokesman for the Navy Chaplain Corps, which also provides clergy to the Marines, didn't immediately return a phone call.
Goetz, 43, listed his hometown as White, S.D. He once served there as pastor of First Baptist Church, the Argus-Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D., reported. Goetz, his wife and their three sons recently joined High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, where Fort Carson is located, the newspaper reported. A church spokeswoman referred questions to the Army on Thursday, and Army officials declined to comment, citing the family's wishes. Officials said Goetz had hitched a ride on a resupply convoy when he was killed. Birch said chaplains are considered noncombatants and don't carry weapons, but they are accompanied by a chaplain's assistant, a soldier who is armed.
A chaplain's assistant, Staff Sgt. Christopher Stout of Worthville, Ky., was killed in Afghanistan in July, Birch said. Chaplains don't go on combat patrols but do go onto battlefields to conduct services and counsel soldiers, Birch said. "Many of those places where they travel are very dangerous," he said. The Army has more than 2,800 chaplains, including those in the Guard and Reserve. More than 400 are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army chaplains go through their own training, which includes combat survival skills, Birch said. They don't go through the same training that enlisted personnel or officers do. Birch said commanders in Afghanistan would decide whether chaplains' procedures will be reviewed or revised after Goetz's death.
"Traveling in a war zone is very risky business .... Chaplains will continue to go where soldiers are on the battlefield to minister to their soldiers," Birch said.
August 24, 2010
Ben Ferguson,
We lost two on Sunday. We honor them this morning.
CHAPLAIN KURT GEIB
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Kurt,Thanks for the heads up. So sorry to hear. Know you, your soldiers, and the families will be in our prayers. God bless and give you the words of comfort for your warriors, and peace for your own soul.
I'm glad you're getting a few hours of recovery time. It won't be long enough but it's better than none. While the affected unit stands down for a few days you are going through an emotional wringer. After a few days they resume the operational tempo and you haven't had any recovery time. Few recognize the chaplain also needs to take off his Superman shirt and be human.
Problem is some chaplains continue to push and it affects them later in the deployment. If Jesus needed time away from the press of ministry to recover and spend time alone with His Father, all of us - chaplains included - need to honor the principle of rest and recovery practiced by our Master.
God bless and renew your strength...Isaiah 40:32
Ben Ferguson
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Thanks brother. Been an exhausting three days and I am wiped out but we have been able to take some time off today and work on recovering.
Yesterday, I was reflecting on how they had to push past the point of exhaustion to get their bodies off of the hill they were on. At this point, I would have rather experienced their exhaustion rather than that I was feeling before the news of the loss as well as now. However, God's hand has sustained me beyond measure. Two other believers and myself were listening to worship music that I had on my computer and we began singing praises to God together and the peace that passes all understanding manifested itself that night.
One I was telling a group at our main FOB how I was going to get a chaplain room at Bagram when I go home for leave in the middle of SEP rather than stay in the transient tents they make available for those going home on leave. A LT looked shocked and I had to remind him that even Jesus needed times of solitude.
Thanks for your encouragement and for your prayers for all of us chaplains who are deployed. I do not have enough words to tell you how deeply I appreciate it.
Below is a link to a story about our fallen heroes:
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=1
3032676
CHAPLAIN KURT GEIB
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CHAPLAIN KURT GEIB - Re: Prayer for Families
I start to wonder why are we there, then I realize we're there for the same reason that Christ came here to earth. Christ came to save innocents from evil as our troops and you are there to do also. We will pray for the families of the fallen and also their friends.
Yours in Christ
Jim
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Jim,
Thank you for helping us to pray for the families. One of the soldiers was engaged to be married next spring. A few months ago I was talkin with him and when he talked about her he had a glint in his eyes and his face glowed. Her name is Leeza.
Quite honestly, we have begun to wonder why we are here too. It is a frustrating place to be. On one hand we meet Afghans who work as interpreters, work in our chow halls, and do other tasks on our bases and they are wonderful people. However, we build roads so that they can get from one place to another and they dig up the black top to use for their qalats or insurgents rocket and shoot at those building the roads. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that we are here attempting to help them achieve a better quality of life but there are those who block the efforts, extort and strong arm, and kill because they do not want to see it happen. I know that it is sin that causes this; however, my heart is especially grieved for the women and children of this country because they live in true hopelessness. As I fly to each location, I pray that God will open a door for the light of the Gospel upon this country as it is the only thing that will solve the problems they have here.
Many soldiers have expressed their chagrin over the muslim center that is being constructed near ground zero. The soldiers see this as a slap in the face to what we are doing here.
Again, thank you for your prayers for Matt and I, our troops, and those families who are grieving. Here is a link to a story about our two soldiers:
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=13032676
In the Grip of Grace,
Kurt
We at Bay Ridge United Church pray for the families of Sgt. Tristan Southworth, 21 of Walden, Vt., and Sgt. Steven Deluzio, 25 of South Glastonbury, Conn.
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May 17, 2010
We appreciate being "adopted" (especially a two-for-one deal on the prayers). Please tell your sister thank you for their prayers on our behalf. Thank you for the care packages. It is exciting to receive them because I love to share them with our troops.
Also, I appreciate small churches. After accepting Christ as Savior 12 years ago, I attended a church of about 25 folks. Since then, I have attended larger churches but it is hard to beat the true sense of family that exists in smaller churches. In addition, most churches in Vermont average about 25 to 30 people. So, I have a special affinity for small churches.
My goal is to get another newsletter out by the end of the month. This is my civilian email account but I check it often.
Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel.
In the Grip of Grace,
Kurt
Ch Kurt Geib, Chaplain AssistantPFC Matt Bouchard
Dear Jim,
Ben Ferguson sent your contact information to me.
First, thank you and your body of Christ for being willing to stand in the gap for our battalion. Please share with them how grateful I am that you are willing to partner in the Gospel with me as I preach, pray, and counsel with our soldiers.
Second our unit, 3-172 Infantry Battalion (Mountain), is from Vermont. I guess that makes us sort of geographical neighbors. We also have companies from Maine and New Hampshire.
I am attaching a photo of myself and my assistant PFC Matt Bouchard as well as the First Newsletter I sent out to family and friends.
I have been a National Guard soldier for 17 years but not all as a chaplain, in fact, entering the chaplaincy was what I term a providential accident. I have been married for 10 years to my wife, Michele. In 2002 we adopted two children Scott (15) and Danielle (11); however, in May of 2008 God blessed us with Nathanael whom we thought we would never be able to concieve. Truly he is a gift from God. My wife and I are originally from central PA. I am from near Hershey and my wife is from Lancaster. We now reside in Newport,VT which is in
northeast Vermont only a few miles from Quebec.My service to this battalion began in 2007 as a chaplain candidate and I worked diligently to finish my seminary work and ordination in order to come on this deployment. I was officially accessioned as a chaplain at the end of February this year.
Ministry here is circuit riding on mechanical horses such as trucks and helicopters. Our battalion has not lost any soldiers yet but we have had some injuries due to combat and some roll-overs of MRAPs.
In the Grip of Grace,
CH (CPT) Kurt Geib
PFC Matthew Bouchard
3-172 Infantry Battalion (Mountain)
Ascend to Victory!
LET'S SAY THANKS!
We frequently hear people say how thankful they are for our young warriors. Did you know you can send a “thank you” note to them? If you click on this link, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving overseas . My understanding is this is free. While you can’t pick the particular soldier this is going to be sent to, it’s a great way to say “thanks”. This is particularly a great way to get your kids involved this holiday to support our troops.
TRIBUTE TO WARRIORS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji_GlEcrR-M&feature=related
HERE'S TO THE HEROES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL-0mdEg0U4&feature=related
THANK YOU SOLDIERS - CBS NEWS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrmBMGPkuAI
A SOLDIER'S PRAYER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCFjRQgjY4k
Please pray for our chaplains and their families.....
"The Adopt A Chaplain Program Has Unified our Church and Brings us Joy to give Service to those that Serve us." - Jim Cruickshanks, Bay Ridge United Church
God's speed and protection to our young warriors, their families, and the chaplains who walk beside them.Ben Ferguson
Why we pray for our troops:
49% returning troops experience symptoms of combat trauma.
67% of junior enlisted marriages require counseling.
2008 Army suicide rate highest since 1980.
Marines have more suicide loses than in combat.
Veteran suicide rate is double the civilian rate.
Source: DOD
Deployed Chaplains
GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES
We focus on our chaplains because:
1. Chaplains look out for their flocks but no one looks out for the chaplain.2. Chaplains frequently need ministry tools that are unavailable through supply or on “back order.”
3. Give troops a non threatening “cover story” to visit the chaplain.
4. They carry heavy emotional burdens from their daily ministries of counseling troops who are having problems or worrying abut their family back home.
“Please continue to pray for us. Losing another one is hard...It is almost unbearable.”
Casualties are an unpleasant reality of war. Families at home struggle to understand their loss. In the combat zone the chaplain is the focal point in helping the survivors cope with the loss of a comrade and “battle buddy.”
We at home can’t grasp the emotional toll on the chaplain but we can pray for them...God knows and understands.
Without God our
week would be:
Sinday
Mournday
Tearsday
Wasteday
Thirstday
Fightday
Shatterday
Seven days without God makes one weak
Most frequently requested items
As troops are moving into new locations in Afghanistan the supplies of
basic toiletries and other comfort items are extremely limited.. some
have NO PX. What are their needs?
Food: Jerky, powdered drink mixes, energy bars, trail mixes, candy (no chocolate now)
Toiletries: wet wipes, foot powder, body wash, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste non aerosol shaving cream, good disposable razors.
