What Fires-up the Fire Chaplain
Emergency
Services Chaplain Bill Lotz
When I was a parish pastor (my, that seems like ages ago)
much of my ministry was quite clearly defined. The membership of the church
was defined by a roster. The outreach was limited to my geographical
community. When I
began serving as an Emergency Service Chaplain an exciting thing happened:
the clearly defined lines went away!
Now my congregation is defined by a line
encompassing anyone who is experiencing an emergency crisis at any point in
time. The individual people in my congregation change each moment, but I am
consistently reaching out to those who are in the circle of emergency need.
The specifics of my ministry change as much
as the circle does. Each call is different.
At one call I may be sitting quietly and supportively with someone who has
just lost their home to a fire. Next call I may be praying with a mother
whose son has just committed suicide.
At another call I might be mobilizing a victim’s faith community to help
them recover from an emergency medical need. All of the calls, whether day or
night, require the chaplain to become the physical presence of a loving God.
Our emergency service chaplain volunteers not only “bring” the peace of God,
but they “are” the peace of God, that which passes all understanding during
times which tend to be anything but peaceful.
What fires up the fire chaplain? Seeing God
at work in the midst of emergency crisis and having the awesome privilege to
join Him there. The lady that serves me coffee at the corner café often
remarks that she doesn’t know how I handle my job. This ministry does come
with its share of stress, but just riding along on God’s tailboard as He
touches people’s lives puts a spark in this fire chaplain’s heart.
