Pastor's Corner
November 2019
The West Allegheny Ministerial Association, in conjunction with the North Fayette Police Department, is initiating a new program to provide chaplaincy services to our community. This service will be staffed by trained people who will serve as secondary responders.
So, how does this work? When there is an emergency situation in our community, the police are among the first responders. They interact with people in situations that are sometimes painful and tragic. After the emergency is over, however, those affected may still need the help that a secondary chaplain responder can provide, such as a listening ear. If that is the case, the police officer will provide the person with a contact number so that the person can call and talk with one of our chaplains. The chaplain would respond within 24 hours of receiving a call. The North Fayette Police Department has indicated that the number of calls, based on past experience, would only be about 15-20 calls per year.
To provide this service to the community, WAMA will purchase a cell phone that will be used exclusively for this purpose. The phone will be passed around to our chaplains on a rotating basis, with each chaplain “on call” for a week at a time. We are hoping to train 25-30 people who can serve as our chaplains.
So, who can be a secondary chaplain responder? Anyone who feels a call to be part of this program. In case you are thinking, “I can’t do that. I’m not a pastor,” this program is open to pastor and lay people alike. WAMA will be providing and covering the cost of a training day by a professional chaplaincy trainer.
If you would like more information, or think that you might want to be part of this program, please let me know. We are in the beginning stages of developing this program and have not yet set the date for our training day. Right now, we are simply trying to see if we have enough people interested in being part of this program.
So, please pray about it and let me know.
From the Pastor.....
