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Welcome to the chapel - we are here for you

  • Published
  • By Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Joseph Lim
  • 305th Air Mobility Wing chapel
McGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  It has been said in many different ways, "People first, mission always" or "Mission first, people always." But the bottom line is we have a mission to accomplish, and to do that, it's imperative we take care of our people. People are our greatest assets. It doesn't matter how cosmic our weapon systems are or how modernized our aircraft are. Without quality people, we cannot do the mission. We need to take care of our people - on and off duty. This is our first and sacred command. 

As the organization concerned with the spiritual readiness of our people, chaplains and chaplain assistants exist to meet the religious and spiritual needs of all personnel. As visible reminders of the Holy, we support, directly or indirectly, the free exercise of religion by all servicemembers, their families and authorized personnel. There are currently 624 active-duty chaplains and 436 chaplain assistants. Chaplains are endorsed by 84 denominations. We provide, each in our own tradition, the spiritual support in accordance with our denominational mandate. 

At McGuire, we have six full-time chaplains, three full-time chaplain assistants, and a good number of IMA chaplains and chaplain assistants to serve you. We offer you opportunities to exercise your constitutional right of freedom of religion. We offer worship services, privileged-communication counseling, religious education classes, bible studies, ministry teams, unit visitation programs, and chapel organizations to help all in your spiritual journey and to boost your spiritual readiness. 

Please take time to visit the chapel and check out the many opportunities available for you to grow in your faith and in your relationship with God. If you are in the process of choosing your church, we ask you to consider our base chapel as your first choice. And you will not be disappointed. Now that the wing has helped us secure much-needed monies and resources, we are in the process of refurbishing and updating both chapel facilities.
 
We are doing some self-help projects for our chapel. The Knights of Columbus, a local non-profit organization, has offered help in fixing the kneelers in the chapel. If you want to help, please call the chapel, and we will be so grateful to put you to work in the vineyard of the Lord. Things are buzzing in our chapel. The chapel train is moving fast, and we want you to enjoy the ride with us. Great things are happening with our chapel. We are streamlining our chapel programs and injecting new life into our ministries so we can meet all the competing demands of our day-to-day existence. 

This is where we need you. We need your commitment. We need your loyalty. We need you to make us your first choice. With you, we can work miracles; without you, this would be just a dream. Allow us to serve you. We have a new set of talented, dedicated chaplains and chaplain assistants to make your time here truly an exciting and meaningful experience. May God bless you all and keep you safe. Do not hesitate to call the chapel at (609) 754-4673. I wish you not the biggest, but the little things that make life really worthy living!