T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
6
Photograph by V. S. Army Signal Corps .
e
Hospital visitation to hun
dreds of soldiers is an im portant phase of a chaplain’s work. Here Chaplain Paulson brings joy from the Word. e Servicemen spirit. When they visit the chapel for the first time it is plain to see that they are wondering whether real spirit ual fellowship of the kind they have enjoyed at home w ill be found in an Army camp. But their faces soon lighten when they hear a message of deep spiritual tone and sound Bibli cal content. The chaplain becomes very intimate with these men, who form the nucleus for organized work of many kinds. They take an important part in the Bible Class, midweek service, Service men’s Christian League, and Saturday night prayer meeting. By every means available they are encouraged to pre pare thenjselves thoroughly for later Christian service, and opportunities are given them to engage in such work While in the camp. Considerable responsibility for the conduct of the evening evangelistic services is assumed by these men, and they often talk directly after the meet ings with those who profess faith in Christ. The first time an outdoor evan gelistic service was conducted this summer, only a small group was pres ent. A ll but three professed to be Christians. Yet before the evening was over these three men had also decided for Christ. This brought- great happiness to those who had labored in prayer with the chaplain on the preceding night, seeking God’s bless ings upon the services of the Lord’s
Christian Service Among A CHAPLAIN s e r v i n g in any / \ branch of the armed forces i V today must feel a deep sense of responsibility for the spiritual well being of the men whom he serves. Especially is this so if he is convinced that a large percentage of servicemen have never heard the gospel and that only a minority have actually accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. When a chaplain considers the dangers that these men may face In the near future he can only say with- Paul, “Woe is unto me, if I preach hot the gospel!” Because the men with whom he deals differ so greatly in their, back grounds, especially in their earlier contacts with the gospel, a chaplain must seek to render a variety of serv-, ices to them. A small minority come to camp well established in their Christian faith. To such he' must bring opportunities for further spirit ual growth, for fellowship with others of like hope and conviction, and for active participation in many kinds of By CHAPLAIN ERICK E. PAULSON Christian work. Others come with some nominal c o n n e c t i o n s with churches at home, but with little un derstanding of the faith they profess. Their greatest need is to become es tablished in their Christian faith so that they‘ can face dangers, and pos sibly even death itself, with fortitude and hope. The third, and by far the largest group to which a chaplain seeks to minister, is composed of men who know little or nothing about the gospel. The chaplain’s task is to set clearly before them the cardinal facts» of the gospel and to lead them indi vidually to a saving faith in Christ. It is the purpose of this article to set forth some of the ways in which the spiritual needs of men are being met in one training camp and to re count a few of the results that have attended Such ministry, in the hope that this may help those at home to pray more intelligently for the work being done by evangelically-minded chaplains.
Cooperation in Christian Service One of the greatest joys of a chap lain is to have fellowship during each training cycle with a small group of men who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and who, in many instances, are looking forwa. to full-time Chris tian service* They come from many different denominations, but they dis play a common love and fervency of
[ Erick E. Paulson became a chaplain of the Medical Replacement Training Center at Camp Robinson, Ark., in Feb., 1942, and later served in Camp Gruber , Okla. He had been in service in the Army as a chaplain since 1940, Prior to his Army work, he had ministered in pastorates of Presbyterian churches in Minne sota for more than tw'elve years. He is a grad uate of Hamline University of St, Paul, Minn., of Princeton Theological Seminary, and of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Class of 1923). Having received a medical discharge from the Army, he, expects, to resume his pastoral duties. —Editor.!
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker