Local residents become volunteer chaplains
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK - A group of 30 New Jersey residents became chaplains during a ceremony at the New Destiny Family Worship Center on Livingston Avenue on Nov. 17.

The chaplaincy program is designed for pastors or church workers who want to develop skills in specified areas so that they can have more direct access to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, job corps and youth groups because of their certification. Each inductee had participated in a two-day chaplaincy corps training seminar in which they were taught how to handle grief, crisis intervention, drug and alcohol abuse, gang situations and family counseling. They were recognized by the International Union of Pastors and Volunteer Chaplains during the graduation.

"What we're trying to do here, especially in North Brunswick, is create a corps of volunteers who are able to assist with anything needed in the community," New Destiny Bishop Calvin Enlow said.

Glenn Davis, one of 10 new chaplains from New Destiny, has been involved with the church for 20 years in different youth ministries. He said he believes the program is important in order to "give back to people some of the blessings I've been afforded the opportunity to give back."

With three children of his own, he was particularly inspired by his 19-year-old son, who is now in college.

"Just seeing, hearing, learning some of the difficulties they face, it's not like when I was 19," Davis said of teenage life. "Maybe I can offer a voice to steer them in the right direction or change the course of their life for good. … Young people have a certain code, so to speak, and they try to fit everyone into that. If someone comes and offers a different perspective, sometimes that can be challenging."

Phyllis Renee McGinnis, of South Brunswick, who is the prayer coordinator at New Destiny, felt she needed to pursue a higher level of volunteer work because "people need to be touched. People need to be loved."

She said that although New Destiny has a prayer hotline and accepts e-mails or hospital invitations, without a chaplaincy title the personal visitations become difficult. Now, she said, she hopes to become more involved with the Red Cross with disaster or emergency relief as well as the local medical centers in New Brunswick.

"I want to be there for people," she said. "People are hurting on every level."

Bishop Arthur Naylor of Hamilton is hoping to extend that assistance to military veterans. He said that both the soldiers and their families deal with a lot of stress, especially if a member of the armed forces does not make it home alive. He wants to focus on trauma surrounding violence.

"The biggest thing is that somebody needs somebody to talk to sometimes. Some people don't have other people available," he said. "It really puts a burden on our hearts to do something now," he said.

Although Naylor said that sometimes veterans who are not religious hesitate to receive such services, McGinnis said that those in need of comfort need not be of a specific faith.

"There is an element of compassion we want to put out … that transcends any kind of belief system you have," she said. "Even if you don't believe in Jesus Christ or you're offended or you come from a different religious background, this goes beyond that."

After the new chaplains were recognized, the Sword of Chaplains was presented to Bishop Enlow, North Brunswick Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack and North Brunswick Police Director Kenneth Mc- Cormick.

"Go back to your respective cities, work with your mayor, work with your police department, unleash a force to be there for domestic violence, gang intervention, mentorship programs, drugs and alcohol. Whatever your ministry, let's go back to our cities and unleash a force," Enlow said.