LAKELAND — The tragedy of last Sept. 11 has focused more attention on those serving in the armed forces. In Florida, United Methodist pastors have a special opportunity to address the spiritual needs of military personnel.

“There are openings at this time for about five chaplains,” said the Rev. David Fuller, senior pastor of Brandon’s St. Andrews United Methodist Church and the state chaplain for the Florida National Guard.

The approximately 20 chaplains currently serving the Guard provide religious support to more than 11,000 men and women. Chaplains typically are assigned at the battalion level, ministering to hundreds of individuals at a time.

Pastors who sign up as chaplains make an initial six-year commitment, receiving a starting commission of first lieutenant. Chaplains attend drill sessions once per month, usually on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate church service schedules, and an annual two-week training session. Other advanced training and traveling opportunities are available for those who want to serve long term and further their military careers.

“As a chaplain, the National Guard has provided me a second congregation that is a real slice of America,” Fuller said. “Churches are pretty much homogeneous, maybe not as diverse as we hope for. They’re pretty much our own neighborhoods and socioeconomic and ethnic groups. But the Guard provides me with every ethnic and racial group, every conceivable religious tradition.”

Other tangible benefits include earning additional income and, for those who serve at least 20 years, some retirement benefits.

The Rev. Richard Humston, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church, St. Cloud, and a chaplain for 23 years, said his service has provided an entrÈe into community veterans’ groups. Ministry is not limited to the soldiers, but to their families, as well, creating opportunities for weddings, funeral services and spiritual counseling.

“I can hardly go into Polk County without seeing someone I have known or met through the Guard. It just extends one’s ministry to a wide variety of people beyond the local church,” said Humston, who is retiring at the end of this year from Guard service because he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 60.

“A lot of it is ministry of presence,” said the Rev. Jim Fogle-Miller, co-pastor of Winter Haven’s St. Johns United Methodist Church and a Guard chaplain for 16 years. “I think the best chaplains are where the soldiers are. You don’t sit in an office and wait for them to come to you. A lot of it is stand-up counseling sessions, where people don’t even realize they’ve had a counseling session. If you’re out there where they are in the field, you get those opportunities.”

Fogle-Miller said a chaplain must be willing to provide for the religious needs of all soldiers in the unit. This often involves coordinating transportation to service venues of other faiths, such as temples and mosques.

Approximately one-third of active Florida chaplains are United Methodists. However, none of the Florida chaplains are female, a demographic Fuller said he would like to see change. “It would be wonderful,” he said. “Women in ministry in the military are doing extremely well.”

Those interested in serving as chaplains should contact Fuller at 813-689-6849.

See an upcoming issue of the “Florida United Methodist Review” for the story of one chaplain’s ministry during Desert Storm.