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NL_chapels_bennett.htm
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Jewish and Muslim supplies in the containerized chapels. (Courtesy U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center)
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SOUND OFF! | |
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‘Containerized Chapels’ Open
Equipment Package Comes with Generator, Lectern, Holy Books
By Dan Bennett
Special to Military.com
There was a day when soldiers worshipped only meters from the
battlefield, under open skies and with bombs and bullets raining down. Soldiers
now have a more comfortable and all-purpose venue than ever before with the containerized
chapel, which was developed by the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick,
Massachusetts.
"In short-term deployments, soldiers must often live from foxhole to foxhole,
and worship under the trees, as so many before them did," said
Chaplain Maj. Ben Richardson of the Army Soldier Systems Center. "But in modern
missions, where military presence can last months, that gets old."
The chapel is an equipment package made for a 550-person base camp. It was spawned
from peacekeeping needs in Haiti, Bosnia, Somalia, Albania, and Macedonia. Two
experimental chapels were sent to Kosovo last year.
"It's really been quite a blessing to the folks on the ground there," said Richardson.
"We now have an instant base encampment chapel. Where before base
chaplains had to order hymnals and other tools, now there is a ready,
short-term supply."
Similar to the chapels now found in Force Provider, the Army's
successful "deployable city," these chapels can be transported in a
steel container, then constructed in a short time. Inside is a generator for lighting,
electrical distribution, and climate control, and seating for 100 people.
Items inside the chapels include lecterns, alters, linen, candles, cross, crucifix,
offering plates, communion sets, yarmulkes, kufis, kimaras, prayer mats, Torahs,
Bibles, and Korans. Forty more containerized chapels could be in the way if the
program is approved for additional funding.
"The first comments I received were from the Muslim soldiers,"
Richardson said. "They were absolutely tickled to have the prayer mats,
Headware, and Muslim kits. They had never had anything like that. We have more
Muslim soldiers than ever before, and we needed to address their religious needs."
Do the army's chaplains hope that the containerized chapels will
increase prayer time among soldiers in the field?
"No chaplain wants to suggest that reaching down and finding faith isn't
very important," Richardson aid. "The main reason for these chapels,
though, is to equip our ministry teams to support our soldiers. Let's
say a disaster occurs in a Third World country, and we must deploy
several thousand soldiers for rebuilding or peacekeeping. These chapels
will help keep faith going. The quality of worship the Army can provide
is more thorough than ever before." |
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