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DAFB Chapel wins again! Best medium chapel in the Air Force

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shen-Chia Chu
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The Dover Air Force Base Chapel staff recently won the 2007 Outstanding Medium Chapel Organization Award.

The staff received the award for its overall impact on the 436th Airlift Wing mission through management, training, ministries and programs offered.

"The Chapel has received this honor for two straight years," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Ronald Harvell, 436th Airlift Wing chaplain. "This is an award that honors our entire staff."

The Chapel staff is comprised of more than 30 active-duty and reservists, including chaplains and chaplain assistants, contractors and 250 volunteers.

"We teamed up with the 512th Chapel staff to provide comprehensive ministry to the Team Dover family," said the chaplain.

The Chapel provides worship, training, counseling, fellowship and ministry opportunities. The Chapel has five ministry divisions: Catholic Parish, Protestant Parish, Port Mortuary Ministry, Unit Ministry and Support Ministry, which covers staff training, financial management and faith group programs such as the Jewish and Buddhist communities.

"These ministry divisions are all superb and grew last year," said Chaplain Harvell. "In addition to the great work our folks did at Dover last year, part of our staff was deployed to Baghdad and our Port Mortuary team worked 365 days last year caring for Airmen at every stage of preparation and during every dignified transfer."

The Chapel volunteers have given more than $53,000 to organizations and schools, $3,000 worth of food to Iraqi citizens and 12,000 pounds of medicine and supplies to an Iraqi village, said the chaplain.

Volunteers also run the show for a popular Chapel service offered at home station. The Eagle's Net Coffee House in building 435 is visited by more than 500 Airmen E-4 and below each week for free internet access and coffee six days a week.

Another popular program, 'Feed Your Faith,' offers 12 classes for children, teenagers and adults.

"The weekly classes have an in-depth eternal impact on more than 100 people who may be seeking spiritual development and transformation, regardless of their age," said the chaplain. "It is vitally important to developing a 'whole-person.'

"What we do is vital everyday and I believe that every person who is spiritually fit is going to be a better person than they would be if they were not spiritually fit. Our privilege is to help them on that journey," he said.

"Our goal was not to beat anyone else. Great ministry is happening in wings throughout the Air Force and we just wanted to tell the story of what God was doing here at Dover," said Chaplain Harvell. "We give thanks and glory to the Lord for winning this award through our fabulous group of people who care for such a great wing."