Women Military Chaplain Training |
From May 29th to May 31st, 2018, the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) and the Military Chaplains Association (MCA) co-sponsored the first ever Women in Military Ministry Conference, at the Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, MD. More than 100 female military chaplains, from as far away as Okinawa, Bahrain, Guam, and Germany attended the highly successful event. Conference planners initially hoped for 30 chaplains to attend. The overwhelming response required us to add off-site lodging and eventually close registration due to meeting room space limitations.
The event’s theme was “Connect, Cultivate, and Contextualize.” Chaplain (Major General) Lorraine Potter, USAF (Ret.), the first female Air Force Chief of Chaplains, was the keynote speaker. She challenged the women to live into their strengths and affirmed their contributions to the people and the mission of the Armed Forces. CH (COL) Janet Horton (Ret.), an early woman member of the chaplaincy, highlighted how far women in uniform, particularly chaplains, have come. She celebrated the unique gifts women clergy bring to the services. Both women told stories about the challenges they faced as women pioneers in the chaplaincy. Their stories were very inspiring.
A senior panel, comprised of 0-6 chaplains and a general officer, fielded questions about the struggles and issues facing women in the military today. Participants highly praised the event which included seminars, worship, fellowship, mentoring and networking opportunities. Attendees had many positive things to say about the training. One that typifies the feedback received read:
“Thank you so much for organizing and making this year’s Women Chaplains’ Conference come to life. I’ve been in the Army 12 years and have never been able to attend one of these before (on my dime or anyone else’s!) The fellowship and camaraderie has been very badly needed!! I hope and pray I can be of use to organize the next event.”
The conference’s cost was largely underwritten by generous donations from several NCMAF endorsers and a MCA grant. Additionally, some endorsers directly assisted their chaplains with travel and registration fees. Yet, many who attended, paid their expenses out of their own pockets - including overseas travel.
Our experience in May of this year demonstrates such events address a critical professional need. NCMAF and MCA believes that we need a broader partnership with the Chiefs of Chaplains and AFCB in order to ensure the availability and sucess of future events such as this. However, at the time of this writing no future events are planned. Thank you for your support which made this event possible and so successful.
The event’s theme was “Connect, Cultivate, and Contextualize.” Chaplain (Major General) Lorraine Potter, USAF (Ret.), the first female Air Force Chief of Chaplains, was the keynote speaker. She challenged the women to live into their strengths and affirmed their contributions to the people and the mission of the Armed Forces. CH (COL) Janet Horton (Ret.), an early woman member of the chaplaincy, highlighted how far women in uniform, particularly chaplains, have come. She celebrated the unique gifts women clergy bring to the services. Both women told stories about the challenges they faced as women pioneers in the chaplaincy. Their stories were very inspiring.
A senior panel, comprised of 0-6 chaplains and a general officer, fielded questions about the struggles and issues facing women in the military today. Participants highly praised the event which included seminars, worship, fellowship, mentoring and networking opportunities. Attendees had many positive things to say about the training. One that typifies the feedback received read:
“Thank you so much for organizing and making this year’s Women Chaplains’ Conference come to life. I’ve been in the Army 12 years and have never been able to attend one of these before (on my dime or anyone else’s!) The fellowship and camaraderie has been very badly needed!! I hope and pray I can be of use to organize the next event.”
The conference’s cost was largely underwritten by generous donations from several NCMAF endorsers and a MCA grant. Additionally, some endorsers directly assisted their chaplains with travel and registration fees. Yet, many who attended, paid their expenses out of their own pockets - including overseas travel.
Our experience in May of this year demonstrates such events address a critical professional need. NCMAF and MCA believes that we need a broader partnership with the Chiefs of Chaplains and AFCB in order to ensure the availability and sucess of future events such as this. However, at the time of this writing no future events are planned. Thank you for your support which made this event possible and so successful.
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