CHICAGO, IL (December 26, 2004) – Covenant chaplain Judy Hamrick of Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church got an early Christmas present as her unit dedicated a new chapel facility on December 15.
“The Army Chief of Chaplains visited us and participated in the service,” said Hamrick, a major who is serving in Afghanistan after previously being stationed in Hawaii. “Our Jewish community leader provided the scripture reading and the Gospel Choir sang ‘Lord, Make me a Sanctuary.’ We presented Soldier’s New Testaments to the Chief of Chaplains, to our local commander for making the chapel such a high priority on the camp projects list, and to the sergeant who was the building project officer for the extra TLC the engineers put into their work.”
Before the dedication service, the Chief of Chaplain’s Chief of Staff (a priest) conducted a mass in the new facility. A civilian carpenter built the tabernacle for the Catholics and did the ‘Good Shepherd carving’ on the front by hand, Hamrick added. Plans are to add marble floor tile and the civilian carpenters are also making some pews. Chairs are also being ordered.
A chaplain for the 25th Infantry Division (Light) Artillery, Hamrick, a native of Kent, Ohio, is currently in her 11th year of military service. She earned her undergraduate degree from Nyack College in New York and a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack with post graduate orientation classes at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. Along with her service in Asia and Hawaii, Hamrick also has served in Virginia, Oklahoma, Washington D.C., and Korea.
To learn more about Hamrick and her work, email her at HamrickJ@CJTF76.centcom.mil.
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