An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Service members seek 'Hope in Times like These'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nichelle Anderson
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan - --  One hundred seventy-two U.S. Service members, Department of Defense employees, contractors and civilians attended the National Prayer Luncheon at the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, April 21, 2010.

The luncheon, entitled "Hope in Times like These," welcomed a distinguished visitor to the Transit Center. Presiding over this years' ceremony was Chaplain (Col.) Jerry Lewis, U.S. Air Forces Central Command head chaplain.

"I'm truly grateful to be able to be with you this day and I'm deeply honored," Chaplain Lewis explained.

The luncheon brought together people of all faiths and religious backgrounds. Several Airmen shared scripture readings from their religious backgrounds and the religious backgrounds represented within the installation.

Airmen from faiths such as Buddhism, Muslim, Christianity and Mormonism shared passages important to them in their daily walk surrounding the theme of hope.

"I give God thanks for National Prayer Breakfast and Luncheons so we can gather together from a diverse community and be able to express our faiths and that part of the warrior is still alive and is still needed in today's context of the fight of which we're in," he said.

Being a service member and being a warrior means that we must be physically fit. But what can often be over looked is the importance of spiritual fitness.

"... [Service members should have] an expression of faith and know how important it is to have spiritual well being in the context of being a warrior because Lord knows we need it", he explained. "With all that is happening in this world, and all we are being called upon as members of the military service, we need a spiritual well being."

Chaplin Lewis explained that being spiritually fit in your everyday live and in times of war is essential: faith can help us to promote hope, peace, freedom and goodwill.

Doing such he focused on three main points: The characteristics of hope within people's lives, what actions are demonstrated or expressed when someone is hopeful and what people of hope strive to achieve.

He defined hope as "an expectation that is brought about by a deep convection that flows from faith or a belief within an individual that your God is great, all powerful, and all mighty."

A passage from the Holy Bible in the book of Psalms chapter 33 verses 20 says, "We wait upon the Lord for he is our shield and our help." This passage was shared to help give direction on where one can turn to if he or she feel like they've done all that they can do and life just "sucks."

Chaplain Lewis shared his experiences of how trusting in God helped to give him hope in situations he felt were nearly hopeless.

"My wife, Deborah Ford, who is very much alive today, never thought she'd see a grandchild be born and we are about to see our third," he explained. His wife suffered a brain tumor and they didn't know how much longer she was expected to live. They looked to the Lord, "All we knew how to do was pray."

"I just don't share the text today about hope, from an educated mind, I don't just come before you today as a pastor reading the text and sharing these characteristics just because it sounds good, - I come to you today to share what's in my heart", he said.

As the AFCENT head chaplain, Chaplain Lewis provides functional oversight, pastoral care, administrative support and visitation to Chaplin Corps personnel at 26 locations supporting 22,000 U.S. Air Force members in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility.

A chaplain's role in military service is not to oblige a specific denomination or religious affiliation upon anyone instead they provide religious accommodations for spiritual growth, moral, guidance, fellowship, ministry, and counseling.

The Transit Center chapel hosts the event each year so that deployed U.S. military service members have the opportunity to take part the national observance.

The history of the event is a series of breakfast, lunches, and dinners that dates back to 1953. The event held is annually on the first Thursday of February is held in Washington, D.C., hosted by the United States Congress and is attended by thousands.