IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNION OF THE CHARISMATIC EPISCOPAL CHURCH (ICCEC)
Established November 4th, 1994
Thirty Years of Chaplaincy Ministry
4881 Highway 34 East, Sharpsburg, GA 30277
www.iccec.org
Bishop David Epps – Associate Endorser
admin@oafcchaplaincy.org
Phone: 770-714-2560
Overview
The Office of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (OAFC) is the central unifying endorsing agency for the Charismatic Episcopal Church in North America (CEC-NA). This document outlines the process and procedures for ecclesiastical endorsement for ministries in all six branches of the military and the VA / DOD civilian chaplaincy, specifically, pastoral counseling, and clinical education, by which the CEC-NA affirms and recognizes individuals who attain the necessary levels of theological and ministerial competence. It sets forth criteria for the extension of calls and appointments to ministries in chaplaincy, pastoral counseling, and clinical education, hereafter referred to as the the Office of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (OAFC). Additionally, it presents guidelines for OAFC programs in affiliated or recognized social ministry organizations.
A message from our Patriarch:
As the global Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC), it is my pleasure to welcome you to the website of the Charismatic Episcopal Church of North America (CEC-NA) Military Office of the United States. This is an initiative designed to share with you something of a unique specialized ministry of our beloved Communion. The Office, is a department composed of all the Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC) Chaplains serving in the United States Military, VA / DOD civilian chaplaincies and their families. The Office has one appointed Bishop who oversees the OAFC specialized chaplaincy ministries, pastoral care of chaplains, recruiting, episcopal visits to military bases, civilian agencies, confirmations, retreats, administration of accessioning of priests, and endorsements.
We support six branches of the military: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Command, and Coast Guard. All our chaplains complete an Association of Theological Schools (ATS) training and are confirmed members of the local parish endorsed by the CEC-NA Chaplaincy Board to serve beyond the local parish as a specialized ministry to our military forces. The CEC-NA chaplaincy program and mission is to take the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to every Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman, Space Force and, Coast Guard personnel and CEC family.
CEC chaplains have been ministering for over thirty years and we will continue to provide ministry to the military in years to come. The appointed Bishop/Military Endorser for the Office is The Most Reverend William David Epps, who is also the Bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South. The Office has the requirement to also endorse chaplains serving in other areas of VA / DOD needing endorsed chaplaincy ministries from the CEC.
A message from our Associate Endorser:
I became the Associate Endorser to the CEC-NA Military Office in May 2011 and the Endorser in October 2024. I served and enlistment in the US Marine Corps. I also served as a police chaplain for over 30 years serving several agencies including the FBI. I found myself right at home within the CEC-NA (Military Office), a close-knit community that works with dedication and professionalism in the cause of establishing peace and justice in the world in which these things are elusive. The appointed Bishop is the main link between the National Conference to the Military of the Armed Forces (NCMAF), the CEC-NA Chaplains, and the Primate of the CEC-NA. The appointed Bishop’s role and staff comes through having served in the armed forces and civilian chaplaincy understanding the language, culture assignments and serving in times of war to better relate to those serving in military uniform today. The 20th and 21st century chaplaincy have seen more long-term wars and combat than any other century which requires a chaplain to understand chaplaincy trauma, Traumatic Brain Injuries and Post Traumatic Stress in military personnel and their families.
The CEC-NA Office is designed by its nature to minister to our military and VA / DOD civilian personnel in times of daily ministerial stress and national crises. We have developed both an experienced and volunteer staff to assist the appointed Bishop to handle all contingencies domestic and abroad. A staff is trained and ready to assist our chaplains in times of emergency at home and in cases of emergencies regarding natural disasters from flood and ice storms, search and rescue, and humanitarian aid overseas. Our military men and women spend months to years on deployments and assignments, leaving behind their family members who make considerable sacrifices, including risk and separation from loved ones, to do the things that our Nation asks them to do. Military spouses are a vital element in sustaining the forces down range. I am proud that by God’s grace and often in the-midst-of turmoil we can witness to the presence of our Lord who even in darkness brings peace such as the world cannot give. May he continue “to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
I am proud of our chaplains. We currently have several active-duty and reserve chaplains, none of whom are working within the Veterans Administration (VA) agencies. We actively recruit potential men seeking to minister to those in uniform and try our best to work with seminaries discerning the call to military ministry as well.
These chaplains come from eight different Dioceses throughout our CEC-NA Communion, and we are grateful they have been made available for this ministry. We are also grateful to parishes that allow their clergy to take time for duties to serve in the Reserve and National Guard gaining valuable ministerial experience as part of their parish ministry. They learn how to relate to the many different cultures, multi-ethnic people groups and other denominational chaplains getting a well-rounded ecumenical education. Once they have served their time in the military chaplaincy, they are ready to serve in a local CEC parish as a vicar, rector, church planter, or other leadership position. I bid your prayers for them always and for the chaplains of all denominations and faiths serving in the Chaplaincy as well as our own.
We have many other areas of chaplaincy ministry as stated above and are always willing to speak to those interested in serving God in those areas outside the local parish. One must be a member of a local CEC parish to begin the process of entering the mission field as a chaplain.
We are grateful for the support of Archbishop Bates and for his encouragement and prayers and we thank you for visiting this window into our life and ministry. May you feel that it is a part of your ministry and first and foremost the ministry of Jesus in which, to quote the Collect for the Feast of All Saints, “we are knit together into one holy Parish, the mystical Body of Christ.”