If you are unable to view the presentation above, we have included the text of our story about Village Missionary Chris White, who serves as a fire chaplain, below.
Chris looked around at his fellow firefighters. He had anticipated this day for a long time. The fire chief and Chris announced that he was switching to a chaplain role. Then the two of them left for the hospital to visit a firefighter who had just lost his wife and unborn child.
Chris and his wife, Naomi, are Village Missionaries in the small town of Rich Valley, Alberta. After moving there in 2006, Chris realized that becoming a firefighter would be an ideal way to be involved in the community. “As pastors, we are to be there in people’s darkest times, and that’s what firefighters do,” he said.
As Chris responded to fire and accident scenes, he pondered how he could also minister to the emotional and spiritual needs of people affected by tragedy. With the support of a new fire chief, Chris officially took on the fire chaplain role in 2016. Now he is one of two chaplains in their county and is chaplain for a neighboring county.
According to the Federation of Fire Chaplains – an international group Chris belongs to – the essence of fire chaplaincy is to come alongside the firefighters and the community.
Coming Alongside Firefighters
Chris comes alongside his fellow firefighters in many ways. He practices and trains with them every week. He responds to fire calls. He looks for ways to meet their needs and lighten their burden. When there’s a long fire call, Chris or another pastor from the local ministerial association delivers food. At Christmas, Chris and his wife take home-baked cookies to the fire hall.
The goal is to build trust with firefighters so that they contact him when they need help. “People call firefighters when things go wrong. Firefighters call me when things go wrong for them.” Often they don’t need to call him – they run into him around town. One day he stopped at the bakery and ended up staying for an hour talking with a firefighter who needed encouragement.
A large part of a fire chaplain’s role is to help firefighters debrief after stressful or traumatic experiences. When an infant dies in a fire or vehicle crash, for example. When they fight a fire at the home of a relative or friend. Shortly after such events, Chris meets with them for Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).
Chaplains also conduct funerals for firefighters, probably the hardest thing they face.
A couple years ago Chris came upon the scene of a fatal accident minutes after it occurred. Chris stopped and discovered that the victim was a local firefighter. Chris spent a long, painful night at the scene with the deputy chief. Throughout the following days, he ministered to the firefighter’s family and members of the fire hall. And he officiated the large funeral with the support of another chaplain from the Alberta Association of Fire Chaplains, an organization Chris was instrumental in founding.
Sierra White, who watched her father train and serve as a firefighter, says, “Men and women in the fire service need someone who cares for them personally and spiritually. I couldn’t be prouder of my father for being the one to do it.”
Coming Alongside Community Members
First responder chaplains also come alongside community members when they experience tragedy. “On the worst day of a person’s life, I walk beside them and love them,” Chris said. “I sit with a distraught person at an accident scene or spend a day taking someone whose home burned to thrift stores. They know I’m there as a pastor and a Christian, and if they start asking questions about God, I help them find answers.”
“He interacts with many different people and impacts their lives so much,” Naomi White said. “His availability to help people through difficult situations and answer their questions has expanded our ministry.”
Just ask Delrose. Her husband was a firefighter. After he died, Chris and the church reached out to her. They took her meals and firewood and called often to check in with her. Because of their love and care, she is now part of their church family.
Please pray for Village Missionary-pastors who function as chaplains or offer informal care for people who respond to emergencies. Ask God to give them wisdom on how to comfort and come alongside people. Pray that they would stay closely connected to God and depend fully on him.
Will you pray regularly for Village Missionaries?
