Service to the Service

I met with the Alaska U.S. Coast Guard Chaplain yesterday.  He was in Homer for the transfer of Command on The Hickory.  The other Coast Guard vessel stationed at Homer Harbor is the Roanoke Island.  I am going to be the new Volunteer Chaplain to the Coast Guard Unit located at Homer.  I’m really excited about this for several reasons.  I began thinking about why I feel good about trying to serve in this way.  Here’s what I came up with- support to service people who are far from home; new connections to a part of the Homer community that can be isolated to themselves; new opportunities to share faith with people; possibly this role would be a bridge to Coast Gaurd service people who have a United Methodist background to connect to a church family during their service here; possibilities for service from my church to the Coast Gaurd unit; etc.  My father and youngest brother were submariners in the Navy and my other brother is still a Marine Reserve officer.  I think those parts of my family relations have been a factor in my own long time considering how I could connect my ministry as a United Methodist clergy with families who are living in and living with military service.  I hope I can help.

In other news…  Summer this year has been as bright and pleasant as last summer’s weather was gray and chilly.  Karen and I went on a great hike last week to a new trail (new for us) called Alpine Meadow Trail.  Great flowers with the beautiful Kenai mountains in the background.  Check this out:

2 colors of lupine flowers and some other flowers...

On Sunday early evening we walked on the Homestead Trail again.  We sat on the Reuben Call memorial bench for a while and just kind of soaked in the beauty.  This is the 3rd or 4th time we have walked around on the Homestead and adjoining trails in that beautiful area.  Really wonderful.

No new fish reports!  I’ll try some more later.