FARGO, N.D. — The North Dakota National Guard Office of the Chaplain will host a Clergy Day 2012 event in Devils Lake, N.D., for area clergy and church staff members. The training workshop will connect military chaplains with their civilian counterparts while providing information on resources available to help meet the needs of military families in area congregations.
The event also will address the need for military chaplains and opportunities for ministers who feel called to serve this population. Continental breakfast will be served.
It will take place from 9:30 a.m. until noon on Thursday at Camp Grafton Training Center, Devils Lake, N.D. Participants must register with Chaplain (Capt.) Brock Sailer at 701-662-0618 or brock.sailer@us.army.mil in order to ensure access onto the secured base. Media interested in covering the event also should contact Sailer.
National Guard chaplains provide spiritual care and guidance to military members and their families as a way to strengthen the force. This is accomplished through religious observances that allow personnel to implement their right to the free exercise of religion, as well as by providing pastoral care and advising military leadership on spiritual, ethical, moral, morale, core values and religious accommodation issues.
In North Dakota, Army and Air National Guard chaplains have served on multiple missions. In recent years, they’ve mobilized overseas to provide on-site ministry and support during deployments. They’ve worked alongside Guardsmen on flood duty for the past three years, supporting not only the military members but also community members in impacted communities. They also provide religious services during weekend drill periods or wherever else it’s needed — on a dirt dike holding back floodwaters, briefly before combat patrols overseas, or in celebration of a Guardsman’s retirement. Military chaplains also offer confidential one-on-one time with military families seeking assistance.
WHAT: Clergy Day 2012 – Devils Lake region
WHEN: 9:30 a.m.-noon Thursday, May 3, 2012
WHERE: Camp Grafton Training Center, Devils Lake, N.D.
MEDIA: Coordinate arrival with Brock Sailer and be prepared to show a government-issued ID card to gain access to Camp Grafton. For more information, contact Sailer at 701-662-0618.
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Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,800 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. About 70 percent of all members serving today have joined since that time. Currently, nearly 400 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while about 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average.
Video
Video to accompany this release can be viewed at www.youtube.com/NDNationalGuard.
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