Hurlburt Field Chapel hosts annual Clergy Day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jeff Parkinson
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  The Hurlburt Field chapel staff hosted its annual Clergy Day at the chapel, March 29, here.

Clergy Day is an event coordinated by the chapel staff when local clergy members and faith leaders are invited to Hurlburt Field to receive information on topics regarding military personnel they may encounter within their church and community.

“We want to foster and establish a good working relationship with our local clergy and faith leaders in the surrounding area,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Brandon Stephens with the 1st Special Operations Wing chapel. “We have a lot of active duty members that attend church services in the local community.”

Informing local clergy and faith leaders about specific issues military personnel encounter creates an environment for Airmen and their families to thrive.

This year’s topic, ‘some wounds never do heal,’ focused on post-traumatic stress disorder with the goal of leaving the attendees with the knowledge and resources needed to aid a member in their church who could potentially seek their help.

“The sessions on PTSD helped, even if we already knew a little about it,” said Roger Peadro, a pastor at First Christian Church in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. “It brought [PTSD] to the forefront and helped us to be more keenly aware of the signs that there might be someone needing a deeper level of ministry.”

Attendees were briefed on PTSD and its signs as well as current counseling statistics and trends to help them identify and potentially counsel someone.

“What we’re really trying to address, with the pastors and clergy, is that they may have people sitting in their congregation that are hurting,” said Stephens. “They may not have visible wounds, and we want them to know how to recognize someone who shows signs of having PTSD.”