
Pastoral leadership conference celebrates chaplains as ministers in a pluralistic setting
Huntsville, Alabama, United States
In 1976, when I became a chaplain, it was said that I was leaving the ministry,” said Rear Admiral (Ret.) Barry Black, guest speaker for chaplains’ Sabbath at Oakwood University Church on December 2, 2023. “I was looked upon as leaving the ministry because providing spiritual nourishment in a pluralistic setting of religious diversity was not valued by the church.”
The irony of this statement was not lost on the hundreds of chaplains and other guests attending the service launching the chaplains’ track of the North American Division (NAD) Pastoral Evangelism and Leadership Council (PELC).
Black’s critics could not anticipate his remarkable, far-reaching ministry, including assuming office as the sixty-second chaplain of the United States Senate on July 7, 2003, and, previously, serving as chief of chaplains of the US Navy. His words underscored that chaplains’ pastoral work in diverse settings is as vital to the church’s mission as ministry within a traditional church context.
More than 700 NAD-endorsed chaplains serve across six disciplines—corrections, healthcare, community, law enforcement, military, and campus chaplaincy. Washington Johnson II, director of NAD Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, defined chaplaincy as “reflecting the image of God, meeting people where they are.” They were later affirmed for their work as “agents of healing” in a prayer of consecration by Debleaire Snell, lead pastor of Oakwood University Church and speaker/director of Breath of Life Ministries.
In Black’s message, “Thriving in an Unfriendly World,” he recounted being in his Senate office on January 6, 2021—the day the Electoral College verified the presidential election votes—watching helplessly as an angry mob attacked the Capitol. God sent an angel in the form of Gino Aversano, a six-foot three-inch burly United States Capitol Police officer who followed the Spirit’s prompting to “go find [his] chaplain.”
Black testified, “Beloved, I have lived long enough to know that ‘the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them’!” (Ps. 34:7, KJV). “But I also know we are living in an unfriendly world.”
During the chaplains’ Sabbath luncheon, keynote speaker Chaplain Johnny Poole, retired US Navy captain and cofounder of Chaplain Care, emphasized that humility signifies strength. He shared countless stories of mentors who were his guiding lights, expressing his passion to reflect the Greater Light through his work equipping and placing chaplains where needed.
The Sabbath program closed with the ordination of US Army chaplain Colonel Primitivo Davis. “I find it very interesting and fulfilling to work alongside other people of faith,” Davis said. “I work with priests, Buddhist monks, Muslim imams, and probably every Protestant denomination in America,” he added. Davis also enjoys serving soldiers and civilians holding diverse theological perspectives, including atheists. Davis described the broad scope of his role: “People look at chaplains not just through the eyes of the clerical. They look at them as life problem solvers. And we all have problems.” He shares wisdom from the Word and gently nudges them along a path toward God. [Christelle Agboka, NAD]

Chaplaincy on the move in Ghana, West Africa
Accra, Ghana
A Seventh-day Adventist pastor has risen to the top rank of chaplaincy, from a lieutenant to a colonel, faster than any chaplain before him in Ghana. Chaplain Lt. Col. Peter Nyarko Duodu now serves as head of military chaplains in the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
With the help of Chaplain Duodu, the Adventist Church received permission to build a church on the military campus, one of only a few religions granted this privilege.
The success of Adventist chaplains in the military prompted the police force and prisons to create Adventist chaplain positions as well. The president of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Thomas Techie Ocean, congratulated Chief Inspector Samuel Danso Marfoh for being the first Adventist to be inducted into the chaplaincy of the Ghana Police Service Chaplaincy. The police chaplain received special permission to start a church service on the police training campus.
Recently, a family retreat for military and police chaplains and their wives was organized in Accra, Ghana. The chaplains are all ordained pastors in the Seventh-day Adventist Church who also serve as commissioned officers of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service.
The aim of the retreat was to enhance and equip the spouses of the chaplains to better support their husbands in their specialized ministry. The participants included seven military chaplains and their spouses, as well as one police chaplain and his spouse.
According to Chaplain Duodu, the retreat was organized to offer a special time for prayer, counseling, sharing, and learning for the officers and their wives.
“Serving as a pastor and a military officer can be a daunting task, and knowing you are not alone in your struggles is helpful. That is why we have brought them together to learn, pray, and get counseling and encouragement from each other,” Duodu said. [Solace Asafo, West-Central Africa]

Chaplaincy director commissioned as US Army Reserve chaplain
Columbia, Maryland, United States
In 2023, M. Gilda Dholah-Roddy, associate director of the North American Division (NAD) Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries (ACM), was commissioned as a US Army Reserve chaplain in a ceremony held at the NAD headquarters in Columbia, Maryland. In her new role, Chaplain (Captain) Dholah-Roddy will offer spiritual and pastoral support to military personnel in Virginia, United States.
Dholah-Roddy took the oath of office adminis-tered by Chaplain (Brigadier General) Andrew R. Harewood, the most senior chaplain in the US Army Reserve and a Seventh-day Adventist minister. Dholah-Roddy vowed to “faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; so help me God.”
Dholah-Roddy serves one weekend a month and two weeks a year, engaging in drilling and other activities alongside the soldiers to build trust. Her ministry will include counseling, religious education, pastoral care, conducting funerals and weddings, and supporting service members and their families in different ways.
In 2022, Dholah-Roddy became the first chaplain and first woman appointed associate director for NAD ACM. The NAD ACM provides endorsement, resourcing, and mentorship to more than 800 Seventh-day Adventist chaplains, including nearly 150 serving in the United States military. [Office of Communication, North American Division]