The organization even publishes a quarterly professional Journal for Chaplains.

Bishop Jones holds a pivotal position for his organization to make real change. Aside from being a retired combat veteran fighter pilot with numerous "Top Gun" awards, he was elected by his peers to serve on the Executive Committee for the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) and will become Chairman in 2021. He is also a charter member and serves as Secretary on the Executive Board of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

Most recently Bishop Jones was instrumental in writing for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit-Little Sisters of the Poor lawsuit, and Amicus Brief to the United States 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals for Freedom of Religion.

Anglican Chaplains is a ministry you may never have heard of, but one Christianity can't live without.

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ORLANDO, FL: A Memorial Day Message from your Bishop

May 25th, 2020,

Greetings All JAFC Chaplains,

Honoring the memory of those who gave the most precious gift of life for the freedoms we enjoy this day, has a special place in my heart. While serving on active duty I lost 27 close friends and so each calendar year has a profound and deep significance for me personally.

Military, or Vocational we all share in the gifts provided through those sacrifices. So today, let us take a moment to remember and honor the lives and legacy of all of our service men and women with this prayer:

Almighty God, you are the Lord of the nations, and keeper of both heaven and earth. You hold in your hands both the living and dead. We come here today to honor and give thanks for all those, both young and old, who laid down their lives to serve and preserve this great nation for the freedoms we enjoy today. Deal graciously, we pray Dear Father, with all those who mourn for them, reminding us, that they may be out of our sight but are never out of yours as they live on in the light of your eternal presence, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen

Your Bishop,
+Derek

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Anglican Chaplaincy

In the United States today, and perhaps around the world, when people think of the church, the ministries of Christian churches, and of Christian ministers, they commonly imagine local churches and the life and ministries of parochial or parish and congregational ministers. In fact there are a significant number of unique non-parochial (non-parish) ministry fields beyond the orbit of the local church - and distinct from traditional missionary ministry - where the church deploys ordained and lay ministers as well. The lay and ordained ministers who have been deployed throughout our history into these various fields are known as Chaplains. While the ministries provided by our Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JAFC) Priest, Deacon, and Lay Commissioned Chaplains are the same ministries as those provided by Anglican parochial ministers -- worship, pastoral care, counsel, service, etc. - their day to day functioningas chaplains varies significantly from that of parochial ministers as a result of the unique contexts in which they serve.

Beyond their ordinations and commissionings, those who function as Chaplains are specially educated, trained, equipped, and deployed to serve in a variety of governmental and non-governmental institutional and non-institutional settings to include: hospital, hospice, and armed forces, as well as correctional and educational institutions, and a variety of other fields. Anglican Chaplains provide ministry around the world, e.g., on university campuses, on Naval war ships with Sailors and Marines, with U.S. Special Forces in Africa, with the hurting and grieving in hospitals and correctional facilities, with American Soldiers fighting in the Middle East, at US Air Force Bases in Europe and Asia, at rodeos, with bikers, with Civil Air Patrol cadets, in cities within refuse dumps in Latin America, and more. Chaplains live and work in challenging and sometimes austere and dangerous places, manifesting the light of the Incarnate Word and the love of Jesus Christ to those they serve.

Due to the highly specialized nature of chaplaincies and the unique populations chaplains serve, Anglican Chaplains are provided education, training, and formation to complement and augment typical ministerial education. This further equipping includes an internship, a nine-month group study in Anglican history, theology, and ecclesiology, and a weeklong intensive in Anglican Liturgy. The process from pre-application to endorsement can take up to two years.

Why would someone want to serve as a chaplain? Who else will carry the Gospel and Love of God into these places? Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Chaplains go into all the world, suffering with those who suffer, rejoicing with those who rejoice, and making disciples everywhere they go.