Blog Post
Chaplaincy in the Aloha State
- By Chaplain (CDR) Brian (Jake) Jacobson, CH (LTC) Everett Franklin, CH (MAJ) Jeff Bartels, Sarah Judson
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- 23 Apr, 2018
When you picture life in Hawaii, you may envision constant relaxation in a land of paradise. However, Chaplains in Hawaii aren’t on a permanent vacation.
Chaplains (LTC) Everett Franklin, (CDR) Brian Jacobson and (MAJ) Jeff Bartels are a part of one of the largest hubs of military action, in a state with a culture all its own. As Chaplain Franklin often says, it’s not “Florida in the middle of the Pacific”, but rather a group of incredibly diverse islands, home to a myriad of people and array of backgrounds.
This diversity plays a large part of Chaplain Jacobson’s role as a developer of ministry and training. He travels the world, meeting Chaplains and learning about their military ministries and how to best facilitate their missions. His position entails that he is constantly on the go, as he is responsible for 134 active and reserve Religious Ministry teams. Seven months ago, Chaplain Jacobson transitioned from working with Marines, Sailors, and Coast Guardsmen to an Echelon 2 position serving fellow Chaplains and Religious Program Specialist. He says the most transformative aspect has been developing Community Relations projects and mission planning injects, integrating what he has learned from the feedback of Chaplains around the world into ministry.
Chaplain Everett Franklin is currently serving his second assignment in Hawaii with his wife April and daughter Lindsey, nearing their fourth year in total. During his first stay, he was a Battalion Chaplain for the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, and currently serves as the Deputy Command Chaplain for the 8th Theater Sustainment Command. His command has responsibility for sustainment of all Army forces in the Pacific theater from India to the west coast of Florida. Chaplain Franklin has served in Kuwait, Baghdad, Iraq, and numerous stations in the US. As military families know, each move requires transition and sacrifice, and the Franklins’ move to Hawaii was no exception. The family and their two dogs spent their first 41 days on the island in one very small hotel room. As Chaplain Franklin relates, “Finding housing when moving to Hawaii can be quite the adventure”!
“Chaplains in Hawaii aren’t always riding a wave, snorkeling in a cove, hiking a watershed, or sunning at the beach”, Chaplain Bartels writes. While this is his first Hawaiian assignment, CH Bartels is no stranger to military moves or overseas duty. He has been assigned at two different locations in Kansas and Virginia, schooling in South Carolina, a tour in Europe, and several deployments to Iraq as well as numerous locations as a Chaplain Candidate prior to his active duty commission. His adventurous family of five, which includes two newly added guinea pigs, loves the climate in Hawaii. His primary duties in an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) are Theater Religious Support as the Operations Chief. However, time on the shore is a part of his service at IMPACT Chapel Hawaii. There, he is busy serving over 125 Soldiers and families, a figure that almost doubles during holidays. Every month, the chapel holds a beach service offering worship, food, and a time for fellowship. These unique services include baptism in the ocean on occasion, and Chaplain Bartels has baptized almost 15 people in 15 months. He concludes, “Hawaii life is very active work and ministry for the Indo-Pacific, and I’m honored to serve in such a place and time”, a sentiment echoed by his fellow island Chaplains.
Chaplain (CDR) Brian (Jake) Jacobson
CH (LTC) Everett Franklin
CH (MAJ) Jeff Bartels
Recent Posts
The Chaplains Commission congratulates Chaplain (CPT) Gary D. Sands for being selected as the best Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) Chaplain for the third consecutive year (2020-2022). CH Sands was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his duty performance and leadership that inspired his unit to win the SRU of the Year award for the first time.
The competition is steep for such recognition by the Army Recovery Care Program Senior Leadership Summit at Fort Belvoir, VA. There are 15 Soldier Recovery Units in the Army nationwide and they’ve cared for 55,000 Soldiers since their activation in 2007.
A native of Texas and a fourth generation Church of God member, Chaplain Sands has been married to Ginger Locklear Sands for more than 30 years. Both are graduates of Lee University and the proud parents of two adult children. Mrs. Sands is a career school teacher. In 1999, they established the Mount Olive Ministry Center in Arlington, TX, where they pastored for 16 years until Gary entered active duty on 21 September 2015.
Chaplain Sands is a 1996 graduate (M.Div) of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary. Afterwards, he earned a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2004) and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary (2020). He is also a Clinical Pastoral Education graduate from Madigan Army Medical Center, WA (2019).
Following this assignment, Chaplain Sands hopes to be promoted to Major and stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. He wants to be assigned as an Airborne Brigade Chaplain, where he can mentor junior Chaplains in providing ministry to their respective battalions.
Thank you, Chaplain Sands, for making us all stand a little taller. Your faithful work and successful ministry at America’s largest military installation is sincerely appreciated.
Please send your notes of congratulations and encouragement to Chaplain and Mrs. Sands at his email address: garydonsands@gmail.com
--Charles Howell, Chaplain Colonel (USA retired), 23 FEB 2023
The competition is steep for such recognition by the Army Recovery Care Program Senior Leadership Summit at Fort Belvoir, VA. There are 15 Soldier Recovery Units in the Army nationwide and they’ve cared for 55,000 Soldiers since their activation in 2007.
A native of Texas and a fourth generation Church of God member, Chaplain Sands has been married to Ginger Locklear Sands for more than 30 years. Both are graduates of Lee University and the proud parents of two adult children. Mrs. Sands is a career school teacher. In 1999, they established the Mount Olive Ministry Center in Arlington, TX, where they pastored for 16 years until Gary entered active duty on 21 September 2015.
Chaplain Sands is a 1996 graduate (M.Div) of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary. Afterwards, he earned a Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2004) and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological Seminary (2020). He is also a Clinical Pastoral Education graduate from Madigan Army Medical Center, WA (2019).
Following this assignment, Chaplain Sands hopes to be promoted to Major and stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. He wants to be assigned as an Airborne Brigade Chaplain, where he can mentor junior Chaplains in providing ministry to their respective battalions.
Thank you, Chaplain Sands, for making us all stand a little taller. Your faithful work and successful ministry at America’s largest military installation is sincerely appreciated.
Please send your notes of congratulations and encouragement to Chaplain and Mrs. Sands at his email address: garydonsands@gmail.com
--Charles Howell, Chaplain Colonel (USA retired), 23 FEB 2023
She and Kelly Artemis founded Milspo Gurus for this community, and engage in honest discussion through blogs, Q&A videos , and a personalized course. Their course was recently featured in military family focused Legacy Magazine , and both are published in other military resources, found on their site. Claire shares more about the creation of Milspo Gurus here:
