Another year has nearly passed and I find myself looking back proudly on the accomplishments of the Illinois Corps of Fire Chaplains. While our organization has experienced growth and success, the road has not been smooth all the way for its members.  Many of us have experienced losses and difficulties this past year.  Some were financial and some were about family.  We have been intentional about seeking God’s help first and then being that help for one another.  We have also seen joy – in the faces of those we serve, in a job well done, in knowing that we indeed make a difference. I know that I have grown as a person, as a Chaplain and in the many roles I play in my family’s life.  I thank you for the help and support you have given me personally over the past year as well.

 

I believe that our Corps has established itself firmly in its mission to serve. We have drawn together; focused on the goals we have set and built upon the strengths we have. We have built 23 new programs in Illinois since we began this organization in 2008, enrolled 60 chaplains as members of the organization, and supported the efforts of many more.  Our new training headquarters in Carol Stream is a now place to call home, though the bulk of the work is a joint effort from chaplains across the state. We have participated in numerous disaster drills in the Chicago Metro area, provided mutual aid for a Chaplain response in Michigan, assisted the Salvation Army with flood response, post Katrina recovery, Burr Oak Cemetery and H1N1 vaccine distribution.  Hundreds if not thousands of hours of care and service have been offered to our departments and communities at fires, deaths, trainings and intentional time spent at the station. 

 

We have prayed together, laughed together, trained together and set the bar high.  I wonder, though, where we want to be next year, in three years or even in five years.  I would like to challenge you as you start the New Year to think about that. What is God calling us to do?  What horizons are in front of you as we come into 2010?  How can we step forward on that journey together?

 

Let me also express my thanks to all of you for your leadership, your thirst for knowledge, your willingness to train, your faith and your prayerful tenacity.  In the midst of adversity, you do not waiver.  In the face of loss, you have clung to hope.  As the doors of opportunity and change open, we have stepped through together.   Good job ICFC.  Well done team.  Special thanks to our Board of Directors and all those whose support and encouragement puts wind in our sails.  You should be proud of yourselves.

 

I’d like to close with a quote that I heard at training session sometime this year – though I can’t remember who said it or when.  It has stuck with me none the less.  “Every day is currency to be spent.”  How rich we are if we look at it that way.  The time, talents and very breath we have are ours to enjoy and to give away.  I know that you will. 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and God’s blessing to you always.

 

Be safe and at peace.

Jennie Swanson
President