Spirtual workout

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cory D. Payne
  • 48th Fighter Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  While maintaining physical and mental readiness in the Air Force is important, the RAF Lakenheath Chapel staff is here to provide Airmen and their families with tools to help to maintain spiritual readiness.

The Liberty Wing Chapel offers several different religious services, including Catholic and Protestant and provides wing support with lay leaders for Islamic, Latter Day Saints and Jewish faiths.

"The goal is to spiritually nourish and strengthen Airmen and family members in a way that creates vitality and resiliency," said Staff Sgt. Aimee Roth, 48th Fighter Wing chaplain assistant.

The chapel also works closely with the local community to provide the men and women of the 48th FW with other outlets for spirituality.

"There is no way our team of 10 can meet spiritual needs of the whole base, so we rely heavily on collaborative relationships with neighboring churches and numerous para-church organizations," said Roth.

The chapel also works to give back to the community and to give families a sense of stability with programs such as the youth group Club Beyond, which is a chapel sponsored youth program provided by Military Community Youth Ministries.

"Our local Club Beyond links up with other base's clubs from around Europe for major events such as the Summer Service project where 30 of our high school youth plus adult sponsors will travel to Romania for a week to help under privileged youth," said Roth.

One of the most important functions of the chapel is to give members of the Liberty Wing a place to talk and work through any personal or professional issues. No matter the size of the problem, the chaplains and their assistants will work with Airmen and their families during times of stress, ensuring confidentiality at all times.

"A chaplain and chaplain assistant are on call and reachable through the command post after duty hours. This is because we know emergencies don't only happen between 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m," said Roth.

Everyone goes through their own trials and tribulations throughout their life, and being able to help some people through those hard times is one of the reasons why Roth loves her job.

"At the end of the day, there is a deep satisfaction in knowing that I was able help a comrade find stability, gain hope or just to know that they don't have to walk through their tough circumstances alone," said Roth. "For me, this is the best job in the Air Force and I love serving America's elite."

For more information on chapel activities, events, services or for support please contact the base chapel at 226-3711.