New chapel open for service

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachelle Coleman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The new base chapel was dedicated today, just in time to start preparing for the holidays. 

Moving the base chapel has been a difficult process in which the chapel staff dealt with working out of multiple locations, security issues, manning the large move and starting over in a new chapel. 

In February 2007, after 52 years in the old chapel, the base chapel began the process of moving and getting ready to move into the second newest chapel in the Air Force in 26 years. 

During their wait to move into the new chapel building, the chapel operated out of five separate locations. Church services were held in the Aurora Club while Sunday School classes and Awana, a youth program, were held in Crawford Elementary School. The chapel staff worked in the building behind Amber Hall, which was also used as excess billeting for Red Flag-Alaska participants. 

There are two off-site locations, one operating on the flightline for Red Flag- Alaska participants and the other, the North Star Café, in the basement of a dormitory. Sometimes patrons had a difficult time locating a chaplain, who might not be in their office or at the church. The chapel lost patrons because it was hard for some to find them when they were needed. 

Another difficult, but long awaited situation was moving out of the main chapel and into the Aurora club. 

"It was like moving your grandparent's things after they passed," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) David Terrinoni, 354th Fighter Wing lead chaplain. "The church and chapel have emotional attachments for our older patrons." 

In the initial move out of the old chapel, 22 tons of old furniture, props and other material were moved out and sorted to trash, the Aurora Club and storage. 

"We saved what we could," said Chaplain Terrinoni, "including wood from the balcony railing and stained glass windows." 

Items like the wood railing were saved to be reused in the new church or given away as gifts to distinguished visitors and the stained glass would be reused in the new chapel. 

Another obstacle the staff encountered was security at both the new chapel and Aurora Club. Over the time that the new chapel plans were drawn up and the chapel construction finished, lock requirements changed for the Air Force and the new locks were more expensive than planned. The unexpected cost delayed their installation. 

Chaplain's assistants had to perform security checks to make sure both the Aurora Club and the new church were secure. At the Aurora Club there were often issues with bar patrons wandering around the temporary chapel area. Chaplain's assistants made rounds every night, checking inside and out of the buildings. 

"It was an odd situation because we shared a space with the club," said Staff Sgt. James Warren, 354th Fighter Wing chaplains assistant, "some patrons wouldn't attend because there was a bar in the basement. Sometimes you have to make do with what you have, but it will be a relief to know that we're in charge of our building." 

The chapel staff wasn't manned for moving but they did what they could and had help from the wing staff and chapel services volunteers. 

"Everyone wanted to start moving everything right away," said Chaplain Terrinoni, "but we're moving in phases. " 

The chapel planned to move according to their main functions. Their first focus was preparing the new chapel for worship services. Next, they'll focus on the areas intended for fellowship and education, and preparing for the chapels' dedication ceremony. After the chapel dedication, the focus will be setting up for Sunday School, Awana's youth program, Catholic Christian Doctrine, the Defense Reutilization Market Office, and donating old furniture to the wing. 

"Our objective is to be finished cleaning up by November thirtieth," said Chaplain Terrinoni, "George Shriver, a 354th Civil Engineering Squadron architect, had a similar vision of what the building should look like. Memories are built in a chapel because it's the spiritual center of the base. We recognized the environment and aimed to make the building bright and warm." 

The new building is designed for flexibility and capability, accommodating each faith's specific needs, a definite change from the Aurora Club. Some of the added benefits of the new chapel are a multi-faith room in which Muslims can practice their prayer rituals and a room specifically for Catholic confessional and prayer. 

"We plan to be fully operational by the end of November, just in time for the Christmas holiday," said Sergeant Warren.