Church shows appreciation to police, veterans

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It feels good to be appreciated.

That’s why Christ Covenant Church in Seymour took the time Sunday — on Veterans Day — to thank local law enforcement and veterans for their service.

Since Pastor Rick Prather and his wife, Amber, have been involved with the Jackson County Jail Ministry since it started in 2000, they wanted to show their appreciation to three people who have helped make it possible for the past eight years.

They presented plaques to outgoing Sheriff Mike Carothers, Jail Commander Charlie Murphy and Lt. Andy Wayman. They also received signs made by Minister Dave Semenuk from Gideons International. Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman helped with the presentations.

Prather said Carothers and his staff allowed him and other pastors the freedom to come into the jail to minister to inmates and baptize them.

The other speakers were Sister Gayle Skaggs, who also is a part of the jail ministry; Semenuk; the Rev. Wendell Chinn of New Life Apostolic Church in Seymour; and Minister William Helblig.

Skaggs said she looked up the definition of appreciation and found it is the recognition and enjoyment of good qualities of someone or something.

She said it was an honor to show appreciation to Carothers, Murphy and Wayman.

“God is so good to allow these wonderful men to serve our county and our country,” she said. “Our county sure has been blessed by these outstanding men. I sincerely appreciate these men and will miss them on the days I visit the jail. May God bless you and your families, and may he give you all of the blessings in all of the areas of your life.”

Skaggs also shared her appreciation of veterans.

“I say thank you from the bottom of my heart for serving and protecting America — the land that I love,” she said. “Your service has brought freedom to my children and my grandchildren and to myself. God bless you all, and god bless America.”

Semenuk said police officers protect people from the chaos that’s out there in society, and they are peacemakers who want people to follow the laws and rules.

“It’s those laws and those rules and people that will enforce them to keep us safe, and we thank Jesus for that,” he said.

Semenuk said he appreciates the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department for allowing him to minister to inmates because some jails in other counties don’t allow it.

“It’s not something that we take for granted,” he said. “It’s done because there’s a partnership, and it’s invested in these folks to go out of their way and move resources to make this time happen on Saturdays and Sundays. We thank them for doing that.”

As for the military, Semenuk said people have died to give us the freedoms we have today, and people continue to serve and sacrifice.

“People died to give us the freedom so we can be here on a Sunday morning in peace and praise and worship our Lord,” he said.

Paying tribute to law enforcement and the military was close to Chinn’s heart because he is a chaplain with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

While first responders, government officials and members of the military are good servants, Chinn said the ultimate person people need to look at and pattern their lives after is Jesus Christ.

“I consider him the ultimate servant and the ultimate veteran,” he said. “Ultimate veteran because everything we’re going through, he has already been through. As a veteran, he knows about everything you are going through — every test, trial, tears shed. Whatever you are going through, remember that the Lord, Jesus Christ, is there all of the time.”

Honoring veterans also was personal for Helblig. He was a sergeant in the U.S. Army and did two tours of Iraq.

Coming from a long line of family members who served, he said he was drawn to enlist.

“God put that in my heart that that’s what I want to do. I want to serve my country,” he said. “As soon as I was 17, that’s what I did. I enlisted. I couldn’t wait to graduate high school to join the Army.”

After his second tour of Iraq, though, he said he lost his way and got into drugs and wound up in the Jackson County Jail.

A month into his time there, he said he realized he had made a mess of his life, and he dropped to his knees to pray.

“With a humbled heart, I asked Christ to forgive me for my sins and help me get through it, get me through this and devote my life to Jesus,” he said.

As a minister, Helblig is happy to share his story of service and honor those who show courage and patriotism. That includes law enforcement and the military.

“They are trusting each other with their lives, and that bond will bond them forever,” he said. “They’ll be stronger than brothers and sisters. That love for one another is a strong bond. That camaraderie and bond is forever.”

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