An Airborne chaplain who found his calling in the classifieds

By Maj. Thomas Cieslak (82nd Airborne)May 8, 2018

An Airborne Chaplain Who Found his Calling in the Classifieds
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An Airborne Chaplain Who Found his Calling in the Classifieds
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An Airborne Chaplain Who Found his Calling in the Classifieds
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Captain Jacques Albertyn, Chaplain for the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division didn't think much about a small voice he heard in church calling him to ministry until he got home and opened up the classif... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- For one chaplain serving in the 82nd Airborne Division, his calling did not come in the form of a thunderous voice or dramatic event. It came when he opened the local classified section.

Captain Jacques Albertyn, the Battalion Chaplain for the 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, heard a soft voice while sitting in a church pew, third row from the front. He didn't think about it much until getting home and reaching for the newspaper.

"My calling happened March 10th, 2002. Some people might have that big moment where God speaks to them in a thunderous voice or something dramatic happened in their lives that calls them to ministry," said Albertyn. "For me, it was a quiet voice."

Albertyn was born in Pinelands, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, in a hospital that was once a Catholic monastery. A Southern Baptist and endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention, he attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Orlando Campus before joining the Army.

"Military Chaplaincy is about selfless service, it is about giving yourself to others with no expectation of receiving anything else in return," said Albertyn about ministering to Soldiers. "Army Chaplaincy provided me with an opportunity to walk next to the young men and women that serve this country, to share God's presence with them and support them in the midst of anxiety and fear."

Albertyn had just started a new career at a local company in Florida after immigrating to the United States when he heard that voice in church.

I am calling you for my people, the voice said, calling him by name. After getting home from church, Albertyn prayed to God to reveal the ministry He wanted Albertyn to serve in. "As I opened the newspaper, on the left page there was a quarter-page advertisement about the need for U.S. Army Chaplains to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan," said Albertyn. "I looked at the ad, read it and went onto the next page, thinking to myself 'that is not church.'

"Each time I served in a church since that day, my wife would say 'You do know this is not where God wants you to serve,'" continued Albertyn. "It might have taken me 14 years to get into the Army, but every day I serve as a chaplain is a blessing as I fulfill my true and direct calling from God."

Being a faith leader in an Airborne Infantry Brigade Combat Team requires not only steadfast courage to conduct static-line airborne operations, but also empathy to understand the reservations some paratroopers have before jumping. Primarily, it demands a chaplain serve alongside those he ministers to."

"Being Airborne is not just a job, it is a way of life. Airborne is not for everyone, but those who are here deserve a chaplain who will look after them," said Albertyn. "Airborne operations provide an aspect of service that can challenge the toughest Soldier. Being next to paratroopers through their challenges and hearing their opinions, fears and joys about jumping is what military Chaplaincy is all about."

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