Check out new Fort Polk worship service at Glory Chapel

By Angela ThorneMarch 1, 2021

Fort Polk’s Glory Chapel is where the Christ the King service will take place.
Fort Polk’s Glory Chapel is where the Christ the King service will take place. (Photo Credit: Angie Thorne) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT POLK, La. — Fort Polk’s Religious Support office is increasing its spiritual outreach to the Fort Polk community by offering a new Protestant service. The service begins March 7 at Glory Chapel, 1980 Glory Loop Road. The service, called Christ the King Chapel Fellowship Service, will be held each Sunday at 9 a.m.

Other services currently offered at Fort Polk include:

• Roman Catholic service: Held at 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sundays at the Main Post Chapel

• Chapel Next (Contemporary): Held at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at the Main Post Chapel

• Gospel service: Held at 11 a.m. Sundays at Glory Chapel

Chap. (Lt. Col.) Kenneth Godwin, deputy garrison chaplain, is the lead pastor for the Christ the King Chapel Fellowship Service. Supporting chaplains include Capt. Kim Sebastian, 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division chaplain, and Capt. Rob Kraft, 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd BCT, 10th Mtn Div chaplain.

Godwin said the addition of the Protestant service doesn’t take away from the services already being offered; instead it rounds out the line-up by giving Soldiers and Family members another quality choice when it comes to their worship opportunities. “We had a Protestant service before COVID-19 forced us to combine all our services at one time. I believe not having this service left a hole in our worship diversity. Now we are bringing it back,” he said.

Godwin said each of the services has its own structure and strengths that appeal to people for different reasons based on their own personal preferences. Christ the King Chapel Fellowship service offers them a more traditional approach to Christian worship with a structured format.

“For those who grew up in a traditional or ‘high church’ service with a formality that includes a call to worship, benediction, invocation, scripture reading, communion (offered once a month), hymns, corporate confession of Christian faith and an emphasis on preaching verse by verse from the bible, then this is something you may have been looking for,” he said. “Through this traditional format, we are connecting people to apostolic worship or that which is found in the scriptures.”

The service promotes family integrated worship, which means there is no child care or children’s church offered. Instead, children sit with their parents through the service.

“We want children to worship with their mom and dad,” said Godwin.

Godwin said the structure of this worship service is also designed to share the gospel of forgiveness as provided by Christ to forgive your sins.

“I think that is the most practical part of the service because many times what Soldiers and Family members, who feel bad about themselves and their lives, need to hear is that in Christ they are valued and loved,” he said.

Godwin said he doesn’t want those worried about COVID-19 to miss out on worship. This is the only service using Glory Chapel at the moment.

“There will be plenty of room to social distance and follow all COVID-19 safety measures,” he said.

Though Godwin said they aren’t expecting large numbers of parishioners at first, he hopes once people experience a Christ the King Chapel Fellowship service that their congregation numbers will grow.

“If you want to worship God or simply learn more about him, this service is for you. There is no expectation or confessional requirement. Come as you are and receive God’s gracious provision,” he said.

“This is a time we have committed to worship Christ, fellowship and praying for each other.”