HomeNewsArticle Display

Chapel luncheons nourish troops physically, spiritually

By Staff Sgt. Katrina M. Brisbin, 460th Space Wing Public Affairs / Published April 25, 2016

The monthly Chapel Luncheon is held every first Wednesday of the month in the Fellowship Hall at the Chapel on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The next luncheon will take place May 4. There are two separate servings, 11:00 a.m. and noon. For more information, contact the Buckley AFB Chapel by phone at (720) 847-4631 or by email at buckley.chapel@buckley.af.mil. (U.S. Air Force illustration by Staff Sgt. Katrina M. Brisbin/Released)
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 1 of 1

The monthly Chapel Luncheon is held every first Wednesday of the month in the Fellowship Hall at the Chapel on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. The next luncheon will take place May 4. There are two separate servings, 11:00 a.m. and noon. For more information, contact the Buckley AFB Chapel by phone at (720) 847-4631 or by email at buckley.chapel@buckley.af.mil. (U.S. Air Force illustration by Staff Sgt. Katrina M. Brisbin/Released)

PRINT | E-MAIL
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- In the fall of 2001, approximately 30 people gathered for the first Buckley Air Force Base Chapel luncheon.

The event, started as a vision of Debbie Cruz, 460th Space Wing Chapel secretary, has grown from a small gathering held in a modular building to a large assembly in the chapel fellowship hall.

"It's really great because it really brings everyone together," said Cruz. "It's a good break during the day and there's no real formality. We all sit shoulder-to-shoulder, eat a home cooked meal and fellowship."

The first assemblies took place in a small, multi-use facility that housed the legal, contracting, finance and logistics offices.

"It was kind of like being on a camping trip," said Susan Hurd, 460th Space Wing Judge Advocate paralegal and luncheon participant since the beginning. "We started out with crockpots and roasting ovens. We didn't have a kitchen at all or running water, except for the sink in the women's restroom. There were crock pots for what seemed like miles."

As the base grew, so did the luncheons, but the camaraderie among the first few remained as strong as ever.

Now hosted in the fellowship hall, the chapel staff and volunteers utilize an industrial kitchen and are able to produce more food, which in turn allows more people to attend. This event, however, is rather different than most free lunches offered by base organizations.

"One thing that makes this program different is that it is not funded by government dollars," said Lt. Col. Robert Ward, 460th Space Wing chaplain. "The funding comes from a portion of our various chapel services tithes and offerings."

This lunch also serves another purpose.

"We hope that people will come over, see who we are, where we are, and informally meet our staff," said Cruz. "Then in the future if they have a question or an issue we are not so foreign to them. We hope that they feel comfortable coming over and asking for an appointment or talking with one of the chaplains they've sat down and had lunch with."

Whether people come for the free food or the spiritual fellowship, they undoubtedly are a part of something that impacts the base community.

"This is an opportunity for us as a base to gather together, break bread and be a family," said Ward. "We hope that people leave here nourished physically and spiritually."

The next chapel luncheon will take place May 4. There are two separate servings, 11:00 a.m. and noon. For more information, contact the Buckley AFB Chapel by phone at (720) 847-4631 or by email at buckley.chapel@buckley.af.mil.
USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.