Rev. Jimmy Gawne

Final thought for the night:
Are there certain advantages to bigger churches? Sure.
But the last three Sundays, I went to Christ Church Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians in Kailua, HI, while I was at Pearl Harbor conducting training. And yes, they're a smaller congregation, but it was nice to go there and have a significant portion of the congregation
1) know my name and who I was
2) know why I was there, and
3) know that I was leaving today but still put in the effort to be there.
Also, their services were simple and deeply satisfying to an old Disciples soul. If/when I end up back on Oahu on a Sunday morning, I'll definitely go back.

The question of whether or not I'm a veteran is up for some debate, as I'm still on active duty and plan to continue for the foreseeable future.
However, in light of this being the day we commemorate our service, here's some of my particularly favorite moments to date:
1) Serving communion to Marines on Range 400 at MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, California
2) Conducting Advent 4 Sunday service for Marines at JGSDF Camp Soumagahara, Japan
3) Baptizing Marines in the Pacific Ocean off the beach at Camp Schwab, Okinawa
4) Baptizing a Sailor from the ship's bell on USS BARRY, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Washington
5) Conducting evening prayer on the bridge of USS CANBERRA, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii