Renovated chapel ready to welcome its flock

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stefanie Torres
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Following 18 months and $3.9 million in renovations, the Misawa Air Base chapel reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 22. 

More than 40 guests attended the grand reopening. Col. David Stilwell, 35th Fighter Wing commander, officiated the event, Capt. Don Bridges, chaplain, 35th Fighter Wing, narrated and Maj. Michael Goecker, chaplain, 35th Fighter Wing, delivered the invocation. The improvements will allow the chapel to hold more than 300 guests to worship in a service. 

"The interior is nothing like what it was," said Tech. Sgt. Shoshannah Cobb, NCO in charge of chapel operations. "The chapel was basically gutted from the inside and was built up from there." 

The chapel, originally built in 1983, received a new roof, a larger sanctuary space, classrooms and an upgraded kitchen. The main driving force for renovations was the need for more space within, explained Sergeant Cobb. 

"There were some issues with a leaky roof before, and wing chaplains felt there needed to be more room," she said. "From the beginning of the project to awarding the contract took only about two years." 

Although Lt. Col. Jerry Sather, 35th Fighter Wing chaplain, was not here before the renovations started, he was able to work with different agencies on base to keep the project moving. This change will provide a better environment for the base community, he explained. 

"This has been a long time coming, and we are ready to go," he said. "We are now ready to open the doors and welcome people in. One of the hallmarks of what we do is attributed to the chaplain's motto: "'Glorifying God, Serving Airmen and Pursuing Excellence."' What this is really about is serving our Airmen, their families and the community. We provide a listening ear, a caring heart and a helping hand." 

Like any move, there comes challenges but it was nothing the chaplain's staff could not handle, explained Chaplain Sather. Members of the staff have been placed around base and have continued to work together through the process. 

"The staff has been amazing," said the chaplain. "My staff, especially the enlisted staff, has worked above and beyond handling all the logistics, finance and contracts."
However, renovations were not a simple task and have taken a base-wide effort, he explained. 

The 35th Civil Engineer Squadron, Communications Squadron, Logistics Readiness Squadron and many volunteers all played a part. 

"35th CE oversaw everything, 35th CS was always on time with communications and telephone lines, and 35th LRS always made sure we had vehicles for the move," said the Chaplain. 

Although the grand opening highlighted the improvements made to the chapel, the staff still has a great deal of work ahead, said Chaplain Sather. 

"There are still a lot of questions like there is when moving into a home," he said. "How are we going to hang the pictures, and where are we going to move the furniture? It's exciting figuring out how to make this work. I hope others will have the same sense of excitement. It's not about the chapel staff; it's the people's chapel."