Rev. Aaron Roberts New Chaplain for the USS John Basilone

The crew of the USS John Basilone (DDG 122) will be receiving a new chaplain soon. The Rev. Aaron Roberts, who served as senior minister for 14 years at the Colonial Church in Prairie Village, Kansas will join the new destroyer’s crew based out of Naval Station Rota in Spain. In the past year, Chaplain Roberts (aka Chaps) has graduated from a chaplaincy residency at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Officer Development School, and Navy Chaplaincy School both in Newport, Rhode Island. Also, during this time he served as a chaplain with the Marines based out of Camp Pendleton, just north of San Diego.

Despite breaking 5 ribs and puncturing a lung in a bicycling injury with a semi in May, Chaplain Roberts is healing and ready to serve Sailors and their families as they move to a new base. Moving and deployments create stress on military families, as does the ongoing war with Iran. Navy chaplains help equip Sailor and Marines with spiritual resiliency and facilitate the diverse religious practices of all who serve.

Chaplain Roberts was recognized by his command in May for his compassionate response to some very challenging situations.

“Being a Navy Chaplain is a dream come true for me,” Roberts said. “God’s Spirit’s call to this ministry was clear, and it feels great. Although trying to keep up with Marines in my 50’s is not easy!” He strongly encourages his fellow ministers to consider military chaplaincy for the needed blessing it provides for our service people. “The United Church of Christ’s commitment to serving people of all faith and no faith fits well in the diverse context of our military.

Chaplain Roberts regards his call to serve the USS John Basilone as an honor. “If you’ve watched the HBO series The Pacific, you know some of the story of the ship’s namesake. I’ve been reading biographies of his life and the role that his faith played in his service and sacrifice. My hope is for this ship to honor that heritage in its upcoming mission.” Chaplain Roberts and his spouse Carrie are now members of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Eudora, Kansas, and he asks all the church communities of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference to join his church community in prayerfully supporting our chaplains and service people with our shared ministries like Holy Joe’s Cafe.