Captain John Arnoldbik and First Lieutenant Charles Pridgen have been added to the roster of Grace Brethren chaplains, according to Colonel John Schumacher (Retired), Grace Brethren endorsing agent, and Larry N. Chamberlain of the Eagle Commission, the organization that provides support and encouragement throughout the year for Grace Brethren chaplains, their families, and members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Arnoldbik graduated in April from the Army Chaplains School in Fort Jackson, S.C., and is being assigned (with his wife, Jensen) to Fort Lewis, Wash. He joins a combat brigade that is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in August. Arnoldbik is ordained by Grace Community Church (Don Shoemaker, pastor), a Grace Brethren church in Seal Beach, Calif.
Pridgen graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind., in May 2007. He and his wife, Ada, and their children plan to move to Fort Riley, Kan., following Chaplains School at Fort Jackson. Pridgen is ordained by the Community Grace Brethren Church, Warsaw, Ind. (Tom Abbitt, pastor).
Chaplain candidate Scott Shaffer, with his wife, Jennifer, is awaiting his commission into the U.S. Army. He was recommended for ordination by the Chaplain committee of the Grace Brethren Investment Foundation board, which sponsors the Eagle Commission, and is a recent graduate of Liberty University. He served as an enlistee in the U.S. Army, touring Europe with the Army Chorus and now serves with the Indiana National Guard.
Natalie Rummel is an editorial intern with the Brethren Missionary Herald Company. She is a 2009 graduate of Grace College.