Gwenn Worshill

Crossroads Community Church, Illinois
Professional Organizations Chaplaincy, Public Safety/Community Chaplaincy, Disaster Relief Chaplaincy
Chicago Illinois
Crossroads Community Church
May 3
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About My Family

I have been a believer in Jesus Christ since my youth. My husband, Ric, and I live in northeastern Illinois. We serve together in ministry and have been married 51 years. I am an SBC licensed minister and a NAMB endorsed chaplain for law enforcement and Disaster Relief. We have two adult children and seven grandchildren.

My main joy is reading my Bible. I have been reading my Bible almost every single day since 1974 since my little brother asked me if I had five minutes a day for the Lord to read His Word. That five minutes became 10 and then an hour plus. Reading the Bible became a love for the Lord and the center and strength of my life.

My hobbies are sewing, quilting and making jewelry. Ric and I love serving the Lord together.

About My Ministry

Prior to serving in chaplaincy, I was in youth ministry. Ten years were with nursery, kindergarten and first grade, then 12 years with junior high and high schoolers. I am currently the women’s ministry leader for a local church. I have also led Bible study there for the past seven years. We served at a Messianic congregation for four years.

In 1998, we started Police Shomreem Ministries. It is a 501(c)(3). We both serve as police and disaster relief chaplains. We serve two municipal police departments, the Chocago Area-Airport Chaplaincy Emergency Response Team and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management & Communications. We are instructors and master chaplains for the International Conference of Police Chaplains. We are SBC DR Blue Caps and chaplaincy instructors. We also currently serve as NAMB Chaplain Ambassadors for Region #6.

SBC Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy is a ministry where the chaplain ministers to people, outside the walls of the church. Chaplaincy is a "frontline" ministry that is vital to the extension of the local church. Chaplains reach the lost among the thousands of men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces, correctional facilities, healthcare settings, public safety, disaster relief sites and corporate environments. SBC Chaplains care for the broken, offer hope to the hopeless, and advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in hard to reach places. The qualifications expected of a Southern Baptist applying for endorsement as a chaplain or counselor are established by the using agency and the Chaplains Commission, SBC. These qualification requirements vary according to the type of chaplaincy or counseling ministry involved but all are expected to meet a high level of ministerial competence. A basic qualification from the Chaplains Commission, SBC, is that an applicant is a Southern Baptist who is a member in good standing with an SBC church. Additional qualification requirements may involve certain age limits, educational background, ministry experience, physical condition, financial and credit history, citizenship eligibility for a security clearance, certification by certain national organizations, and other qualifications specific to the Using Agency or Chaplains Commission, SBC. If you are interested in pursuing next steps as an SBC endorsed chaplain from your church, explore the possibilities at Send me. For more information about SBC Chaplaincy, visit www.namb.net/chaplaincy.

Pray

Please pray that Ric and I serve the Lord well. Our desire is to have a genuine care for all the chaplains and people the Lord places in our paths. May they, too, fall in love with the Lord and His Word and the people the Lord places in their path. Pray for boldness in sharing the gospel as I interact with people. Pray for receptive hearts among the people in communities where we serve. Pray people will come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Pray the Lord of the Harvest will send more workers into the field to join us. We both need prayers for our health issues. Please pray for our children, Heather and Zac.

Participate

Commit to long-term prayer support. Chaplains serve as an extension of the local church in places that other church members and staff sometimes cannot go. Explore the opportunities to extend the reach of your church by becoming a chaplain. Support and pray for chaplains and their families. Many chaplains are self supported missionaries. They need help to bring the gospel to people in their mission field.
NAMB does not provide compensation for SBC endorsed chaplains. However, a general fund is available to receive donations in support of the ministry and pastoral care to SBC endorsed chaplains. To donate, please visit Support Chaplaincy (missionaries.namb.net/projects/full/chaplaincy).
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