Hugh's News & Commentary

Dear Rev. Dr. Hugh Morgan,

You are both to be congratulated for proving that 50+ years can be both a possibility and a joy all the while.

I am thrilled to hear about Bishop Leggett's assuming the pastoral duties at Holmes Memorial Church. I had my membership there for the greater part of my pastoral ministry. Joy and I were married at Holmes Memorial Church and it will always have a special place in our hearts.

To address your questions:

I am quite safe. There are periodical concerns. The recent attack on a Chinook helicopter and the loss of life was definitely felt here among the pilots of 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. Things are much more active in the southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan, but we are all called upon to be vigilant and not get complacent.

I am quite busy these days. I do a Sunday morning service and the Gospel Service at 1330. Additionally, we are maintaining a prayer meeting on Mondays and sending Power Point slides from the services to interested parties.

The Biblesticks are quite a hit. Once one person saw it in action, another came by and then another. I plan to send a report to the people at Faith Cometh By Hearing and let them know what a blessing the Bible has been to soldiers in Afghanistan.

I consider myself to be very blessed to be at this place, at this point in time. Today, in particular, I have been blessed to help soldiers who are struggling and to introduce faith in God as a resource to the hurting. There were quite a number of soldiers who responded to a call to trust God to do the right thing in their lives on this past Sunday.

V/r,

CH James Ward
2-227 AVN REGT, 1ACB
Task Force Lobos
Camp Marmal, Afghanistan

[Editor's Comment: It is a joy to get e-mail from Chaplain James Ward, Jr. He is quite a guy. I have been impressed with him since I first met him when he was pastor of the Danville First Pentecostal Holiness Church. When he came on active duty he was the pastor of the Stoneville Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Bishop Tommy McGhee, superintendent of the Cornerstone Conference (formerly called the Western North Carolina Conference) told me that he wished he had 100 pastors like James Paul Ward, Jr.

Chaplain Ward has been separated from his wife, Joy, and their children ever since he went to Fort Hood for active duty almost three years ago. Due to the uncertainty of when he would deploy, and the need for his children to complete high school, etc., he and Joy decided that Joy would continue living in North Carolina until the right time when they can all be together at an Army Post. I pray that James will get a good assignment when he returns home from Afghanistan. He is scheduled to be there a year.

Let us pray for his safety and that of the men and women in his battalion, his day-to-day ministry, and for his own personal growth in Christ so he can effectively minister to his soldiers.