Sarah Tarpley made history on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, when Chaplain (Colonel) Jerry Jones, Command Chaplain at Fort Sill, OK, administered the Oath of Officer to her. That solemn act now makes her a commissioned officer with the rank of Captain in the Army Chaplain Corps.
Sarah is the first IPHC woman to enter the Army Chaplaincy as a regular officer. She has transferred from the Air Force Reserve with the same rank as she enjoyed as a reservist.
This commissioning ceremony for Chaplain (Captain) Sarah Tarpley was an historic event.
Chaplain (Colonel) Jerry Jones arranged for the ceremony to be held at Fort Sill in the Frontier Chapel on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, at 3:30 (1530 military time). He administered the oath of office to Sarah in the presence of her parents, Jim and Gladys Tarpley; her pastor and his wife, Bud and Shari Jones; and her conference superintendent and his wife, Bishop Frank Tunstall and Lu Tunstall.
The presence of all these people for Sarah's commissioning service as an Army chaplain is indicative of the loving care and support they have given to Sarah. Knowing that Sarah's parents approve of her call to be a minister of the Gospel and to serve our country and church as a chaplain was deeply meaningful to Sarah. In addition, to know that her pastor and his wife, her conference superintendent and his wife took the time out of their busy schedules to be present added immeasurably to Sarah's long journey to achieve this significant moment in her life. In addition, to having one of our own senior IPHC military chaplain administer the oath of office, as well as the presence and support of his wife completed the circle of a joyous celebration.
"Chaplain Tarpley is a marvelous example of the perseverance that will not give up," says Heartland Conference Bishop Frank G. Tunstall. "The chaplaincy has been her goal for eight long years. The road has included many up's and down's. But she did not quit, and now she has achieved her dream."
Chaplain (Colonel) Jerry Jones is a member of our Chaplains Ministries, IPHC Board. He was dressed in the uniform of the day on Army posts which is the ACU (Army Combat Uniform).
Oath of Office Printed Commissioning Orders
This long awaited and welcomed event in the life of Sarah Tarpley was the culmination of a long and arduous journey of faith, hope, and perseverance.
Left to Right: Cynthia and Jerry Jones; Pastor Bud and Shari Jones; Sarah Tarpley; Bishop Frank and Lu Tunstall
I had the privilege to recruit and approve Sarah for the Air Force Chaplain Candidate Program. She completed her M. Div. degree of 90 semester hours at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) in Springfield, MO, following her graduation from Southwestern Christian University.
Left to Right: Jerry and Cynthia Jones; Bud and Shari Jones; Sarah Tarpley, Gladys and Jim Tarpley; and Lu and Bishop Frank Tunstall
Shortly after her graduation from seminary, I endorsed her for the Air Force Reserve and she has served with honor and distinction since then. She did extended three tours of six months each at Vance AFB, OK; Seymour Johnson AFB, NC; and McConnell AFB, KS, respectively. Her volunteerism made it possible for active duty chaplains to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
On December 14, 2006, I endorsed Sarah for the regular Air Force as a chaplain on active duty. That particular year, I endorsed four of our IPHC chaplain candidates. That was a record number of endorsements for one branch of service for the IPHC. Two were selected, and two were not. Sarah Tarpley and John Kwon were the two outstanding chaplain candidates not selected. The truth is that the Air Force could only select 12 Protestant chaplains that year, and we were blessed indeed to get two selected. They were Timothy Sessions and Shane Marley. That's a .500 batting average, good for any major league baseball team.
I have instructed all of our chaplain candidates that there are absolutely no guarantees that they will be accessed for active duty. So, it is never wise to put all of their eggs in one basket, or as my mother used to tell me, "Hugh, don't count your chickens before they hatch."
It was devastating news to be rejected by the Air Force, and both Sarah and John felt the stink of such a blow. It certainly takes a lot of wind out of your sails, and leaves you with great disappointment that can turn into depression if you nurse and rehearse the rejection.
We have loved Sarah and encouraged her through the dark nights since that time. She has hung in there with courage, faith and hope, as well as perseverance. She never gave up. She decided to request to be assigned to a Category A Reserve Unit, and become one of the chaplains at Barksdale AFB, LA. She achieved her goal and has done extremely well. In adddition, she got a scholarship to do a year of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) under supervision at a Veterans Hospital in Louisiana.
As time went on, she asked me about being endorsed for the Army Chaplaincy. She had learned of a RIF (Reduction In Force) in the Air Force, and she knew in her heart of hearts that she is called to be a military chaplain. She felt that she would have a better opportunity to get in the Army than the Air Force. I learned many years ago that there are more ways to skin a cat (God forbid) than one. So, I agreed to endorse her for the Army Chaplaincy believing that she had what it really takes to be an Army chaplain.
Some months ago, she was selected for the active duty Army chaplaincy. However, she had to wait until the new fiscal year (October 2010) to take the Oath of Office due to budget restraints. In the meantime, she exercised her mountain moving faith once again by planting seed to help Air Force Chaplain, Major Select Randy Sellers with the purchase of Psalm 91 Prayer Bandannas for his ministry in Afghanistan. Out of her own deep personal need and with limited financial resources she gave $100 to the project. In addition, she moved back home and volunteered to work and minister in her local church without any pay.
Sarah pastored the First Love Pentecost al Holiness Church in Enid, OK, for twenty-two months immediately following her graduation from seminary. That is the same church that Oral Roberts pastored when he began his ministry of healing in large tents all across the United States. I want to commend Bishop Frank Tunstall for providing assistance and encouragement during that learning experience in her first pastorate. He is a wise man, and a gifted leader. He assigned the Rev. Mr. Bob Shafer to be her mentor. Bob provided supervision as well as fellowship with other staff personnel of his church that enriched Sarah's life and gave her a fresh perspective on her ministry as a pastor.
As the endorser for our military chaplains, I stay in close contact with conference superintendents knowing that they are the key to supervisory ministry of their ordained ministers. Bishop Tunstall hung in there with me as we continue to love and encourage Sarah. Now, she has a story to tell, a testimony that has followed a long period of testing. I applaud Sarah Tarpley for never giving up.
Let me quote from Sarah's recent e-mail about what has happened. You need to read it in her own words:
Ch Morgan,
Everyday day is a great day, but yesterday was especially great. God has been so good and faithful to me that words cannot express the deep joy and emotion I'm feeling right now. It's been a long road with many joys and challenges to face, but I stayed faithful to the call of God that He placed deep in my heart. I've persevered and stayed the course.
It is with an overwhelmed heart of joy and excitement that I report to you that my Oath of Office has arrived and I will be sworn into the United States Army next week. Also, I received my orders to CH-BOLC (that's an acronym for Chaplain Office Leadership Course) reporting on 9 Jan 2011. CH-BOLC finishes around 8 Apr 2011. My assignment orders for Fort Bliss, TX, arrived as well with a report date of NLT 20 Apr 2011.
Thank you again for your unwavering love, support, and belief in me and the call God has placed in my heart. God is so good.
Ch, Capt Sarah D. Tarpley, USAF Reserve
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By the way, Sarah will enter the Hall of Heroes now as the second IPHC woman to enter active duty in the military chaplaincy. Chaplain, Major Eva Christine Beatty Sorrow, USAF Retired was the first. Christy was endorsed by the late Chaplain (Colonel) Ervin L. Shirey, Sr., and did her two years of full time pastoral leadership experience as my associate pastor at Tarkenton Memorial Church in Athens prior to going on active duty in the Air Force. Melvine and I were present for her retirement at Lackland AFB, TX. She completed more than 20 years of active duty service as an Air Force chaplain.
Posted on
Thu, November 4, 2010
by Hugh Morgan