January: The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) offered emotional and spiritual care in the Bronx borough of New York City, where a malfunctioning space heater caught fire and led to 17 deaths. “The knowledge that many died right where we were walking was very emotional,” said chaplain Jason Scalzi. “It was very humbling to be able to walk these steps to bring the message of hope. Upon entering every floor, we stopped to pray for the families and those grieving the death of their loved ones.”
February: After an ice storm left a destructive path from Texas to New England, Billy Graham chaplains deployed to Memphis, Tenn., to minister in one of the hardest-hit areas. Following a disaster, many individuals ask spiritual questions—that chaplains answer with the peace only found in Jesus Christ. Another deployment during the month included serving in Ottawa, Canada, while truckers protested COVID restrictions in the country's capital.
March: When Ukraine was invaded, Billy Graham chaplains deployed to offer comfort and prayer and a calming presence to those injured or ill inside Samaritan's Purse emergency field hospitals and clinics. In the following months, the BG-RRT trained many Ukrainian believers to become chaplains, enabling more people to hear about the hope of Christ in a time of desperate need. Watch a TV special about how God is working in Ukraine.
April: A chaplain walked a woman through the Living in Christ booklet following the McBride Fire in Ruidoso, N.M., that killed an older couple and destroyed more than 200 homes. The chaplains routinely use the booklet to simply explain the Good News of Jesus Christ.
May: While several chaplain teams deployed to tornadoes in Oklahoma, a South Dakota storm, and a grocery store shooting in New York, more teams were sent to Uvalde, Texas, after a gunman killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers in an elementary school shooting. Billy Graham chaplains helped the communities process their pain and wrapped their arms around the brokenhearted. Read stories of chaplains' ministry in Uvalde.
June: Law enforcement officers and their spouses attended a Marriage Resiliency Retreat in Alaska, which was organized by the BG-RRT. The weeklong retreat is designed for officers who have been injured or were in an officer-involved shooting, so they can reconnect with their spouses and with God. Here, officers and their spouses pose after participating in the polar plunge, where they jump into the freezing cold lake. Apply now for 2023.
July: In the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill., the BG-RRT came to offer a ministry of presence to people like Macey.* The chaplains noticed her crying almost uncontrollably at the memorial site. Macey and her boyfriend were attending the parade when they heard gunfire, fled into a nearby alley, and hid in a dumpster. After talking and praying with the chaplains, the couple hugged them and thanked them for listening. *Name changed for privacy.
August: Chaplain Carolyn Bass hugs Sarah,* who was elated to make a commitment to follow Christ in Breathitt County, Ky., after facing some tough times. Her twin sons had both recently lost homes in the Kentucky floodwaters that claimed 43 lives.
Read the full story. *Name changed for privacy.
September (part one): Chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team shared about the hope of Jesus Christ with mourners during memorial events for Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland and England. Though people came to Hyde Park and Windsor Castle with the intention of paying their final respects, many left forever changed as they surrendered to the same God the queen served during her life on earth.
See how they chose to follow Christ.
September (part two): In late September, Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm and killed more than 100 people. Chaplains deployed to the cities of Englewood, Punta Gorda, and Fort Myers, to comfort residents as they began to pick up the pieces.
October: During a Law Enforcement Appreciation Retreat at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in the Blue Ridge Mountains, more than 150 law enforcement officers and their spouses focused on strengthening their marriages and relationships with God. Find out how God changed the hearts of one couple on the brink of divorce.
November: As the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association held God Loves You Tour events in the U.S., the U.K., and New Zealand, in 2022, Billy Graham chaplains were present to greet attendees and offer prayer. Here, a chaplain
at TSB Arena in Wellington, New Zealand, offers a faith bracelet to a little girl.
December: Billy Graham chaplains offered prayer and encouragement at a Christmas dinner for Fort Myers, Fla., residents still recovering from September's Hurricane Ian. Will you pray for those affected by crises in 2022 and for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team in the coming year?
