BLAZE Chapel re-opens, receives warm welcome from Columbus AFB

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Steven Richardson, 14 FTW wing chaplain, thanks people during the BLAZE Chapel re-opening ceremony Sept. 25, 2018, at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The Chapel team wants the BLAZE Chapel to feel like home and is a place for any person to come relax, worship, or reach out to talk with a chaplain; this is why their new theme is “Welcome Home.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Hannah Bean)

BLAZE Chapel re-opens, receives warm welcome from Columbus AFB

Col. Samantha Weeks, 14th Flying Training Wing commander, cuts the ribbon during the BLAZE Chapel re-opening ceremony Sept. 25, 2018, at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. Part of Weeks’ mission statement is to connect Airmen and she said she sees the chapel playing a vital part of that piece. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Hannah Bean)

BLAZE Chapel re-opens, receives warm welcome from Columbus AFB

Published Sept. 28, 2018
By Airman Hannah Bean
14 Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Members of Team BLAZE and 14th Flying Training Wing leadership gathered at the newly renovated chapel on Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., Sept. 25, as they celebrated the re-opening and dedication.

Leadership said the Chapel team wants the BLAZE Chapel to feel like home and is a place for any person to come relax, worship, or reach out to talk with a chaplain; this is why their new theme is “Welcome Home.”

Chaplain (Maj.) Bradley Kimble, 14 FTW deputy wing chaplain, gave words of welcome to all who attended the ceremony, as well as words of thanks to those who helped renovate the Chapel.

Col. Samantha Weeks, 14 FTW commander, spoke about the importance of having a place like the chapel.

“This is a great opportunity for us to connect again and realize the four pillars that we talk about in the Air Force that ensure that we are ready to serve when called upon,” Weeks said. “Our chapel team is a welcoming place of spiritual respite and this is your chapel. Every single one of us in whatever faith that we choose to serve or believe in. You’ll always find a warm welcome here.”

Part of Weeks’ mission statement is to connect Airmen and she said she sees the chapel playing a vital part of that piece.

“It’s appropriate to say that the primary goal of the chapel staff is to help connect Airmen to their families, to each other, and to their mission through worship service, religious education opportunities, counseling sessions and community outreach,” Weeks said.

Expanding on the theme, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Steven Richardson, 14 FTW wing chaplain, wants people to “feel as comfortable and safe as possible, especially for families.”

Some of the new amenities include a new nursery, new resiliency area, and a refurbished worship area.

“We want to inspire Airmen to feel at home,” Richardson said. “We want them to have a spiritual and emotional place of comfort and peace on Sundays and the rest of the week. For everybody on base, we say ‘Welcome Home.’”