HEATHSVILLE, Va. — A rural congregation on Virginia’s Northern Neck may seem to be an unlikely location for an outreach and support program for the U. S. military, but through Partners in Care, a faith-based initiative which collaborates with the Virginia National Guard Chaplain Corps, Coan Baptist Church in Heathsville, Va., is on the front line responding to the needs of soldiers and their families — like that of Trevor Appleby.
Trevor was born Oct. 31, 2012, with hydrarancencephaly, a rare neurological condition in which the cerebral hemispheres of the brain are absent and replaced with sacs filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
Spc. Phillip Appleby rests with his son, Trevor, who was born with a rare neurological condition. (Photo/Virginia National Guard)
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“Basically, he doesn’t have a brain and there’s fluid where his brain should be,” said his father, Spc. Phillip Appleby, a generator mechanic in the Norfolk-based Company G, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
“Like most small communities, there is a great deal of familiarity on the Northern Neck,” said Robert Lee Farmer, pastor of Coan Baptist for the past 12 years and also a Virginia Defense Force chaplain since 2007. He was introduced to Partners in Care during a chaplain training conference. After looking into it further, the congregation decided Partners in Care was a ministry that it was called to do, Farmer said.
When a member, Lisa Lewis, learned of Trevor’s situation and his father’s connection with Northumberland County, she approached Farmer. “At this point I knew this would be a great way for our Partners in Care outreach to go to work,” he said.
A spaghetti dinner and gospel music concert was hosted at Coan on Feb. 23 which raised more than $4,000 to help cover the mounting medical expenses for Trevor. Farmer said his best count is that over 150 people participated and donations continue to be received.
“It was a blessing and a wonderful night,” said Farmer. The community responded generously, he said, with several music groups from outside of the congregation coming to sing.
Founded by the Chaplain Corps of the Maryland National Guard, Partners of Care has since spread to additional states.
“Active duty installations serve as resource platforms for active duty service members and their families, and as their needs surface, care is close by, but that is not necessarily so for the National Guard service member who may be many miles from a resource platform for immediate care,” said Lt. Col. J. D. Moore, the Virginia National Guard’s full-time support chaplain.
“Partners in Care bridges the gap,” he said. “The organizations form a resource platform within the soldier or airmen’s community.”
Once a need is recognized and validated by the Virginia National Guard regional family assistance coordinator, the coordinator contacts the Chaplain Corps which serves as the clearinghouse for referrals to churches and other organizations.
Not long after joining the program, Foster said Coan Baptist was notified of a soldier from the Petersburg, Va., area who had just returned from overseas deployment and was in a difficult situation with finances and finding a job. The congregation was able to help meet the needs of the soldier’s family.
According to the Virginia National Guard’s Partners in Care resource assessment, a faith-based organization can provide for needs in many areas, including urgent care, counseling, home repair or lawn work, transportation or car repair, multi-cultural services, special assistance and spiritual needs.
“We don’t know what the long-term outcome will be for Trevor and his family,” said Foster, “but our congregation will continue to pray for and support them in any way we can.” He said Lewis is organizing a team for the March of Dimes walkathon in Trevor’s honor later this year.
Barbara Francis ([email protected]) is on the staff of the Religious Herald.