Chaplain office moves, available for support during holidays Published Dec. 14, 2022 By Matthew Clouse 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs The base chaplain office has moved to the Kitty Hawk Chapel on Area A next to the bowling alley, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Dec. 13, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — The base chaplain office, also known as the Religious Operations Center, has moved to the Kitty Hawk Chapel on Area A next to the bowling alley. “The base is moving towards a model of community response called Connected Care and it's an initiative that will eventually bring the vast majority of our helping agencies into one facility,” said Col. Kim Bowen, 88th Air Base Wing chaplain. “So we're temporarily in the Kitty Hawk Chapel, which is not a bad place for us.” The chaplain office may be in a new location, but their spiritual resilience support for Wright-Patt Airmen remains unchanged. And that care is available 24 hours a day during the holiday season. “The holidays tend to generate a significant amount of stress because of the expectations we place on ourselves,” Bowen added. “There are times when we feel like we're doing all right, on a professional level, but our personal lives can get away from us. According to a Nov. 2022 poll from the American Psychiatric Association, nearly a third of Americans anticipate being more stressed out this holiday season than last year. That’s a 9% increase from last year due to the rising cost of gifts and food according to the survey. “Sometimes people need to vent and talk to someone,” Bowen acknowledged. “Chaplains offer 100% confidentiality, so anybody can come to the chapel and find a listening ear that will allow them to unpack some of the things they're going through.” Col. Kim Bowen, 88th Air Base Wing chaplain, has a conversation with Staff Sgt. Javier Lopez-Lagos in the Kitty Hawk Chapel, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Dec. 13, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Walk-ins are accepted weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but people are encouraged to make an appointment at 937-257-7427. There’s also a chaplain on call 24/7 and can be reached by calling the AFMC command center at 937-257-6314. “People ask, if I'm not religious, why would I go see a chaplain?” Bowen asked. “We are trained to counsel people in the area of life. We have no proprietary approach when it comes to sitting down and talking with people, whether they're religious or non-religious.” The Wright-Patt chapel community also offers several worship services over the holidays. Catholic worship services: Christmas eve, 4 p.m., Prairies Chapel Christmas day, 10:00 a.m., Prairies Chapel Protestant worship services: Christmas eve, 5:30 p.m., Kittyhawk Chapel Christmas day, 10:30 a.m., Kittyhawk Chapel Jewish worship services Hannukah, Dec. 18 to Dec. 26 To learn more about the Wright-Patt chapel community, visit www.wpafb.af.mil/Units/hc1/.