Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Larry D. Layne of Alabama will be home for Christmas this year only in his dreams. The bed and pillow that will take him there currently rest on foreign soil.
He’ll trade "Silent Night" for "Stille Nacht," Santa Claus for Nikolaus and the comfort of hearth and home for the harsh emotional and physical realities of America’s current war on terror.
For about two months, Layne is serving at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military hospital in Germany located 10 minutes from Ramstein Air Base. His sleep might be restless, but the mission that on Dec. 15 took him away from his family, day job and congregation has, for Layne, a pointed purpose.
"When I was first offered this opportunity, I only thought about it overnight, but I still wanted to talk it over with my wife and everything," said Layne, who has logged 24 years in the Air National Guard. In that time, he has served in a variety of situations, including efforts with Hurricane Katrina recovery in 2005.
"There’s never a good time (to be away from your family), but going over there during Christmas … there will be ministry opportunities that the holy days will offer that won’t be there other times and they (family members) understand that," Layne said.
His duties as a National Guard chaplain mirror those of his other roles as hospice chaplain for Baptist Health System and pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Union Springs. All essentially consist of the same thing — personal ministry.
Layne’s primary work overseas is serving as hospital chaplain, ministering to patients, staff and their families.
In addition to his family, he is also asking the hospice staff and the Bullock-Centennial Baptist Association congregation he left behind for sacrifices — sacrifices they seem more than ready to make.
"We told him to beat the bushes and find somebody to fill in for a couple of months and we’d be glad to have him go," said Keith Pugh, a 40-year Mount Carmel Baptist member.
"And glad to have him back, too."
John Frank Lindsey is taking care of Sundays at Mount Carmel, something he often does on the weekends Layne drills with the National Guard, and James Greene is handling Layne’s hospice duties in his absence.
Layne just celebrated his sixth year as Mount Carmel’s pastor.
"They’ve been extremely supportive of my military ministry," he said. In fact, Layne took the recovering American servicemen at Landstuhl homemade Christmas cards prepared by members of Mount Carmel; a Mission Friends group at First Baptist Church, Prattville; and students at Montgomery’s Halcyon Elementary School, where his wife, Royce, teaches.
"(Layne) is not one to seek publicity, but I think it’s remarkable what he’s doing," said Pete Maddock, minister of music at Mount Carmel. "I just think it’s commendable, wearing those three hats like he does. He touches a lot of lives, and God uses him in powerful ways."
And when Layne’s work takes him away, Pugh said his church family always knows he’ll come back.
"[H]e’s a great guy. We love him and wouldn’t take anything for him."
Share with others: