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Sharla Moody: Police Chaplain and Marketing Coordinator

Provide for us a clear explanation of your ministry position.

MOODY: I serve as vice president of the Springfield, Mo. Police Chaplains Association. In that capacity, I provide pastoral services to the officers and citizens as needed. I provide spiritual support to citizens involved in or affected by violent crime, serious accidents, and other incidents involving the police (rape, suicide, accidental death, murder, etc.). Police chaplains are available to deliver death notifications to these family members. I am also available to officers whenever they need someone to talk to regarding stressful situations at work or home.

Tell us about your journey into this ministry.

MOODY: When I became a credentialed minister in 1999, a friend of mine was the vice president of the Springfield Police Chaplains Association. He thought I’d be a good candidate since they didn’t have a female chaplain. After some time passed, I prayed that if this was the right thing to do, my friend would call me back. He called a day later and the rest is history.

How did you know or sense you were called to the ministry?

MOODY: I felt God’s call as early as the ninth grade. What I thought it would entail and what it has become are worlds apart, but I love every minute of the ministry! After I graduated high school in 1992, I attended Oklahoma State University for two years, then the University of Central Oklahoma. My major at both universities was in opera. Honestly, I felt restless. I knew something needed to change. I felt drawn to attend Central Bible College (CBC) in Springfield, Mo. While at CBC, I thought I would become a music pastor, marry a youth pastor and win many teenagers for Christ. But that’s not what happened.

My ministry positions haven’t been "traditional" at all. After I graduated from college, I took a position at the Assemblies of God headquarters in the Music Department as an editor, designer, and promotions coordinator. Then I spent four years in the National Youth Department, and I’m now marketing coordinator for Gospel Publishing House (GPH). Some of us are picked for the pulpit; others are hand-selected for the marketplace. I try my best to represent Christ well wherever I go.

How has your ministry reached or touched people? What have been the results or impact?

MOODY: When leaving a police scene, I receive very little instant feedback. At a location, I’m available to direct traffic and keep the peace while police officers run their investigation; all the while I’m trying to counsel a group of people. It’s a tough challenge. I literally have to rely on Christ’s wisdom and grace to know that I’m focusing on the right thing at the right moment.

Recently, I ran into a girl I worked with a year ago. Her boyfriend committed suicide. She’s the one who found him. That incident in particular had been crazy to control. She came up to me at Wal-Mart to thank me for staying with her that day. That was wonderful for me.

Tell us about your greatest struggle and greatest reward in the ministry.

MOODY: I feel like I’m "wired" for chaplaincy. I see a lot of garbage. I’m not at a scene because they’ve invited us to a barbeque! I see things I never want to see, but God’s grace has been amazing. I have about a minute to cross the barrier from "stranger" to "best friend." These people don’t know me and really don’t want me there, but it’s amazing what a few words of sympathy and a hug can do to cross barriers, including ethnic barriers.

The officers are "tough" and seem to handle so much, but I’m constantly working on building relationships with these men and women in environments other than crime scenes. I hang out with them at their substations. Now they feel comfortable around me, and we get into some pretty amazing theological discussions that weren’t possible just a year ago.

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