For John Russell Jr., being there is what matters the most.
“Chaplaincy is the ministry of presence,” Russell said. “It’s walking along with others, who might be alone in the worst times of their lives. Sometimes we have nothing to say but we sit there and cry with them.”
Russell is the new senior staff chaplain with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. He was sworn into the role in September after the retirement of the longtime chaplain Patricia Holman.
The chaplain’s office is often tasked with informing family members when a loved one dies. They provide emotional, and sometimes spiritual, support to members of the police department as well as the community. Chaplains frequently work with victims of crime and their families.
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Indianapolis saw record-breaking homicides the previous two years. Nearly 250 people were killed in criminal homicides last year and 215 people were killed in 2020. The city had seen 205 criminal homicides by mid-December, according to Indianapolis police data.
“There is a real need for having a chaplain with the amount of loss we experience as a community and city,” Russell said. “You see and experience the number of death. It’s different than just reading about a situation.”
The move to Indianapolis
Russell moved to Indianapolis to take on the role of senior pastor with University United Methodist Church about three years ago. He got started with the chaplain’s office as a volunteer in November 2021.
“We were always getting positive feedback on him,” said Holman, who played a role in hiring her replacement. “Once you walk in the door it should make a difference before you even open your mouth, and he has the ability to do that.”
Russell, originally from south Alabama, attended Gammon Seminary in Atlanta. Ministries led by Russell have built a church in West African, taught leadership development in Tanzania, organized medical relief in South America and supported migrant workers and refugees.
Russell made an impression on Holman before he began volunteering with the chaplain’s office by ministering to a group of young people, who had lost a friend in a drowning accident.
“How he ministered to those young people was just amazing,” Holman said. “To be there when it happened was really difficult for them, but I was just amazed at how he ministered to them. He has the energy and ability to touch young people in a very memorable way.”
Chaplain’s office a calling
Russell was called to his role with the chaplain’s office, he said.
“I am a firm believer we are led into certain things in our life,” Russell said. “I really feel like this is where my gifts are best used. We step into those roles and do the best we can.”
The chaplain’s office provides comfort at times of tragedy, but that is not its sole purpose, Russell said.
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“It’s community building and community relationships,” Russell said. “Presence for us doesn’t always have to come after someone dies. It’s engaging in the community and just walking with people where they are. We really want to do that.”
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.