A unique ceremony recently took place at Mountain View Christian Center in Oakley. Five chaplains were installed and commissioned to serve East County as community chaplains, taking the church literally outside its walls to serve others at their time and place of need. While concentrated in Contra Costa County, a couple of them will be serving nationally.

One of the five, Dennis Guinta (second from right), is a drag racer whose accomplishments are well known at the Sacramento Raceway and the Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma. In the formal ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 12, Guinta was commissioned as national chaplain of racecar drivers throughout America. His racecar will bear the word “Chaplain.”

Guinta’s wife, Sara, was installed as a caregiver-hospice chaplain as well as assistant racing chaplain. Timothy Vaughn was officially endorsed as a military chaplain. He had been spotted as a volunteer chaplain (along with the other candidates) at the recent Military StandDown in Pleasanton. General Dan Helix admired Vaughn’s work and swore him in as a military chaplain with the rank of major. The church certification ceremony conferred his ecclesiastical endorsement.

Vaughn and the Guintas are in the process of working toward full ministry ordination. Pastor Joe Seeley and Pastor Carleton Booker are already ordained, having completed additional training including working alongside the chaplain coordinator in the field. They were specifically endorsed as community chaplains.

The candidates undergo rigorous training. They attend intern class to study all facets of ministry plus the accredited school of theology, and participate in additional training for the chaplaincy, including emphasis on counseling plus crisis and emergency management.

– Contributed by Austin Miles