In the Army, you don’t ever have a home,” explains the Rev. David Myers when asked about his hometown and background. The son of a longtime Army chaplain, Myers, a retired PCA pastor, never stayed in one place for very long. This experience gives Myers the ability to minister to active duty and retired servicemen and women at the U.S. Army War College Memorial Chapel in Pennsylvania.
Myers was born in South Dakota and raised in a church-oriented home; his father was one of the PCA’s original members. Influenced by a legacy of pastoral ministry, David Myers attended Faith Seminary in Philadelphia and went on to receive a doctorate of ministry from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. During the course of his ministry, Myers pastored five churches from Edmonton, Alberta, to Carlisle, Pa., and several places in between.
When he retired from Carlisle Reformed Presbyterian Church in 2004 after 14 years as minister, he and his wife, Carolyn, looked for a new community to serve. The U.S. Army War College Protestant Chapel seemed a logical fit with Myers’ military family upbringing, so he and Carolyn joined and have been faithfully serving that congregation in a variety of ways. Myers has served on the parish council, taught Sunday school, and coordinated a variety of volunteer efforts, including the prayer team and visitation ministry for the hospitalized and homebound.
Chapel Life
“It’s the most perfect church I know of,” says Myers of the Memorial Chapel. “If you don’t like the congregation, they leave every year, and if you don’t like the chaplain, he leaves every other year.” While Myers can joke about the congregation’s transient nature, he does appreciate the unique ministry opportunity.
“The Chapel offers an incredible opportunity to share the gospel with people who have come from all over the world,” says Myers, “and who will be going all over the world.” It’s always memorable for Meyers when the retired army personnel and other Chapel members spiritually commission the departing class. “We lay hands on them and send them out as ambassadors to serve God first, and then country.”
Although Myers never served in the U.S. military, this honorary chaplain has earned tremendous respect from Chapel members. Col. Randall Cheeseborough, chairman of the U.S. Army War College’s department of academic affairs, attended Myers’ Sunday school class before his deployment to Afghanistan.
“I attended with my wife, and it was a wonderful experience. We just kept coming back for more,” says Cheeseborough, “It was so Scripture-based.”
Cheeseborough especially appreciates Myers’ ministerial background and the wisdom he brings to Chapel ministry. “It’s good for me to see an older man’s faithfulness and dedication,” says Cheeseborough. “He’s just a wonderful role model.”
Retired Col. Bill Barko also affirms Myers’ impact on Chapel life. “He has served as a mentor to a number of our members … and to our pastors. More than about any single person, he has been a huge spiritual influence on our community.”
Writing Ministry
While his service continues at the War College Chapel, Myers also keeps busy with several writing projects. He contributes to a recently launched blog project with the PCA Historical Center (pcahistory.org) that chronicles Presbyterian history in America. Each day’s entry features a historical vignette, as well as excerpts from the Westminster Confession or other historical church documents.
This project fits Myers, a self-described history buff who leads tours for church and school groups of nearby Gettysburg, offering insights from both a historical and spiritual perspective.
With a breadth of ministry experiences, David Myers has made the most of his strengths, and continues to serve God and country. “To have the opportunity [at the Chapel] to influence the spiritual growth and sometimes conversion of these young people is a tremendous reward,” says Myers.