Spokane Area Chaplains Act as Ambassadors of Hope, Reconciliation between — & for — Law Enforcement & Public

Spokane Area Chaplains Act as Ambassadors of Hope, Reconciliation between — & for — Law Enforcement & Public

News Story by Cassy Benefield

This news story was made possible by contributions to FāVS from readers like you. Thank you.

With public trust in police and police training declining each year, according to polls, local sheriff’s chaplains act as ambassadors of hope and reconciliation between communities and their police departments — especially in light of Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating at the hands of five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.

One such chaplaincy that provides this work is the Spokane County Sheriff Chaplains (SCSC), which began as a Bible study almost 29 years ago and turned into the nonprofit Christian Outreach to Police and Their Spouses, or COPS.

Robert Kinnune, SCSC lead chaplain, said “that terrible and tragic situation did not occur overnight,” commenting on Nichols’ beating.

“My heart breaks for the victim and his family, and for the officers and their families,” he said. “This ripples out even here to Spokane. We’re talking about it right now. And my heart breaks right now as I think about what happened because that’s not what law enforcement is called to do.”

A Sheriff’s Chaplain’s First Duty Is to Police

Kinnune noted that the main duty of the chaplains in his group is to minister to police and to act as preventative maintenance “to lubricate the system in a beautiful way where people rise to a standard that that would never happen under.”

For example, one of the ways the SCSC and their support staff have done this is by ministering to police and various first responder agencies by providing home-cooked meals with all the trimmings for those who miss the big holiday gatherings with their families because of their jobs. They have also provided meals for police families who have had a baby or are in a crisis situation.

Their website lists other law enforcement support services that include spiritual guidance, counseling, crisis intervention and assisting with pre-marital training, weddings and funerals. They also put on events throughout the year to promote law enforcement and build overall morale between police and the community.

Kinnune shared that they also come along and provide support to police in active situations, such as SWAT standoffs by giving out pizza, water and “onsite presence and hope.”

“I had soldiers that shared with me in deployment, ‘When I saw you show up, and I said, if the chaplain can be here, and he can do it, I can do it,’” Kinnune said in talking about his time in the Army. “So, I think there is a similar effect here when one of our chaplains or chaplain support staff show up, they say, ‘You know what, there’s hope.’”

Ride-Alongs Are another Way Chaplains Spend Time Ministering to Police

While there was a hiatus of chaplains being able to ride along with police during COVID, last month, the SCSC went on four ride-alongs. Chaplain Ryan Stemkoski said prior to that shut down, they were averaging five to 10 per month.

Stemkoski began volunteering with the SCSC about two years ago in addition to owning a marketing firm and being on staff at a new church plant in Airway Heights. These ride-alongs are one of his “favorite parts” of the job.

He believes spending time with police in this way is very important, as he has noticed officers experiencing setbacks personally and societally lately that carry a heavy weight. And his job sharing a vehicle with an officer for sometimes up to six hours is to help make that weight a little lighter.

“We’re able to help provide some encouragement and just presence,” Stemkoski said, explaining they could talk about everyday things or they may have a deep conversation.

“You just never know,” he said. “It kind of depends on what they need, but it’s up to them.”

Chaplains also Provide a Ministry of Presence to the Public

One of the common tasks chaplains do is come alongside and assist police by ministering to and answering questions of the families of loved ones needing to be notified of suicides, deaths and accidents.

Chaplain Rochelle “Rocky” Renninger came to the chaplaincy about nine years ago after retiring as a business owner and was drawn to this work due to the challenges and opportunities to grow in her own personal relationship with God.

She thinks SCSC is a ministry of presence and is the core of what they do, which is encapsulated by the Bible verse to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

She remembers a time when she was called to a house in which a woman just learned of the death of her husband. The woman was angry and didn’t want to talk to anyone. So, Renninger thought she would just sit next to her in silence.

“All of a sudden she broke down, started crying, put her head on my shoulder,” Renninger said. “I put my arm around her. No words were exchanged. It was the ministry of presence, and she was able to release her feelings.”

What if the People Chaplains Are Ministering to Are Not Christians?

While all the SCSC Chaplains and the Board of Directors that run COPS are Christians, they minister to the needs of law enforcement and the public no matter what faith or non-faith they ascribe to and do so only if they are requested.

This is reinforced by part of their mission statement, which says, “Our chaplains bring comfort, crisis-oriented counseling and a consoling nature to those who may be experiencing a crisis. We will not proselytize or otherwise attempt to force a particular religious faith on anyone. We will share our faith with those who seek or ask for spiritual counsel during these times. We provide these services to all regardless of race, religion, gender, or national origin.”

One of the resources the group has to give to people of other faiths is a list titled, “Spokane County Faith-Based Referrals,” and includes contact information from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, five local Buddhist communities, the Sikh Temple, a Wiccan church, among several other religious groups.

Kinnune, SCSC lead chaplain said their role is to serve a pluralistic and multi-faith community.

“It’s not our religious faith journey, it’s theirs,” Kinnune said. “We get the honor to help them along the way, [to] meet them in the moment and partner them with their faith through that list of referrals.”

SCSC Chaplains and Chaplain Support Staff Are Unpaid Volunteers

Walking alongside to support law enforcement and the public comes at a cost. The first cost is time.

While Kinnune is the only paid chaplain at SCSC through an approved budget provided by the Spokane County Commissioners to his parent organization, COPS, the rest of his team volunteers their hours. Last month, 11 chaplains attended 18 callouts and volunteered 1,474 hours.

The most active among the chaplains volunteer 160 hours in a month, which include their active and on-call and ready time.

The other cost comes from the extra needs of law enforcement that the SCSC desire to fill. These funds come from fundraisers, such as this current online auction that goes through Feb. 17. They also come from local supporters and organizations who desire to assist the chaplains fill these needs, most of which come from a crisis of some sort.

MedTech Cleaners, trauma and hoarding cleanup specialists, is one such organization to give a donation last year because the family who owns the business believes in the work the chaplains do in the local community.

“We have a variety of state contracts in the states that we operate the business where we help people whether you’d call it down on their luck, working disadvantaged, totally disabled,” Aaron Riddle, MedTech’s operations manager said. “Or we do a variety of outreach to the community where we volunteer our services to help [those in] need, and, then, we found out probably five, six, years ago that chaplains do exactly the same thing but as a nonprofit organization, So, they’re helping the same target people we are.”

Riddle then gave an example of how chaplains helped someone whose plumbing hadn’t worked in a year. They didn’t have hot water or money to fix their problem because they lived off of Social Security Disability.

“The chaplains go into that home, and I’m trying to be kind here, but that home, basically, you can smell it from blocks away,” he said. “They just do amazing work. They’re truly called to take care of people and to help people that are hurting. So, that’s why we support them.”

A Teenager and a Chaplain Meet on the Side of the Road

Examples abound in the scenarios chaplains find themselves in. Those interviewed for this story admit each time they provide comfort and support is unique, much like the following story of a teenager who was too emotional to keep driving home one day.

Graham Rocha just broke up with his long-time girlfriend and found himself on the road north of Colbert driving on his way home in his parents’ old, beat up, blue van. When his despair became too much, he pulled over and gave into his tears. He was 17 at the time and about to be a junior in high school.

Soon after, a Spokane County Sheriff’s chaplain was on his way home at the end of his shift and noticed this blue van suspiciously out of place. He, too, pulled over. He walked up to the van and asked if he was doing okay. Graham Rocha told him he was but that he just went through a breakup.

“He told me his name and asked me if he could pray for me, and I said yes,” said Rocha. “He gave me just a card with his number on it, and he said, ‘If you ever need to talk to somebody about anything, you can feel free to reach out to me.’ And then he prayed for me, and that was just super helpful.”

The chaplain didn’t just minister to Rocha in that moment, but also to his parents. He called them and after asking to pray with them and then doing so, the chaplain asked if they’d like him to stay with their son until he felt up to driving again or if they’d like to come get him. They decided to do the latter.

Years Later, a Family Is Thankful Chaplains Exist

Today, Abraham and Erin Rocha, along with their now 22-year-old son, who is a sophomore at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, think very highly of the work chaplains do in their community.

Abraham Rocha remembers the experience as a possible time in his son’s life where his despair may or may not have brought him to suicidal thoughts because of the intensity of his emotions and not having the full maturity to handle those feelings. He sees this moment in his son’s life as a possible prevention.

“That kind of intervention was just really meaningful to us, and we were super thankful to him that he showed our son that kind of love that, frankly, is God’s love,” said Abraham Rocha. “It went beyond just being a concerned officer (chaplain). It went to being a man of faith who recognized that he was someone in distress and to find out that this boy was a believer as well. He sort of met him where he was in his time of need.”

Erin Rocha reflects on the experience and is reminded that God doesn’t just work in these “perfect Christian circles” but even in secular agencies, like a police department, throughout the community.

“The fact that God has his people throughout the world, and that he’s there to minister to the needs of us in our family was just a real tangible reminder that God is in our midst, and he takes care of us and he takes care of our kids.”

For Graham Rocha, the experience reminds him that God is with him in his darkest moments, even when he doesn’t feel him. “That was definitely one of those moments where I was like God knew what I needed,” he said. “And he was able to use another believer to help encourage me in that moment that was really difficult.”

This news story was made possible by contributions to FāVS from readers like you. Thank you.