Special merit awards were presented to American Baptist chaplains and pastoral counselors at a training event sponsored by National Ministries on June 29, during the American Baptist Biennial Meeting in Washington, D.C.

The Military Chaplain Merit Award was given to Commander Lee Axtell, CHC, USN. Chaplain Axtell has distinguished himself by outstanding service as supervisory chaplain for the Religious Ministry Team, Third Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. His outstanding professional skill, leadership, and ceaseless contributions have helped his organization to achieve maximum operational effectiveness.

Chaplain Axtell is first and foremost a pastor. His calling as a Christian minister of the gospel is readily apparent by his personal testimony in Christ, which is demonstrated daily. He organized 520 “Return Warrior Debriefs” for 3,500 Marines and sailors returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. His discussion of personal spirituality and the journey from combat to home life was a key component of the small groups.

During his deployment in 1993, in Valparaiso, Chile, Chaplain Axtell coordinated with local missionaries to bring his shipboard congregation together with local churches to share in worship and fellowship. During a 1998 deployment in Naples, Italy, he organized community service projects, sponsored by the USS GUAM’s ministry team, at local orphanages. He also holds training sessions for lay leaders so that they will have the necessary resources and knowledge to provide ministry in the combat environments of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chaplain Axtell attended Los Angeles Community College and graduated from the University of Southern California. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Andover Newton Theological School.

The Pastoral Counselor Merit Award was presented to the Rev. Dr. Linda I. Kirkland-Harris, co-pastor of the Bank Street Memorial Baptist church, Norfolk, Virginia.

“Wonderful Counselor, didactic, empathetic, open, authentic, with pastoral gifts” are the words used to describe Kirkland-Harris. She understands herself to have a pastoral disposition, with a desire to mediate love, grace, harmony, and wholeness. Serving as co-pastor with her husband, the Rev. Dr. Cedric Kirkland-Harris, she holds responsibilities for preaching, teaching, administration, and providing pastoral counseling/therapy.

Kirkland-Harris says she works best when there is a clear contract or covenant between people, one in which the individual is willing to be accountable. She is a spiritual counselor in the truest sense, providing pastoral counseling in a parish setting at the church. Her goal is to facilitate an increase in a person’s capacity to envision a gracious God who has come into sight because holy power and direction has guided and enriched her work, such that the person becomes able to lay aside the idols, symptoms and dysfunctions of a lifetime. She is known for her patience, caring, and listening skills.

A graduate of Bates College, Kirkland-Harris holds advanced degrees from Andover Newton Theological School and Boston University. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC).

The Institutional Chaplain Merit Award was given to Dr. Peter Yuichi Clark, whose exceptional care-giving abilities have distinguished his ministry to patients, families and staff at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Berkeley, California.

Chaplain Clark has an extraordinary ability to relate to people of all ages, and he quickly establishes rapport and trust. He also has an unusual ability to relate to people across racial, cultural and other barriers. He enjoys ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue.

Chaplain Clark is deeply involved in theological education and spiritual care in the San Francisco Bay area. He serves as an instructor in pastoral care at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He is also involved with the Asian American Center and teaches at the American Baptist Seminary of the West.

Chaplain Clark participates in the Institute for Leadership Development and Study of Pacific and Asian North American Religion (PANA Institute). He sees his work as helping to promote an American Baptist emphasis in interdenominational dialogue, as well as seeking to equip future ministers for service in faith communities. He is sought-after in ecumenical settings as well.

Chaplain Clark is a member of Oakhurst Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga. He is a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and is fully certified as a supervisor with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE).

A graduate of Baylor University, Chaplain Clark holds a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Emory University.