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Summarized by Kent Larsen
LDS Materials Included in New Army 'Containerized Chapels'
Chicago Tribune 18Feb00 N6
By Robin Estrin: Associated Press
NATICK, MASSACHUSSETS -- The U.S. Army has produced a new
"containerized chapel" including everything needed for religious
ceremonies in the field: a large tent, folding chairs for pews,
generator-powered heat, air conditioning and lights. It also has
everything but the chaplain - including the LDS Scriptures.
Prototypes of the chapel have been used in Kosovo since September.
Traditionally, soldiers have worshipped wherever they could, and
even LDS stories from wartime show soldiers improvising ways to get
worship services and building chapels on temporary bases. Chaplains
have been limited to carrying a purse-size chaplain's bag, large
enough to hold the scriptures and a few additional items. While this
is adequate for short-term missions, soldiers on longer-term missions
need more substantial places to worship.
The new chapels accommodate up to 100 worshippers and fit into
8-by-20-foot containers that weigh 16,000 pounds. Each chapel costs
about $125,000 and can be set up in a day. The chapels include
footlockers with religious items for a variety of different faiths,
including LDS Church members.
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