And to the Ends of the Earth - Acts 1:8

I brought my Bible with me to Antarctica. It was given to me by a mentor and is one of my favorite translations. I expected any time spent focused on my faith would be by myself. So imagine my surprise when I learned about The Chapel of the Snows, the southernmost dedicated religious building in the world. With regular Sunday services and Bible studies, I was impressed to see that the Gospel was at work even at the edge of the world.

(Future tattoo idea?)

The chapel is probably my favorite place on base, if only for the aesthetics. Whoever designed the layout knew exactly where to put the chapel so that it was at the heart of everything, and at the most picturesque location. On clear and sunny days you can see most of the mountain range across the horizon. The building itself looks like any country church, but against the backdrop of utilitarian science buildings and winter desert, it's a touch of life that I can't help but admire.

(When we still had sunsets)

We only have official leadership during the summer season. I came down on the Winter Fly-In, and Sunday service was more akin to a small group meeting, where one community member led and had a short devotional—either what they felt led to teach, or one from a book. Now that we're in the proper season, we have chaplains that come down on six week rotations. From what I gather, chaplains come from the Air Guard or the Naval Reserves. There used to be a partnership with the diocese of Christchurch for Catholic priests, but that has apparently been on hiatus. Our first official chaplain was Chaplain Ben, a Lutheran pastor back home, and the second one down is Chaplain Clark, a Southern Baptist.

With the lack of a proper priest, Sunday services have been noted as "inter-faith" services. I won't even try to comment on certain denominational differences, but down here the most important thing is that we're all believers in Jesus. The chapel is set up to accommodate different expressions of faith, including the Stations of the Cross and a prie-dieu prayer desk. We regularly use the naval hymnal, and on the US Navy's birthday, we sang the naval hymn, including a verse directly referencing those who serve in Antarctica. We also make use of the Worship Book, from A Christian Ministry in the National Parks (ACMNP), which is apparently a thing. I never knew.

While music is a big part of most services back home, here it's a crapshoot based on who happens to be on the Ice at any given time if we'll have music. Surprisingly, Steward, one of the guys I work with, has some background in organ music and can play the weird electric organ in the chapel, so he's been providing the music of late. But before him, it was mostly the awkward acapella that comes with no one knowing how to start a song and have people join in. I believe, in the biz, we call that "making a joyful noise." While there are other instruments available, including an electric keyboard, guitars, and tambourine, we usually default to YouTube worship music videos if the need arises.

The chapel is also a bit of a hub for local activities. While it is a Christian church, it also serves as home to other religious services, including the Jewish Shabbat and various meditation practices. There is an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting there every week, as well as the aforementioned Bible study. It served as the registration booth and finish line for the Antarctic Turkey Trot, and will likely serve again for the Antarctic Marathon. And if you just want to jam out on some of the instruments, I suppose that's allowed as well.

Finally, just a few fun facts for you about the Chapel and service down here:

• The original chapel was built in 1956 by the Seabees and was constructed mostly from scrap.
• It houses the Erebus Chalice, a gift to the National Science Foundation that was thought be aboard the HMS Erebus during the Ross Expedition in 1839, but was later discovered to have been made in 1910.
• Depending on the chaplain, we have plenty of items to go along with the church calendar. For All Saints' Day this year, I "lit" a candle down here for Howard, whom many of you might know from Saint Paul. While he had passed a few years ago now, I thought he would get a hardy chuckle knowing he was honored in Antarctica.
• And when  I say "lit" a candle, I mean turned on a battery operated one, because fire is banned in the chapel. The building has burned down twice since its inception, a feeling I'm sure many in the Epleyanna area might be familiar with.

There's a lot down here that makes you feel comfortable away from home: food, holidays, special events, etc. But for me, something that most keeps me going and like I'm not shut out from the world is connecting with those who share my faith and being a part of the community of believers, even at the ends of the earth.

I'm also really excited for what the Christmas service is going to be like.