Chaplain Services
VA Oklahoma City health care's chaplains serve people of all faiths and denominations as well patients and families looking for non-denominational support. They’re here to listen and offer spiritual and emotional support as you struggle with tough questions and ethical decisions.
Chaplain Services
Phone: 405-456-1000, ext. 65138
Email: OkcChaplainServices@va.gov
Patient TV Channel: 35.1
Our chaplains are clinical pastoral care specialists who provide religious and non-religious people with services such as:
- Community referrals
- Crisis ministry
- Devotional materials, Bibles, and sacred texts
- End-of-life decision counseling
- Ethics counseling
- Grief and loss (bereavement) counseling
- Pastoral support at the time of terminal diagnosis
- Prayer, anointing, sacraments, and blessings
- Spirituality recovery
- Support during times of anxiety, doubt, guilt, anger, and uncertainty
- TeleChaplaincy for Veterans who live far away from or have difficulty traveling to the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center or don’t have time to attend a face-to-face spiritual care session.
Worship services
People of all faiths and traditions are invited to attend general protestant worship services in our chapel on the ground floor in room GA139. Service times are:
- Sundays at 11: 00 a.m. CT
- Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. CT
- Services may be watched on Channel 3.
Staff Catholic chaplains also are here to meet your sacramental needs.
The Chapel remains open for prayer, meditation, and spiritual refuge 24 hours a day. Chapel doors are closed during chaplain-led groups and events. If the Chapel is unavailable, come to the office and we will find an alternate, quiet place for you.
Interfaith Chapel
Oklahoma City VA Medical Center
5th Floor
Room 5A145
Map of VA Oklahoma City campus
Hours: 24/7
Phone: 405-456-1000, ext. 65138
Office: 5B100 (left from Main Elevator)
Chapel: 5A145 (right from Main Elevator)
Chapel Schedule
Monday:
Noon – Stories & Healing
Tuesday:
Noon – Recovery Talk
Wednesday:
Noon – Creative Spirituality
Thursday:
Noon – Praying of the Rosary
Friday:
9 a.m. – PTSD Spiritual Renewal
Noon – Word for the Weekend
1:30 p.m. – Islamic Prayer Service
Virtual Groups
Email OKCChaplainServices@va.gov or call 405-456-5138 to register or be put on the waiting list.
Monday:
2 p.m. – Men’s Spirituality
3 p.m. – LGBTQ+ Spirituality
Thursday:
9:30 a.m. – Grief Level II (ongoing)
3 p.m. – Women’s Spirituality
5:30 p.m. – Grief Level I alternates with Making Hard Decisions
Friday:
10:30 a.m. – Grief, Loss, Guilt & Shame
1 p.m. – Substance Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Spirituality Group
Staff-only groups are available on request.
How We Serve
Chaplain Service takes a holistic approach in caring for the whole person – body, mind, and spirit.
We are Whole Health providers and active members of interdisciplinary teams, ensuring a continuum of care.
Whole Health Spiritual Care Includes:
- Blessings & Prayer
- Grief Support
- End of Life Spiritual Care
- Pregnancy Loss Spiritual Care
- Guided Imagery & Hypnosis
- Healing Touch & Reiki
- Mental Health Spiritual Care
- Recovery Support
- Moral Injury & PTSD Spiritual Care
- Women’s & Men’s Groups
- Spiritual Assessments
- Spiritual Counseling
- Listening
Who We Serve
Chaplain Service provides care for:
- Veterans, Families & Survivors
- Staff & Providers
- Individuals & Groups
- Couples & Families
- Inpatient & Outpatient
- Women, Men, LGBTQIA
- All Faiths & Spiritualities
VA Chaplains are Mandated Reporters and are legally obligated to report suspected abuse – which can include child abuse, domestic abuse, and elder abuse – and threats of harm to self and others.
Spiritual Recovery
Using your values and beliefs to address spiritual injuries and illness.
Spiritual injury takes place regardless of a person’s spiritual orientation and religious beliefs. VA Chaplains are trained to assess spiritual injury and to provide care that is free of proselytizing and designed to meet the Veteran where they are in order to facilitate healing.
Contact a Chaplain
For more information, please call our chaplains Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT at 405-456-5138
Chaplain Staff
The VA Oklahoma City Healthcare System chaplains provide spiritual care for people of their faith and help people other faiths and traditions. They serve patients, family members, friends, and VA staff members. Our chaplains practice a holistic approach to ministering to our Veterans. We help them use faith in all areas of life. Our chaplain staff includes:
- 4 Protestant chaplains
- 2 Roman Catholic chaplains
- Resident and intern chaplains in the clinical pastoral education (CPE) program.
Our chaplains serve on the hospice and palliative End of Life care team, and the psychiatric inpatient unit’s Interdisciplinary Treatment care team. They provide services to the Safe Haven and Warrior 2 Soul Mate (W2SM) programs.
Tarasisio Tumuhereze
Chaplain
VA Oklahoma City health care
Phone:
Herbert Vance
Chaplain
VA Oklahoma City health care
Phone:
Become a Chaplain
OKC VA Health Care Service is a teaching hospital and provides chaplain training through Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Positions are competitive and limited. Master’s degree required for stipend, employment. VA employment following training is not guaranteed.
For more information or to apply, contact:
Dr. Brenda Wallace
Certified Educator
Brenda.Wallace@va.gov
404-368-4816
Kristen Melton
Chief of Chaplain Service
Kristen.Melton@va.gov
405-456-5138
Internship
- 3-6 months (or 3-month hybrid)
- Weekly Evening Class Schedule
- Summer Intensive or Extended Term
Residency
- Stipend
- 12 months with Clinical Rotation
- Weekday Class Schedule
Fellowship
- 12 months with Specialty Focus
- Weekday Class Schedule
- Available Specialties:
- Hospice/Palliative Care
- Mental Health
- Substance Use/Addiction
- Women Veteran’s Health