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Fort Hood, Texas — The Fort Hood Gospel Service celebrated its 50th church anniversary June 28 at the Lone Star Conference Center on Fort Hood. The Gospel Service, which began in 1974 at the 19th Street Chapel and is currently housed at the Comanche Chapel, was established to meet the spiritual needs of military service members returning from Vietnam.
At the time, “30% of the Soldiers on Fort Hood were black Soldiers,” said John Sanders, retired chief warrant officer four. “So, the worship opportunity was very simple. There were only three, maybe four churches in the area at the time back then that had gospel services. So those particular churches were busted at the seams. So, the Army said ‘Well, I’m going to release some of the pressure off the civilian infrastructure and open a church on Fort Hood.’”
The congregation saw heavy growth throughout the years, moving locations four times until 1991 when they moved into the Comanche Chapel.
The Comanche Chapel has become a staple within the community. Since its integration, three to four churches have been created within the surrounding community headed by past chaplains. Reflecting on this milestone was instrumental for the church.
“Just looking back, I think it was important for us to take a moment to reflect, to know that we have come this far by faith,” said Chaplain (Capt.) Philibert Meyor. “So just finding this space and this place for us to be able to reflect on the past 50 years, I think that was important, especially for those who haven’t been here for a long time, but they came back just to celebrate these 50 years.”
Attendees fellowshipped over dinner, had a biblical word from retired Army Chaplain (Maj.)Reverend David Reynolds, and acknowledged members who have been part of the congregation since its inception.
“There’s been a lot of progress due to the fact that the young people have taken over from the older people, a lot of them passed on,” said church member Modesta White. “I feel grateful to have been a part of this gospel service.”
White received an award as the longest and oldest member of the Gospel Service. She was at Fort Hood with her husband during the service’s inception.
“Well, the Gospel Service was mainly all black participants, and there was a lot of chapels on post, but there was no mainly black service for the black people,” she recalled. “Chaplain Jennings thought there should be one, and that’s how it got started. And for years, we had a great congregation, sometimes there would only be standing room when we first got started in the 70s, but it was a great inspiration for all the people.”
As the church was an inspiration for its members in the past, Meyor is hoping to continue that in the future.
“We are basically not just to be a church or any other church, but to create an environment where our Soldiers can have people looking out for them, people praying with them,” he said. “And we know that the human condition covers a whole lot of things. The spiritual aspect is one of the things that sometimes we do not take a moment to look back and see how it impacts our lives. Our spiritual aspect, our Gospel service, we look at spirituality in a way that it can be a blessing to our Soldiers, those who might be going through difficult times, and even, not only the Soldiers, but even seasoned Christians like me, who I’m a pastor.”
Those interested in joining the Gospel Service can join the congregation at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays at the Memorial Chapel until Comanche Chapel is finished with renovations, slated to be completed later this summer. Worship services are also streamed on their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ComamcheHappeningsNow.
| Date Taken: | 07.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2025 15:08 |
| Story ID: | 542118 |
| Location: | FORT CAVAZOS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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