Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Tristan Labuguen | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM – Cmdr. John Sears, the Chaplains Religious...... read more read more
The Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operation (CREDO) program at Commander, Navy Region Hawaii (CNRH) helps strengthen resiliency among service members and their families by fostering healthy relationships, spiritual readiness, and emotional well-being. Through retreats, workshops, and training courses, the CREDO program supports mission readiness by ensuring that behind every unit is a foundation of people who are grounded, connected, and prepared for the challenges they face in uniform and at home.
CREDO Hawaii hosts an average of 125 events annually that are available to service members and their families stationed across Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands. These programs include marriage enrichment retreats, unit readiness training, safeTalk, and suicide prevention workshops.
Cmdr. John Sears, who assumed the role of CNRH CREDO director in December of 2025, has completed 19 years of active duty service and is committed to strengthening resiliency for Sailors in the fleet and on shore.
Sears describes CREDO’s mission as one of enrichment and development – an intentional effort to help people grow in their relationships, beliefs, and sense of purpose. CREDO programs are designed to create a space where genuine human connection, trust, and personal growth can fully take root.
“What makes CREDO special is that it provides a place for people outside the normal command structure to see one another and grow through mutual learning,” Sears said. He noted that participants then carry these lessons back to their units to "invigorate and hone our professional skills and support systems to maximize effectiveness for the Navy’s mission."
Sears emphasized that building resilience is a proactive process that requires maintaining strong relationships. “At its most basic level, CREDO focuses on the people we care for and fight to protect,” he said. “These programs optimize both human and professional performance so that we are the best Sailors we can be.”
Marriage Enrichment
The marriage enrichment retreat offers couples an opportunity to step away from the daily pressures of military life and focus on reconnection and trust. Designed for military personnel returning to their families after a deployment, spouses having issues at home, or partners dealing with everyday stress, the retreat encourages couples to deepen their bonds at a workshop in Waikiki.
Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Shane Barger is CREDO Hawaii’s leading petty officer and marriage enrichment retreat coordinator who supports military family resilience by organizing and leading marriage enrichment retreats for couples seeking to strengthen their relationships.
“Marriage enrichment retreats involve us taking couples that are stagnant in their relationship and giving them lifelong tools to continue to grow together,” Barger explained.
Unit Readiness Training
Unit readiness training teaches service members to enhance their communication styles, bond through team building exercises, and engage in group problem solving.
Religious Program Specialist Seaman Malia Hivner, the newest member of the team, is an instructor for unit readiness training. She said much of her work involves creating group problem solving scenarios that reinforce readiness.
“We help decide what evolution would be best depending on what groups need to work on and every activity has a different meaning behind it whether it’s working together, communicating ideas, or trust building,” she said. “Service members attending the unit readiness workshop benefit because it shows that at the end of the day, we’re people who can work together to achieve something amazing.”
Barger, the leader instructor for unit readiness training, said service members attending the workshop come to view each other as members of a team, which helps improve communication in the workplace.
“Service members benefit from the program by seeing what their unit can do together,” said Barger. “By practicing interpersonal communication in a training setting, service members learn to capture their leadership’s attention at work, which can completely change the way a workplace runs.”
safeTalk Training
Religious Program Specialist 3rd Class Deaizjah Melton recently completed safeTALK instructor training and learned how to apply the TALK method – Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe –to connect a person with suicidal ideations to first aid caregivers who can provide additional support.
“I had to complete the safeTALK workshop and demonstrate a strong understanding of suicide alertness and intervention to become an instructor,” said Melton. “Throughout the training, I learned how to teach the material, lead discussions, and create a safe and engaging learning environment for participants.”
ASIST Workshop
The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop is an interactive suicide intervention training course designed to give participants the skills and confidence to help someone who may be experiencing thoughts of suicide.
“Some of the benefits Sailors gain from attending the ASIST workshop include increased confidence in recognizing and responding to someone in crisis, stronger communication and active listening skills, and a better understanding of available support resources,” said Melton. “The training also helps build trust and connectedness within commands by encouraging Sailors to look out for each another and have difficult conversations when needed.”
According to Melton, the safeTALK and ASIST programs work hand in hand through CREDO Hawaii.
“The safeTALK training course focuses more on recognizing signs and connecting someone to support, while ASIST goes more in depth by teaching intervention skills and how to create a safety plan with a person who may be at risk.”
Sears said all of CREDO’s programs are centered on strengthening resilience at the individual level.
“Because we focus on the human spirit, and the spirit is tied to all the other aspects of being a person –whether that’s physical, mental or social –we really focus on the core of the person, and that allows them to optimize their role in other areas of their life,” Sears said.
He reflected on the impact of his work and what it has meant to him throughout his career as a Navy chaplain.
"The most rewarding part is knowing we are effective in helping people,” said Sears. “By helping others remain spiritually ready, my team and I hope to produce changes that enrich others and last a lifetime.”
To learn about CREDO Hawaii and the programs they provide, Sears encourages service members and their families to call the CREDO Hawaii office at 808-473-1222.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2026 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 565692 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CREDO Director Strengthens Resiliency Through Support Programs, by PO2 Tristan Labuguen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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