exchange employees and a baggage handler he has come to know. Then there’s a quick chat with Ajay Dha- wan, who helps direct JFK operations for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and serves as president of a consortium that helps airlines relate to Terminal 4 and security management.
Finally Dabee arrives at the faith- based oasis. Here he joins Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim chap- lains who oversee their respective ministries but find ways to connect through special events. Those have included a Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance; a Sept. 11 remem- brance; and disaster preparedness training with police, fire, FBI, Red Cross, the National Transportation Safety Board and other officials. Dabee came to this role after serv- ing two N.Y. congregations: Our Sav- iour Lutheran, Jamaica, and Gloria Dei Lutheran, New Hyde Park. While learning about Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadel- phia, he never pictured “being led to a ministry … where I would be work- ing so closely with an imam and a rabbi,” he said. Dabee’s chaplaincy knows few boundaries as he walks through ter- minals greeting strangers and meet- ing unanticipated needs. That has included presiding over memorial services and weddings.
One memorial service was for an in-flight supervisor at JFK who had succumbed to a chronic illness. “He was obviously a beloved figure to so many,” Dabee said. “The funeral, back home with family in Ohio, was not something many staff here were in a position to attend. So we [held a memorial] service that included preaching, prayer, hymns, psalms and a eulogy to bring closure to them.” One wedding was for an employee of the New York Port Authority at the Lincoln Tunnel. Both he and his
fiancée had demanding schedules and no home church. His background was Baptist; hers was Anglican. “They told me our Christ for the World Cha- pel would be the perfect setting to involve [their] families and working colleagues in the wedding,” Dabee explained. “It was a big celebration.” Dabee also provides encourage- ment to many employees and friends. One such friend has been seeking a second job, in part because her airport position doesn’t include benefits. “She has needed a driver’s license to qualify [and] has had trouble pass- ing the test,” he said. “Sometimes … there is a need just to be a presence, to provide comfort and reassurance to the whole person.”
That includes the man in the Jet Blue terminal who asked Dabee to pray for his ill father.
Dabee’s congregation The airport chapel is open for use by all Christian groups and receives funds from individuals and some aviation businesses, Dabee said. Each Wednesday at noon the airport’s sound system broadcasts an invitation for travelers and staff to attend a brief worship service.
“It lasts only about 12 to 15 min- utes,” Dabee said. That window of time is enough for an opening prayer, Scripture, a meditation hymn, prayers of the people, the Lord’s Prayer, a blessing and a sending hymn. The congregation? It’s comprised of passengers between flights, bag- gage handlers and other staff seeking solace amid hectic schedules. At one service, a young man who lives in Ohio told Dabee that his sis- ter’s husband had died unexpectedly in India. The service helped him face the long trip home for the funeral. “Funerals are a big reason why people travel through the airport,” Dabee said, recalling an instance when he went to the gate with one
grieving family. “I was able to do a blessing right before they got on their flight.”
This December, Dabee is working on songfests during the Christmas holidays to greet passengers in JFK’s arrival hall. He’s also planning some 30-minute Bible studies to better serve office staff and other airport workers.
“The heart of this ministry,” Dabee said, “is to bear Christ to others in a busy, confusing environment … to offer them a word of promise and hope just when they need it.”
Gathering the Lutheran Community
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December 2012 37
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