Chaplain Nay speaks at local church with historical ties to Fort Meade

by Renee Hatcher
Electronic Communication Branch

Army Col. Robert Nay, Defense Information Systems Agency chaplain, was the guest speaker at the Community Methodist Church in Laurel, Maryland, June 20.

Sunday was Father’s Day and Chaplain Nay spoke about the “Faith of our Fathers.” 

“These chapels built during World War II and every chapel built since are a symbols of religious freedom, diversity and toleration within our nation’s history,” Nay said.

The church facility made the message especially interesting as the building was one of the original 10 chapels built at Fort George G. Meade in 1941. Thousands of Jewish, Roman Catholic and Protestant Soldiers worshiped in this chapel from 1941 to the early 1960s when it was sold to a local congregation for $100. The congregation paid $10,000 to have the building moved. It was split into three parts and transported more than eight miles to its current location.

After the service, congregation member Linda Gamble told Nay that her uncle, Wilson Harvey, was a Methodist chaplain during World War II. Nay had a book that contained all the Methodist chaplains during World War II, and Gamble quickly identified her uncle in the picture.

Published June 25, 2021