It is with great enthusiasm that the Naples Police Department introduces the new volunteer Police Chaplain Program. The initiative will provide spiritual guidance, counseling, and support upon request in times of crisis.
All Chaplains shall complete a “ride-along” with a police officer for a minimum of four hours each quarter. Members of the Chaplain Program may be called on to perform numerous duties, such as ceremonial functions. They are scheduled to attend the Citizens Police Academy in 2015, and all four chaplains just graduated from the forty hour International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) Basic Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Course in Fort Myers. Chief Weschler stated “This is the dream team of chaplains, and I am very excited to begin our partnership.”
The four members of the NPD Chaplain Program are:
Father Michael and Officer Phillips
Rev. Michael Vannicola (“Father Michael”) has been with Saint Ann Catholic Church since 2009. He attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia where he obtained a BA in History. He continued his education and obtained a Master of Divinity at Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC. Father Vannicola currently serves as a Pastor at Saint Ann Catholic Church.
Rev. Lonnie Mills has been with Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church since 2011. Before coming to MMBC, Pastor Mills was the Senior Pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Mulberry, Fl. for 15 years. He attended the Florida Theological Seminary and the Cultural Institute where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Theology. He currently serves as the Student Body President of the Florida Theological Seminary and Cultural Institute. In addition, he is a member of the First South Florida Missionary Baptist District Association and President of the #5 Congress.
Chief Weschler and Rev. Mills
Rev. Lonnie Mills has been with Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church since 2011. Before coming to MMBC, Pastor Mills was the Senior Pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Mulberry, Fl. for 15 years. He attended the Florida Theological Seminary and the Cultural Institute where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Theology. He currently serves as the Student Body President of the Florida Theological Seminary and Cultural Institute. In addition, he is a member of the First South Florida Missionary Baptist District Association and President of the #5 Congress
Rabbi Fishel Zaklos, of the Chabad Jewish Center of Naples, grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, where his father has served as a Chabad Rabbi for over twenty years. Upon completion of his studies, he was ordained by leading Rabbis from America and Israel, including former chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. Rabbi Zaklos taught in the Boys Yeshiva in Chicago, and conducted after-school programs for elementary school children. Rabbi Fishel also served as a student intern providing educational programs and holiday events for several Jewish communities in the United States. He visited cities throughout Eastern Europe, and the Far East, most notably directing the world’s largest Passover Seder in Katmandu, Nepal and another in Vietnam. He also directed overnight children’s camps in Moscow, Montreal, and Tucson, Arizona.
Pastor Keith Lingsch is a beloved pastor at Grace Lutheran Church since 2009. Upon graduation from McKeesport High School in 1984, Pastor Lingsch joined the United States Air Force and served as an Airman working in Supply. While serving on active duty at Nellis AB, NV, he was accepted into a program which separated him from active duty and placed him in the Air National Guard. While serving in the Air Guard, Pastor Lingsch attended Concordia College Bronxville, NY and earned a BA in Religious Studies. He continued his education, attending Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN, where he earned his Masters of Divinity. In September of 2006, he received a call from the Ministry to the Armed Forces at the National Guard Bureau, Washington, DC, serving as Chaplain in Readiness – deploying chaplains and chaplain’s assistants into the fight in the War on Terror. He has served as the Executive Officer for Major General John B. Ellington, Director of the National Guard Chaplaincy.