My name is John Serrette and I am a police chaplain with the Russellville Police Department. I am also a full-time police officer for the Russellville Police Department and hold the rank of Sergeant. I am currently assigned to patrol division as an assistant watch commander for A-Shift.

I received the call from our Lord to become a chaplain in 2000 and became ordained in the pentecostal faith in 2004.  Prior to becoming a chaplain, I served 8 years in the U.S. Army as a "tanker" and as a police officer for 18 years.  I am also a volunteer chaplain with the Arkansas Department of Health Hospice, and I feel truly blessed that the Lord has chosen to use me in this unique dual capacity.  I pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen me and will give me the knowledge and wisdom to perform the duties of a chaplain, to His glory.  Please contact me if I can be of service to you and/or your family.  God Bless!

My Calling

It almost seems like a dream on how fast everything has happened in my life over the past six years.  It was just six short years ago that I lost my dad to a heart attack and up to that point in my life, he meant as much to me as anyone ever did.  Yes I lost my dad, but little did I know that by doing so, I gained a father.  A father who cared enough for me that he would "Never leave me nor forsake me".  A father who loves me even though sometimes I don't listen to him.  A father who is a refuge in times of trouble.  Yes, my father is God almighty who reformed me from the sinner that I once was, into a man redeemed through the blood of his son's sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.

I first got the call to be a Chaplain in 2000 shortly after my dad's passing.  I spoke with another chaplain about this and we had a long talk about it, prayed, and then put it in the Lord's hands.  But I had a hard time believing that the Lord wanted to use me in his service.  I hadn't been going to church much, and I felt that a lot of people who went to church were hypocrites and I didn't need that.  But little did I know that all the time, the Lord was sharpening me. He was using my life experiences both good and bad, to hone me into a man that would soon enter into his service.

My relationship with God started back in 1979.  I began asking my dad questions about the bible and about heaven and hell and I soon found out that more than anything, I wanted to go to heaven when I died.  On April 3, 1979, when I was 15 years old, I got on my knees and prayed to Jesus that he would forgive me of my sins and asked Him to be my savior.  That feeling of being saved was a feeling that I will never forget, I was redeemed and forgiven!  But like most of us at one time or another in their life, I started to zig-zag off the course God had laid out for me and I got wrapped up in life and I stopped calling on Him to guide me...I wanted to do it all myself.

But after I became a Police Officer in 1989 I started to see the ugly side of people and of myself.  I began to take the "Us vs. Them" attitude and drinking beer and motorcycle riding was all I needed in order to fill the void that was in my life and make me happy and content.  But after years of dealing with people that had no regard for other persons, who cursed authority, abused their children, who killed themselves with drugs and alcohol, I began to realize that these people were just like me.  They had families and friends, and were loved.  But somewhere along the way, something happened in their life that made them fall into a pit.  I realized that the pit they had fallen into was caused by the Devil's snare, the one he uses against us everyday to entice us into doing what we please, instead of doing what God wants us to do.

These experiences and others, made me realize that I needed God back into my life more than anything.  So I had a long talk with God and I asked him to take me back and to mold me into the man that He wanted me to be.  After that, I answered the calling that at first I doubted, but now accepted without hesitation, and soon enrolled in several bible courses, institutes, and a Bible College and Seminary through correspondence.

After three years of studying, I received my ordination credentials through the Pentecostal Assemblies of God of America, and I soon found myself at the front door of Arkansas Hospice where I became a volunteer Chaplain.  The Lord has since, opened new windows of opportunity for me and everyday he teaches me something new.  Everything I do; I do for Him and his glory.  I realize that without Him, there would be no possible way that I could perform the job as a Chaplain.  I am honored to be a part of the Lord's service!

Chaplain John Serrette