Art Sphar offers help and

resources during life’s

toughest times

When high levels of water and melting snow covered much of the Sumner Valley two weeks ago, Art Sphar wasted no time in coming to the scene, offering a flood of support wherever he found the need.

And the needs were plenty.

Sphar, 69, is a retired minister and a 26-year chaplain serving with the Tacoma Pierce County Chaplaincy, a non-profit organization with 30 chaplains who offer help 365 days a year to folks during their greatest hours of need.

On Jan. 8, his experience proved crucial when he and other first responders confronted residents facing dire situations – residents like Curtis Lake of River Park Estates in Sumner.

Sphar happened upon Lake while surveying devastated communities. “I’m a scout,” he explained. He found Lake standing in the morning chill and in disbelief at the top of his neighborhood’s entryway – in the same place both men had met just two years previously after unforgiving waters of the Puyallup River raced through streets and houses.

Sphar and Lake stood just 20 feet away from the watery disarray. “It looks like you slipped under the radar track,” he said. “How are you doing?”

So began one of countless conversations that week for Sphar and his fellow chaplains. He stood in solemn silence next to the distraught man – amidst the flooded mobile homes, the scattered pile of split firewood and an orphaned patio chair stuck in thick mud and debris.

“Yes,” Lake replied. “Everybody is safe. I’m just glad God’s in control.” The fire department had knocked on his door at 6 a.m. the previous morning. “They told us, ‘be prepared to move.’”

Sphar assessed Lake’s needs. He offered him shelter and warmth at nearby Calvary Community Church, a designated American Red Cross shelter. Next, a welcomed hand shake.

“I’m here to help,” he said. “How about coming over to the shelter and we’ll have a hot cup of coffee together?”

Lake graciously declined. “I’ve got to stick around,” he said. Sphar handed him a list of phone contacts with a promise to follow up.

The same scene played out minutes later when another victim precariously trekked through the mud and water to remover her elderly mother’s belongings from her home.

Sphar introduced himself as a chaplain.

“Oh, God bless you,” she said. “Thank you.”

Sphar offered resources and shelter, then a prayer of comfort and encouragement. The woman cried in gratitude.

“A chaplain’s main job is to be a presence,” he later said. “We have a scanner and hear the calls,” he said of the ability to respond quickly.

Serving others

Sphar’s first call came 26 years ago on a ride along with a Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy in Gresham, Ore.

“It was a Friday night, and we were just outside Portland,” he recalled.

A multi-vehicle accident had occured. Sphar and the Deputy responded to the call, which involved two families returning from an ocean trip. They were just blocks away from their homes, he said. Then, tragedy.

“The car in front had the parents,” he said. “The car behind had teens in it. They watched their parents get killed in front of their eyes. Three were killed instantly and a fourth critically injured.

After witnessing the horrendous suffering of the family members and watching the effects of the accident on the first responders, Sphar knew: he wanted to become a chaplain. He proposed the idea to the county and became the first sheriff’s chaplain for Multnomah County.

As a University of Washington graduate, Sphar holds a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel School of Religion and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. He most recently pastored Lake Tapps Christian Church in Bonney Lake until his retirement six years ago, while still serving as chaplain for the Sumner and Bonney Lake Police departments and Piece County Sheriff. He continues to serve in those capacities in addition to being the suburban chaplain coordinator for Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy and director of the Police and Fire Chaplain’s Training Academy. He is also a senior certified chaplain with the International Conference of Police Chaplains, where he serves as their state representative, and a certified trainer for Pierce County Department of Emergency Management Trainer. He is financially supported through the T-PCC. Those credentials, combined with seeing people at their lowest points in life, have given him the ability to reach out to people on both sides, whether as victim or as first responders.

Standing by

“He’s kind of a regular fixture in the police department,” said Bonney Lake Police Chief Mike Mitchell. “He comes in not only to help people who are in need, but if somebody has car problems or a mother needs food for their children. He comes out whenever we have a death and need help in talking to the family and help in setting things up.”

Mitchell said Sphar and his peer chaplains were a tremendous help in September following a fatal boating accident on Lake Tapps.

“We had one fatality and multiple injuries,” Mitchell said. “I had people who had been officers for 18 years who came to me and basically said that was the most horrific thing. He helps us and checks up on us to make sure that if somebody’s having problems, he’s there to offer help.”

Sphar’s arrival comes at the toughest of times, whether it’s giving comfort to grieving parents following their infant’s sudden death or knocking on a family’s door in the middle of the night with news that no one wishes to hear.

Through every human crisis and emotion, Sphar knows his limits.

“There are some people who will let you in and some who won’t,” he said.

But for those who do, Sphar is ready to offer assistance and share compassion in the face of human tragedy.

“I can watch a grieving firefighter who has a thousand-meter stare,” he said. “My job is to stand by him. My job is to keep these people (law enforcement and rescue personnel) in business so they can help others.

“I think of Jesus, who was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; I think he must have been a chaplain.”

He added that the best part of serving others happens during the most traumatic times.

“I get to see God working in me to touch peoples’ lives,” he said.

And for Art Sphar, that’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“He’s always available,” Mitchell said.

Reach Judy Halone at jhalone@courierherald.com or 360-802-8210.