At His Service

Inside the steel corridors of an aircraft carrier, Navy Lieutenant (Chaplain) Wendy Byh is bringing the hope of Jesus to men and women in the armed forces who are unable to worship in traditional church environments.

Byh grew up as an Assemblies of God World Missions missionary kid in Africa, where her parents modeled what it means to live a life of service to the Lord.

“A big part of me going into the ministry was seeing my parents show me how good it is to serve God and others,” she says.

Upon her family’s return to the United States when she was 16 years old, Byh continued to observe her parents in active ministry. A few years later, she attended Nelson University, where she earned a degree in English but began feeling the Lord drawing her towards chaplaincy.

One day while walking with a friend, Byh came across a nursing home. The two decided to go in to see if they could pray with residents and were excited when they were told, “yes.” This non-traditional and spontaneous ministry moment stuck with Byh and she began further exploration of chaplaincy ministry.

“I had a few of these non-traditional moments in college and I began thinking of missions outside of the box I had seen while growing up,” she says.

She spent the next few years interviewing other chaplains, including Army Chaplain (MAJ.) Delena Small, an Assemblies of God chaplain serving in AGUSM Chaplaincy Ministries. Through these conversations, Byh became aware of the need for female military chaplains.

“It’s important to have both genders represented in ministerial leadership,” Byh says in accordance with her religious endorser’s policies.

Former Assemblies of God General Secretary Donna Barrett agrees, “The image of God is best reflected and the Church of Jesus Christ is healthiest when both men and women are empowered to fulfill their calling at every level of ministerial leadership.”

Sensing that her calling had been confirmed, Byh became an active-duty chaplain with AGUSM Chaplaincy Ministries in 2021.

“Growing up overseas, I witnessed the importance of member care, and was drawn to the opportunity to provide care to the service members and their families,” Byh says. “Missionary families and military families have these attributes in common: high service, high sacrifice, and high transition, in their shared experiences. Part of my calling is to provide pastoral care to people who are serving others.”

Since 2021, Byh has been part of three humanitarian deployments, including responding to a typhoon in the Pacific and serving in roles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, one opportunity last year stands out for Byh – one reserved for only those chaplains held in the highest regard. In October, Byh was able to ride in the back seat of an F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft at Top Gun school. This aircraft is used in modern naval aviation and is deployed for varying combat roles and missions.

“It is important as a chaplain to look to enter and learn the world, work, culture, and language of the people you are looking to serve, flying with them was a great opportunity to build rapport and do so,” Byh says.

“After attending the pre-flight brief, we flew with two other fighter jets on a practice mission. We got up to 4Gs. The views from the flight and the crew that helped to provide the (experience) were wonderful. It was surreal; a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I am so grateful for,” she says.

“Wendy’s calling began with a nudge from the Holy Spirit and now, after years of preparation, she’s a full member of the military community and she continually brings people closer to Jesus,” James Denley, Military and Veterans Affairs endorser for AG Chaplaincy Ministries, says. “She has served alongside service members in challenging environments where they were ready to hear the gospel. Step by step she followed the leading of the Holy Spirit into this amazing ministry. For anyone who’s reading this and feels a whisper of a calling to chaplaincy, please contact Chaplaincy Ministries to talk about what God is doing in your life."

Now, Byh is embracing a new assignment as an Air Wing chaplain and will be stationed on an aircraft carrier with a crew of approximately 5,000.

“I’ll be part of a carrier strike group made up of multiple commands,” she explains. “It’s like a floating airport where they bring all of the planes, pilots, and support staff.”

Byh says that one of her favorite parts of military chaplaincy is the incarnational aspect of the ministry. 

“In addition to preaching and teaching, we are doing life with people," she says. "A lot of times I’m having conversations with people who are unchurched while we’re having meals together or while going about the day. It’s an incredible opportunity to have impactful conversations with a diverse group of service members from various or no-religious background.”

She also states that she has been asked to baptize the family members of some of her fellow service men and women, been able to pray at various command events, and has also had the opportunity to provide suicide prevention and deployment readiness trainings.

In addition to the day-to-day ministry, Byh also sends out a newsletter that reaches over 2,000 air-wing personnel, offering both spiritual and mental-health-focused education and encouragement.