Mobile chapel ministers to truckers

BEAVERDAM - Visitors to the Pilot Travel Center off Interstate 75 at Beaverdam exit 135 can now get gas, snacks and spiritual guidance all in one stop thanks to a new mobile chapel that has set up shop near the truck stop parking lot.

A dedication ceremony was held for the "Second Chance Chapel" Sunday afternoon, part of the international "Transport for Christ" organization that provides ministry to truckers. Participants surrounded the 48-foot trailer for a prayer to bless the structure, which includes living quarters and space for Bible study and services. The chapel will be staffed at all times by chaplains and community volunteers.

"We're really excited to get one here in this area. Toledo had been the closest so far," according to Wayne Dunlap, lead chaplain at the Toledo location. He will also lend a hand in Beaverdam.

But the chapel isn't just for truckers. No one will be turned away, Dunlap said. An arrangement with Pilot makes the chapel a permanent fixture near the truck parking lot.

The "Second Chance Chapel" has been 17 years in the making, from finding a location to making the final arrangements, Dunlap said. It has also been a dream of Dave Lugibihl, who is a co-chaplain the site along with Dean Diller.

According to Lugibihl's sister, Ruth Hefner, of Columbus Grove, the mobile chapel is "awesome. It's something we've wanted for so many years," she said. Lugibihl "had this vision to try and make this happen. It's wonderful."

The chapel will see to the spiritual needs of visitors, but it will also take care of some more down-to-earth needs, like rides to the pharmacy or the doctor, Dunlap said. And with more than 10 million people in the trucking industry, a lot of souls can cross the mobile chapel's threshold. Many are far from home and their needs can be as diverse as their travels.

"This is all part of what we do as chaplains," he said. The chapel "makes a nice network" of help in the trucking community.

And for the 17 years of effort to make the Beaverdam chapel a reality, Lugibihl is pleased with the result.

"It's a vision come true," he said.