First responders in Haines will now have the benefit of an official Chaplain. Pastor Matt Jones, of the Port Chilkoot Bible Church, has recently offered to volunteer his services to Haines police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel. Serving in the Coast Guard for twenty six years has made Jones intimately familiar with the stresses first responders face and the needs that can result. Hailing from Kansas, he went on to a career in the Coast Guard that took him from Florida and Louisiana, through the Persian Gulf, to Kodiak, Valdez and Juneau. Upon retiring he felt the need to serve in a more spiritual manner, and he has been a full time minister for the last eight years. “A Chaplain is meant to be specifically non denominational, and is meant to be essentially a friend to walk alongside people in a safe and confidential manner. And he would still encourage some of the same long term goals as far as communicating through difficult days, and challenges and things that add stress in our lives.”