Valdese’s the Rev. Roberts bids farewell, reflects on service

It’s been a great ride, but Valdese chaplain the Rev. Bill Roberts is saying goodbye as he moves on to his next chapter in Forest City.

Roberts has enjoyed his time in Valdese and will miss the community, along with First United Methodist Church in Valdese. He came to the church in July 2023, but now, the pastor role will be assumed by the Rev. Dr. Brad Hinton.

Since fall 2024, Roberts has been a part of the Chaplain’s Program, a multidenominational program with a mixture of ministry backgrounds to be a support system for the Valdese Police Department. The program is headed by Chief Marc Sharpe.

In his office filled with boxes — some his, some of newcomer Hinton — Roberts reflects on his time in the program.

“The day that Marc and I first met, he invited me to come by his old office and speak with him. That was the day of the shooting in Charlotte, where a number of officers were killed, quite tragically. We didn’t even know about it until we came out of the meeting, but it kind of underscored what he and I have been talking about, the difficult role that officers and their families have to play,” Roberts said.

Since that first meeting, the chaplains have supported officers emotionally and spiritually, while also helping them through personal recoveries. He has been a source of comfort for officers dealing with injuries or family illness.

Roberts admitted he has sometimes felt uncomfortable in the role, noting that serving as a chaplain is very different from being a pastor — and he has no formal chaplain training. In turn, he has learned by watching and following the lead of other chaplains in the program.

One part of the program he gradually grew into was leading monthly devotionals with the department’s various shifts. These sessions focused on scripture and the book Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Dr. Kevin M. Gilmartin.

“It is about the emotional trauma that officers face in their particular line of work and trying to balance the two perspectives together, and they fit together quite nicely for a devotional time,” he said. “The most enjoyable part was sitting down, having lengthy conversations, in a more relaxed setting, with the officers, and getting to know them on a more personal basis.”

He has connected with the officers and seen what was beyond the badge.

The officers receive a support system through the program, and Roberts has had an opportunity to “plug deeper into the community.”

Working within a church can be an insulating experience as pastors predominantly spend time with people in the congregation. He explained how the program gave him the opportunity to get to know people outside of the church and talk with people of different faiths or who have no religious practice.

Roberts also spoke highly of the police chief, a man he had grown to know well since last fall.

“Marc’s a great leader in this community, a good friend to the officers he’s leading, and a good friend to us,” he said.

PARTING WORDS

Although the program has six other chaplains, Roberts said there is room for diversity. He said that there are other faith communities beyond the Christian community.

In his closing remarks, he urged the Valdese community to build relationships with officers and welcome them into everyday life — whether at a neighborhood gathering or a church event.

“They have a difficult job to play. We being human, we don’t always make their job easier for them, but I think a lot of that gets resolved when we create opportunities to get to know them,” Roberts said.

To the Valdese Police Department, he wanted to remind them to focus on the aspects of their life outside of work.

“When you’re on duty, be on duty 100%, but learn to create things in your life that set that aside so that you’re with your family, with your friends, with your interests, and with your God. In those times away from work, be an officer, but don’t only be an officer,” Roberts concluded.