USE OF COMMAND
RELIGIOUS PROGRAM (CRP) FACILITIES
Military chapels are command facilities designated to be used for divine
services. These facilities are U.S. Government property which has been con-
figured to provide a suitable space for public worship and to permit the free
exercise of religion by naval personnel and their families. As a Religious Pro-
gram Specialist, you should know under what circumstances and in what
manner CRP spaces and facilities may be utilized.
A chapel facility is made available to military chaplains, auxiliary
chaplains, and civilian clergy who conduct divine services for the command.
In the absence of clergy for a particular faith group, a person designated as
the command’s layleader for that faith group may have access to the chapel
and other CRP facilities for the purpose of conducting divine services.
Chapels or facilities used for religious purposes are made available to
military personnel and other authorized persons without charge. Although
chapel facilities are available for religious activities, and these activities have
first priority, a chapel or religious facility may be used by the command for
secular purposes when it is not being used for religious activities. The activity
commander has the responsibility to implement Navy policy regulating the
use of command facilities for religious services. To this end, a schedule is for-
mulated and prepared by the command chaplain and the Religious Program
Specialist to ensure the most effective use of the chapel and other CRP
facilities by all faith groups participating in the Command Religious Pro-
gram.
SCHEDULING COMMAND RELIGIOUS
PROGRAM (CRP) ACTIVITIES
As a Religious Program Specialist, you will assist the command chaplain
in the preparation and maintenance of a master schedule for all Command
Religious Program activities (see figure 3-1). The importance of this task can-
not be overemphasized. One of the most embarrassing situations which can
occur within a Command Religious Program, and one which reflects
adversely upon both the command and its religious program, is to have two
or more groups scheduled to use the same chapel or religious facility at the
same time. To prevent an incident such as this from occurring, a master
schedule of all CRP activities scheduled in your command’s religious pro-
gram facilities must be maintained. As an RP, you should prepare and main-
tain this master schedule on a continuing basis for the command chaplain. In
addition to the CRP master schedule, you should maintain worksheets. A
worksheet should be completed by the person(s) desiring to use a CRP
facility and approved by the command chaplain before the information may
be entered on the CRP master schedule. This procedure ensures that proper
approval for the request has been obtained and serves to keep both you and
the command chaplain informed as to what activities are scheduled in the
CRP’s facilities. The information entered on the worksheet and the master
schedule should be identical. Information entered upon both the master
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