FALL Event

VETERAN’S APPRECIATION BANQUET

NOVEMBER 7, 2026 6:00 P.M.

Our guest speaker for this event is Chaplain Anthony Rahaim from Smoky Mountains Chaplaincy in western North Carolina.  https://smokymountainschaplaincy.org/

     Before going into ministry, Tony retired from the United States Air Force where he served in multiple locations domestically and overseas; completing eleven years of active duty, and the remainder of his military career in the reserves.  He is also retired from U.S. Customs and Border Protection where he served as a law enforcement supervisor in multiple locations; including several years as an instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and finishing his last several years in south Florida. He previously served with the Shreveport, Louisiana and Pensacola Florida police department before joining Customs.

     He completed his seminary through Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity with a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, and a concentration in Community Chaplaincy. He also holds a Bachelor of Science from Excelsior College in Law Enforcement and Psychology; and an Associate of Science from the Community College of Air Force in Security Administration.  

    He is a graduate of Pastoral Crisis Intervention through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, did a year of Clinical Pastoral Education through the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education; and completed Mental Health First Aid through the National Council for Mental Well-Being.

    Along the way to starting Smoky Mountains Chaplaincy, he served as a men’s ministry coordinator, crisis chaplain, VA hospital chaplain, a hospice chaplain, and was the first ever ‘connections pastor’ for his then church in Haywood County, NC.