Drew Buckner
Chaplain & Executive Director
Rachel Bodick
Assistant Chaplain
Joe Decree
Chaplain
Stephanie Bland
Chaplain
Michelle Van Allen
Chaplain
Sara McDaniel
Chaplain
Steve Snipstead
Chaplain
Jaron Neumann
Chaplain
A native of Longview, TX, Drew graduated from Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Married since 1996, Drew and his wife Brenda have two sons and three daughters. After spending twelve years in various ministry roles, Drew and his family moved to Montana in 2001 to plant a new church. In 2005, he became one of the original four volunteer chaplains at the Kalispell Fire Department. During the next five years, the chaplain ministry expanded to include the Kalispell Police Department and A.L.E.R.T., Kalispell hospital’s emergency medical helicopter unit.
In 2010, Drew transitioned from the pastorate to full-time chaplain ministry and began Braveheart Chaplain Ministry as a means to fund the new role. The ministry
now includes the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and numerous other agencies. Drew enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, and being a part of his local church.
Rachel was raised in the Creston area of the Flathead Valley and is raising her family there. She became an EMT after high school and joined Creston Fire Department to serve her community as well as working on a couple ambulance services. She continues to serve as an AEMT and Lieutenant at Creston and a member of the Flathead County Crisis Support team. In addition to working in EMS, she has taught piano, was a piano worship leader, was a bookkeeper and now has her own bookkeeping business. She is married to Steve, who was born and raised in the Flathead Valley and works as a mechanical engineer. They have two children; Wade and Emma.
Originally from Eastern Pennsylvania, Joe attended public and Catholic schools before attending the Indiana University of Pennsylvania majoring in Criminology. He intended to play baseball in college and go on to play professionally, but the Lord had other plans and called him into the Army. Joe graduated in 1987 and was commissioned as an Army Second Lieutenant (2LT) of Infantry.
Joe served in the Army from 1985 through 2006 in active, reserve, and National Guard components. He earned two campaign medals for Kosovo and Afghanistan and a bronze star for service in Afghanistan. Joe also participated in three disaster relief operations in the Army, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Joe moved to Montana in 2010 with his wife Erika and rededicated his life to the Lord in 2013. He completed his second master’s degree – in pastoral counseling – from Liberty University in 2018. He has used this education to assist others in working through questions and problems of faith. He is currently employed full time at Kalispell Regional Medical Center as a mental health specialist and has been a volunteer chaplain with Braveheart since 2018.
Joe and Erika have two daughters, Courtney and Michal, both of whom live in Texas. Joe is an avid fitness aficionado, hiker, hunter, and skier.
Stephanie Doll grew up in Southern Illinois and lived in Southern Missouri before moving to Montana. She has a heart for the mountains and ministry. She loves to be outside, travel, and speak the Gospel.
Stephanie graduated from Ozark Christian College with a Bachelors in Psychology and Counseling and a Masters in Pastoral Counseling from Lincoln Christian University. She’s spent time working in a safe house for survivors of human trafficking, a Christian camp for children of incarcerated parents, and volunteering in youth/young adult ministry. Her personal mission statement is to show the love of Jesus Christ to the lost and the broken.
First at an intern with Braveheart and now a Chaplain, Stephanie desires to grow in her knowledge of pastoral care, how to serve people in crisis, and carry her knowledge to other people when she is finished. She is excited to put her education to the test and learn how to be a shield of support for the front line.
Michelle is a life-long Montanan and was raised in the Flathead Valley. For decades as an educator, she taught hundreds of students in her private school of music. Michelle served her local church for years in music ministry and leadership before her ordination with Chaplain Fellowship Ministries in 2016, when she began serving as a volunteer hospital Chaplain. Michelle is married to Kenny Van Allen and together they have raised four adult children.
Bio coming soon.
I first got in contact with chaplain ministry by invitation from another chaplain. I quickly discovered that there was a side to our community I never knew existed. Chaplain ministry has helped me understand the people in our city and how I can better minister to them. In my role as a volunteer chaplain, I am able to bring help and comfort to people in crisis. I’ve also been able to support first responders in my church and in the city of Kalispell. My recent retirement has allowed me to give more time to this vital ministry
Jaron is a Kalispell native, with brief stints around the state and country. He returned to the Flathead in 2019 and has always loved calling it home. After graduating from Stillwater Christian School in 2014, he joined the Montana Army National Guard and served in both reserve and active statuses, both as a cavalry scout and wildland firefighter. It was during these years that he discovered his love and admiration for first responders,
Jaron desires to serve both first responders and victims of trauma/crises in the place he has always called home. He hopes that by bringing the Light of the Gospel, people experience true healing that only our Triune God gives. His main desire is that all would experience the richness and fullness that God offers, even while witnessing and living in the suffering of a fallen world.
Jaron can be found regularly attending his local church, spending time with his increasing family, and enjoying God's creation through various outdoor recreation.
