By Sadie Hunter
Mark Fidler is a busy guy.
“My day starts at 5:30 (a.m.), and it usually ends about 8 or 9 o’clock at night,” he said. “Plus, I pastor two churches.”
For nearly three years, Fidler has served as the senior chaplain for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
“(In 2011), the senior chaplain (Tom Burton) was training me to basically take his place. Unfortunately, he had multiple myeloma at that time,” Fidler said. “He originally started this chaplaincy 22 years ago, and he trained me for three years. Then, when he died in March 2014, in April they voted me in as senior chaplain.”
As senior chaplain, Fidler is called to a variety of incidents that occur in which the sheriff’s department is involved – everything from car accidents to suicides to fires – to counsel and minister Hamilton County residents in need. However, he is also a resource for all sheriff’s deputies, including EMTs, first responders, courthouse deputies, officers from municipality departments and more.
Working with a staff of 12 chaplains (nine road chaplains and two jail chaplains) and approximately 200 volunteers, Fidler said the chaplaincy program, a 501c3 nonprofit, can deal with just about any situation.
“We’re very well-trained in grief and trauma, spiritual and emotional care, suicide prevention, postvention and intervention,” Fidler said. “If we can’t deal with the situation, then we have the resources to give to get someone the kind of help they need.”
But Fidler said he didn’t always know he wanted to be a chaplain or pastor.
“I didn’t realize until age 41 that I wasn’t saved. He led me into jail Bible study in 2005, and I just thought, this is it, this is what I want to do. I developed a passion for it. If I wasn’t ministering to what the Bible calls ‘the least of these,’ that wouldn’t be OK, because I know that if I look in a mirror, that could have been me if God didn’t get ahold of my life.”
Before becoming a pastor and chaplain, Fidler worked at a pharmaceutical printing company for 34 years.
“If I look back now, I see that God was very careful in how he gave me the footsteps to follow,” he said. “I started out in a printing company sweeping a floor, moved up on the press, became a lead pressman, became a training pressman, where I trained others, then I became a supervisor, then I became a manager. All of it was preparing me for the role I’m now in, which may be preparing me for an even greater role.”
MEET MARK FIDLER
Age: 61
Job: Has served as the senior chaplain for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Dept. since April 2014. Has been the senior pastor of Christ Community Church, 772 N. 10th St., Noblesville, since 2013, and is serving as the interim pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church, 12860 Ind. 38 E., Noblesville.
Family: Married to wife Michele for nearly 20 years. Has three sons, David, 40, Kenny, 38, and Andy (Mark Jr.), 33, and seven grandchildren.
Residence: Originally from Lancaster, Penn. Moving around a lot when younger, he said, “I’ve lived (in) half of this country.” Has lived in Noblesville for three-and-a-half years.
HITTING THE AIRWAVES
Although a start date has not been determined, Fidler’s sermons from Christ Community Church will soon be on 103.9 WRBI for 30 minutes each Sunday morning.
Fidler said the station reaches approximately 1.8 million people on both AM and FM.
“Someone gave a financial gift to the church and wanted us to use it however we wanted and needed,” he said. “So this was an opportunity to expand our outreach. It’s designed for people to hear the gospel but also is an opportunity for people within driving range to say, ‘Hey, I want to go visit that church.’”
THE CHAPLAINS
- Mark Fidler, senior chaplain
- Phyliss Caudill, office manager
- Alphonso Bailey, chaplain
- Debra Bowles, chaplain
- Gerry Griffith, chaplain
- Chip Johnston, chaplain
- Tom Kendall, chaplain
- Dave Kurtz, chaplain
- Lloyd Moore, chaplain
- Dave Parkes, chaplain
- Christine Sawyer, chaplain
- Randy Seniff, chaplain
- Dwight Williams, chaplain
