Blessed are the Rig Haulers
HAMPSHIRE – He’s the truck stop chaplain, just stopping by to say hi and see where you’re from.
For about 10 years, 65-year-old Rich Seveska has gone to the truck stop at Interstate 90 and Route 20 in Hampshire, usually on Thursday evenings. A deacon in the Catholic Church, he started at the request of a bishops’ commission to increase Christian presence at the stop.
“I’m not there to convert them; I’m not there to try and save them,” said Seveska, who is affiliated with St. Anne Roman Catholic Church in Barrington. “I’m there to foster their faith.”
Seveska and other volunteers go to several area truck stops, including off I-57 in Monee, at Russell Road near Wadsworth, and in Racine, Wis.
Although they are not affiliated, Truckstop Ministries Inc. has been providing similar services for truckers for almost 30 years with 74 chapels in 29 states. It started in Georgia, but there is one Illinois location in Effingham at the I-57/70 exit, and the organization’s mission is to establish a chapel at every truck stop worldwide.
Truckstop Ministries also has a dial-in phone line, 770-775-2156, for truckers with three-minute sermons for each day, although Sunday’s is about 10 minutes long.
Seveska said his approach to ministry was a little different, without any set times or formal services.
“I usually work in the restaurant and go table to table, saying, ‘Hi, I’m the truck stop chaplain,’ “ he said. “I get them to talk about themselves, their families, and their lives.”
At first, Seveska assumed that most of the people he met would be just passing through, and that he likely would never see them again. But there are some truckers he sees regularly who make an effort to stop by when he’s there.
He provides some companionship for the men and women who often spend long hours on the road alone.
“The truckers can talk to other people at the counter about the stories of the road, but when it comes down to talking about personal things, like their family, they’ll come to the chaplain who has taken time to be there for them,” Seveska said.
Theresa Warner and her husband, Robert, are a husband-and-wife driving team from Texas who also bring along their 7-year-old son, Ryan. They often are on the road for four or five weeks at a time, but they still make an effort to incorporate their Christian beliefs into their lifestyle by visiting truck stop chapels.
They met Seveska at the Hampshire truck stop for the first time about a week and a half ago.
“You can discuss freely and openly the Bible and scripture to get a little more in-depth than reading it out there on the road by yourself,” Theresa Warner said. “You get other people’s opinions, and I think spiritual-wise it gets you closer with the Lord.”
The chaplains often cater to Ryan, who is home-schooled.
“He’s confident enough to come out and talk about his religion without feeling self-conscious,” Warner said.
But not everyone is open to talking, Seveska said.
“It’s people-to-people skills, watching signs,” he said. “If they immediately look away, they don’t want to talk, and you sort of back your conversation off.”
When Seveska first began going to the truck stop, there were enough volunteers to have someone there every night. But it has dwindled to just him, and it has been difficult to find new recruits.
“To get other people involved, you’ve got to be a little extroverted,” Seveska said. “But you’re helping many people in their jobs, in their lives, in many ways.”