The Clermont Police Department implemented a Chaplain program several years ago. Chaplains volunteer several hours as the agency’s spiritual advisors, mentors, confidants and provide advice and support for the Clermont Police Department and their community.
Each chaplain has extensive training in counseling, crisis intervention and critical incident stress management.
The Police Chaplains are committed to serving the community by providing services to the residents and families who suffer a traumatic or tragic life experience. They serve as advocates for members of the community and deliver sensitive and delicate notifications for the Clermont Police Department.
At the February 23 Clermont City Council Meeting, Pastor Dawn Carter pledged to perform her duties as a police chaplain. Police Chief Broadway officiated the oath.
Dawn Carter has been the Pastor of Congregational Care at First United Methodist Church of Clermont since July 2012. Prior to that, she served there as the Director of Children’s Ministry since July 2007.
She was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, graduated with her Bachelor of Science Degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and came down to work at Walt Disney World after she graduated in 1996. It wasn’t long after that her parents joined her in sunny Florida, and now her whole family, including her sister, Deanna, and her family, all live within an hour of each other.
Dawn was working at Walt Disney World for nine years in a department that handled all the celebrity visits when God had “bigger plans” for her and called her into ministry in 2005. She then began her studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Orlando while working in Children’s Ministry and then graduated with her Master of Divinity degree in May 2012.
As an appointed pastor at FUMC, she leads the We Care Ministry as well as co-leads the Celebrate Recovery ministry where she is celebrating her own recovery from abuse, eating disorders, and co-dependency!
Dawn feels blessed to be a part of our wonderful community as she continues to feel called to connect the hurting and broken world to the Good News of Jesus Christ. In her time off, she enjoys CrossFit, running, outdoor water sports, volleyball, and especially spending time with her husband, Scott Carter, their son, Jacob, and niece and nephew, Nova and Jack.
