Oil Patch to School House: One man’s journey to school chaplaincy

Mar 28

Through faith-based oilfield organizations, Gary’s international petroleum engineer leadership career, prepared him for school chaplaincy.

NSCA chaplains have been called to ministry from a variety of backgrounds. Whether big or small, they carry an uncanny ability to get to the root of a problem and mend a heart that is breaking and support everyone in the school experience.

Some chaplains have extensive educational backgrounds and experiences that are impressive by the world’s standards. Others have unexpectantly found themselves called-out to go into the place of need and minister. The heart of a chaplain cannot be taught, it is already within them. This drives them to say; “Yes!” and enroll in the NSCA Academy to be trained and certified.

Chaplain Nilson is featured in this blog, (and in an associated press release) as one example of school chaplaincy.

Fluently bilingual in Spanish and English, along with a true understanding of cultural nuances gave him the underpinnings of inter-relational strengths. Cultural respect, developed through real life scenarios, while interacting with those in the oil industry in Argentina and Bolivia, translated well into the school system where cultural needs really matter.

Gary’s transition into chaplaincy took it’s first root in a pivotal moment in Buenos Aires. After he offered his hands to God for whatever task needed. He was led to a locked church, and then to a food-pantry-delivery group within (barrio de miseria) —a place of misery and need. Reaching them, reached deeply into his own heart, leading to years of feeding the homeless. Ultimately, he opened Filling the Void chapters in Denver, Dallas, and Houston and overseas.

From Oil Patch to School House

A common thread with chaplains is that each person has a key to unlock the destiny of another. The question is, will both recognize it and follow through? For example, Jim Schmidt, NSCA Ambassador, introduced Chaplain G. Nilson to the Oilfield Christian Fellowship (OCF) and later invited him to the Oil Patch Chaplain training.

Being invited by someone who had a key and knew how to use it: connected Chaplain Nilson to his destiny, he attended a presentation about the National School Chaplain Association. And just like that, with a heart to make a difference in the lives of those navigating the school experience, he enrolled in NSCA Academy and became a Certified School Chaplain!

What does the oil industry experience have to do with being a chaplain? (We could ask that same question to the fishermen that Jesus chose.) Nilson’s life experiences uncovered the compassion within; which drove him to take action to meet even the most basic need: Feed the hungry.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs(2006, February, McLeod, PhD). According to Maslow’s theory, people cannot progress to receiving other layers of help until their most basic needs are met; such as air, water, food and sleep.

Students struggle with learning in class if they are starving at home, don’t feel safe or are without proper shelter. Love, a sense of belonging, positive self-esteem, friendships and intimacy are next on the pyramid of basic needs. Finally, containing a personal drive toward full potential through self-actualization.

Mental health providers are trained to address those issues and their skill is needed. However, additionally and uniquely, chaplains help meet basic needs first, then the spiritual needs are met for those who voluntarily ask. Chaplains fill the spiritual void for wholeness that goes beyond the wheelhouse of physical and emotional methods.

Typical Day As School Chaplain

Good morning Texas elementary school! Chaplain Nilson greets students at 7:15 am dressed in a fluorescent orange vest with name tag clearly displayed. Students and teachers know who he is and understand that interacting with a school chaplain is strictly voluntary.

School chaplains practice constant keen awareness of any emotional or physical needs. They are skilled in crisis prevention and trained in active shooter response, and certified in Stop The Bleed.

Chaplains lead by example in ethical and moral living; as well as modeling care for others. They patrol the grounds, picking up stray trash and lost clothing. Stewardship and ownership are demonstrated as character building; not for academic success only, but in building forever-life-skills for a better society.

Gary assists in kindergarten and fourth-grade classrooms where opportunities arise to integrate age-appropriate tidbits from his engineering background and historical knowledge. He is present in all the spaces at school, building reliability and as a trusted mentor.

When there is classroom downtime, students find him interesting and like that he pays attention to them. He shares about Texas history and science, which has helped him build a strong rapport with both students and staff. Nilson utilizes his knowledge of Hispanic history and culture to connect with students. For instance, He shares lessons about Martin De León, the founder of a Mexican Colony in Texas, and the "Espíritu de Jesus" brand.

Joy, self-respect and care for others is a demonstration through his own faith; which creates a sense of peace within the environment. Building trust is a much needed source of hope and confidence building for those who come to him with problems they don’t understand.

Academics improve! Students at Bridlewood Elementary School apply themselves after hearing chaplain Nilson’s stories of how self-discipline helped him become a petroleum engineer through rigorous study and delayed gratification. He is a spiritual role model and displays character and skills for successful living.

Building Student Rapport: Engagement with students is individualized. This meets the basic human need of belonging —being seen and heard. Soon, they "follow him around like little ducklings" during recess.
Professional Discernment: Drawing from decades of experiences while navigating complex international social and political circles in the oil industry, Chaplain Nilson builds relationships through professionalism. He ensures teachers know that he is there to support them, and they can feel comfortable knowing he is not an intrusion.
Putting faces with names is critical for showing faculty and students his sincerity in personally knowing them He provides customized care just for them. Getting to know everyone is a baseline; whereby any deviation in their normal could be a signal that something has gone awry and that he could be of help.
Staying on duty until the last bell rings shows committment. Soon, chaplains move from being an oddity at school, to being a trusted presence.

A lot of people encountered in the community speak only Spanish. Nilson gets a unique opportunity to minister and share the Gospel with them.

Several students and parents of students at Bridlewood Elementary speak Portuguese, which he also learned while in Buenos Aires. This is immensely profound to new students who Nilson welcomes in their Mother Tongue!

Greeting families in their mother tongue at the front door of the school, creates an immediate sense of belonging, safety and assimilation into the full school experience. Any mental health provider will tell you how important cultural integration is for resilience.

GOAL: Having chaplains accepted within all schools in Texas and across America is clearly a solution to filling a void in many areas as well as spiritual care.

PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES

Attended Colorado School of Mines. Worked for Marathon Oil Company (MOC) in Cody Wyoming after securing an academic scholarship from them while pursuing his undergraduate in Petroleum Engineering degree and later in their Denver Research Center (DRC).
All the cultural experiences and travel created a broad worldview, which translates to chaplaincy.

Nilson was married in Guatemala and raising four children, which included fraternal twins. They moved to Tierra del Fuego on the southern tip of Argentina as International Operations Manager for Anderman/Smith. His wife, Patricia was imperitive to his success with her cultural prowess and abilities to work along side him. During those years, Nilson learned to depend on his faith and that “growth occurs in the valleys”.

Stress was high, shaping and molding character and resolve. Some great success in bringing North American technology and processes to the Argentine oil patch (doing a major depletion study and introducing a full field waterflood).

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Church involvement: Nilson became active in the United Community Church (UCC). Services were held in a donated mansion by a Shell executive to the Church of Buenos Aires. He became a Sunday School Teacher and was elected as a Church Board member. He worked alongside dignItaries and co-coached little league baseball and soccer.

Cornerstone Experiences with God Toward Destiny

While praying thanksgiving for his family and life, Chaplain Nilson offered his hands to God for whatever task God would need. He had a disturbing experience of feeling the steering wheel of his car twist to the left catapulting him across five lanes of busy Buena Aires traffic, that ended Nilson in front of the church. the doors were locked, but the food pantry with a map and a fellow with instructions set Nilson on his path. As noted previously, this was the beginning of his mission to feed the hungry. He was beginning to get a clue what God had in mind for him. “Peter, feed my sheep!” John 21:17(c). He sponsored many Filling the Void chapters providing food.

Enabling Global Outreach: Nilson’s bilingualism facilitated partnership with leaders like Barboza in Bolivia. Cartons of Spanish Oilfield Christian Fellowship (OCF) Bibles were distributed; which helped his church launch an outreach. Later, the political climate in Bolivia became risky due to a new regime, and a colleague helped smuggle a case of Bibles

Financial Support: Within the cartons, $100 bill on page 51 was strategically placed in a Bible marked specifically for the receiver. This practice was continued with customary cash into the Bibles delivered by Nilson’s colleague to reach a native Indian tribe located high in the Andes mountains in a village called "Carmelito".

By providing Spanish OilPatch Bibles, missionary members of La Iglesia Evangelica del Nuevo Jerusalen were able to teach both Spanish and the Gospel to native indigenous people.

Another nudge toward chaplaincy: In Santa Cruz Nilson asked God to give him a little sign that he loved him. Almost instantly, he felt a young girl tugging at his elbow, and looking down into her eyes, he felt a jolt of pure love shoot through him! (At that time, he didn’t recognize that God was also giving him a heart for the children!)

Clearly, each time Nilson checked in with the Lord, he was given a direction further down the path and he was instrumental in getting Spanish Bibles where needed most. This is a clarion call for chaplains. Being available and saying yes!

Bread crumb trail to chaplaincy.

OKLAHOMA: After Devon sold off all their international assets, Nilson’s family was repatriated to Oklahoma City headquarters and attended Crossings Community Church.

Once God got him to Tulsa, he was exposed to the Oilfield Christian Fellowship through Mr. “Armadillo Jim Schmidt”, who was then director of the Tulsa Chapter of the OCF. Jim, an excellent chaplain recruiter is also the legislative lobbyist who was responsible for many states being connected to NSCA.

Attending an OilPatch Chaplain training course at Jim Schmidt’s ranch in Montgomery, TX. He met Rand Blair and many other gentlemen who became OilPatch Chaplains. There was a very limited budget, but Nilson was able to obtain some assistance from the DOE via REPSEA to do research into exotic topics as Stress Shadowing from Fracking unconventional reservoirs during horizontal well completions.

Fast forward, Nilson ended up in Turkey for a while, still maintaining Filling the Void food delivery chapters at home and abroad. Community outreach gave him vast experience in caring for those in the school chaplain atmosphere.

Further down the breadcrumb road, Nilson was still on the Mission Board for local Missions. Ex-missionaries from Kazakhstan, ex-NFL Referee convinced him to enroll in the Perspectives of the Christian Movement course which consisted of 15 weeks of intensive study and a final “Project” which turned out to be great preparation for the NSCA Academy! Disciples were made, which exponentially magnified the food delivery outreach as well as the gospel, prayers and baptisms.

Reconnected with “Armidillo” Jim Schmidt, Nilson attended the National School Chaplain Association Chapter meeting and heard speaker Nick Vujcic as well as NSCA founder Rocky and wife Joske Malloy.

Of course; at this moment, Gary Nilson was at destiny’s door and he enrolled in NSCA Academy and became a School Chaplain in December 2025!

He is Chaplain at Bridlewood Elementary school in the Lewisville school district.

Stay tuned for more chaplain stories. Chaplains are encouraged to share their daily school experiences, which continues the education of other chaplains as well as the public.

Dorothy Kozar