Celebration to recognize JPD chaplain Conrad Moorer

Nov. 4—JEFFERSONVILLE — For decades, Conrad Moorer has served the Jeffersonville community as a pastor and chaplain, and he has been dedicated to what he calls a "ministry of presence."

"It's just trying to be there when you're needed, and sometimes just being there makes all the difference in the world to people," Moorer said.

He has been the chaplain for the Jeffersonville Police Department since 1989, and he previously served as pastor at Northside Church of Christ in Jeffersonville for more than three decades.

In May of 2021, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow. As he battles cancer, friends and community members are planning a special event in his honor.

A celebration for Moorer will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at The Jefferson venue at 715 W. Riverside Drive in Jeffersonville. The event will allow community members to express their appreciation for Moorer, and donations will be accepted to help him with medical costs.

Steve Stemler, a local business owner and former state representative, and his wife, Vikki Stemler, are among the organizers of the event. They have been friends with Moorer for many decades, and he served as their pastor at Northside.

Steve describes Moorer as a "servant with a natural desire and ability to look out for others' well-being, even at times to his own family sacrifice."

"When I think of what the true value of a man is, I think of Conrad Moorer," he said. "How else can you measure the value of a man that lives his life by placing others above himself, being a great husband, father, grandfather and being a servant by his character, words and example?"

DECADES OF SERVICE

Moorer said as a pastor, he and his congregation were committed to service and outreach, whether that was donating to disaster relief or contributing to Crusade for Children.

As a police chaplain, he has often helped out during tragic situations.

"The difference with that and the church is you didn't know those people — you get called to help, and a lot of that has to do with helping them understand why a thing is taking place and things of that nature and comforting them," Moorer said. "Those are very difficult situations, because they usually involve very serious injuries or death."

Moorer said he tries to be a "servant leader."

"It's an honor to be able to try and help people and just be there to comfort and do whatever you can do... part of it is knowing what to do and when to do it," he said. "Sometimes it's important to just stand by and be present, and other times it takes more direct involvement."

Steve Stemler said the pastor provided him support during a tough time in his life.

"Conrad was the first person outside of family who contacted me when my mother passed away right after I had just met him," he said. "I never forgot his act of kindness and genuine concern during that difficult time."

He feels the "world desperately needs more Conrad Moorers today."

Vikki Stemler describes Moorer as a "loving, gentle and compassionate person."

She said Moorer served as the "kind of minister who was always available" to help "without a question," whether that was providing support to someone when they were sick or helping someone mow their lawn.

"So now we have the opportunity to help him in return," she said. "And I think a lot of people want to do that."

Jeffersonville Police Chief Kenny Kavanaugh has worked with Moorer for 28 years. Although the chaplain was a volunteer for decades with the police department, he became an employee of the city in 2019.

Kavanaugh said in rapidly-evolving situations, Moorer has been there on-scene to talk with community members.

"A lot of what Conrad's able to do with the police department is when we are working with people in challenging situations and also working with families...he's able to assist us with that dialogue and communication," he said.

He has seen Moorer repeatedly "take a tense situation and bring calm," Kavanaugh said.

Moorer has also played a major role in a regional critical incident stress management team to support first responders' well-being, according to Kavanaugh.

"Conrad actually leads a lot of the critical incident debriefs for the stress management team, and he just doesn't just do that in Jeffersonville or Southern Indiana — Conrad is receiving calls south of Indianapolis and several counties over," he said. "He's a contact for persons in the first responder community who are needing assistance."

Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore describes Moorer as a "very influential and inspirational man." Moore's family's restaurant was just down the street from Northside Church of Christ, and Moorer was one of the regulars, he said.

"He's a good friend, a very inspirational leader and somebody who's just made a heck of a difference in Jeffersonville, Indiana," Moore said.

Moore emphasized the wide range of situations Moorer has faced in his role as pastor and chaplain, saying it "takes a special kind of person to deal with not only the joys of marriages, but also the sorrow of funerals."

Anthony Stewart, a corporal with Jeffersonville Police Department and president of the Jeffersonville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, has known Moorer for seven years. He is "always looking for a way to help somebody," he said.

"Even if he doesn't have an assigned task or something going on, he'll come to work and see if there's some way he can help, even if it's just to encourage or motivate or share a word with guys," Stewart said.

Moorer has been a mentor to other police departments and their chaplain programs, Stewart said. He wants to thank Moorer and show appreciation "for him always being there for all the police officers that we work with everyday."

Nathan Samuel, president and CEO of Childplace Family Services, has known Moorer for about 40 years. Northside is located next to the Childplace building in Jeffersonville, and Samuel is a former member of the church.

"I've known him in a lot of different capacities, one as a minister, and another just as a good neighbor and friend to Childplace and our campus and our kids," he said.

Samuel said Moorer has worked hard to meet needs in and beyond his community.

"He was very involved in various disaster relief efforts through his church, including the tornado in Henryville 10 years ago," he said. "Through the church, they did some hurricane relief in South Carolina — he helped spearhead that. So he just saw things, and he wasn't afraid to get out and do some work."

Moorer said he feels honored that community members are organizing the celebration in his honor. He looks forward to being around family and friends this weekend, saying "that has a lot of healing in and of itself."

Samuel said he is excited for the opportunity to celebrate Moorer.

"Conrad is the type of guy who's planted a lot of seeds in his life, some of which he has never realized or seen or known that he's planted," he said. "I think it's going to be an opportunity for his harvest, if you will, to come in and to get to reap some of the rewards of his work."

Sunday's event will feature live music, food and drink, as well as a raffle for gift baskets. There will be remarks from multiple speakers at 3 p.m., and organizers are compiling videos of people expressing their appreciation for Moorer.

To RSVP to the event, email vikkistemler@me.com. To donate, make checks payable to Conrad Moorer.