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A UMNS Feature
By Barbara Dunlap-Berg*
2:00 P.M. ET Jan. 3, 2012 | CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
New Providence United Methodist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee created
a program which pairs a military family with a sponsor family. See
video of the Eagles’ Wings dinner at the church.
If your congregation is seeking ways to reach out to military
families, New Providence United Methodist Church, on the
Tennessee-Kentucky border, might inspire you.
Just six miles from the Fort Campbell Army base in Kentucky, New Providence
is home to many retired soldiers and their families. They know what it
is like to have a spouse or parent absent for a year or more. They
know how it is to celebrate birthdays with Mom or Dad deployed
thousands of miles from home. They resonate with the frustration of a
car that won’t budge and the pressure of caring for children 24/7.
They understand because they’ve been there.
Through the Eagle’s Wings ministry,
New Providence matches military families with “sponsors” — members of
the congregation who act as friends, confidants and, often, surrogate
grandparents, aunts and uncles.
This ministry is just one example of how United Methodists reach
out to troops and their families. Honoring veterans is the focus of America’s Sunday Supper, slated for Jan. 20, 2013. Inspired by the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,
America’s Sunday Supper invites people from diverse backgrounds to
come together to share a meal, discuss issues that affect their
community and highlight the power each one of us has to make a
difference.
Army Staff Sgt. Joe Murray holds his 3˝-week-old baby at his Fort
Campbell, Ky., battalion headquarters. A Web-only photo by Hope Murray.
Over the past two years, tens of thousands of soldiers have come
home from war … to heal from wounds both visible and invisible, to face
unemployment, a lack of housing and other domestic challenges.
“Now is the time to give back,” the Rethink Church website says. “Raise awareness in your community, and do something to address the needs of veterans and military families.”
Rethink Church, part of United Methodist Communications, is lining
up 250 volunteer leaders to coordinate events and 6,500 volunteers to
participate in a variety of outreach opportunities on Jan 20.
Congregations in 10 states sign up
New Providence’s event is slated for Jan. 11, and the goal is to
equip and offer resources to train additional volunteers to work with
members of the military and their families. Workshops will:
- Expose area ministry representatives to the agencies and resources available on post
- Provide training and information about children and family issues
surrounding deployment, suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder and
traumatic brain injury
- Offer networking opportunities for agencies and ministries
- Invite participants to continue the conversation by sharing
obstacles they encounter when trying to minister with this demographic
Along with New Providence Church, United Methodist congregations in
Hawaii, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin have registered events with
Rethink Church.
Children at First United Methodist Church, Lancaster, Pa., write
thank-you notes to wounded veterans and active troops in the military. A
UMNS photo by Gwen Kisker.
View in Photo Gallery
In Hawaii, the Aiea United Methodist Church
community will host a fellowship barbecue to honor those who have
served and continue to serve. Two Indiana congregations — Redkey and
Mount Tabor, Dunkirk — will present $5 McDonald’s meal cards to the
first 300 veterans or active soldiers who attend their Jan. 19 event.
Throughout the new year, Aldersgate United Methodist Church
in Worcester, Mass., will reconnect veterans with their community
through outreach and support. The goal is to help troops make the
transition back into everyday living.
A training event is on the agenda for St. Paul United Methodist
Church, Hattiesburg, Miss. The activity will nurture communication
skills and encourage respect for all people. In Cameron, N.C., the
congregation of Solid Rock United Methodist Church
will gather for a Sunday meal to share ways members can make a
difference through economic empowerment, support for families of
active-duty military, emergency aid and improving community well-being.
New Washington United Methodist Church in Ohio will hold a series of
events on Jan. 27 to affirm and support returning troops and their
families and to raise awareness of the challenges they face.
Three congregations — Waverly and Willow Grove in Pennsylvania and Columbus
in Wisconsin — plan special meals open to the community. Freewill
offerings will assist veterans and military families. Preparing for
future service projects with military families is on the docket for St. George's United Methodist Church, Fairfax, Va.
‘It’s what God calls us to do’
Reaching out to the military is “as easy as loving your own
family,” said Donna Markel, who chairs the Eagle’s Wings project at New
Providence Church. “It’s hard enough for a soldier not to be there,
but to know that someone’s wrapped their arms around their family back
home and is with them is just a tremendous thing.”
Bill Wheeler, an Eagle’s Wings sponsor and the congregation’s lay
leader, entered the Army in 1953 during the Korean conflict. He retired
in 1974. “We sponsor those families to show our love and appreciation
to the soldiers that serve our country,” he explained.
Catherine Leigh Harwell is married to a military police officer. She
believes something as simple as cooking a meal for a military family
so the spouse doesn’t have to make another McDonald’s run is a true
gift. “Just something as small as that,” she said, “will drag more
people in the (church) door than you can even imagine.”
The Rev. Billy Joe “B.J.” Brack, who serves the Clarksville
congregation, added, “I think it’s what God calls us to do. We’re
supposed to be opening our doors to whoever’s out there. And if you’re
around a military base, these people … have hurts and pains.
“We’re all in this together.”
*Dunlap-Berg is internal content editor at United Methodist Communications, Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Barbara Dunlap-Berg, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.