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Sunday Supper events reach out to military

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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.
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.
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.
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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.

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