By   Tue, Apr 27, 2010

Having faced bravely the trauma of combat, returning wartime veterans now face the challenge of not allowing those experiences to scar them permanently. How can the Church help meet their needs? What are their needs?

Of the 1.5 million U.S. service personnel serving on active duty, about 260,000 are deployed in political hotspots or war zones around the world at any given time. Many of these soldiers find it hard to adjust to life, work and relationships on the home front after the combat has stopped. Many feel they have lost their place in civilian life, where jobs no longer fit them, family relationships feel strained and conflicted, and they sense only their fellow soldiers really understand them.

SOLDIERS' NEEDS
Hanging up your uniform after war is not easy. How can you emotionally switch from being in combat, living with daily threats to your life and seeing the chaos and carnage of war to a peaceful civilian world with normal family life and regular work routines?

Some soldiers are like Staff Sergeant James in the Academy Award winning 2010 Picture of the Year, The Hurt Locker. Unable to make this adjustment to life back home, James volunteers to go back to war. A war-zone is a place where life makes sense to these soldiers, where they feel they fit in and can make a difference. They again experience the addictive, emotional rush of doing a dangerous and important job well, rather than being bored by civilian routines, with little sense of purpose or meaning. Once again they feel the camaraderie of a band of brothers and sisters that is found in combat, and not in civilian workplaces and in everyday communities.

However, most service personnel (close to 80%) return home from the war and within a year make a good readjustment back to their families and civilian life and work. Their biggest challenge is to find meaningful well-paying jobs to stabilize their lives economically in this recession. Unemployment is running 18% for returning war veterans. Without the stability of a good job, marriages become stressed and fall apart and many veterans turn to drugs or alcohol to blunt the pain of losing their place in the world of work. Failure to find good work has a cascading negative effect upon their lives.

This effect is more pronounced for the half-million troops who have been deployed to combat a second time (or more). For part-time warriors in the National Guard and Reserves who endure such repeated deployment cycles, they have a hard time finding good work. If they have a good job, advancing in the company becomes a problem, since they soon may be called away again for a year and become a liability to an employer.
For some veterans, returning home involves years of rehabilitation and therapy to recover from the wounds of war. As of early March 2010, according to Department of Defense accounting, 36,906 service personnel have been wounded in action in Iraq and Afghanistan, many suffering terrible wounds to their bodies from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that destroy limbs and cause traumatic brain injury. Others bear the hidden mental health wounds of war, with a recent Rand Corporation study estimating 20% of all returning veterans (300,000) have difficulties with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or depression. That is a one in five ratio of returning veterans who are impacted by these hidden wounds of war. Only half of these have sought treatment.

Some returning veterans get in trouble with the law, with offenses ranging from robbery and theft in support of drug addictions to anger management problems leading to spouse abuse and violent behavior. In a Department of Justice study, roughly 10% of veterans have criminal records and 1% are presently incarcerated.

Spiritually, there is a real need for recovery and healing from war, especially for veterans who were exposed to serious combat action and saw horrific things. Some veterans did things in war of which they are not proud, and now need to seek God's grace and forgiveness and experience healing of the spirit to lay to rest memories too terrible to carry in everyday life.

Chris Hedges, in his book War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, touches at the heart of another spiritual challenge war forces upon veterans.

I learned early on that war forms its own culture. The rush to battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years. The enduring attraction of war is this: Even with its destruction and carnage it can give us what we long for in life. It can give us purpose, meaning, a reason for living. Only in the midst of conflict does the shallowness and vapidness of much of our lives become apparent.

Hedges sees this as an idolatry that depletes the soldier's spirit, leaving him disillusioned in war's aftermath.

FAMILIES' NEEDS
Military families really need our help. They are whipsawed emotionally through a year-long deployment cycle, saying goodbye well (or not so well), and enduring long months of separation, loneliness and fear. Upon homecoming, they try to reconnect with the veteran and build a good life together.

Single parenting, with all that entails, is probably one of the biggest challenges military families face during a deployment. The spouse left behind is suddenly single, like someone who has experienced the death or divorce of a spouse. Trying to balance work with child care, managing the home-front on a limited budget shared with the deployed spouse, and feeling isolated from family or friends to help with respite care when they become overwhelmed - these are just a few of the challenges facing military spouses. The spouse left behind tries to be the cheerleader in the family to keep up the spirits of children, as well as those of the deployed spouse. This can be exhausting. Where does the spouse left behind go to replenish spirit and energy?

For some couples, their marriage becomes a casualty of war. In fact, 13,000 military marriages ended last year. There are no memorial walls to commemorate this kind of sacrifice for service. Contributing factors include being apart for long periods of time, poor communication skills, isolation from social networks, and financial issues.

CHURCH'S RESPONSE
How can a church minister to returning veterans and to the families of those deployed? In the book Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Ministering to Returning Combat Veterans, I recount how our church ministered to my wife and three boys while I was deployed. They helped with home and auto repairs, provided my wife with respite care with a "mother's day out" program, giving her a chance for adult interaction (with childcare provided) for a morning once a month. The men of the church regularly took my boys to play soccer or to the beach with their kids, thus providing my boys opportunities to play with other kids and interact with male role models. Church members individually remembered my wife on holidays and her birthday, treated her and my boys with ice cream sundaes, took them on outings to encourage them and let them know they were not alone.

Rather than launch a new program to minister to veterans, most churches can simply refine existing congregational care systems to educate the congregation and lay care-givers to veterans' needs. The congregation can identify resources or existing programs (such as job support groups, grief support groups, etc.) that may fit the needs of veteran families. Then you are ready for those who may come in uniform (or recently from wearing a uniform) or those whom members meet in the community and invite to church programs. Once they come, you look for ways to connect with them, identify needs, and seek to meet those needs in the name of Christ.

Ask veterans in your church to help minister to this next greatest generation of veterans. You may be surprised what a WW II veteran of the Normandy invasion, a Korean War veteran who fought on Pork Chop Hill, or a Vietnam War veteran who fought in the Ia Drang Valley might have in common with Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. In spite of their age differences, they have a mutual respect for each other and can quickly relate to each other because of their shared combat experience and challenges of coming home. Older vets in your church can offer a welcome home to younger vets in ways the latest veterans can understand and appreciate.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:
Read an extended interview with David A. Thompson > HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chaplain (CDR) David A. Thompson CHC, USNR (Ret.), is a graduate of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy and Lutheran Brethren Seminary. In addition to his Navy Chaplaincy, Pastor Thompson has served many years in the Free Methodist Church. Thompson wrote, with co-author Darlene Wetterstrom, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Ministering to Returning Combat Veterans (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009).

Order the book here > ffbooks.org

By   Tue, Apr 27, 2010

Shawn Osborne is a U.S. Navy Chaplain credentialed by the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and stationed in Hawaii. Regarding his chaplaincy experience so far, Shawn says, "Having been a Navy Chaplain for a whopping 3½ years now, I can't honestly say that I've seen it all or heard it all, but I'll bet I've come close. Stephen King himself couldn't have written what I've heard in counseling from the hundreds of marines and sailors who have asked me for help." In this interview, Shawn shares his insights into these young adults in the military.

As a Navy Chaplain, you've spent a lot of time in pastoral counseling with sailors and marines. What's your overall impression of their spiritual state?
In most counseling sessions I ask them about their childhood background and interests during their teen years, and I see recurring patterns of thought. The military is a slice of society, so more than half of them have parents who are divorced. Many of these parents have remarried, so step-parents and step-siblings are also thrown into the mix.

Too many of these young (mostly male) sailors and marines had no solid, positive male role model in their lives. Coupled with the constant indoctrination of "What's in it for me?" that permeates our culture, young military members and spouses are disappointed, frustrated, and disillusioned about what they are doing and where they are going. As the Apostle Paul says, they are "infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming" (Ephesians 4:14).

They are, in effect, products of their society. Bill Cosby was berated for talking about the lack of accountability of young black men. I see a lack of accountability in every race! Our boys are not being trained to be men, so they just become fat boys. That's not a black thing, that's an American thing.

But doesn't the discipline of military life overcome a lot of that immaturity?
Picture this: a young man, about nineteen years old, still living at home, not going to school, possibly has a part-time job, sees a commercial for the Marines. This young man is tired of his mom bugging him about not doing anything with his life, so he figures he'll give it a shot. The recruiter is more than anxious to get him to sign on and get him to boot camp. Now this young man graduates with the title of "marine" and he feels a real sense of pride (so far, so good).

The problem is that this young man has had every minute of his life controlled for the past 12 weeks. Once he is "freed" from the restraints of boot camp, he goes back to his default mode: he takes the uniform off at the end of the day, grabs some beer, and plays video games until the wee hours of the morning. His after-work activities are no different than when he was living at home! I have said over and over again that you cannot make a warrior in 12 weeks. This same marine is now going to be deployed to a place he couldn't locate on a map and fight for a country that he doesn't really know anything about. Most Americans have never read the U.S. Constitution and have no real sense of our beloved history. Most marines and sailors I have spoken with joined the military for the G.I. Bill benefits or because they couldn't get a job in their hometown. That makes them mercenaries, not warriors, so their loyalty is either to themselves or to the highest bidder.

In feudal Japan, the samurais (literal translation: "to serve") were considered the ultimate warriors. They would willingly sacrifice their lives for their daimyo (lord). They trained for this lifestyle from an early age, so fighting was not so foreign to them. The closest things we have in this country are video games and paintball. The transition from the Xbox to the Middle East is such a huge mental leap for them that they stress out. Some even get labeled with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) even though they haven't really seen nor done anything to warrant such a diagnosis. Too many military personnel treat this like a job and not a lifestyle, so they don't take it seriously enough.

Does a church background help these young men and women in the armed forces?
Not too much. When I ask marines and sailors about their spiritual background, the most common answer I get is, "I used to go to church as a kid, but stopped going." I don't ask them about church attendance, but they throw it out there assuming it's the answer I want. When I ask them if they have a relationship with the Lord, they look at me like I just asked them for their PIN number to their ATM card.

Today's churches are failing to train our young people as badly as today's parents. It's easier to put a kid in daycare than it is to have less income and stay home with the kids. It's easier to put a kid in front of the TV so that mom and dad can have the freedom to pursue their interests. It's much more difficult and time consuming to train and mentor children and raise them with real Christian values.

It can be the same way in the military. Their leaders are not taking the time to get to know these young adults in order to train them to do their jobs well. But the leaders really blow it when it comes to teaching them how to behave during off-duty hours.

You're painting a rather bleak picture. Are there some positives to your work with these young adults?
It does look bleak, but consider this: I was that kid at one time. I joined the Air National Guard for beer money, and then joined the Army Rangers in order to pad my résumé in law enforcement. Sure, I loved my country, but I loved me a lot more than Uncle Sam. It wasn't until I became a Christian that I saw the world through a different set of lenses. Once the ego got stripped down and I realized that what I said and did affected others around me, I realized that I could either use my energy on myself or to help others. I found out later on that some people had been praying for me through my wild years. It's because of my love for Christ and my own experience as a know-it-all young adult that I can, as a chaplain, help these marines and sailors see a much bigger picture.

How do you approach ministry to young adults in the military?
It can be difficult to reach out to marines and sailors, but I see Jesus Christ as the perfect role model. He laid out how to do it in all four gospels. Jesus spent the bulk of his time out with the people. He didn't have office hours, take appointments, and wait for people to show up with their problems, like doctors do today. He got out there and met people where they were. He was relatable because he met people on their turf. That's what I try to do; meet marines and sailors on their turf. When I served marines, I made it a point to run with them and train with them. They thought it was refreshing that a chaplain was willing to sweat and get dirty with them, yet still talk with them whenever they wanted. There were countless times a marine would be running alongside me and say, "Hey, Chaps, can I ask you a question?" Those times are priceless.

How do you use scripture in your ministry?
One of the things I really enjoy about being a chaplain is answering questions from marines and sailors who are searching for the truth. It keeps my apologetics sharp and shows them why I believe what I believe and how I can "be so sure I'm right." One of the things I've been doing for years is reading the Bible cover to cover once a year. I love showing marines and sailors that the Bible is truly the Word of God and supernatural in origin. I picked up a statement from Professor Brad Soenksen at Lutheran Brethren Seminary that I use all the time: "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it." Jesus quoted Scripture and so should we. I show these young searchers that the Bible is perfect. I like to tell them that God is perfect and he sent a perfect sinless sacrifice in Jesus Christ, so it only makes sense that he would give us a perfect counselor in the Holy Spirit and a perfect written Word. Why would a perfect savior quote an imperfect source? It doesn't make any sense!

Is there any way the rest of us can help minister to service people?
You don't need to be a chaplain to do ministry. Meet service people where they feel comfortable and they will be more willing to open up about their faith. Furthermore, you don't have to be a chaplain to provide guidance and love to these military members. Speaking as one of them, just knowing there are people praying for me and thanking me for my service is enough to keep me going.

Any last thoughts, Shawn?
I got some great advice from all of my seminary professors, but two thoughts stand out as I think about this ministry: Dr. Rodney Spidahl told me not to have a lot of expectations of people, because I will be constantly disappointed. That was a good bit of information. I have had marines and sailors lie to my face; I choose to love them anyway.
Dr. Joel Nordtvedt once said, "If it's not worth dying for, then it's not worth living for." Wow! Now that narrows it all down to what's important. In my brief 39 years on this planet, I have found only three things worth dying for: my Lord, my family, and my country. Everything else is peripheral.

Shawn Osborne is a U.S. Navy Chaplain credentialed by the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and stationed in Hawaii.

By   Tue, Apr 27, 2010

I've grown quite fond of a show on the History Channel called "Warriors." In this show U.S. Army Green Beret Terry Schappert goes all over the world to report on the great warrior cultures of history. In one episode he profiled the Zulu people of South Africa. Under the sometimes brutal leadership of Shaka Zulu, this warrior culture changed the very nature of warfare in Africa. But what captured my interest was what happened after the battle.

The Zulu community understood that their men returning from battle had blood on their hands. They did not have the benefit of long range weaponry that made the killing distant and faceless, but instead had experienced the physical and psychological horrors of close quarters combat with edged and blunt force weapons. Reintegrating into a peaceful society after witnessing the bloody carnage of war is no simple matter, especially if there is blood on your own hands. So as the Zulu men returned from fighting they underwent spiritual cleansing rituals which were intended to cleanse their hands of the blood they had shed, freeing their consciences from guilt, their hearts of blood lust, and helping them to transition back into peaceful life inside the community. Schappert, a seasoned combat veteran himself, and clearly moved by this, turned to the camera and said, "We don't have this."

And I really have to wonder why.

Why is it that we find it easy to send our young people off to war, give them the latest, greatest and most effective training and weaponry on the planet, applaud them for accomplishing their mission with honor and valor, and then find it so difficult to reintegrate them into our peace-loving society when the battle is over? The secular authorities take steps to provide counseling, treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other post-war psychological and psychiatric issues. Certainly the counseling disciplines are vitally important in dealing with these issues, but I am convinced that the Church of Jesus Christ has a profound role to play in the lives of our returning warriors.

To discover what that role is we need to first swallow our western pride and take a lesson from the Zulus. True, the Zulus were animistic in their beliefs and practices, but that doesn't mean the Zulus got it all wrong on the needs of a warrior returning from combat. The Zulus, along with some Native American Indian tribes, correctly understood that the cleansing a warrior needed was deeply spiritual.

For some reason in this present day, we have been largely content to see our returning warriors' needs as primarily mental and emotional, and thus tried to help them in those areas. We honor God's call on some to be warriors. When they return to us from the war zone, we should honor them again by being first in line to offer them spiritual cleansing.

We understand that God created us as multi-layered people - physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. These layers overlap and intermingle, creating powerful reactions throughout the entire being when any single layer is acted upon. When your heart is broken you can't eat. When your mind is racing you can't sleep. Fasting quickens the spirit. Emotive music can soothe and pacify or excite and invigorate the mind and body. God created us as complete beings and never intended that any part of us be neglected. Plato went too far when he valued the spiritual to the exclusion of the temporal. Our temporal aspects are also precious in God's sight! But the spiritual layer is foundational to the rest, and outside of Christ the spirit is dead.

Now if the body, heart and mind (our physical, emotional and intellectual aspects) have been scarred by the horrors of war, the path for the person's healing and cleansing is by the blood of Christ that brings life to our spirits. Jesus gave his life for that returned warrior in your midst. Can't Jesus also make powerless the memories that fester and haunt him in the middle of the night? Isn't the Son who raised the dead also able to heal war-scarred hearts and minds?

The U.S. is now faced with the tremendous challenge of caring for the many service members returning from battlefields in the Middle East. Some of these brave soldiers have shed the blood of the enemy, and some may feel their hands are stained by the blood of their brethren whom they were not able to save. The secular world can help them physically, emotionally and intellectually, but only the Lord Jesus can heal the spiritual wounds. As the nation welcomes them home with pomp and circumstance, let us, the Church, welcome them home with minds that understand them, hearts that weep with them, arms that hold them and hands that pour the oil of anointing in rich, spiritual ceremony, washing their hands, hearts, minds and spirits in the cleansing blood of Christ.

Pastor Steve Paulson seves Greater Grace Church in Portland Oregon.

By   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

Tim Ysteboe, a Lutheran Brethren pastor who also taught at Lutheran Brethren Seminary and served in the Church of the Lutheran Brethren's Office of the President, had a labor of love for at least the last 15 years of his life here. The result of his labor is the book We Believe: Commentary on the Statement of Faith, to be released in June. The motivating forces for this work were love for his Lord, love for the Lord's Church, and a God-given passion to provide sound theological understanding to those who lead and teach in local congregations.

Who was Tim Ysteboe and why did he write We Believe?
Tim Ysteboe went home to his Lord in November 2009 at the age of 61. As a child, Tim was a charter member of Triumph Lutheran Brethren Church in Moorhead, MN. After graduating from Lutheran Brethren Seminary, he pastored Lutheran Brethren congregations in LeSueur, MN and Succusaunna, NJ.

Tim loved God's Word, loved learning and loved teaching. His wife Rachel said, "Tim has had a passion and concern for elders and all leaders of congregations that they know and understand our Lutheran perspective well enough to teach it to others." For Tim the learning process was interactive. He would find himself reading and reacting to many books at the same time. Rachel said, "He loved to read and debate scholars in his mind and sometimes aloud (!). He would have lengthy conversations with Dr. Boe on books they were reading, and of course with Bruce Hillman here at Hillside Lutheran Brethren Church."

When Tim earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA in 2006, his dissertation was titled, Varieties of Elder Practice in the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America. The topic was an indication of Tim's longstanding interest in developing and equipping leadership in local church bodies.

How We Believe came to be
According to former CLB President Robert Overgaard, Sr., "Pastor Timothy Ysteboe served for over a year in a joint assignment with the Lutheran Center for Christian Learning and the Office of President as he was transitioning to his long term of service with LCCL. He worked to generate extended discussions and commentary on the Statement of Faith to assist the revision process." This meant that a number of other thinkers and scholars in the CLB, notably Dr. Eugene Boe of LBS, were engaged in the process with Tim along the way.

Tim himself explained, "This commentary arose out of my concern that we know what we believe. Versions of it have been on my various hard drives for at least 15 years. It began as teaching notes for Lutheran Brethren Seminary students and became an expanded discussion on the Church of the Lutheran Brethren Statement of Faith for people inquiring about the CLB." The material was continually "road-tested." Rachel Ysteboe recalls, "Tim used this class to teach at the seminary, weekend retreats, weekly Bible Studies and other venues. It was well received and many expressed how they had gained a new perspective on the Lutheran Brethren theology and it had come ‘alive' to them."
Finally, the encouragement of CLB President Joel Egge brought about the final editing and publication of We Believe.

A gift to our congregations
Tim Ysteboe wanted to give something of value to the congregations. LBS Professor John Kilde observed, "In writing this commentary on the Statement of Faith of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, my friend and colleague Tim Ysteboe has exercised one of his spirited gifts to serve many of us in the CLB."

The work was personal for Tim. Robert Overgaard wrote, "Over the years he made this commentary his own through working and re-working it as he taught. Fortunately, he was able to give it to us as his parting gift."

Tim offered his gift with these words from the preface to We Believe, "I hope this commentary gives support to those who teach in the church, to those who lead small groups, and to those who are in church governance positions... So here is what we believe."

By   Sun, Apr 25, 2010

With changes taking effect since the last convention, the convention planning committee felt that it was a good time to refocus the Church's attention on the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. We talked about the importance of sharing the good news with our children, our congregations, our neighbors and the world. The good news is for all people and for all generations. The theme is going to be: Telling His Story: The Good News for All Generations. (Walswick, Barb. "Update from the Convention Committee." March/April 2010)

On Saturday, June 19, the following will be taking place:

• Pastors' Continuing Education at Hillcrest
  (visit Convention Blog as information becomes available)
• CLB Women's Ministry Annual Convention at Bethel Lutheran Church
  (see below)
• Inspiration Point Bible Camp celebrates 50 Years
  (visit Inspiration Point website)
  Download > Registration Form

2010 Church of the Lutheran Brethren Biennial Convention
June 20-22  Fergus Falls, Minnesota

Links:

Biennial Convention Blog
Read about the speakers, seminars, registration information and any other news or updates. Also stay informed about audio and video that will be available following the convention. Visit the Convention Blog...>

Read about the Convention image
When the Biennial Convention planning committee decided on the theme, "Telling His Story: The Good News for All Generations," the idea of depicting Genesis-through-Revelation in the image for this year's Convention was important. Continue reading...>

Download > Schedule (tentative)

Women's Ministries Annual Convention
June 19, 2010  8:30 a.m. - 4:00 a.m.

Links:

Women's Ministries Website
Read about the upcoming convention and download resources and registration forms. Also read about past events and completed projects, as well as upcoming projects and events in your district!

Download > Registration Form
Download convention brochure, bulletin insert, poster and cover letter for publicity packet at the Women's Ministries website.

Convention Lodging Information
(Mention CLB Convention to receive a lodging discount)

AmericInn
866-736-5452
218-739-3900

Best Western
800-293-2216
218-739-2211

Comfort Inn
218-736-5787

Fergus Inn  (formerly Days Inn)
218-739-3311

Super 8
218-739-3261

Motel 7
218-736-2554

Hillcrest Academy
(rooms available at the Hillcrest Boys Dormitory--Sletta/Strom Building)
Contact Wayne Stender at 218-739-3371.

Other options to check into around the Fergus Falls area:

Swan Lake Resort
800-697-4626
218-736-4626

WesLake Resort
800-258-9056
218-826-6523

Ten Mile Lake Resort
218-589-8845

By Tim Mathiesen   Sun, Apr 25, 2010

A reflection on our hours together

It's always a busy time as we in the synod offices prepare for the two to three days of meetings with the leadership of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. We had the challenge over the last year of figuring out how to bring the planning of what used to be done by many boards into one board called the Council of Directors. Lutheran Brethren Seminary still reports to their own board, but Finance, International Mission, North American Mission and Church Services no longer report to a board, but to the president, and the president reports to the Council of Directors. It's an interesting new dynamic, but challenging.

The wonderful thing, above anything else, is that the Council is a group of leaders who desires to see the work of the Church honor and glorify God. God is the true leader of the Church, his Church, and we are merely a group of men and women who pray that we will be faithful to his calling as we make decisions and bring recommendations to the National Conventions.

Working with a single group while planning the vision and mission of the entire Church for the coming years can be difficult because there is so much to consider. It is, however, also a blessing and quite eye-opening because the Council sees the big picture as we watch all the ministries lay out their goals. We get to see how North American Mission fits in with the plans of Lutheran Brethren Seminary, and how they are able to support the mission of International Mission. There are a few new faces on the Council and it is quite exciting for them to see the larger mission of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren.

The last several meetings were learning experiences, as we wrestled with a new structure and a new constitution. But it was also an encouraging and enlightening experience, seeing the beauty of unity and mission in a family of churches called the Church of the Lutheran Brethren.

Please pray for the Council of Directors as we continue to process our role as servant leaders of our Church and seek God's will for each of us. It is crucial that we continue to pray for each other. The Council prays for you, our churches, as you reach out to your surrounding communities every day. The Council prays for our missionaries, our Seminary professors and students, our pastors and families, and all the other ministries that assist us in what we are called to do as the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. Thank you for all of your support and work within the ministries of your churches.

We are on the same mission. Together.

By   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

After months of work and prayerful consideration, the Nominating Committee is bringing one candidate as a nominee for election to the Office of President of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren at the 2010 Biennial Convention. President Joel Egge has accepted the nomination extended by the Committee to stand for election for a term of four years.

The Committee also extended an invitation to fifteen other pastors and elders of the CLB to allow their names to be placed in nomination for President of our synod. Each was asked to prayerfully consider this and was allowed up to two weeks to give the Committee a decision. None of the fifteen potential candidates believed that God was calling him to serve as President of the CLB at this time. The Nominating Committee chose not to place in nomination a second person who does not feel called of God to be our next President simply to create a dual slate of candidates.

We will therefore present President Joel Egge as the single candidate for election to the Office of President of the CLB. The Council of Directors has unanimously agreed with the Nominating Committee.

- Pastor Ron Erickson on behalf of the Nominating Committee

By CLB Prayer Team   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

I remember when Mom, before the days of cake mixes, would stir the ingredients together for a batch of delicious muffins and pop them in the oven. When they were ready she'd taste one, only to say, "Something's missing. These don't taste quite right... Oh, I forgot the vanilla!"

So it is sometimes with our prayer lives. With a vague sense of disquiet we say, "I wonder what's missing?" Perhaps what's missing is the simplest of ingredients, something God gives each of us equally every day: TIME.

If time is the missing ingredient of your prayer life, you may want to try setting aside a specific time and place to get together with God each day in prayer.

Martin Luther's barber and old friend, Peter Beskendorf, asked him for suggestions concerning prayer. Luther responded with "A Simple Way to Pray." One short paragraph in it caught my eye:

It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last at night. Guard yourself carefully against those false, deluding ideas which tell you, "Wait a little while. I will pray in an hour; first I must attend to this or that." Such thoughts get you away from prayer into other affairs which so hold your attention and involve you that nothing comes of prayer for that day.

Try adding TIME to your prayer life. It may be just what's missing!

P.S. When we pray, may we have the humility of Martin Luther. He wrote to his barber: "I will tell you as best I can what I do personally when I pray. May our dear Lord grant to you and to everybody to do it better than I! Amen."

Source: http://www.hope-aurora.org/docs/ASimpleWaytoPray.pdf (p. 3)

Shel Sorenson is the CLB Prayer Team Coordinator. The CLB Prayer Team is on-call to pray for requests from our family of churches. E-mail the team at: pray@prayclb.org.

By Randy Mortenson   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

While serving as a Navy chaplain for seven years, I learned three things that I could apply in counseling with any person in any situation. These are also things you can do to help military service members and veterans in your community.

1. Listen. If you're privileged to gain an opportunity to listen to a soldier (Army), airman (Air Force), marine (Marines), sailor (Navy) or Coast Guardsman, take the time to do it. You may not understand everything he or she talks about. You probably won't be able to relate to their experiences, unless you've "been there" yourself. That's okay. A listening ear will go a long way. Probably over half the counseling sessions I had as a Navy chaplain were with someone who simply wanted to vent. To get something off their chest. To share a burden or struggle or pain. To have someone hear them out. Listen.

2. Pray. At the conclusion of nearly every counseling session I would ask if I might offer a prayer on their behalf. No one ever refused, although one sailor onboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation said sarcastically, "Okay, if it will make you feel better." I smiled and said, "It always does." And I prayed for him.

I would often "pray the gospel" over someone. After lifting up their concerns to God, I would thank God for sending his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. I thanked God for his forgiveness and the hope of eternal life found through faith in Jesus Christ.

If you're not comfortable praying aloud with someone, you can still invite them to join you in silent prayer. It's powerful stuff. I wonder how many of the men and women I prayed with had never been personally prayed for before.

3. Recognize the person. If you're in the military, rank can be a distraction (or even an intimidation). If you're a civilian, seeing a uniform might distract you from the person wearing it. Remember that you're listening to a person, not just a soldier or veteran. Military life and experiences can be dehumanizing at times. Connecting in a real, personal way (through listening and prayer) is very important because it helps the person to feel grounded.

Finally, I would often share a scripture verse or two. Here are three of my favorites.

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

[Jesus says,] "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Randy Mortenson serves as pastor of Ebenezer LBC, Mayville, ND.

By   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

Our Redeemer's Church in Minot, North Dakota, is currently seeking an individual to serve our church as a full-time Children's Ministry Director. This individual will provide leadership, organizational, and administrative support to the Children's Ministry Board to ensure that the children's ministries of Our Redeemer's Church are effective, well run, and well publicized to the congregation and the community at large.

Inquiries may be addressed to
Pete Pederson at 701-839-0750
email: ppederson@ourredeemers.org
address: 700 16th Ave SE, Minot, ND 58701

By Tim Mathiesen   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren would like to thank all of you who gave to your congregation and to the Church of the Lutheran Brethren in the past year. It has been a financially difficult year, but we continue to trust that God will provide as we are faithful to his Mission. As we write this, we do not know how the month of April will turn out. The fiscal year is coming to an end and at this time we are at only 73% to our goal. We are extremely thankful to those who have given and to those who will give to the mission of our Church in the coming weeks.

We ask you to continue to join us in prayer for the ministry of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and especially for our family of congregations around North America. Isn't it wonderful to know that we are all on the same mission, together, locally, nationally and internationally?

"But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:18-19).

Final Report from Finance Office:

From the depths of our hearts, we want to thank our family of churches for their support and encouragement - expressed most recently by the outpouring of financial support in our fiscal year ending month of April. By any of our historical contribution standards, it was an excellent month, allowing us to end the fiscal year at 95% of our contribution support goal when we entered April at just 73%.

But the really exciting news is that, after tallying up all other sources of income and factoring our actual expenses, we should end up with an overall fiscal year "bottom line" surplus of right in the vicinity of $176,000 - just enough to cover (wipe out) the combined carryover negative fund balance of $175,727. So for the first time in about 20 years or so, our operating ministries (as a whole) are NOT IN THE RED. It's as though God's intention was to give us just enough to poke our nose above the water...after all, holding your breath underwater for 20 years gets a little exhausting! Praise be to Him!

Brad Martinson
Director of Finance and Personnel

Final 2010 Contributions Report

By   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

Last summer an interesting opportunity presented itself in the church I serve, Elim Lutheran Brethren of Malta, Montana. A young man, between his sophomore and junior years of high school, suddenly took over the evening devotions at the Wednesday youth program. Our youth leader was busy with pre-convention details after the ice breaker game, and the youth - fifteen of them - were waiting for devotions. Without any suggestion or encouragement this student stood up and asked everyone to turn to the story of the Prodigal Son. He read the story, asked a couple of questions for discussion, collected prayer requests, said a prayer and headed for the snacks.

The returning youth leader walked into the middle of a youth-led youth group. No one was in shock. They all seemed normal. They were listening, discussing, and praying. Without missing a beat the youth leader asked, "Who would like to lead next week?" There was an immediate volunteer. The entire group grew in maturity in this one session.

I like to hang around the church to watch what happens on Wednesday evenings, partly because I like the snacks and partly because I love young spiritual energy. As the meeting dissolved for the evening the youth leader told me what happened. Like any pastor, I was thrilled. We are experiencing a youth population wave in our small town. Our youth group can vary in size from just a few some years to 15 or 20 as it is now. This is not an opportunity to lose.

God was choosing young people before time began. His Son's sacrifice for them is timeless. His Spirit now enlightens, calls, gathers and sanctifies youth for ministry. Forgiveness, eternal life and service are available to all upon repentance. Our theology teaches us to celebrate baptism in families, recognizing the work of God to wash away our sins. As parents, leaders and pastors, our role in relation to baptism is to commit ourselves to washing children and youth with this Word. We do this daily in the home and weekly in the Church. This washing with the Word is called discipleship. Our children make mistakes. But we do not punish, rather we disciple them. We show them their sin and the consequences in a loving environment. We teach Law/Gospel thinking and action by faith. And when they do the right thing, we exalt God for encouraging and empowering these disciples.

Our church constitution mandates discipleship for those we baptize and their friends, with the goal of maturity in Christ. We are not raising children and teens; we are raising adults. We do not have Sunday School/Youth Group for the sake of Sunday School/Youth Group. We practice discipleship programs for the adult fulfillment of the Kingdom. Our parish education vision is: "We see Jesus loving children, training adolescents and releasing adults to live by faith in God's grace."

After everyone was gone, I sat at my work station in prayer. What had just happened? What was the next step? I was so excited. Should I ask the youth leader if I could host youth leadership training? I had the Serendipity small group training. I was the expert. I could tell them how to do it, if they would just do what I told them.

But the small voice of the Spirit said, "You gave these kids to me. You baptized them in my name. Just give them my Word." My eyes fell on my Serendipity Bible. Within just a few minutes I had ordered 15 Serendipity Small Group Bibles. The youth leader has put them to use. Kids are becoming adult small group leaders. The opportunity has begun.

Steve Heppner serves as pastor of Elim LBC in Malta, Montana.

By   Mon, Apr 26, 2010

Jim and Evie Olson (Evie is pictured below with the group of her "grand-students) moved back to Seattle in 1989 after some 30 years of ministry in Japan. They were naturally attracted to Japanese people in their community. Friendships developed. Jim and Evie practiced the "open door policy," welcoming many into their home. Some asked Evie to teach them American cooking. Others wanted help with English conversation. Some wanted to know about the Bible. As the ministry developed and numbers grew, Rock of Ages Lutheran Brethren Church welcomed them to use their facilities. Many members at the Rock began assisting where they could.

As a few of these Japanese people came to know and trust Christ, they desired to worship in their own language. The first Japanese worship service began in the fall of 1990. Since then hundreds of Japanese have heard the gospel and seen it in action through Japanese Ministries. At least 35 of them were baptized here. Others heard the message here and were baptized after they returned to Japan.

Japanese Ministries endeavors to meet the felt needs of the Japanese. Many Japanese have said they were attracted to Christ through the love Christians had shown toward them. This was true in the early Church, and we see the love of Christ alive and effective in the same way today.

We celebrate the past 20 years of Japanese Ministries, praising God for what he has done, and participating with joy in his ministry today. Three of the people who were blessed by Japanese Ministries share their testimonies:

KUREHA TAKAISHI
In Japan it is quite unusual to grow up in a Christian environment. But I did. That is to say, my mother is a Christian and as a child, I went with her to church and other Christian activities. I was baptized when I was five years old. But when I entered junior high school I became very busy with sports and stopped going to church. When I was around people who didn't know about Christians I was too embarrassed to pray or talk about God.

Even though I believed in God and knew he was always by my side, I didn't go beyond that point. When I was six years old, we went to see a friend off at the train station. When the train started to move I started to run alongside it. I didn't know how dangerous this was. I slipped and fell between the moving train and the platform. It is a miracle that I am alive and standing here today. Even after that and many other events in my life I still could not accept God completely.

But I was given the opportunity to change when I came to Seattle and someone said to me, "Even if you cannot accept God completely, God still loves you as you are. Even if you have not opened the door of your heart for twenty years, God is still knocking. And even if you would try to turn away from God, he will hold your hand." These words helped me turn back to God. I am so happy I can stand here and say these things as a Christian. I am also thankful to the many people who gave me this opportunity, to Roger Olson and the Japanese Ministries and to all of you here at Rock of Ages.

MISATO SHIRAI
The kindergarten I went to taught Christian teachings, so I remember reading from the Bible and praying before I ate. But I think I did this halfheartedly and because everybody else was doing it. So as a kindergartner I was exposed to the Bible and to God a lot, but when I entered elementary school I didn't read the Bible very much and I didn't think about God much anymore either. It's as the Bible says, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21).

But still I had food to eat, a place to sleep, a place to learn, and awesome friends. Just because I fought with a friend it didn't meant that I wouldn't get supper. And even if I didn't do my homework sometimes, it didn't mean that I lost a lot of friends. Even when I wasn't thankful for all these things I was provided a great environment and I was able to enjoy it. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). I realized this truth when I came to Seattle and heard the testimony of my friend Honami. It made me think of my past. I know this was God's message to me. God had helped me realize this through Honami's words.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). To be honest I really don't know much about "eternal life." I haven't died yet. But I can believe God. And I can believe that Jesus is my Lord. God's love will never end. Because God loves me I can share that love with other people. I am sure this love is eternal and even though it doesn't have one certain shape it will not disappear. I want to share this great love I have received from God to many people.

YUKA MATSUBARA
(pictured rigth with "Mama" Sue Olson)
When I was little I thought there was a God. I thought about why people are born and why they die. Looking at trees, animals, stars and the sun or other things in nature I would wonder, "Who made all this? Do they have life and talk or communicate?" I would wonder about the different things on earth and be amazed. Even though I believed there was a god I did not know what it was to be a Christian. I also thought that I had not seen God nor had God answered me after I had talked to Him. But I was praying, "God, if you are there show yourself to me and answer me."

Six years ago my grandmother committed suicide. I was 14 years old. The shock was unbearable. After that I could not trust anybody and my heart was empty. "Why did she die? Had grandfather been mean to her? Whose fault was it?" These are the kinds of questions that were constantly in my mind. I also blamed myself for not being able to help my grandmother. And I wondered, "Why do I have to have this terrible experience? There must not be a God."

As the Bible teaches, I have sinned a lot. God took my sadness and came to me. My sins were forgiven and he saved me from darkness. And I believed God. My grandmother's death made me very sad. But it also showed me that there is nothing more important than life. It helped me see how important my one and only family is and how wonderful friends are. It helped me be saved from the darkness with the help of Christian brothers and sisters. The life I have lived so far has not been a waste. The hard times I have had have not been meaningless.

Everybody will die someday. No matter how good your medicine is. No matter how many good things you do. No matter how much money you pay. But God will never let you go. He is always watching you and will lead you to the right path. "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:6-7).

pictured left: Rei (middle) and Miku (right) translate Isaiah 48:17 from Japanese to English for Dave Wills during "Talk Time"

Pastor Roger Olson serves as director of the Japanese Ministry at Rock of Ages Lutheran Brethren Church in Seattle, WA.

By   Sun, Apr 25, 2010

1. What is your own history in ministry and what is your background in ministry to veterans?

After graduating from the Lutheran Brethren Seminary in 1971, I was ordained in the Free Methodist Church and served the church as a local church pastor, hospital chaplain, military chaplain, nursing home chaplain, and denominational conference superintendent.

My ministry to veterans involves a career as a Navy chaplain, serving sailors and marines on Pacific Fleet ships and Fleet Marine Force units and at Navy-Marine Corps bases in the United States and Japan. I worked specifically with military families, in one three year tour as the Chaplain for the Navy-Marine Corps Family Service Center in Okinawa, Japan. I retired from the Navy following service overseas with the Marines during the Persian Gulf War.

Most recently, as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), I served from 2007-2009 as a Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC) for a mental health contractor serving the Minnesota National Guard. As a MFLC, I providing counseling, deployment & reintegration workshops, and outreach efforts to over 6,000 deploying and returning soldiers and family members of the National Guard and Reserves in Minnesota.

I have always had a heart for men and women in uniform. My dad was a WW I veteran, my uncles served in WW II, a cousin in the Korean War. I started my military service in the Marines in 1965 during the Vietnam War and lost many fellow Marines in that war. My career as a Navy chaplain, through multiple deployments away from my family in times of war and peace, gave me a deep appreciation for the sacrifices military families make to serve our country.

I presently have a son who is an Army officer deployed overseas in harm's way and I am a grandfather to his two sons living near us in Minnesota who wait for his return.

All the above factors contributed to my writing the book, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Ministering to Returning Combat Veterans (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009) to help churches understand the challenges facing veterans and military families and mobilize them to reach out and minister to deploying and returning service personnel and their families.

2. What do you mean when you call the current returning veterans the "next Greatest Generation"?

The "greatest generation" was a term that was coined by NBC Newsman Tom Brokaw to describe the veterans who returned from WW II and with the help of the GI bill, contributed greatly to the success of America in the 20th Century. The most recent veterans, since 9/11, also return home with armed with very similar GI Bill benefits, having the potential to make a great contribution to our society after their wartime service in the 21st Century. This GI Bill benefit includes, with three years of active duty service, four years of free college education for returning veterans, plus a living stipend equal to Sergeant's E-5 pay, while attending school, insuring an opportunity for upward mobility and increased contribution to society.

3. What special challenges or issues do returning veterans face?

Presently we have approximately 1.5 million service personnel serving on active duty. Of those, about 260,000 are deployed in political hotspots or war zones around the world at any given time.

One of the biggest challenges facing returning wartime veterans is to face bravely the trauma of combat and then not allow those experiences to scar them permanently. Many soldiers find it hard to adjust to life, work and relationships on the home front after the combat has stopped. When the veterans come home, many feel they have lost their place in civilian life, where jobs no longer fit them, family relationships feel strained and conflicted, and they sense only their fellow soldiers really understand them.

Hanging up your uniform after war is not easy. How can you emotionally switch from being in combat, living with daily threats to your life and seeing the chaos and carnage of war to adjusting to a peaceful civilian world with normal family life and regular work routines? It takes time and patience from everyone to help our returning soldiers make this transition successfully.

Some soldiers are like Staff Sergeant James in the Academy Award winning 2010 Picture of the Year, The Hurt Locker, who cannot make this adjustment to life back home and volunteer to go back to war. A war-zone is a place where life makes sense to these soldiers, where they feel they fit in and can make a difference. They again experience the addictive, emotional rush of doing a dangerous and important job well, rather than being bored by civilian routines, with little sense of purpose or meaning. Once again they feel the camaraderie of a band of brothers & sisters that is found in combat, and not in civilian workplaces and in everyday communities.

Many service personnel (close to 80%) return home from the war and within a year make a good readjustment back to their families and civilian life and work. Their biggest challenge is to find meaningful well paying jobs to stabilize their lives economically in this recession when unemployment is running 18% for returning war veterans. Without the stability of a good job, marriages become stressed and fall apart and many veterans turn to drugs or alcohol to blunt the pain of losing their place in the world of work. The cascading effect upon their lives of failing to find good work is probably one of the biggest challenges they face after risking their lives in war. For churches sponsoring job support groups, this is an alert to a hidden population in need of the outreach of their ministry.

For those in the active duty, reserve, or National Guard forces, who face repeated combat deployments (which chips away at marriage and family relationships and cumulatively builds up to chronic life adjustment problems), continued military service can however become more challenging. In Beyond the Yellow Ribbon we mention that of the 1.5 million troops that have been deployed since 9/11, one third have served at least 2 tours in a combat zone, 70,000 of them deployed 3 times, and 20,000 have been deployed as many as 5 times. For part-time warriors in the National guard and reserves who endure such repeated deployment cycles, they have a hard time finding good work, or if they have a good job, advancing in the company becomes a problem, since they soon will be called away again for a year and become a liability to an employer.

For some veterans, returning home involves years of rehabilitation and therapy to recover from the wounds of war. Presently (as of 3/9/10), according to Department of Defense accounting, 36,906 service personnel have been wounded in action in Iraq and Afghanistan, many suffering terrible wounds to their bodies from improvised explosive devices (IED's) that destroy limbs and cause traumatic brain injury. Others bear the hidden mental health wounds of war; with a recent Rand Corporation study estimating 20% of all returning veterans (300,000) have difficulties with PTSD or depression. That is a one in five (1:5) ratio of returning veterans impacted by these hidden wounds of war. Only half of these sought treatment and the other half received minimally adequate treatment.

Some veterans get in trouble with the law upon returning home, ranging from robbery and theft to support drug addictions to anger management problems that cause spouse abuse and violent behavior. In a Department of Justice study, roughly 10% of veterans have criminal records and 1 in 100 presently are incarcerated. What does this say to Christians and churches involved in prison ministries or who minister to grief stricken families of incarcerated veterans?

Spiritually, there is a real need for recovery and healing from war: Especially for veterans who were exposed to serious combat action and saw horrific things. Some veterans did some things in war of which they are not proud, needing to seek God's grace and forgiveness and experience healing of the spirit to lay to rest memories too terrible to carry in everyday life. Very few, within the church or outside the church in professional clinical circles talk about the moral and spiritual issues we discuss in a chapter in Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. Yet war wounds many in spirit in ways that the Veterans Administration never measures or records.

Chris Hedges, in his book War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, touches at the heart of the spiritual challenge war forces upon veterans. He speaks of an idolatry of seeking to find meaning and purpose in our lives outside of God, in the enterprise of war. He talks about how this idol fails to nourish the spirit, but rather depletes the participant and leaves them disillusioned in war's aftermath. He says, "I learned early on that war forms its own culture. The rush to battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years. The enduring attraction of war is this: Even with its destruction and carnage it can give us what we long for in life. It can give us purpose, meaning, a reason for living. Only in the midst of conflict does the shallowness and vapidness of much of our lives become apparent."

For Christians, both clergy and laity, it is important to find a teachable moment to speak to veterans the truths of the gospel of grace and share the hope of a purpose filled life in Christ as veterans struggle to find meaning and purpose in life after war. What we share of ourselves and the gospel that we proclaim can be the greatest homecoming gift we can give to a war weary veteran.

4. What special challenges or issues do their families face while they're gone?

Military families really need our help. They are whipsawed emotionally through a year- long deployment cycle: Saying goodbye well (or not so well); then enduing long months of separation, loneliness and fear; and finally trying to reconnect with the veteran upon homecoming and build a good life together after a war.

Single parenting, with all that entails, is probably one of the biggest challenges military families face during a deployment. The spouse left behind is suddenly single, like someone who has experienced the death or divorce of a spouse. Trying to balance work with child care, managing the home-front on a limited budget shared with the deployed spouse, and feeling isolated from family or friends to help with respite care when they become overwhelmed, are just a few of the challenges facing military spouses. Being the cheerleader in the family to keep up the spirits of children as well as those of a deployed spouse can also be exhausting. Where does the spouse go to replenish their spirit and energy?

In Beyond the Yellow Ribbon we spend a whole chapter just talking about how a church can minister to these above mentioned needs. In the book I recount how a church we belonged to in San Diego, CA ministered to my wife and three boys while I was deployed. They helped with home and auto repairs, provided my wife with respite care with a "mother's day out" program, giving her a chance for adult interaction (with childcare provided) for a morning once a month. The men of the church regularly took my boys weekly to play soccer or go to the beach with their kids, giving my boys opportunities to play with other kids and interact with male role models. And church members individually thought of her on holidays and her birthday and treated her and my boys with ice cream sundaes and took them on outings to encourage them and let them know they were not alone.

Communication and marital relationship concerns are also a critical issue for military families. In a world of improved communication via e-mail and Skype, military families can stay better connected than ever before. If a couple and family members communicate well, it is a real blessing...if they communicate poorly they have only increased the opportunity for misunderstanding and conflict. "The military mission always comes first" mantra can triangulate and conflict a couple "married to the military," with the military often trumping the needs and wishes of a military family "for the needs of the service." Living in a world where "the military comes first" is hard on many military couple and family relationships.
Challenges for a couple to remain faithful to one another can also emerge in deployments, both overseas and at home. Couples can just drift apart due to inattention to each other's emotional needs during the absence and not be able to find their way "back home" to the relationship when they come home. The family of a veteran demobilizing and leaving the service and all of its active duty resources, it is important for churches to reach out to them as they try to put life back together with limited social support or external resources.

For some couples, their marriage becomes a casualty of war. There are no memorial walls to commemorate this kind of sacrifice for service. In Beyond the Yellow Ribbon we note that 13,000 military marriages ended last year and that 62% of male combat veterans were more likely than civilian males to have at least one failed marriage. Contributing factors included being apart for long periods of time, poor communication skills, isolation from social networks, and financial issues.

This information should inform church leaders in working with this population: The need to focus on marriage enrichment and couples communication programs for deploying and recently returned veterans, with good networks for referral of veteran families to good marriage and family counselors, as well as programs that address grief and loss issues for those who lose their marriage to divorce as a result of service to their country.

5. Are these problems solved when the veteran returns home?

The ability to deal with the above mentioned problems depends on a veteran couple's communication and negotiation skills, their support system resources, and their willingness to work at their couple and family relationships upon their return. Absence does not necessarily make the heart grow fonder. If a soldier has a good relationship with his/her spouse and family going into a deployment, they usually will have the tools to be able to repair any damage or estrangement caused by the deployment and get back on track in these relationships. If the relationships have been conflicted and there has been poor communication going into the deployment, the mere passage of time in these circumstances usually do not make things better and outcomes are more problematic.

6. Would you say most churches today are well-equipped or ill-equipped to minister to returning veterans and their families? Please explain.

The most important factor in successful ministry to military families and veteran families is a loving heart and an outreach mentality that is willing to go outside the church doors to find these veterans and their families and learn about their needs and try to minister to them at their point of need.

Most churches at first glance may seem ill prepared to minister to this returning veteran population in that most of these 20-20 year old veterans are not sitting in our church pews on Sunday morning.

This is not "low hanging fruit evangelism" unless the veteran happens to have a family member in the church (sibling, parent, grand-parent) or has a previous connection to the church (baptism, confirmation, wedding, funeral, etc). They are a hidden population all around our churches (reservists and National Guard members in almost every one of our communities) or, if your church is situated near an active military base, they are found in surrounding off base communities. Many of these veterans slip back quietly into our communities after active duty, with no bands playing or yellow ribbons flying from trees. They just start showing up at our colleges to get retrained on the GI bill, or they show up at work, with new found skills from their military service to use in the company for which we work. Their kids show up at our children's schools and are seen at PTA meetings or at school ball games or concerts. It is on this turf that you will find them and can look for openings in soft evangelism to enter their lives, learn of their concerns, and seek to provide a bridge for them to walk across into the life of the church.

It is not necessarily starting a whole new program, like a veterans outreach program. Rarely are there a large number of veterans at one time to justify such a program in a church. It is merely refining existing congregational care systems to educate the congregation and lay care-givers to veterans needs (just like they become aware of other needs in the congregation such as job support groups, grief support groups, etc.) and then identify resources to share or existing programs that may fit needs of veteran families. Then you are ready for company that may come in uniform (or recently from wearing a uniform) or that members see in the community and invite to church programs. Once they come, you look for ways to connect with them, identify needs, and seek to meet those needs in the name of Christ.

Ask your veterans in the church to help minister to this next greatest generation of veterans. You may be surprised what a WW II veteran of the Normandy invasion, a Korean War veteran who fought on Pork Chop Hill, a Vietnam War veteran who fought in the Ia Drang Valley might have in common with Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans. In spite of their age differences, they have a mutual respect for each other and can quickly relate to each other because of their shared combat experience and challenges of coming home. Older vets in your church can offer a welcome home to younger vets in ways the latest veterans can understand and appreciate.

What may shock a lot of churches is the quality of people they will find among veterans. Just look at some of the WW II and Korean vets that helped build many of our churches. This generation can do that again. They are people who know about sacrifice and giving of themselves to a good cause better than most civilians who have not had to live self-sacrificially. They know how to persevere in difficult times and know something about leadership and courage under fire. They are great people to have with you in a foxhole when times are challenging. They are not quitters!

7. Is ministry to returning veterans and their families a task best left to experts, like the pastor, or can anybody in the church get involved?

Certainly the pastor has to lead in this outreach ministry, but does not need to do all the work. Most of the outreach to veterans is not about "experts," but everyday people "filled with the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit" reaching out and touching others lives. Every church should have a pastoral care or congregational care system, by which they can identify people with needs and reach out to them and offer help in Christ's name. In some churches, this may initially fall to the pastor to connect with a veteran that a church member (whom maybe they met at work or school) would like to introduce to the church's ministry. In many cases it starts with laypersons connecting with veterans or military families in the community and then thinking what resources they could offer from their own lives or the ministry of the church that might help the deploying soldier or his/her family. Then they would seek to make introductions and connections to welcome a veteran or military family into some aspect of church ministry and build a caring relationship from there. What may surprise churches is the readiness of these military families to not only seek out ministry, but to become a contributing member of the faith community.

Is there a place for experts? Yes. In the case of a veteran who may need help finding work, get medical attention, access mental health resources for PTSD symptoms, depression, or addiction, get help GI bill education, or seek help with a VA service connected disability claim, it is important for pastors to have key phone numbers of veteran service resources available to use to refer a needy veteran. The County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO) in every county in the country is a good resource to have on speed-dial for referrals, as well as a Veterans Resource Center (Vets Center) located in each state, which triages veteran concerns.

8. What are some practical ideas for this type of ministry?

Think for a moment, what would a single mom need, who was going to be caring for a family alone for an extended period of time? Obviously some respite care for the "single mom" during a deployment, some outrageous acts of kindness and attention (treats, meals, movie or sporting events tickets, dinner out invitations, spa/beauty treatments), and generally checking by phone, e-mail, or in person to show care and concern and to watch for signs of distress requiring intervention.

What would be your concerns if you were a returning veteran trying to readjust to civilian life and find your way after being away at war? The vet needs a job badly and may profit from a church job support group or networking assistance by church members. The vet needs time alone with his/her spouse to beginning the journey back into a post-war marriage relationship that is healthy and strong (give them a bed and breakfast weekend or retreat and maybe help them with childcare for the weekend). The vet may need to eventually talk about his/her experiences with other veterans or with the pastor, if they are struggling with the impact of war on their life. A big issue is just getting help with focusing on what to do and where to go next in a world that suddenly has gotten more complex from the simple daily combat routines that a soldier could almost do in their sleep. Helping a vet connect with his/her kids, after being apart for a long time, in a natural and fun setting, may be a great ministry to a vet estranged from his/her kids. Maybe several families (or a group of men in the church) going on a camping weekend with kids (or to a sporting event) and inviting a vets family affords the vet the opportunity to naturally bond again with his/her kids and get on track relationally again.

9. How does a church get started in reaching out to this kind of temporarily separated military family?

I've already commented on some things that could be done to reach out to the family on the home front during a deployment.

I will only expand on this by saying, "don't forget parents and grandparents of service personnel serving in harm's way. They live daily with low grade anxiety, watching the news for the latest battle or casualties coming out of a war zone. They fear the "knock at the door" by a casualty officer, notifying them that their son or daughter made the ultimate sacrifice.

The best you can do for them is to periodically check in on them by phone, e-mail, or in person and show interest in what their son or daughter or grandchild is doing and tell them that you are praying for them (the soldier) as well as the parent/grandparent. Let them talk and process their fears and anxiety, not acting as a therapist, but just as a friend in Christ.

For the soldier, sending care packages of treats, especially stuff they cannot get over in a combat zone, is a real winner. Our church sends care packages monthly to my deployed son, letting him know he is loved and prayed for by the church. The care ministries representative e-mails my son and keep up to date on what he is doing and what might be his concerns. Our pastor has stayed connected by e-mail. The church has a an e-mail link of Sunday sermons that he can download weekly on the other side of the world and still stay connected to the teaching/preaching ministry of the church. He can get on-line church newsletters and bulletins to stay connected to church ministries. Staying connected, while apart, is very important for soldiers. Sending current sports pages and local news items, favorite magazines or books is another way of saying: "We're thinking about you and praying for you."

I also think the pastor could really make a connection over time with a soldier, sailor, marine, airman, or coastguardsman using e-mail (or Skype, if you are really sophisticated and had a number of service personnel in the congregation). A great relationship might develop between the pastor and a soldier who has a lot of time to think and read in a combat zone. It might be surprising what might come of such a discipleship relationship, bearing fruit for the kingdom of God.

10. Are there some pitfalls to be aware of in attempting this kind of ministry?

Set expectations realistically in terms of what kind of response to expect. Most of the successful outreach ministries to veterans started slowly and build over time. This should be like a seed quietly growing in a field, evolving appropriately in keeping with the outreach efforts made into the community by church members looking for veterans and military families who have needs the church can fill. Under-promise and over-deliver! Don't wait for veterans to walk in the door, but rather reach out to them and as you do, the word will get around among vets and military families that your church seriously welcomes them.

As a sailor, I would say, "stow the politics." The military is a cross section of society and its members do not have a monolithic view of politics. To assume all service personnel agree with all the policies of their government or like all the orders they have to follow is naive. Soldiers know only too well they may bleed and die for mistakes made by national leaders. Many soldiers, since the founding of our nation, left home in celebratory spirits with bands playing martial music, only to come home from war wounded in body and disillusioned in spirit. Still others have felt great about their time in the service, even bearing wounds of battle, but seeing it as a defining moment of their lives. Assume nothing, listen carefully, and speak God's truth and healing words of love to those like you, as well as those who do not share your political views. They earned the right with blood, sweat, and tears to disagree with you agreeably on political issues following a war.

11. How might the church itself benefit from doing this kind of ministry?

On a practical level, a church can really learn how to do friendship evangelism outside its doors by trying to reach this unique population. More importantly, it is the right thing to do for military families and deploying and returning veterans in our communities. A church can really feel good about itself and its ministry to veterans.

Additionally, by reaching out to veterans, you may be recruiting the church of the future! Veterans know how to lead and get things done on time and done right. They are great volunteers who know what it is like to lay it all on the line for a good cause. They know how to give of themselves and their means sacrificially and understand the cross better than most civilians I know. They are courageous and stand up for what they believe, willing to give their lives to achieve what they believe is right. They are goal orientated people who know how to work together on a team with very different people to achieve a goal. They have grit and guts, with the ability to march through the toughest circumstances and finish together leaving no one behind. What church would not want this kind of person in its membership, on its boards, and active in its ministries?

12. Are there any special needs or opportunity for ministry with veterans whose military service is long in the past?

They need to be honored and respected for what they did to defend our country in a time of war. They need to hear this from us before they pass on. During my time as a nursing home chaplain I met some of the finest veterans of WW I, WW II, and Korea who were pretty humble about their service.

I'd say a big thing would be to ask them to tell you their war story and listen to them for what they say and don't say. As they have aged they are preparing for death and they have had a lot of time on their hands to think about their wartime experiences and try to make sense of the story of their lives. Most of them just want to talk about "a funny thing happened to me during the war" and edit out the pain and suffering they saw and experienced.

Yet, if you can gain their confidence (especially if you have been a veteran yourself and they know you understand their war-time world), some of them will begin to share the tough stuff of war that they want to get off their chest before they die. You will see tears come from their eyes as they grieve over comrades lost long ago in their youth (they will talk about the Normandy invasion parachute jump they made with the 82nd Airborne Division in 1944 like it was yesterday). Some of these older veterans haven't darkened the door of a church for years because they felt they had committed unforgiveable sins in war. Yet in their twilight years you may hear a longing for God's grace and forgiveness...a searching for words of absolution...before they meet their Maker. As a pastor or a family friend, who knows about the grace of God, you might find yourself on hallowed ground, able to help an old soldier who has lost his way; find his way back to the Father's House. That would be a grace moment you would never forget!

13. Any other questions that you feel should have been asked here?

Let me share a word about casualties: Veterans who come home wounded from war and veterans who paid the ultimate price and are returning to their families to be laid to rest in a garden of stone. My co-author and I dedicated two chapters in our book, Beyond the Yellow Ribbon to addressing these special opportunities for ministry by the church.

Don't forget the wounded veterans and their families in ministry plans. Those who have been physically wounded face months and years of painful and difficult rehabilitation therapy with the VA to restore some function of life and limb to still enjoy life again. The untold hours spent and energy given by family caregivers to help these veterans would exhaust most of us.
Family members receive a veteran back from war broken in body and mind, to face in some cases, life-long care-giving chores of bathing, toileting, clothing, feeding, and exercising a seriously disabled veteran. They in essence give up their lives as long as the veteran lives, to be a helping presence in a veteran's life. Any respite care or simple kindnesses to make these caregivers lives a little better would be a cup of cold water in a thirsty land for them. They are paying a steep price for war that will never be recognized on a wall or talked about much in public.

Other veterans struggle with hidden wounds to the mind with PTSD or other forms of mental illness. Many of these veterans are often captured by addictions to drugs or alcohol to blunt the terrifying war-time memories that haunt their lives. These veterans need lots of patience and support as they seek help for these kinds of problems, something that churches can provide veterans while on this journey to recovery.

Don't forget the Gold Star Families, who have buried a spouse, son or daughter, dad or mom who has fallen in battle. They have entered into a life of grief for a future that will never be lived because of war. It is complicated mourning that one never gets over and which can impact a family for life in a way that few other kinds of death can. I have many times, as a military chaplain, taken the long walk up the sidewalk to the house of a serviceman's family assist in notifying a family that their loved one died in the line of duty and will not be coming home. I have never forgotten the looks on their faces as the bad news turned into the worst day of their lives. In officiating at military funerals, as TAPS are played and rifle volleys echoed across a cemetery, I have often wondered, what will happen to this grief stricken family after we all go home? I could only hope they had a good church to support them or that a church will discover them in outreach and comfort those who mourn.