Soldiers returning home from the war on terror are well-versed in the ministries, organizations and services available to help them deal with the physical and emotional scars as they readjust to civilian life. But military chaplains say nothing can supplement that support like the church family.
“The church body takes a primary place of importance for the returning veteran,” said Scott Bush, Army Reserve chaplain and senior pastor of Southcrest Baptist Church, Bessemer, in Bessemer Baptist Association. “Christian service members, and especially combat veterans, need to think biblically about the experiences and emotions related to their service. They also need to know they belong to a family with a long-term commitment to ‘bearing one another’s burdens.’ Other more clinical forms of care and counsel, as helpful as they are, cannot substitute for substantial supportive relationships within the body of Christ.”
Army Chaplain (Capt.) Phillip O’Neal Raybon Jr. added the “ministry of presence” encourages soldiers more than anything.
“A very wise chaplain, who I consider a mentor, once said, ‘Chaplain, your theology is meaningless until shared in the crucible of human suffering,’” Raybon said. “The bottom line upfront — soldiers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. When a returning soldier knows a church genuinely cares about him and his family, he will continue to seek guidance from the church and will actively participate in fellowship with its members.”
It is important, however, to exercise caution in pressuring soldiers to share their war experiences, he explained, saying church members need to let the soldier share his or her story when he or she is ready.
But ministering to soldiers shouldn’t start once they get home, Army Chaplain (Capt.) Steven White said. “I’ve seen well-meaning churches throw a dinner where they want to honor the troops and it sounds great but it’s just one more thing a soldier has to do that takes away from family,” he said. “Basically the thing to do is a personal note or call from individual church members throughout deployment.”
While Bush was deployed to Iraq for seven months in 2005, his church family made the extra effort to “stay in touch” with his wife and children. Some members provided meals. Others assisted with yard work and home maintenance.
“These kindnesses carried over to the post-deployment period as well,” Bush said.
“Without any formal programming or prompting, our congregation saw the opportunity to honor service men and women and to care for families so they did,” he said.
For a returning soldier, the reality and expectations of the home aren’t the same, White said.
A man may feel as if he is not needed because his wife, who has had to take up the slack in his absence, can now do things on her own. “Normal life” has changed.
“He doesn’t know where he fits in and spends an incredible amount of time trying to figure out, ‘What is it I do?,’” White said, pointing out that the church can help families as they re-establish their roles and lifestyles.
“Sometimes a church can say, ‘Hey, let’s give you guys some breathing space,’ like a weekend retreat so they can learn each other again,” he said.
Even soldiers who are not married face similar questions with regard to friendships and career moves, White said.
Bush said his congregation is encouraged to pray for and take a genuine interest in the families of service members.
“We publish their names on our prayer lists and share any pictures or letters we receive from members, friends and relatives serving in the military whether that service is in a theater of war or not,” he said. “We try to cultivate a culture of honor and gratitude for all military service. That allows us to be more natural and consistent in caring for returning veterans and their families.”
And for what the church can’t do, services like the Birmingham Vet Center exist. A branch of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the vet center seeks to serve military personnel and their families during the transition stages of post-service. The center provides counseling for families as well as direct services for military personnel such as anger management, stress-reliever programs and bereavement, individual and group counseling.
“Quite often, people returning (from war) will go to their pastors and request some kind of help,” said Rochelle Hudson, team leader for the center, adding churches identify some of the veterans’ issues and can then refer them to the center. “And we can take it from there.”
There are also vet centers located in Mobile and Montgomery.
For more information, visit www.vetcenter.va.gov.
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Today’s military people and their families greatly need affirmation, love, encouragement, opportunities for service and the warm accepting community that the church uniquely offers. Often this happens automatically, but many times, the church does not extend compassion because they are simply not sensitized to these unique needs of military personnel,” retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Bob Dees wrote in a letter to churches on ways they can help military personnel.
To help combat that desensitization, churches can:
– Contact military installations in their area to form a partnership and find ways to help those in the service:
Army: 703-692-2000
Air Force: 703-695-0640
Navy: 703-697-5342
Marine Corps: 703-614-4309
– Develop sign-up lists of provisions for spouses and families of deployed soldiers
– Participate in welcome home ceremonies for returning soldiers
– Provide retreats for returning soldiers to re-engage with their families
– Hold a special worship service to honor personnel and their families
– Incorporate soldiers into worship bands so they can connect back with the church and have familiar experiences from their time in the service
– Provide physical activities soldiers can participate in outside of the service such as sports and games
Dees serves as executive director of Campus Crusade Military Ministry, which provides resources, support and mobilization opportunities for the spiritual renewal and building up of military personnel across the world.
For more information, visit www.militaryministry.org or call 1-800-444-6006.
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