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Local group serves deployed troops one Bible at a time
STORY AND PHOTO BY PATRICK BUFFETT
CASEMATE STAFF WRITER
At first glance, Suite 6012 in a Newport News office tower seems like any other business.
Administrative assistants fuss over computer keyboards and issue the occasional “may I help you?” in response to the chatter of incoming phone calls. Doorplates mark the presence of higher-level personnel assistants and financial managers.
A closer look, however, reveals an aspect of this office that sets it apart from any other in the world. Throughout each business day, teams of volunteers huddle in its workroom assembling “rapid deployment kits” for service members fighting the war on terrorism.
Military Ministry is on a mission from God.
Day after day … week after week … since 9/11, they’ve catered to the spiritual needs of U.S. military members and allies by delivering 732,345 pocket-sized packets containing a camouflage-covered Bible, a daily devotional booklet and an evangelistic pamphlet called “Would You Like to Know God Personally?”
“The troops can’t get enough of them,” retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Dick Abel, executive director of the organization, said. “Right now we have a backlog of 30,000 orders.
“There’s a lot of truth to the old saying, ‘there are no atheists in foxholes,’” he added. “I think it’s a source of comfort … a shoulder to lean on in an environment where people are being shot at and kids are dying. You truly feel a sense of peace knowing you’re right with God.”
The ministry makes kits for military chaplains as well. These are a bit more elaborate – Abel recited several book titles like “Heroes at Home” and “The Silent War on Pornography” – but just as popular. An average of 50 are sent out each month.
“All of the kits are assembled by volunteers from the local community and as far away as Richmond,” Abel said. “A lot of them don’t even know the Soldiers they’re helping … they don’t have a friend or loved one over there … but they come anyway because they want to show their love and support. And they realize the sense of comfort they’re providing by spreading the word of Christ.”
And just when you think the gesture of volunteering is noble in itself, Abel makes mention of the 7-year-old girl who recently asked to celebrate her birthday by helping out the ministry. “When you hear of something like that it gives you hope,” the service veteran of 30 years said. “The sense of patriotism … the values … are as strong as ever.”
Joan Momany of Hampton is a “regular” at Military Ministries. What started as just an hour or two of volunteer service here and there five years ago has turned into 40 hours per week.
“I have a book full of comments from Soldiers who have received our kits,” Momany said. “Some of them say it’s the first Bible they’ve ever had. And they’re so grateful because it helps fill the down time when they’re just waiting for their (deployment) to be over. That’s what keeps me coming back.”
Momany also excels at motivating other volunteers. “I ask them to remember that their hand will be the last to touch that packet before the Soldier does. That’s a special feeling. You just can’t describe it,” she said.
Tanya Brevard knows that feeling. Each month she donates her time to the ministry along with other members of Fort Monroe’s Protestant Women of the Chapel. Her husband has also been deployed to Baghdad since July.
“All of this is awesome,” Brevard said. “You never realize fully how much people care, and how much they’re doing to support our Soldiers. It’s a really great feeling.”
She said the feedback from her husband is positive as well. To the Soldiers in Iraq, the Military Ministry shipments are more than just a “box of Bibles” … they’re a source of comfort. “I think it makes the job over there a little bit easier,” Brevard said. “To be in a place like that where your safety is in question, you have to stay strong in your faith and take comfort in the knowledge that God is in control.”
Military Ministry has been spreading pretty much that same message since the mid-60s. The organization is a ministry of the Campus Crusade for Christ – a program that was started at UCLA in 1951 to encourage faith among college students. An athletic ministry also grew from the program, spreading the word among players of amateur and professional sports.
A third “leg” of the Military Ministry program is its marriage seminars that help couples cope with the stresses of military life and frequent deployment. Last year, 20 were scheduled across the nation. That grew to 35 this year.
“A lot of couples need help,” Abel said. “The dynamics of the military family have changed completely, and, unfortunately, frequent deployments are beginning to translate into more separations and divorce.
“All in all, you’re looking at a total package to support the war on terrorism,” said Abel, whose military career included escorting five POW flights from Hanoi, stints as a jet pilot, a trip through jump school at Fort Benning, Ga., and a tour as special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Air Force Director of Public Affairs in the Pentagon.
“We started this because we knew it was the right thing to do,” he continued. “These men and women are protecting the freedoms of our nation. And I know in my heart that I am blessed to bring them the peace of knowing Christ personally.”
Those who would like to volunteer for Military Ministries, or offer donations in support of their programs, can contact them at 1-800-444-6006, ext. 277. They can also be designated for financial contributions through the Combined Federal Campaign (#2004).