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Becoming a Veteran Friendly Congregation

Becoming a Veteran Friendly Congregation. How to Make a Difference in and for Your Congregation. Develop a Ministry with and for Veterans in your Congregation. Educate Make your congregation accessible Provide space Pray. You can make a difference. Can not handle being in a crowd

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Becoming a Veteran Friendly Congregation

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  1. Becoming a Veteran Friendly Congregation How to Make a Difference in and for Your Congregation

  2. Develop a Ministry with and for Veterans in your Congregation

  3. Educate • Make your congregation accessible • Provide space • Pray You can make a difference

  4. Can not handle being in a crowd • Feel unsafe • Afraid of someone sneaking up on them • Hyper vigilant • Sudden noises Educate about PTSI and Spiritual Injury

  5. Make it a community event – invite the media • Make it a fundraiser by adding a dinner and silent auction • Have a potluck for your congregation Bring in a Guest Speaker

  6. Can an injured veteran make it through your door? Is your congregation accessible for the veteran returning from the experience of war?

  7. How do you answer his grief?

  8. Dealing with Loss of InnocenceYouthIntimacyFaith

  9. What would it take?

  10. Crowds or people gathered • People sitting behind them • Need to view all exits • The “Peace” • Keep open spaces available • Seating available against walls in view of exits • Educate Common problems within the worship areas

  11. Most feel more comfortable outdoors • Schedule Veteran Services monthly and promote it How about regular services that meet in the open?

  12. Describe Your Coffee Hour

  13. Lots of tables • Lots of noise • Lots of groups of gathering people blocking the door • No open space Does this sound like your Coffee Hour?

  14. Extend your Coffee Hour to outdoors areas • Open up entry ways by clearing the chairs and encouraging people to gather away from food areas and doorways • Rearrange where the food is so it is easily accessible • Make sure there are tables easy to get to where no one walks behind and exits are viewable What can you do?

  15. Take it outside

  16. Allow for open areas

  17. Provide Space for Meeting

  18. Bring in speakers • Offer child care or activities for children • Bring in counselors • Allow time for networking Remember: This is also an opportunity to bring young people into the church! Support meetings for families of returning or deployed veterans

  19. Veterans want to know what to expect • The Episcopal Liturgy offers no surprises. • This is a big Bonus for offering safety and healing to our veterans What about the Liturgy?

  20. Connect With Local Veterans Organizations

  21. Packing Parties • Writing letters • Stand Downs • Fundraise • Raise a Puppy • Adopt a local family Participate in Activities

  22. Assets they bring to you • Group loyalty • Dependability • Constancy • Leadership • Humanitarian relief • Built infrastructure • Cared for children and orphans • Provided security Minister with Veterans

  23. Spread the Word to other Congregations • Join Care For The Troops (it’s free) • www.CarefortheTroops.org Become a Veteran Friendly Congregation

  24. Pray

  25. Start a Prayer List and display it or distribute it to your congregation • Include them in the weekly Prayers of the People • Light a candle for every person deployed from your congregation Remember to Pray for our Men and Women serving overseas…

  26. And those who are struggling here on the home front

  27. www.CareForTheTroops.org Enabling communities to better support veterans, civilian contractors, and their extended families This meeting is intended to learn about the Veteran Friendly Congregation (VFC) initiative, and establish a Military Ministry in your congregation and nearby Congregations as well

  28. Approach Affected Systems Extended Family Members Person in need of support Congregations Children Employers Spouse Parents Military Member Siblings Grandparents Community

  29. Programs A Comprehensive Web Site Feeds and Supports Our Programs Clinicians / Therapists Congregations / Clergy Military Culture 101 Conference Workshops EMDR Weekends 1 & 2 On-Line Training Training Calendar Information Resources Articles / Reports / Presentations Therapist Database Equine Assisted Therapy Centers Information Workshops Military Ministry Programs -Veteran Friendly Congregation -Lead Congregation -Program Guidebook Clergy/Lay Leader Training - Signs of Trauma and Spiritual Wounds - Referral Source Information Financial Planning Information

  30. What is a Veteran Friendly Congregation (VFC)? • www.CareForTheTroops.org/about_programs.php • A VFC is making a commitment to have a Military Ministry that provides support to the veterans and their families • A VFC means making the following 3 commitments: • Agree to adopt or implement one or more Military Ministry Programs. • Agree to communicate the existence of the Military Ministry Program(s) at least twice a month • Annually, renew your commitment with the two provisions above • A VFC will receive a certificate, suitable for framing and display in a prominent location so that it can be seen by all. Also, 1 copy of the book “Welcome Them Home, Help Them Heal” is provided that helps one understand a military family’s needs and how congregations can respond.

  31. What is a Veteran Friendly Congregation (VFC)? • www.CareForTheTroops.org/about_programs.php • A VFC is making a commitment to have a Military Ministry that provides support to the veterans and their families • A VFC means making the following 3 commitments: • Agree to adopt or implement one or more Military Ministry Programs. • Agree to communicate the existence of the Military Ministry Program(s) at least twice a month • Annually, renew your commitment with the two provisions above • A VFC will receive a certificate, suitable for framing and display in a prominent location so that it can be seen by all. Also, 1 copy of the book “Welcome Them Home, Help Them Heal” is provided that helps one understand a military family’s needs and how congregations can respond.

  32. Military Ministry • Purpose • The ministry approach is intended to address all the extended family members associated with • the person that is or has been in the military. The • ministry has the following goals: • Help the congregation members maintain an awareness of the existence and needs of those sacrificing their time and effort to support our country • Create an environment of acceptancewithin the congregation for any extended family member who worships or visits the congregation; acceptance of their needs (physical, material, and spiritual), and a willingness to join in their struggles, whatever they might be • A Military Ministry is a commitment by the congregation to the military families and to themselves to provide support. It is not a commitment to the CareForTheTroops organization.

  33. VFC & Military Ministry Programs - Examples • St Peter Chanel Catholic Church Website – Roswellwww.stpeterchanel.org/ministry/military/index.html • St Thomas Aquinas – Blue Star Group Banner and Care Packages Sample of Existing Veteran Friendly Congregations • St Elizabeth's Episcopal Church, Richmond Hill, GA• Episcopal Church St. Peter and St. Paul, Marietta, GA• Episcopal Church of Good Shepherd, Covington, GA• First Presbyterian Church, Savannah GA• Smyrna First United Methodist Church, Smyrna, GA• Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, Marietta, GA• St Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church, Columbus, GA• St Ann's Catholic Church, Marietta, GA• Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, Jasper, GA• Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta, GA• First Baptist Church of Augusta, Augusta, GA• Christ Tabernacle Of Faith Church, Hinesville, GA A Complete Directory Listing is at: http://www.careforthetroops.org/congregation_directory.php

  34. Military Ministry • Each Congregation Can Act on Their Own • (or in collaboration with nearby congregations) • The way this is setup: • no faith has to act in any way like another faith • no congregation has to act like another congregation • no congregation has to have a Ministry like any other congregation • every Military Ministry is completely customizable to each congregation's desire to act

  35. Suggested NEXT STEPS …put forth to start a discussion • What are the steps involved in making this decision • Gain Agreement from the Congregations’s Leadership for the Ministry • Recruit and Assign a Lay Ministry Leader • Sign-up as a CFTT VFC • Recruit and Form a “team”, “group”, “committee” • Decide which Programs to begin and/or enhance • Consider being a Lead Congregation and work with CFTT

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