Video details LCMS work with military, families
ST. LOUIS, August 23, 2012—A new video is now available that pays tribute to the men and women of the U.S. military and those who minister to them, including Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS) chaplains.
The 15-minute minute video, titled “Those Who Serve,” highlights LCMS chaplains and the troops with whom they live and work. It explains how the LCMS and its congregations are uniquely poised to show Christ’s mercy to heroes in our midst, both active duty and veterans.
“Danger is no stranger to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who serve on active duty around the world,” said Chaplain Mark J. Schreiber, director, Ministry to the Armed Forces for the LCMS. “In a war zone in the barren mountains of Afghanistan or the deserts of Iraq, on ships at sea, under the sea or in the air, the devotion to courage, honor and commitment remains the same for all on active duty. Our chaplains go where the troops go. They walk in the same danger zones. Their presence brings spiritual support in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The chaplain is a visible reminder to the troops of the things they fight for; namely, family, God, country and the just cause of seeking a greater peace after war and to set the oppressed free. Of this you can be proud.”
Congregations are encouraged to use the video as a way to reach out to members about the LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces.
The video can be found at www.lcms.org/thosewhoservevideo. The video was released in tandem with the August military-themed issue of The Lutheran Witness.
Since the Civil War, LCMS pastors have served as military chaplains. Today, LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces supports 208 chaplains. Among these chaplains, 67 are serving active duty and 83 are serving Reserve and National Guard units. Currently, four of these Reserve/Guard chaplains are mobilized and serving at sea or in Afghanistan or Kuwait. LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces also supports 25 Veterans Administration chaplains, 29 Civil Air Patrol and four chaplains for the Federal Bureau of Prison ministry.
LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces initiated Operation Barnabas in 2007 to minister to LCMS congregations when their pastors are called to active duty as military chaplains and to help assimilate returning servicemen and women.
To see more photos of LCMS chaplains and troops, click here.
To learn more about the LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces, visit: http://www.lcms.org/armedforces.
About The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
The 2.3 million-member Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a mission-oriented, Bible-based, confessional Christian denomination headquartered in St. Louis. Through acts of witness and mercy, the church carries out its mission worldwide to make known the love of Jesus Christ. Learn more at www.lcms.org.
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