It’s been a rough year. Events in Washington and around the world, a poor economy, uncertainty about the future of healthcare, and disasters like the earthquake in Haiti have captured our attention, drawing it ever further away from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. How can we think of our deployed military when we are dealing with job loss, mounting mortgage payments, or just putting food on the table?
Ask your self this: without even accounting for the brutality and mental toll war has on those serving in our military, could you survive a 3rd, 4th, or maybe even 5th deployment in seven years? Would your marriage last? Would your sanity? Would your children recognize you for more than the person who moves in and out of their lives?
Members of our deployed military are suffering the above and more, compounded by the slow realization that civilians back home have forgotten about them. Often the only recognition they receive from the public is a few kind words when they walk through an airport while they are in transit.
Last year, YOU answered the call. You willingly and generously showed to our deployed military that someone back home cares by donating money to assemble and send more than 100,000 packages filled with Bibles, Christian-based self-help literature and the occasional box of brownie mix. You showed that you have passion for their well-being, and compassion for the work they’re doing, both for them and their families.
This year, we need YOU more than ever! Our mission is four-fold:
- 1) Take The Pledge – Get your church to pledge to donate $500 to BiblesForSoldiers.org by the end of 2010. Our goal is to recruit 500 churches to Take The Pledge to keep us open for 2011. BiblesForSoldiers.org is a project of Red Grail Ministries, a 501(c)(3) IRS approved interfaith outreach ministry (IRS Approval Letter PDF).
- 2) Recruit 1000 New Official Volunteers – Our soldiers need a lot of help and we need you to send care packages to our deployed military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. To gain access to the address of the soldiers, you will need to fill out our security form. Click HERE to download the PDF.
- 3) Sign-up Deployed Soldiers From Your Church – If your church has any families with deployed troops, get their families to sign their loved ones up for free books, DVDs, Bibles and college textbooks on our parent website, BooksForSoldiers.com. Be sure to get permission from the soldier or his family before you sign any soldier up and please respect their operational security while they are deployed.
- 4) Fellowship With Our Troops – Our parent website, BooksForSoldiers.com allows user to communicate directly with the troops. As you can see form the letter above, we need to reach out to our troops and fellowship with them. Send them a Bible, a box of cookies or maybe just a letter from you to let them know someone from back home cares. Many of our younger troops come from broken homes and when they are deployed, they have no one, not a single living person writing them, caring about them or letting them know how important their job is to all of us. We ask that you join in our ministry to make these soldier’s life during war just a bit more tolerable.
We’re ready to help you get started! Fill out the form below and our founder will contact your church leaders and explain the program to them and help them set-up a soldier ministry in their church. Or you can download our Guide For Pastors and Deacons that includes frequently asked questions, how to set-up a care package packing party, and tips for how to ask people to support your cause. Use your imagination to raise funds. Ask your coworkers, family, friends, neighbors, church, temple, or synagogue to help. Setup a lemonade stand, car wash, yard sale, bachelor auction, or any other creative ideas.
As this war becomes the longest in the history of the United States, think of others and what you can do for them with a small effort. By helping others, you’ll lift your spirits and find renewed courage and strength to get through these tough times.
Thank you for your support of our troops.
