The meeting began with a devotion and prayer given by Vicar Stephensen. The devotion was about Abraham who was a great leader and a warrior. The key verse that unlocks Abram to veterans is Genesis 15:6. Because he believed, the Lord counted it to him as righteousness. He was a leader who believed in God apart from works and pointed to Christ. Warriors today have the promise that God will walk beside them, like Abram, through combat and all the years after the battle.
Those present for the meeting were Bruce, Christie & Boyd, Vicar Stephensen, and Dawn.
Gift cards for $200 each were purchased and given to two homeless Veterans who were living in their cars and needed food and gas.
An article was shared about Rev. {Lt. Col.) Derek M. Wolter, who was named 2021 Chaplain of the Year by the U.S. National Guard. He is a Chaplain for the Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wisconsin. He attended Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne and was ordained in 1989. He has served parishes in Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was never his plan to become a missionary or a military chaplain. He served for a time as a missionary in Russia and then he was commissioned as a military chaplain for the Air Force Reserve in 1996. He later transferred to the Air National Guard. He served two six-month deployments to Kyrgyzstan and then one to Kuwait in 2021. He was cited for the care he showed when one of the men in his Wing was killed in a training accident. He believes that Lutheran chaplains, specifically, bring Word and Sacrament to the military chaplaincy. Lutheran Chaplains have the opportunity to bring God’s Word to people who may not have ever heard it.
Instead of a Stand Down this year, a food drive will be conducted in early November for all military families who are suffering from food insecurity. An LWML Grant has been written for $300 to procure grocery store gift cards for each of the food boxes. More word about an exact date and place where this will be held are forthcoming after an announcement on July 8. We are working with the Women’s Auxiliary Post 132 and Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans.
Veteran’s Day falls on Friday this November and we planning to participate again with a bake sale, pickles & jam sale, Military Service, and free meals for Veterans. We need to get Claire’s permission to accomplish this.
There will be a pickle & jam fund-raiser at the Church on Sunday, Oct.16 after the Divine and 5:00 P.M. services.
Appreciation was shown to Vicar Stephensen with a wall plaque, health bars (instead of a cake), and a card for his service to Operation Barnabas. He has faithfully shared devotions (the Word) & prayers with us. He will be missed.
The next meeting will be held in August on Thurs. the 25th at 10:00 at the Church.
Vicar closed the meeting with a prayer for the continuing work of Operation Barnabas.