How does a church get started in reaching out to this kind of temporarily separated military family?
I’ve already commented on some things that could be done to reach out to the family on the home front during a deployment. I will only expand on this by saying, “don’t forget parents and grandparents of service personnel serving in harm’s way. They live daily with low grade anxiety, watching the news for the latest battle or casualties coming out of a war zone. They fear the “knock at the door” by a casualty officer, notifying them that their son or daughter made the ultimate sacrifice. The best you can do for them is to periodically check in on them by phone, e-mail, or in person and show interest in what their son or daughter or grandchild is doing and tell them that you are praying for them (the soldier) as well as the parent/grandparent. Let them talk and process their fears and anxiety, not acting as a therapist, but just as a friend in Christ. For the soldier, sending care packages of treats, especially stuff they cannot get over in a combat zone, is a real winner. Our church sen
