Reaching, Praying, and Reading Across the Miles
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These resources have been created for anyone who will be experiencing a geographical separation from loved ones. We have asked families, parents and sympathetic adults to tell us how the Holy Spirit has creatively made connections despite deployments or other assignments which ordinarily would take a toll on intimacy. The result is before you now. Compiled and edited by sensitive educators, I commend this material to you. The booklets of prayer for adults or children, the suggested reading list, or any of the inter-activity suggestions can be downloaded or passed on as a thoughtful suggestion to those facing the trials of service far away from home.
The Rt. Rev. George Packard
Office of the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies
Reaching Across the Miles
There are four distinctive demographics of Episcopal congregations that might play a vital role in supporting spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of our troops. Although the needs are similar the way a congregation responds to those needs varies on local logistics.
Next Door “Neighbors”: These are congregations that are located near a military installation within the United States. The majority of the service personal will not be from the local community and will be serving a designated amount of time at this installation. Their family members may be living within the local community, however some, may remain home at their family’s place of origin.
Church Member Deployed: These are congregations that are not located near a military installation and have members or family members of their congregation deployed. They may be active full time, reservists or National Guard members serving in the United States or outside of the United States. Some will be with their families, some may not. They may have access to a church community where they are deployed, or they may not.
“Support the Troops”: These are congregations which do not have military members or families within the community and are interested in participating in ministries which have a desire actively support our troops.
“On Foreign Soil”: These are Episcopal and Anglican congregations located outside the United States that may fall into one or more of the first three categories.
No matter what your congregational profile, we invite you to get involved with the Armed Services Ministry within your community. Our Episcopal brothers and sisters in the Armed Services are devoted Christians who serve our country so that all people may freely believe as they choose.
Liturgy for Deployment
Praying Across the Miles
The Praying segment of the Across the Miles series focuses on faith formation opportunities for service members and their families.
Devotions for Parents & Children Separated by Distance
This simple devotional provides weekly and special - occasion prayers for both parent and child. No matter where a parent is deployed, they and their children are saying the same prayers at the same time. This resource has activities that allow users the opportunity to customize their devotional.
Devotions for Adult Family Members Separated By Distance
This devotional is to support service members and their loved ones who are confronted with separation due to deployment. This devotional is intended to assist those impacted by deployment as they face the life’s daily challenges, ever changing emotional conditions, and spiritual challenges.
Reading Across the Miles
The Reading segment of the Across the Miles series is an Episcopal faith formation companion piece to the “Growing, Learning, Understanding” materials produced by the Military Child Education Coalition. The selections are chosen to convey on a child’s level the various issues facing military families.
The whole set of “Growing, Learning, Understanding” materials can be purchased through Military Child Education Coalition at www.MilitaryChild.org
