SERMONS for SERVICEMEN
Sermons for Servicemen (SFS) is a ministry the Lord has laid on our hearts here at Seldovia Bible Chapel, and the Lord is blessing it with His provision.
We believe God’s Word has the power to change lives, to bring the lost to Christ and to guide the weary with the wisdom of God. That belief, combined with a desire to honor and encourage our men and women who are deployed overseas, is why we developed this ministry.
The basic idea of SFS is to get God’s Word into the hands of our military personnel and at the same time try to express our gratitude for their service. To that end, we put together “kits” containing gum, granola bars, jerky, Handi-Wipes, candy bars, a Psalm 91 Bandana (see below), a New Testament and an Mp3 player loaded with sermons and Bible studies. All of these items are placed in a quart size zip top bag and 8 or 9 filled bags are placed in a large Flat Rate Priority Mail box and shipped to Afghanistan or Iraq. In addition to that, we place a note of thanks in the zip-lock bag, and an invitation for the serviceman or woman to contact us with any questions via e-mail. About a week and half-later God’s Word is being distributed on bases overseas. We are thankful for the opportunity to be used in this way and each kit goes out with our prayers.
We try to keep the cost of each kit, including the Mp3 player and shipping, close to $30.
If you have questions about this ministry or would like to take part in it you can contact Pastor Jonathan via e-mail (jm_hoard@hotmail.com) or by phone (907) 234-7696.
If you are interested in starting your own SFS ministry here are some helpful tips:
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Having a good contact in the military is essential. It may be a chaplain or a member of your congregation that is deployed. Develop a good relationship with them via e-mail. They will be your contact for distributing the kits.
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Pray. If the Lord wants to use this work then He will provide the funds.
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Start collecting items for the kits. Buying items in bulk keeps the cost down. Also you may seek donations of some of the items.
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Purchase New Testaments to include in the kits. It is God’s Word that is truly vital. We were able to buy camouflage New Testaments in bulk.
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The Mp3 player is the centerpiece. It is meant to be a gift that will help the servicemen become interested in the message. Ask your pastor for recordings of his messages to fill up the Mp3 players. Not only are they helpful in teaching the Scriptures to our servicemen, but they are also another “taste” of home. Search online for low cost players. We have found many between $15 and $20. If you can find free shipping that is a bonus!
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Write a note of thanks to the servicemen. Introduce yourself to them and invite them to contact you via e-mail. (Click to see our note - CarePkg.jpg)
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Place all the items in quart size zip top bag. The bags themselves are reused by the servicemen, so buy the good quality bag.
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Pack in a large flat rate box. Shipping, even to APO addresses, is very affordable ($13).
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Pray for the men and women who will receive the kits.
Pastor Jonathon Hoard
Seldovia Bible Chapel
***We also put these Psalm 91 Bandanas into each packaged kit we send. This is a camouflage bandana with Psalms 91 printed thereon. These are created by their designer Jill P. Boyce, as she “remembered stories she’d heard of WWI and WW II soldiers lives being saved, as a result of praying this powerful prayer” , and she has given out thousands of them to deploying troops. Check out her website to buy them in bulk.