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Outreach effort provides cards, packages to soldiers
May 25, 2006
By Steven Skelley*
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (UMNS) — When a package Cheryl Price had sent her son
was lost in the mail, God gave her a vision for a ministry that is now touching
the lives of hundreds of soldiers.
“I have a son who is in the Air Force, and he was sent to Korea just
before Christmas, so I had sent a package, and he never received it,” Price
said. “He went to the post office every day and looked for this package. … I
knew that there must be others in the same desperate situation, looking and
longing for a package from home.”
Price told this story to Ken Beers, the missions
director at First United Methodist Church of Coral Springs, and the lost
package became
the catalyst
for the church’s Military Mission Project. That was two years ago.
Price and Beers’ mission was to send a card or package to the men and
women from their church serving in the military. Soon, they expanded the mission
outreach to “anyone who knew someone in the military.” After a
couple of months, 35 men and women were on their mailing list.
“At Christmas time, we received a letter from a chaplain. He stated
that he had 2,500 men that did not have access to a PX and relied on getting
packages from the states for basic hygiene items,” Price said. “We
did a big pack and ship party. Our youth got involved and many members of the
church. The congregation, the youth, even the little ones in the Sunday school
and Sandwich Club made cards. We were able to mail packages to 1,000 men and
women.
“A little extra shopping for deodorant,
candy, some beef jerky, a card, prayers and words of encouragement go a long
way.”
‘Powerful testimony’
The Military Mission Project has since set up a collection bin in the church.
Each week, members of the congregation donate items the ministry can pack and
ship. Some church members give donations directly to support this ministry.
“Cheryl Price has received a hundred e-mails and pictures from solders
and sailors in Afghanistan, Iraq and Turkey who received her care packages.
I read most of the e-mails, and they give praise and glory to God for the church,
the ministry and the gifts,” said the Rev. Frank Fitzsimmons, associate
pastor at the church.
“The care packages bring joy and hope and a little bit of home to our
kids so far away,” he said. “The story of this work is a powerful
testimony of how God works through people who reach out of their comfort zone
to relieve the suffering of our young men and women in harm’s way.”
Matthew Arnold is one of the soldiers stationed in Iraq who has received a
package from the church. He wrote a letter to the congregation soon after battling
a kidnap-murder ring near Baghdad. He thanked members for two packages he had
received that were filled with snacks, soap, shampoo and similar items.
“The great variety of snacks included ensured there was something for
everybody, and we all send our deepest thanks,” Arnold wrote. “My
team commander is a big fan of Easter Peeps (candy), so he especially sends
his thank you. We all thank you very much for remembering us and making today
a little brighter.”
Making a difference
Anthony Gucciardo is serving with the Navy in
Iraq. He received a card from the church thanking him for his service and
signed by
a number of church members.
He sent a letter in response, thanking the church for the “heart-felt
thoughts and prayers.”
“Your letters, cards, packages and prayers have a profound effect on
not only the service member but our families, as well,” he wrote. “A ‘normal’ deployment
is challenging enough for military families. When you add the circumstances
of the current conflict, those challenges compound themselves. As our immediate
families struggle to persevere, we are shored up by the kindness, spirit and
love freely given by fellow Americans like you. I thank you; my family thanks
you.”
The church mission team hopes the Military Mission Project will catch on and
other churches will begin a similar ministry so every soldier might be able
to receive a package every month.
“They are the heroes,” Price said. “We
can make such a difference in their lives by doing just a small thing by
sending letters or packages.”
*Skelley is a freelance writer based in Beverly Hills, Fla. This article first
appeared in e-Review Florida United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.
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