ATLANTA – More than 160,000 military troops are currently deployed in Iraq, with more serving in Afghanistan, creating ministry opportunities around the country – even for churches that aren’t located near a military base.

Tracy Zayasbazan’s husband, Jorge, serves with the Illinois National Guard. He was called to active duty as an infantry squad leader and served one year in Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"God really got me through it," Zayasbazan said. "I had to pray extra hard. I think the first month Jorge was away, I cried every day. But I did have two close friends at church who I could call and talk to, even late into the night. A supportive church family can really make a difference."

"There’s a huge number of National Guard serving in this war, more than any other since World War II," said retired Navy chaplain Jim Pope, who was endorsed by CBF. "We’ve got people deploying to that war for the third or fourth time, and sometimes they leave their families in great stress – both emotional and financial."

For churches that feel called to minister to the needs of military families, Pope said the first step is to identify needs within their own congregation. Although a church may not be physically located near a military base, there could be members who are part of the National Guard. Pope said to also inquire about extended families of service men and women, including mothers and fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

"Once a church has identified members that are either in service, or related to service men and women, make contact with a local recruitment personnel to help identify the nearest [military] chaplaincy office," Pope said. "[Churches] could schedule guest speakers to talk about what deployment is like and what the potential needs are."

Col. Richard Poindexter, acting chief of staff/initiatives and integration officer in the office of Chief of Chaplains, has created a resource called "Ministering to Families Affected by Military Deployment – Deployment Resources For America’ Clergy." To download the resource, go to www.thefellowship.info/documents/military_families.pdf.

"Churches need to pray daily for the United State Armed Forces and their families," said George Pickle, the Fellowship’s chaplaincy and pastoral counseling specialist. "In this extremely critical time, churches must seize the day by ministering to military families throughout the United States."

For information on CBF chaplaincy endorsement, contact George Pickle at (800) 352-8741 or gpickle@thefellowship.info.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.