An Indigenous Ministry • Discipleship • Prayer • Community • Support
Supporting America’s Military Through Every Season
As the landscape of our economy shifts, we recognize that this is a season of uncertainty for many. Families and individuals across the country are feeling the impact of rising costs, and the same holds true for our servicemen and women and their families. Christian Military Fellowship (CMF) has also been impacted, yet we remain as committed as ever to supporting the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs of those who serve our nation.
For over 50 years, CMF has stood alongside military personnel and their families, providing not only a sense of community but also the hope of Christ through times of challenge and joy. As our world changes, so do the needs of the military families we serve, and, in response, we have continued to expand our ministries and support services.
With this expansion has come new opportunities. Programs like our trauma healing ministry and family support groups are reaching more people than ever, offering practical tools, spiritual guidance, and Christ-centered encouragement to those facing the unique pressures of military life. Whether it’s helping a soldier find peace after a difficult deployment or guiding a spouse through the transition of PCS season, CMF has been blessed to be a consistent source of strength and comfort.
However, meeting the increased demand for these services during challenging economic times has been no easy task. Resources are stretched, and, like many, we have been impacted by rising costs and a reduction in available funding. But with God’s faithful provision and the support of those who believe in our mission, we are pressing forward, confident that He will supply all we need to continue serving our military families.
To Our Faithful Donors
To those who have faithfully supported CMF, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you. It is because of your generosity that we have been able to reach so many lives, and we are not seeking additional gifts from those who already give. Your faithfulness is a true blessing, and we remain deeply grateful for your commitment to walking alongside us in this work.
A Call for New Partners in Faith
For those who may be hearing about CMF for the first time or who have considered partnering with us, we invite you to prayerfully consider supporting this ministry. With every gift, you help us strengthen and grow programs that bring the hope of Christ to those who bear the burden of defending our nation. Even a small monthly contribution helps us continue providing trauma recovery resources, Bible studies, community prayer groups, and much-needed personal counseling for service members and their families.
Together, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need, providing hope, healing, and purpose to those who serve and protect us. Through your partnership, we can ensure that every military member and family who reaches out to us is met with open arms, resources, and the love of Christ.
Thank you for considering joining us in this mission. May God bless you for your prayers, encouragement, and support as we continue to serve America’s military community with the hope and love that only He can provide.
With deepest gratitude,
Your Brothers and Sisters at
Christian Military Fellowship
Military Trauma Healing
CMF’s trauma healing program continues to offer hope and restoration to active-duty military, veterans, and their families. Through a Christ-centered approach, participants engage in a 12-week course designed to help them process and heal from trauma.
With the rising concern of military-related suicides, our program is committed to addressing this crisis head-on. Many veterans and service members struggling with trauma feel isolated and hopeless, leading them to consider destructive behavior or worse as a solution. Our mission is to intervene before it reaches that point. By providing practical coping strategies and a supportive, faith-based community, we empower participants to rediscover purpose and hope through Christ.
This program provides a safe space for individuals to explore spiritual, emotional, and psychological wounds. By addressing trauma holistically, we see remarkable transformations as participants learn practical coping strategies, experience community support, and find renewed purpose through faith in Christ. We are blessed to witness the profound impact it is having on the lives of those we serve.
We are happy to report that our recent Trauma Healing course saw 16 attendees graduate.
Please let us know if we can start a trauma recovery group in your area.
Call Yourself a Christian; Start Talking About Jesus Christ
Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words,” Saint Francis of Assisi is supposed to have said.
The aphorism, often quoted, expresses a well-meaning viewpoint of many Christians today. They are concerned that we’ve been too loud, demanding, and angry. Now, they say, we need to show the gospel by our lives.
It’s a good sentiment, and I certainly agree that we need to demonstrate the gospel change in our lives by caring for others. But there are two problems with the Assisi quote.
First, he never said it.
Second, it’s really bad theology.
You see, using that statement is a bit like saying, “Feed the hungry at all times; if necessary, use food.” For Christians, the gospel is good news—it’s what the word literally means. For evangelicals, our name speaks of the commitment to evangelism that defines us. The good news needs to be told.
Yet, Christians, evangelicals included, seem to love evangelism, as long as someone else is doing it. It’s time for all of us to start preaching our good news again.
Christianity Is a Missionary Faith.
It’s essential to understand that, regardless of our personal comfort level, we are called to share our faith because Christianity is a missionary faith. Despite the change in our culture and the way our faith is regarded, Christians are commanded to tell people about Jesus. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus called fishermen as his first disciples and told them he would make them “fishers of men.”
His disciples are still called to be fishers of men.
Even in our multi-faith environment, this calling should not be offensive to those of other faiths or no faith at all. Evangelism does not mean coercion. We can and should respect each other and strive for tolerance across varying beliefs, but that does not require pretending those differences do not exist. One of the core beliefs of Christianity is that Christianity should be propagated.
It isn’t necessary for every Christian to rent a stadium to proclaim the gospel to thousands. Most Christians can gain a hearing for the gospel while exchanging life stories at the coffee shop, taking a meal to a hurting family or standing for justice in an unjust world.
What evangelism requires is that when we care for a friend or speak out for a cause, we tell others that our faith is the reason. We tell them the good news that was told to us.
People Are More Open Than We Think.
When speaking to his disciples about sharing his message, Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37). The problem then and now has always been about the lack of workers, people who tell the news. It has never been about the harvest—those who do not know Christ. They are often more open to listening than we expect.
Famous magician and outspoken atheist Penn Jillette once talked on his video blog about an encounter with a Christian who gave him a Bible as a gift. Rather than be offended by it, Jillette recognized the gesture for what it was—concern for him. “How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?” Jillette asked. “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”
That’s a good question for many Christians to answer today.
Lifeway Research, the Christian polling outlet that I lead, found that 78% of those who do not attend church said they, like Jillette, would be willing to listen “if someone wanted to tell me what she or he believed about Christianity.” Younger people were even more likely to say they would be willing to listen.
The harvest at least seems ready to hear, while the workers don’t seem as willing to talk. That’s a missed opportunity.
Christians Are Timid.
A 2012 Lifeway Research study found that 80% of churchgoing Protestants believe they have a responsibility to share their faith, but only 39% have actually shared with someone how to become a Christian in the past six months. In other words, a lot of people think they should share their faith, but they don’t often do so.
As I head to Wheaton College to take a newly created endowed chair, I’m aware of the man it is named after—Billy Graham. He was known for many things that should be part of our reputation as well. He cared for the hurting, sought to bring peace to tumultuous times, and partnered with others for the greater good. Ultimately, however, he was mostly known for one thing: sharing the gospel.
And we should do the same today.
In Jesus’ last words before he ascended, he said we are to “make disciples of all nations.”
Evangelism isn’t just one part of our calling. It is central to our calling. Jesus’ last words should be our first priority.
©Are You Willing to Talk About Jesus? - outreachmagazine.com
Ed Stetzer is the editor-in-chief of Outreach magazine, host of the Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast, and a professor and dean at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, and has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He currently serves as teaching pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, California.
Mailing Address: PO Box 449
Veradale, WA 99037-0449
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798-7875
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