Inside Story
“All Are Safe, but All Are Affected”
Facing the Unique Challenges of Military Ministry at Fort Hood
by Mike Smith
Early last November, Ft. Hood dominated the national headlines. Americans across the country were shocked and dismayed at the news of the horrific shootings on the Texas Army base.
We at The Navigators waited anxiously for news about those involved in ministry on base until we received a brief e-mail hours after the shootings: “All are safe, but all are affected.”
Zack cared for the wounded at the scene of the Ft. Hood shootings last November.
One Navigator at Ft. Hood was particularly affected by those events. As Zack, a Staff Sergeant and medic, stepped out of his car he found himself 10 yards from the gunman and 10 feet from the policewoman who brought down the shooter. The policewoman was wounded in the process and once the gunman had been secured, Zack began giving her immediate medical attention—using his belt as a tourniquet on her leg.
Zack then ran inside the building, where he helped others care for additional wounded—two of whom died in his lap. Art Allen, Navigator staff at Ft. Hood, is providing spiritual guidance and is helping Zack deal with this traumatic event.
Even those who weren’t as directly involved with those horrific events were significantly affected. There is a unique bond among those at our country’s military installations. What happens to one of them affects all of them.
Art described a recent Bible study on base: “A door slammed and one soldier who’d recently returned from a combat area immediately hit the floor.” It’s a trained response. They may have left the front, but it hasn’t left them.
It’s not just the stresses of combat that present challenges to military ministry. “We pour ourselves into the soldiers,” says Art. “We want to see them grow and be equipped as laborers for Christ. There’s a constant challenge to get the necessary time to invest, teach, and model ways to share the Gospel and to minister to others.”
Soldiers often have only 12 months at the base before being deployed again. “We’ll see them about six months out of their whole time back because of all their training. Then they’re gone for another year,” says Art.
Art focuses on what The Navigators call “generational ministry.” On a military base, Navigators often don’t get to see the fruit of their labors. They train and equip soldiers for ministry—but that ministry often takes place elsewhere.
He described a soldier named Ronal who arrived at Ft. Hood wanting to become a Buddhist. Instead, he became a Christian through the Navigator ministry. “When he deployed,” said Art, “he started a Bible study and led two guys to Christ.” But that happened in the field—not at Ft. Hood. “We have to comprehend that and be okay with the fact that we may not see ‘generations’ here, but they come about elsewhere as a result of the work we do here.”
Serving on a military base also presents challenges—and opportunities—of ministry beyond reaching out to the soldiers. Art explains, “We carry on a relationship with the whole family—not just the soldier.”
So how do Navigators reach out at Ft. Hood? Art says, “On Thursday nights we have fellowship, prayer, and Bible study. We start out with a meal and then we split up into groups.” Although 20-25 attend on any Thursday, Art says “the crowd is never the same each week because of training exercises and other military requirements. We also have a Monday night ‘Search the Scriptures’ Bible study, for those who are laborers and leaders in our ministry.”
The ministry has started a coffee bar outreach for all the new domestic soldiers. “We chat with the soldiers to see if they have questions about the post or if they have spiritual questions,” says Art. “It’s been a really neat time reaching out and sharing the Gospel.”
At Ft. Hood, “all were affected” by what happened on November 5, 2009. And many are being affected—both at Ft. Hood and far beyond—by men and women making disciples on that base, who live out the words of the Apostle Paul: And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
