A couple of articles came to me over the weekend, talking about how support of deployed troops shouldn’t abruptly end after they come home. Homecomings, in fact, can be the most challenging part of a deployment. Time and distance have separated a family, and no matter how hard a family may work at keeping connected, there will be strands of cord that will need retying.
The Minnesota National Guard is seeing more than 2600 of its troops returning right now, and they are working hard to make sure the resources and tools are in place to help soldiers reintegrate into civilian life. It won’t happen overnight.
I also found an interesting article written about how churches can be more supportive. This is especially on my mind since several conversations I’ve had over the last few weeks have focused around churches effectively ministering to the military.
One of the several helpful tips offered included what churches can do when the service member comes home:
5. Support beyond the yellow ribbon. If the church thinks of the service member and their family as people who have just survived a fire it will guide efforts
to help for the long haul. A soldier who has been to combat, and their family, has endured a fire, the fire of war. It will take a long time for the family and soldier to rebuild their lives after the fire of war. They will never be the same and nothing will be as it was. With the help of the church, over the long process of reintegration the family can grow into a new normal.Don’t overwhelm the soldier and his/her family with attention, but at the same time
don’t ignore them. Give them the same pastoral care you ‘d give fire victims; a ministry of presence, meet practical needs and be agents of grace and healing. This may take many practical forms from bringing over a favorite meal once a week for several months after the soldier returns, to offering day care so the couple can rebuild their marriage, to paying for the couple to attend a marriage retreat, to providing counseling if the family needs help.
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