Military Children’s Ministry
Military life asks a great deal of the whole family, and children carry more of it than they are usually given credit for. Deployments, transfers, and long absences make for an unsettled childhood. Children in military families need people around them who will anchor them in Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages.
What this ministry is
A Good News Club held in a home or a school in a military neighborhood, offering exactly what any other club offers — a Bible lesson, songs, Scripture memory, games — with particular attention to the children who need stability most.
Why it matters for these children
- Stability. A club that meets in the same place at the same time every week is a fixed point in a year that may hold a move or a deployment.
- Adults who stay. Club teachers become familiar faces who are still there when a parent is not.
- Truth that travels. Scripture a child memorizes and a Gospel they understand go with them to the next duty station.
- A place to belong. Children who move often learn to hold back. A club gives them a group that is glad they came.
In Iowa
Iowa’s military families are not concentrated around one large installation. Guard and Reserve families live in ordinary neighborhoods in towns across the state, which means the children who need this ministry are often the children already next door — and reaching them starts with a neighbor who notices.
How to help
- Host or teach a club in a neighborhood where military families live
- Pray for these children and for the parent carrying the load at home
- Tell us about military families in your community who would welcome a club
Contact your local chapter to talk about starting a club, or get involved with CEF of Iowa.