At their best, a few individuals can form into a group that is larger than themselves as individuals and create a group identity. Members of such a group love each other, look forward to seeing each other, and are in a fight for one another’s souls; they enjoy being together and working together; they want the very best for each other and will sacrifice to make that happen.
In the 1970s, I was part of a high school group at Bethany Bible Church which had a group identity, and when I was in the US Navy, I was
Our Schweinfurt group cir 1985
part of that kind of a group both at Yokosuka, Japan and Subic Bay, Philippines. Those groups saved my life. For the last forty years I have had the privilege of leading those types of groups, in Germany, (Schweinfurt, Mannheim, St. Leon, Baumholder, and Kaiserslautern), and in the US (Change Point in Denver and TNL in Phoenix).
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOD IN CREATING GROUP IDENTITIES
I believe that when this kind of a group does exist, it is God that makes it happen. It is not by my strength, my planning, or my intelligence, that it is created, rather it is God’s spirit working in people. Over the years I have taken too much credit for the groups I have led. When we began our ministry in Schweinfurt in 1983, I had NO idea what I was doing, and God used me in spite of me, NOT because of me.
Mannheim Group
cir 1990
When we began our work here the chaplains asked us to be the directors of the Airmen Ministry Center, called Higher Grounds. Debbie and I were excited about the possibility of ministry on base and jumped into the assignment with great enthusiasm. Our schedule was full, we served dinner at Higher Grounds three nights a week, on Friday we had dinner and Bible study at our home, and on Sunday we had lunch at our home with some time to just hang out with the airmen. We also had special events like the annual Super Bowl party and Willy Nelson’s birthday celebration, events which drew crowds of 35-70 airmen.
Even during the pandemic, when Higher Grounds, like just about everything, was closed, we worked hard to connect with the airmen. We began a Bible study on zoom, I became certified as a life coach and began to offer life coaching services as a way to connect. In the last year we have worked as hard as we know how to reach out to the airmen here at FE Warren.
Since our arrival in Cheyenne, we have met a lot of airmen and made good friends with some of the young men and women who have joined the US Air Force. A few of the airmen have made a commitment to Jesus Christ, we have helped others grow in their relationship with Jesus, and we have been able to help many through significant personal crises. Currently, there are a handful of airmen who come to our meetings, and we really love them! When I see these airmen my heart jumps with joy. No kidding, my heart beats fast. This is a concern to my cardiologist, but I think it is just a normal reaction to the deep love I have for those we know here.
However, for all the good we have done, which I never want to minimize, we have not been able to create that group identity and a spirit
Denver group 1999
of love I’ve been privileged to be part of so many times. We have not been able to create a group where airmen love each other, look forward to seeing each other, and are in a fight for one another’s souls.
PRAYING FOR A GROUP IDENTITY FOR OUR AIRMEN
I wish the airmen here had a group identity and spirit of love for two reasons. One reason is really selfish, it is so much more fun to lead a group like that! But more importantly, when people are fighting to bring out the best in one another, the people in the group do better. There are many airmen here who struggle spiritually and psychologically, and they need other airmen who are deeply committed to helping them live better.
I have talked for hours with Debbie and mission leadership about the
Willy Nelson’s Birthday Celebration 2019
ministry here and our lack of group identity. It is complicated and I think we have discussed all the possible factors, both things we control and things which are out of our control. I am not discouraged. I feel like I have been faithful to the work that God has called us to. I will continue to work as hard as I can, I will continue to try new, creative ideas and revisit older ideas which we have tried that didn’t really work. I will rejoice at the work that God is doing in the lives of the airmen which are in our lives. But I have a vision yet to be fulfilled, which can only be fulfilled when God decides to pour His spirit out on His people. I will continue to praise God for what He has planned for the future for our ministry and those whose lives we come in contact with.
I hope you will join us in praying for this elusive “group identity” for the airmen. Pray that Debbie and I would remain humble and be willing to change ourselves as well as our programs. Thank you for reading and praying for the ministry here at FE Warren.
