1.
Building Capacity for Military
Families: What Can Faith
Communities Do?
The California Faith Collaborative and Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative, in
partnership with USC CIR, proudly present a webinar on how to reach out and
support Service members and Veterans in your community.
January 9, 2014

2.
How Faith Based Organizations can
Support their Military Family Members
By Debbie Nichols
Military Childrens Collaborative Group

3.
Our Military Families
• 70 % of our military families do not live on a
military base
• Extended families are impacted by their loved
ones military career- trainings, deployments and
reintegration
• 2 million children have experienced their
parent/guardian deployment(s)

4.
When a Family is called to duty
• Different stages of separation impact the family
• Predeployment
• Deployment
• Reintegration
• Transitioning to civilian life

5.
What I experienced in 2008
• Husband and I become the guardians to our two
school age granddaughters
• We were working empty nesters
• We did not live in near a military base
• We had no experience of military life
• Our community offered no support at that time

6.
We had no support
• Friends and family were uneducated on how to
support our family
• People did not know what to say to us
• We were not attending a church at that time
• We had no one to talk to
• We felt a loss
• We did not want to complain about our situation
to anyone

7.
How we gained Hope
• Our family did believe God would get us through
this
• We talked about how we felt to one another
• We were supportive to one another
• We had verses we would say, This to will pass..
• We listed all the things were thankful for
• We would talk about when our daughter would
return

8.
Reintegration
• Families experience a lot of anxiety
• Each family member has to change their roles,
again
• Children have to begin to gain trust and get use to
their parent
• It takes a long time to readjust to one another

9.
How you can support
• Ask your members what branch of service, and
what status they are presently. Active, non
Active(Reserve), Guard, Veteran or transitioning
to civilian life
• Create faith groups- for Veterans, family
members and their children
• Know what to provide to each group

10.
Know what to offer
• Deployment support - Family support,
babysitters, household repairs, car repair, support
for holidays or special events, help with the
children’s after school activities, carpooling, etc.
• Reintegration support- Veteran, spouse and
children support groups, out reach offering
support and recognizing the children, for they
have been silently serving our Country.

11.
Contact information
Debbie Nichols
Founder/ CEO
Military Childrens Collaborative Group, Inc.
debbie@militarychildrenscollaborativegroup.com
Check out on our website:- Resources list of resources and services
to help support military connected children and their families

12.
FAITH BASED
COMMUNITIES AND THE
MILITARY FAMILY
By Noelle Dera

13.
Background
• Husband Marcel has served four years in Active Duty Marine Corps
and 8 years in the Army National Guard
• Mother of three children; Stella (5), Lillie (3), and Claire (3
months)
• Heart for the Church to support and care for military families,
specifically military spouses.
• Safe Families (www.safe-families.org)

14.
Reality of Military Life
• 55% of service members are married
• 40% of service members have children
• Long deployments increase the risk of divorce (The Rand
Corporation Study)
• 97% of divorces occurred after a return from deployment (The
Rand Corporation Study)
• Service members have completed multiple deployment during OIF
and OEF
• Warrior Ethos

15.
Challenging Not Just During Deployments
• Discouraged from taking time off
• Demanding work schedule
• Extended periods away from family while on the field and training
• Multiple moves
• Reintegration

16.
National Guard and Reserve Families
• Deployments can be more stressful for these families
• Live far away from resources provided to families who live on or
near military bases
• They don’t know what to expect during deployments or where to go
for assistance
• **These families could use the community and support that faith
communities can provide

17.
During deployment children experience…
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Lower grades in school
• Increased familial conflict
• Sleep issues
• Withdrawal
• Anger

18.
During deployment spouses experience…
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Isolation
• Sadness
• Fears for husband’s safety
• Assume the roles of husband
• Difficulty in communicating with spouse
• ** The adjustment of the at home parent has been shown to have the greatest
impact on the overall adjustment of the children

19.
Faith Communities can help families by…
• Provide counseling
• Marriage seminars and retreats related to the stress of military
families
• Support groups
• Mentors
• Mother’s day out program
• Play dates
• Adopt a family by providing meals, notes of encouragement,
prayer, baby-sitting, include in family celebrations

20.
Sources
• http://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-report/focus/military-families/advicetherapists
• http://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-report/focus/militaryfamilies/internship
• http://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-report/focus/military-families/whatwe-know-and-dont-know
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/03/militarydivorce_n_3861441.html

21.
Upcoming Events
How to Start a Military Ministry Hosted by Army
OneSource
January 15, 1:00 - 2:30pm CST
Congregational leaders and clergy will gain an understanding of how
to start and successfully implement a military ministry.
To register for this event, please go to
www.aosresourcecenter.com/webevents

22.
THANK YOU