I couldn’t go to the hospital because the hospital didn’t care for my children. “The only thing I was able to do is access unemployment. After the military, “I came home and wound up homeless with three children under the age of five after serving 10 years in the United States Army,” she said. McClinton shared a bit of her history to give viewers some perspective.
#VIENNA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MISSION TRIP HOW TO#
They’re going to be changed,” and so it’s necessary to learn how to connect with them. After serving in the military, the returning veteran “is not the same person that’s coming back to your home. But we still have to know how to handle veterans and their families,” she said.
“A lot of individuals, we have good hearts and we want to do great work and do great things.
McClinton said it’s essential to get connected with the Department of Veterans Affairs to learn about programs and services that are offered and to learn about different aspects of working with veterans and their families. Another step is to “reach out to some of your local veterans service organizations, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars,” and to inquire about unmet needs. Portman said it’s important to figure out who the veterans are in your congregation, obtain contact information and create a distribution list. Some people manage it, but many people do not.” “The ones that don’t have the support tend to end up on the street or having mental problems,” he said. Nisbet said veterans sometimes have difficulty when making the transition back to civilian life without adequate help, but churches can help by having a system in place to track them and ask whether they need help as well as keeping a prayer list. “Go have a conversation with your pastor, and if they’re worried about it, have them call me.” “It really comes from, I think, lay people saying to the pastor, ‘What do you think about this?’ and then pastors having the ability to say, ‘Yes, absolutely do it,’” Lee said. Nisbet, a retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor, recommended Veteran/Military Friendly Congregations (VMFC), a program started by faith-based communities to promote a sense of community, acceptance and support for veterans and their families.
It’s important to “look around for resources.” Bill Nisbet, a retired Army chaplain who worships with Roswell Presbyterian Church in Georgia and is affiliated with Presbyterian Federal Chaplaincies, a partnership organization of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. “I have always encouraged my congregations to try not to reinvent the wheel,” said the Rev. One common theme during last week’s webinar was the importance of delving into pre-existing services, programs and resources when looking to assist veterans who may be struggling with homelessness, mental illness, unemployment or other problems.
#VIENNA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MISSION TRIP SERIES#
The series places an emphasis on listening, engaging and forming relationships with communities. McClinton, who was homeless for a time after serving in the military, was one of the featured guests during the latest virtual discussion in the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People’s “The Struggle is Real” webinar series, which encourages engagement and activism by churches to eradicate poverty.
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