As a military and a veteran of the Iraqi Conflict, Jay Swartz knows all about not only serving his country, but also serving his fellow soldiers. His wife, Brenda, also served her Army community as a youth minister.
The couple founded Warrior Family Ministries with a desire to assist veterans and their families in understanding the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, and to help keep the family unit together. The ministry has become so much more, and now also extends to first responders and their families, and others.
For Brenda Swartz, it’s all about the godly mandate to help others in need, especially in a culture where helping your fellow man isn’t so much of a priority as it was in years past. The Swartzs want to bring back that community atmosphere.
“The first thing that we ask as chaplains is, ‘How can I serve you?'” Jay told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “Community might not look the way it did when perhaps some of us were growing up, but I know that people still want that sense of community. And so, we have to be creative about joining together in communities.”
Enter Warrior Family Ministries, which helps train chaplains—an elite army—to minister outside the four walls of the church. These chaplains are trained to help people through trauma and grief, and are trained in areas such as suicide prevention and awareness.
“Everybody has to have someone to talk to,” Brenda Swartz said. “We deal with people in crisis and trauma 99% of the time, and there is a great need for this army of chaplains. So, we invite you to come join the army of chaplains we’re building to serve those in need.”
For more about Warrior Family Ministries, listen to this podcast. And check out the Warrior Family Ministries podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
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