Welcome to Our Military Ministry.
Our vision is to see the military and veteran community of Colorado Springs impacted by the Gospel and transformed into fruitful disciples of Jesus. We seek to do this by embracing, supporting, and transforming the service members, veterans, and families of Colorado Springs through bible study, worship, prayer, and fellowship in the love of Christ.
We understand the unique pressures placed on military families, from repeated deployments, strenuous training schedules, and the stress of moving away from friends and family to a new community.
So if you are a service member, veteran, spouse, or other family member in the Colorado Springs area; we want to make you feel welcome, loved, and supported.
If you have any questions, please email or call us, or just stop by for our weekly bible study.
Check in with Pastor Jerry Scroggins at jscroggins@springsfirst.org or call 719.596.5119.
We have been asked by Ft. Carson chaplains to begin gathering items for the chaplains (in the field) to have available a small store of items the soldiers may need or want. These items will be over and above the individual care packages we send to soldiers that are deployed. Please consider bringing these items (monthly) and placing them in our donation box at the military counter.
March: Safety razors, shaving cream in a tub or jar (no aerosol), and female sanitary items.
April: Tooth brushes, tooth paste, chewing gum, temporary dental filling kit.
May: Bar soap, tubes of shampoo & conditioner, combs, body lotion.
June: Sunscreen, Chapstick, eye drops (moisture), Tylenol, band-aids, antibiotic ointment.
July: Boxes of individual drink mixes (to include coffee), microwave popcorn.
August: Packages of individual snacks such as cheese or peanut butter, tuna/chicken & crackers, small cans of food, meat jerky or stick (no pork).
September: Individual small packages of crackers, pretzels, cookies, and dried fruit.
October: Hard or chewy candy (no chocolate - except m&ms)
November: Small containers of laundry soap, magazines, puzzle books, and DVD movies.
Springs First, New Life Church and First Presbyterian served over 60 women and children of deployed spouses at Ft. Carson Wednesday evening. We were able to “Embrace” these young women and chat with them over a delicious meal. They were also able to win several door prizes and hear a speaker. This ministry has been happening once a month and will continue into the foreseeable future. There were 9 of us from Springs First loving on these great young women and their families.
Pretty cool appreciation to our Church and to the Military Ministry at Springs First! #LoveGodEmbracePeople
Appreciation From Our Troops -
“Hi! I got my care package! Thank you SO much! I am very blessed to have such an amazing support group in SFC! I miss you all very much and am counting the weeks as they’re seeming to fly by rather quickly!:)” - Robert in Afghanistan.
“I appreciate it a lot. Please let them know I read the letters and that I appreciate them and their gifts.” - Clayton in Okinawa.
“I received a care package today. Thank you so very much. Know that your actions are highly appreciated by myself and my men. I picked through it and grabbed a few items, but the mass majority I shared with the guys.
The package actually arrived about a week ago. The mail came in on the same flight that took me out. My job requires me to go back and forth between two locations. I returned today to find your package and several letters from my wife. What a pleasant surprise that was.
In the letter you ask if there was anything I need or perhaps just wanted. I actually have all I need, for I have the advantage of going back to KAF every couple weeks where there is a small soldiers store. As for my guys, they’re stuck here at Tarin Kowt with nothing of the sort. In fact they got the showers up and running here only just yesterday, so amenities are extremely limited here at Tarin Kowt. With that being said any and all hygiene products would be greatly appreciated, including toilet paper. We always seem to use it faster than they supply it. I have also noticed guys asking around for envelopes and paper to write to their families, so writing materials would also be nice. And for my final request,… There is a checker/ chess set a couple soldiers made out of water bottle caps and a peace of cardboard. So a few board games would really bring on some smile’s among the guys.
Thank you again for all that do. Most of all thank you for your prayers. May the Lord Jesus bless you and yours.
The package actually arrived about a week ago. The mail came in on the same flight that took me out. My job requires me to go back and forth between two locations. I returned today to find your package and several letters from my wife. What a pleasant surprise that was.
In the letter you ask if there was anything I need or perhaps just wanted. I actually have all I need, for I have the advantage of going back to KAF every couple weeks where there is a small soldiers store. As for my guys, they’re stuck here at Tarin Kowt with nothing of the sort. In fact they got the showers up and running here only just yesterday, so amenities are extremely limited here at Tarin Kowt. With that being said any and all hygiene products would be greatly appreciated, including toilet paper. We always seem to use it faster than they supply it. I have also noticed guys asking around for envelopes and paper to write to their families, so writing materials would also be nice. And for my final request,… There is a checker/ chess set a couple soldiers made out of water bottle caps and a peace of cardboard. So a few board games would really bring on some smile’s among the guys.
Thank you again for all that do. Most of all thank you for your prayers. May the Lord Jesus bless you and yours.
Sincerely, Joshua”
This one is from the Command Chaplin.
“I wanted to let you know that we received your care package! Thank you so much to all those who took time to do that for us. We appreciate your thoughtfulness, and it’s nice to know we are on your mind and in your prayers.
Daily highs hit 105-110 these days, with an occasional 115. It gets down to around 80 at night, which actually feels pretty good!
Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. Appreciate your faithful support of our great Soldiers and Families!
Blessings,
Pat Devine”
“Just another quick note to let you know that your package arrived, and the contents are in the hands of our great Soldiers! Thank you SO MUCH for your ongoing support of 2nd Brigade, both with sending packages forward and supporting the deployed spouses dinners. One of my passions is connecting the local community to our Soldiers, and I sure appreciate your interest and energy in doing that for 2IBCT.
Thank you again, for your ongoing love and care of our Soldiers!
Blessings,
CH Devine”
“Greetings everyone,
What a joy and honor to have worked with every single one of you over the past 9 months!
This coalition of local churches that want to support and minister to our military, is an absolute answer to prayer.
We are looking forward to this months Deployed Spouses Dinner, and have an excellent guest speaker; Rachel Mitchell (my worship leader from Provider Chapel).
It is somewhat sad that this is the final one for 3ABCT, yet the great news is that they are coming home. Hallelujah!
You all have made a wonderful difference in the lives of our 3ABCT spouses and children during this deployment.
Thank you so much, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone on the 17th.
In Christ,
CH K.”
What a joy and honor to have worked with every single one of you over the past 9 months!
This coalition of local churches that want to support and minister to our military, is an absolute answer to prayer.
We are looking forward to this months Deployed Spouses Dinner, and have an excellent guest speaker; Rachel Mitchell (my worship leader from Provider Chapel).
It is somewhat sad that this is the final one for 3ABCT, yet the great news is that they are coming home. Hallelujah!
You all have made a wonderful difference in the lives of our 3ABCT spouses and children during this deployment.
Thank you so much, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone on the 17th.
In Christ,
CH K.”
Prayers for our military and their families.
Our military members face threats and violence as the serve around the world and at home. It is vital that each of us pray for them and their families. By praying the Lord’s Word, this helps God release His power, protection, and presence into the lives of those we are praying for.
PROTECTION.
Thank you, Father, for the courage and selfless service of our military. May all who serve at home and around the world turn to You for rest and protection. Keep them safe from all hidden dangers and deadly diseases. May they not fear the terrors of night or the disaster that may strike at mid-day. Order Your angels to protect each one of our military members wherever they may go. Keep their feet from slipping, and hold them securely in Your strong right hand until they are all safely home. (Psalm 91:1-11, 121:3, 139:10)
Thank you, Father, for the courage and selfless service of our military. May all who serve at home and around the world turn to You for rest and protection. Keep them safe from all hidden dangers and deadly diseases. May they not fear the terrors of night or the disaster that may strike at mid-day. Order Your angels to protect each one of our military members wherever they may go. Keep their feet from slipping, and hold them securely in Your strong right hand until they are all safely home. (Psalm 91:1-11, 121:3, 139:10)
STRENGTH.
Almighty and everlasting God, grant our service personnel Your strength to carry our their duties. Give them Your courage and endurance each day as they use their skill to overcome all obstacles. When they feel weak, be their strength. If they are tired, remind them to look to You so they can mount up with wings like eagles, run and not get tired, walk and not grow weary. (Psalm 18:31-36, 31:24, Isaiah 40:31)
APPREHENSION OF EVIL.
Lord, let no weapon formed against any of our service personnel prosper. May all evil doers be discovered and apprehended before they bring destruction to others.
WISE LEADERS.
Lord, grant our commander in chief, President Donald Trump, his Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military leaders Your wisdom as they make truly godly decisions. May they submit themselves to You and seek Your guidance as they make decisions. May they also see guidance from godly and trustworthy Christian counselors. As they call upon You Lord, show them great ans unsearchable things they do not know. Cause Your Name to be exalted among the nations as a result of our military involvement. (James 1:5, Proverbs 20:18, Jeremiah 33:3, Psalm 46:10)
GOOD COMMANDERS.
Father, may all our military commanders in the field submit themselves to You and Your leadership. May each one of them be truly dedicated to the physical, emotional, and Christian spiritual well-beings of the troops assigned to them. (James 4:6-8, Mark, 10:42-44)
SOUND PREACHING.
Lord, may all of our military chaplains teach Your truth of the gospel. May each one of them preach only that Jesus Christ is Lord, not in fancy words but in the power of Your Holy Spirit. Use their teaching and preaching to open the eyes, ears, hearts, minds, and all souls of all our military members, their families, and the civilians around them so that each one may see the glorious light of Your gospel shining upon them. (2 Corinthians 4:2-5, 1 Corinthians 2:4, Matthew 5:14-16)
PROVISION FOR CHILDREN.
Father of the fatherless, fill in the gaps of love that the children of service personnel feel as they miss their parents due to deployment. May each of these children sense Your everlasting love for them. Provide for all of their needs out of Your great riches in Christ Jesus. Comfort them and keep them in Your care until they are reunited with their loved ones. (Psalm 68:5, Philippians 4:9)
HEALING.
Lord, You are the Great Physician and Healer, who mends and restores broken bodies, minds, hearts, souls, emotions, and relationships. In the name of Jesus, please heal the painful memories and trauma of war which our military personnel have seen. Restore their hearts, minds, souls, and emotions. Comfort those who may have lost family or friends and physically strengthen and heal those who are recovering from physical and emotional wounds.
Our Military Ministry continues to grow and expand into our community. Praise the Lord! But we need your help.
We currently have several deployed military members from our church stationed around the world. We are in the process of sending care packages to these overseas military members as well as providing gift cards to their spouses who remain here in the states. If you would like to help us with these care packages stop by our Military counter and pick up a list of items to purchase. If you don’t have time to pick up the items yourself, you can contribute by, check, cash or online. Please designate contributions to “Military Ministry”. We’ll do the rest.
Additionally, Fort Carson has asked us to come on Post and provide a dinner, fellowship, and icebreaker for approximately one hundred spouses and the families of deployed soldiers. We will also have the opportunity to talk about our church. These events are scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month in 2019 at approximately 5:00 pm. Again, we need many volunteers to help with these events. Ladies we really need your help with this one! Sign up at our Military counter in the lobby. Or email me at jscroggins@springsfirst.org.
You don’t need to be in or have been in the military or have any experience to volunteer. Everybody is welcome.
Future dinners we will support: Dates to come in fall of 2020.
THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT OUR MILITARY
1. “Adopt” a specific deployed service member for their 8+ months of deployment (returning late Nov 2019)- obtain a box from the military counter with a list of approved items you can fill the box with and return it by the second Sunday of the month unsealed.
2. Purchase from another list several items we can use to fill boxes.
3. Donate $25 monthly to help cover the cost of mailing the boxes.
4. Help with the monthly Families of Deployed Dinners which several churches host at Ft. Carson or Peterson.
5. Help with childcare at the weekly Protestant Women of the Chapel Bible studies on both bases.
6. Help us with our all church children’s Easter Egg Hunt coming up in April, we are inviting military families from both Peterson and Carson.
7. Last, but not least, pray for our military and their families. Ask the Lord to keep each of them from harm’s way and that Satan will not be able to tempt either partner to stray from their vows.
Please stop by the Military Counter for more information.