UMNS

You will never understand what it means until you are the one coming off that plane like I did in 2004. There were 137 of us returning it was 0300 and there were 40 people there to greet us. They had brought coffee, rolls and sodas because they knew the airport would be closed! so to you that participate in this ministry I say THANK YOU!!

Twice I retunred home from Vietnam. Neither time was their anyone on the pier to greet our ship. It was just another cruise.

You're kidding. They actually remembered we're HERE? 'Bout time. Glad to see it.

Ouch, Stan. Chill out.

clegy despite rhetoric are underpaid. These are people with master degrees and they make very little compared to the secular world. But yet we are accussed of being materialistic. Sad.

Where in the four foci do we find an emphasis on social justice? It seems to have been excluded.

The third and fourth foci seem to have an emphasis on that:
"ministering with the poor and improving global health by stamping out killer diseases of poverty."

Rich, you are right, I should read the book. I may still criticize the concept however. I don't know about you, but the words of Jesus don't always comfort me and I believe that if more Christians took his teachings to heart, they may be challenged to reject the path of military solutions.

Gary -- When you read a book with 400 authors, I can guarantee you will find something you will love and something you will hate.
It helps to understand that 365 of entries were written early in 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. These devotions make interesting reading just for their historical value.
In that time Stoddard Lane wrote: "...We ought to hate war itself; we ought to hate the evils that produce war....But we do not need to hate the people of the countries that we fight...They are all children of God."
Forty entries are by contemporary religious leaders of various denominations and faith communities.
I don't think any of the authors (mostly clergy) are unaware of conflict between the teachings of Jesus and military actions.... Read More
I agree the gospel should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

I, for one, am proud that our church is partaking in this commissioning - after all, it is those young men and women who stand between us and harm that allow people to write, or say what they wish without fear of having a tongue cut out, or hands cut off, or being executed for violation of some form of law which is antithetical to our freedoms.

May God bless our brave and godly United Methodist chaplains. May God bless the sailors and marines of the USS New York and grant victory over the enemies of freedom.

A much more caring symbol would have been girders for new schools, hospitals, homes for senior adults, orphans, and widows built by U.S. hands in Iraq & Afghanistan. When will we learn that violence only begets more violence and hatred? We want to win over an enemy? Love them! Isn't that what followers of Christ are called to do?

I hate statistics! But I have to admit, they tell some kind of story...

I agree, Kay, I don't like statistics either and we need to appeal to younger people but NOT by building gyms bigger than the sanctuary...and providing programs that are not Biblically based - we NEED to build relationships that make people want what we have, because we love the Lord and ALL His creation!

hiiii how are u

Thank you Heidi that's exactely what I was saying but I'm sure people understood what you said far better.

I love all of the comments...Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors....is it not for all? Please with all the heart ache in the world, and we think it is improtant to judge those who love, and really how does their homosextuality really affect anyone else. Why do people care so much? And those who say it ruins the marriage of a man to a woman...I think we hetrosexuals have ruined it all buy ourselves..Isn't it time to consentrate on more improtant issure?