Where Ministry Meets Mission: Serving Veterans Beyond the Sanctuary
(Originally published August 8, 2025) You’ve seen it before. An older veteran — or their spouse — sitting across from you with a quiet look of worry. Their health is changing. The bills are stacking up. And the question hangs in the air: How will I afford the care I need?
They aren’t looking for charity. They’ve already given — years of service to their country, decades of service to their family and community. But somewhere between the senior care center they now call home and the church they’ve attended for years, the link between their military service and the benefits they earned has been lost.
I understand this deeply. I’m a U.S. Army veteran, the son of an Air Force veteran, and the father of a soldier. I’m also a pastor in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, serving a congregation that, like so many others, includes both veterans and their loved ones. Service isn’t an abstract idea for me — it’s my family story and my calling. And I’ve seen too many veterans and their spouses struggle in silence simply because no one connected the dots.
The Gap No One Talks About
If you’re a senior care professional, you’ve likely met residents who depend on family, savings, or even the sale of their homes to make ends meet — never knowing there are resources they’ve earned but haven’t accessed.
If you’re a pastor, you know the weight of caring for a congregation’s most vulnerable members — especially the elderly. You may have veterans or their surviving spouses in your pews who’ve served their country faithfully, yet now quietly struggle to afford the care they need.
Here’s the hard truth: many veterans and their spouses are living with unmet needs simply because no one connected the dots between their service and the benefits available to them. And in the space between those two worlds — ministry and senior care — people fall through the cracks.
Ministry Is More Than Preaching
Scripture is clear about our responsibility:
· “Honor widows who are really widows” (1 Timothy 5:3)
· “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed” (Psalm 82:3).
Ministry isn’t limited to the pulpit. It’s stewardship — of relationships, of influence, and of the practical help we can offer. That’s why I believe the senior care community and the Church need each other. Senior care professionals often have the practical pathways. Churches often have the relational trust. When those two come together, veterans and their families are better served.
My role with Patriot Angels has shown me how powerful that connection can be. We help veterans, their spouses, and surviving spouses access the VA Aid and Attendance Pension — a benefit designed to offset long-term care costs. But it’s not just about paperwork. It’s about restoring dignity, honoring service, and making sure our elders are cared for in their later years.
Building the Bridge
For senior care professionals: Pastors are not just officiants — they are allies in caring for the whole person. Together, you can address not just the medical or financial needs, but also the spiritual and emotional ones.
For church leaders: You don’t have to shoulder every need alone. Partnering with veteran-focused services is another way to love your people well — ensuring they experience both practical help and the compassion of Christ.
The mission field isn’t always across an ocean. Sometimes it’s in the assisted living center down the street.
A Call to Action
If you work in senior care, ask yourself: Do I know which residents served — and do I know which residents are the spouses of those who served? Have I explored every way to support them?
If you’re a pastor, ask yourself: Do I know who the veterans and veteran spouses are in my congregation — and do I know their needs? The answers could change lives.
When ministry meets mission in practical ways, we do more than serve — we honor. We honor the years given in uniform. We honor the quiet sacrifices made at home by spouses who kept life moving while their loved one served. And we honor the biblical call to care for those who’ve borne the weight of service.
Let’s build that bridge. Because no veteran — and no spouse — should ever have to face their later years alone.
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