by The Rev. Canon Laura Adelia, USAF & Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veteran
Photos by Deacon Michael Douglas, USAF & Vietnam veteran
Celebrations for Veteran’s Day were happening in many communities throughout the Arizona Episcopal Diocese this past week! And let us not forget the U.S. Marine Corps 249th birthday, which was on NOV 10th!
How did your community celebrate & honor your veterans & families?
Deacon Michael & I had the pleasure of visiting Advent Episcopal Church in Sun City West this past Sunday. There were military honors, & a HUGE & most excellent Veteran’s Day luncheon. The place was packed & the energy was very joyful!! Just check out the photos below!
We met many of Advent’s most incredible veteran members. Here is Colonel (Ret) Amanda “Sam” Conely, in her uniform! She served in the Army for 24 years as a Nurse Practitioner. But what is most incredible about Col. Conley’s service is that she deployed to Iraq at age 65, & participated in “Cross Fit” 6 days a week while over there! Wow!
But wait, there’s more! Advent Episcopal Church just started a new Veteran Ministry this past year. This new Veteran Ministry is actually their second Veteran Ministry, as for the past number of years they have been involved with the Hot Lunch program at the US Vets Center in Phoenix, led by Jack Hanstein.
The new Veteran Ministry at Advent Episcopal was started last June, & is led by Bruce Docker & David & Paulette Caraghar. This group already has about 24 members & gathers every month for breakfast & fellowship! They strive to help vets & their families with their military benefits, which as many of you know can be a very confusing process. They are also talking with the American Legion (service organization) about ways to get involved, as well as volunteering in the near future at Luke AFB’s “Spiritual Maintenance Center”, a USO-like place for airmen on base.
We would love to hear about what’s going on in your parish community! Please email us at vetmilministryazdiocese@gmail.com.
And if your community is thinking about creative ways to honor your veterans & military families, or start a Veteran Ministry, there are many resources available to you! They are linked on the AZ Diocesan website under “Veteran Ministry Resources“.
Thank you everyone! And thank you all for your service, whatever it may be!!
Grace & peace,
Rev. Canon Laura & Deacon Michael
