Church mobilizes to honor troops

By Nate Delesline III

Published: July 3, 2008

A Culpeper church has mobilized its congregation to honor military members serving overseas, as America pauses to celebrate its 232nd anniversary today.

Dubbed “Operation Gratitude,” nearly 100 people gathered at the offices of Mountain View Community Church on Wednesday night to prepare for an Independence Day outreach.

The church is inviting the public to express their gratitude by signing individual cards that will be sent to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and injured service members at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

“God is going to do amazing things through this,” said Jeanne Nixon, who organized the outreach. “I’ve never done anything like this — I just sort of fell into this because of the passion I have for our troops.”

Mountain View will have tables will set up on Davis Street from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. and at Yowell Meadow Park from 3 p.m. until dusk. Kids may create their own cards with stickers and markers.

The church is also encouraging residents to bring a picture and the address of family members or friends in the military. The pictures will be added to a “wall of prayer and honor.”

Nixon compared the cards to the Biblical parable of the loaves and fishes, saying that a personal note of appreciation would likely mean the world to a military member even though it might be just a simple gesture.

April Varner, who will be among the hundred or so volunteers out today, said she understood that feeling first hand, having spent two years overseas in Berlin with her family.

“I think it’s really important that we engage our military and that they know they have an extended family—people that truly care,” Varner said.

Chris White, another church member, will also be involved and said he hoped his sacrifice of time would reflect his beliefs. “Thousands of years ago, Jesus sacrificed his time for the benefit of us all,” he said.

In addition to the cards, the Nixon said the church will also hand out some 4,000 key chains “to remind people to pray for our troops” and bottled water.

Mountain View’s lead pastor Mark Jenkins said though the July 4 outreach will be unique to the church, it’s not the first time they’ve captured the community’s attention. He said people still laugh when they remember an outreach several years ago where the church passed out Mountain Dew soft drinks during a parade, accompanied by a giant soda can.

“Generally anything Mountain View gets involved in is extreme,” he said, but Jenkins and Nixon were quick to redirect the focus from the volunteers and the church.

“I just want to be certain Jesus gets all the glory,” Nixon said.

Nate Delesline III, who also attends this church, can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .