This Sunday, November 7, has been dubbed Defence Sunday, in a bid to encourage churches to pray for troops and chaplains in the defence force.
Defence Sunday is held annually on the Sunday closest to Remembrance Day, November 11, and is an initiative of Defence Anglicans.
"Defence Sunday is an opportunity to draw attention to the pastoral needs of the men and women in the defence force and the defence chaplains who provide both a pastoral and evangelistic ministry to the troops," said Archdeacon to the Air Force, Kevin Russell.
There are currently about 100 Anglican clergy serving as defence chaplains in Afghanistan and other areas of the Middle East, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Malaysia and Australia, on either a full or part-time basis within the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Defence Sunday is also a vehicle for encouraging clergy to consider chaplaincy in the defence force.
"The Australian Defence Force (ADF) chaplain can be an adventurous ministry testing a chaplain’s trust in the Lord Jesus and his intellectual and physical resilience. Our chaplains provide a Christian ministry within a secular organisation, they aim to be a bridge between individuals and Jesus, and between the Anglican Church and the enveloping society," Mr Russell said.
Defence chaplains work within the defence forces offering Christian counselling, running Bible studies and church services as well as taking part in services for fallen service men and women
The role of a defence chaplain does involve working with troops at bases around Australia however it also involves serving in battle zones. Since 2000 defence chaplains have ministered in East Timor, Bougainville, the Solomon Islands, Malaysia, the Middle East and at sea in the Persian Gulf.
Being in the defence force can be quite uncertain, when the posting cycle comes around every few years personnel are often sent to new locations which means a new house, a new mortgage, new schools and new friends. Sometimes it means going somewhere unaccompanied; leaving your family behind.
FLTLT Ben Allen (pictured right) serves at Air Lift Group based at RAAF Richmond, NSW, he is also the local area representative for Military Christian Fellowship. He knows about the stresses and uncertainties of being in the defence force, but believes that there is only one way to be certain.
"As much as I try, I am not able to do everything or control everything that I'd like to, and the more I try, the more I realise that I can't. In such an out-of-time and out-of-control life, where do I turn for confidence and security? Thankfully, there is someone. Because God is a promise-keeper, I am able to place my confidence in him," he told defenceanglicans.org.au
Churches are also being encouraged to pray for Faith Under Fire, a reworked version of John Dickon's The Life of Jesus, that will be rolled out next year. It is a course that seeks to introduce Jesus to defence personnel in a format and context they can understand.
A suggested prayer that can be prayed on Defence Sunday can be found here
