Expeditionary Ministry

Trusting the power of God’s word is key to effective lay leadership as small groups reach beyond the church walls.

If you know anything about the U.S. Marine Corps, you know that they can be found “from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.” According to the Marines’ Hymn, they fight “in ev’ry clime and place,” all around the world.

The Marine Corps is an “expeditionary armed force.” This means that Marines can be sent anywhere that a crisis arises. They can be assigned to ships as “soldiers of the sea,” or to military bases in foreign countries. Marines also defend American embassies and operate the president’s helicopter fleet.

All members of the military face hardships, but Marines may have it the worst. The story is told of an airman, a soldier and a Marine who were talking about the difficulties they faced on their last deployment.

The airman said, “The worst was when the air conditioner in our tent broke and it was 110 degrees!”

The soldier said, “Are you saying you had air conditioners?”

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