| Dear
Friends,
Let me introduce ourselves.
Yvonne and I have been ministering to the military in various capacities
for over 37 years. We really care about the men and women serving in our
armed forces.
I met Yvonne at a Christian
servicemen's center in California called the Port O' Call, where she was
a hostess, and where, as a young 19 year old sailor, I accepted Jesus Christ
as my Savior. I served in the Navy for 20 years - 10 as an electronics
technician and 10 as a Navy chaplain. You can read our testimonies by clicking
here.
Our ministry is located in
Virginia Beach, Virginia. Providing a "home away from home" for military
men and women stationed in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area, we focus
on building close personal relationships, eating together, fellowshipping
together, having fun together, and even worshipping together. If
you're stationed here, or are about to be stationed here, click on the
family pictures at the right or in the "special family
albums" section at the bottom of this page, and check out the photo
galleries of our 'home away from home'. You
can also go to our blog by clicking
here or on the "obm blog" sign at the left, and read the current and
archived posts that tell the ongoing story of this ministry as it unfolds.
If
you like what you see and would like to participate in our activities,
contact us by clicking on the mailbox at the bottom of any page, send us
an email to let us know who you are, and come join our extended family.
You'll notice we call our
ministry a "church." Our definition of church isn't the traditional definition
of church; it isn't a building where a group of people gather together
for an hour or two on Sunday morning to worship. For us, church is about
being a family. Learning, together, how to live the way Jesus wants us
to live. Learning how to love Him as our Saviour and Lord, and learning
how to love each other, and even learning how to love those around us who
are not Christians.
Every time we get together
for any of our activities, whether to eat or play, or to sing or worship,
we are "the church" coming together in Jesus' name. And, Jesus said, "For
where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." We're
what's often called a house
church (because most of what we do is
in our house).
All
servicemen and women are welcome to participate in our activities, regardless
of your church affiliation, or even if you have no church affiliation.
If you attend another church in the area, you're still welcome to join
us. Even if you are not a Christian you are welcome to participate in our
activities! Transportation is provided to and from the military
bases in the area for those who need it. If you're
stationed here and are married, you and your spouse are both welcome to
fellowship with us.
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"For
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave
me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in..."
Matthew
25:35-36
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We're
also available in "cyberspace" (as you can tell). Our objective is to help
people in the military through pertinent articles on our web site and links
to other resources. The articles are intended to make you think and stimulate
discussion. We'll take the time to interact, via email, or on our blog,
with those who choose to discuss any of the issues raised in our articles.
If you have questions about faith, God, Jesus Christ, the baptism with
the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, or Christianity in general, email
us and we'll be glad to talk to you and help you answer your questions.
Check out our featured
articles below, and the articles
listed in the navigation bar at the left.
In
order to help meet the needs of military men and women, we network
with military chaplains, other military ministries, and other civilian
churches. We coordinate and cooperate |
as much
as possible, while maintaining the distinctives that make us unique. If
you are a military chaplain, a pastor, or are involved in another military
ministry, and have young military men or women who you think would benefit
from our ministry, please feel free to contact us. Or, if you are a parent,
and your son or daughter is getting stationed in this area and you think
he or she might enjoy participating in our activities, please contact us
or refer them to our web site.
Providing
training in ministering to the military is also an important part of our
work. We've developed a training course for those interested in starting
a military ministry in their home or church; and we're available for consultation
with other churches, missions groups, and individual families seeking assistance
in reaching out to the servicemen and women in their communities.
Thanks for stopping by our
virtual home; we hope you'll be back often! There are always new articles
to read and new pictures to look at - maybe you'll be in them!
God bless,
John and Yvonne Wagner
:>)
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