The Military Ministry Toolkit is for congregations seeking to be more inviting and inclusive of military members, veterans, and their families. The series of six one-hour workshops provides a structured process for learning about issues related to military service, respectfully discussing issues of war and peace, and preparing to welcome and support military personnel, veterans, and their families.

Unlike non-spiritual care and support that veterans, military personnel, and families can obtain within the military or through agencies such as the Veterans Administration, this program offers a spiritual component in the context of our faith tradition. It brings into ethical and moral discussions the complex history of Unitarian Universalism regarding issues that involve war, a topic which may be “lost in translation” with a program offered in another faith tradition or secular setting. It approaches issues from a Unitarian Universalist perspective—that is, it assumes that war affects each of us in different ways and it affirms that each of us deserves a place to share how war has affected us.

Intentionally, the program neither takes a “for” nor an “against” position on war. Rather, the Military Ministry Toolkit challenges our faith communities to become truly welcoming to a group of people who have sometimes felt they must hide a crucial piece of their identity and life experience for fear that it will not be well received or accepted by Unitarian Universalists.