UM Men from St. Peter’s by the Sea
distribute devotional book for military

The United Methodist Men of St. Peter’s by the Sea UMC, Corpus Christi, are supporting the work of the General Commission on United Methodist Men by distributing the devotional book Strength for Service to God and Country.
This book has a remarkable heritage. It was first distributed during World War II, when more than 1 million copies were presented to U.S. armed services personnel.
It was again made available to our troops during the Korean conflict. American soldiers carried it with them during the invasion of Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and other military campaigns
during the 1940s and 1950s.
The daily devotional thoughts reportedly served as a source of spiritual strength and comfort for many.
One sailor held on to the book for many years and gave his tattered, underlined copy to his 15-year-old grandson, Evan Hunsberger.
Evan, an Eagle Scout candidate, decided to honor his grandfather and fulfill the requirement for his Eagle project by having the book reprinted for presentation to today’s military personnel
and other public servants.
Evan secured permission to reprint the book from the original publishers and added supplemental devotionals by a diverse group of contemporary spiritual leaders.
The General Commission on United Methodist Men in Nashville, Tenn., became interested in the project and assisted Evan, a Roman Catholic, in arranging for the publication and distribution of the book.
To date the men’s commission has distributed more than 300,000 copies of the book
to American military personnel.
The men of St. Peter’s by the Sea decided to raise enough money to present the book to the firefighters, constables and other public servants who work in the Flour Bluff and South Padre Island areas as a means of expressing gratitude for their service.
Veterans Day (Nov. 11) was designated as Service to God and Country Day at St. Peter’s by the Sea UMC. The UM Men presented the book to the adult leaders of Cub Scout Pack 5 and Scout Troop 16 in appreciation of their service to the youths of the area.
Senior Master Sgt. Douglas Onwiler of the Lackland Air Force Base Chaplain’s office reported on the demand for and importance of distributing the books at Lackland and other military
installations around Texas.
A special offering was received and forwarded to the General Commission on United Methodist Men to aid in distribution of more books to active-duty military personnel.
In addition, the Holy Communion servers that day were active-duty service personnel representing the U.S. Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy.
The UM Men of St. Peter’s by the Sea challenge other men’s groups across the Southwest Texas Conference to become actively engaged in the distribution of Strength for Service to God and Country both at home and to active-duty service personnel.
For more information contact the Rev. Harold M. Onwiler at (361) 443-6130 or honwiler@swbell.net.