MINISTRY TO MILITARY



Connecting with others and timely support are vital for military members and their families as they transition into our area. 

 

Connecting with Others – At Hiland Park Baptist Church, connecting with others for mutual encouragement and to learn God’s Word is best experienced in one of our many Life Groups (a.k.a. Sunday School Classes), which meet each Sunday morning. For more info about our Life Groups, click here.

 

Timely Support – In recognition of the selfless service of our nation's military members and the difficulties families encounter during deployments, the family of believers at Hiland Park Baptist Church seek to provide timely support to military families through a variety of unique ministry teams and activities. Please see below for more details.

 

If you have any questions about HPBC’s Military Ministry, please contact our Minister to Military, Bill Tucker at 850-785-6530, or you can reach him via email at btucker@hilandpark.org.

Pre-/Post-Deployment Activities

  • Enrichment Assessment

Given Hiland Park's desire to strengthen marriages affected by military deployments, it's Ministry to Military Team first offers married couples a professional, free, interactive, deployment-specific relationship assessment designed to increase awareness of deployment stressors and provide couples with methods to cope with those stressors while separated. 

  • Enrichment Retreat

To strengthen these marriages even further, the Hiland Park family offers couples a 2-day Enrichment Weekend where they are able to spend quality time alone either before of after a deployment. 

  • Family Activity

To strengthen the military family as a whole, before the military member departs, the Hiland Park family also offers military families a fun, family-bonding activity. 

Go-Getter Team

The hectic schedule of the military spouse sometimes makes it difficult for them for find time to do even the simplest of things like grocery shopping, especially if driving is a challenge for some reason. Members of this team are willing to provide transportation for military spouses for grocery shopping, medical appointments, or short errands around town. 

Deployed Kid Day Team

As one parent deploys, the other is left to shoulder all the caregiving and parenting duties normally handled by two. This can be especially challenging for those families with children under 12. Therefore, the DKD Team serves military families by giving very busy, temporarily "single" parents an opportunity to take a break from parenting for a few hours to run errands, see a movie with friends, or simply read a book in peace and quiet. DKD Team members are willing to occasionally provide a few hours of basic childcare during the week (day or evening) or possibly on a Saturday. A standard childcare background check is required for all team members. 

Home Improvement Servant Team

It's invevitable! As soon as a military member deploys, something around the house breaks or something on the car needs fixed, or the lawn and bushes need attention. That's where HIS Team can help. As the son of Joseph the carpenter, Jesus likely used his skills with woodworking and masonry to provide for his family and also help those in need around him. Similarly, the members of HIS Team seek to assist families with basic home, yard, or vehicle maintenance and/or repairs. 


 Activities may include but are not limited to: 

  • Home: Simple home / appliance / plumbing repairs, etc.
  • Yard: Mowing / edging a lawn, trimming bushes, raking leaves, etc.
  • Vehicle: Oil / filter change, fluids checked, battery replacement, etc.


Teen Mentor Team

A military member's deployment impacts not only their spouse and young children, but teens can be negatively impacted more than any other group. As an extension of HPBC's Youth Ministry, men and women who have had an appropriate background check and have a heart to encourage teens during a parent's deployment are available as Teen Mentors who intentionally look for ways to encourage these teens through increased relational interaction. This may include activities such as helping with homework, playing video or board games, going fishing or shopping, or just being someone to talk to.