Friday, April 26, 2024
For more than a decade, a program that has benefitted soldiers from throughout the United States as well as local residents is the North Fort Hood Ministry, which seeks to strengthen relations between the community and military personnel in the area.
During the Jan. 19 meeting of the Gatesville Exchange Club, Diane Fincher, director of the ministry, talked about how the organization started and the impact it has made.
The ministry began in 2012, when the choir director at First Baptist Church of Gatesville asked choir members if there was anyone who would like to contact the chaplain at North Fort Hood about an invitation to attend Christmas Eve services that year at the church.
"I looked to the left and to the right, and no one else volunteered, so I decided that I could do that," Fincher said. "I made the contact and from there God has connected our two communities in a miraculous way."
Five members of the FBC Gatesville choir braved cold, dreary weather conditions that evening and were transported by a military van to the chapel.
One of those choir members wore a headlamp that allowed her fellow singers to see the lyrics in that darkened room, and Fincher noticed that the chapel had gone from nearly empty when they arrived to being filled with military personnel.
"The sanctuary was full of soldiers in uniform fully geared up and we were just incredulous about that," Fincher said. "The spirit of the Lord began to overwhelm us — his soldiers were showing up to worship. It was a prophetic event — quite a significant union coming together."
When she was a teenager, Fincher recalled, there was quite a bit of interaction between personnel at North Fort Hood and the Gatesville community. However, years later when a fence was built to separate the military post from the outside world, the interaction between soldiers and the community dwindled.
"The fence went up and the curtain was drawn," Fincher said. When the North Fort Hood Ministry formed, "the curtain was ripped open by the Lord, and we got to see what was going on. That lit the proverbial candle. We told our church how impactful that experience had been for us to be among the soldiers. We began the North Fort Hood Ministry. We came together as a congregation, and we began to serve those who serve us."
The ministry hosted a community barbecue for the soldiers, and Fincher said after that she thought the ministry would consist of things like an occasional potluck supper. However, many other events followed, including the Heart of Texas Salute to Warrior Citizens, and a strong interaction between the community and the soldiers continued.
Fincher credited the Exchange Club as being one of the groups that has played a significant role in welcoming and honoring military personnel.
"Our community stepped up to bring Gatesville and Texas to the hearts of our troops," she said. "We thought there would be one big event but God had much more than that in mind — He meant ministry, a sacrifice of time, resources and energy. He wants us to work together as a community to serve His soldiers."
Fincher said she never envisioned that her skills as a retired music teacher would be used to draw people from different parts of the community, such as the Exchange Club, local churches and local government "all different aspects of the community to share love."
Fincher said she was told that the soldiers themselves were amazed by the response.
"I was told that they had never seen a crusty command sergeant with 35 years experience tearing up — they'd never seen anything like this response from our community," she said. "I am so blessed to see the community coming together the way Gatesville does."
The North Fort Hood Ministry is administered by FBC Gatesville, and "God has blessed the ministry — the endeavors — with thousands of dollars over the last 10 years. We have to look for ways to spend it."
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily slammed the door shut on the ministry in some areas, Fincher said, but only for a season.
"The COVID situation really brought things to a screeching halt, but we still found ways to meet soldiers' needs," she said.
Plans for a concert to honor soldiers did not receive approval until Fincher was able to communicate with high-ranking military staff who saw the value of what Fincher sought to provide.
"God provides the commanders who serve — he puts the leadership in position," she said. "I've been able to see how God puts people in place to continue the ministry in full force."
To help keep interaction between the community and soldiers going, Fincher leads a monthly North Fort Hood Community Council meeting that takes place at different restaurants in Gatesville.
At the meeting, a group of soldiers and community members talk about ways to work together, upcoming community events, and ways the two different groups can serve each other.
"We have community members attend some of their events, and we have members of the military participate in community events," Fincher said. "This has been such a great blessing for all of us."
When soldiers see the amount of items donated to them, including snacks to help make them feel at home, they have told Fincher they are surprised that Gatesville has a much bigger population than they had thought.
"They are always amazed to find out that Gatesville has less than 10,000 people, and how big our hearts are."
