Please Meet: Tom and Jan Falconer
Tom and Jan Falconer are serving as Area Coordinators for the Colorado Springs area. Their service to OCF spans a quarter of a century.
From Service to Support: How Veterans Can Stay Engaged in OCF
We encourage veterans to consider how they can make an impact on the lives of those still serving our country. It is our desire that all members see that “OCF for a lifetime” is a calling and not just a saying. Every challenge is an opportunity!
How one Marine’s encounter revealed a chaplain’s legacy
You must be certain of your calling to the chaplaincy and this unique ministry. Holding firmly to your calling may be the only assurance that you will get through the tough times. It may be the only way of knowing that you are where the Lord wants you.
You are qualified to be a Local Leader
Have you felt called to be an OCF Local Leader but have yet to move out on that calling? Perhaps your fear of failure is as big as mine was. Is that preventing you from starting a local fellowship where none exists or joining an existing one that could benefit from your leadership?
Spring 2024 Ministry News
A round-up of OCF Ministry News items from Connected newsletter.
EXSEL and PEAK: Exploring the impact of ministry internship programs on young adults
Whether as interns (first-year participants) or as fellows (second-year participants), young adults have participated in EXSEL (Experience, Serve, Lead) or PEAK (Purpose, Excellence, Authenticity, Koinonia) and gained valuable life experience, spiritual development, and more along the way.
Introducing the OCF Council Class of 2027
OCF welcomes the seven newest members to the Council.
Spring 2023 Ministry News
A round-up of OCF Ministry News items from Connected newsletter.
A year of opportunity and blessing amid turmoil
The arrival of the COVID-related shutdowns during the spring of 2020 brought an end to both conference centers’ plans for their normal summer programs and events. Nonetheless, both locations have overcome many of the challenges the pandemic has created.
Biblical Truths from Life’s Experiences
What parables has God given to you through the simple circumstances of your life that you can share with others? Too often Christians do not share with others what God is teaching them and doing in their lives, things that can encourage other believers and make them sensitive to God’s moving in the world—and even in their own lives.
A Question of Identity
The following stories are not just accounts of people who endured the process of rediscovering their identity in Christ, but they are also stories of a heavenly Father who loves his children enough to show them a far more abundant life.
Crushing the Idols of Identity
We can know pure joy in our struggles when we allow God to do His work in us. He gives and takes away as He works in and through us and this broken world that we may know and trust Him.
Acts Chapter 12
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 12
Acts Chapter 11
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 11
Acts Chapter 10
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 10
Acts Chapter 9
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 9
Acts Chapter 8
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 8
Acts Chapter 7
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 7
Acts Chapter 6
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 6
Acts Chapter 5
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 5
Acts Chapter 4
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 4
Acts Chapter 3
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 3
Acts Chapter 2
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 2
Acts Chapter 1
Study Notes and Questions for Acts 1
Active Duty, Active Faith
You must pursue God and live out your faith while on active duty. It’s easy to get caught up in the cyclical training and deployment grind to where your faith comes out only on Sunday—if at all. Stay engaged. Find a spiritual battle buddy—someone to hold you accountable. Commit to a daily devotional. Be an example in both word and deed.
How ya doing? Do you really care?
Who will you meet today in an unexpected encounter, whether in a combat area, passageway, flight line, or on drills and maneuvers? And what will you say—and hear? In your command, how will you show Christ in your servant leadership?
Allow God to use you in the humble tasks
I long to do great and noble things, but God reminds me it’s in the humble things that He can be extraordinary through me. Ultimately, I desire to be like Helen Keller: to do humble tasks as though they were great and noble.
Five Christ-like ways to serve those you lead
Whether the most junior leader or a four-star flag officer, leaders come to their assignments with choices to be made in opportunities to serve.
What is OCF?
It’s not unusual to hear people ask, “What is OCF?” or “What does OCF do?” They may wonder if OCF is a club of officers like-minded in their Christian faith, or just the local Bible study fellowship they attend.
How do you handle success?
We all love success. It feels good—certainly better than failure. But success can easily become a stumbling block if not handled humbly and wisely.
Beauty amid the ruins
As a servant leader being the hands and heart of Christ to others in life’s tragedies, TSgt Padgett suggested that helping others is as simple as being aware of the ways you can do so.
Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God
How does a faithful walk with Jesus give life, context, and direction to the exercise of military leadership? What opportunities do I have for doing good for others’ welfare and for God’s glory?
Bold to act
Without boldness grounded in faith, we’ll see little transformational effect. Without godly purpose and wisdom, boldness can be rash and destructive.
A Salve for the Scars
So much of today’s culture dwells on victimhood, on wounds that seem resistant to heal. Christ-followers don’t deny the wounds but come alongside the struggling wounded to offer the salve secured by the scarred, yet now Risen Lamb’s victory over sin and death.
Avoid Cursor Creep in Your Life
For His disciples, God gives direction. Develop a habit of checking your tendency to slide off the course He sets. Seek and find that direction in all parts of life: personal, family, professional, and community.
Go … Going’ly
Transitions are certainly a challenge, yet also filled with the potential to renew, refresh, and revitalize. Let’s do our part as leaders for the latter three.
Building on a Foundation with a God’s-eye View
Every planner for ground tactical combat operations knows the value of seeing the area of operations from above. Looking down on the terrain, you see risks, opportunities, and new ways to achieve your objective that cannot be seen from the ground.
Seeing Around Corners, Part I: A Sure Foundation
A particularly effective leader sees the ends amidst the overwhelming hubbub of the present. Opposition, complexity, danger, and distracting opportunities threaten to paralyze or draw the leader off course.
What ‘Right’ Looks Like
One simple request from a platoon leader in one small group at one location on a single evening. But when multiplied over the weeks and miles of hundreds of Christian fellowships, just consider how the Spirit might work!
Is ‘fellowship’ a verb or noun?
This raises a question: “Are we merely in a fellowship or do we ‘fellowship?’”
A hitch in our giddy-up
We all have hitches in our giddy-up. Most are wounds within our soul: bitterness, deceit, fear, shame, guilt, and others. They hinder us; they limit us in our service with and leadership of others.
‘Go for the honey muscle!’
Jesus taught often through parables. Every listener could garner solid adages for life. Yet there was a special category of those Jesus taught who received the deep and rich gems that would transform them and enable them in fruitful service to the Master.
How have you set your sails?
All leaders experience both fair and foul winds. The Christ-honoring leader has been given stewardship of people, missions, and things for the Master’s gain and pleasure.
Sometimes, There is No Plan B
If you are a leader, perhaps you are the one God appointed to initiate and lead a local fellowship, or you may be the one leader Christ has chosen as His ambassador in a unit or staff.
The Slippery Heart
Men and women of authority, education, and influence are particularly susceptible. Their gifting, potentially so helpful in service and leadership, spills over to coat the heart with ill-placed personal pride and assurance.
We can take away a stone…
No, we cannot redeem this fallen world and its deathly power on our own, but the One who can has asked us to partner in His work with what we can do. He simply asks us to “take away the stone.”
Sometimes you just need a Sherpa
We all could use a Sherpa when facing new and formidable challenges. Junior leaders and young couples with their abundance of zeal and energy, but with limited experience, particularly benefit from a seasoned guide as they break new ground in life.
Leader, be a clove
Also essential for Christian leaders are the daily development of subordinates; team building for unit cohesion and performance; setting of standards of respect and performance; and seasoning the unit culture with the aroma of Christ.
Stewardship is our goal; leadership is our method
Including stewardship in our leader lexicon may put our responsibility and authority in proper balance. The goal of a Christ-like leader will remain Christ’s goals; the methods, means, and accompanying perks will then better honor Christ in practice
Who planted the seed of leadership in your mind?
Do you recall when someone spoke into your life and a vision was cast? Are you intentionally doing the same with those you serve?
Tips for new group leaders
For those who have never led a small group, the prospect of starting such an endeavor might appear daunting and overwhelming given the busy lifestyle of those in the military. Here are tips for the new leader to consider both before and after his or her first meeting.
Dealing with an emotionally needy personality
In the Bible-study group, the support group, the discipline group, or the fellowship group, an attitude of love and
Dealing with a know-it-all personality
Traditionally, Christian small-group activities are more positive, edifying, less contentious, and less confrontational than their secular or non-Christian counterparts.
Growing small groups through division
The OCF mission is to engage military leaders in Biblical fellowship and growth to equip them for Christ-like service
19 practical tips for leading the small group
1. Start and end on time. Starting on time will establish a practice of people coming on time. Timeliness
Preparing to lead the Bible study
The type of Bible study that OCF seeks to encourage is one where people approach God’s Word and
Personal Bible study preparation for the leader
Small groups and Bible study may take place in a variety of settings, from foxholes to comfortable homes. Only one book is essential to the study—the Bible.
The role of groups in relationships
Most everyone who has ever participated in small groups can bear testimony to a particular small group that was their favorite.
God’s intentions for the small group
While we may be accustomed to defining the essence of our Christian faith in other ways, Christianity involves not only a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, but also an entirely different outlook on life that is grounded in the hope we have for all that God has promised.
Three types of prayer for the small group
“Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from
Becoming a Christ-like military leader first starts with thinking of others
By surrendering their spring break of relaxation to instead labor for the impoverished, the mission field experiences help cadets and midshipmen hone skills of selflessness and sacrifice that are essential to becoming effective Christ-like military leaders.
EXSEL discipleship program yields sweet outcomes
As they Experience, Serve, and Lead at White Sulphur Springs, the EXSEL Discipleship interns are helping military members and their families realize the restoration needed in these challenging times.
Being a Leader That God Can Use
To be a leader God can use, three things must happen: We must have faith in something that is worthy of our faith; we must know who we are in Christ; and we must be prepared to fight the good fight, as we engage in spiritual warfare.
From Fort Knox to the foot of the Cross
My 2015 experience in Kentucky brought me to the foot of the cross, saving my soul in a way words cannot explain.
Three tenets to dreaming for ourselves
Do you know how to dream? There are three tenets to dreaming for ourselves with a greater chance of realizing those dreams.
The effects of transition in the military
Those who have laced up boots or buttoned an Armed Forces uniform in service to our nation know all-too-well the difficult and tough terrain of the transitional military life they lead.
A 16,000-mile ‘HousHold Adventure’
With each passing mile behind the Waring family, a pathway toward future ministry was being paved by connecting with and hearing the hearts of airmen and chaplains.
Chaplains share insights into serving in the military
COMMAND asked a trio of chaplains—LT Jon Uyboco, CHC, USN; CH(MAJ) Todd Cheney, USA, and CH(COL) Marc Gauthier, USA—to share some insights and experiences of serving military men and women for Christ.
EXSEL teaches vocation, service, leadership
Now in its second year, the EXSEL (experience, service, leadership) discipleship program at OCF’s White Sulphur Springs Conference Center is a yearlong, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young men and women ages 18-24.
Following a certain God in an uncertain world
As our culture continues drifting further into a post-Christian neo-pagan worldview, Christ-followers may be tempted to spiritual panic attacks. Especially for those of us striving to integrate faith and biblical worldview into our military profession, how can we remain faithful to our call when policies and programs appear to oppose higher principles and priorities?
Further insights from Mike and Angie Moyles
Here are some more insights shared by Mike Moyles and his wife, Angie, during their interview with COMMAND.
Hope does not disappoint us
When he was diagnosed with cancer in 1999, Mike says he worked through the usual questions and doubt—why me? what did I do?—but it was the continued struggle through multiple rounds of chemo, radiation, and surgeries that caused him to take a deeper look at the testimony God was preparing him for.
Families should develop a support system
Take time to examine your own support system, or if you do not have one, get started now. The health of a marriage can often hinge upon the strength of the support system that has been established.
Is God calling you to lead a small group?
We reached out to two OCF small group leaders, LTC Tom Matelski, USA, and Lt Col Jim Wamhoff, USAF, and asked them to share their insights on starting and effectively leading a small group.
Perspectives on servant leadership
The term “servant leadership” evokes a varied range of impressions as to what that really means, looks like, and how it plays out in real life. At first glance, the seemingly incongruous servant leadership concept appears especially contrary in business settings or military circles where typically bosses lead, employees serve.
Six ways to follow Jesus’ example and become a transformational leader
Transformational leaders help people understand the purpose, objectives and values of an organization by articulating a clear and appealing vision. From both a practical and biblical perspective, transformational leadership inspires, develops and empowers followers; it also hones our leadership skills so we become better leaders.
Community as taught by minions
Just like the silly banana-eating Minions, each of us was created with an innate desire to belong to a community in fellowship. It’s not just a group of people with similar interests, but a body of believers united for a common purpose.
Fellowship through ‘practical action’
OCF has provided transitory military Christians with two static places—Spring Canyon in Colorado and White Sulphur Springs in Pennsylvania—for abundant opportunities of Christ-centered fellowship, programs and fun. The ideal end result: being equipped to reach others for Christ throughout the military society—and form lifetime friendships.
Kingdom work can happen anywhere
As a relational ministry where genuine biblical fellowship is essential for spiritual growth and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, the very heart of the ministry of Officers’ Christian Fellowship remains small group fellowships.
Allow God to Orchestrate the Events of Your Life
In preparation for our move, I found myself wondering what our new neighbors would be like. OK, I was obsessing over it. We have grown to love the people we live next to, and trying to imagine unfriendly neighbors peering at us while grilling out on the deck was making my stomach hurt.
Allow God to heal the hidden wounds
We leaders often cope with stress by trying to survive our wounding rather than allow God to heal and refresh us to fully live. God doesn’t want us to simply survive. God’s mission field, after all, is your heart and mine.
God is real and active in our lives
Army CWO2 Sheldon Duffy and his wife, Salena, share their story of Sheldon’s near-death experience with leukemia and how they endured the trials and uncertainties of not knowing if he would survive.
Unique stressors of the military family
Like you, my husband, Steve, and I know what it’s like for our marriage to have to go into survival mode during extended periods of separation. We know the pressure of caring for children in the midst of huge transitions. We know the challenge of supporting each other when our own personal resources are depleted.
When PCSing, build a RAFT for teens
When PCSing, the most common strategies teens use with one another involve simple avoidance, picking a fight to create distance so it’s easier to leave, disconnecting through moodiness or hyperactivity, or adopting the “It’s all cool” act. This is why we need to build a RAFT.
Leadership Moments: Are You Leading?
by Colonel Larry and Bobbie Simpson, USAF (Ret.) “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place;
Mary Poppins and the chain of command
The chain of command—everybody has one. Everybody knows where they are in that chain, and it honestly clarifies and simplifies your life as a military member.
The Christ-centered alpha male
Men have a lot in common with wolves. We mark our territory, strut in front of females, and bristle in the presence of another alpha male.
Courageous Command: Beyond Battlefield Boldness
Only by trusting God and His plan for our lives can we lead courageously in our duty as both officers and Christians. It’s time to build a strategy that calculates the risks of leadership minefields and faces them with a moral courage that matches the bravery of those we lead on the battlefield.
Making the ‘no greater love’ sacrifice
The Four Chaplains, also referred to as the "Immortal Chaplains" or the "Dorchester Chaplains," were four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other civilian and military personnel as the troop ship USAT Dorchester sank on February 3, 1943, during World War II. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out.
Ministry Snapshot
The adage of a church not being a building, but rather its people also applies to the ministry of Officers’ Christian Fellowship. Click a story below to get a snapshot of the vast entirety of ministry work that has gone on over the years through OCF, now entering its seventy-second year. The people and stories featured here represent all those who have sacrificially given of their time, talents and treasure—standing on the shoulders of giants while declaring God’s “power to the next generation” (Psalm 71:18).
Time, Talent, Treasure: Academies
Exceptionally demanding—that is the four-year journey through one of our nation’s military service academies, deliberately designed as such to forge finely tuned military leaders from out of the fires of continual challenge. Cadets and midshipmen juggle jam-packed schedules that stretch them beyond the max physically, emotionally, mentally. And spiritually.
Time, Talent, Treasure: OCF small group fellowships
The heartbeat of OCF is the small group fellowship, over 360 of them occurring throughout our nation and across the globe, including New Zealand, Korea and Norway.
Time, Talent, Treasure: Retirees
For Christians serving in our nation’s Armed Forces, even when their active duty days meld into retirement, God’s call to serve Him remains evergreen, for in age’s autumn years “…they will stay fresh and green” (Psalm 92:14), still bearing fruit.
Time, Talent, Treasure: ROTC
Every year the Reserve Officer Training Corps program launches several thousand newly commissioned officers into the operational military.
Time, Talent, Treasure: Warrior Forge
Before Army ROTC cadets can be commissioned as second lieutenants, they must successfully complete what is now known as the Leader Development and Assessment Course (LDAC), a training event developing their leadership skills while evaluating their officer potential. Once held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, LDAC —Warrior Forge—now takes place at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
6 strategies to avoid becoming a spiritual casualty
Given the description in Ephesians 6 of the spiritual battle raging around us, what can we do to prepare for the moral ambushes upon us from the enemy and avoid becoming a spiritual casualty? This article explores 6 tactics to help you avoid becoming a spiritual casualty.
Speak my language
Marriage is hard enough for the everyday civilian. But add in the unique challenges of deployments, frequent moves, and high-pressure situations, and it’s no wonder military marriages are under stress.
God’s restoration for the wounded soldier, healing warrior
Since warfare in and of itself is ultimately the warfare of our soul and spirit, we have the choice of allowing our healing to proceed through our spiritual maturation instead of succumbing to substance abuse to mask problems. Ultimately our ability to be healed, or at least cope with our issues, is based upon spiritual healing.
God, are you with me?
The following short story was written by OCF member MAJ Mario Miglietta, USA. It is based on a story told during an OCF Bible study that he attends. A person in the Bible study told of a Soldier from his battalion who had fallen on hard times, but who found encouragement and hope from a letter he received from his little sister. Mario says he was inspired by that story and wrote about what the Soldier had gone through—"how I imagined the story evolved."
A day in the life of OCF
For seven decades the living waters of Jesus Christ have flowed forth, from the heart of the ministry of Officers’ Christian Fellowship—innumerable men and women making a kingdom difference by living, loving and working with others throughout the military society.
