November 2002

The Military Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ and FamilyLife have partnered together to bring the timeless principles of marriage and family to the military. One of the most effective forms of ministry to the military has been the HomeBuilders Couples Series®, which includes a military specific study called Defending the Military Marriage.

Steve and Carleene Myer, staff members with the Military Ministry, have been taking HomeBuilders to the military community for over 10 years. "The pressures are tremendous. You have to deal with separations, being away from your family, and moving every two or three years," Carleene says. "HomeBuilders is a magnificent tool to help others understand Christ as the center of marriage."

Steve has used the study in training and mentoring young officers, and together Carleene and Steve have used it to teach Sunday school and to train leaders in churches. Wherever they were stationed, they took HomeBuilders with them, and as a result they have seen many people come to Christ and many marriages saved. "It has been the key for us to point people to the Truth of God's Word through FamilyLife materials," Carleene says.

The Myers first became aware of the state of the military family five years into their marriage. They felt a calling to help others understand that Christ is the center of marriage." During their military career the Myers became friends with Jim and Bea Fishback (USA Lt Col, retired) who became FamilyLife staff and introduced the Myers to HomeBuilders.

The partnership between FamilyLife and the Military Ministry has led to Military Marriage Seminars and overseas conferences along with a new HomeBuilders study. Defending the Military Marriage, written by the Fishbacks, deals specifically with the needs of military families. The study deals with issues such as gaining a biblical perspective for your marriage, communication during separation and deployment, maintaining family finances, and dealing with sexual temptation.

Steve and Carleene Myer have seen many military marriages and families dramatically improved, and they have seen considerable spiritual growth through Military Marriage Events and HomeBuilders Couples Series participation. One of the things that the Myers love most about the new military HomeBuilders study is that it is versatile in the midst of an ever-changing lifestyle. During deployments and separations a couple can do the study over e-mail. "It gives a point of reference so growth in a marriage can occur even when a spouse is deployed," says Carleene. Some couples even use the study as a devotional during moving periods, taking advantage of the time they have together.

Even Steve and Carleene have grown through HomeBuilders, and their relationship serves as an example to other Christian couples in the military. "People who are Christians in the military (regardless of rank or position) are not only committed to serving their country and the Lord, but they are committed to marriage," says Carleene. "That's why it is necessary to have couples with good marriages living as examples. With the tremendous pressures that are on military families, if someone sees a military person having a good marriage they want to know what that's all about."

Wherever they have been assigned—from Virginia to Australia—Steve and Carleene have taken the principles of HomeBuilders with them. "As you can see, Uncle Sam is a great missionary," says Carleene. Now the Myers are training others to be HomeBuilders leaders and are being trained to be speakers for Military Marriage Conferences and Seminars.