LifeWay's LifeBox Sends Lifeline To Military Personnel *UPDATED*

Written by Polly House

*Editor's note: Because of the enormous response LifeWay has received in regards to its LifeBox project, the communications office has updated and reissued the news release that was originally published on Dec. 21, 2006. A supplemental Inside LifeWay podcast with additional information accompanies this release. For more information, click on one of the following links:

• Frequently Asked Questions by Churches about LifeBox
• Frequently Asked Questions by Associations about LifeBox
  

Inside LifeWay: LifeBox

But some soldiers have said that the battle times aren’t as hard as the down time; the time when all there is to do is sit on their cots and wait. Boredom becomes the enemy without a gun. Wanting to make a difference and use their downtime for spiritual growth, some Christian soldiers contacted LifeWay Christian Resources for help.

Dan Meyers Podcast

"A wide variety of secular magazines are available to deployed military personnel, just as they would be on a newsstand at home," she said. "We want to offer a good alternative. Military personnel have said that mail and magazines are greatly appreciated, and now we have an opportunity to have a positive impact on their lives."

• Southern Baptists can contact the director of missions in their association.
• Persons who are not Southern Baptist or Southern Baptists whose associations are not participating can e-mail lifebox@lifeway.com to request information.

LifeBox video

How LifeBox works

• Churches and interested community organizations donate money to their local Baptist association to pay for magazines and postage for flat rate mailers. (Flat rate mailers can be obtained at the Post Office.)
• Associations order HomeLife, Christian Single, Journey or Stand Firm through LifeWay’s network partnerships area at a special discount for this project.
• Associations enlist churches to participate. Collection points are designated at associational offices or churches.
• Churches and interested community organizations collect the LifeBox items and deliver them to one of these collection points. Addresses of individual military personnel or chaplains are collected from churches and from Web sites that house names of military personnel who wish to receive mail.
• Personal notes are written by church members and packed with other items in LifeBox.
• Boxes are mailed by churches or associations by March 23, 2007, to arrive by April 7 (Easter weekend).

Working together

"We are so pleased to be able to work with many of our Baptist associations to make LifeWay magazines available to our service men and women," Buescher said. "The mission of LifeBox is to fulfill the dream of a Southern Baptist Army officer to provide LifeWay’s distinctly Christian magazines, in response to the large amount of worldly magazines available, along with comfort items and personal notes to the men and women serving in our Armed Forces."

Buescher said LifeWay has been receiving phone calls and e-mails daily since early December 2006 from across the United States - from California to North Dakota to West Virginia to Georgia - from associations and churches stating their intent to participate. About 150 associations, comprised of approximately 4,500 churches, have already committed to this project and Buescher estimated between 35,000 and 50,000 boxes will be shipped.

"The men and women serving in the military need encouragement as Christians," Buescher added. "Many who fight for us do so not knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All who fight do so in an environment that is stressful, secular and filled with danger of many types. Christian military personnel are interested in spiritually-uplifting material that encourages them to stand firm in their faith."

Questions about the project can be sent to lifebox@lifeway.com.

LifeBox is a voluntary ministry organized and promoted by Southern Baptist associations and LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, with key input from Southern Baptists serving in our Armed Forces and from an advisory team made up of directors of missions. This ministry is voluntary and has no official connection with or approval by any of the United States Military Services.

For more information about LifeBox, click on one of the following links:

• Frequently Asked Questions by Churches about LifeBox
• Frequently Asked Questions by Associations about LifeBox
  

About Polly House

Polly House is LifeWay's corporate communications specialist and editor of Facts & Trends. She came to LifeWay in 1999. Polly and her husband, Sam, live in Nashville, and are the parents of  Tyler and Travis, both college students. They are members of Crievewood Baptist Church. Polly can be contacted at polly.house@lifeway.com.