YUMA, Ariz.- Pastor Goetsch and his staff over at Faith Baptist Church, are making a huge difference in Yuma county by supporting veterans and their families.
Every day, the pastor councils Vietnam veterans, and family members of those currently serving, and tell us why its so important to provide support to these heroes, in a community where the military presence is so prominent.
“I wanted to do something to be apart of it , and knowing I couldn’t get involved in the serving part of being in the military , i felt like we could be apart of the support group back home, which i believe is very vital for these men and these families” Pastor Goetsch says.
As a man brought up in the church and strong military presence in his family, he uses his ministry as a support system for those who may have been damaged during their time in the service and are trying to transition back into civilian life.
He says,”We do have guys who just wanna come and just try to spend time, just try to be there for them and listen. Some of them open up and are ready to deal with right away , others of them, no, they don’t really wan to deal with it, and they need to . So you just try to encourage them and try to be there for them, and of course as a pastor i really believe that god has those answers for them, and just try to encourage them.”
So every year for the last nine years Faith Baptist hosts Veteran Sundays. On this day
The congregation is going to come together, and family members will be able to join hands and remember those they’ve lost and share stories of the men and women who have served with memories and also showing pictures and medals their family members have gathered over the years to remember those from World War II and Vietnam war.
Pastor Goetsch says the annual event gives people a sense of reality and pride about coming together and being the support system these veterans and active military need, which is why he continues to make it his mission to serve.
He says, ” and I just pray that never lost here in Yuma, that we always have that heart, for those who are serving our country, and appreciate the freedoms that we have. It doesn’t come free and there are people who have sacrificed a great deal for us to be able to have services on a Sunday, for us to be able to walk freely and live freely and worship god freely. All of that comes with a cost, and I’m thankful for that…so its important for us to show that and support those who have sacrificed , so I’m glad to be apart of it.”