The Armed Forces' Christian Union (AFCU) —formerly Officers' Christian Union— is a
British military charity (Registered Charity Number 249636) whose beneficiaries are members of the
Armed Forces. It is a
Christian organization with origins in the mid-19th century Army Prayer Union. As of 2014 the president is Commodore Jamie Hay RN. AFCU is a member of the
Association of Military Christian Fellowships and is in contact with military Christian fellowships in 40 other countries.
It has a membership of serving
military personnel
Military personnel are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch (army, navy, marines, air force, space force, and coast guard), rank (officer, non-commissioned officer, or ...
and non-serving people, many of whom are relatives of members of the Armed Forces.
Mission
The Mission of the AFCU is prayerfully to:
* Encourage those who are already
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
in the Armed Forces, and their families, to live out and develop their faith, to act as '
salt and light
Salt and light are images used by Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was ...
', and through them to encourage others to come to a committed faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
;
* Work for Christian unity amongst serving military Christians worldwide and to work alongside military Christian organizations (MCO) in support of the
chaplains
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
;
* Support the
Armed Forces, providing a Godly influence upon military culture;
* Expose the role of Christians in the Armed Forces to the wider Christian and secular community.
Vision
The vision for the AFCU is to be a dynamic and outward looking
prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...
union, providing discipleship to a growing membership, which upholds
biblical principles in the Armed Forces.
See also
*
Christians in the military Christians have been present in the military since before the death of Jesus Marinus of Caesarea, Julius the Veteran, and other military saints were Christians who were soldiers, although other Christians, such as Maximilian of Tebessa, were con ...
*
Defence Christian Network
*
Officers' Christian Fellowship Officers' Christian Fellowship (OCF) is a nonprofit Christian parachurch organization of 17,000 U.S. Military officers, family members, and friends found at installations throughout the military. Founded in 1943, the organization's purpose remains ...
Notes
External links
Official websiteAFCU along with similar organizations
Evangelical parachurch organizations
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