In war’s shadow: Spiritual welfare on the frontlines

Up and down the country today, Tuesday November 11th, Remembrance Day, just as they did on Sunday, many people will honour those servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives in previous wars and conflicts so that we could be free and could live in peace.

Not only must we remember those who fought and died, but also those who brought the spiritual courage and hope necessary for victories, amidst the suffering.

Spiritual welfare

For 187 years, the Soldiers' and Aviators' Scripture Readers Association (SASRA) has delivered such a ministry, not bearing arms but bearing the gospel as spiritual welfare: it remains as essential to warfare as strategy, tactics, weapons, rations and logistics.

At SASRA, we continue our mission to spread the saving knowledge of Christ among Service personnel and their families. As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, we notice fewer veterans remain with us to share first-hand their stories, their hopes and their fears.

And yet, their records, the memories of others and SASRA testimonies, remind us that faith behind the wire and sometimes under fire, is a profound witness to the necessity of spiritual welfare and resilience.

At its peak during World War II, SASRA numbered nearly 200 Scripture Readers, including 20 women. More homes, huts and rest rooms were opened, and more Bibles and devotional literature were distributed.

Scripture Readers were deployed to where conflict was taking place overseas, serving alongside troops in Europe, North Africa, the Middle and Far East. They witnessed evacuations under fire, including France and Crete, and marched with troops through Normandy and Burma. Scripture Readers shared the gospel, provided spiritual welfare, ran Bible classes, participated in prayer and worship, offered pastoral care, and led some services. They worked where needed and their presence comforted troops as they processed fear of the unknown, loss, and grief.

Not all who served as Scripture Readers or SASRA members returned alive, including Frederick Howe and Cyril Morriss. Some were wounded and others suffered mental and moral injuries. Such traumas are often less visible but just as real. Many Servicemen later testified to how Scripture Readers steadied them spiritually in the darkest of times. Some, wrecked by battle fatigue, grief or fear, found peace, repentance, and renewed courage.

As Joshua discovered, courage is not found in confidence in ourselves, but confidence in God’s presence.

Remembrance Day

Today, our remembrance and reflection must include the spiritual cost of war: not just the lives lost but the broken faith, the burdened conscience, and the hope that sometimes faltered.

Yet we can also rejoice in souls who were restored and converted through the faithfulness of those who came alongside, not with weapons, but with the gospel and prayer.

The spiritual victories of war are less visible in textbooks and film but no less real. You will see no mention of the National Day of Prayer on 26 May 1940 - where millions of people in the UK, in churches, public spaces and homes, simply prayed for God’s help to recover the British Expeditionary Force trapped at Dunkirk - in the 2017 blockbuster film, Darkest Hour, depicting Winston Churchill and the evacuation of Dunkirk.

You will find amazing stories, in rich detail, of both the heroic and the humble moments that Scripture Readers witnessed in the book: SASRA in the Second World War by Bill Newton. SASRA’s history testifies that even in great darkness, light shines where the gospel is proclaimed, where people pray, and where Jesus’ love abounds.

The mission and ministry of SASRA continue today, with its veteran evangelists sharing the gospel without compromise, living alongside military communities, and behind the wire in UK and overseas. Please prayerfully consider supporting SASRA with your prayers, through volunteering or with a gift, and visit its website.