About
The Armed Services Ministry believes that the U.S. Military is the best in the world. Today ASM offers timely and ready access to God’s Word to give them direction, hope, courage, peace, and comfort. We exist to help meet the critical spiritual needs of our nation’s military, providing customized Scripture resources and programs for the whole life of our actively-deployed men and women in uniform and their families. From 1817 through the present conflicts, we have delivered nearly 60 million free Bible resources to America’s Armed Forces, over two million New Testaments since 9/11 and today the pace increases.
Where Friends, Fun and Faith Connect
Club Beyond® is the name used by MCYM to identify its ministry with military high school and middle school aged kids worldwide. Club Beyond staff and volunteers love young people and are available to journey with them through the hard challenges of adolescence, providing positive role models and exhibiting Christ-like behavior.
In addition to weekly 90 minute club meetings, Club Beyond also means retreats (usually one per semester), along with special activity nights, lock-ins, ski trips, summer camps, and work service projects. Club Beyond leaders also offer weekly Bible study sessions for those students who want to go deeper in their spiritual development and study of the Bible. All of these activities are well chaperoned, with high ratios of volunteer leaders for kids in attendance.
Club Beyond Staff are vocational youth workers recruited from across the U.S.A., usually from the ranks of Young Life or Youth for Christ. These staff are assigned for service with MCYM by their parent organizations for an initial period of 2 years (staff interns) or 3 years (Community Directors and others). Staff can renew their service with MCYM beyond their initial period of service upon mutual consent of MCYM and their parent agency.
Author Information
Senior Authors:
Dr. Dave Sanders
Dr. Dave and Debbie Sanders live in Elgin, IL, where Dave works vocationally as an Associate Professor of Youth Ministry / Adolescence studies and Christian Ministries at Judson University. Capitalizing on many years of experience both in the military and with Young Life Military Ministry, Dave currently serves as faculty for the MCYM Military Youth Institute, MCYM Special Staff writer and other special projects.
Brian Hershey
Brian Hershey lives in Aubrey, TX with his wife, Bonnie, and three children, Alece, Bella, and Cal. They meet in Bad Aibling, Germany in the fall of 2001 and were married a year later. Together, they served on staff with Club Beyond in Garmisch, Germany and Naples, Italy from 2002 through 2009. He is currently attending Dallas Theology Seminary where he is pursuing a Master of Theology. Brian and Bonnie's vision is to grow God's kingdom in breadth and depth by working with young people or those who work with them. His favorite color is John Deere green. Favorite recent book is To Change the World by James Davison Hunter. His least favorite activity is clipping his toe nails.
Authors:
Craig Daugherty
Craig lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife, Stacey and step-daughter, Mallori. His step-son Randy is currently serving with the US Army. Craig is a full-time Special Education teacher at Slaton High School and a part-time College Pastor with Live Oak Community Church in Lubbock. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a BS in Secondary Education. After his undergraduate, he served with the US Navy at Naval Air Station, Sigonella, Sicily where he volunteered with Military Community Youth Ministries. After his stint in the Navy, he earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education, Youth Ministry emphasis, at Dallas Theological Seminary. After seminary, he served with Military Community Youth Ministries, developing new ministries at Aviano Air Force Base in Italy and at RAF Alconbury in the United Kingdom. He also spent two years as the European Financial Officer in Heidelberg, Germany.
Megan Lorraine Sanders
Megan Lorraine Sanders has loved history, art, and books her whole life. An avid reader since the age of 3, writing also came naturally to her. Now, at 23, Megan Lorraine currently lives in Bethlehem, PA and works as a barista, while writing for various projects both personal and joint efforts with her father also occupy much if her time. She is the daughter of Dr. David and Deborah Sanders, and she and her sister, Dr. Becca Wood, grew up in Italy and Germany.
Senior Editor:
Dr. Dave Sanders, Associate Professor, Judson University
Contributors:
Bob and Debbie Carter
Wade, Dana, Bryce and Sydney Conrad
Debbie Sanders
Dr. Rebecca Wood
1SG John Jacobs
Rob Kuhl
Corrigan Clay
Micah Steinwandt
Eric Heckman
