A Personal Thank You from David Schroeder

A Personal Thank You from David Schroeder

This old grainy photo is of me in 1987 proclaiming, “Nothing can fill your life like Jesus Christ!”

I was speaking at a rally for military teenagers hosted by Malachi Ministries. Joyce and I were newly married and serving our first term with OCSC/Cadence in Baumholder, Germany. We would serve with Malachi (now Cadence Student Ministries) in Germany until 1995 when God unexpectedly called us to the mission headquarters in Colorado for me to serve as the fourth President of Cadence International.

This July 4th I will celebrate 30 years of being the President of Cadence International, and on July 11th I will pass the baton to Dave Hutchings who will become the fifth President of this amazing organization. Dave currently serves as our VP for Field Ministries, and he and I have worked closely together in leadership for the past three years. I am excited for the future of Cadence and all that God has in store for this ministry under Dave’s leadership.

Since 1995, one of the responsibilities I’ve had the privilege of stewarding is writing every month to you, our faithful financial partners, to express my gratitude for you and to you.

Each month before I begin typing this letter, I think about you and pray for you. I know some of you well and some of you not at all. Yet, I love you as brothers in sisters in Christ and as fellow warriors and allies in God’s Kingdom work.

I am grateful not only for your faithful partnership with Cadence in this powerful ministry to the military community, but I’m also thankful for your ministry and perseverance in your life, your community, your work, your church, and in your families. It has been my heart’s intention to encourage you in your journey with Jesus whatever your place and season.

And that brings me back to young David’s proclamation in 1987. That 25-year-old man did not know what was ahead. He didn’t know his statement back then would be tested by complex trials, struggle, and victories. He also didn’t know the depth of joy, love, hope, transformation, and purpose that being filled by Jesus would bring to his life and loved ones.

Well, I do now. Jesus is my everything! As Keith Green powerfully sang years ago, “O Lord you’re beautiful, Your face is all I seek. For when Your eyes are on this child, Your grace abounds to me.”

And so my friends, I will sign off on this truly amazing and rich season of life and leadership with this deep and proven truth, “Nothing can fill your life like Jesus Christ!”

With love and gratefulness,

David Schroeder
President

Highlights from the Asia Field

Highlights from the Asia Field

Joyce and I recently returned from a wonderful trip visiting our Cadence staff and their ministries in Korea, Okinawa, and mainland Japan. It was a true Cadence experience from the first day until the last.

Here are some highlights:

  • Worshipping with 65 Marines thundering out their praise to God at the Hansen Christian Center.
  • Seeing the alive and bright eyes of Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, and dependents as they shared their stories of Jesus-transformation through the love and community of Cadence ministries.
  • Hearing the gratefulness and appreciation from two Wing Chaplains and one Garrison Chaplain for the partnership and support from Cadence staff.
  • Playing Sunday afternoon basketball on base with our staff and enthusiastic Airmen from The Harbor, Cadence’s hospitality house ministering near Kadena AFB.
  • Experiencing the beautiful care and unity of our Asia field staff and their kids as they enjoyed each other at their field conference.
  • Discussing real-life joys, sorrows, challenges, and celebrations with Cadence colleagues while enjoying and experiencing their amazing hospitality first-hand.
  • Feeling proud of and grateful for this mission as we continue to effectively share the gospel and our lives with the military community.

What an honor it is to serve and be a part of something so very strategic and fruitful! God is moving powerfully in military people and their families in the U.S. and around the world.

Friends, your faithful financial partnership and prayer fuel this ministry which is bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. Thank you!

May God bless you and your family today as you serve Him and love your people in your location.

David Schroeder
President

The Power of Community

The Power of Community

Janelle Mebust is one of Cadence’s newer Headquarters staff, serving first with our Donor Services and now on the Human Resources team. Every month we sign an electronic birthday card for our HQ celebrants. The following is Janelle’s response to the words written in her card. She wants you to know that some of her words are selected from one of her pastor’s recent sermons.

Thank you all for your generous and kind words of life on my birthday! I am so thankful to God to be in an environment that intentionally prepares the soil, even when no one is watching, so that others may be firmly rooted in the truth and thrive.

Thank you for welcoming me into this AMAZING Cadence family where you are a people of presence in a culture obsessed with productivity; community in a culture that is dying of loneliness; simplicity in a culture that is dying out on intensity; generosity in a world that is terrified of scarcity; hospitality in a culture of isolation and division.

You are incredible ambassadors for Christ and are making an eternal impact in my life! Every day I feel like I’m walking around in the kingdom of heaven. You are the real deal and my cup overflows with blessings. Let’s shake this love around!

These heartfelt words come from one of Cadence’s competent and caring HQ servants. Janelle’s gratefulness stems from experiencing the rich and real community of the love and life of our HQ team.

Genuine fellowship like this is being cultivated around the world in Cadence living rooms, kitchens, patios, and back yards. It’s being intentionally created in offices, hallways, board rooms, chapels, and retreat centers. This is the heart and soul of Cadence’s values and ministries—Christ-centered relationships are the soil where life-transformation grows and thrives!

Thank you for your faithful financial partnership which makes this Kingdom-impact possible. And thank you, Janelle, for such a beautiful reminder of the power of community.

David Schroeder
President

Cadence Staff Spotlight

Cadence Staff Spotlight

I’d like to introduce you to Jeremy and Shawna Quattlebaum who have been serving with Cadence Intentional since 2013. For seven of those years they ministered at The Lighthouse, Cadence’s hospitality house ministry to the Sailors and their families stationed at the U.S. Navy Base—Fleet Activities in Yokosuka, Japan. It is the largest overseas U.S. Navy installation, strategically important in the region, and Cadence has experienced thriving, fruitful ministry there since 1969!

Jeremy and Shawna say, “Serving with Cadence allows us to practically live out Jesus’ marching orders in Matthew 28:19–20, to ‘Go and make disciples of all nations.’ Every time the military community steps into our home, we have the honor of carrying out the Great Commission, making disciples as we share the gospel and our lives around the dinner table, during Bible study, and even on a beach outing. Cadence takes us beyond a weekly meeting, empowering us to truly live out our faith by investing in others.”

Sailors and some of their family members chime in on what the Quattlebaum’s ministry at The Lighthouse meant to them.

  • “Having Jeremy and Shawna serve with Cadence provided a family in a time when we were so far away from ours.”
  • “Shawna thank you for loving people well and inviting me into ministry.”
  • “Jeremy really challenged me to grow in my faith by diving deeper into God’s Word and having authentic community with God’s people.”
  • “Thank you for investing in our lives and the lives of our children. You truly made an impact.”

Jeremy and Shawna handed the leadership of The Lighthouse over in September of 2023 to Cadence missionaries Duncan and Suzanne Forbes, who continue to bear powerful fruit in the lives of Sailors and their families transformed by Jesus.

The Quattlebaums are currently on a Cadence home assignment and seeking to strengthen their financial and prayer support so they can begin their next ministry assignment at the Fort Bragg Hospitality House, which has been reaching Soldiers and their families stationed there since 1994.

Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty), a U.S. Army installation located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, ranks among the largest in the world with a population of more than 52,000 military personnel. Fort Bragg covers more than 251 square miles and is home to the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps. It also serves as the headquarters of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

Please ask God to raise up more financial partners for Jeremy and Shawna and for all staff on Ministry Partnership Development. Pray that both ministries at Navy Base Yokosuka, Japan and at Fort Bragg, North Carolina will continue to thrive and be used by God as he makes his love known to people stationed there.

Thank you for your partnership with Cadence which is bearing fruit in military communities across the U.S. and around the world. We are so grateful for you!

David Schroeder
President

Ministry Spotlight—Victory Villa, Rota, Spain

Ministry Spotlight—Victory Villa, Rota, Spain

For almost 50 years, Cadence International has been sharing the gospel and our lives at Victory Villa, a hospitality house in Rota, Spain. The property, strategically located just a short walk from the main gate, occupies four acres of land overlooking the Bay of Cadiz. The easy access from base, beautiful setting, and warm welcome from Cadence staff make the Villa a haven of peace and spiritual refreshment for military personnel and their families.

Currently, Cadence staff Ben and Melody Bloker, Tori Randall, and Anna Tamblyn are experiencing significant ministry to the young adults in this strategic Navy military community. This photo is of Tanner, a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) rendering a salute during retreat aboard the USS Paul Ignatius.

Tanner is one of six SWOs who are part of Victory Villa’s young adults ministry. Being a single officer on a destroyer has many challenges, especially with Navy regulations limiting officers’ ability to mingle with enlisted Sailors. As the chapel’s official young adults program, our Cadence staff have the opportunity to be a ministry where all ranks can gather to play games, enjoy a meal together, and study the Bible.

Cadence is also making plans for the Victory Villa 50th Anniversary Celebration in Rota, Spain, on October 23–25, 2025. We look forward to celebrating what God has done through this ministry for many years. We invite all Cadence Alumni who have been part of the Victory Villa community over the years to attend. For more details, email Angie.Sprague@Cadence.org or visit Cadence.org/Rota50Celebration.

This is one of 50 ministries Cadence offers near military installations across the United States and around the world. Thank you for partnering with us in such a strategic and fruitful outreach to military people and their families.

David Schroeder
President