“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3

As I reflect on the calling we share in this gospel work, Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:3 stir something deep in my spirit: “Make every effort . . . ” What a charge! This is not a passive suggestion—it’s a rallying cry to intentional action.

In this season of ministry, I see Cadence staff around the world making every effort to pursue gospel unity in military communities. They are leaning into hard conversations, extending hospitality, praying fervently, and showing up consistently in the lives of service members and their families. It is not always easy, and it is certainly not always tidy. But it is always worth it.

And you are part of this effort. Your giving isn’t incidental, it’s intentional. You have joined us in the work of unity, peace, and spiritual transformation. Your partnership with Cadence, and your very life, is an integral part of that “every effort.”

I want to exhort you today: don’t grow weary. Make every effort in your prayers, your encouragement, your support, and your lives. Your partnership helps keep the gospel near the front lines.

Together, let’s be found faithful.

With gratitude,
Dave Hutchings
President

Greetings!

What a privilege it is to write you as the fifth President of Cadence International. Our family has served with Cadence for nearly 20 years, and we have been shaped deeply by this ministry as God has worked in us and around us while we were singles, newly married, and now with a growing family. It has been a sweet and joy-filled ride.

As a family of six, we have quite an array of personalities, temperaments, and preferences. God has brought us together to live and love out of an overflow of His rescuing and redeeming work in our lives. Yet we are a cast of unlikely characters living what I can only describe as holy chaos. Our messiness and differences highlight the beauty of God’s grace in our lives, the depth of our relationships, and the unique traits, passions, and gifts that we bring to this life and each other. What a privilege to live and lead with a family like this.

As I reflect on the gift of this mission, I am deeply reminded that the gospel not only rescues us from sin but also brings us into a family, a people united in Christ. Scripture calls us to “walk in a manner worthy of our calling, bearing with one another in love and eagerly maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3). This unity is built on the shared reality that we belong to Jesus. In a world marked by division, we as the people of God stand as a witness to a better way. We are people formed by grace and held together by the cross. This is lived out in our homes and communities. It is who we are.

I want to express my sincere gratitude for each of you. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you … because of your partnership in the gospel” (Philippians 1:3–5). I thank God for your faith, sacrifice, and participation in this work of the gospel. May we embrace the journey with this unlikely cast of characters as we lay our lives down for the sake of Christ, side by side and with joy, knowing that what God is building among us is only the beginning of what He will do through the lives of military people, as we commit our way to faith-filled obedience. What a privilege to live and lead with a family like this. Here we go!

Dave Hutchings
President

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

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

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

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