The central thesis is that celebrative preaching on the Holy Spirit is an effective means to build Christian community in an army congregation that is extremely diverse and mobile. Just as Esprit de Corps, in the military, unites diverse individuals into cohesive organizations so, such preaching on the Holy Spirit effectively forms Christian community. Using the "Preaching as Celebration" Model, the core ofthe project centered on seven sermons dealing with the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church. In this paper I explored the component parts of Esprit de Corps, which means the Spirit of the Corps or Spirit ofthe Body with the work ofthe Holy Spirit to empower and inspire the Body of Christ. Through congregational questionnaires, personal interviews, e-mail exchanges, and informal conversations, I proved four out of five presuppositions that substantiated this thesis. I explained the unique value that the Christian community has for military congregations. Additionally, I identified where the church, and its preachers, can learn from the Army about building community in the areas of call, commitment, leadership, training, and teamwork.
