New Frontier, Vol 29, No 01

I’m just amazed. Every day it’s something new with The Salvation Army.

The Western Territory’s news source for 29 years

Kroc Center slated for Suisun City The Western Territory has announced that the final Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center to be built in the Western Territory will be in Suisun City, Calif. An award of $44 million will allow the Del Oro Division to construct a 56,000 sq. ft. facility adjacent to a public park, library, and middle school. This award is divided into a $22 million grant for facility construction and a $22 million program endowment.

The proposed facility will include a 280-seat chapel/auditorium, two swimming pools, multi-court gymnasium, fitness center, two aerobic/ dance studios, child care center with outdoor playground, 3,000 sq. ft. multi-purpose community meeting space, classrooms, climbing wall, large commercial kitchen and a party room.

A bedroom community between Sacramento and San Francisco, Suisun City has a population of 27,000 people. The Kroc Center will also provide services to the

January 14, 2011 • Vol. 29, No. 1

High Council convenes th to elect 19 General n How a Salvation Army General is chosen.

BY GENERAL JOHN LARSSON (RET.) On Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, the High Council of The Salvation Army will meet at Sunbury Court, near London, England, to elect the Army’s next General. Membership of the High Council is comprised of all commissioners, all territorial commanders and, since February 2010, all territorial presidents of women’s ministries. The 2011 High Council, with 109 members, will therefore be the largest High Council to date and will also be the first to have more female members than male.

Usually eight or nine days after the High Council has begun its work, the cameras will zoom in on the closed door of the council chamber as Salvationists all around the world watch expectantly on the internet.

When the door opens the Army family will catch the first glimpse of its new head.

SUISUN CITY, page 8

A Salvationist reflects on Multiculturalism n Cultural awareness week is Jan. 16–22.

BY JOHN MARION As a member of Generation Y, I grew up in an incredibly multicultural society. My primary school classes were full of children from different cultures, my first best friend was a Malaysian boy, and my education stressed the benefits of diversity and the necessity of tolerance. I was also blessed to grow up in a household where racism never reared its ugly head, and amongst my friends (including first and second generation Australians) bigoted attitudes were never accepted, and even strongly challenged.

My experience of multiculturalism is in no way unique. As mentioned above, tolerance and cultural diversity are heavily stressed in the MULTICULTURALISM , page 8

Preliminaries After electing a President to guide its deliberations, the first task of the High

Photo courtesy of International Headquarters

Council will be to establish the way it will work. The Council will review the Orders of Procedure used by the previous High Council, which distils into about 100 numbered paragraphs the accrued wisdom and experience of all past Councils.

After reviewing the document and making any amendments it feels necessary, the

2011 High Council will formally adopt the revised version as its own Orders of Procedure.

A High Council is an exercise of spiritual discernment, and time is therefore set aside for worship, reflection and prayer. The collective prayer of the members will be that at HIGH COUNCIL, page 4

n The Salvation Army remains

The Haitian flag flies in Port-au-Prince over rubble from the January 2010 earthquake.

Photo by Yves Montoban

committed to Haiti’s recovery.

most healthy struggle to survive.

In just 37 seconds, Haiti was changed forever.

BY HEIDI J. BAILEY, LT. COLONEL Before the shocking destruction of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck on Jan. 12, 2010, Haiti was already struggling with 70 percent unemployment, a 15 percent infant mortality rate, a fragile government plagued by corruption, and few public services for its citizens.

After the earthquake, Haiti was confronted with a homeless population of 1.5 million, a death toll of 250,000, unimaginable suffering for 300,000 injured and minimal resources with which to respond. In the weeks to come, 200,000 people would require amputation, creating a new generation of disabled persons in a culture where even the

Immediate response The Salvation Army immediately responded—something they have been doing in Haiti since 1950 when the Army commenced its ministry there. Today, Haiti is home to the largest Salvation Army in the Western Hemisphere with more than 60 churches, 11,000 students in 48 Salvation Army schools, clinics and children’s homes as well as many community development programs.

The Salvation Army’s international emergency earthquake response in Haiti has included medical care to over 26,000 victims, the HAITI , page 4

Divisional leadership changes announced

The Salvation Army in Billings, Mont.

Read about new programs and partnerships in Billings, Mont. beginning on page 6.

Doing the Most Good

Sunbury Court, where the next General of The Salvation Army will be chosen this month.

Haiti one year later: ‘Build back better’

Inside:

Frontlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Promoted to Glory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 In Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 From the Desk of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Life Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 On the Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

~

—Bob Carr, Montana State University, Billings

Major Timothy Foley

Major Cindy Foley

COLLEGE FOR OFFICER TRAINING Major Timothy Foley Training Principal Major Cynthia Foley Director of Special Services

SOUTHWEST DIVISION Lt. Colonel Joseph E. Posillico Divisional Commander Lt. Colonel Shawn L. Posillico Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries

GOLDEN STATE DIVISION Major Stephen C. Smith Divisional Commander* Major Marcia C. Smith Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries*

All appointments and promotions effective March 1, 2011

Major Steve Smith

Major Marcia Smith

Lt. Col. Joe Posillico

Lt. Col. Shawn Posillico

*With promotion to the rank of Lt. Colonel

Additional appointment changes can be found on page 2.

2

Doing the Most Good

January 14, 2011 New Frontier

NEWS BRIEFS OF THE WEST

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

(2 Cor. 5:17 NKJV) Correction: Karen Modesto Citadel Gleason builds a legacy The December 2010 Editor frontline (New Frontier vol. 28, no. 20) describing this legacy contained errors; please note these corrections.

The Modesto Citadel Corps, led

by Corps Officers Majors Darvin and Betty Carpenter, conducted the “70/30 Building a Legacy Campaign.” Major Darvin Carpenter is also the county coordinator. The Modesto Citadel Corps receives the monthly interest; a percentage goes to the Modesto Red Shield, where Captains Martin and Tory Ross serve. Major Darvin Carpenter addressed donors at the luncheon, not Brian Aird.

We apologize for the errors.

Students share Christmas joy with homeless Whittier (Calif.) Corps Officers Majors Chuck and Linda Gillies welcomed the high school group from Florence Avenue Foursquare Church (FAFC) on Dec. 15, 2010.

As a Christmas project, the students voted to make gift boxes and deliver them to homeless in their area. Searching for a safe way to do this, leader Tracy Wade learned of the Whittier Corps’ emergency shelter just a few miles away.

They contacted the corps and made arrangements to deliver the gifts.

Each box contained a bottle of water, new pair of socks, Granola bar, candy cane and a handmade Christmas card decorated by FAFC’s Kidzone kids. The youth also brought instruments and led everyone in singing.

Record food boxes donated in Portland Partnering with The Salvation Army in Portland Metro (Ore.) for the past 24 years, Lamb’s Thriftway Christmas Food Box Program continued the joint venture in 2010 with a donation of 1,228 food boxes.

Shoppers at five Lamb’s Thriftway stores donated $25 each to provide a box of food for those in need. For every five boxes purchased, Thriftway donated one additional box.

This year’s total exceeded Thriftway’s goal of 1,100 boxes.

Corps officers receive an appreciation letter The Port Angeles Corps (Wash.) received a letter extolling the work of Corps Officers Dana and Kathleen Johnson this Christmas.

More than 560 families—1,800 children—had pre-registered for assistance.

Captain Kathleen Johnson handled registration and distribution.

“Captain Kathleen said no one would be turned away…and no one was turned away,” Anna Barrigan, advisory board member, said.

After passing out gifts to latecomers and hospital patients on Christmas Eve, Johnson returned to the corps just in case anyone not signed up came in.

“I left the corps feeling that staff and volunteers went beyond their call of duty…I am happy to be part of The Salvation Army,” Barrigan said.

West hosts first Kroc Center Conference n “Pursuing Potential,” 110 delegates gather in San Diego.

BY CINDY FOLEY, MAJOR The San Diego Kroc Center was bursting at the seams in December 2010, as officers and staff gathered for the first national Kroc Center Conference. Under the banner of “Pursuing Potential,” 110 delegates from all four U.S. territories participated in sessions designed to explore the mission of Kroc Center ministry and practices that will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the programs that are offered.

Nationally acclaimed presenters provided both keynote presentations and workshops in subjects ranging from staff training and hospitality programs to budget analysis and trends in athletic programming. The presenters included Lauren Livingston, president of Sports Management Group; Ken Ballard and Jeff King, presidents of Ballard*King Associates; Steve Blackburn, vicepresident of BRS Architecture; and Michelle Noyes, executive vice-president of Summit Marketing. Other presenters included Ruby Newell-Legner, president of Ruby Speaks! and staff trainer for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.; and Dr. Richard Dangel, CEO of Praesidium, the leading provider of training and research geared to preventing the abuse of children and vulnerable adults in the U.S. and around the world.

Kroc Center officers and staff shared knowledge in providing programming to meet the spiritual, physical and social needs of their respective communities.

Sessions in day camp ministry, memberbased fundraising campaigns, small budget/smaller staff marketing plans, and fiscal management procedures represent offerings that provided important “real time” lessons from multiple Kroc Center sites.

Ten facilities shared best practices for excellence. Dr. Kenneth Dye, direc-

Delegates pose for a photo on the staircase of the San Diego Kroc Center.

Photo by Lisa Van Cleef

tor of bands at Notre Dame University, and Major David Harvey, St. Joseph County Kroc Center, explained how the BandLink partnership at the St. Joseph County Kroc Center in South Bend, Ind., is reaching kids with music lessons even before their facility is open. Their plan encourages universities across the country to partner with The Salvation Army to enlist marching band students as volunteer music teachers at Army facilities.

Other highlighted programs included the Youth Theater and Family Arts programs at San Diego Kroc Center, the Teen Outreach Program at Coeur d’Alene Kroc Center, the basketball leagues in Dayton, Ohio, and the school partnership programs at the Chicago Kroc Center.

“Burgers and baseballs” Hosted by the Western Territory, the Kroc Center Conference began with a welcome from Colonel William Harfoot, chief secretary, and an inspiring keynote address from the Territorial Commander, Commissioner James Knaggs, who encouraged delegates to see the importance of community center ministry and

to imagine what God’s purpose might have been through the sales of “burgers and baseballs” that allowed Joan Kroc to provide $1.8 billion dollars to build and endow Kroc Center facilities across the U.S. Her estate, funded mainly on assets garnered through the success of the McDonald’s Corporation and the San Diego Padres baseball team, allows the Army to build and operate state-of-theart facilities for recreation, education, arts, and spiritual programming. With only 11 of the expected 27 facilities in operation, the Kroc Centers in the U.S. will serve over 10 million people this year.

Major George Rocheleau, a delegate, said the conference “was both fantastic and historic! Meeting Kroc people from across the country—sharing ideas with them—was incredible.”

Harfoot added his desire to see the Western Territory continue to host a conference for both Kroc Centers and community centers in the years to come. “We want our officers and soldiers to have a renewed vision for the limitless possibilities of community center ministry.”

New appointments announced TERRITORIAL HEADQUARTERS BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Lt. Colonel Don McDougald Assistant Secretary for Business Admin.

PERSONNEL SERVICES Captain Stephanie Dennis THQ Chaplain BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Major Jeff Dennis Assistant Territorial Finance Secretary PROGRAM SERVICES Captain Jessyca Elgart Assistant Social Services Secretary ADULT REHABILITATION CENTERS COMMAND Major Jack Phillips Administrator­—Portland ARC and PRT-SEA Area Coordinator Major Anna Phillips Director of Special Services—Portland ARC and PRT-SEA Associate Area Coordinator Major John Reed Administrator—San Francisco ARC and Bay Area Coordinator Major Katherine Reed Director of Special Services—

San Francisco ARC and Associate Bay Area Coordinator Major Erik Hoogstad Administrator—Denver ARC Major Sylvia Hoogstad Director of Special Services— Denver ARC Lt. Colonel Charles Strickland Administrator—Bakersfield ARC Lt. Colonel April Strickland Director of Special Services— Bakersfield ARC Major George Beauchamp Administrator—Oakland ARC Major Julie Beauchamp Director of Special Services— Oakland ARC Major James Sloan Administrator—Tucson ARC Major Barbara Sloan Director of Special Services— Tucson ARC Major Gary Smith Chaplain—Pasadena ARC ALASKA DIVISION Major June Nicloy Associate Administrator—

Anchorage ARP CASCADE DIVISION Majors William and Mary Dickinson Corps Officers—Portland Moore Street Corps Lieutenant Maureen Lawliss Corps Officer—Albany Corps GOLDEN STATE DIVISION Major Ed Covert Corps Officer—South San Francisco Citadel Corps SIERRA DEL MAR DIVISION Captain Erin Kauffman Camp Director—Pine Summit SOUTHWEST DIVISION Lieutenant Anthony Barnes Divisional Youth and Candidates’ Secretary Lieutenant Lisa Barnes Associate Divisional Youth Secretary Appointments effective Feb. 2, 2011.

Doing the Most Good

January 14, 2011 New Frontier

3

91 YEARS STRONG

The Salvation Army Marching Band n The Army’s Tournament of Roses Band continues its New Year’s tradition.

In 1920, Woodrow Wilson was president, the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was ratified giving women the right to vote, federal spending hit $6.36 billion, the cost of sending a firstclass letter across the country was two cents, and The Salvation Army Marching Band made its first appearance in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.

Much has changed in the last century, but The Salvation Army is still marching in the annual New Year’s parade—this year for the 91st time—still performing live for nearly a million people lining the sidewalks of Colorado Boulevard and close to a billion more watching on television from just about every corner of the world.

This year, the band played a new tune—a march, titled “Stand up, Stand up,” composed by Paul Drury from Edinburgh, Scotland. Drury won an international talent search sponsored by The Salvation Army’s Southern California divisional music department, which drew entries from 15 countries, including the Philippines and some African nations.

Drury, who traveled with his family as guests of the Southern California Division to hear his march performed, commented that he enjoyed fellowship

The Salvation Army Tournament of Roses Band marches in the Rose Parade on Jan. 1.

with the guest band, the U.K. Territory’s Southern Divisional Youth Band, led by Bandmaster Stephen Cobb, who also leads the International Staff Band. “These 50 young Salvationists are a credit to the Army, with a keen sense of purpose, musicianship and deportment, married with a desire to show kingdom values in the work that they do,” said Drury.

The guests resided at Camp Mt. Crags during their stay.

A highlight for Drury was seeing the band perform at Bandfest, a celebration

of youth music making. “Particular note must be made of the Pasadena Tabernacle Youth Chorus and Tabernacle Children’s Choir,” he said. “Both groups are simply brilliant.”

Leading the Army’s Tournament of Roses Band—for the 10th year—was Bandmaster Kevin Larsson, Southern California divisional music director.

In addition to the U.K. guest band, 45 individuals traveled from around North America to participate; unfortunately, eight couldn’t make it due to blizzards in the East.

Courtesy of Tournament of Roses Archives

This year the marchers included people from age 14 to over 70. Southern California Divisional Commander Lt. Colonel Victor Leslie marched, as did three generations of the Saunders family, and Rick Sparks from the Tustin Ranch Corps marched his 39th parade this year—all sharing the common bond of keeping The Salvation Army’s 91-year streak alive and sharing the love of God through music.

Robert Brennan and Jacqui Larsson contributed to this article.

Salvation Army Christmas events close out 2010

Photo by Stacy Antonovich

Olympia sponsors toy run

Around 15,000 motorcyclists—more than last year— assembled on Dec. 4, 2010, in Olympia, Wash., with bikes adorned in lights, garland and other Christmas decorations, for the 33rd Annual Olympia Toy Run sponsored by Majors William and Joy Lum, Olympia corps officers. Registration fees were a new unwrapped toy or $10 for single riders and $15 for doubles. Volunteers lined the five-mile route with plastic bags to collect the donations, which totaled 13,463 toys and nearly $10,000 in cash.

Making spirits bright at the ARC n Orange County Women’s Auxiliary holds annual tea for ARC women.

BY DAWN MARKS The Salvation Army’s Orange County (Calif.)

Women’s Auxiliary members and friends received a warm reception from the Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) women residents on Dec. 12, 2010, during the 9th annual traditional Victorian Christmas Tea at the ARC residence in Anaheim.

Prayer and a devotion led by Major Laura Heiselman, ARC program director and director of special services, sparked awareness for the different feelings and meanings that each women might attach to a single lighted candle, setting an atmosphere for reflection and sharing as each of the 24 ARC women was paired with a “new friend” from the auxiliary for the afternoon.

The Victorian-era inspired dessert buffet table featured tiered plates brimming with traditional tea fare—homemade English scones, lemon curd and Devonshire cream. Accompanying the desserts was hot tea poured from a silver tea service into vintage teacups, all Frances Minett and friend Peggy donated by auxiliary enjoy the holiday tea. members.

Photo by Jan Landstrom The afternoon ended with the presentation of Christmas gifts to the ARC women from the auxiliary and a tour of the living spaces at the women’s residence.

Preparations for the tea involve the participation of over 40 auxiliary members and friends. According to Heiselman, the ARC women also prepare for the event by reviewing and practicing social etiquette techniques including proper introductions, social conversation and table manners.

The end result was a time of sharing and encouragement in the spirit of God’s love at Christmas.

Still ringing after 55 years For the 55th consecutive year, Merrill Fie took to the streets to ring a red kettle bell. Fie rings an actual Swill cowbell from the 1800s to ensure no one misses the sound of the bell. Fie, his family and friends staffed six kettle locations on the 16th Street pedestrian mall in Denver, bringing in several thousand dollars Bell ringer Merrill Fie in cash and checks.

Photo by Roger Miller

Edna Gilson and Major Ken Hood show off the group’s handiwork.

Photo by Elizabeth Minett

Turlock Silvercrest makes mittens Residents at the Turlock (Calif.) Silvercrest made mittens and scarves to help the homeless. Edna Gilson, resident and chief sewer, procured the material and recruited Rose Porfert-Machado, Cheryl Fantazia, Cheryl Crevas and Edna’s granddaughter Elizabeth as seamstresses. The Salvation Army and “Turlock Cares”—a homeless service organization—will distribute the items.

You never know who’s watching n Volunteering brings positive results for a bell ringer.

BY ROGER MILLER “Can we shoot a story about a bell ringer?” asked a local Denver television station of The Salvation Army.

This seemingly simple request became the catalyst that reunited two family members who had been out of touch for many years.

While ringing a kettle bell and playing his guitar outside the Hard Rock Café in a Denver mall, Steve Schmidt recalled how the Harbor Light Relapse Prevention CHRISTMAS, page 9

4

The World

January 14, 2011 New Frontier

Doing the Most Good

Salvation Army responds to cholera outbreak in Haiti The Salvation Army in Haiti is working to protect people from the cholera epidemic that began in mid-October. Since then, over 100,000 people have been infected, with the number dead approaching 3,500.

In Fond-des-Negres, The Salvation Army’s Bethel Clinic operates a cholera treatment center with 17 beds, which quickly filled. An additional site is being organized with the assistance of the Haitian government. The clinic reports eight cholera-related deaths.

At other locations, the Army’s response focuses on prevention, with the distribution of soap, disinfectants, oral rehydration packets and antibiotics in Salvation Army community centers. In the Port-au-Prince area, this included the primary health clinic, the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp next to The Salvation Army compound and the College Verena primary and secondary schools.

In other areas, response reaches 60 Salvation Army centers, including corps and schools.

Since the Port-au-Prince clinic operates in a temporary facility with limited space, it could not establish a treatment center, but the Organization of International Ministry operates one in the IDP camp, where 13,000 people still live. The Salvation Army works with the camp committee to provide adequate supplies for the center. Drinkable water and clean latrines have been provided at the camp in partnership with Concern Worldwide and Viva Rio. Several students at The Salvation Army’s Rossignol School are reported to have died in the outbreak. Since the infection is mainly spread through contaminated water, a treatment plant has been sent to Rossignol. The need for water treatment plants in all 49 Salvation Army-run schools in Haiti is being assessed.

Cholera is easily treated, but can be fatal if treatment is not started within three or four hours of symptoms appearing.

The epidemic is impacting every area of Haiti. Of particular concern is the Couyot community, because medical assistance is a five-to-seven hour walk. A supply of oral rehydration packets and bleach has been sent to Couyot.

The Salvation Army’s Canada and Bermuda Territory and a donor from the Bahamas have provided financial support to the prevention effort.

Donate to the “Haiti Appeal” at salvationarmy.org.

From reports by Majors Ron and Carol Busroe

HIGH COUNCIL

Left: Lt. Col. Heidi Bailey, international Haiti Earthquake response director, visiting with Haitian children in Jacmel where 606 temporary shelters were built.

Photo by Brad Bailey

HAITI

Some of the 1,500 students from The Salvation Army College Verena School in Port-au-Prince Photo by Yves Montoban

from page 1

distribution of 7 million meals, 1.5 million gallons of purified water, as well as thousands of tents, cots, tarps, hygiene kits, cleaning kits and cooking oil.

Electricity was provided to 20,000 people who sought immediate shelter on a sports field next door to the Army’s Port-au-Prince compound. This “tent city” soon came under Salvation Army management, and for 10 months, the Army partnered with other non-governmental organizations to help provide relief and security for the internally displaced people (IDP). Today, it is still home to 13,000 people who remain homeless, but not abandoned.

In addition, The Salvation Army built over 600 temporary shelters in Jacmel, 25 miles from the capital, helping give families a much-needed start in life.

Long-term recovery In the ensuing months, continued unmet needs and indescribable human suffering led the Army from its emergency response to a recovery and development phase. This new recovery phase is directed by the International Haiti Earthquake Response Office in London, supported by the leadership of the Caribbean Territory and carried out through the direction of the Haiti divisional leadership and the more recently established Haiti Recovery and Development Office, which is staffed by eight Salvation Army officers in Port-au-Prince.

The recovery initiatives are intended to build up Haiti through community development based projects, which include continued support to the IDP camp in Port-au-Prince, emotional support for children and adolescents in Port-auPrince and four other earthquake affected communities, financial support to children who were displaced by the earthquake destruction of The Salvation Army Children’s Home, and counselling and financial support to victims in six communities. Although government permission to begin rebuilding homes in Port-au-Prince is still pending, strategies for the construction of permanent housing for earthquake victims in that city and surrounding communities are being considered, as well as a number of smaller projects designed to develop the long-term capacity of the Haitian people.

Because all Salvation Army buildings in Port-au-Prince were damaged beyond repair, additional plans are underway for the

rebuilding of 10 Salvation Army schools, the renovation and handicap accessibility of 30 other schools, the rebuilding of the Port-au-Prince Central Corps, Health Clinic and staff homes, as well as the purchase of new administrative offices for the Haiti Division.

While the presence and impact of the Army’s recovery and development phase have been significant and encouraging, the aftermath of Hurricane Tomas, the continued fight against Haiti’s first cholera outbreak in over 50 years as well as the aftermath from the recent presidential election process, have slowed the rebuilding progress in Haiti, leaving the people even more vulnerable.

Hope endures In spite of the overwhelming challenges that our Haitian brothers and sisters face, one year later they humbly remind us of the resiliency of the human spirit and that for them, hope is life. As Salvationists in Haiti continue to gather for worship every Sunday morning—as they have done each week since the earthquake—the source of their strength can quickly be identified, as strong voices sing with all their hearts to their Lord: His oath, his covenant and blood Support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.

Long after the cameras have gone home and Haiti’s plight has disappeared from the news, the rebuilding will continue, one block of hope upon another. And The Salvation Army will be there as well, sharing in that hope as we uphold our commitment to “build back better” in Haiti in the months and years to come.

While it is unmistakably true that in 37 seconds Haiti was changed forever, it is just as true that their hope in God’s steadfast love has not. …therefore I have hope; the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.

(Lamentations 3:21-23)

from page 1

the end of the process they might be able to echo the words of the Council of Jerusalem: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (Acts 15:28 NIV).

Time is also set aside for discussions about the challenges and opportunities that the Army faces. Clarifying the issues the next General will have to grapple with helps to clarify the kind of leader the Army needs.

Nominations The High Council then moves to the nomination stage. Every member has the privilege of nominating someone to be a candidate for General. The only criterion laid down is that the person nominated must be an officer. That means that about 17,000 persons are eligible to be nominated. But on past precedent the forthcoming High Council is likely to nominate persons from within its own membership.

When the unsigned nominations are counted, only those who have been nominated by three members or more

are deemed to have been nominated.

Those who accept nomination become candidates­—and it is from this panel of candidates that the High Council will be called to elect the next General.

At this stage, the High Council adjourns for a full day to enable the candidates and spouses to prepare written answers to the questionnaires that the Council has prepared. Candidates also work on their speeches.

Questions and speeches When the Council begins its deliberations again, candidates and spouses read out their answers to the questions.

Through the process of questions and answers the High Council seeks to get to know the candidates at greater depth, and to learn more about their leadership style, their personalities and their views on subjects related to the Army and its ministry.

Each candidate then gives a speech.

No parameters regarding subject matter or length are laid down but speeches usually deal with the candidate’s vision

for the Army if elected General and last between 10 to 15 minutes.

Election When the questions and speeches have been completed the election begins. In the hush of the council chamber, each member in turn receives a voting paper from the President and enters a voting room to place a tick/check against one of the names on the paper before placing it in a ballot box. The other members engage in prayer. The process is unhurried and can take up to one hour for each ballot.

After the voting has been completed the tellers count the votes. The Salvation Army Act 1980—the Army’s legal constitution—stipulates: a) that in the first three ballots a candidate must get the vote of more than two thirds of the members present to be elected, b) that from the fourth ballot onwards a candidate need only receive the votes of more than half of the members present, and c) that the candidate who gets the fewest votes in

each ballot must drop out until only two candidates remain. The balloting continues until one of the candidates reaches the required number of votes.

Closing moments What happens next is of the greatest significance. However protracted the election process and however close the result, it is in the tradition of High Councils that the moment the new General is elected all members immediately give their full support to that person. Any differences of opinion there might have been before that time are swept away and the corporate decision of the body is accepted by all as the expression of the will of God. Then comes the moment when the doors of the council chamber are thrown open and the President presents the General-elect to all who have gathered at Sunbury Court.

Through the marvels of the worldwide web the rejoicings at Sunbury are shared

by Salvationists around the globe. From every heart rises the cry: “May God bless the General-elect!”

Doing the Most Good

January 14, 2011 New Frontier

‘Floods of biblical proportions’ n Many Australians left homeless from the worst floods in 20 years.

Reports that “the worst is yet to come” were not good news to thousands of Australians filling sandbags and packing up belongings in order to evacuate their homes.

The Salvation Army, along with other agencies, has been at work assisting the many thousands of people in Central Queensland affected by the floods.

The flooding—due to torrential rains—began before Christmas and has not abated, leaving the region under a sea of murky water. Four thousand people have been evacuated. Floods have inundated around 1,200 homes and damaged another 10,700, disrupting life in an area the size of France and Germany combined. At one point more than 200,000 properties were without power. The known death toll stands at eight; 72 people are missing. Poisonous snakes are climbing in trees and hiding in houses seeking dry refuge.

The deluge has caused major economic concerns, shutting down threequarters of the state’s coalmines and destroying crops.

North Queensland Divisional Commander Major Rodney Walters has been helping to coordinate the Army’s relief effort from divisional headquarters. The Salvation Army Flying Padre helicopter service has been transporting supplies to stricken communities and rescuing people trapped in dangerous situations.

“It’s been raining virtually non-stop for days on end and with many rivers still to reach their predicted peak, the worst is yet to come in terms of flooding,” Walters said.

With river levels in many areas not expected to peak until mid January, The Salvation Army is bracing itself for relief efforts to continue well into 2011. The disaster is expected to cost the government several billion U.S. dollars.

Retired Majors Don and Eva Hill have had no breaks since floodwaters entered the Emerald area. Their evacuation cen-

5

Elsewhere in the world EL SALVADOR—Regional Commander Major Donald Wilson had some unfinished business to complete before he and his wife moved to their new appointment.

On Jan. 6, Wilson sent out a request on behalf of the Usulutan Corps. The corps needed silverware for their feeding program. Although money had been set aside for this purpose, an emergency plumbing problem had depleted the fund. The corps members were bringing their personal forks, spoons and knives, then taking them back home.

Wilson appealed for $200 to purchase the utensils.

By Jan. 7, Wilson had received two e-mails.

One was from two workers at the Lawrenceville (Ga.) Corps contributing $100. The second e-mail read: “On behalf of your friends at Delta Air Lines in Atlanta, I would like to pledge the other $100 to fulfill this final request.”

In less than 24 hours the need was met.

Some of the flood affected area in Queensland, Australia Photograph by Shairon Paterson courtesy Pipeline

Flooding at The Salvation Army’s Bundaberg Welfare Centre Photograph courtesy International Headquarters

ter—located at the local agricultural college—was handling up to 160 residents at one time. The college’s two cooks supported them from their kitchen.

“I don’t know where it [food] was coming from,” Don Hill said, “but it came. One day when a truck pulled up

with a load of food, one of the cooks— who is not a professing Christian—said: ‘God must be real.’”

Sources include Bill and Scott Simpson (international news releases), Radio France Internationale, www. tehrantimes.com and Yahoo! News

Faith, hope and love in Poland n Western officers view their ministry as a threefold miracle of God. Faith, hope and love—these biblical virtues define the miracles that Major C. Patrick Granat and Captain Kitty Granat experienced as they undertook a new ministry in Poland.

Although Western Territory leaders had desired that the couple remain at their assignments in Oakland, Calif.— Alameda County coordinator and associate coordinator—they were also sensitive to the Granats’ request to respond to God’s call.

In September 2010, the couple relocated to Poland to serve as the regional officer for Poland (Major Granat) and as corps officer in Warszawa (Captain Granat).

The Granats considered the “faith” shown them by their Western leaders to walk through an open door from America to Poland and start a new ministry as their first of three miracles.

The second miracle came to them in the form of “hope.”

When they arrived in Poland, their new territorial leaders welcomed them warmly. Just knowing they were wanted and their ministry was appreciated was encouraging. At officers’ councils, Germany and Lithuania echoed that same welcome.

The Granats quickly learned that greater publicity was a primary need of The Salvation Army in Poland. Lack of visibility and a strong public image not only prevented the Army from developing volunteers and a donation base, but also led to suspicions of it being a cult—without exposure, few people understood the unique traditions of The Salvation Army.

New soldiers in Poland understand the symbolism of the flag under which they serve.

Photo courtesy of Poland, Germany and Lithuania Territory

Within their first two months there, the Granats were interviewed on national TV and Major Granat spoke at several community social service and ecumenical groups in Warsaw.

The results were seen not only in increased community exposure, but also in statistics when the corps witnessed a sharp rise in attendance from 20 to 45 as a direct result of the new awareness.

And the “love” and acceptance they received from their corps completed their three miracles.

“The warm reception we received from this embryonic corps would certainly fall into the category of love in the list of virtues expressed to us—these two foreigners,” Major Granat said.

ESTONIA—The Salvation Army’s rehabilitation work in Estonia has experienced a re-birth.

Captain Daniel Henderson—regional commander, Estonia Region, Finland and Estonia Territory—reports they have between 10 and 15 beneficiaries a day. One member is a graduate after completing a nine-month course, and four men are ready to complete six-month programs. Three clients have become adherents at the corps and the graduate has enrolled as a soldier.

Henderson attributes their success to prayer support.

The students generate income for the program by working in the Army’s Hope House Social Center. They assist in the homeless feeding program, perform janitorial services and sort and distribute donated clothing to those in need. They also cut, load and deliver firewood.

Many people have become regular customers—especially elderly people who prefer the program’s hand-cut wood and delivery service.

In 2011, for the first time, the Hope House Center is budgeted to raise 50 percent of its own support.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS—The Salvation Army is now active in 122 countries with the addition of the Turks and Caicos Islands, approved by General Shaw Clifton on Jan. 1.

The region is comprised of 40 islands and cays with eight of them inhabited. They are located east of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola.

The islands are under the supervision of the Caribbean Territory.

Captains Matthew and Rebecca Traylor, from the USA Southern Territory, have been development officers since 2008.

MALAWI, MOZAMBIQUE AND UGANDA—General Shaw Clifton announced on Dec. 22, 2010, that The Salvation Army’s Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda commands would each be upgraded to territory status as of March 1.

With 8,000 senior soldiers, more than 1,000 junior soldiers, 71 active officers, 35 corps, 13 outposts and 57 recent new openings, the work in Malawi continues to flourish.

A team of 52 officers leads the work in Mozambique in 40 corps, 60 outposts and four daycare centers, assisted by almost 4,000 senior soldiers and more than 1,000 junior soldiers.

Uganda currently has more than 7,000 senior soldiers—with more than 1,800 converts, adherents and recruits—almost 7,000 senior soldiers, 75 corps, 60 officers and 24 cadets in training.

8

Doing the Most Good

January 14, 2011

Homeless dog finds home at shelter n San Bernardino’s Hospitality House welcomes a new mascot.

Like many he meets at The Salvation Army’s Hospitality House emergency family shelter, Bear previously called the streets of San Bernardino, Calif., “home.”

Now this terrier mix makes the shelter feel more like home. Bear is a stray, taken in by the shelter’s live-in caretaker Mike Hernandez, after being officially adopted by The Salvation Army.

“The kids love him,” Hernandez said. “He is the shelter’s mascot and the perfect pet.”

Although Bear is gentle around the children, Hernandez said, he’s also a good watchdog, letting the shelter’s

volunteers and staff know when someone comes to the door.

“Before we adopted him, he had been hanging around the shelter for about six months,” Hernandez said.

“We don’t know where he came from.”

“He just wandered into the homeless shelter, not unlike many of the humans who have stayed there,” said Brian Cronin, treasurer of The Salvation Army advisory board and president of Animals R First (ARF), a non-profit organization that helps find homes for abandoned dogs and cats.

For six months before The Salvation Army adopted Bear, the Hospitality House workers asked everyone who lived nearby if they knew to whom the dog belonged. No

MULTICULTURALISM post-modern education experience, and society has moved in such a way that open intolerance and racism are condemned as multiculturalism is embraced. That is not to say that racism is dead and buried in our society; indeed, it often presents Red Shield Community Center Denver, CO

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This position is the overall director of the center operation. This center offers boxing, football, basketball, karate, computer labs, arts and crafts, after-school licensed child care and a host of other programs for children, young adults and seniors.

The current membership is 2,886. Contact Lt. Colonel Rich Love, business administrator, for information: (303) 295-2107 or Richard.Love@usw. salvationarmy.org. The center address is: 2915 High St. Denver, CO 80205.

one knew.

The Hospitality House staff told Cronin about Bear, because as the director of the San Bernardino County Animal Control Department, president of ARF, and genuine animal lover, they knew he could help finalize the adoption.

ARF paid for Bear’s neutering, vaccinations and grooming just before the adoption was made official.

“There are so many homeless animals living in the streets,” Cronin said. “This dog we knew would have a quality home by living at the Hospitality House. Besides, dogs can be a great comfort in times of distress, and guests of the Hospitality House often need that comfort. We felt it was Bear with Salvation Army volunteers Kathy Brown, Phillip Nash and Mike Hernandez.

Photo by Chris Sloan a perfect match.”

from page 1

not in action but in attitude. A recent story in The Age noted that over a third of people surveyed said that there were some cultural groups that did not fit in with Australian society, including Middle Eastern, Islamic and Asian groups.

I strongly believe that cultural diversity makes us a stronger community, even more so when we consider the Church.

Recently, I attended the World Youth Convention in Sweden with over a thousand young Salvationists from all over the world. The most resounding impression that the delegates from our territory came away with was the amazing cultural diversity of the Army. Worshipping with people from nearly 100 countries, in many languages and styles, and hearing their experiences and of their faith, reminded me that my culture’s understanding of the gospel is not fully complete, and that there is much to learn from other cultures’ experiences of the message in

their context. As Paul tells us, there are no racial distinctions in the body (Gal. 3:28), and so there is a place for all in our churches.

However, sometimes when I look at The Salvation Army in my division, I do not see this diversity. It is true that there are many corps that are engaged with many various cultures, and I can think of many corps that engage with African migrants and refugees.

Sadly, there are many corps where the diversity and multiculturalism of their local communities is not reflected in their congregations. The vast majority of the leadership and officers of The Salvation Army are Caucasian. I understand that there are many historical and cultural reasons for this, but we must be striving to increase diversity and to empower those who may have been excluded through negative attitudes in the past.

How do we achieve greater diversity in The Salvation Army? I strongly believe that the Army does not need to change from the top down, but from the soldiers up. I do not believe that we necessarily need to establish specific programs to reach out to different cultural groups (though I know that our Chinese, Indigenous and African congregations do fantastic work), but perhaps we can instead start to reach people as we each become willing to meet and build relationships with those who are different from us. This may push us out of our

comfort zones and require us to be openminded and sensitive to cultural differences, but I truly believe that our purpose of bringing Christ’s salvation to whosoever demands this of us.

I would be very interested to hear people’s experience of cultural diversity in their local settings. Has your corps had success in reaching a diverse community?

What are some of the challenges you face? I would also be interested to hear from people from different cultural backgrounds who have come to the Army, and learn from their experiences.

Respond to the author at http://tctoday. net/2010/09/20/multiculturalism-andthe-salvation-army/. New Frontier is also interested in your experiences; respond to new.frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org.

SUISUN CITY

from page 1

adjacent cities of Fairfield and Vacaville, extending its impact to the greater Solano County area.

The facility, currently under design, is expected to be completed in May 2012. Corps Officers Captains Jonathan and Vickie Harvey are “overwhelmed with the opportunity that God has given us in Suisun City.” Divisional Commander Major Doug Riley, adds, “This is a huge boost to The Salvation Army in Northern California.”

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Doing the Most Good

January 14, 2011

9

CHRISTMAS from page 3 Program had saved him from an addiction that had alienated him from family.

Watching the broadcast in Kansas, Rick Schmidt—Steve’s cousin—was touched by how The Salvation Army was helping Steve.

“It was evident that he had an alcohol problem in the past and The Salvation Army took care of him. I had no clue about his situation,” Rick Schmidt said. “This gave me new light on The Salvation Army.”

When Rick Schmidt went to the TV station’s website to make a donation to the program that saved his cousin’s life, he read that Denver Mattress Company would match his contribution 100 percent.

Denver Mattress Company donated over $108,000 to the Intermountain Division of The Salvation Army through its 11th annual Operation Rest Assured charity campaign. This is the second year the company has matched online gifts.

“I would normally be for helping the area I live in. But in this case, I wanted to help the program that helped my cousin,” Rick Schmidt said.

Steve Schmidt was in a band that performed at the annual Salvation Army Christmas Day homeless and hungry dinner and toy give-away when he learned his cousin saw him on TV. “I haven’t seen Rick in years. Guess I will try and get in touch with him and thank him myself and for the rest of the guys at Harbor Light,” he said.

You just never know who’s watching.

The Phoenix Rotary 100 Rubber Band

Kids from the San Bernardino Corps waiting for the Santa Claus Express Photo by Ricardo Tomboc

Kids ride the Santa Claus Express About 40 kids plus chaperones from the San Bernardino (Calif.) Salvation Army Corps were invited to take a train ride on the Santa Claus Express. For many of the kids, it was their first time on a train, which took them on a two-hour trip around the Cajon Pass.

The kids spent time with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, sang Christmas carols, and returned with memories of a wonderful time. The Arrowhead United Way in San Bernardino organized the event.

—Ricardo Tomboc

‘Tis the season for red kettles Denny and Julie Hamilton—frequent bell ringers for the Renton (Wash.) Corps—took their two dachshunds, Smudgie and Gideon, with them this year. Julie said the dogs attracted people who would normally walk away. Some even went back to their cars, got money and brought it back.

Photo by Ryan Crisp

Julie and Denny Hamilton with Smudgie and Gideon

Have you heard the Rubber Band?

Photo by courtesy of renton.patch.com

Major Hector Orellana was promoted to Glory on Dec. 6, 2010, from Tucson, Ariz.

One of 10 children, Orellana was born on April 2, 1945, to Abelino and Angela Orellana in Chiquimula, Guatemala. He came to the Lord through his wife, Emma Leticia.

Orellana and Emma migrated to the U.S. in 1982. That same year, he was introduced to The Salvation Army Hollywood (Calif.) Corps and served there as a soldier for 13 years.

As one of the first pioneers of the Hispanic ministry in the Southern California Division, Orellana helped open outposts in Santa Fe Springs and Burbank. He became an auxiliary captain during that time. He served at the Denver (Colo.) Red Shield Corps for two years and the Salt Lake City (Utah) Temple Corps for two years. His final appointment took him to the Tucson (Ariz.) South Corps where he served as corps officer for 11 years.

Orellana possessed carpentry skills, which he used on short-term mission trips in the Marshall Islands, Alaska, Estonia and the Congo. He helped build the Nogales Corps in Sonora, Mexico, and the chapel in Hermosillo, Mexico.

Orellana served in The Salvation Army for 28 years. He is survived by his wife, Major Emma Orellana; nine children: Mauricio Orellana, Uriel Orellana, Marlon Orellana, Laila Orellana, Hector Orellana, Captain Angie Carcamo, Rolando Orellana, Glenda Avalos and Willy Orellana; his father, Abelino Orellana; and brothers, sisters and grandchildren.

The Tucson South Corps held a Commemoration of Life service on Dec. 10, 2010. Colonel Olin Hogan, Lt. Colonel Douglas Danielson, Major Abigail Diaz and Commissioner James Knaggs spoke.

n The Phoenix Rotary 100 Rubber Band is a Christmas tradition.

Mrs. Brigadier Pearl Lorenzen was promoted

BY MARLENE KLOTZ-COLLINS Forty-seven years ago, three men—all members of the Phoenix Rotary 100—decided they wanted to do something different to raise money for The Salvation Army. So they crashed the monthly board meetings of the three major banks in Phoenix, performing Christmas carols and turning a hat into a collection plate. They quickly expanded their venues to include bars, eateries, and other corporations.

Thus, the Phoenix Rotary 100 Rubber Band was born. “We called ourselves the Rubber Band to remain flexible,” said Rotarian Dr. Bob Lorenzen, a past president of Rotary 100, who has been a band member for 46 years.

Nearly half a century later, this legendary group has raised more than $1 million for The Salvation Army in metro Phoenix. In December, it boarded its chartered bus a total of 34 times over four days, raising $53,654. Long-time Army supporters Jim and Jo-Ann Armstrong, owners of JDA Software, used the band’s annual visit to JDA to make a surprise $500,000 donation to the capital campaign for the Army’s Phoenix South Mountain Kroc Center. Additionally, JDA and their employees donated $8,676 toward the day’s performance by the band.

“For the last five years, we’ve earmarked all collections by the band for the Kroc Center,” said Phoenix Advisory Board member Barry Shemer, a 31-year participant in the Rubber Band. “To date, Rotary 100 has contributed $322,000 to the center—$247,000 from Rubber Band plus $75,000 from Rotary 100, thanks to advisory board member Roger Marce, long-time Rubber Band contributor and president of Club 100 when the $75,000 donation was approved.”

Southwest Divisional Commander Lt. Colonel Doug Danielson has played accordion in the band since 2007. “This has been a unique and extraordinary personal and fundraising experience,” he said. “To have an organization like Phoenix Rotary 100 embrace The Salvation Army as they have is truly an honor. The band is legendary.”

Dick Dunseath, Rotary 100 president, said, “The commitment of time to plan and execute is significant, but exceedingly worthwhile. Our members swell with pride when we report our final tally each year. A refrain we hear repeatedly from our corporate audiences is “‘Christmas for them doesn’t begin until the Rubber Band makes its visit.’”

to Glory on Nov. 25, 2010, from Alamo, Calif.

Pearl Stevens was born on Jan. 9, 1914, in Thief River Falls, Minn., to Conrad and Louise Stevens. At the age of 4 she moved with her family to Tacoma, Wash., where they were introduced to The Salvation Army when a neighbor invited them to church.

Lorenzen entered the School for Officer Training and was commissioned with the Do and Dare Session in 1934. After serving several appointments, she met Henry Lorenzen at a congress.

They married in 1937 in Tacoma. They served in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.; Juneau, Alaska; Salt Lake City, Utah; Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; and Denver, Colo. Their appointments included corps officership, and divisional and territorial assignments.

Henry Lorenzen was promoted to Glory on June 11, 1991.

Pearl Lorenzen had a beautiful singing voice and was an accomplished guitarist, and she used these gifts in her ministry. She was also a skillful seamstress, making items for Home League sales.

Even after retirement she continued working with Home League.

Lorenzen is survived by four of her five children: Paul Lorenzen, Julie Gibson, Marie Philipsen and Martha Slous. Her oldest son, Phillip Lorenzen, died in 2000.

The Concord (Calif.) Corps held a service for Lorenzen with Major Clay Gardner, corps officer, officiating. Interment followed at Cypress Lawn.

Lorenzen’s request was that donations be made toward a scholarship fund for cadets entering the College for Officer Training.

(L-R) The Honorable Judge Lance Ito; Robert Davi; Board Vice Chair Peggy York; Majors Cindy and Mike Dickinson, Los Angeles area commanders Photo by Ashley Concolino

A ringing success

n Los Angeles Area Command’s Christmas luncheon hits new high.

The California Club—a member’s only establishment in downtown Los Angeles—hosted The Salvation Army’s Los Angeles Area Command’s 3rd annual fundraising Christmas Luncheon on Dec. 16, 2010.

The Command’s advisory board decorated the tables with small red kettles as centerpieces.

Salvation Army band members supplied live music and everyone viewed a DVD of personal testimonies. Roger Van Veerssen, a U.S. Army veteran, shared his story of the renewed life and hope he found through the Army’s Haven program in West Los Angeles.

Actor, singer and director Robert Davi was master of ceremonies, stealing the show with stories of working with stars including Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, and sharing memories of The Salvation Army from his childhood.

Davi also oversaw the tabletop kettle competition. Guests had three minutes to stuff as much money as they could into their table’s kettle. The end result was a record collection of $105,722.05. (Yes, someone did give a nickel!)

The 2010 donation represented an increase of more then $20,000 from last year.

“We are so grateful to our board and each guest who joined us for this very special and successful luncheon,” Major Mike Dickinson, area commander with his wife Cindy, said. “We can’t thank Mr. Robert Davi enough. He is a class act and so instrumental in making this bell-ringing luncheon the record breaker it was.”

—Robert Brennan

10

Doing the Most Good

January 14, 2011 New Frontier

Robert Light: “We truly have an all sufficient God” Bruised from the fight with his cellmate, Robert Light lifted himself painfully from the cell floor. This was just the latest of several fights, and he Glen was only six weeks into a 12-month jail Doss Major sentence! Robert, 22, was scared. He didn’t know what to do.

Then a flash: Take it to God! Though he hadn’t been to church or prayed since childhood, he hit his knees. In tears, he pleaded: “Dear God, if you will get me out of here, I swear I’ll never steal another car! I’ll do right. I swear I will!”

Two hours later, roused from a deep sleep by the sound of his name over the intercom, he groggily replied, “Yeah?”

“Roll it up! You’re going home!”

“Wow!” Robert thought—but it couldn’t be! “What?”

“Do you want to go home or not?”

“Yeah! I’m sorry. I’m coming!”

Leaping from his cot, Robert left that jailhouse praising God. Robert’s story begins in San Diego where he and his older sister were raised by a working mom, an emergency medical technician. She divorced Robert’s stepfather, when Robert was 12. When she could, his mother took him to church where he loved singing in the choir. Robert was a good child; however, his sister began drinking and using drugs quite young, leading to violent behavior—fistfights—with their mother.

The household became increasingly chaotic.

Why God, why?

By age 14, Robert was also drinking, as well as smoking cigarettes and marijuana. His sister introduced him to methamphetamines. “When I took that first hit, I knew that was what I had been looking for,” he recalls. As his meth habit grew, Robert began selling the drug. Busted at 18, he spent six months in jail. Afterward his mother’s mobile home park would not allow him back in; he continued his criminal lifestyle, residing with friends.

As he climbed into his friend’s car for the ride home following a 2004 jail term, Robert noticed his buddy was unusually quiet. “Hey, man, what’s up?” he asked.

“You need to talk to your sister right away,” his friend told him.

Later Robert and his sister went for a walk. “I have something to tell you,” she said.

“Where’s mom at?” he asked anxiously.

“She’s dead,” came the blunt response.

As Robert sobbed, his sister told the bizarre story. His mother and sister had an argument. Afterward, their mother, aged 41, went for a walk in a heavy rain, though her car was parked nearby. Days later, her body was found floating face down in a lagoon, badly decomposed. In anguish Robert cried out: “What happened to my mom? Why, God? Why?” An investigation is still pending into what happened. Robert went on a binge lasting for days.

He was serving time for stealing a truck when he made his jailhouse bargain with God. When, to his amazement, the prayer was answered, Robert tried to keep the commitment—he sought out a sober living home—but a few months later relapsed. In 2006 he was arrested for grand theft auto and sentenced to two years in prison.

There Robert woke up.

Glancing around at the older inmates, he asked himself: “Do I want to be one of these men Robert Light and 30 years daughter Jessie from now?”

Released after 13 months, he confessed to a friend: “I don’t know what to do. But one thing I do know: I want to stay clean.”

Thoughtfully, his friend replied: “You don’t know how to live, Robert.

What you need is a program.” He reflected and realized she was right— he had never learned how to live an adult life.

Learning how to live Dropped off at The Salvation Army ARC in Perris, Calif., in November 2007, Robert realized: “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Hitting his knees daily, he recommitted his life to Christ, then began worshipping at the local Salvation Army corps. After completing the program in May 2008, he was hired on at the ARC. Shortly thereafter, an old girlfriend got out of prison and Robert began seeing her. One memorable day, she announced she was pregnant.

However, following the baby’s birth in September 2009, she relapsed on drugs. Three months after his daughter Jessie was born, Robert received a phone call from her grandmother: “Your baby’s mother hasn’t been back in three days, Robert. We have your daughter here. Maybe you should come get her.”

“I’m on my way,” he replied.

Robert since has been awarded custody of the child and is committed to being the best father he can be. “It’s hard to be a dad and raise a little girl by yourself,” he said.“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But she is my pride and joy.”

Today, Robert is an active soldier of the Moreno Valley Corps where he participates with the Praise and Worship music team. As dock supervisor, he ministers to the men in the ARC program.

“I tell them: ‘I came into the program with no family or friends for support but found God here. If you think you’re alone, be aware you’re not. You’re surrounded by brothers, and God’s always here for you. God took away everything I had just to show me he is all I need. He is all any of us need. We truly have an all-sufficient God.’ ”

Life interrupted Six months ago, my family left everything familiar and moved from Seattle down South. We live in a small, quirky house built in 1904 in an equally small, quirky town.

Thirty miles outside of Music City (Nashville), Lebanon Erin boasts a Super Walmart (our only nightlife), a handful of Wikle good BBQ joints, and an outSoldier door pool paradise—a lifesaver during the stifling heat and humidity of summer.

Some say we ran away. Some criticized us for making a hasty decision without a “plan.” Some gave us their blessing and have faithfully prayed for us since we left. Call it (or us) what you want, we call it obedience. We came to be part of a new body of believers committed to growing in close community. We came to learn how to be better disciples and how to disciple others. We came to get real with Christ and him with us.

Uprooted and replanted in the not-so-fertile soil of limestone-laden Lebanon, we prayed that through our obedience, God would work a miracle in us and in this hardened place.

What followed was unexpected.

When life doesn’t go as planned After an unplanned month of living with friends, (leaders of the Army outpost planted two years ago), the house we were waiting on “fell through” overnight. Days later we moved into a much smaller home next door to our friends.

During that same month, my husband remained without work and we went through what small savings we had. I was employed with The Salvation Army—something I figured would be a cakewalk given my history with the institution.

After an abrupt end to my time working in disaster relief, I was left heartbroken and angry. Unemployed (again) for a few months and still healing from deep wounds, bitterness took root in my heart as I daily battled depression and a ferocious anger that was neither healthy nor holy. My husband did find a job, but his schedule was odd—the kids and I barely saw him.

In my self-pity and misery, the Enemy was having a hay-day.

I began to long for the familiar: friends with whom I shared deep history and experience; family to whom I could escape and spend sweet moments with: money to at least soothe the sting of being without; distraction in any form of media to ease my mind and kill time. All the “comforts” I had over the years turned into obsessions and idols were now gone. I was

completed depraved.

Furious, I penned angry words up to heaven because I was too stubborn to speak them aloud: Is this how you respond in our obedience to you, Lord? We left everything beyond in earnest pursuit of you! Why are you withholding your blessing? How can you allow my reputation to be ruined in the name of injustice? Are you even listening?

Surrender In what seemed my deepest moment of despair, I gave up. The burden of personal expectation and the great weight of my circumstances overwhelmed me. I fell to my knees and wept. Something was breaking. The roots first planted in the shallow soil of my dry spirit had grown into little plants, choking the life rooted even deeper within. I was weary and done allowing the Enemy to destroy my belief in a compassionate and caring God. As I cried out, something broke.

I had nothing. And in my depravity, I found mercy. God stripped me of everything common, comfortable, and familiar and showed me life without dependence on him. I can say, not just with knowledge and rhetoric, but with belief and experience that God is good.

It is easy to say you are living for Jesus when your circumstances are ideal, but if they’re only ideal for you, you’re living for yourself. It’s simple to say you trust in him alone, but really, you’re trusting that the money will keep flowing and you’ll never be without. It’s not hard to praise God when he’s shown you his goodness, but when your world becomes hazy and obscures the unchanging character of Christ, we falter and ask questions.

It took moving my family thousands of miles away to recognize that God didn’t want more from us so much as he wanted to do more in us: to refine our character, purify our intentions in ministry, teach us to love authentically and without condition, aid us in giving freely of everything he’s given us, and to really be about the business of living selflessly to enrich and expand the kingdom of God. As I learn to trust in him alone, my eyes are no longer focused on myself and the world around me, but on the One who doesn’t change, the One who brings freedom from everything that promises anything less.

Christ is all, Yes, all in all.

My Christ is all in all.

The One who never changes While creating a picture Christmas card, my mother and I reflected on Christmases past. We started singing the old Sunday school song, “Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same; we may change but Jesus never; glory Sue to his name.”

As we selected photos for Harfoot her greeting, we found picColonel tures of mother as an infant, a teenager, and one taken last Christmas—she’s 84 years young. We laughed and cried that day as we recalled the changes life has brought both of us.

Gray hair and wrinkles, aches and pain, loneliness and loss have become a way of life for her.

Change—it’s not easy and it never stops. Isn’t it good to know that God never changes? Malachi 3:6 says, For I am the Lord, I change not.

What changes have you experienced lately? All of us will someday face a change in a relationship, a change in our health. For some there may be a change in employment, finances, or a new living

situation. Change often comes unexpectedly.

There is one thing that never changes— God—he is our constant. He promises: companionship (Deut. 31:6) God will never leave you nor forsake you; acceptance (Psalm 94:14) The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession; rest and reassurance (Exodus 3:14) to Moses he said, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you”; confidence (Joshua 1:5) to Joshua he said, “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you”; care in times of chaos (Isaiah 43:2) “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you”; and finally, God gives protection, comfort and restoration (Psalm 23).

Change: No need to worry. We may change, but Jesus…never. Glory to his name.

Doing the Most Good

January 14, 2011 New Frontier

Volcanic ash It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. I was in Northern Ireland for my dad’s funeral, and on the morning of the service I was sitting in the hotel restaurant Ian at breakfast with my Robinson younger brother.

“This is a really bad Major day for you,” I started.

“Here it is, your birthday, and we have to go to dad’s funeral service.”

He nodded grimly in agreement.

“Not only that,” I went on relentlessly, “But today is also the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.” All the more ironic because we were in Belfast where the Titanic was built.

Again he nodded, even more grimly.

Then he looked at me and said, “And now all flights within the U.K. have been canceled!”

I laughed, “That’s a good one!”

“No, I’m serious,” he said. “A volcano in Iceland erupted and is spewing ash all over Britain.”

“Come on,” I said, “Pull the other one.”

Another hotel guest at a nearby table overheard our exchange and interjected, “He’s right. It was on the news this morning. All flights within U.K. airspace have been canceled today.”

“How on earth are we going to get home?” I asked, but we had no answer.

Dad’s funeral went well. It was a good old Army celebration of his promotion to Glory after 88 years of life. Following refreshments at the corps we set about planning our escape back to the mainland.

Flying was out of the question—the ash caused all flights to be canceled for several days. In the end we caught a ferry to Scotland then rented a car to drive back to Stansted Airport, where our own car was parked. The return journey, which should have been a 60-minute flight, took 24 hours.

But the most remarkable thing happened on the ferry crossing from Belfast to Troon.

lifeLines

Remembering James Anderson My thanks to New Frontier (vol.

28, no. 18) for the excellent tribute to Bandmaster James Anderson following his promotion to Glory. I was the corps officer of the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps while Jim served as the bandmaster from 2002 to 2004. Jim brought to his service a wonderful combination of both great musical ability and deep spiritual insight.

A well-known and first class composer and conductor, he also had an impressive command of the Scriptures. Among Jim’s many characteristics, I will long remember his infectious sense of humor, command of and love for The Salvation Army songbook, encouragement of young musicians, and perhaps most of all, his genuine humility. In many ways, Jim was one of a kind and will be deeply missed by all of us who had the pleasure of being

impacted by his dynamic ministry.

Edward Hill, Major Honolulu, HI

The sea was calm and when we looked up all we could see was a clear blue sky. There was no sign of the ash—not a speck. And, of course, not a single aircraft of any shape or size. Irving Berlin once wrote, “Blue skies smiling at me, Nothing but blue skies do I see.” He was right that day.

Strangely, it made me think about sin.

Sometimes our sins are very plain to see.

We wear them like a badge. When someone gets caught in adultery or with a hand in the till, everyone knows about it. You can’t hide these things. But sometimes our sins are so tiny that no one can see them, not even us.

We just go on living with apparent happiness and ease and the outside world thinks we’ve got it all together. People will say, “He’s lucky, he doesn’t have any problems,” or, “Isn’t she the greatest? Such a good person.” And no one can see those tiny specks of sinful ash dangerously floating around in our lives. “Nothing but blue skies do I see.”

When Jesus confronted the Pharisees in Jerusalem, he told them they were like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean (Matt.

23:27). Is that you and me? Are we guilty of parading our religious righteousness for all to see when it’s really just make-believe?

Inside, are we phonies, fakes and charlatans? Do we create an image of living constantly under blue skies in some religious utopia when behind closed doors the reality is a life full of ugly sin and wickedness?

Maybe the time is right, at the beginning of 2011, to take a critical look at ourselves.

Is there any ash floating around in my life?

Something that others cannot see but that is holding me back, grounding me, slowing my spiritual progress? Then maybe we can ask, like David, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23, 24).

Happy New Year!

80 years in China I was interested in the article “80 Years of Service” (New Frontier, vol. 28, no. 20), relating to the 80th Anniversary Celebration of The Salvation Army in Hong Kong….Major Susan Wun (a field training officer at the College for Officer Training) and I were also in attendance at this great event. Major Wun was trained and served in Hong Kong and my late husband and I served eight years in Hong Kong. I am certain that those listed in the article with the exception of Majors Barry and Arlene Dooley never served in Hong Kong.

Melba Gilden, Mrs. Major Sun City, CA

New Frontier is published twice a month by The Salvation Army USA Western Territory Commissioner James Knaggs, Territorial Commander Colonel William Harfoot, Chief Secretary We welcome submissions of news stories of interest to the Western Territory.

If you have something you’d like to share, submissions can be sent electronically to: new.frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org or by postal service to:

New Frontier P.O. Box 22646, 180 E. Ocean Blvd.

Long Beach, CA 90802

The editor reserves the right to edit material submitted. Articles should be roughly 300 words in length.

EDITORIAL STAFF Robert L. Docter, Editor-In-Chief • 562/491-8330 email: bob.docter@usw.salvationarmy.org Christin Davis, Managing Editor • 562/491-8723 email: christin.davis@usw.salvationarmy.org Karen Gleason, New Frontier Editor 562/491-8332 email: karen.gleason@usw.salvationarmy.org

Edie Jenkins, Editorial Assistant • 562/491-8785 email: edie.jenkins@usw.salvationarmy.org

Buffy Lincoln, Associate Editor • 562/491-8329 email: buffy.lincoln@usw.salvationarmy.org

LAYOUT & DESIGN/ADVERTISING Kevin Dobruck, Art Director • 562/491-8328 email: kevin.dobruck@usw.salvationarmy.org Adriana Rivera, Graphic Designer • 562/491-8331 email: adriana.rivera@usw.salvationarmy.org CIRCULATION Arlene De Jesus, Circulation • 562/491-8343 email: arlene.dejesus@usw.salvationarmy.org

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11

Civility Civility has all but disappeared from American political discourse, and it seems in jeopardy in many interpersonal relations. I suspect life in a free society has made interpersonal respect always difficult to come by. Placing blame, however, for increased interpersonal disrespect is not a wise use of our energy. We receive the message and can choose our own interpersonal style in response.

Saying this, however, does not minimize the broad and powerful impact mass media has on this culture, and thus, our interpersonal style.

Robert Much of what we see and read is very positive. It instructs us, entertains Docter us, sometimes inspires us, and reinforces values taught within our culture Editor-In-Chief throughout the ages. We see people working on behalf of those who need help. We see kindness and consideration. We are immersed in acts of heroism, caring, compassion and concern. We enjoy good humor, powerful drama, wonderful music, and compete with contestants on game shows.

That’s not all we see. Some stuff presents unfortunate modeling. This, in itself, is not bad. We need negative examples to learn the value of the positive ones. We, however, must engage in the learning process.

Unregulated noise Yes, incivility has been with us for a long time. What’s different today is the plethora of noise from very loud speakers largely unregulated by rules concerning interpersonal civility.

A number of fairly new media sources provide the fuel. We see it, hear it, read it and get taught in the process that it’s okay to act toward each other in the manner modeled. A lot of it comes from cable television; some of it arrives from Internet bloggers who simultaneously seem ignorant of the meaning of freedom and believe they have the “right” to say anything they choose; and by politicians trying desperately to “look tuff, sound tuff and be tuff” on their opponent in order to get their 75 seconds of media coverage.

We have always had some hyperbole in news reporting—exaggeration for the sake of readership. Most of us recognize that it represents the worst of journalism. Moreover, with the 24-hour news cycle demanding a “grabber” every 12 minutes, too many producers resonate to the sound-bite that will trigger emotion—not intellect, not thoughtful examination of an issue, not rational analysis of a point of view. In the process, they trigger the worst parts of us and stimulate fear, which we turn into anger. They model how to ridicule and attack targets. They give us permission to escalate the hostility among us, and they teach us the words to use while doing it.

Albert Einstein, writing about nuclear development, wrote: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” The same message describes some of our uses of the new massed media.

“We have met the enemy and they are us.”

Sources of input Let’s not kid ourselves, we receive interpersonal input from a number of sources on any given day. How we communicate with one another depends solely on choices we make about what we will do. What influences us? Who do we seek to emulate? What prompts us to choose one example over another? Why do we move toward elevating emotion over intellect? What thrills us about escalating incivility?

Interpersonal learning starts in the home. We take to the playground the values that are modeled there. Hopefully, we also learn about ourselves, about some of our own needs in interpersonal relations and how to get them met.

I often teach a course in leadership of a therapy group to graduate students learning to be therapists. I focus on interpersonal learning as a principal means to achieve therapeutic movement. During the initial stages of the group, the members discover that certain needs must be met in order to move forward.

Now, assume that your social scene is a giant group in which you are member and participate. Before you can participate effectively, you must address certain needs. Failing to resolve this matter will result either in “fight” or “flight.”

First, you need to feel safe—to achieve a feeling of security within the group—to know that you will be protected, that any risks you take will not result in ridicule or abandonment. In the process you learn through interpersonal feedback how to assist others in satisfying their need for safety.

Additionally, you need to begin to develop a sense of your identity in the group—how you’re perceived by others. Then you need to feel respected. Other members may confront you, but they do it respectfully because you have explained to them that this is the way you wish to be treated.

In any interpersonal disputes you demonstrate respect in your relationship with others.

Lastly, you need to feel that you have control over your own interaction and can provide feedback to others concerning your desires about how you are treated.

Be careful There you have it—if one does not feel safe, secure, respected, identified, and having some control over the manner in which you are treated, you may move toward argumentation, disrespect, name calling (fight) or withdraw into silence and no growth (flight).

Be careful what you learn and from whom you learn it.

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