On Fire 23 October 2010

23 October 2010 : : Volume 11 : : Number 21 : : 65 cents

PRINT POST APPROVED PP334385/00059 : : ISSN 1448-7861

Acting out the Bible…an act of faith

mission and ministry

The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory

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drama i n s i d e : : N Z Q U A K E : : D I S A B L it y and c h u r c h : : ou r p la c e : D E L A C O M B E

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reflection

23 October 2010

God spoke the world into being.

The Israelites told his stories, words jumping lips to ears, elder to child, for generations.

The disciples spread the word, recalling Jesus’ words and deeds for some 40-odd years before anyone put quill to papyrus.

When did text become what it’s all about?

God’s living word is dynamic—far more at home reverberating off your larynx and out into his world than sitting static on the page, waiting.

Once in a while, close the book and open your mouth.

23 October 2010 The Salvation Army, raised up by God for the work of Transforming Lives, Caring for People, Making Disciples and Reforming Society.

The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory WILLIAM BOOTH, Founder International Headquarters: 101 Queen Victoria St, London EC4P 4EP. Shaw Clifton, General.

Australia Southern Territory (Vic., SA, WA, Tas. and NT): 95-99 Railway Rd, Blackburn, Vic., Raymond A. Finger, commissioner, territorial commander.

Editorial: Captain Mal Davies, editor-in-chief.

All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, On Fire, PO Box 479, Blackburn 3130; ph. (03) 8878 2314; fax (03) 8878 4816; email: onfire@ aus.salvationarmy.org Advertising: Jan Magor, phone: (03) 8878 2304; fax: (03) 8878 4816; email: jan.magor@ salvationarmy.org; mail: PO Box 479, Blackburn 3130 Subscription/ Circulation: Annette Hill. Subscribe within Australia, $40.00 pa, to On Fire subscriptions, PO Box 479, Blackburn 3130.

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Ph. (03) 8878 2303; fax (03) 8878 4816 Printed and published for The Salvation Army

by Commissioner Raymond A. Finger at BPA Print Group Pty Ltd, Burwood, Vic. Press date: 12 October 2010 Editor: Linda Hogan Deputy editor: Ryan O’Connell

welcome

Don’t be so dramatic!

It seems everyone has a story to tell.

After all, hardly a week goes by without a B-grade celebrity releasing a scandalous tell-all book.

The Bible is said to be the greatest story ever told, but few of us can read it in its original form. Instead, we rely on translators and commentators.

We’re also constantly reinventing the way we share biblical knowledge.

From retelling the Bible through Lego characters at the very entertaining bricktestament.com, to the Anime Bible and bite-sized chunks on Twitter, the Bible has received numerous makeovers in an effort to connect with people.

Great things often come out of university theatre companies—think Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, the Monty Python crew and Stephen Fry—but rarely do they get more scriptural than Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

For Simon Camilleri, university theatre meant expressing his faith and sharing the Gospel through drama. After penning a few Christian plays, Simon took a risk, using the Bible as a finished work, rather than inspiration for writing his own material.

This paid off, and more people turned up for the performances than could fit in the theatre. Simon had stumbled upon truth known for centuries: ‘The word of God, just raw and unedited, is so engaging.’

The Bible is more than a historical record. It’s a book of stories—letters to be read aloud, psalms to be sung, oral traditions handed down from generation to generation.

When we consider this, the concept of biblical storytelling and dramatic reading almost seems obvious.

Many corps don’t have an active drama ministry.

Maybe it’s time for that to change.

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5 • News

Salvo Publishing launches the next ‘Stairways’ book

6 • Cover Story

Why we need more drama in our lives?

9 • Faith in Action

Wayne Jellyman tells a miraculous tale of healing

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10 • Our Place

Delacombe Corps have struck ministry gold Supplement: Intuition

11 • News

Reaching across the Tasman after the NZ earthquakes

14 • Feature

Disability shouldn’t mean exclusion from anything, especially church

16 •

Small Group Resources Aaron Stobie jumps for joy

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Also:

2 Reflection 4 Letter 5 A Reckoning 11 News 13 Tributes, Child Sponsorship

18 19

Frontlines Reviews

19 16

Supplements coordinator: Captain June Knop Graphic designer: Richard Lewis Proofreader: Dawn Volz

Linda Hogan Editor ®

contents

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letter

23 October 2010

All in ministry Hurrah for Captain Grant Sandercock-Brown and his fantastic article (‘Something Rotten in the State of Ministry’, 9 October). We hope it comes as no surprise that many of us in The Salvation Army think as he does, but how do we make our voices heard?

Those of us who came to the Army from other churches with a ‘set apart’ priestly caste have no desire to repeat the experience.

All who believe in God and the Holy Spirit and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour are priests with a ministry of mission and service—no ordination needed.

The example Grant used of a drunk wandering into the hall and having to be dealt with by the officer really resonated with us, as a number of years ago this happened at the church we were attending. A very drunk man came in the door and told us he was selling fish. Our priest simply could not cope and left the room while Geoff went to speak to the man and gently led him outside, where they talked for a while before the man left.

Do we think all priests are like that one? No, of course not.

Nor do most officers think they make the sun shine, but Grant’s article is very timely and relevant.

Envoys Geoff and Eve Reddish (via email)

Your greatness forever songs from Phil laeger, Catherine maCkenroth, nathan rowe, Danielle striCklanD & many more

a 2-disc set of new worship songs including backing tracks & printable charts.

Visit www.salvationarmy.org.au/cad or Salvationist Supplies 95-99 Railway Road, Blackburn 3130

23 October 2010

literature

Extending the stairway to heaven Salvo Publishing launches the second book in the Stairways Series—Prayer: The communication of love.

Lieut-Colonel Ian Southwell was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer in 1969, and has held a number of appointments in corps, education, administrative and leadership development roles in Australia, Africa, Asia and the UK. The first book in the Stairways Series is Born of the Spirit, (released November 2009) written for those helping seekers enter and grow in God’s family.

Ian Southwell spoke to On Fire about the latest instalment in the series.

Why do you think we need teaching on prayer?

Our spiritual health, wellbeing and usefulness all depend on our communication with God. Because God is so great and powerful, yet so personally loving, there is always more to learn about him and how we can communicate with him.

Prayer is challenging because humans cannot see God nor hear him audibly on most occasions. Some people hold misunderstandings about prayer that need to be addressed. Others are worried that their experiences of prayer are different to those of their friends, or that God does not answer their prayers the way they expect.

Prayer aims to address these issues.

Who is your target readership?

Christians of any denomination who want to grow in their relationship with God and others. I believe the book will help anyone from early teenagers to those of mature years approach private prayer, public prayer and group praying in new and fresh ways.

What is the most important lesson you have learned about prayer?

Being aware of God and paying attention to him is more important than any words we can use. Prayer finds its meaning and focus in a two-way communication of love with God.

How do you think this book will help anyone who is seeking a deeper prayer life?

The book starts by exploring how more common relationships develop, such as those at work or with good friends. Then it sets out to show how our relationship with God can develop on similar lines. The suggested activities and biblical reflections should prompt the reader to encounter God through prayer in fresh ways and at new levels. The material can be used personally or in group settings such as life groups or home Bible studies.

How does this book relate to Born of the Spirit?

Born of the Spirit is designed to equip Christians with knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to help someone seeking to commence or continue a relationship with God through Christ. One of these skills is the ability to come into effective, helping relationships with the seekers so they, in turn, can step up to the relationship they desire with God. Similar steps apply.

Prayer is a suitable follow-on, however, each book may stand alone.

What’s next in the series?

Next is Giving to God—a response of love.

The book will introduce seven easily remembered principles of Christian giving, continuing the theme of rising to new levels in our relationship with God and others.

Both Prayer and Born of the Spirit are available from Salvationist Supplies, $15.

a reckoning

The scent of manipulation There has been much praise for the Dove ‘Campaign for real beauty’ advertising encouraging women to be comfortable in their own skins and see through advertising’s airbrush trickery.

Sadly, this campaign loses its shine when you consider Dove is a Unilever brand, the same company behind Lynx deodorant.

At high school I remember swooning as I caught a sniff of that familiar scent the boys liberally sprayed themselves with. Actually, it was more passing out than swooning—I am allergic to the butane in the aerosol cans and one whiff had me flat out on the corridor floor. Fond memories.

But in the boys’ minds, Lynx made them manly and tough—instant chick magnets. The advertising was working.

For years Lynx has been pushing the line that their deodorant makes your average Joe irresistible. It’s called the ‘Lynx effect’. It’s difficult to spell out exactly what this effect is but, if you believe the marketing, a spray is enough to get even the most awkward guy a hot chick or three.

Their most recent advertising campaign is perhaps the most offensive.

Marketers are pushing the chance to win a ‘mancation’ at the Lynx Lodge— a holiday resort where men can ‘get laid back’ with bikini-clad ‘Lynx Minxes’ ready to serve. Yes, this is a real competition.

The video advertisement shows young women waiting at the lodge, lonely and helpless without a man to serve. Nobody to massage. Nobody to deliver breakfast in bed to. Nobody to skinny dip with. Nobody to play spin the bottle. Nobody to ‘tell them what to do’. Poor things!

The fine print suggests that sexual contact between the ‘minxes’ and guests is prohibited, but that’s certainly not the line the innuendofilled advertising is feeding viewers.

What will happen when a bunch of Lynx-scented guys turn up expecting exactly what they’ve been promised?

What is this saying to their target teenage audience?

Men aren’t stupid and women aren’t subservient objects to be used, but advertising will continue the idiocy as long as people keep quiet and buy their products. I, for one, won’t be doing either.

Linda Hogan

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cover story

Acting is easy It’s about time Salvos started acting like Christians, writes Ryan O’Connell [Dramatis personae] Members of the Southern Territorial creative arts council.

[Location] A meeting room near the canteen at Territorial Headquarters, Blackburn, Victoria.

[Scene] A meeting of the territorial arts council, members gathered around a table.

Action.

S i m o n C a m i l l e ri

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In late September, the Army’s territorial creative arts council admitted to an ugly truth: drama in the Church isn’t very good.

‘Every cliché about amateur theatre probably occurs in the Church on a regular basis,’ says Captain Ian Gainsford, who sits on the council.

‘It’s been done fairly badly in the past. One of the trends of Church drama I’ve noticed is a greater tendency to wing it. To improvise. It can get a bit rough around the edges.

‘We talked about how drama is not widely used at the moment. The problem is we’re lacking people who have relevant experience or expertise to put on a performance—there’s a limited number of people

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23 October 2010

when you’ve got a great script in a corps who are willing to do it, and can do it well’ he says.

‘What can we do to change that? What resources can we develop to assist people? How can we help a corps, with a limited pool of people, work around that limitation?’

Following that meeting, the Army has begun investigating how it can help corps effectively prepare and utilise drama in church—a push for better quality drama, and more of it.

‘When drama is done well, it’s an incredibly effective ministry because it really draws people in. You end up getting an experience rather than just a lesson,’ says Ian.

One man who knows the truth of this better than most is theological thespian Simon Camilleri—creative director of the Backyard Bard, a Biblical Storytelling theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria.

A theatre major, eager to put this theatrical training towards promoting the Gospel, Simon wrote and presented ‘Christian plays’ during his time at university. They lacked the impact he’d hoped for.

‘They were OK, but I always felt like I was whittling the seed to fit the soil, rather than just being bold and telling it like it is. Not everyone ‘got’ it—the message was often a bit obscured.

‘I decided I had to be blatant; to present something that told the Gospel as clearly as I could.’

Cringing at the thought of heads wrapped in tea towels, and cardboard sheep, Simon wondered how he could possibly write a performance of the Gospels which would meet the standards of his university theatre-studies audience. The answer was simpler than he imagined; how to write a clear, compelling, convicting account of the Gospel? Put down the pen.

‘I went back to the text. Instead of thinking of it as my source material, which I could write something creative about, I began to see at it as the finished product; I read it as I would a speech in a script. It suddenly leapt from the page—the amount of emotion and passion to be found there just blew me away. I looked

at the opening part of the Gospel and it dawned on me how dramatic storytelling fit Scripture like a glove.’

Assembling some colleagues, Simon put on a production of Mark’s Gospel. The outcome?

‘Like striking oil and only having buckets’—by the last few nights of the show, the performers were turning away 60 people per night because they couldn’t fit in the overcrowded theatrette.

‘The word of God, raw and unedited and unpackaged, was just so engaging. It proclaimed truths and connected with people, both Christian and non-Christian, a lot more powerfully than I ever could in my attempts at writing Christian plays.’

With the opening night of that show in 2002, the Backyard Bard was born. Since then, Simon and friend Rob Turnbull have put on a major production every year, before adding Christmas and Easter storytellings and hosting storytelling and Bible-reading workshops.

‘So many people have never heard the Bible done this way. The

phrase we often hear is that it was “brought to life” (we really don’t like that, because the implication is that if you need to bring something to life, then it is dead). People say they’ve read these stories a million times but never connected with them like that,’ he says.

In time, Simon came to understand just why the Bard’s performances were so prone to ‘bring old stories back to life’ for people—and why drama ought to be on the Army’s (or any church’s) agenda.

‘I think we have a tendency to feel disconnected with true stories, let alone parables or stories that have truth in them. But with history, as time goes on, we lose connection with it. We lose a sense of its reality and importance. It affects us emotionally less and less. In our workshops, we often say two things that separate us from the events in stories are time and geography.

‘I use the analogy of 9/11—I was watching as it was happening, but I was separated by geography, so there was a sense in which I was somewhat separated from the devastation and emotional

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cover story

[continued]

impact of it. A couple of years back, I went to Ground Zero in New York and heard the stories of people who were there. The only thing separating me from that event was time. Time and geography are two very fickle, simple things and, if it wasn’t for them, we would have been able to hear Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, or stand at the crucifixion. It’s all about leaping over those two factors and reconnecting with those events.

‘Nine years ago, talking about 9/11 would be really heavy subject matter—you would have to talk about it with incredible respect. While that’s still called for now, people can discuss, debate and write articles about it in a more detached, intellectual way. I think the Bible stories are exactly the same: the people who actually witnessed the events firsthand and were willing to die proclaiming these stories. Those people were incredibly emotionally connected. When you get to 2,000 years later,

it’s very easy for us to treat it as an intellectual exercise, and we wonder why we aren’t moved as much as we should be,’ Simon says.

Hence, the Bard’s mission is to re-create that intimacy, stripped away by geography and time, for the audience. In order to make the audience feel it, it’s essential the storyteller feels it first.

‘The first part of our workshop day is the philosophy of storytelling; we believe it’s important to spend time reflecting and thinking about the subject matter, to let it soak in. We do that so when it comes to standing and presenting it, the focus isn’t on how well you are reciting. It has to come from a genuine place, so we spend more time on the actual preparation and reflection on the story’s ideas and message than the presentation itself.’

This, says Simon, is the key to phenomenal performances from inexperienced people, and should come as great news to corps with a limited pool of experienced actors. Biblical drama is definitely not an ‘only veteran actors need apply’ scenario. Quite the opposite; ‘Even for someone who hasn’t got drama skills—a performance can be quite powerful because it doesn’t come from acting experience, it comes from a genuine place of connection with the stories.

‘People with acting experience can actually find this experience more difficult because they fall back on their acting experience, whereas someone who just loves the Bible and loves God is coming from a much better place. The big difference is when you lose your place—that’s when the real test is. If you know and love the story, it doesn’t matter. You can remember what happens next and keep going. But if all you’ve done is learn lines and worked out how to stand up there and impressively recite them, when you forget a line, your mind goes blank.’

While many churches don’t necessarily consider drama a priority, none would ever consider making do without the Bible—one of the most dramatic texts in history. With that in mind, the Bard isn’t only concerned with teaching good theatre principles for the odd church skit—they’ve got the pre-sermon Bible reading in their sights, too.

‘I love good Bible reading, but I think churches either elevate the music or the sermon—very few elevate the Bible reading.

Often the Bible reader is chosen on the day of the service, or it’s offered to someone who just ‘wants to have a go at something’.

Whereas we would never expect our sermons to be given to someone on the day, or to someone who just wants to have a go.

It’s the same with music leading—we expect our musicians to

23 October 2010

be trained, and to have practised, and we expect them to have thought about it during the week.

‘And often people think of the Bible reading as just something we do before the sermon, which is the main event. I think of the Bible reading as the main event—it’s where we actually hear God speaking to us—and the sermon is the thing that helps us understand and apply that main event,’ he says.

To that end, the Bard’s biblical reading workshops emphasise the same things their dramatic storytellings do; preparation and familiarity.

‘The simplest advice I give is to get the passage early. Discover words with tricky pronunciation, and the phrases you don’t quite understand, so you can ask questions and communicate their meaning correctly.

‘Ask the minister what he will be speaking about. What do they want to make sure people hear and take in? You can really tell when a person hasn’t really read a passage before standing up there and delivering.

‘A well-read passage primes people for the sermon. A good reading doesn’t help people see how it connects to everything, and it can’t help them apply it to their lives, but we can help them hear it. When people really hear the reading, they are interested and have questions, because they have understood.

‘People sometimes ask, “Don’t you think it’s dangerous to read the Bible with expression, because then you are

interpreting the passage and that’s the job of the preacher?”

But the only alternative is to read it in monotone, and that still says something about the passage. It says that this passage has a monotone amount of emotion. A monotone importance. That’s the danger of a bad Bible reading—it gives a false interpretation. It hurts people because it makes them think the Bible is boring and lifeless. So if it is to be read at all, it’s going to be interpreted.

And so effort needs to be put in to interpreting it well,’ he says.

While the rarity of a biblical theatre company (and the Bard’s thorough dedication to their craft) places them in high demand, Simon and co. aren’t interested in keeping the genre for themselves.

‘We don’t want to think of it like a club—we like to think anyone who has done a Backyard Bard workshop and is storytelling or reading publicly is part of the Backyard Bard. It’s more of a place where people can get training and practise storytelling and do it in their church, and that for us is a great joy. Our hope is that we become redundant. We definitely don’t want to have a monopoly on storytelling.’

For more info on the Backyard Bard, visit www.thebackyardbard.com

faith in action

23 October 2010

HEALED! Wayne Jellyman tells of the amazing healing power of Jesus.

‘Do I need to hightail it home to get this seen to?’ I asked.

‘No,’ came the response. ‘You haven’t got time for that!’

Two and a half hours later I was under the knife.

I had visited a GP at a private clinic in Fiji with something going on in my chest. I didn’t see the doctor’s face when she looked at my chest, although my wife Joanne did and she tells me it was quite a picture. The doctor immediately walked out of the room, saying she thought a surgeon should look at it.

Five minutes later, in the surgeon’s office, I was told that I could have breast cancer and that, if I did, then I could expect to only live for a few weeks because breast cancer in men is so aggressive.

He asked what time I had last eaten. It was quite early, in preparation for this appointment.

‘In that case, I will be operating at 6:30 this evening,’ he said.

The next morning, the surgeon came and said the surgery had gone well. My pathology results would be available by the time he did his rounds on Friday morning.

The doctor left, and I heard someone outside my room say, ‘It was breast cancer.’

The next few moments were some of the most amazing in my life. It was like I had a hot flush. Then I felt the most amazing peace, and quietly said to the Lord, ‘Well that’s alright, Lord. It’s OK to be coming home.’

Then, with a sense of complete peace, I began to organise in my mind things like cancelling plane tickets to London (for the International College of Officers) and where my wife would get the money to bring our children to Fiji for support.

My wife came back to the hospital, and shortly after the surgeon

arrived to say my pathology results were not through yet. When I told him what I had overheard, he marched out of my room to find out what was going on.

A few minutes later, a very red-faced charge nurse arrived and apologised. She had been speaking outside my room to a doctor who did not speak Fijian, and spoke very little English, so she was almost shouting at him. She explained that, three weeks earlier, a man had come in with a chest that looked just like mine, and he had died during the night. I remembered seeing him being wheeled out of the ward.

Another amazing thing happened that day. A nurse came in and checked my charts. She thought I should have been taking two drugs—one for pain and the other for nausea, but I hadn’t taken any. She was amazed. I had simply claimed that Jesus

was my healer each time I started to feel pain, and had not needed anything. I never felt sick at all,

despite a cocktail of antibiotics pumping through my bloodstream.

Saturday came, and so did the surgeon, with a smile from ear to ear. He had his hand extended the moment he came through the door, saying, ‘Let me shake your hand, we can’t tell you what that was in your breast, but we can tell you that there is no sign of any cancer there at all.’

And to this day, they have not been able to tell me what it was.

What an amazing experience. The sense of God’s presence through all that happened. The amazing peace when it seemed that I had only a few weeks left in this world.

I claimed Jesus as my healer, and his power was amazing. God is good indeed.

M a j o r W a y n e Je l l y m a n N ew Z ealand , F iji and T onga T erritory

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our place

23 October 2010

Good as gold Connect, Inspire, Transform. These three words capture the essence of the Delacombe Corps vision: connecting with God, each other and our community; inspiring lives by our obedience to the Holy Spirit; transforming the world through the grace of Jesus.

What a privilege, challenge and responsibility we have to share the Gospel in our community!

‘Delacombe, a great place to grow’ is the slogan of the primary school situated next to the corps—and growing, it is! New estates are quickly being filled with young families moving into our community.

We embrace people of all ages into our corps but our focus is on connecting with young families who make up a large percentage of our local community and introducing them to Jesus.

There’s such great potential for ministry to children and youth in Delacombe and the surrounding areas, including Ballarat.

For the past few years we have been praying for a children’s ministry assistant—someone with a real passion and ability to help children develop faith in Jesus Christ. We faithfully continue to pray, eagerly and expectantly waiting on God to provide the right person for this part-time employment position.

‘Mainly music’ and playgroup are fantastic ways to connect with parents and pre-schoolers and often ‘God conversations’ occur during morning teas, with regular requests for prayer.

Each term, our groups celebrate together with a themed party day, inviting older siblings, friends and grandparents. ‘Bob the Bird’ featured in our recent Dad’s party day and, amid flying paper planes, Bob told everyone that ‘we don’t need to worry about anything, we have a Father in heaven who cares for us’.

Our women’s dinner evenings are another way we connect and

Community is precious at Delacombe Corps.

build friendships with women, including local school staff and clients of The Salvation Army Karinya Centre (assisting homeless women and children). We book out local restaurants and occasionally invite a guest speaker to share a brief testimony. We recently

held our first ‘Coffee n’ Cake’ evening at the hall, as a response to requests for more get-togethers.

We have a growing Sudanese community in our area and, due to the outreach ministry of Major Pamela Marshall, we now have many Sudanese families connected with the corps and regularly attending Sunday services.

Through life groups, we seek to develop a healthy and vital spirituality among all corps members and people in our community. We recently purchased the house next door to the hall, which is used for weekly ministry including Journeys and Alpha courses.

The groups provide an opportunity to explore Christian beliefs and help strengthen faith. Each group member has been personally impacted by the

studies, and lives are being changed.

In the past two months we have enrolled six senior soldiers and are looking forward to enrolling more soldiers and adherents in the near future. Praise God! Our creche and Kidzone are growing too, and we give thanks to God for the number of children accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

While our focus is on younger families, our seniors are well catered for: ‘Life enrichment within caring community’ is the mission of our Companion Club, which recently celebrated its 22nd birthday. The group is happy and chatty and they enjoy eating and sharing together.

Our Ladies Friendship Group is ‘church’ for several ladies and our craft group and monthly widows’ group provide support, encouragement and friendship to many women.

Our thrift shop and drop-in centre (situated in Wendouree) provide material aid to some nearby schools as well as helping out other op shops with clothing stock. Our shop has become a valuable resource, which The Salvation Army Emergency Services calls upon from time to time, and we anticipate further outreach ministries developing.

We look forward to commencing a second worshipping congregation and plans are underway for the Delacombe Salvos House to be used for greater outreach in the New Year.

We’re excited about the opportunities that many of our current groups represent to create more pathways between corps and social centres.

Delacombe really is a ‘great place to grow’. We believe that as we obediently spend time in prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct and inspire us, lives will be transformed by the grace of Jesus and God’s Kingdom will continue to grow in our community!

Captain Erica Kollmorgen

23 October 2010

report

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The cost of disaster Lieut-Colonel Jenny Barnard and Captain June Knop took their listening ears to New Zealand in the wake of the September earthquake.

At 4.35 am on 4 September, ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’ became host to a long, dark tear when a powerful earthquake shook New Zealand’s South Island. Measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, it was similar to Haiti’s January quake in magnitude, setting and depth.

Remarkably, no deaths have been directly attributed to the event—but that doesn’t mean people aren’t hurting. At the request of the New Zealand Government, The Salvation Army assembled teams of counsellors from the Australia Eastern, Southern and New Zealand territories to support work in the relief centres and the community, beginning Monday 13 September, two weeks after the event.

‘The response was amazing. People were very glad to see The Salvation Army. Some people hadn’t had a visit from anybody yet, and were still battling with no water,’ says Lieut-Colonel Jenny Barnard.

‘We were not actually doing a lot of full-on trauma counselling, as we would normally do,’ explains Jenny. ‘We were there to ascertain the main areas of need, listen to people’s stories and try to work out what we could do to help them.

We tried to affirm that their feelings of fear, vulnerability and stress were normal.

‘Part of that included pointing them in the direction of ongoing professional help if those feelings persisted for an extended time,’ she says.

As the team observed, overcoming post-traumatic stress will be difficult for New Zealanders until the Earth itself recovers— aftershocks continue to shake the Canterbury area.

‘Of the six nights we spent in New Zealand, we were woken on three by aftershocks, which aren’t little tremors,’ recalls Captain June Knop.

‘Measuring in the 4s on the Richter scale—they’re earthquakes in their own right. One night, while having dinner, we experienced four (a 5.1, a 4.6, a 4.4 and a 3.9) in six minutes. There had been more than 800 aftershocks by the time we came home.

‘There is no knowing when they will stop. Haiti experienced aftershocks for six months after the earthquake, so these people can’t even begin to truly recover until the aftershocks finish. It is

constantly reminding them of their vulnerability,’ she said.

‘One couple I met sleep in turns. He sleeps one night and she the next. They stay awake because they’re afraid—they feared for their lives as parts of their house were collapsing around them.

Their bed was violently shaking, jumping metres around the room for 40 seconds—all they could do was hold on for dear life as the chimney and roof came down,’ she says.

The worst sufferers are those who lived on and around the fault line. Like a morbid guide, the three-metre wide split acted as a path for the counsellors, snaking through the South Island and showing who needed help most.

‘The exception was Kaiapoi—the whole suburb was affected,’ says June. Seventeen kilometres north of Christchurch and home to more than 10,000 people, Kaiapoi suffered greater damage than many other nearby areas, with the earthquake damaging houses and land beyond repair.

It was here the team found their work cut out for them. ‘The damage was staggering—whole houses split in two. Some totally lifted and moved significantly across the block,’ says June.

‘We were assigned to a street to doorknock, but often would only get a few houses in because we spent so long at each. One lady I met, a highly intelligent primary school teacher who had received trauma counselling training herself, opened her front door, saw me and burst into tears.’

‘Still in shock, she was just incapable of the simplest things, like making phone calls to find out what financial aid she might be eligible for.

Jenny and I spent more than an hour with her, and helped make some of those calls,’ says June.

In addition to emotional stress, the quake has also caused incredible financial strain, as victims struggle to pay bond and rent money for temporary residential accommodation in addition to ongoing mortgage payments on their damaged, uninhabitable houses.

The Salvation Army work continues in the Canterbury area.

Links to donate to the Salvation Army’s Canterbury Earthquake Appeal can be found at (http://salvationarmy.org.nz).

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news

23 October 2010

Salvos’ Salvos’ schools schools challenge challenge reaps reaps big big rewards rewards The 2010 Salvos’ School Challenge, part of the wider Red Shield Appeal, saw Australian students raise more than $150,000 for the Salvation Army.

The challenge invites students to raise funds for the Red Shield Appeal via doorknocking or planning their own unique fundraising event.

State winners Winning schools in each state, determined by average dollar amount raised per student, received $500 each from sponsor Medibank Private. Schools which showed great effort, creativity and/or ongoing Salvation Army support over several years also received encouragement awards.

Victoria 48 Victorian schools participated, raising a total of $90,200.

Bendigo’s Girton Grammar School won the Victoria challenge, raising $10,222.55

(or $17.04 per student) during the Red Shield Neighbourhood Appeal doorknock.

Runners up were Geelong Grammar School ($6,548.35 or $10.91 per student) with Melbourne Grammar School ($8,361.40 or $10.48 per student) taking out third place.

Encouragement awards were presented to Beaconhills College, Pakenham; Montmorency Secondary College, Greensborough, and Trinity Lutheran College, Mildura (pictured above, right).

Western Australia Schools in WA raised a record total of $55,632.82.

Western Australia’s Denmark College of Agriculture won the challenge, raising $1,512.10 or $18.90 per student. Runners up were Helena College ($2,270.05 or $5.86 per student), St Marks Anglican Community School ($4,783.70 or $3.27

per student) and Prendiville Catholic College ($3,207.95 or $3.12 per student).

Encouragement awards were presented to Presbyterian Ladies College ($1,697.45), Servite College ($1,607.65) La Salle College ($960.50) and Mt Lawley Senior High School ($1,282.00).

South Australia Seven schools in SA raised a total of $7,458.65 Concordia College won the challenge, raising $3,096.30 or $8.85 per student with a doorknock. Charles Campbell Secondary School ($569.70 or 47 cents per student) won an encouragement award for their innovation and participation—50 students from Charles Campbell students helped to organise a sausage sizzle, casual clothes day and canned food collection.

Tasmania (Figures unavailable).

Salvation Army in Haiti responds to freak thunderstorm A thunderstorm struck Haitian capital Port-au-Prince in late September, killing five, injuring many and hindering The Salvation Army’s earthquake relief work.

Having been displaced by the January earthquake, millions of Haitians living in

makeshift shelters were particularly vulnerable during the storm.

An assessment at the Army-managed Place de la Paix camp, home to 13,000 people, indicated no loss of life but many injuries and a large number of shelters

damaged or destroyed.

A shipment of tents from The Salvation Army’s Canada and Bermuda Territory due to arrive in April was delayed and released from the port on the day of the storm.

Paraguay celebrates Salvation Army centenary Hundreds of Salvationists took to the streets of Paraguay’s capital Asunción to celebrate the centenary of Salvation Army work in the country.

Celebrations included the presentation of the first Salvation Army red shield translated into Guaraní (Paraguay’s native language) and a march to the main square of central Asunción for a concert. The celebrations also saw 12 senior solders

and 34 junior soldiers enrolled at a united holiness meeting.

Guest leaders for the weekend were Colonel Susan McMillan, territorial commander of The Salvation Army’s South America East Territory (of which Paraguay is part) and Lieut-Colonels Ricardo and Sonia Bouzigues, chief secretary and territorial secretary for women’s ministries.

Salvation Army ministry in Paraguay

began in 1910 when Captain Thomas Frïsch, with his wife Eliza, were appointed by the territorial commander of the then South America Territory to begin work in Asunción.

During celebrations, Captain Frïsch’s grandson regaled the crowd with anecdotes his grandfather had told him about the early days of Paraguay Salvation Army ministry.

Correction: The Montevideo Maru sank in 1942, not 1941 as appeared in our Brunswick story, page 5, On Fire 9 October.

news

23 October 2010

child sponsorship

‘Icanic’ structures benefit Army Victoria’s Carwatha College has donated more than 70,000 cans of food to the Noble Park Corps (Vic.).

The cans were gathered as part of ‘Canstruction’, a project partnering Carwatha students with Monash University Engineering students to re-create iconic Australian structures using cans.

Two hundred and fifty students participated in the project, creating can replicas of the Shrine of Remembrance, the Sydney Opera House, the Big Pineapple, Luna Park, a Qantas jet, Flinders Street Station and more. At the completion of the project, Carwatha nominated The Salvation Army as the recipient of the cans.

In each issue of On Fire, we introduce children living in developing nations who have been identified by Salvation Army staff as needing sponsorship.

Say hello to...

Name: Angela Age: 11 Country: Philippines Angela was born prematurely, but has grown to be a healthy child.

She is bright and cheerful and always at the top of her class. She recently lost her sponsor, so requires a new sponsor in order to continue with her studies.

CARE cares for the Salvos, environment Environmental group Communities Against Rubbishing the Environment (CARE) raised $3,816 for the Salvation Army Karratha Women’s Shelter (WA) during the Great Northern Clean Up, part of Clean Up Australia Day. For every bag of rubbish collected by the group, the Shire of Roebourne’s Bucks for Bags initiative donated $6 to the Women’s Shelter.

Karratha Corps officer Captain Dean Hill said the donation was a wonderful gesture, and it was good to see the community supporting two causes: cleaning up the foreshore and the Army’s services.

TRIBUTE Herbert (Herb) Begbie Herbert Begbie was promoted to glory on 21 September, aged 95. He was introduced to the Army aged four, later becoming a junior soldier, senior soldier and bandsman at Thornbury Corps (Vic.) for 50 years. When Herb and his wife Doris moved to Eltham they transferred to Greensborough Corps.

Herb was a man who loved music and loved the Lord. Although he found giving spoken testimony difficult due to a speech impediment, Herb would testify during meetings in song.

Family and friends gathered at the Eltham Retirement Village chapel for a

thanksgiving service conducted by Major Joe Wilcox. Lieut-Colonel Lucille Turfrey prayed and reflected on Herb’s unwavering walk with God, and Ed Bentley spoke of Herb’s practical Christian influence in the village. Major Wilcox spoke about Herb’s journey of faith and challenged those present in their own personal journey.

Daughters Glenda Shearwood and Lorrainne O’Brien paid tribute to their father and shared recollections from notes in Herb’s ‘memory jar’.

Carmel Watson (senior) Carmel Watson (senior) was promoted to glory on 27 September, aged 83.

Carmel was born on 25 July 1927 in Box Hill (Vic.). She married Fred, and together they had four children, Carmel (junior), Margaret, Heather and Fred (junior), seven grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

She moved to the Lilydale Nursing Home in 2000, and looked forward to the

weekly visitation and monthly church services by Mooroolbark Corps. Carmel was a member of the Mitcham Corps for many years, becoming an adherent in 1993.

A funeral service was held at William Matthews Funerals Lilydale, on 30 September, conducted by friend David Scott of Mooroolbark Corps. Carmel’s infectious smile and joy will be greatly missed.

Have you recently been bereaved? Please don’t forget to submit a tribute and, if possible, a photograph, to On Fire, PO Box 479, Blackburn 3130, or email: onfire@aus.salvationarmy.org

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Name: Kenneth Age: 10 Country: Malaysia Kenneth came to the Kuching Boys’ Home with his brother in late 2009.

His parents separated, and his father was unable to care for the boys.

Kenneth gets along well with others. Staff say he is happy at the home, but needs sponsorship to go to school.

If you would like to sponsor a child, including Angela or Kenneth, or a Salvation Army school, children’s home or program, please contact the Child Sponsorship Department. Once Angela and Kenneth have sponsors, staff can partner sponsors with children in similar situations.

(03) 8878 4543 PO Box 479 Blackburn VIC 3130 childsponsorship@ aus.salvationarmy.org www.salvationarmy.org.au/ childsponsorship

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feature

Extending a welcom People with disabilities make up about 20% of Australia’s population, The majority of churches have some kind of children’s ministry, from Sunday school and holiday programs to activity packs to keep little ones busy during the service.

People are quick to notice if a church doesn’t cater for kids, but it’s not that way with all groups.

Local demographics should be reflected in the church. In a community with many varied ethnic groups or young families, the church must cater to their needs and be aware of ways to make evryone feel welcome.

Although most churches have a children’s ministry, The Christian Blind Mission (CBM) notes that less than 5% of Australian churches have any form of intentional disability ministry or outreach.

Of those who attend our corps and have disabilities, many are aged people who were involved with the corps when they were less affected by mobility, sight or hearing loss, or other disabilities.

‘Disability’ is an umbrella term referring to any number of conditions restricting a person’s activities and participation.

Disabilities can be sensory (such as the loss of hearing or sight or speech difficulties), intellectual (including difficulty in learning or understanding things), physical (such as chronic pain restricting movement, or restricted use of limbs) or psychological (covering nervous or emotional conditions and mental illnesses).

People with disabilities form a much higher percentage of the Australian population (about 20%) than in church communities; this suggests a whole section of people are being left out.

There are a number of reasons for the disparity. Many church buildings were constructed before disability access was mandatory. That means there may be inadequate wheelchair access, or no disability-accessible toilet facilities. Doing the needed renovations can be expensive, but the cost of not doing them can be much higher.

As a wheelchair user contributing to the CBM publication ‘Accessible Church’ says, ‘Driving by a church, a

ramp is a welcome mat.’

We may find ourselves without disability accessible facilities because we don’t have people with mobility disabilities in the congregation, without realising that this lack of facilities may be the cause of the absence.

Moses had a disability, but it was no barrier to God using him. In Exodus 4, Moses cried

out to God, citing his speech impairment as a reason not to be called to the task, to which God replied: ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’

Disability doesn’t negate God’s purpose for a person. God

knew Moses had a speech impediment—it was no surprise or error. Moses is used by God to speak; the very area of his disability.

Although a church may need to support a person with a disability, this doesn’t make the person any different— corps also support ablebodied people. As a society, we are all interdependent, each relying on another where we are deficient and assisting others according to our gifting. This promotes unity and encourages us to welcome others into our communities, with those who seem weaker often being indispensable.

(1 Corinthians 12:22–26).

The key is to see all people, regardless of disability, as an asset because of their intrinsic value, not as a liability using up resources and needing special assistance.

The church community is poorer for the abscence of any person, regardless of their abilities.

Encouraging inclusiveness, Jesus said, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.

Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous’ (Luke 14:12–14).

Many people know the blessing that comes from serving others, but it can be very unhelpful to serve people simply as a feel-good act. Disability advocate Karen Major says pity and sympathy aren’t helpful, but rather people with disabilities need to be supported and empowered to be all they can be— just like anyone else.

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23 October 2010

me hand…and ramp. so why are they so under represented in our corps? asks Linda Hogan.

‘To make progress, we need to admit where we are wrong,’ says Karen. ‘We can do better with what we’ve already got if we just change the way we think about disability.’

Tamara’s st ory

Individuals want the opportunity to participate in social activities, have valued community roles and make decisions for themselves—this is no different for people with disabilities.

Tamara (left), 23, is linked with Plenty Valley Corps (Vic.) and, with the support of her family, has valued social roles within The Salvation Army. During footy season, Tamara can be found at the MCG collecting money to support Salvo projects and this year she was also involved with Red Shield Appeal collecting at Epping Plaza, decked out in her Salvation Army jumper.

Another significant opportunity was joining in a recent corps camp in Echuca. Tamara enjoyed a number of activities, including swimming in the pool. Her family provided the support she needed, which allowed others to share Tamara’s enjoyment. This opportunity brought awareness of the challenges for Tamara and her family and facilitated new relationships.

Although Tamara has limited use of her arms and legs and spends her day in a wheelchair, this doesn’t hinder her being supported to be involved in these and many other meaningful roles.

Helen’s st ory

Helen* is a 26-year-old Christian woman involved in a church community. She has a number of mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, anxiety and borderline personality disorder. She is currently undertaking a hospital stay.

Helen is sometimes allowed to leave the hospital to attend church, although recently she found herself upset by a guest speaker from a Christian agency for the disabled. She acknowledges that the speaker ‘said the right things’, but the topic made her uncomfortable as it reminded her of

some negative experiences.

‘The talk didn’t sit well with me,’ says Helen. ‘Now I feel like I, and all other people who “aren’t quite right”, are ripe to be used as Christian reward fodder—“Hey God, I

invited a crazy person to dinner, one extra heavenly reward please!”

‘The speaker by no means said that; it’s just a thought that worked its way into my head while he was speaking and it stuck. I want to be welcome because

I’m a person, not because I’m a person who needs help and having me there is some kind

of good deed.

‘Jesus said we should do our “acts of righteousness” in private. In Matthew 6:1–4, Jesus spells out that anyone who does good and announces it has already received their reward. If we do our good secretly, then only God knows and he will reward us.

‘I’m not going to argue with Jesus, but I still feel like reward fodder.’

Katja’s st ory

Katja is a member of her corps community, participating in worship and social activities. Her intellectual disability means she interjects during the service and is constantly moving.

Monica Erris, Katja’s carer, found that when Katja began attending church people didn’t know how to interact with her. Katja’s speech is often difficult to understand and some members of the congregation found her interjections during quiet times distracting.

But, Monica describes how people learned to speak with Katja, realising that, although they couldn’t understand everything she said, they could still communicate. ‘It can be difficult to follow Katja’s speech, but she just loves people talking to her and paying attention to her response.

‘Katja still raises her voice during the service but, rather than complaining, people have been telling me how they miss her when we’re not there. It’s been a real mindset shift, and I’m now comfortable inviting others along.’

For a free copy of CBM’s ‘Accessible Church’ manual, detailing how to make your church more welcoming and accessible for people with disabilities, visit www.luke14.cbm.org.au or call 1800 678 069. *name changed for privacy reasons

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small group resources

Study 1: Introduction

23 October 2010

Sing for

Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love to laugh! I’ve got a message of joy and I’m not afraid to share it. Our world seems to be lacking joy—but we have the amazing privilege of being able to share it with people.

I love how Philippians 4 is often referred to as a ‘letter of joy’ and as we read through it we can understand why. Let’s live as people who have been saved by Almighty God, living life in its fullness and sharing the joy of the Lord.

Devotion

I remember one of the first songs I learned when I first began attending the Army. Our YPSM (at the time) at Wyndham City Corps, Envoy Keitha Marsh, taught it to me.

‘Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Rejoice, rejoice and again I say rejoice.

Rejoice, rejoice and again I say rejoice.’

I have very fond memories of singing this song at the top of my lungs and also trying to get all my friends to sing it with me in rounds—which would normally end in disaster. It’s the song that I’d always keep coming back to.

The song comes straight from Scripture, when Paul writes in Philippians 4:4 ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; rejoice!’

When things are going great, we usually have no problem rejoicing in the Lord; the challenge comes when we’re going through tough times.

When my mum died of cancer in 2004, I certainly wasn’t feeling up to rejoicing in the Lord. I was really just trying to process everything. I had to find a new ‘normal’ and we had to function as a family, all the time knowing someone was missing.

One day, not long after Mum died, I started thinking about her and all of a sudden it just clicked for me. This whole ‘rejoice in the Lord always’ thing made sense. I began to thank God for my mum and for the many things she showed me and taught me. I was thankful that she was a woman of prayer who prayed for us and for many others. And I rejoiced greatly in the knowledge that we would one day be united because she knew and loved the Lord.

I wasn’t rejoicing that she was gone, but I was rejoicing in the Lord for what she meant and imparted to me. Even

in the midst of trials and pain, we can still find strength in God to ‘rejoice in the Lord’.

Reflect

• What does ‘rejoice in the Lord always’ mean to you?

• What are some ways you can always rejoice in the Lord?

• Why do you think Paul exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord?

• What are some of the things that get in the way of us

‘rejoicing in the Lord always’?

Pray

Almighty God, empower us by your Spirit to live lives of joy.

Continue to speak to our hearts and guide us in your truth.

Amen.

small group resources

23 October 2010

joy!

17

Aaron Stobie, a joyful soul, shares two studies on the joy of the Lord.

that laughter is one of the ways we make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

Devotion

Someone said to me recently, ‘Aaron, I absolutely love coming to the Salvos.’ I responded by asking them what they loved about it, to which they replied ‘Everybody here is so happy and full of joy and it makes me feel happy and full of joy and then I take that happiness and joy with me into the week and share it with others.’

Have you ever walked down the street and smiled at someone who smiled back at you? Or maybe you’ve started laughing at a joke and everyone starts laughing as well? Or perhaps you’re walking around humming or singing a song and someone joins in with you? It’s amazing how things like that can have a domino effect.

The NIV translation of Psalm 100:1 reads ‘Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth!’ It appears to be encouraging us to not just keep the joy in our hearts, but to be active in sharing it with those that we come in contact with.

I love that we have the privilege of serving the Lord with gladness and that every day we get to actively and intentionally share the joy of the Lord with those we meet.

May we be people who continually shout for joy as we serve the Lord with gladness each day.

Study 2: Introduction One of the psalms that always brings a smile to my face and makes me want to jump up and down with excitement is Psalm 100. It’s a great call to worship and every time I hear it, I can’t help but want to do what the psalmist is encouraging me to do. I particularly like The Message interpretation: ‘On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.

‘Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him. For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.’

I particularly like how it says ‘bring the gift of laughter’.

I believe that God wants us to laugh, for I am convinced

Reflect • How do you share the joy of the Lord?

• How would you explain ‘joy’ to someone who asked?

• Why do you think joy is so important?

• How can you encourage others to be filled with joy?

Pray

Lord, teach us how to laugh and to have fun in your presence. Fill us with the joy that comes only from you.

Help us to live lives of joy and give us opportunities to share the joy of the Lord. Amen.

Lieutenant Aaron Stobie is corps officer at Clarence City, Tas.

Next issue: Aaron Stobie concludes, with Studies 3 and 4.

frontlines

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➊

23 October 2010

➋

All Nations Fellowship, Vic. (Cadets Abhishek [Monty] Bhardwaj and Manikya Mera) Recently Sundar Raj Gadi was sworn in as a soldier at the All Nations Fellowship.

Pic ➊ (L-R): Cadet Manikya Mera, Cadet Simon Mapleback, Sundar Raj Gadi, Cadet Abhishek Bhardwaj.

Box Hill Chinese, Vic. (Lieutenant William and Cadet-in-appointment Nhan Le Ng) Box Hill Chinese held their first combined multilingual (English, Mandarin and Cantonese) service on 19 September, attended by more than 80 people. The meeting was also a celebration of the Chinese midautumn festival, with a fellowship lunch and traditional mooncakes after the meeting.

The children sang ‘J.E.S.U.S.’ and junior soldier Mark Dang received his silver award.

Pic ➋: Lieutenant William Ng presenting Mark Dang with his award.

Delacombe, Vic. (Majors Douglas and Erica Kollmorgen) On 22 August, Scott Mangos and Awan Kueth were sworn in as soldiers. Awan was the first Sudanese soldier to be enrolled at the corps, and he acted as flagbearer on 19 September as fellow Sudanese community members Nyalam Chual, Thiang Macur and Billy Worom were sworn in alongside Scott’s sister Rebekah Mangos. There are currently five more Sudanese people undertaking recruits classes.

Pic ➌ (L-R): Nyalam Chual, Thiang Macur, Billy Worum, Major Pamela Marshall.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder, WA (Captains Christine and Colin Abram) More than 160 people attended KalgoorlieBoulder Corps’ children’s day (pic ➍) on

➎

➌ 26 September. The carnival-style activities included face painting, a clown performance, a jumping castle, a barbecue, a quiz, volleyball, table tennis and a concert.

The theme was ‘Being God’s wise guys’, and clowns mimed the good Samaritan story.

Captain Christine Abram said the day’s success means children’s day will become an annual event.

Mildura, Vic. (Captains Christine and Jeff Waller) Cadets Meg Dale, Kris Halliday, Marie Kovacs, Karen Agnew and Daniel Beazley undertook outreach at Mildura on 27 September–1 October, including a school holiday program for 50 children. They also spoke at Mildura and Red Cliffs Corps and Cadet Kris Halliday led a prayer evening.

At Mildura’s Sunday meeting, 40 new people participated in worship. After the meeting there was a barbecue lunch and a performance from ‘Belle the clown’.

➍

Rodney Barnard spoke about how God’s love encourages us each to love others.

South Australia Division (Major Winsome Mason) More than 100 children and 26 leaders travelled to Victor Harbor in the September school holidays for the Creative Kids Camp with guest speaker Captain Nikki Novell. The children took part in games and activities, with a camp concert at Adelaide Congress Hall on the Thursday evening. The children participated in streams including dance, singing, drama, art, ‘rockband’, songwriting, drum academy, mythbusters, masterchefs and agents in mission.

Waverley Chinese, Vic. (Captains Joseph and Mary Liu) On 3 October, Yun-su Wang was accepted as an adherent (pic ➐) and Kevin Huang and Vanessa Lu were sworn in as soldiers by Majors John and Anne Farquharson (pic ➑).

Pic ➎ (L-R): Captain Jeff Waller, Cadets Meg Dale, Kris Halliday, Marie Kovacs, Daniel Beazley, Karen Agnew, Captain Christine Waller.

Bereaved Captain Charles Watson of his

Sunshine, Vic.

stepfather, Bob McIntyre, on 24 September from Portland, Vic.

(Captains Lilian and Nigel Platts) More than 120 people attended a celebration service marking the corps’ 90th anniversary on 26 September. The hall was overflowing as people joined together in praising God for his faithfulness throughout the years.

Sunshine Community Band and a local singing group provided musical support.

SASHS chaplain Major Barbara Wilson and Westcare manager John Avent spoke about the corps’ strong links with their programs.

A group of ‘mainly music’ children presented three songs (pic ➏) and Lieut-Colonel

➏

ABOUT PEOPLE

ENGAGEMENT C A L E N D A R Commissioners Raymond and Aylene Finger Fri. 5 Nov.: Geelong Conference Centre (chaplaincy training course) Sun. 7 Nov.: Geelong Conference Centre (welcome dinner, officer five-year review) Colonels Peter and Jennifer Walker Mon.–Fri. 8–12 Nov.: London (orientation)

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➑

reviews

23 October 2010 [ dvd ] The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry HHH ½ Full disclosure: I’m a bit biased here— I am profoundly impressed by period pieces. The attention to detail in wardrobe, props, accents and slang in creating a celluloid zeitgeist of a particular era is a colossal effort. So The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry had me in its corner from the beginning.

Something of a Christian Stand

By Me (1986), Sperry has all the right elements of a coming-of-age story: inseparable friends, awkward romance, and the first shattered illusions of a perfect world.

Twelve-year-old Dustin and his two best buds spend their days fishing, eating pizza, playing pinball and deliberating on how to ask girls out…until an unlikely friendship with widowed neighbour Sperry sets their minds reaching beyond their world of knee-high socks and sodas into the eternal, through Sperry’s great love for God and scripture.

As the boys find their feet in the world, Sperry speaks into their (and the audience’s) lives about faith, love, enemies, oppression, heaven, hell, prayer, redemption and evangelism through his fun, practical allegories and his own example. An inspiring, uplifting story, balanced with some heart-wrenching moments.

The acting is at times a little inconsistent, but the superbly honest moments make up for the cringingly wooden ones.

Far too earnest to function as a legitimate form of evangelism in itself, Sperry won’t find much of an audience outside Christians, but it’s a well-crafted, encouraging film for the faithful. Ryan O’Connell On Fire has copies to give away, courtesy of Heritage. For your chance to win, write to us (onfire@aus.salvationarmy.org or On Fire Jonathan Sperry Competition, PO Box 479, Blackburn Vic 3130). [ book ] Meeting Jesus Howard Webber HHHHH You don’t go 30 years as an officer without accruing a few stories. That is, if you’re doing things right.

In Meeting Jesus, the UK’s Major Howard Webber shares 21 of his tales from the frontlines.

The simplicity is a big drawcard here—a one-page foreword from Commissioner Linda Bond of the Australia Eastern Territory, and Webb simply launches into his tales, one per chapter.

Not overly dramatic, Webber engages readers with plain, purposeful storytelling. He doesn’t skimp on the details, yet never allows them to get in the way of a good anecdote.

Honest about his shortcomings, it is all the more encouraging to see an officer doggedly pursuing souls, even when his lagging confidence or inadequacy is painfully obvious.

True to life, these aren’t all saccharine stories (though there are plenty of sweet spots)—yet Webber’s failures speak to our own evangelism efforts as much as his strokes in the win column.

Ryan O’Connell Available at www.sps-shop.com [ book ] Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a discerning viewer Grant Horner HHH ½ Dr Horner, a film academic and devout Christian, sits in a corner of the theological slipstream: a conservative evangelical with a sense of humour who, with some sleight of hand, merges a liberal view of a loving God with a Calvinistic view of atonement and a profession of limited experience with demonic forces.

Meaning reels us in with intelligent discussion of how film works, why it captures us, how worldviews are integral to a film’s message and how viewers can discern that message.

Fascinating discussions ensue regarding the nature and role of memory, narrative and eternity, the disease of the soul that is

Don’t bother V

Passable HH

Good HHH

cynicism (as opposed to a healthy scepticism), the need to engage with culture (while not being subsumed), the balancing of emotion and intellect, and the antagonistic nature of some filmmakers who portray ‘Christian faith as the province of lunatics, fools and hypocrites’.

Horner contends, controversially, that there is ‘not a chance’ that you will find God [at] the movies [but] he just might find you there’. While suggesting ‘how to interrogate a movie’, Horner also notes the need to know ourselves, our beliefs and those of the cultures and subcultures in which we live.

This book can bring joy for people who love God and cinema: Horner reminds us the two are inextricably linked.

Barry Gittins Available at Koorong, $19.95 [ cd ] Alive Ed Kowalczyk HHHH As lead singer of the band Live, from 1988–2009, Kowalczyk experienced all that rock fame brings. Best known for hits such as ‘Lightning Crashes’, ‘All Over You’ and ‘The Dolphin’s Cry’, Live were one of the biggest bands in the world in the mid-’90s.

Kowalczyk was one of those artists who always had signs of being a Christian about him; in interviews and song lyrics he would make allusions to faith and God and heaven and the cross, but never really confirmed where he stood spiritually.

Well, in late 2009, Live broke up and here, on Kowalczyk’s first solo album, he really nails his colours to the mast. With clear references to spiritual matters, this album will push Bono aside and make Kowalczyk the new poster-boy for the emerging church movement.

Not for the feint-hearted, Kowalczyk hasn’t moved away from Live’s drum-driven, heavy rock sound as well as the band’s love of a big anthem—so fans of MOR Christian soft-rock, stay away.

It’s great that Kowalczyk has finally ‘come out’ as a Christian, and this is a perfect CD to play during your next backyard barbie, where friends might say, ‘Hey, I know that voice…’.

Mal Davies [ book ] Not God’s Type Holly Ordway Moody Publishers HHHH Books examining faith and science comprise their own genre, including numerous academic apologetics. Dr Ordway throws her hat into the ring, but her offering is slightly different; despite her academic background as a literature professor, Ordway doesn’t explain her faith by alluding to the obviousness of God in creation. Rather, she maintains an honest, rational, scholarly approach while reasoning out God’s existence.

Not God’s Type tells the story of her journey from ‘a hostile, smug atheist’ to Bible-believing Christian, detailing her journey and the conversations she had leading up to her conversion.

There was no great conversion moment; Ordway approached faith as any other philosophical conundrum requiring in-depth study.

Nobody attempted to coerce her into the ‘sinner’s prayer’ (which she maintains could have put an end to her search). Instead, she engaged in honest and rational discussion with a trusted Christian friend.

Ordway outlines her step-by-step thought processes at length; it’s evident she didn’t take the task lightly.

Although far from light reading, Not God’s Type is approachable by anyone with a philosophical interest in faith.

Linda Hogan Available at Koorong, $15.95

Impressive HHHH

Exceptional HHHHH

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