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can be offered to veterans facing worries or problems. In addition, the centres offer in-house support sessions and referrals, art sessions and Pets as Therapy visits twice a month to provide comfort, companionship and therapy.

Veterans also have the option to complete the 7-step Civilian Skills Program, developed by Dawn. It is built around mental health awareness and gives veterans a survival kit for civilian life. Dawn explains why she felt it was important to have seven steps: ‘When you leave the army, it is seven clicks to freedom – seven clicks on the computer mouse to end your army career. So, it is only natural that the next stage should be seven steps too. “Stepway” even has seven letters. The whole structure was very well thought out!

‘We chose the American spelling of “program” as it can also function as a verb, meaning “to reset or regulate to produce a specific result”,’ adds Dawn. ‘The 7-step Civilian Skills Program does exactly that: retrains and re-programs to make adaption less problematic and improve mental wellbeing.’

About 65 people have successfully completed the programme and gone back into employment or education or now volunteer for the charity.

‘I never felt right after being medically discharged due to my multiple sclerosis,’ says Tina Dales, an RAF veteran who completed the programme and is a volunteer. ‘I felt like damaged goods, feeling low and lost. When I discovered Stepway, I instantly found my sense of belonging. I went through the seven steps, which helped me realise the issues I had and how to move forward. I now support others on their journey. At last I have found my purpose again – witnessing other veterans’ mental health improving in front of my eyes is incredible!’

The newest service Stepway offers is a community project. Looking to find a Covid-safe way for veterans to meet during the pandemic, Stepway teamed up with Transition Worcester, which was already running a community project at Worcester Racecourse.

‘Our veterans continue to take part in woodwork, building bird boxes and raised beds. We grow our own produce, which goes to Salvation Army shelters so they can cook fresh meals for people experiencing homelessness, and we also have a beekeeping project, so we produce our own honey,’ Dawn enthuses.

‘The outdoor project is open to the wider community as well, because it’s all about breaking down barriers and combating adjustment disorder so all the veterans can integrate back into society.’

Hoping to build on their success in Worcestershire, Dawn and Bob reached out to other Salvation Army corps to see if they were interested in collaborationg. Oldbury corps officers Captains Beverley and Carl Wardley were happy to get involved and Stepway now has a base in the West Midlands.

The Oldbury site offers Stepway’s first wellbeing centre, where all services in Worcestershire have been replicated but are offered from one location.

‘We are pleased to partner Stepway,’ says Captain Carl. ‘Our work fits together as both organisations have a heart for all people, so it makes sense for us to be involved by allowing some of our land to be used as a community garden project as well as providing access to our buildings so that people can meet and feel safe. We are also able to offer pastoral support to veterans and Employment Plus, which can help those wanting to get back into the job market.’

There is also a therapy unit that provides cognitive behavioural therapy and other behavioural therapies from a partner charity, plus access to a shower, restroom, a change of clothes, washing facilities and a food bank.

‘Without the people at The Salvation Army, we wouldn’t have been able to grow so fast,’ says Dawn. ‘The kindness and the support they’ve shown is absolutely outstanding.’

Chris Wilkinson, the Army’s estates manager (Birmingham Service Centre), plans to take Dawn and Bob over to Nottingham to have a look at a site there.

‘We’re expanding very quickly,’ enthuses Dawn.

There is no specific route through Stepway. Instead people are encouraged to take part in what appeals to them.

‘All we want is for our veterans to get a sense of belonging and purpose back in their lives,’ says Dawn. ‘We went into this to improve mental health, but we’ve ended up saving lives. That is what inspires us to make sure we keep going, because we see we’re making a difference.’

SHANELLE IS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, SALVATIONIST

God’s presence

Major Nigel Bovey reminds us that Immanuel is not just for Christmas

ISAIAH 43:1–3

‘IMMANUEL’ is a word that is often used during Advent services and embossed on Christmas cards. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8. It is very much an Isaiah word. Immanuel is more than a word or a title; it is a name. It means ‘God with us’.

In its only New Testament reference, Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, connects Immanuel to Jesus, who ‘will save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21).

In our study passage, Isaiah reiterates the concept of ‘God with us’ when he writes: ‘I will be with you’ (v2).

This is the fulcrum of five statements God makes in these verses: ‘I have redeemed you’ (v1), ‘I have summoned you’ (v1), ‘I will be with you’ (v2), ‘I am the Lord’ (v3) and ‘I give Egypt for your ransom’ (v3).

The promise of ‘God with us’ is pivotal. The other four pronouncements explain why God should want to be with us.

The immediate context is that Judah is under threat of annihilation. It is not the first time the nation’s very existence is in jeopardy. Slavery in Egypt brought the Children of Israel to the brink of extinction.

In the current crisis, God reminds his people of his personhood: ‘I am the Lord your God … your Saviour’ (v3). God as ‘I am’ is a key indicator as to what God is like.

Grammatically, ‘I am’ is first person singular, present tense and active voice. Theologically, God is not a benign force; he is more than First Cause. God is first, singular, present and active. It is as ‘I am who I am’ that God introduces himself to Moses (Exodus 3:14).

QUESTION

What is your picture of God?

God also reminds his people of his parenthood: ‘I have summoned you by name; you are mine’ (v1). The creation of Israel came through divine intention. God summoned Abram to leave his homeland and journey to a country of God’s choosing, where he would make him ‘into a great nation’ (Genesis 12:2).

God later reaffirms this covenant, when he tells Moses: ‘I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God’ (Exodus 6:7).

QUESTION

How much do you sense that God knows you?

God reminds his people of his providence: ‘I have redeemed you’ (v1). Economically, the mechanism of

Through the week with Salvationist

– a devotional thought for each day

by Major Sheila Smith

SUNDAY

Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult/ Of our life’s wild, restless sea/ Day by day his sweet voice soundeth,/ Saying: Christian, follow me.

(SASB 653)

MONDAY

The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ (Exodus 33:14)

Prayer

Father God, we thank you for your constant presence in our lives. Your loving care sustains us through difficult times. TUESDAY

As of old apostles heard it/ By the Galilean lake,/ Turned from home and toil and kindred,/ Leaving all for his dear sake. (SASB 653)