New commitments 18 and

GUISBOROUGH Corps officer Major Fiona Mugford enrolled Riley and Ebony as junior soldiers. Riley started attending Messy Church after being invited by his school friend, and he never looked back. During the Covid-19 lockdowns he started to learn to play the cornet and even played outside for the Thursday clap for the NHS. Ebony started attending with her family and saw her two older brothers become junior soldiers. After the Covid-19 lockdown, she was excited to become a junior soldier too. She read the promise with great confidence in front of family and friends. – SS

REDDITCH Sherwin and Sharon were enrolled as junior soldiers. The children, along with their mum, dad and younger brother, have transferred from The Salvation Army in Oman after their dad was recruited as a Covid-19 nurse in the UK. Sherwin and Sharon are the first young people enrolled at the corps for many years and corps officer Major Dawn Evans felt privileged to welcome them. After the enrolment, video messages for the children were played from family and friends. – DE

WORKSOP The hall was full when family and friends supported and welcomed the corps’ newest senior soldier, Pat Long. At 85 years young, Pat made a new declaration of commitment to God and The Salvation Army. The corps thank God for Pat, for all the wisdom and guidance she brings to the corps family. Pictured with Pat are corps officer Captain Vicky Owen, Colour Sergeant Bernard Pell and Recruiting Sergeant Sylvia Duty. – VO ADDLESTONE Corps folk welcomed Yelena Jurkenas as an adherent. Yelena began attending the youth church over Zoom during the Covid-19 lockdowns. She has since made the church her spiritual home, where she worships and volunteers when she is not at university in York. She gave thanks for Staines Corps, which offered her a ‘great spiritual grounding’ as a child, and also York Corps, which ‘felt like another home among the craziness of university’. During her testimony Yelena inspired and challenged the congregation to ‘be free and be you, for God’. Yelena is pictured with corps officer Major Ian Loxley. – EK

HUCKNALL After a year attending the corps, Keith and Sandra Boon decided they would like to become adherents. Keith and Sandra have been regular volunteers at coffee mornings and like to take an active part in other activities as well as attending on Sundays. They are pictured with corps officer Captain Gayner Ward. – CW