LETTERS
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR UNHERALDED HERALDS I WAS reminded recently of the tremendous work that goes on gallantly ‘behind the scenes’ by Salvationists who sell the War Cry in public houses. This work has its roots firmly in the desire of William Booth to reach those who frequented these ‘institutions’, for want of a better word. Do we know about the passion behind this work as it continues today? A recent article in my local newspaper featured an interview with a War Cry ‘pub ambassador’ Pat Simmons who has been selling papers for 46 years, Saturdays and Sundays, usually 6.30 pm till late (or early the next day!), on the streets and in the pubs of Royal Tunbridge Wells. More importantly she is well known for her listening ear. She will listen to people’s troubles and says: ‘I enjoy meeting people, and I think the Lord sends me there because sometimes I’m in the right place at the right time.’ Pat, 76, is not retiring, because she is devoted to being there for the regular customers who look forward to seeing her each week. If the people don’t go to church, there is no doubt that Pat is taking
church to the people. I believe it is one of the many facets of The Salvation Army for which we need to pray in earnest. May God bless and keep safe all those Salvationists, like Pat, who work tirelessly as heralds – those who sometimes venture into places where many of us would fear to go. Angela Tyler, Royal Tunbridge Wells
VISION AND VALUES ARE NEEDED I WAS interested to read Major Ian Mountford’s helpful article concerning effective mission (Salvationist 23 February). The major’s initial question prompted me to wonder how many corps in the UK will have a mission development plan and, where they do exist, how many can be regarded as ‘living’ documents (as opposed to lying on a shelf, gathering dust). In this day and age, when there is probably no such thing as a typical Salvation Army corps, the provision of a tool to enable each corps to develop and deliver an appropriate mission plan must be welcome. However, and clearly my knowledge and understanding may well be somewhat lacking here, I do not detect an underlying requirement that every corps must have an appropriate mission development plan in place that can be subject to review, and against which those responsible can be held to account. More to the point, in among all the talk of ‘mission’ and ‘mission development’, the need for a clear, inspirational vision that can be applied in every part of the territory seems to have been lost. Major Mountford’s article talks about the ‘missional journey’ but I must ask, journey to where? The vision should set out what we aspire to be and the direction of travel. The territory’s vision can be found on its website – we aspire to be a ‘Spiritfilled, radical, growing movement, with a burning desire to lead people into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ,
actively serve the community and fight for social justice’ – but this needs to be visibly at the forefront of everything we do. The vision and the associated values should inform and drive all our planning and actions and it should be possible to translate this into a vision for every corps in the territory. At the risk of quoting Scripture out of context (and relative to the translation or version which is used), Proverbs 29:18 makes the position clear: ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (King James Version). Surely, therefore, establishment of a clear local vision (and values) for every corps, which clearly links to the territorial vision and values, is a vital first step! This will enable corps to build a mission plan and pursue a mission journey that has a sense of direction. The Salvation Army exists because William Booth (and others who followed) had a vision that guided him in everything he did, and which enabled the Army to grow and expand its ministry. Our vision and values need to influence everything and be evident in all the decisions that are made, even at the most senior levels. Perhaps then we might not find ourselves implementing projects which are clearly not fit for purpose, ensuring that what we change and how we change is vision focused and designed to support the delivery of the Army’s mission in our communities. Ian Scott, Chelmsford Salvationist 23 March 2019
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