We are The Salvation Army

There are hundreds of corps and centres up and down the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland, but what makes them The Salvation Army? In this series, Salvationist discovers just that

WE LIVE BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT

says Ballymoney corps officer Major Jane-Marie Cook

BALLYMONEY is a market town in Northern Ireland that sits on the Antrim Coast, home of the Giant’s Causeway. The corps is 107 years old, but when my husband and I were appointed here in 2016 it was very small, with three active members and a small group of people supporting from other churches. Three years on this has grown into a community-based corps of believers, living, working and worshipping together, having fun and showing the love of Christ to each other and to those we meet.

When we arrived, we were tasked with developing a fresh expression of The Salvation Army in the town. After a lot of research and gathering of statistics to find out where the gaps and needs of the community were, we began meeting with other agencies. It was through this networking and prayer that we slowly started to discover and develop the vision that God was giving us.

Our corps building was in need of major repair and refurbishment, and we faced the problem of having nowhere to worship. God provided by leading us to a nearby Methodist church, where we worshipped for six months.

Then in 2017 our divisional headquarters gave us the green light to start implementing the vision God had for us. God kept giving me 2 Corinthians 5:7: ‘For we live by faith, not by sight’ – and we now occupy a unit in the town on a three-year lease. This unit has become the place where we can be The Salvation Army.

At the same time our small nucleus of corps members met and prayed over many months using the Faith-Based Facilitation cycle. Through this God transformed our thinking, helping us to

stop worrying about our lack of a hall. The cycle had such a powerful impact on us that we started to understand how we could continue to be missional without a building.

This was the turning point for Ballymoney.

Since then we have begun increasing in number. We feel blessed and privileged that in 2019 the corps has seven soldiers, nine adherent members and a junior soldier, with more waiting to complete membership classes. The most important thing we found in our ministry is that people want to belong and feel they have something to give. One of the main concerns in our community is loneliness and social isolation – which is a common need generally in society today. In networking with agencies in our area, we began to recognise that the vision God was giving us was the need for a befriending service. We named the project Saint (Salvation Army in Touch) and took up the mission statement, ‘Jesus: to declare Jesus, to engage and serve in his community and to show unity and support in all we do.’

With trained volunteers we visit 12 people at home on a regular basis, with 24 more on a waiting list. And the project is not limited to people in their homes. We see our drop-in, which is open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm, as an extension of this, as it provides a warm safe space for people to get in touch with others.

We engage our service users with activities such as board games, word searches, jigsaws, arts and crafts and Stitch Away Stress knitting and crochet classes. These have helped so many of our people, some of whom live with anxiety or depression.

It’s now become so popular that we get referrals from other groups who are trying to get people to start engaging with others. Some of them come in to have a coffee and a chat and others will come in for referrals to the food bank or for practical help. We’ve found that our availability as an open door has been a great witness to the town.

Every day at midday we have a five-minute Bible reflection and prayer, during which people can write prayer requests to leave in our prayer area. It’s great when they come back and tell us how God has answered them. We thank God for all those we have the privilege of supporting in our community.

As Ballymoney is growing we are seeing more people take on responsibilities. People have started volunteering, helping with the War Cry ministry in the town and taking part in a monthly book club that meets in a nearby coffee shop. The book club was started to engage with people who don’t yet come to the corps.

We have been encouraged to see people building relationships and sharing their personal stories of faith, and we see them bringing others week by week to our Sunday worship. Our café-church style works well where we are, as it is interactive in a relaxed setting. We’re now at a point of outgrowing the unit we rent – praise God! – and we would ask readers of Salvationist to pray for the future of the corps as we look towards returning to our building.

Making the best of every moment

Following his recent retirement from the International Staff Band Derick Kane speaks to LieutColonel Jonathan Roberts about his life and service A FTER 42 years as principal euphonium player in the International Staff Band Derick Kane bowed out during the band’s visit to Sale in Januar y. This weekend Derick plays with the ISB once more as it presents ‘Bravura!’ at Regent Hall to celebrate those years of service. Retirement from the ISB is a major step on the musical journey Derick began in his childhood at Hamilton Corps. ‘I pro bably learnt when I was round about six,’ he recalls, ‘and went into the YP band when I was seven. I started on tenor horn but was on euphonium by the time I was nine. The band leader, John Elliott, was a great encourager to us young lads, and people in the senior band always had a word to encourage us to play and take part.’ It wasn’t long before Derick’s ability was recogn ised more widely. The Musician of 22 October 1966, in a report of the Scottish Territorial Congress Youth Festival , said: ‘Band Member Derick Kane (Hamilton), only ten years of age, received an ovation for his rendering of “The Priceless Gift”. He played this as a euphonium solo with all the aplomb of a veteran soloist, possessing an amazingly mature tone for one so young. ’ Becoming a soldier at 15 Derick joined t he senior band at Hamilton, and within a few years was encouraged to seek an audition for the ISB. ‘One or two people had made comments to me about applying to the staff band, so I did, and I was invited to audition at Tylney Hall music camp in the summer of 1976. I joined the band in the September. ‘It was daunting but very exciting. I suddenly found myself 400 miles away from home and sitting on the end chair of the staff band. I loved every minute of it right from the start and I was straight on as a soloist in my first programme. I always think it must have been a brave move for the staff bandmaster to take this young player from Scotland, put him on the end and put him on the programme.’ Moving to London Derick worked at first in the instrument department at SP&S’s Judd Street shop, then in the IH Q Public Relations Department. He later did a three-year music degree at King’s College London, before going into teaching. Throughout this time, and up until his retirement, he continued to be busy with the ISB – weekends away at corps, recordings, international tours Scottish Congress October 1998

and territorial and international events. Being part of the ISB has been significant for Derick in many ways. He mentions a few: ‘A highlight is the friendships that have been made in 42 years. I can think back on some great people – great players and Salvationists that I was privileged to be alongside. I can also think of some recording sessions we’ve done that have been very special. ‘So many events stand out but I’d point to the ISB120 occasion, with its atmosphere and camaraderie, when the eight staff bands came together for a concert in the Royal Albert Hall and a march down The Mall. ‘I’d also pick out the 2015 Boundless Congress. Playing in The O2 Arena and coming into contact with not just