FEATURE Being obedient
I knew what I had to do The theme for Candidates Sunday on 12 May is Be Obedient and, as we approach that date, three people – a retired officer, an active officer and a cadet – explain what being obedient to God has meant for them; we begin this week with Colonel Michael Pressland
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F you are expecting a heavy spiel pressing you to offer for Salvation Army officership, you may be disappointed! Instead, let me paint the background of my life lived during 86 years in a rapidly changing world. Born in December 1932, I came into a world in turmoil. By the time I was seven the Second World War had begun. It was exciting for a young country lad, despite the rationing of food, clothing and sweets! In the depression that followed the war my parents lost our small fruit farm in Upleadon, Gloucestershire. I was angry and, observing some of the less attractive features of post-war life for those unable to work, especially for the many service personnel returning from the front, I began to rebel against the exploitation and greed, and the lack of direction and hopelessness of such a society. I searched for a ‘mission’ in which my rebellion could find expression. In my late teens, after an undemanding grammar school education and hoping to escape my growing dissatisfaction with what I saw around me, I joined the Royal Navy to take a degree class marine engineering apprenticeship – one of the best in the world at that time. I now see that the Lord was equipping me for what he wanted of me in the coming years. My first lesson as a sailor was to obey orders! The navy offered tight discipline, excellent pay and promotion prospects, and a life that included lots of sports and physical activities, with retirement at 45. I imagined that my future life was fully mapped out.
That was until an encounter with The Salvation Army changed everything! Dunfermline Corps was near my Royal Navy base at Rosyth. I visited for a laugh but was welcomed with open arms. And because in my teens I had been a churchgoer, I was soon fully involved in corps activities and had a real experience of spiritual conversion. A poster with a picture of the Lord Jesus asking ‘Should you be a Salvation Army officer?’ confronted me each time I worshipped; it challenged all my plans. I just knew what I had to do, but the way to do it seemed impossible. I had to obey, overcoming the reluctance of the Royal Navy to release me from my commitment and coping with the disapproval of my parents, who feared that I was about to waste my upbringing and education to accept the disciplines of a life given over to The Salvation Army. The way forward was, of course, already in the mind of my heavenly Father, and I was accepted for training to enter the 1952-53 session of cadets. Being new, though, I asked if I could gain experience with The Salvation Army in Glasgow for a further year. So I became a candidate helper at Anderston Citadel, then at a smaller corps in Possilpark, also in Glasgow, before entering the Shepherds Session of 1953-54. My future was to serve and care for all as an under shepherd. The seeds of my boyhood rebellion were to find a positive and practical expression in service to others. I have not been disappointed. With subsequent marriage and the
arrival of our family, an amazing and unexpected variety of Salvation Army appointments followed in the UK and overseas. I needed to adapt obediently to many more challenges, changes, joys and sorrows. I have no regrets, and if I could do it all over again, I would try to do it better, be more obedient to God and make fewer mistakes. God, however, knew best and has been far more generous and understanding than I could ever have deserved. Officership does not end at the age of 65! A whole new and different form of obedience introduced me to other opportunities for service in the IHQ Europe Department, followed by a period of 13 years in several different roles at the International College for Officers. In retirement it has been important to keep up the discipline of my daily timetable, rising early to spend time with the Lord, studying his word and praying. Another new ministry emerged: making daily notes and posting them on Facebook. An opportunity to witness for the Lord opened. Two books containing extracts from these posts have already been published and a third is on the way. This is a call to continue my ministry to help, challenge and encourage others, until that day when I will obey the final summons to my Father’s home. COLONEL PRESSLAND LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN COXHEATH Salvationist 27 April 2019
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