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A Tribute Thank you for the tribute to General Bramwell Tillsley (“General Bramwell H. Tillsley Promoted to Glory,” Salvationist.ca, November 3, 2019). As a young boy growing up without a father at North Toronto Citadel, General (then Captain) Tillsley always took time out for me and showed genuine interest in how I was doing, even playing ball hockey with his son, Mark, and me in the driveway. To me he was larger than life! Later in adulthood, his impact on me grew even more influential through his excellence in the pulpit as an expositor of God’s holy Word. I will forever remember hearing him say, “If Christ isn’t Lord of all, then he isn’t Lord at all!” Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter now into your rest. Reverend Norm Gardner

14 October 2019 Salvationist A fter visiting the sewing club at The Salvation Army’s Spryfield Community Church, N.S., a young autistic man made a suggestion that would have a large and lasting impact. “When I saw and touched the ‘fidget quilts’ the club was making for people living with Alzheimer’s,” he said, “I thought, Could these quilts be made for people on the autism spectrum?” Working in partnership with Autism Nova Scotia, the sewing club was inspired by his suggestion to create weighted sensory pads. These beautiful, multi-coloured and multi-purpose pads support relaxation and offer sensory and tactile stimulation. Individuals on the autism spectrum may find the pads comforting—they can be a support that helps with grounding or they can be used as a fidget tool on a long car ride, for example. The pads can also help improve manual dexterity issues as they include zippers, buttons, velcro and other features.

“Autism Nova Scotia is thrilled to be involved with this meaningful project and to support the sewing club’s vision to make weighted sensory pads for individuals and families,” says Cynthia Carroll, executive director, Autism Nova Scotia. “We have nine regional chapters and resource centres, so these sensory pads will be accessible and available to autistic individuals throughout Nova Scotia.” So far, the club has created 38 sensory pads. Six were provided to local daycares, schools and individuals, helping to make them barrier-free in terms of cost and access. Some of the local libraries have sensory pads as part of their sensory toolkits available on loan. The estimated cost to create a weighted sensory pad is about $30 using low-cost and donated fabric and poly pellets provided by Autism Nova Scotia. Each pad takes a minimum of five hours to make. Eileen Watts is one of the sewing club members who are working diligently to create the sensory pads. “I didn’t realize the challenges individuals with autism and their families go through when navigating spaces in the community, such as their classroom or workplace,” she says. “It’s rewarding to be a part of this great initiative that benefits so many.”

Making the sensory pads is a team effort. Some of the members take the fabric home to test it in their washers and driers. Others team up to measure and cut out pieces. Some members sew the pockets that hold poly pellets for each pad, and others create panels with different textures and attachments. All of the pieces of the sensory pads are doublestitched and finished with heavy-duty thread to ensure high durability and quality.

Today, the sewing club averages around 15 to 18 regular participants. As more people learn about the sensory pads project, the club hopes new members will come on board to help, and that other sewing groups and community members will get involved as well, whether through sewing or donating fabrics and materials. Sheila Banks, who started the sewing club 10 years ago, says, “We hope this initiative inspires others to come forward and offer their skills to create these much-needed sensory pads.” Sewing That Makes Sense Salvation Army club in Spryfield, N.S., supports people on the autism spectrum. BY HEATHER DEIGHAN From left, Elaine Frail, Carolyn Goyetche and Sheila Banks—members of Spryfield CC’s sewing club—show off weighted sensory pads created for people on the autism spectrum Ongoing Outreach These sensory pads are not the sewing club’s only project. Over the years, the club has undertaken many initiatives, including: • shoe bags for children in elementary school • stuffed animals • colourful pillowcases for children at local hospitals and hospital hostels • curtains for Salvation Army camps and hostels • surgery dolls and gowns for children on surgical hospital units to understand surgical procedures • dresses for Salvation Army orphanages in Africa • lap blankets with fleece pockets for people living in nursing homes

Photo: Krista Riendeau

All Sewn Up The weighted sensory pads made by the sewing club at The Salvation Army’s Spryfield Community Church, N.S., are a fantastic idea (“Sewing That Makes Sense,” October 2019). I have one grandchild on the autism spectrum and a few others with sensory issues. As a very tactile person myself, I know these pads will help many, many people. Loretta Cameron

The Good Earth As a fifth-generation Salvationist who left the Army and became a minister in the United Church of Canada, I applaud your stance on creation and taking care of it (“Good for Greta,” Salvationist.ca, October 8, 2019). I’ve often felt that the worldwide Army makes a difference in so much of life. Here’s another important issue that has implications for the whole world. May there come a time again when God can say of creation, “It’s not only good, it’s very good.” May God bless us all as we work to bring creation back to its former glory. Dianne Hill

Noah ’ s Ark The animals go marching two-by-two at a pet-friendly shelter in Abbotsford, B.C. BY GISELLE RANDALL FRESH IDEAS

“She means everything to me. She keeps me going,” says Marcia about her dog, Peaches

In Abbotsford, B.C., The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope offers a place of shelter and safety, not only for people without a home, but also their animals. Since becoming a “pet-friendly” shelter in October 2014, they’ve welcomed dogs, cats, rabbits, birds—even a lizard and a tarantula.

“We opened the door to pets because we found ourselves turning people away,” says Al Breitkreuz, program manager, shelter, outreach and family services. “For some people, a pet is an important part of their survival, something that keeps them going. They shouldn’t have to give that up so they can sleep indoors.”

Mary (not her real name) is an elderly woman with the onset of dementia. “She’s had her Shih Tzu, Daisy, for 14 years. She needs this little dog,” says Breitkreuz. “If there was no petfriendly shelter available, where would she go?”

Along with meeting an immediate need, the shelter provides access to vital resources for those in the midst of challenging circumstances. After identifying this barrier to service, shelter staff considered the practical questions involved in having animals in the building. Were there health and safety concerns? What about noise? Could they keep the shelter clean?

“We came up with a policy to address these issues, and all pet owners are asked to sign a contract outlining their expectations and responsibilities,” he says. “Ultimately, the owner is accountable for the actions and behaviour of their pet.” The shelter allows two fur-bearing animals at one time. Owners are responsible to feed, walk and clean up after their pet, keep them under control at all times and be respectful of others in the community, as well as local bylaws. At night, pets sleep outside in a large kennel, with an insulated doghouse, donated by Petcetera. During the day, they can be inside with their owner, but must wear a leash— and possibly a muzzle—when in common areas. Pets aren’t permitted in the kitchen or dining room, unless they are service animals.

“On one hand, pets are a bit of extra work, but on the other hand, they also make our lives easier—it goes both ways,” says Breitkreuz. “Research suggests that the presence of pets in a shelter can bring equilibrium. When clients are sitting around in the evening, watching TV, and there’s a dog at their feet—that’s a beautiful thing. Everyone loves that.”

On rare occasions, shelter staff have felt an animal was being mistreated and called the SPCA. “But for the most part, there’s such a positive, caring bond,” he says.

Although having a pet can make it more difficult to find housing, this bond helps. “The responsibility that comes with owning and taking care of a pet provides so much balance in a person’s life,” he says. “It gives them the motivation to get housed. We’ve found that our housing rate is actually higher for people with pets than people without.”

Breitkreuz recommends that other Salvation Army shelters consider becoming pet-friendly. “Our mission is to meet the needs of as many people as we possibly can, and for the most part, this entire project is working well,” he says. “There may be reasons why some shelters can’t, but if it’s just because you’re afraid of the mess, then you need to look into the benefits, because it’s worth it.” Photo: Giselle Randall “When clients are sitting around in the evening, watching TV, and there ’ s a dog at their feet—everyone loves that.”

Two-by-Two I’m writing in response to the article about a pet-friendly shelter in Abbotsford, B.C. (“Noah’s Ark,” December 2019). I agree that this is a much-needed service, but I do wonder what happens if you encounter a person needing shelter with serious pet allergies or phobias. Is there another option for these people?

Captain Charlotte Dean

Life-and-Death Decisions Commissioner Floyd Tidd, thanks for sharing your letter with us (“Salvation Army Offers Input on Medical Assistance in Dying,” Salvationist.ca, January 23, 2020). I am definitely with you when you say that robust safeguards should be put in place to make sure an individual is not being pressured into making a life-and-death decision. When I think of individuals who have mental illnesses and relapse from time to time, the field just cannot be left wide open for them to make a rash judgment call and choose death over life because it seems easier. I am praying that the powers who are making the laws, rules and regulations weigh the pros and cons of what exactly is going to be written as law. Thank you for speaking on our behalf. Praying your views will make a difference. Doreen Payne

VIEWPOINT

The Face of God Why Jesus’ race matters. BY DARRYN OLDFORD

A depiction of Jesus by Richard Neave, a British expert in forensic facial reconstruction

24 January 2020 Salvationist P icture Jesus in your mind. What does he look like? Is he fat, thin or in between? Is he frowning? Smiling? Crying? Does he have long or short hair? Is his beard close-cropped or bushy? Now tell me, does he have lightbrown or blond hair, blue eyes and pale skin? That was the image of Jesus I’d seen for most of my life. From Sunday school illustrations, to paintings in church foyers, to actors portraying Jesus in films, Jesus was always a handsome and white—or, at best, slightly tanned—man. This version of Jesus, however, does not match reality.

Isaiah 53:2, believed by many Christians to be a prophecy about the Messiah, states: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” This is echoed throughout the New Testament. Although Jesus’ appearance is never spelled out in vivid detail, his ability to blend into crowds would lead us to believe that he looked like a typical man of his day. As a Middle Eastern man who walked in the sun from village to village, he probably had dark brown skin. The Jesus we see in murals and paintings, white-skinned with flowing hair that would put any shampoo commercial to shame, is not the truth.

So why do we show him this way? In most, but not all, places in the world, Christianity spread with colonization. In North America, influenced by Europe, that has meant representing Jesus through a predominantly white cultural and historical lens. By doing so, however, we chip away at the important human side of Christ.

It is a tenet of our faith that Jesus was fully God and fully man. Most of us have the God part figured out—we pray to him all the time—but Jesus as a man is harder to wrap our heads around. When his friend Lazarus died, he cried. When he saw the moneychangers in the temple, he got angry. When he wandered in the desert, he was hungry.

Like us, Jesus saw the world, felt the ground beneath his feet, heard the birds sing, smelled the spices in the market and tasted food. Jesus was born in a particular time and place, within a particular ethnicity. This is the mystery and beauty of the Incarnation. He was the Word made flesh, and the flesh he chose was a Middle Eastern Jewish man. To deny Jesus his humanity is, in effect, to deny Christ himself. Unless we are willing to love Jesus as a brown-skinned Jewish man, can we really say we love him?

This is not a call to haul every blondhaired, blue-eyed portrait of Jesus to the

dump. Some people take comfort in these paintings. I have seen images of Black Jesus in Kenya and Asian Jesus in South Korea, and they show us that he belongs to every culture. We must be careful, though, not to worship our own image. That is the textbook definition of idolatry. I must confess, however, that while I have no problem with Asian or Black Jesus (in fact, I have a Kenyan artist’s portrayal of the Last Supper hanging in my dining room), I find Caucasian Jesus problematic because of the historical baggage associated with colonization. European features were considered beautiful and people of colour were treated as inferior.

Sadly, these messages continue to influence how many people of colour see themselves, in addition to perpetuating racism, which hurts society as a whole. It’s important to combat old colonial notions of what Christ looked like, to open the door further for those who aren’t white-skinned and blue-eyed. Portraying Jesus as Caucasian reinforces colonialism and can make him a symbol of oppression.

If the only way you can serve Jesus is by seeing him as white-skinned, I suggest that your faith is not in God, but in the power that comes with cultural Christianity. Portraying Jesus as he actually looked may help break down explicit and implicit walls of racism in the global church, and work toward a true fellowship of all believers. After all, we all serve a Middle Eastern Saviour. Darryn Oldford is a senior soldier in Toronto.

The Image of Jesus Interesting piece (“The Face of God,” January 2020). I have seen this particular portrait of Jesus before. I don’t believe it really matters what colour you see Jesus as, or which part of Jesus’ personality resonates with you the most. My only issue with the article is the rather strange comment that it’s OK to see Jesus as black or Asian, but it’s a problem if you see

him as white, essentially because of European colonization—thereby conflating personal interpretations of Jesus with earthly geopolitical issues, in particular the contemporary “progressive” narrative. Either we believe we should embrace an authentic version of Jesus, or we believe we should be able to make Jesus whatever works for us. To suggest we can make him whatever works for us as long as it’s not white is not logical and simply panders to the current woke mentality that our Jesus-relationship should rise above.

Stuart MacMillan

We tend to think that we created God in our own image and that is so wrong. Yes, Jesus was born into a Jewish culture and he himself was a Jew. He probably looked like most Middle Eastern men. Jews say that they are God’s chosen people and so they are, but I thank God that in his unconditional love he adopted someone like me. Josephine Nicolosi

The Mercy Seat This was a well-written and thoughtful article (“A Place of Prayer,” January 2020). I would love to see an article written about the meaning and use of the holiness table. L. Manley A Place of Prayer

The rich heritage of the mercy seat in Salvation Army tradition. BY CAPTAIN JOSH HOWARD

22 January 2020 Salvationist T he Salvation Army has a rich history, filled with a variety of traditions and symbols that were developed with much thought, prayer and strong scriptural foundations. In almost every corps and Army centre across the territory, one such symbol holds a central place: the mercy seat. Many know it as a place of prayer, commitment and change, but how many have considered the biblical, historical and present-day importance of the mercy seat?

The term “mercy seat” holds a great deal of theological meaning. It is first found in Exodus 25, in a passage where God gives Moses instructions regarding the building of the tabernacle and the various items that would be within it, including the Ark of the Covenant: “And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold … And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee” (Exodus 25:17, 21 KJV). In some modern translations, “mercy seat” is rendered “atonement cover,” because of the primary role the ark played on the Day of Atonement.

In the following verses, the term is repeated several times to describe a meeting place with God. In Exodus 25:22, the Lord says to Moses, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat.”

In the Army, the term “mercy seat” and “altar” are often used interchangeably. Biblically, these two terms are different: the first a place to meet with God, and the second a place of sacrifice. When we consider the Army context, we can see how the mercy seat is a place of prayer, but also why we refer to it as an altar. As the song My All Is On the Altar (SASB 609) notes, there are times when we have to present our lives to God, as a consecrated offering.

In the Old Testament, the altar played a crucial role for God’s people. Some altars were simple and spur of the moment, while others were intentionally constructed. One early scriptural example of an altar is found in Genesis 8. After the flood, Noah’s first instinct was to build an altar and worship God: “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it” (Genesis 8:20). Other examples of altars include Samuel’s “stone of help,” named Ebenezer, in 1 Samuel 7, and Elijah’s fire-consumed altar in 1 Kings 18.

From these and other passages comes the Army’s understanding of the mercy seat. The Salvation Army’s Handbook of Doctrine explains the importance

of the mercy seat in noting, “We call Salvationists worldwide to recognize the wide understanding of the mercy seat that God has given to the Army; to rejoice that Christ uses this means of grace to confirm his presence; and to ensure that its spiritual benefits are fully explored in every corps and Army centre.”

It has been within this context and understanding that the mercy seat has come to be revered as a sacred meeting space with God in Army tradition. In his book The Mercy Seat Revisited, Major Nigel Bovey writes, “For Salvationists the world over, the mercy seat—whatever its physical appearance and composition—is an honoured and special place. It has no inherent power. It holds no magic or mystique. It is special only because of the sensitive nature of the business that is conducted there. Special always, magical never.”

This is an important reminder. As the handbook and Major Bovey note, it is the gift of God’s grace that can be received, discovered and experienced at the mercy seat.

Commissioner Phil Needham, author of Community in Mission, has shared, “I think the mercy seat should be utilized for any purpose involving prayer. I think it is quite useful for Salvationists to be invited to come together in prayer at the The mercy seat is a sacred meeting space with God. This simple piece of wood, engraved with the word “Redeemed,” is part of the mercy seat at Heritage Park Temple in Winnipeg, but its history goes back more than half a century