Salvationist - September 2013

A Family Copes With Alzheimer’s Disease

Factory Collapse: Who’s to Blame?

Kids are Ready to Serve in Chatham

Salvationist The Voice of the Army

After the Flood

September 2013

The Army gives hope in the wake of Alberta disaster 1 I April 2012 I Salvationist

2 I August 2013 I Salvationist

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September 2013 No. 88 www.salvationist.ca E-mail: salvationist@can.salvationarmy.org

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Features 8 After the Flood Cert no. XXX-XXX-XXXX

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In the wake of the worst flooding disaster in Alberta’s history, The Salvation Army offers hope

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PRODUCT LABELING GUIDE

12 Remember Me?

During World Alzheimer’s Month, a family shares their personal experience of living with dementia FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

by Melissa Yue Wallace

18 Ready to Serve in Chatham

A new Salvation Army Bible-teaching program helps children take action with their faith

by Kristin Ostensen

20 When God Says Go Departments 4 Editorial

23 Cross Culture 24 Celebrate Community

5 Around the Territory 14 Talking It Over

28 The Storyteller

Look for the Helpers

by Geoff Moulton

Factory Recall

by James Read and Aimee Patterson

17 Chief Priorities

The Glass is Half Full

by Colonel Mark Tillsley

19 Letters Inside Faith & Friends Never Knuckle Under

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey has always overcome obstacles. Now he’s trying to strike out human trafficking

Michael Franzese walked away from the Mob—and lived to tell about it

Banking on Choice

An Army food bank in Windsor, Ont., gives people dignity

20

Enrolments and recognition, tributes, gazette, calendar

Fair Wage

by Major Fred Ash

29 Ties That Bind

Letting Go

by Major Kathie Chiu

30 Spiritual Disciplines Clearing the Noise

by Major Gail Winsor

Drawing the Line

After years of misery, a simple list helped Ernest Grundy change his life

Share Your Faith When you finish reading Faith & Friends, FAITH & frıends pull it out and give it to someone who needs to hear about R.A. DICKEY Christ’s lifechanging +  power September 2013

Mafia Man

Retired Salvation Army officers Colonels Robert and Marguerite Ward unpack their experiences overseas

by Doug Field

faithandfriends.ca

Inspiration for Living

MAFIA MAN

Blue Jays Pitcher Striking Out Human Trafficking

HOW TO LIVE A LIFE OF JOY

SALVATION ARMY Food Bank Offers Choice

Salvationist.ca World Watch

Keep up to date on what the Army is doing internationally.

Visit salvationist.ca/worldwatch

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EDITORIAL

T

Look for the Helpers

he late Fred Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister and host of the children’s show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, had some comforting words in moments of tragedy: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words.”

His message was directed at children, but it’s a helpful reminder for adults, too. When disaster strikes, be it natural or man-made, we look for the helpers, those who put aside their own needs to attend to others. Imagine being lifted up by an army of Good Samaritans. It is this “love in action” that gives people the strength to carry on in the most trying circumstances.

Imagine being lifted up by an army of Good Samaritans When the f lood waters rose in Alberta in June, The Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services (EDS) was on the scene, dispensing drinks, sandwiches and a listening ear for the victims and first responders who were dealing with traumatic situations. The scale of the disaster meant that the Army’s EDS had to co-ordinate on an unprecedented level, bringing together nine experts from across the territory.

Staff writer Kristin Ostensen shares details of the Army’s flood relief efforts through the eyes of EDS workers, officers, volunteers and survivors (see page 8). Our new chief secretary, Colonel Mark Tillsley, also writes about visiting High River, Alta., and discovering a spirit of optimism that defied the devastation (see page 17). The Salvation Army is often first on the scene of a disaster and is there long after the story fades from the news headlines, helping people rebuild their lives.

When bad things happen around the world, we receive immediate updates on our TVs, cellphones and 4 I September 2013 I Salvationist

computers. But do we react with the same concern for our global neighbours?

James Read and Aimee Patterson of The Salvation Army Ethics Centre begin a letter-writing series this month called Talking It Over, looking at tough social issues. This month, they consider the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh and ask what our response should be.

Are we complicit in the suffering of others when we buy that $10 T-shirt?

It felt as though disaster hit everywhere last summer. In the wake of the train derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Que. (see page 5), The Salvation Army was present, offering spiritual and practical assistance. Once again, in times of difficulty, people leaned on their faith.

Father Steve Lemay, the parish priest in Lac-Mégantic, admitted that healing would be slow and that people were struggling for answers. But in the midst of the pain, the church bells pealed out and Father Lemay sounded a note of hope. “Our faith doesn’t remove our suffering,” he said, “but it ensures despair won’t have the last word.” It points beyond the tragedy to the One who is our ever-present helper in times of trial.

GEOFF MOULTON Editor-in-Chief

Salvationist

is a monthly publication of The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory Commissioner Brian Peddle Territorial Commander Lt-Colonel Jim Champ Secretary for Communications Geoff Moulton Editor-in-Chief Melissa Yue Wallace Features Editor (416-467-3185) Pamela Richardson News Editor, Production Co-ordinator, Copy Editor (416-422-6112) Kristin Ostensen Associate Editor and Staff Writer Timothy Cheng Art Director Ada Leung Circulation Co-ordinator Ken Ramstead Contributor Agreement No. 40064794, ISSN 1718-5769.

Member, The Canadian Church Press. All Scripture references from the Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version (TNIV) © 2001, 2005 International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

All rights reserved worldwide. All articles are copyright The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory and can be reprinted only with written permission.

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Mission

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AROUND THE TERRITORY

“Tough” Fundraiser for 614 Vancouver THERE MIGHT BE easier ways to raise funds for corps programs, but Vancouver’s 614 Corps isn’t interested. Seven members of the corps, including corps leader Aaron White, recently participated in the Tough Mudder challenge, a 19-kilometre obstacle course that has been called the toughest event on the planet. Obstacles included crawling through mud under barbed wire and swimming through tanks of ice water.

“We had a great time,” says White.

“The obstacles were a lot of fun. We got really muddy and exhausted, but we kept together for the entire race.”

Team members spent six months preparing and raising funds in the lead up to the event, which raised $7,000 for the corps. White, who promised that he would shave his head if the corps raised more than $6,140, soon found himself with a new hairdo.

Not a typical race, Tough Mudder encourages participants to care more about their teammates than their time— an aspect of the event White appreciates.

“It was a beautiful way of helping, encouraging and blessing one another,” says White, “and a great picture of the church—of different people with different abilities, all coming together toward a common goal.”

White says the corps will participate in the Tough Mudder challenge again next year, with the goal of doubling their team members and money raised.

The Tough Mudder team from Vancouver’s 614 Corps

Army Responds After Tragedy in Lac-Mégantic THE SALVATION ARMY provided support and assistance after a train derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Que., in July, causing the deaths of more than 40 people and forcing 2,000 people from their homes.

A team of volunteers from The Salvation Army in Sherbrooke, Que., along with Major Brian Venables, divisional commander, Quebec Division, and Lieutenant Wayne Knight, divisional emergency disaster services director, were on site in the immediate aftermath providing practical and spiritual care. The Army received eight tons of supplies, including food, clothing and household goods, from the general public in response to an appeal for aid.

An emergency disaster services com-

munity response unit was deployed to deliver supplies and food. The Army served 300 meals and snacks per day, primarily to firefighters and municipal workers to help them carry out their duties.

Lt Anne-Marie Dagenais and Lt Elizabeth Knight serve first responders after a train derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Que.

Brass Band Has Impact in Jamaica THE ONTARIO GREAT Lakes Divisional Youth Band, Impact Brass, had a special opportunity to minister to the people of Jamaica this spring. The 30-member band was invited to the Western Jamaica Division, Caribbean Territory, for a one-week tour under the leadership of Bandmaster Ken Bailey.

As well as playing music at corps events, the band visited schools, painted houses, conducted open-air meetings on the streets of Montego Bay, assisted with a prayer breakfast fundraiser, participated in divisional youth councils and more.

“Our belief is that banding isn’t just about performing concerts, or being the main attraction when on tour,” says Rebecca Band member Emma Gerard embraces Minaker, band member and event co- children at The Salvation Army Arthur Wint ordinator from Listowel Corps, Ont., “but Basic School providing an opportunity to serve, assist in worship and be a living example of the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.”

For the band members, the trip was a life-changing experience, increasing their desire to follow the example of Christ and put their beliefs in action.

Impact Brass shares the gift of music in Western Jamaica Div Salvationist I September 2013 I 5

AROUND THE TERRITORY

Jubilee Band Visits Penticton

Children Gather at Scotian Glen Camp

VANCOUVER’S JUBILEE BAND West travelled to Penticton, B.C., recently, where they performed before 600 people over the course of a weekend.

The band, led by Roy Cornick, played in the gazebo at the Village by the Station, a Lutheran seniors’ care home in Penticton where the Salvation Army community care ministries is very active. A packed hall greeted the band at their Saturday evening concert, which featured several accomplished soloists, both playing and singing. The group also conducted the Sunday morning service at Penticton Community Church, and then led an afternoon hymn sing attended by 200 people.

THE MARITIME DIVISION’S annual Children’s Gathering was held at Scotian Glen Camp, N.S., in June. Nearly 60 children and 20 leaders came together under the theme of Kingdom Rock: Where Kids Stand Strong for God, for a weekend filled with Bible teaching and worship, as well as games, crafts and more. At the end of the weekend, the children were invited to consider how Jesus died on the cross to take away their sins.

Then they were given the opportunity to write on a piece of paper something that represented sin in their lives and place it on nails that were driven into a wooden cross. There was a great response to this exercise, which was followed by prayer in small groups with camp leaders.

Vancouver’s Jubilee Band West in action

Children sing songs at the annual Children’s Gathering at Scotian Glen Camp

N.L. Congress Highlights Children and Youth THE THEME FOLLOWING Jesus: Anything, Anytime, Anywhere was evident throughout the annual congress in Newfoundland and Labrador, led by Commissioners Brian and Rosalie Peddle, territorial leaders. Colonels Mark and Sharon Tillsley, chief secretary and territorial secretary for women’s ministries, were also introduced and welcomed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Division.

The congress commenced with a look at The Salvation Army’s history and heritage. Under the leadership of Rhodie Ann Woodland, the Gowans and Larsson musical Blood of the Lamb was performed before a capacity crowd of 950 on Friday night.

On Saturday morning, the congregation was challenged by a keynote address by Commissioner Brian Peddle, followed by two teaching sessions on cultivating discipleship by Major Julie Slous, corps officer, Cariboo Hill Temple, Burnaby, B.C. Saturday afternoon and evening included an outreach carnival for children and a celebration of praise, which featured children and youth from the division singing, dancing and timbrelling.

The focus of the Sunday morning worship service was Christlikeness, while Sunday evening was a time of commitment. Seven cadets from Newfoundland and Labrador, who are now at Winnipeg’s College for Officer Training, as well as 6 I September 2013 I Salvationist

two cadets who had summer appointments in the province, were recognized, and Lt-Colonel Sandra Rice, secretary for personnel, said a prayer of dedication for them.

During the Sunday evening service, Commissioner Brian Peddle presented retirement certificates to Lt-Colonels Wayne and Myra Pritchett, then divisional leaders, who retired following 85 years of combined service.

Children participate in congress celebrations

AROUND THE TERRITORY

Conception Bay South Celebrates 105 Years IHQ Unveils 2015 International Congress Logo AFTER A SELECTION process lasting several months, the official logo for The Salvation Army’s 2015 International Congress has been revealed. Designed by Kim Hansen and Jan Aasmann Størksen from Norway, the logo’s interwoven shapes each resemble a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Commissioner William Cochrane, international secretary to the Chief of the Staff, notes that “the interlocking shapes in the traditional Salvation Army colours of yellow, red and blue infer the unity that is ours through our diversity.” When the multicoloured elements are combined, they form a star, a prominent symbol on the Salvation Army flag.

The outer part of the logo forms a circle, evoking the earth.

This ties in with the congress theme Boundless—The Whole World Redeeming, reinforcing the Salvationist’s desire to see the world won for God. Lt-Colonel Eddie Hobgood, co-ordinator, International Congress 2015, adds, “This circular shape, which has no beginning nor ending, reminds us of the words ‘eternal,’ ‘never-ending,’ ‘limitless’ … ‘boundless.’ ”

TO GOD BE the Glory was a fitting theme for the weekend of celebrations commemorating the 105th anniversary of Conception Bay South Corps, N.L. Guests for the weekend were retired Commissioners Max and Lenora Feener, formerly of Newfoundland and Labrador, who currently live in Georgia.

The celebrations began with a corps family dinner on Friday, followed by a short program and the cutting of the anniversary cake. On Saturday evening, capacity crowds enjoyed a musical program featuring the Corner Brook Temple Band, under the leadership of Bandmaster Darren Hancock, and accomplished soloist Wendy Woodland.

Sunday consisted of singing and inspiring Bible messages.

For the first time, both Sunday services were available online via live streaming. There was great rejoicing that day as three people accepted Christ.

Mjrs Lorne and Barb Pritchett, COs, Comrs Lenora and Max Feener, CSM Harold Perrin and Joshua Okhifoh cut the anniversary cake

Fairview Citadel Shows Spirit of Banding “IT WAS THE most uplifting thing that had happened to me for a long time,” says Donald Locke, a retired bandsman living in Corner Brook, N.L. In May, Locke received a special visit at his home from Halifax’s Fairview Citadel Band, who were in town playing at Corner Brook Temple. Two weeks prior to the visit, Locke had undergone surgery for cancer and had not been able to attend the band’s concert.

When Locke heard the band’s bus pull up, he went to the window and couldn’t believe his eyes. “I was not expecting it,” he says. “My spirits were down, but this was a wonderful thing.”

Led by Bandmaster Keith Haggett, the 19-member band,

The Fairview Citadel Band visits Donald Locke in Corner Brook, N.L.

along with Corner Brook Temple Bandmaster Darren Hancock, set up in Locke’s driveway and played classic Army hymns such as I Know Thee Who Thou Art and I’m in His Hands. The band closed with O Boundless Salvation, followed by a prayer.

“After the prayer, I went up to shake Mr. Locke’s hand and he said to me, ‘Bandmaster, I’m not sure why you were called to Newfoundland this weekend, but you have done a world of good here today,’ ” recalls Haggett. “I couldn’t speak; I could only smile.

“It was moving for everyone,” he adds. “Many members of the band have said that this time with Mr. Locke was the highlight of the trip.”

“This is the real essence of Salvation Army banding,” says Locke, who was a bandsman for 60 years.

“We go to band practice and play in the church— and that’s good. But the real essence of banding is showing you care.”

Donald Locke shares his thanks with Fairview Citadel CSM Jerry Porter Salvationist I September 2013 I 7

Mjr Patricia McInnes (right) offers support to flood victims

After the Flood In the wake of the worst flooding catastrophe in Alberta’s history, The Salvation Army offers hope

J

une 20 began as a typical morning for Lieutenant Cory Fifield, corps officer in High River, Alta.

He arrived at the corps office, started on his daily tasks, and was on the phone when his thrift store manager ran in and told him that there was water coming down the street.

“I finished my call and when I went out to look, I realized that it was not just a little water—it was raging water,” recalls Lieutenant Fifield. He and the manager jumped into the Army’s program truck and went to get sandbags, but by the time they returned, the 8 I September 2013 I Salvationist

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN, STAFF WRITER building—situated less than 250 metres from the bulging Highwood River—was surrounded by water.

“We immediately evacuated the store, threw the sandbags down and started packing clothes and whatever we could find against the doors to try to limit the damage,” he says. “Then we went to see what else we could do.”

They were driving around town when they came across a member of their congregation who was trying to get to her house to sandbag it.

“Little did she know that her house was already under several feet of water

and her husband, who is almost 90 years old, was still inside,” says Lieutenant Fifield. “We followed her to her house on the riverside and were able to find an old door, which we used to carry her husband to safety, along with a garbage bucket with a few of his belongings.”

Around lunchtime, he joined his wife, Lieutenant Kelly Fifield, at the local high school, which had been transformed into an evacuation centre.

Already, three quarters of the town was under evacuation notice, and the centre was moving from the high school to the arena in nearby Nanton.

The 30-kilometre drive was treacherous. “There was water rushing over the highway, and I had to stop at one point to avoid a five-metre log,” recalls Lieutenant Cory Fifield. But they made it safely to the evacuation centre and spent the next several hours helping others get settled before they drove to Calgary to stay with friends. *** Though reports of flooding were becoming widespread as the day wore on, the mandatory evacuation notice still took Karen Livick, executive director of Calgary’s Centre of Hope, by surprise.

“The centre is about five blocks from the Bow River,” she says. “I was watching the Bow rise and could see it was getting high but thought, It’s never going to make it over to us.”

Around 6:30 p.m., after receiving word that the centre might be evacuated, staff gave out notices to all 353 clients at the centre, advising them to pack their bags just in case. When the city issued an official evacuation notice at 8 p.m., the centre sprang into action.

“The big question for us was, where are all our clients going to go?” says Trevor Loria, director of the men’s residential program.

Loria and Livick called partner agencies in non-evacuated areas and arranged for the city to send buses to the centre to transport clients. Its 56 most-vulnerable clients—the elderly and those with health issues—were given places at the

Army’s family resource centre outside downtown Calgary, while the rest went to other shelters, evacuation centres and to stay with friends and family.

Everyone was out within three hours, leaving Livick, Loria and Peter Palaj, director of facilities, at the centre to wait.

“We have a lot of clients who work nights,” explains Livick, “so we stayed through the night, answering questions and directing clients where they should go.”

By the time Livick left around 9 a.m., the centre had lost power.

“Fire trucks were stuck in the water around us,” she recalls. “We made it out in the nick of time.”

The Aftermath “The night of the flood, cellphone service was terrible. We had an emergency disaster services (EDS) community response unit (CRU) from Calgary coming to help us, but we weren’t able to contact them,” Lieutenant Fifield says. “They couldn’t get through to Nanton because the roads were closed, so they were redirected to Blackie, about 30 kilometres east of High River.”

In the immediate aftermath, the Army’s relief efforts were focused on many Alberta locations, including Drumheller, Medicine Hat, Calgary and Blackie, where the Fifields provided pastoral care, emotional support and practical assistance—tracking people down and making sure people had registered as evacuees. With a CRU, a team from Lethbridge, Alta., along with members

Residents of High River begin cleaning out their damaged homes

of the High River corps, provided meals for 300 people daily.

“The first couple of days were pretty scattered,” recalls Lieutenant Fifield.

“No one was prepared for the flood to be on this scale. Once it became clear that we wouldn’t be going home soon, we began to look for options in terms of refrigeration for food, garbage, linens.

People only had the shirts on their backs, so we had to get clothes in.”

On June 24, the mayor of High River came to the evacuation centre with aerial photos of the town.

“After that, things really began to shift because people were able to visualize what had happened in High River,” Lieutenant Fifield says. “Most people left thinking they would be away for a couple of days and then back home. And when the pictures went up, they realized that their homes were under two to three metres of water. People cried as they looked at pictures, trying to find their homes.” *** Livick was allowed back into the Centre of Hope on Saturday, June 22, to assess the damage.

“There was a lot of debris around the building, alarms were going off,” she remembers. “It was very eerie. The building has been open for 12 years and this was the first time it was empty.

“I went into the stairwell, going from the main floor to the basement, and that’s where I first encountered the

Colonel Mark Tillsley, chief secretary, assists with clean-up efforts at High River’s thrift store Salvationist I September 2013 I 9

water,” she continues. “It was surreal to see everything floating around down there, to see water up to the steeringwheel level of our program vehicles.”

The whole basement and parking garage of the Centre of Hope was flooded.

Their commercial kitchen, laundry facility, maintenance area, storage and archives—all destroyed.

Even as the centre braced for a significant clean-up effort, its first priority was still its clients. From the centre’s temporary base at the family resource centre, Loria organized teams of two staff who went to all the evacuation centres to locate their clients.

“Once we made sure that they were safe, our priority was to attend to their immediate needs, such as medications, clothing and income support from the government,” says Loria. The diligent efforts of the staff ensured that no client was forgotten.

there were people in arenas and school gyms in places like Nanton, Okotoks, Blackie and Canmore, and they all needed feeding,” says McEwan. “So then we were able to plan where our emergency vehicles would go to meet those needs.

“We also had two trucks roving up and down the streets of Calgary, while people were cleaning out their houses, handing out food and cold drinks,” he notes.

On some days, the Army’s eight CRUs served as many as 3,000 meals, and by July 15, the Army had provided food and hydration to more than 41,000 people.

“It’s fantastic, when you think about what we were able to accomplish,” says McEwan.

providing food, water and a listening ear.

Jeannette Parsons, who arrived in High River on June 30 with an EDS team from Oshawa Temple, Ont., was on one of those roving teams.

Seeing people come face to face with the destruction of their homes was “heartbreaking,” she says. “The first gentleman I spoke to—he was the first person back on his street—said, ‘I know I’m gonna need a big cry soon.’ He was trying to clean up—he didn’t want the children to see the mess up there.”

As more residents returned to their homes, yards and sidewalks became filled with broken furniture, dirtencrusted fridges, spoiled food and ruined mattresses. Thick dried mud caked everything in the water’s path.

“There were a lot of tears, but the people were so grateful,” Parsons adds.

“They acted like you gave them a million dollars when really all you’d given was a bottle of water.”

While some Salvation Army personnel offered assistance on the frontlines of the disaster, others were working behind the scenes, in areas of town that were still closed to the public.

“There were times when you had to have a password from the government to get into certain sections of town, but we would drive up in our Salvation Army vehicles and the RCMP would say, ‘We know what you’re here for,’ and let us in,” says Perron Goodyear, divisional emergency disaster services director, Ontario Great Lakes Division. As part of the incident command team, he was responsible for operations. “Another group of ours was invited into a closed

As the scale of the disaster became apparent, The Salvation Army expanded its efforts across southern Alberta and established an incident command team to manage operations. The nine-member team was made up of Salvation Army personnel from Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario—the first time in Canada that the Army had tapped into all nine EDS positions. For the first week, the team was led by John McEwan, divisional disaster management and emergency services director, British Columbia Division, who arrived in Calgary on June 24.

“In that first week, we found out that

“Heartbreaking” On Friday, June 28, the Army received a request from the provincial government to have emotional and spiritual care personnel in High River for the foreseeable future to lend support to residents as the town, which had been sealed, allowed them to return to their homes.

Army personnel accompanied residents while they toured their neighbourhoods by bus, and provided spiritual, emotional and practical care at the rodeo grounds and the airport where residents registered to find out the condition of their homes.

In the long, hot days that followed, the Army provided food, hydration and sunscreen to people as they registered, and roving teams walked the streets where residents were in the process of cleaning their damaged homes,

Lts Cory and Kelly Fifield, COs, High River’s Foothills Church

A flooded office in the basement of Calgary’s Centre of Hope

***

10 I September 2013 I Salvationist

area to serve first responders and work crews, and so they were given government IDs to give them all access.

“Being welcomed into areas where nobody else was allowed was a privilege,” he adds. “The shield on our clothing really opened doors and new avenues for ministry.”

Coming back to High River was a strange experience for Lieutenant Fifield.

“When you drive around town there are dirt lines on all the buildings, showing how high the water was,” he says. The water line on the building that housed the Army’s thrift store and family services office was above the door, almost three metres off the ground.

On July 1, he and Lieutenant Kelly Fifield, along with members of the incident command team, were allowed access to the building, which included the town’s only food bank. The damage was extensive—the only salvageable items were metal clothing racks from the store.

Just up the road, the church basement had filled up with two metres of water, about 30 centimetres of which remained when Army personnel gained access to the building. The basement had to be gutted, right down to the studs.

where residents are picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.

Paula Ross, an EDS volunteer from New Westminster Citadel, B.C., was stationed at the rodeo grounds where she handed out drinks, sandwiches—even slices of pie—to residents waiting for news about their homes. But she quickly found herself offering more than food.

“I saw a woman crying across the parking lot, so I ran over to her,” she says, “but when I got there I didn’t know what to say. I had a little package of Kleenex in my hand so I said, ‘All I have is a Kleenex and a hug.’ And that was all she wanted. I just held her as she cried and we talked.”

At the same time, Ross said the people she encountered were very resilient.

“One family I met had got a big yellow bucket on wheels for washing the floor, and their little girl put her brother in it and wheeled him around the sidewalk while he giggled,” she recalls. “I didn’t meet victims—I met survivors.”

On July 15, the Army opened a disaster assistance centre in the parking lot of the corps building, which distributed

food hampers, along with $100 RBC Visa cards, clothing and other miscellaneous items.

The Army’s Foothills Church held its first Sunday service since the flood on July 14, using the town’s Alliance church—the only operational church in High River. Some families in the corps escaped damage to their homes, while others have lost everything.

“That service was very significant,” says Lieutenant Cory Fifield. “It was the first time that a lot of them had the chance to sit and talk and see how the others were doing. It was a return to normalcy—the fact that we, as a church, are still together.”

The town of High River faces many challenges ahead. With so much devastation, it will take months and millions of dollars for the town to rebuild—but The Salvation Army will be there, supporting residents and meeting needs as they arise.

Visit salvationist.ca/tag/alberta-flood to learn more about the Army’s efforts following the flood.

Renewed Hope After the f lood waters receded in Calgary, the Centre of Hope began the cleaning and restoration process, which culminated with the reopening of the centre on Canada Day. The day before, the centre’s 100 staff, along with their families and other volunteers, blitzed the centre, going room to room, stripping each bed of its linens, cleaning mattresses, surfaces and washrooms. With no elevator to aid them as they cleaned the centre’s eight floors, they formed an assembly line, tossing bags of linen down the stairs so they could be washed. Kitchen staff sanitized and stocked the centre’s kitchen, determined to have lunch ready for clients the next day.

“When the centre opened at 9 a.m. on Canada Day, we had a line-up of guys,” says Livick. “Many of them thanked us for getting the centre up and running again. They were just glad to be home.” *** As the flood emergency in Calgary came to a close, The Salvation Army focused its relief efforts primarily on High River,

Volunteers and staff clean up the Centre of Hope in preparation for its reopening Salvationist I September 2013 I 11

Remember Me?

For the more than half a million Canadians living with dementia, the world can be a confusing and frightening place. During World Alzheimer’s Month, a family shares their personal experience with this all-too-common disease

Photo: © iStockphoto.com/SallyLL

BY MELISSA YUE WALLACE, FEATURES EDITOR

E

very afternoon, 90-year-old Roland Downton visits his 87-year-old wife, Frances, at a nursing home in Grand FallsWindsor, N.L. During their 64 years of marriage, they have raised three loving children and weathered various health ailments by each other’s side. But Frances has trouble remembering all of that. For the past eight years, she has battled a common form of dementia called Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible, progressive brain 12 I September 2013 I Salvationist

disorder that gradually destroys memory, judgment and thinking skills.

Through Frances’ youngest son, Clyde, and her eldest daughter, Lt-Colonel Verna Hynes, the family share their experiences as caregivers of a loved one who can’t always remember what happened minutes ago, but can effortlessly recite Scripture and Salvation Army choruses from the past.

Dwindling Memories It was late in 2005 when Frances’ family

noticed her memory beginning to fade.

“She would turn on the oven, sit down and forget what she was going to do,” says Clyde. “As months passed, it was getting worse and she would ask the same questions over and over.”

“We’d take her for a drive around town and she’d only recognize places dating back to her childhood,” adds Verna. “Another time she was looking for a recipe for macaroni and cheese even though she hasn’t used one for years!”

In 2006, a doctor confirmed what the family had already suspected. Frances, a retired Grade 5 teacher, had Alzheimer’s disease. There are currently 747,000 Canadians living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, according to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada. The number has been increasing every year due to the nation’s aging population and the fact that people are being diagnosed earlier and more often. The society estimates that, by 2031, this number will increase to 1.4 million.

After receiving the diagnosis, Roland continued to care for his wife, but began having difficulties with daily tasks. As a solution, their eldest son, Bruce, and his wife moved into the family home. Roland and Frances appreciated the comfort they had in knowing help was close by and relocated to the basement apartment of the house to give the younger couple their independence.

The arrangement worked well until Frances’ symptoms worsened.

“Every evening, just as it was time to settle down for sleep, she’d ask my dad for an aspirin or she’d say she wasn’t feeling well,” says Verna. “By this point, he’d been cooking meals and doing everything for her and was exhausted.”

Reluctance to Change In February 2007, Frances collapsed and was taken to the hospital, possibly due to a mini-stroke. The next morning, a

Roland and Frances Downton celebrate Christmas in 2012

nurse brought a pan of water so Frances could wash her face and hands before breakfast. As Frances got up and took the pan to the sink to empty it out, she slipped and broke her hip. After the surgery, she was in the hospital for four months. Doctors told the family that Frances couldn’t return home and needed assisted living services. After discussing and praying about their options, they decided to move Frances into a personal care home in June so she could maintain a level of independence, but have staff available to help with daily activities and manage tasks such as cooking and washing clothes.

“The initial decision to put her into a home was very difficult,” says Clyde.

“But we knew it was dangerous for her to stay in her own home because she’d forget doing things like turning the oven on that could injure her or my father.”

Unfortunately, the transition from the hospital to the personal care home was immensely painful for all involved because Frances couldn’t understand why she couldn’t return to her own home.

“My mother was always a wellbalanced, level-headed and calm person,” says Verna. “I rarely saw her angry or heard her raise her voice. But she went into that home and was constantly in tears.

“There were some days she’d have sporadic episodes of anger that just floored us as a family. It was so out of character for her.”

Roland felt tremendous guilt and went to see his wife every day. By the

“Some days she’d have sporadic episodes of anger … It was so out of character for her” end of July, he moved into the personal care home to be with her and the couple stayed for five years.

“They would sit in the lounge, do puzzles and have conversations with people,” says Verna. “That’s just how things were in those days.”

As Frances’ condition progressed, she became upset and confused more frequently. She was perplexed about what to do during meals and had to be prompted to eat. Her mobility also slowed down.

The family would take Frances out for church services and to celebrate birthdays and special events. During one service at Park Street Citadel in Grand Falls-Windsor, Clyde, who serves as a corps sergeant-major, was introduced as a soloist.

“Mom leaned over to Dad and said, ‘Didn’t we have a son named Clyde?’ ” recalls Verna. “Dad told her, ‘That’s our son.’ She didn’t recognize him and cried uncontrollably. They had to get Clyde to go down and sit with her.”

Though her cognition declined, Frances continued to praise God. Every

evening, she and Roland would do their devotions consisting of Scripture reading, prayer and listening to tapes of services or hymns that Frances was familiar with.

“My dad would play the tapes mostly in the evening because she had ‘sundown syndrome,’ ” says Verna. People with sundowning experience a worsening of dementia symptoms such as confusion, agitation, aggression and wandering in the late afternoon, evening or night.

But the music and words of the Bible would bring Frances peace. “She loves to sing and still, to this day, can remember every hymn.”

Given Frances’ emotional upsets, Roland began to withdraw from others in the lounge and would instead tire himself out and do everything he could to help her on his own. In March 2012, Frances was moved to a nursing home so she could have constant access to registered nurses and health services.

Settling Into a New Reality Seven days a week from 2 to 4:30 p.m., either Bruce or Clyde take their father to visit Frances in the nursing home lounge. Most of the time she recognizes them, but can’t always recall events from 30 seconds ago.

“Usually when we get there, she’s sitting and looking at the door,” says Clyde. “Even though she may not be thinking about us coming, there’s something about the door that she focuses on, like she knows something’s going to happen.”

The nursing home organizes games and activities, but what Frances particularly enjoys is when groups from churches and corps visit, conduct a service and worship.

“When they’re singing hymns or gospel songs, that’s when she is the happiest,” says Clyde. Occasionally, a group or event will cancel and Clyde will improvise. “We have a CD player in her room and a number of recordings from the corps, so she and I will sing chorus after chorus for an hour.”

The family is grateful Frances’ medication has helped to slow down the disease. They have met and seen others who have quickly deteriorated in the nursing home and Clyde has encountered many people in his corps with dementia.

“When I pray for them and for my mother, I mostly pray that they won’t (continued on page 16) Salvationist I September 2013 I 13

TALKING IT OVER

Factory Recall

Photo: Ismail Ferdous, The Associated Press

Who’s to blame when the demand for cheap clothing costs workers in the developing world their lives?

Rescuers carry a body retrieved from the rubble of the Rana Plaza building

In their Talking It Over series, Dr. James Read, director of The Salvation Army Ethics Centre in Winnipeg, and Dr. Aimee Patterson, Christian ethics consultant at the centre, dialogue about moral and ethical issues.

DEAR AIMEE,

W

elcome and thank you for agreeing to partner with me for Talking It Over this year.

I need the conversation. I think God has wired people to work through topics together and I know from past experience that I can learn a lot from you. I thought for starters that I would ask you to help me understand the Rana Plaza catastrophe a bit better.

On April 24, 2013, the multi-storey Rana building near Dhaka, Bangladesh, 14 I September 2013 I Salvationist

collapsed and killed more than 1,000 people—mostly women. It is believed to be the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry and the country’s worst industrial accident.

The collapse in Dhaka was a massive human tragedy—everybody knows that.

But there are so many other parts of the story that are unclear, such as whether it is right to describe it as an “accident.”

I’m interested in what you have been thinking.

JIM DEAR JIM,

T

hanks for welcoming me to the conversation.

I think the tragedy at the Rana factory gripped most of us because of the sheer size of the collapse and the

huge number who were killed or injured.

But an “accident”? It might be called an “accident” in the way that reckless driving is said to lead to road accidents.

Perhaps no one intended to bring about the deaths of more than a thousand people. But everywhere I look in the news, I read about parties who should have seen this coming. A complex web of causation is being mapped out.

Initially, I viewed the story as someone who has purchased products sourced at the Rana factory. “What do you expect to get for a $10 T-shirt?” was a line I frequently read. It stung. I think that being ethically engaged as consumers is important. But I’m also discovering that preventing factory disasters in developing nations requires more than Westerners making educated purchases.

The garment industry may be fairly

new to Bangladesh, but it employs four million people there and counts toward 80 percent of the nation’s exports. It is “too big to fail.” It also depends on Western brands earning a tidy profit by relying on ultra-cheap production costs. Consequently, the government has been sloppy about regulating and monitoring factories and working conditions. The Rana factory collapse may have been massive in scale, but garment factory accidents are not infrequent in Bangladesh. There has already been a fire in another Bangladesh factory since Rana.

Determining how to act ethically gets complex when we look at the people most affected by this tragedy. Many Bangladeshi labour activists point out that working in the garment industry is the only way for women in Bangladesh to gain a level of economic independence. Boycotting clothes sourced in Bangladesh, they argue, will rob women of the chance to earn a living. Instead, they call upon consumers to hold brands and governments accountable for maintaining decent working conditions. They call it “jobs with dignity.”

What do you think it would take to provide Bangladeshi garment workers jobs with dignity?

AIMEE DEAR AIMEE,

P

ope Francis made this the centre of his comment on the Rana tragedy. “Work gives us dignity!” he said. “Those who work have dignity, a special dignity, a personal dignity: men and women who work are dignified….

When society is organized in such a way that not everyone has the opportunity to work, to be anointed with the dignity of work, there is something wrong with that society. It goes against God himself, who wanted our dignity, starting from here.”

This statement challenges the idea that people are primarily “consumers.”

As you said, the first reporting of this story encouraged us to ask ourselves whether we had been unethical consumers by buying the $10 T-shirt. I am part of The Salvation Army’s International Moral and Ethical Issues Council and we put out a document on consumerism this year. Consumer decisions matter to me. But starting there feeds into a mentality that it’s purchasing, consuming and using goods that is at the heart

Photo: Palash Khan, The Associated Press

TALKING IT OVER

A Bangladeshi woman holds her daughter and weeps

of economic ethics.

I think the Pope caught the biblical viewpoint better by saying that it is the human capacity to work—to labour in ways that add to the world and contribute to society—that comes first. Work is not a part of the penalty of sin; it’s a part of what makes humanity flourish.

There are dangers in saying this, however. One is that we equate work with wages and conclude that people who are not paid (such as students and stay-athome parents) are not really working.

Another is suggesting that work of any kind enhances human dignity.

I’m prepared to say that the garment workers in the Rana factory could have experienced a modicum of human dignity because their labours added to the prosperity of the world, their communities and their families. There’s nothing inherently undignified about “low-skill” jobs. But when I learn that their employers ordered them to show up or lose their jobs when there were ample warnings that the factory would not hold up, when I learn that the people who died were paid less than $50 a month and had no life or health insurance benefits—to say that work gives people dignity becomes a cruel mockery. Better to say it robbed them of their dignity.

I don’t see any simple formula that would have ensured the Bangladeshi workers’ dignity, but it might have

helped if they had been able to bargain collectively. In an eerily similar story, there was a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911 in which approximately 150 (women) garment workers died. The consequent public outrage resulted in workers banding together and advocating successfully for building safety codes and better working conditions. I’m no expert on unions—I was only a member for a few years and only on strike once—but I think they can help.

Maybe they would have helped in Dhaka. Is that hopelessly naïve or somehow wrong in principle?

JIM DEAR JIM,

I

like the idea that our identities can’t be reduced to those of producers and consumers. There’s nothing wrong with producing and consuming as human activities. But it would appear that to regard people as mere producers or consumers is to regard them inappropriately.

Ironically, producers tend to be valued in direct contrast to how important their labour is to a company’s profits.

The brands that used the Rana factory found they could have their products manufactured more cheaply in a developing nation with a low cost of living and few enforced labour regulations.

Salvationist I September 2013 I 15

TALKING IT OVER Although it made little difference to their bottom line, they failed to provide a living wage and a safe workplace to those workers on whom their profits hinged.

Sometimes it takes a tragedy like this one to alert us to the lack of dignity associated with certain working conditions in the developing world. Thankfully, since the factory collapse, some garment brands have recognized the need to raise these standards.

But at the heart of what we’re witnessing is a lack of respect for the dignity of human work. You (and Pope Francis) draw attention to the central aspect of the dignity of work from a Christian perspective. It’s first and foremost wrapped up in flourishing: we and others make the most of ourselves and engage in relationship with others by being God’s creative creatures. We ought to value the labour of others not only because they make something we need. We ought to value their humanity by freeing them up to work meaningfully. We ought to value the work we do ourselves not only because we need to earn a living. Even if we were independently wealthy, most of us would work at something to realize our potential, to better ourselves and our communities, I suspect.

So it’s important to provide a safe work environment, a living wage, a fair work schedule and the possibility for a union voice to protect those parties who are vulnerable in our global economy.

But this is just the low-water mark when it comes to honouring the dignity of human work. It’s wonderful that global connections mean women in Bangladesh have new opportunities to work. It will be a better thing when these women are viewed not first and foremost as garment manufacturers, but as people like us whom the economy is there to serve.

AIMEE

(continued from page 13) have to suffer,” he says. “Not remembering can be very frustrating and it’s a form of suffering in itself. It can also rob you of your dignity.”

Regardless of the trials of Alzheimer’s, the family has remained steadfast in their faith, following Frances’ example of praising God in all circumstances.

“Whether you’re a Christian or nonChristian, people have to go through

these types of things,” says Clyde. “The Lord never said life would be a rose garden.”

“God has answered so many of our prayers—the wonderful care from staff, doors opening for the nursing home, a smoother-than-expected transition from the personal care home to the nursing home,” says Verna. “And spiritually, I know all is well with my mother’s soul and the Lord will take care of her and her needs.”

An interview with Mary Schulz, education director at the Alzheimer Society of Canada What do caregivers need to know when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia?

This is a disease that is not good to cope with on your own. It can last more than 15 years and takes a lot away from the caregiver. If you have a hard time, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure; it means you’re just like everybody else who is dealing with it.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. So ask for help and ask for it early on.

How can we reduce our own risk of developing dementia?

One thing people can do is develop a healthy brain lifestyle. It’s not a magic bullet, but we know that what is good for our heart is good for our brains. A healthy diet and a moderate degree of exercise every day is part of living a healthy lifestyle. It’s also important to keep our brains stimulated. This might look different for different people. It might be challenging for me to do a crossword whereas for you, it’s a piece of cake. We need to find things that can help the brain to be more nimble, flexible and stronger.

How should we talk to someone with dementia?

We need to accept the person the way they are and enter their reality instead of asking them to enter ours. For example, when I visit someone in the later stages of dementia, they may not know who I am and may say, “You’re my daughter. Why don’t you take me home?” I shouldn’t say, “I’m not your daughter and your house is sold, so I can’t take you home.” That’s going to agitate and make the person sad because they may truly believe I am their daughter and for me to say otherwise seems like a blatant lie. Instead what I might say is, “Tell me about your daughter. Tell me about your house. What did you used to do in the house?” Start by talking about feelings and emotions related to those things rather than the facts because, at the end of the day, facts don’t matter. It’s a way to engage without having to confront reality.

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16 I September 2013 I Salvationist

or visit salvationist.ca/subscribe to order

CHIEF PRIORITIES

The Glass is Half Full

A reason for optimism in the midst of challenges

BY COLONEL MARK TILLSLEY

Photo: © Ingimage.com

E

conomist is ‘tired of being miserable.’ ” That was the headline of Brian Milner’s Globe and Mail article, which focused on economists who are challenging the psychology of negativity. It specifically highlighted veteran ING economist Mark Cliffe, who stated that “pessimism is cyclical” and marches in lockstep with every downturn. Citing financial books with titles such as The Five Stages of Collapse and When the Money Runs Out, Cliffe showed that economic forecasters, like the rest of us, can be heavily influenced by immediate or present problems. This causes us to foresee a gloomy future without the possibility of correction or change. “Tired of being miserable,” Cliffe resolved to oppose the “fashionably gloomy view of the long-term outlook.”

We serve a creative God, and in some ways this business article spoke to me as powerfully as a sermon, challenging me to interpret recent experiences through the optimism expressed in Scripture.

Recently appointed to the Canada and Bermuda Territory, I had the privilege to travel to a number of ministry settings in June to meet with optimistic people who are shaping a future filled with hope. First stop, Winnipeg, where I met the new session of 18 trained Salvation Army cadets and five auxiliary-captains who were later ordained and commissioned as officers, then sent to locations from British

Columbia to Newfoundland.

These new officers are now ministering in challenging locations, balancing significant ministry demands with tight resources. As I listened to their enthusiasm regarding their first appointments, it struck me that they were not focusing on the obstacles, but on the opportunities before them. No wonder the yearly ordination and commissioning of new officers has been referred to as the “springtime of The Salvation Army.”

The next stop on my travels was to Newfoundland to par t icipate in t he Newfoundland and Labrador divisional congress. This event celebrated t he

wonderful Salvation Army heritage that is part of the very fabric of Newfoundland and Labrador, but something else significant and hopeful was taking place for those who were observant. A generation was passing the mantle of local leadership to the next, as young leaders were front and centre throughout the weekend. It reminded me that we have a responsibility to listen to these emerging leaders and then encourage them as they engage with a society that poses more complex challenges than we have experienced in the past.

These new leaders spoke with passion as they strategized about how to shape a future that includes ministries

of social justice to combat human trafficking and reaching those who have been left behind. I heard a message of hope from these young leaders, and was encouraged by the “veterans” who are standing in loving support of this next generation.

The final stop was a visit with the people of Alberta.

Witnessing the resilience and “can-do” attitude of our brothers and sisters after the devastating flood in June has been profoundly inspiring and serves as a wonderful demonstration of how communities should pull together in times of need. Prayers and practical help are putting families back on their feet. I felt proud to be a Salvationist as I witnessed our part in the recovery efforts. It struck me once again that this situation could have been marked by absolute despair, but people have made the choice to dwell not on what has happened, but on what now needs to be done.

When faced with the challenges of life, we can find strength in knowing that we do not face them alone.

Find hope today in the words of Isaiah 43:2 (NLT): “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.”

The greatest reason for optimism is found in the love of God. He is with us in our time of need and we can partner with him to accomplish his will.

Colonel Mark Tillsley is the chief secretary of the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Salvationist I September 2013 I 17

Ready to Serve in

Chatham

A new Salvation Army Bible-teaching program helps children take action with their faith

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN, STAFF WRITER

The Ready to Serve group at Chatham Corps cleans up a path near the church for Earth Day

W

hen Nicole Shaw, youth co-ordinator at ChathamKent Ministries, Ont., was looking for a new way to help the children at her corps grow in their faith, she found exactly what she needed in Ready to Serve.

“It looked fresh and exciting, and it was really important to me to find a program that would teach them what it means to be a child in The Salvation Army,” Shaw says.

Developed by the territorial children and youth ministries department, Ready to Serve is a new discipleship program for children aged seven to 10, which uses DVDs, classroom “missions” and website interactions to teach children 18 I September 2013 I Salvationist

about the Bible and the Army. Each lesson has up to three video segments, which feature five relatable characters— the Ready to Serve Recon Team—who are played by young Salvationists. The Recon Team sets up a mission for the children to complete and gives them information to help them solve the mystery.

“When I saw the format of Ready to Serve, I knew it would be something that the kids would really jump on,” she says. “The kids can identify with the characters and it makes the lessons more real to them.”

“I like watching the videos,” says Julia Stratton, 9. “It’s like a superhero team!”

The corps in Chatham adopted Ready to Serve in September 2012 and offers the program on Sunday evenings as part of Feast—a time of eating, fellowship and Bible study at the corps.

Over the past year, Shaw says she has appreciated the program’s focus on the basics of Christian living—praying and reading the Bible.

“We started a prayer chain and got the kids on board with praying for each other and for the corps, and then seeing how God responds,” she says. “They were able to bond as a group, and it helped them understand how God was working in their lives.”

“This has been a difficult year for our son, William, with the loss of his grandmother,” says Captain Stephanie Watkinson, corps officer. “Ready to Serve helped him process a lot of feelings, and the closeness of the group helped him freely express his feelings and thoughts in a safe environment.”

“It challenges the kids at a young age to start thinking about their own responsibility to be in a relationship with Christ,” says parent Kim Stratton.

“It encourages positive decision-making, while also teaching Salvation Army perspectives and beliefs.”

As part of teaching children about Salvation Army distinctives, Ready to Serve explores the various ways in which the Army provides social services, and it emphasizes the importance of social justice and putting faith in action.

“I learned about the Army’s work around the world and the huge amount that it does,” says William Watkinson, 9.

“Ready to Serve shows kids that it’s not just about coming to church on Sundays,” says Shaw. “We have to go out there and show our love to others.”

Over the past year, the Ready to Serve group at Chatham has done just that.

Among other initiatives, they have made muffins and delivered them to persons at the corps who were homebound, participated in food drives at the corps for community and family services, and cleaned up the nature path near the church for Earth Day. “Our children are now more socially conscious and aware of the needs of people in the community,” says Stratton.

“The kids love the program and it’s helping them mature and grow,” says Shaw. “It’s really having an impact.”

For more information about Ready to Serve, visit www.readytoserveteam.ca.

LETTERS

Making Room for All

TALKING POINTS

Open Doors Thank you, Major Juan Burry, for your Talking Points series. The articles have been challenging and provocative for sure, particularly with “Open Doors” (June), which, apparently, is the final of the series.

It accurately describes my own convictions that W I wanted to shrink away we have made what should and deny any relation to these people be the most friendly and accepting environment in the world into one of selfrighteous elitism. This surely must be an intimidating experience for all who are not a part of the “church,” especially for the young.

This is a sad admission on my part. My grandparents were founding members of The Salvation Army, having come from the remnants of the Methodist congregation in our Newfoundland outport, and the Army has been a part of my whole life. This includes a 10-year-stint as a corps sergeantmajor.

However we seem to have gotten ourselves so out of joint with the people we’re supposed to serve and nurture that I, too, share your feelings of wanting—at times—to shrink away from it all. I realize that to do so makes me a part of the problem and my desire and, I believe, God’s will for my life is to find a way to be part of the solution.

With his help and the direction of the Holy Spirit, I want to make it my mission to show by my daily living, rather than by recycled tradition, that God’s love is for all. I don’t want to be one of those stumbling blocks that hinder, but rather one who, in some small way, reminds those I come in contact with of the all-inclusive love of God. I look forward to further series. God’s blessings to you.

Milt Fudge I believe in a Christianity that makes room for differences

BY MAJOR JUAN BURRY

hen considering this final Talking Points column, I wrestled with how to culminate the year-long series. As I reviewed each of my previous articles, I discovered a common thread: I want a Christian faith that is more accessible to the world. I want to see an expression of Christianity that opens doors, not one that closes them.

I came across a video clip from a Christian talk show produced in April where the host took questions from his viewers. One man asked why miracles such as raising the dead and healing the blind happened in places like Africa, but not in the United States. He wondered what could be done to encourage miracles in the West. The program’s host unwisely replied that it was because “those people overseas didn’t go to Ivy League schools.” He then pointed out how western culture has relied too heav-

ily on education and become too skeptical to experience supernatural events.

As often happens when watching socalled “Christian” television, I wanted to shrink away and deny any relation to these people. But then I felt ashamed.

I felt like the Apostle Peter, listening to the rooster crow three times while I distanced myself from Jesus. But I am not ashamed of being a follower of Christ. I am not afraid that people might think I am a Christian. I am, however, afraid of their preconceptions of what constitutes a Christian.

I am a Christian, but I am not an

anti-intellectual. I respect people with knowledge and education and rely on them for many facets of my daily life.

When Jesus said that we must become like little children, he was talking about humility, not gullibility.

I am a Christian, but I am not politically conservative, nor could I be deemed a “right-winger.” Ideologically, I lean to the left and believe that living out our faith includes paying close attention to issues of social equality and justice.

I am a Christian, but I do not believe that gays, Muslims or women are secondclass citizens who should be treated differently than I would want to be treated.

Loving my neighbour means loving them as I love myself.

I am a Christian, but I do not believe the world was created 6,000 years ago or that dinosaurs became extinct because of the Great Flood. I also do not believe that the world is about to end in a fiery orb of annihilation. There’s more to this story that God is writing.

I could keep going, but I think I’ve made my point. I spent the first seven years of my officership in corps. Due to the nature of the ministry, my time was mainly occupied with the activities and issues concerning those inside the church. It’s easy to develop tunnel vision, where we see only what one particular segment of society sees. It’s not true for everybody, but it was for me. A lot of my views have changed over the last 10 years as I’ve spent more time with those outside the corps. The people I associate with on a daily basis do not feel comfortable inside most Christian churches or circles—nor do I. Is there room for them? Is there room for me?

I’d like to believe there is room for me.

When I first became a Christian 27 years ago, the corps officer led the congregation in a chorus with the lyric, “There’s room at the cross for you.” I replied in faith to that promise. I believed that at the foot of the cross, there was an available space for me.

Instead of creating stumbling blocks that hinder people from Christ, let’s make our faith accessible to all. There is room at the cross for them, too.

Major Juan Burry is the executive director of Victoria’s Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre.

30 I June 2013 I Salvationist

I have thoroughly enjoyed Major Juan Burry’s columns over the last year. I love the Army very much and I believe that God has a purpose for it or I would not have signed up. I am also at the very beginning of my own ministry. As much as I love it, my heart sometimes bleeds because of the tension created in our dealings with those whom we consider to be on the “outside.”

I obviously don’t have it all figured out, and probably never will, but as I have thought of the words to that very chorus you mentioned in this article [Room at the Cross for You], I have found myself wondering, as a church, do we really believe the words? Are our requirements getting in the way or are they helping? I imagine that these are questions I will struggle with for a long time to come, as I believe every officer should.

It is my hope that even though this series is now done, that the questions will not stop. That we will not be satisfied to say, “Well, we had a fellow write a series on these things so we did our part,” but may we ever be willing to keep the door of self-examination open and sometimes even be willing to walk through the door of change.

God bless you, Juan!

Lieutenant Jaclyn Wynne

Repressed Evangelism?

In response to Commissioner Brian Peddle’s question, “We still believe transformation is possible, don’t we?” (I Believe in Transformation, April), yes I do, but The Salvation Army that I became part of is not part of transformation like it used to be.

Do you know that in our front-line ministries, such as rehabilitation, the Bible or the name of God is not used?

Therefore down the tube we go without any help from God. I know there are still many “hot spots,” but the Army is now using the wisdom of the world. Please turn back. God is still calling. Don’t ignore this warning, please.

Major Alonzo Twyne Many a program or whole departments would not exist were it not for government funding. There are always strings attached to this funding, sometimes interfering with the Army fulfilling its mandate. Although the preaching and sharing of God’s Word may be impeded, that very Word tells us that God will use his Word however it is used, even constrained or in vain.

Paul Dalrymple I have been providing leadership in Salvation Army appointments that have contracts with (provincial and federal) government for 10 years and have yet to see one that prohibited us from delivering so-called “spiritual” ministry. They may have clauses that prohibit the contractor from proselytizing or forcing religious beliefs on people, but that is of no regard to us anyway. Why would we want religion forced on people?

That certainly is not transformation!

There is a great deal of unfounded fear that exists I Believe in Transformation in our Army about our dealings with government funders. Most of it is not M based on fact. I have been in settings with other officers and leaders when the subject comes up, and the negativity toward social services becomes very apparent.

Most often the basis of the negativity has to do with a suspicion around dealings with government. I don’t believe that our leaders at territorial headquarters would sign contracts that have strings attached that prohibit us from being who we are. But part of being who we are (our identity) is being respectful.

Recently, Commissioner Brian Peddle and others have been telling us at Army gatherings that the majority of decisions being made for Christ in this part of the Army world are occurring in social services and not in corps. Maybe transformation happens in many of these social services programs because they minister to the whole person. Maybe there is a change afoot and the “hot spots” aren’t where they used to be.

Perhaps we need to be going to the areas where Christ is at work instead of trying to recreate and recapture past works.

And if, in some places, the Army is not fulfilling its mandate, then shame on us. That is our fault and we cannot blame others.

Major Juan Burry MISSION MATTERS

A fresh start is possible when you have faith

BY COMMISSIONER BRIAN PEDDLE

y grandson, Aleksandr, is fascinated by a line of toys known as Transformers.

Advice from a five-year-old? When in doubt as to what to buy for a surprise, buy a Transformer.

It is an amazing and creative exercise to transform these toys from action figures into cars, trucks and planes. As Aleksandr grows, the Transformers become more complicated and the level of difficulty to construct them outpaces my expertise. I often surrender to his nimble fingers, and in only a few moments, I observe the miracle of transformation.

Implicit in this wonderful word “transformation” is the idea that change is possible. A new creation miracle can be a current reality when accompanied

by God’s grace.

When I first talked to Patricia, I met a woman restored and transformed. Her life didn’t start out that way, though.

Patricia had a troubled childhood and became a mother at an early age. She suffered the loss of three children, two failed marriages marked by abuse and deep devastation, which included jail, psychiatric wards, detox and recovery centres. Patricia lived on the street and started using crack when she was 50.

She became ill and experienced health problems, but felt that no one cared.

When Patricia turned 60, her daughter and two sisters intervened. Six months later, she said a prayer.

“If there is anyone there,” she cried, “if there is a God, please help me.

“That is when my life began to take shape,” says Patricia now. “The past six years have been the best years of my life.”

While visiting the Salvation Army thrift store in Oshawa, Ont., Patricia was invited to join a knitting circle located in the middle of the store. She now meets with the women twice a week, prays daily, attends worship and, best of all, is living a transformed life.

Then there is Ariel. It was late last summer when the doors to the foyer at Winnipeg’s Weetamah Corps building

Patricia found friendship at a thrift store

Ariel left gang life to help others

burst open. Before the receptionist could react, her space was filled with loud voices and an older man holding a younger man by the ear.

“He just broke into my car,” the older man said. “If you don’t do something with him, I am taking him to the police!” An hour later, a deal was struck.

The police weren’t called; instead, Ariel agreed to a number of hours of volunteer service.

To fast-forward Ariel’s story, he stayed in a safe shelter and received smiles, dignity and an eventual job offer.

In the middle of Winnipeg’s winter, you can find Ariel on the Army’s streetvan duty. The supervisor tosses him a new toque displaying the Red Shield facing forward and off they go. At one point he hops out to offer help to a man he knows. The man is nearly frozen.

This former gang member pulls off his new toque and places it carefully over the man’s ears. As Ariel climbs back in the van, he hears a loud and sincere, “Thank you.” Ariel shouts back, “I am with The Salvation Army now. That’s how we roll.” Though it will take a while for Ariel to remove his tattoos—representing his former gang life—inside, real transformation has taken place.

General Linda Bond has asked us to align with the international vision plan: One Army, One Mission, One Message.

I am excited and applaud the fact that under the One Message, she calls The Salvation Army to a commitment to preach, share and live the gospel of transformation.

When you stand at the pulpit or share stories over the backyard fence, your intentionality about the gospel soars when you are passionate about your own transformation and the transformation of others. Why else would we preach or feel the obligation to witness if it wasn’t possible to pass this gift on to others?

I smiled the first time I heard Ariel’s story, summarized in a unique phrase, “I am with The Salvation Army now.

That’s how we roll.”

I also recall a heavily tattooed man named Craig Carter coming into my office in Auckland, New Zealand. He was a career-criminal-turned-Salvationist and still on parole. He tried to convince me to let him visit the jail as a chaplain. His last challenge to me was this: “If God can do this for me despite all I have done, imagine what he can do for the other guys.” One year later he had distributed 600 Bibles and the Crown prosecutor was buying him lunch so he could hear Carter’s story of transformation first-hand.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

We still believe transformation is possible, don’t we?

Commissioner Brian Peddle is the territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

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Salvationist I September 2013 I 19

When God Says Go

After decades of service in politically unstable and sometimes dangerous countries, retired Salvation Army officers Colonels Robert and Marguerite Ward unpack their experiences

BY DOUG FIELD

O

bedience isn’t a word many people use these days but it was, and continues to be, a required characteristic for officers in The Salvation Army.

In more than four decades of service, Colonels Robert and Marguerite Ward have embodied this obedient spirit— and their openness to God’s leading has taken them around the world.

I first met Colonel Robert Ward in 1972 at the Saskatchewan divisional music camp at Beaver Creek, where he distinguished himself in the faculty band playing trombone. In my early conversations with Bob (as he prefers to be called), I recognized a man with a lively intellect, a pragmatic approach to problems, a tendency to think outside the box, a total commitment to his call20 I September 2013 I Salvationist

ing and a fanatical love of brass bands.

These qualities have remained part of the colonel’s persona in encounters over succeeding decades.

It is in the nature of overseas service that those serving will find themselves in countries with great material and social needs and, often, political instability. In the Wards’ case, their service in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Pakistan put them in challenging and potentially dangerous circumstances.

A Heart for Africa They arrived in South Africa shortly after the fall of apartheid and the election of the African National Congress as the main partner in the democratic Government of National Unity led

by President Nelson Mandela. It was

November 1994; the Wards were at the crossroads of history. They witnessed a remarkable transition of power and the miracle of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

In interviews for Salvation Army media over the years, Bob and Marguerite have been circumspect when discussing their service in Zimbabwe from 2002 to 2007 out of concern for fellow Salvationists in that country. They were chief secretary and territorial secretary for women’s ministries, respectively, and they had to function in a tense and delicate political situation. Without getting into the pros and cons of the country’s leadership, Zimbabwe went from being the bread basket of Africa to being unable to feed its own people, with an inflation rate of more than 10,000 percent during that time. Handling the ethics and risks of decision-making gives one an appreciation of the daily stress of leadership in such a volatile environment.

On the other hand, the Wards note that, while it takes months of planning to organize a congress in Canada, thousands of Zimbabwean Salvationists will show up with only a few weeks’ notice, bringing with them everything they need to survive for a long weekend. And they will do it with great joy!

HIV-AIDS is an explosive issue in much of Africa, yet Marguerite has taken a measured and non-judgmental approach to a problem that has caused much devastation to African families and taken hundreds of thousands of lives. Her response to this and other endemic problems in the countries in which she has served has led to progress, even though it hasn’t earned her universal popularity. But quite late in her service, Marguerite was recognized as an enlightened and revolutionary voice when tackling the seemingly intractable social and health problems of those countries.

Living Amid Chaos The Wards’ second appointment to the Pakistan territory came in February 2008 when The Salvation Army in that country was in crisis. Colonel Bo Brekke, Bob’s predecessor as territorial commander, had been shot to death and a leading officer was accused of the shooting. The territory, its officers and lay people were in shock and the territory was in a state of confusion and chaos.

large part in the healing process. This had to be managed without many of the professional management resources and systems available to territorial commanders in developed countries.

Pakistan is a country coping with both internal and external threats. A long-simmering dispute with neighbouring India permeates almost everything, and the travails of Pakistan’s other neighbour, Afghanistan, bring almost daily misery to people in the border regions.

The Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters scuttle back and forth across the border at will, as well as targeting Pakistan security forces in the country with bombings and other forms of terrorism. All of this happens with the background noise of the infighting among Pakistan’s political elites, on whom the country’s army keeps a watchful eye. As in Zimbabwe, Salvation Army leadership demanded tact and sensitivity without compromising its core values or mission.

Reflection and Return Their service in developing countries has given Bob and Marguerite an approach to development that still isn’t universally accepted by governments and NGOs. They believe that, given an opportunity, people will provide most of the answers to their problems. Marguerite is particularly emphatic on this point. She recalls learning the lesson in a South African community where there was a need to clean up a neighbourhood to reduce infectious diseases. She says she arrived with her Western portfolio of problemsolving techniques, but quickly learned that the people knew what had to be done; all they needed were tools and

Photo: Keri Shay

When the murder trial started, Bob had to attend the court almost daily and maintain his composure as the grisly details of the crime and the circumstances leading up to it were aired in open court. The ordeal was exacerbated by numerous appeals to a higher court.

At the time of their appointment to Lahore, Bob and Marguerite were serving as program secretary and assistant program secretary at the U.S.A. Central Territorial Headquarters in Chicago. Still a band fan, Bob particularly enjoyed his association with staff bandmaster William Himes, O.F., and the territorial music department. Although retirement was only a few years away and the Wards were enjoying the unaccustomed comfort of life in Chicago, when General Shaw Clifton asked if they would be willing to return to Pakistan in such difficult circumstances, they replied with a ready “yes.” It did not occur to them to say “no.” That is obedience!

These were circumstances that would challenge a highly paid corporate CEO. Externally, a major scandal had to be managed and the organization’s credibility with various levels of government and its good name among the people restored. Bob’s experience as a Salvation Army hospital administrator was invaluable in the circumstances. Above all, the territory needed to be able to regain its direction, momentum and sense of mission. Internally, the territory was in shock and, in the time-honoured phrase, “order had to be restored.” Again, Bob and Marguerite’s mature approach to leadership and management were used to good effect and well-developed listening and encouraging skills played a

an opportunity to organize themselves.

She talks about how humbled she was in the presence of the people’s wisdom.

Bob elaborates on the role of NGOs by saying, “If you bring a hammer to the job, every problem will look like a nail!”

After so many years at or near the top of Salvation Army leadership on three continents and in five countries; participating in international councils; working in well-appointed offices and humble village buildings; leaving a daughter married in South Africa; they are home and retired—well, almost! This past August, Bob started work as the executive director of the Booth Centre in Hamilton, Ont., and is responsible for programs in Oakville and Brantford.

After so many years in distant countries, there’s still work to be done at home.

Doug Field is a freelance writer, video producer and artistic director of the Celebration of the Arts concert series in Oakville, Ont. He wrote the Hot Topics column for Faith & Friends for a number of years and also produced and hosted radio, video and web features for the public relations and development department.

Overseas Service for Colonels Robert and Marguerite Ward

Pakistan—September 1978 September 1982 South Africa—November 1994 March 1999 • Bob - Booth Hospital CEO •M arguerite - director, pastoral care; co-ordinator, HIV-AIDS response, Western Cape (additional responsibility); director, Carehaven Shelter for Battered Women and Children (additional responsibility) South Africa—April 2000 June 2002 • E astern Cape Division - Port Elizabeth • Bob - divisional commander •M arguerite - divisional director of women’s ministries Zimbabwe—July 2002 February 2007 • Bob - chief secretary •M arguerite - territorial secretary for women’s ministries Pakistan (2nd)—February 2008 May 2013 • Bob - territorial commander •M arguerite - territorial president of women’s ministries

Col Robert Ward visits a Salvation Army corps outside Lahore, Pakistan, in March 2011 Salvationist I September 2013 I 21

S T O P WEEKEND OF PRAYER HUMAN TRAFFICKING 27-29 SEPTEMBER 2013 SALVATIONIST.CA/TRAFFICKING

CELEBRATE THE SEASONS OF OUR ANNIVERSARY FALL 2013 RALLY DAY PICNIC Meighen Residence Lawn Saturday, September 14th MUSIC ALUMNI WEEKEND (featuring the CANADIAN STAFF BAND) October 5th & 6th COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE Sunday, October 13th 25th CAROLS & CANDLES Sunday, December 22nd

REFLECTING CELEBRATING ANTICIPATING 22 I September 2013 I Salvationist

NORTH TORONTO COMMUNITY CHURCH

For more information, visit ntcommunitychurch.com or call 416-488-7954

CROSS CULTURE

IN REVIEW

Enduring Love

To the Wonder is an exploration of human and divine love

T

REVIEW BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN, STAFF WRITER

errence Malick is an ambitious filmmaker, whether he’s examining the realities of war in The Thin Red Line or attempting to find meaning in death and loss in The Tree of Life. His style is experimental, making him more like a painter or a poet than a typical Hollywood filmmaker.

Because of this, his films are often polarizing—some love his films while others find them off-putting. But for those who do appreciate his unique cinematic style and have the patience for his nonlinear approach to narrative, Malick’s films are a rewarding experience.

Malick’s newest film, To the Wonder (now on DVD), is an exploration of love in its many forms. It follows Neil (Ben Affleck) and Marina (Olga Kurylenko), a struggling married couple, and Father Quintana (Javier Bardem), a Catholic priest who is experiencing a time of distance from God. The couple meet and fall in love while Neil is travelling through Europe, and Marina moves to Oklahoma with him when he concludes his trip. As the initial excitement fades, however, they grow distant and Marina moves back to Paris when her visa expires. But recognizing that she still loves Neil, Marina soon returns and the two get married—first in a civil ceremony and then again in a church, a testimony to their “abiding love.” That love is later put to the ultimate test when a bout of infidelity shakes their relationship to the core.

In parallel with their story, To the Wonder follows Father Quintana, whose Sunday sermons are sprinkled throughout, providing a spiritual and thematic anchor for the film.

Father Quintana is a man who longs deeply for God but can’t feel him. Still, as he works through this inner struggle, he remains committed to his faith and to serving others in the name of Christ. As he says in one sermon, “Love is a duty, not an emotion.” He plays a small but vital role in the lives of the couple, helping Marina find forgiveness for past sins and leading Neil—who is not a believer at the beginning of the film—through a spiritual transformation as Neil joins him in ministering to the poor, aged and imprisoned.

To the Wonder is an unusual film in the sense that there isn’t much dialogue—for the most part, the film is narrated

by Marina and Father Quintana—and it features long, static scenes that simply capture the beauty of the natural world, a hallmark of Malick’s films. But for those who enjoy Malick’s style and the visual poetry the film offers, To the Wonder is a thought-provoking reflection on what it means to love another human being and to love God.

Hidden in Christ: Living as God’s Beloved

The Sapphires

by James Bryan Smith “Words are powerful,” writes James Bryan Smith. “Words contain ideas, and they shape the way we see God, ourselves and all of reality.”

In his new book, Smith offers an accessible, in-depth study of Colossians 3:1-17, exploring what it means to have our lives hidden in Christ. Each of the 30 chapters brings out the main truth of just one word or phrase of this passage. The chapters are short in length, making the book ideal for use as a daily devotional. Each chapter also contains a suggested exercise or practice for readers to engage in, as well as an affirmation that summarizes the main point of the chapter and a few reflection questions that can be used by individuals or a small group.

Directed by Wayne Blair Inspired by a true story, The Sapphires (now on DVD) follows four young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls who form an all-girl group, The Sapphires, and entertain American troops in Vietnam in the 1960s. But the story begins on a darker note, on the Aboriginal reserve where the girls live, and shows how difficult it is for the group to get ahead in a country where white audiences don’t want to see them on stage.

The Sapphires finally get a break when they perform at a talent competition. They lose because of racism, but are discovered by Dave Lovelace (Chris O’Dowd). Dave introduces them to R&B, the perfect style for the group, which provides an energetic soundtrack for the film (think classic Motown hits such as Sugar Pie Honey Bunch and What a Man). In no time, the girls find themselves performing in Vietnam.

The Sapphires is a funny, feel-good film, but it goes beyond the star-is-born story, shedding light on a scandalous era in Australia’s history, while showing the power of friendship, family and love.

Salvationist I September 2013 I 23

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

ENROLMENTS AND RECOGNITION

ST. THOMAS, ONT.—As part of 130th anniversary celebrations at St. Thomas Corps, 12 senior soldiers and 14 junior soldiers were enrolled. Commissioners Brian and Rosalie Peddle, TC and TPWM, and Lt-Cols Lee and Deborah Graves, then DC and DDWM, Ont. GL Div, gave leadership to the festivities, supported musically by Toronto’s North York Temple Band and timbrels.

CLARENVILLE, N.L.—Seven young people declare their commitment to God as they are enrolled as junior soldiers at Clarenville Corps. From left, Cpt Yvonne LeDrew, CO; Cpt Julia Butler, DYS, N.L. Div; Rachel Andrews; Sarah Baggs; Leanne Avery; Sophie Curlew; Sara Adams; Brianna Stone; Matthew Stone; Marie Pearce; Cpt Anthony LeDrew, CO.

CORNER BROOK, N.L.—Corner Brook Temple enrols six senior soldiers.

From left, Mjrs Calvin and Loretta Fudge, then COs; CSM Bruce White; Gillian Ash; Trevor Ivany; Laura Flight; Roland Young; Joshua Tulk; Mary Young.

KENTVILLE, N.S.—Jeremy Reid and Lakyn Reid are the newest junior soldiers at Kentville CC. From left, Mjrs Ross and Doreen Grandy, COs; Mervin Misner, holding the flag; Jeremy Reid; Lakyn Reid; JSS Natalia Wheaton; Mjrs Wanda and Morris Vincent, then DYS and AC, Maritime Div. 24 I September 2013 I Salvationist

MOUNT PEARL, N.L.—Mount Pearl Band dedicates three new instruments purchased with funds raised through personal donations and pledges, a traditional fish and brewis dinner and a silent auction. From left, BM Glenn Dyke; Bruce Cluett, holding the flag; Sara Hawkins; Howard Mills; Karen Gosse; Mjrs Doreen and Gerald Lacey, COs.

MISSISSAUGA, ONT.—Two senior soldiers and five adherents are welcomed at Erin Mills Corps. From left, Dawn Bell, adherent; Tami Snelling, Tania Kerr, senior soldiers; Beverley Janssen, Jennifer Walton, Jacqueline Walton, Karin Henke, adherents.

WINNIPEG—Heritage Park Temple celebrates its 40th anniversary under the leadership of Mjrs Elmer and Shirley Pavey. Participating in the cutting of the anniversary cake are, from left, Rachel Bond, the corps’ oldest senior soldier; Caleb Samson, the corps’ youngest junior soldier; Mjrs Shirley and Elmer Pavey; Mjr Sandra Budden, CO.

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

WINNIPEG—Nicholas and Alicia Pollett are enrolled as senior soldiers during 40th anniversary events at Heritage Park Temple. With them is Ted Wynne, holding the flag.

GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L.—Four adherents are welcomed during 75th anniversary celebrations at Park Street Citadel. From left, Mjr Owen Rowsell, CO; Albert Pynn; Ursula Pynn; Jean Lane; Eric Lane.

DRUMHELLER, ALTA.—Kathryn Chambers is the newest senior soldier at Drumheller CC. With her are Lts Rachel and Matt Sheils, then COs, and Mjr Dave Graham, colour sergeant.

GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L.—Participants in a class for new Christians are acknowledged with certificates at Park Street Citadel. From left, Mjr Owen Rowsell, CO; Albert Pynn; Walwin Blackmore, instructor; Ursula Pynn; John Wiseman; Mjr Sharon Rowsell, CO. DRUMHELLER, ALTA.— From lef t, Melanie Horness, Roberta Simmonds, Coral and Clayton Bickford, and Alice Hoare are welcomed as adherents of Drumheller CC.

LOWER ISLAND COVE, N.L.—Lower Island Cove Corps enrols three junior soldiers. Front, from left, Tyler Delaney, Rebecca LeShane, Jonathan Hayward. Back, from left, Cpt Julia Butler, DYS, N.L. Div; Mildred Wheadon, preparation class instructor; Cpt Weldon and Mjr Donna Hayward, then COs.

FORT McMURRAY, ALTA.—CCMS Dianne Rice presents a cheque in the amount of $2,015 in support of the Fort McMurray Corps’ fundraising efforts for Partners in Mission. The money was raised through a special community breakfast hosted by the CCM group. In total, the corps contributed $13,695 to the campaign.

Officer Retirements

DRUMHELLER, ALTA.—Drumheller CC celebrates the enrolment of 10 junior soldiers. Shown with the young people are Lts Rachel and Matt Sheils, then COs, and Mjr Dave Graham, colour sergeant.

LOWER ISLAND COVE, N.L.—Henrietta Sellars is welcomed as an adherent by Mjr Donna Hayward, then CO.

Majors Marvin and Vera Youden entered honourable retirement August 1. Following 20-year careers in the news media and hospitality industry, Marvin and Vera responded to a long-standing call to full-time ministry and offered themselves for service in The Salvation Army in 1987. Mar vin, a native of Deer Lake, N.L., and Vera, who was raised in Corner Brook, N.L., left their home corps of Stephenville, N.L., after serving as soldiers and local leaders for approximately 15 years, to begin a five-year regimen of study and service as auxiliary-captains. Commissioned with the rank of captain in Toronto in 1993, they were appointed to Winnipeg as corps officers at St. Vital. This was followed by nine years in the editorial department before they returned to corps work in their home province in 1999. They were the corps officers in Buchans, Glovertown and Bayview before health concerns resulted in their early retirement in 2007. But with improved health and a medical clearance, they returned to full-time service in 2010 and became the corps officers of the Pilley’s Island/Long Island Circuit.

Salvationist I September 2013 I 25

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

Salvationists Receive Jubilee Medal

DEER LAKE N.L.—Sam and Pearl King have received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of their contributions to their community. Sam, a retired employee of the Town of Deer Lake, and Pearl, a lifelong Salvationist and former teacher, identified a need for a food bank to assist people struggling financially. When no affordable space was available, they established a food bank in their home and served those in need from there for 15 years before moving to a rented location one year ago.

While Sam and Pearl feel honoured to have received the award, they are quick to share the recognition with others. “The food bank would not be the success that it is without the support of the community, so we feel the whole community has a share in this honour,” they say. Sam and Pearl also volunteer for a local elementary school breakfast program, and Pearl is a team leader with women’s ministries and a member of the corps’ prayer chain. The commemorative medal, created to mark the 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II, was presented by Dwight Ball, MHA for the District of Humber Valley, N.L.

GAZETTE

TERRITORIAL Appointment Aux-Cpt Sandra Ross, chaplain, Metro West Court, correctional and justice services, Toronto, Ont. CE Div Commissioned as captain Aux-Cpt Ronald Farr, Aux-Cpt Sandra Ross, AuxCpts Oudaovanh/Phoungern Sombounkhanh, Aux-Cpt Thomas Yoo Promoted to major Cpts Colin/Maureen Bain, Cpts Donald/Donna Bladen, Cpt Carson Decker, Cpts Wayne/Geraldine Durdle, Cpt Laverne Fudge, Cpts Geoffrey/Linda Groves, Cpts Anthony/Patricia Kennedy, Cpts Robert/Shelley Kerr, Cpts John/Shellie Kirschman, Cpt Karen Lemke, Cpts David/April McNeilly, Cpts Joshua/Pauline Randell, Cpts William/ Pamela Stanger, Cpts Wilson/Darlene Sutton Long service—25 years Mjr Wendy Broome, Mjr Catherine BrownRatcliffe, Mjr Ross Grandy, Mjrs James/Gwendolyn Hagglund, Mjr Lee Anne Hoeft, Mjr (Dr) Dawn Howse, Mjrs Larry/Roxanne Jennings, Mjr Byron Kean, Mjr Robert MacDonald, Mjr Patricia 26 I September 2013 I Salvationist

Accepted for Training Yves Bolduc Montreal Citadel, Quebec Division I accepted Christ in 1988 at the age of 20, and felt God’s call upon my life when I was 27 to start a new church. In 1998, our small group grew and became an established church in Lac-Mégantic, Que. In 2005, I was devastated when my marriage ended and I had to resign from pastoral ministry.

I cried to God and asked for a second chance in marriage and to be involved in his service. He answered my prayers when I met and eventually married Vivian in 2009 in the Philippines.

In faith, we moved to Montreal where I became the director of the Army’s Anchorage addiction program at the Booth Centre. After a time, as we were praying for God’s will, we felt led to start attending Montreal Citadel. We became senior soldiers and are responding to God’s call to serve as officers in The Salvation Army.

thought I would serve through The Salvation Army, but during a territorial information weekend for officership held at the training college in Winnipeg, I felt God calling me. It was confirmed for me the next day when Commissioner Brian Peddle, territorial commander, preached about God’s calling and said, “When God calls you, answer him, yes.” From that moment I said I would follow wherever God wants me to go.

I’m excited to do his will and to serve in the name of Jesus Christ.

Samuel Tim Weston Community Church, Winnipeg, Prairie Division My faith journey began as a young child. Since I was born into a Christian home, I was taught at a very early age that Jesus was my Saviour. As I grew older, my faith was strengthened through different avenues, such as corps cadets, Bible studies and my time at the War College. While attending Weston Community Church, God revealed to me that he still needs people who are willing to be used to further the gospel.

After much time spent in prayer, I feel at peace with committing my life to full-time ministry as a Salvation Army officer. As God continues his work in me, I am learning to continually look up to the author and finisher of our faith.

Vivian Mag-Aso Montreal Citadel, Quebec Division I didn’t know about The Salvation Army until my husband began working at the Montreal Booth Centre. When he told me how the Army reaches out to people, helping them physically, emotionally and spiritually, I became curious and began to appreciate the Army’s work. I never McInnes, Mjr Donette Percy, Mjr Robert Reid, Mjr Sandra Reid, Mjr Sterling Snelgrove, Mjr Colleen Wells Long service—30 years Mjr Ann Braund, Mjr Wilfred Brown-Ratcliffe, Lt-Col Joan Canning, Mjr Barbara Carey, Mjr Ronald Cartmell, Mjr Susanne Fisher, Lt-Col Lee Graves, Mjrs Dean/Margaret Locke, Mjr Tanya Payette, Mjrs Richard/Jane Shirran, Mjr Roy Snow, Mjr Wendy Swan, Mjrs Kester/Kathryn Trim, Mjrs Frederick/Wendy Waters Long service—35 years Mjrs Everett/Violet Barrow, Mjr Larry Bridger, Mjr Gary Cooper, Mjr Gerald Lacey, Mjr Wayne Loveless, Mjrs Owen/Sharon Rowsell Retirements Mjrs Graham/Barbara Brown, last appointments: executive director, Vancouver Southview Heights and Terrace, and The Salvation Army Rotary Hospice, Richmond, B.C./chaplain, Vancouver Southview Heights and Terrace, B.C. Div; Mjrs Robert/Cassie Kean, last appointment: Springdale, N.L. Div; Mjrs Ian/Kathleen McAlister, last appointments: executive director/director of chaplaincy, Kingston Harbour

Light, Ont. CE Div; Mjrs John/Faye Strickland, last appointment: Cambridge, Ont. GL Div; Mjrs Paul/Shirley Winsor, last appointments: executive director, Grace Manor, Edmonton/chaplain, Grace Manor, Edmonton, and chaplain, City of Edmonton, Alta. & N.T. Div Promoted to glory Mjr Mark Cummings, from Barrie, Ont., Jun 28; Mjr Harry Moore, from Hamilton, Ont., Jun 29; Mjr Ronald Walker, from Victoria, Jul 1; Lt-Col Bernice McNeilly, from St. Lambert, Que., Jul 15; Mjr William Merritt, from Surrey, B.C., Jul 17

CALENDAR

Commissioners Brian and Rosalie Peddle Sep 13-15 cadets’ welcome weekend, CFOT, Winnipeg; Sep 16-18 Leaders’ Summit, Winnipeg; Sep 19-24 visit to northern B.C., B.C. Div; Sep 28 women’s ministries’ training event, THQ* Colonels Mark and Sharon Tillsley Sep 14-15 cadets’ welcome weekend, CFOT, Winnipeg; Sep 16-18 Leaders’ Summit, Winnipeg; Sep 23 board meeting, Ethics Centre, Winnipeg *Commissioner Rosalie Peddle only

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

TRIBUTES DUNDAS, ONT.—Mrs. Brigadier Rolande Fayter (nee Rocheleau) was born in 1924 in Montreal to a large French-Canadian family. Raised in The Salvation Army, as a young girl she accepted Jesus. Rolande met and fell in love with a young officer, John Fayter, and followed him into ministry. Commissioned from the training college in Toronto in 1949 as a cadet in the Peacemakers Session, Rolande married John in 1950. Together they raised a family and served inner-city poor and homeless people in communities across Canada until 1971 when they were appointed to territorial headquarters in Toronto.

She spent years before and after their retirement in 1984 providing pastoral care to elderly persons. Rolande was passionate about her family, her faith in God, serving others in Christ’s name, singing, baking, French painting and sculpture, Russian and English literature, travel and classical music. A loving wife, mother and grandmother, and a humble, caring pastor, Rolande is survived by her brother, Major John (Mary) Rocheleau; son, Rev. Paul (Lily); granddaughters Rachel and Meaghan Fayter; many nieces, nephews and friends.

WINNIPEG—Major Amelia Loveless (nee Granter) accepted Christ at the age of seven at a young people’s meeting. A soldier of St. John’s Temple, N.L., she was involved in young people’s activities and the songsters.

Amelia entered training college in the Sword Bearers Session and was ordained as an officer in 1956, spending many years alongside her husband, Bill, in appointments that took them across Canada. She had a passion for ministering to people and was an ardent home league enthusiast. A gifted speaker, she spoke at women’s conferences within the Army and other denominations. Amelia was a devoted wife, caring mother, great encourager and advocate, and a passionate prayer warrior. She enjoyed knitting, sewing, reading and cooking, and since retiring in 1998, travelling and spending time at their cottage and trailer. Amelia volunteered at the Grace Hospital Gift Shop and was presented with her 15-year pin while still a patient at the Grace and wore it with pride. She leaves behind her husband, Bill; daughter, Andrea (Kelly Daun); son, David (Lori); eight grandchildren; two sisters; a number of in-laws, nieces, nephews; many friends.

TORONTO—Born in Holland in 1949, Lt-Colonel Dirk P. van Duinen was promoted to glory suddenly from his home as an active officer serving as area commander in the Ontario Central-East Division. The first born of Berend and Edith van Duinen, Dirk immigrated to Canada when he was 18 and entered the training college in 1969, where he met his wife, Susan. They later returned to the training college and were commissioned in 1978 in the Disciples of Jesus Session. Together they served for 35 years in Canada and Europe in congregational and administrative appointments. In December 2012, Dirk was recognized for his many years of Salvation Army officership and presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Honourable David C. Onley, lieutenant-governor of Ontario. Dirk was a committed Christian and Salvationist leader who exemplified the heart of humility and servanthood. He was a loving and devoted husband to his beloved wife, Susan; loving father of Captain Peter (Captain Lee-Ann) and Richard (Maria); proud Opa of Emma, Nate, Abbi and Adian; dear brother of Epke, William and Toon.

TORONTO—Lt-Colonel Gladys McGregor was born in 1920 and raised on the family farm in Foam Lake, Sask.

Feeling called to full-time service, Gladys was commissioned in 1943 as a cadet in the Valiant Session and served one year as a corps officer before entering the school of nursing at Winnipeg Grace Hospital. Graduating as a registered nurse in 1947, she earned further qualifications in nursing education and hospital organization and management. Gladys served as the director of nursing in the Vancouver and Winnipeg Grace hospitals and as administrator of the Ottawa and Windsor Grace hospitals in Ontario. During her eight years in Windsor, she gave leadership to an extensive building and renovation program at the hospital. Gladys was

appointed women’s social services secretary at territorial headquarters in Toronto where she provided oversight to Army hospitals and women’s institutions in Canada. In 1977, she became the principal of the training college in Toronto. Three years later, she was appointed as the assistant to the territorial commander, a position from which she retired in 1985. Gladys was loved, respected and appreciated for her warm and encouraging personality.

PETERBOROUGH, ONT.—Born in Bridgewater, N.S., in 1932, Major Robert Zwicker accepted Christ in a Baptist church but later joined The Salvation Army in Moncton, N.B. With his wife, Garda, he entered the Toronto training college in the Soul Winners Session and was commissioned in 1955. They had three children, Kevin, Cindi and Shawn. By choice, they were corps officers for all of their more than 42 years of active service, ministering from Winnipeg to Corner Brook, N.L. In 1974, Robert represented the territory at the Billy Graham World Evangelism Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland. From 1979 to 1984, they served in Memphis, Tennessee, and Jamestown, New York, before retiring from Fredericton in 1997. Following Garda’s promotion to glory in 2000, Robert married Keitha Watson in 2002. For the past six years, he was the corps’ visitation officer and a faithful member of the Saturday morning prayer breakfast. Faced with the possibility of losing his sight, Robert committed much Scripture to memory, which contributed to his skill as a Bible teacher. While he retained his vision, Robert was aware of his fatal illness and accepted his final days with grace and dignity.

AJAX, ONT.—Born in 1937 in Garnish, N.L., Lt-Colonel Boyde R. Goulding was commissioned in 1958 as a cadet in the Courageous Session. Two appointments as youth officer and school principal preceded his marriage in 1963 to the love of his life, Captain Marie Starkes. Together they served in corps throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and in Nova Scotia before being appointed to the then Newfoundland East Division where Boyde was the divisional youth secretary. Appointed to North Toronto Citadel in 1980, they returned to the Newfoundland East Division in 1983 with Boyde serving as divisional secretary. In 1987, he became the divisional commander in the then Ontario North Division, a position he subsequently held in the then Newfoundland West and Labrador and Newfoundland East divisions. Boyde served twice as property secretary at territorial headquarters in Toronto. A man with a strong faith in Jesus Christ, Boyde was a gifted preacher, leader and encourager. He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 50 years, Lt-Colonel Marie Goulding; daughters Pauline (Hartley) Goldenthal, Pamela (Robert) Richardson, Beverly (Timothy) Cooey; grandsons Benjamin Goldenthal, Nathan Richardson, Liam Cooey; brothers Elmo Goulding, Albert (Emma) Goulding; sister, Grace (Hubert) Smith; extended family and friends.

ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Major Hayward S. Noseworthy was promoted to glory from The Salvation Army Glenbrook Lodge in his 87th year. Entering the training college in 1949, Hayward dedicated his life to The Salvation Army. As a single corps officer, he served in Griquet, Charlottetown, Whitbourne, Elliston and Cottle’s Island, N.L. In 1958, he married Anne Forsey and together they served as corps officers in Pilley’s Island, Campbellton, Point Leamington, Springdale, Bay Roberts, Twillingate and Bonavista, N.L. Together they moved to St. John’s where Hayward served for two years as the family services officer before being appointed to the trade department in St. John’s and then Toronto. He returned to the trade department in St. John’s from where he retired in 1991 after serving 41 years as a Salvation Army officer. A loving husband, father and grandfather, Hayward will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. Leaving to mourn are his loving wife of 55 years, Mrs. Major Anne Noseworthy; sons Keith (Bev), Kenneth (Joy); daughter, Kimberly (Nick) Mosher; grandchildren Tracy (Andrew) Mayo, Dr. Allison Noseworthy, Melissa and Joshua Mosher; large circle of family and friends.

Visit salvationist.ca Salvationist I September 2013 I 27

THE STORYTELLER

Fair Wage

God’s given us something we can never earn

BY MAJOR FRED ASH

T

he biggest holiday in September is Labour Day, which celebrates the achievements of workers. Its origins go back more than a hundred years as trade unions advocated for “a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.”

This is why some workers may be upset by the Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard (see Matthew 20:1-16)—after all, the employer is hardly fair in this story.

The kingdom of heaven is like a builder who went to the employment centre early in the morning to hire labourers for his project. He agreed to pay them $100 for the day and sent them into his construction site.

About 9 a.m., he went out and saw others standing in line at the centre filling out application forms. He told them, “You, also, go and work on my project, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went.

He went out again at 12 p.m. and did the same thing at 3 p.m. He went out at 5 p.m. and still found others who had not obtained employment. He asked them, “Why have you been standing here all 28 I September 2013 I Salvationist

day long doing nothing?”

“Because no one has hired us,” they answered.

He said to them, “You also go and work at my job site.”

When evening came, the builder said to his foreman, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.”

The workers who were hired at 5 p.m. came and each received $100. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received $100. When they received it, they began to grumble against the builder. “Those who were hired last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have done most of the work in the heat of the day.”

But he answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for $100? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

I hear you screaming. “That’s not fair!

The first lot of workers got paid $100 for the day. The last lot of workers got $100 for an hour. What’s fair about that?”

Of course it’s not fair. But that’s what grace is all about. Grace, by definition, is “undeserved favour.” The workers who were hired at 5 p.m. were not paid a fair wage—that would have amounted to $12.50 for their hour of work. They were paid a generous and gracious wage.

They received more than the value of their labour.

The first and most obvious lesson of this parable is the lesson of grace.

God has blessed us with more than we deserve. Many of us have been blessed with good health and family. Others may have even received wealth and fame. But all these blessings pale in the light of the greatest blessing of all—eternal life. This is something we can never earn. God has given us, the last of his creation, what he has given the angels—a place in his heavenly home.

This parable also showed the Jews, who had served God since the time of Abraham, that the latecomers, the Gentiles, would receive the same rewards as them. And for the Twelve Disciples, Jesus said there would be other Christians who would come later. They would not be martyrs in the Roman Colosseum, but would still receive the same reward. To the faithful church-goers of today who founded congregations and worked hard to build up their churches, Jesus said another generation would come after them and do their part. This work, too, would be as valuable as theirs. For those who came to faith in their old age, they would receive eternal life as rich, full and free as those who gave their hearts to Christ in their youth.

Some scholars have said that the point of this parable is the spirit in which work is done. Those who were hired in the morning were working on contract. They were paid “a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.” Those who were hired later trusted the builder for their reward. There was no talk of contracts or wages. They were just happy to be working. True Christians work for the joy of serving the Lord and don’t care about their reward.

Major Fred Ash is a retired Salvation Army officer, freelance writer and editor living in Barrie, Ont.

TIES THAT BIND

Letting Go

Support—don’t smother—teens on their journey to independence

Photo: © iStockphoto.com/izusek

BY MAJOR KATHIE CHIU

H

e seemed more anxious to leave than he was sad to go. When did that happen? Emotions washed over me—fear, anxiety, pride, love.

Thoughts clouded my mind. He’s too young! What if he gets sick? He’ll do so well! I’ll miss him so much!

My son was off to camp for the summer and even though I had been through this before with his older siblings, I didn’t realize how hard it would be. Teenagers grow up, don’t want to go on vacation with their parents and become far too independent for their mothers after a summer away. But isn’t that what life is all about?

I remember when independence happened for me. I was 17 and asked my mother if I could go to a friend’s party.

She said, “Well, that’s up to you. You’re 17 now. Just let me know where you are and what time you’ll be home.” I remember thinking, “Is she up to something?”

But looking back now, I know what she was doing—she was letting go. I was her youngest and she had been through

Our children have a journey to make. What they do on that journey is not about us or about whether we are good parents this before. My oldest brother joined the military at 17. My mother had to sign a consent form for him because it was just before his 18th birthday. Now that would be hard. (And if my two youngest boys are reading this, don’t even think about it!)

What scares me about my children’s newfound independence? I’m afraid they’ll be like me or their dad. I’m afraid their experiments with freedom will go badly wrong.

All of this is natural and normal.

Teenagers grow up as they’re supposed to. “It is all letting go ... from the moment of birth,” says Shari Young Kuchenbecker, PhD, a research psychologist and author of Raising Winners: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Kids Succeed On and Off the Playing Field. “Moms and dads should strive to build the child’s skills and good judgment (self-efficacy) so the child grows up capable. To achieve this, as experiences unfold, parents monitor progress and provide support when needed.”

However, I want to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes I did.

I want their journey to be easier and kinder to them. I don’t want their life ruined by a bad choice or terrible tragedy. Basically, I want control. I want to be the author of my children’s destiny, not them. They’ll mess it up. I don’t trust them. But dig a little deeper and the truth is, I don’t trust God. My need to control demonstrates my lack of faith in God to watch over, guide, love, teach and help my children.

The truth is that all those mistakes I made growing into an adult have shaped who I am today. In my younger years I was ashamed and thought people would judge me if they only knew. I now realize it was my journey. It shaped me and God has redeemed every single bad choice I have made and am still making.

Our children also have a journey to make. What they do on that journey is not about us or about whether we are good parents; it’s about them and their journey to adulthood and beyond. It’s about them becoming the people that God wants them to be. It’s about how God will take every single one of their bad choices and use them to shape, refine and grow them.

I didn’t hear much from my son when he went to that camp for the Leaders in Training program in July. But I texted him every once in a while just to say “I love you” and “I miss you.” I’m not sure if it was with a cheeky grin, but he texted me back one day with “Love you Mommy.” He’s never called me that before! Not only did I learn to wait a while before bugging him again, but I also learned to let go just a little bit more.

“Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost” (Proverbs 22:6 The Message).

Major Kathie Chiu is the executive director of Victoria Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre.

Salvationist I September 2013 I 29

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

Clearing the Noise How would God rate your listening skills?

Photo: © Ingimage.com

BY MAJOR GAIL WINSOR

W

hat images does the word “silence” bring to mind?

Perhaps you envision that quintessential Canadian scene of a remote lake at sunset, or recall a moment at the end of the day when you were the last person to leave your workplace and noticed its uncharacteristic stillness.

You may picture someone responding with stunned silence to news that has changed his life forever. Silence holds many meanings.

How would you react to the suggestion that you could deliberately spend half an hour in silence? Are you excited by the thought? Skeptical that such a goal could be achieved in our world of traffic, TV and technology? Does the prospect of being silent make you uncomfortable? Whatever we may feel about silence, it is consistently listed among the classical spiritual disciplines.

Considering silence as a discipline raises several questions: What is meant by the discipline of silence? A simple definition is to move away from the common noises of our outer environment. These are the sounds that accompany daily life: conversation, people going about their work, children playing, and so on. There will always be aspects of our environment that we cannot control, but there are some steps we can take to create a sense of silence.

30 I September 2013 I Salvationist

Turning off the TV, closing the office door, or retreating to the quietest room in your home are all ways of doing this.

We can also limit the amount of noise we personally generate by occasionally refraining from speaking, not because we are antisocial but because silence helps us connect deeply with God. How does silence help us connect more deeply with God? If we want to know God better, shouldn’t we spend time studying the Scriptures, praying and following Jesus’ example? Of course!

Study, prayer and sacrificial living are also spiritual disciplines, but sometimes silence enhances our experience of them.

Consider your most important

human relationship. As that relationship developed, you shared information with each other; one of you spoke while the other quietly listened and then responded. This cycle of silent attentiveness and response allowed the relationship to grow. Similarly in our relationship with God, we share our thoughts with him and God invites us to hear what is on his heart. The discipline of silence facilitates that communication by helping us to be less distracted and more intentionally available, attentive and responsive to God, thus deepening our relationship with him.

What can you expect to experience when you practise silence? If you have ever lain awake in the quieter hours of the night, you have experienced some of the sensations that can arise in this discipline. Without the masking effect of noise, you may be confronted by the concerns and anxieties that bubble to the surface of your consciousness. The external noise has been replaced by noise generated within your mind and spirit.

At such times it is good to be reminded that “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Know that you can release your inner turbulence to God, allowing him to create a silent place in your inmost being so that you can hear the One who often chooses to speak quietly (see 1 Kings 19:11-13). In that silence, you will meet with God who calls you his beloved one. He will show you what he wants you to discover about himself, yourself and the world in which you live.

Major Gail Winsor is a trained spiritual director who engages in ministry through the leadership development department at territorial headquarters.

Six Steps to Meaningful Silence

1. Set aside a specific time and place. A few minutes in a quiet corner of your home is a good place to start.

2. Establish a manageable goal. If you are not accustomed to silence, sitting with God for 10 minutes may initially be enough. You may choose to set a timer, so that you are not preoccupied by the desire to watch the clock.

3. Sit comfortably, but not so comfortably that you will fall asleep!

4. Express your openness to God in a short, simple prayer such as “Come, Lord Jesus” or “My soul waits for the Lord,” then simply rest in God and wait on him.

5. I f distractions arise, acknowledge them, release them to God in prayer and return to silence. Use a notebook to record reminders of tasks you need to attend to later.

6. Close your time of silence with a prayer of thanks for God’s presence.

Adapted from Ruth Hayley Barton’s Invitation to Solitude and Silence

TIES THAT BIND

Salvationist I September 2013 I 31

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