Salvationist - October 2014

Toronto Shelter Residents Find Refuge and a Place to Belong

General Shaw Clifton (Rtd) Releases New Autobiography

When Sharing God’s Love Means Taking a Stand

Salvationist The Voice of the Army

October 2014

CHRIST IN THE COMMUNITY Integrating our social and spiritual mission

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Glory!

Hallelujah!

PREACHING A

DISTURBING

GOSPEL

THE INNOVATIVE EVANGELISM OF EARLY CANADIAN SALVATIONISTS

by R.G. Moyles

by Julie A. Slous

“When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.”

WHEN JUSTICE IS THE MEASURE

by M. Christine MacMillan | Don Posterski | James E. Read

“You haven’t met Jesus until you’ve met him as a man of compassionate justice.”

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CONVICTIONS

MATTER

The Function of Salvation Army Doctrines

chasing De Pur

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a

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Ca

ad

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Supplies &

by Ray Harris

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Salvation Army Store

Your source for Christian Music, Books, Uniforms & Ministry Supplies

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Inside This Issue Cert no. XXX-XXX-XXXX

October 2014 Volume 9, Number 10 www.salvationist.ca E-mail: salvationist@can.salvationarmy.org

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1

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Departments 3 4 Editorial

Love and Brokenness

by Geoff Moulton

5 Around the Territory 9 Chief Priorities

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22 Celebrate Community

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4 Enrolments and Recognition, Tributes, Gazette, Calendar

27 Convictions Matter Jesus the Christ

by Major Ray Harris Cert no. XXX-XXX-XXXX

28 Just Cause

For All the World Harnessing Hope PRODUCT LABELINGby GUIDE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

by Colonel Mark Tillsley James Read and Don Posterski

10 Snapshots of Ministry An Open Door

by Giselle Randall; photos by Warren Pot

20 Cross Culture Cover illustration courtesy of Ontario Great Lakes Division

29 In the Trenches

On Moral Grounds

by Major Amy Reardon

30 Ties That Bind

Joy for Mourning

by Major Kathie Chiu

Features 8 Where They Belong

The new Montreal Citadel boasts 29 nationalities, reflecting a changing Quebec by Ken Ramstead

10

14 The Whole Gospel

Following the way of Jesus through integrated mission

by Lt-Colonel Debbie Graves

17 Give Thanks

Salute your leaders during Pastor Appreciation Month

by Kristin Ostensen

18 Faithful to His Calling

In his new autobiography, General Shaw Clifton (Rtd) offers a candid account of his life and ministry Interview by Geoff Moulton

26 How to Kill Your Corps

Four easy steps to ruin your ministry

by Cadet Jonathan Taube

Inside Faith & Friends The Beginning of the End?

The new Left Behind movie opens in theatres this month.

Can we really know the future?

Dishing It Out

An Army facility in Toronto gets a much-appreciated handoff from some CFL athletes

Promise Keeper

Through all the twists and turns of her life, Lily Oatley’s faith has kept her grounded

Why “Why” Matters

After a year of pain, Phil Callaway remembers what really counts in life

Share Your Faith When you finish reading Faith & Friends, FAITH & frıends pull it out and give it to someone who needs to Left hear about Behind Christ’s lifechanging  power October 2014

faithandfriends.ca

Inspiration for Living

Is this the beginning of the end for Nicolas Cage?

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SALVATION ARMY AND CFL PLAYERS TACKLE POVERTY

One Family’s Struggle With Leukemia

WHY “WHY” MATTERS

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@Salvationist Follow us on Twitter for breaking news, photos and updates from around the Army Salvationist • October 2014 • 3

EDITORIAL

Love and Brokenness

P

haw, phaw, PHAW!” The blind man stood on the street corner of Toronto’s College and Yonge streets, shouting and twitching. His clothes were stained and torn, his face spotted with scabs. People scurried around him on their way to work, with sideways glances of pity or fear.

It wasn’t always that way.

As a child, Ivor dreamed of being a concert violinist. After graduating, he became a successful businessman with his own Mr. Sub franchise. He married and had a son. But somewhere along the way, the demons of mental illness took over.

For a time, Ivor came to The Salvation Army’s North Toronto Community Church, a convert of our summer street evangelism. But eventually, he could not sit through a service without becoming violent and disruptive. Ivor was afflicted with a host of troubles: schizophrenia, post-tramautic stress disorder, Tourette’s syndrome.

He also had a number of run-ins with the law. While incarcerated in Penetanguishene, Ont., in a prison for the mentally ill, Ivor deliberately blinded himself, clinging to a misguided biblical literalism: “If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.”

Kicking in doors, swearing and swinging his cane, Ivor didn’t endear himself to many people. But he loved Jesus and was deeply penitent, often weeping at his own sinfulness. His knowledge of the Bible was extensive and he relished the opportunity to sit for a coffee or meal and talk about Scripture.

We knew each other for 20 years and met regularly for a chat. When Ivor stopped phoning, I grew concerned.

He’d gone silent before, but never for this long. Eventually, I discovered his obituary in a newsletter from a small downtown mission—the last place that would accept him.

Ivor was troubled. Deeply scarred.

And he was my friend. I dreaded his calls because he could be abusive.

Yet I miss him terribly and wish we could share one more coffee.

This month in Salvationist, we meet some of the people who have found a place of shelter and belonging at 4 • October 2014 • Salvationist

The Salvation Army (see page 10). They are real people. They have hopes and dreams. They love and are loved. While their circumstances differ from Ivor’s, they remind us that many in our society are just one missed paycheque or broken relationship away from life on the street.

God raised up The Salvation Army to be a place of acceptance and belonging.

With the Army’s help, many are finding new hope and a future. On page 14, Lt-Colonel Debbie Graves writes of our integrated mission—social and spiritual—that has been part of our DNA since inception. We are an evangelical church with a social conscience. We are “heart to God and hand to man.” If we do one without the other, we are no longer The Salvation Army.

Dion Oxford, director of mission integration, Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports, has journeyed with people experiencing homelessness. He knows that we must not just serve them, but befriend them. In his words, “Let’s not try to share Jesus with people until we are ready to meet Jesus in people.”

I understand what he means. In Ivor, I discovered Jesus’ profound love and brokenness—and my own.

GEOFF MOULTON Editor-in-Chief

Salvationist

is a monthly publication of The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory André Cox General Commissioner Susan McMillan Territorial Commander Lt-Colonel Jim Champ Secretary for Communications Geoff Moulton Editor-in-Chief Giselle Randall 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 Senior Graphic Designer Brandon Laird Design and Media Specialist 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.

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Mission

The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world. Salvationist informs readers about the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. salvationist.ca salvationist@can.salvationarmy.org facebook.com/salvationistmagazine twitter.com/salvationist

AROUND THE TERRITORY

Moms and Kids Grow at Quebec Camp A LARGE GROUP of mothers and children gathered at The Salvation Army’s Lac L’Achigan camp in the Quebec Division for the 19th annual Kids and Moms

Camp. Since 1996, the Quebec Division has offered a camp program for mothers and children under 10 years old. The camp is led by a dedicated volunteer com-

mittee and a crew of teens and tweens.

“Many of our crew were once the ‘tots’ in the program and have grown through our leader-in-training program over the years,” says Lt-Colonel Marilynn St-Onge, program director of Kids and Moms Camp.

During the week-long camp, the mothers and children enjoyed engaging with the Word of God through worship, Bible study, crafts and sports, building relationships with other participants and strengthening their faith.

Photo and story: Hamilton Spectator; full story at thespec.com

Mothers and their children gather for the 19th annual Kids and Moms Camp at Lac L’Achigan in the Quebec Div

Army Art Students Create Medals

New Cookbook Benefits Food Bank Clients

STUDENTS OF THE Salvation Army’s Paparella Innovative Arts program achieved a remarkable feat this year, making by hand all of the medals to be given to runners who finish this year’s Road2Hope Marathon in Hamilton, Ont., in November.

Cutting out strips from multi-coloured paintings and carefully gluing them to wooden medallions, they created 2,000 unique medals.

The Paparella Innovative Arts program, which serves adults with developmental disabilities, is part of the Army’s Lawson Ministries. The medal project was inspired by Becky Robertson, a 49-year-old woman who has been a resident and participant of Lawson Ministries for about five years. She made a painting that was given as a gift to the marathon’s Esther Pauls of The Runners Den last year. Pauls had seen another race where there were handmade medals and thought that would work in Hamilton.

Robertson’s painting was a thank-you for allowing a Lawson Ministries team, made up of staff and clients, to be a charity partner in the race. They raised $2,000, says Arlee Cripps, a case manager with Lawson. A small sticker with Robertson’s picture and the story of the medals is included on the back of each medal.

All of the art program participants are registered for the race, and will stand Becky Robertson creates medals for the on the finish lines to Road2Hope Marathon hand out medals.

THE PENTICTON, B.C., Salvation Army, in partnership with Valley First Credit Union and its Feed the Valley FOOD FOR ALL campaign, has produced a serLegume Series ies of five cookbooks entitled Food For All—Legume Series to assist food bank clients.

The cookbooks are aimed at providing people with a variety of simple recipes for Together = goods commonly received at A Powerhouse of Nutrition! food banks. Recipe sampling was available at the Army’s food bank in July ahead of the cookbooks’ release.

The project has been in the works for months. In March, Valley First employees were invited to submit recipes and take part in cooking demonstrations at the food bank’s community kitchen.

This set of five cookbooks focuses on recipes using inexpensive, nutritious and readily accessible ingredients, such as dried legumes, that are often included in the hampers patrons receive.

“These books were produced in direct response to our clients’ feedback when we asked what their needs were,” explains Barb Stewart, program co-ordinator at The Salvation Army. “Many of these clients also volunteer at our community garden so the cookbooks tie in to the food harvest. It’s all about educating individuals that it is possible to eat well on a budget, which includes growing your own food.”

Food For All cookbooks are available as pdfs at www. feedthevalley.ca.

Salvationist • October 2014 • 5

AROUND THE TERRITORY

Transitional House in Ottawa Celebrates 10 Years from their past is virtually erased.”

Derrick Shears, a former resident of the house who now lives independently, spoke at the 10-year celebration barbecue in July.

“I became a part of the community and it was just amazing.

It released a lot of the anxiety and frustration I had. No one judged me and they all wanted me to get involved,” said Shears.

“This place is for people who are trying to change their lives.”

Photo and story: Ottawa Citizen

THE SALVATION ARMY’S Ottawa Transitional House is celebrating 10 years in the community of Hintonburg, just west of the downtown area. The house is an extension of the Ottawa Booth Centre men’s shelter and provides minimum support housing for homeless, single adult men with limited resources and income as they make the transition to appropriate independent living situations. Each of the 16 men is given a private furnished room and, after achieving some degree of independence, they have the opportunity to practise and hone independent living skills and social reintegration.

“There was some initial concern from the community when The Salvation Army opened the house,” says Steve Ridgley, program supervisor at Transitional House, “but the residents have become a helpful presence to the neighbourhood and all the initial fears have disappeared. I am lucky to have seen the house grow from a time when the community did not trust us, to the present when they now come to us for assistance.”

The house residents volunteer their time to help set up, run and clean up the six festivals in Hintonburg every year.

The men also volunteer with Parkdale United Church and help local residents with chores such as gardening, shopping, small repairs and neighbourhood watch.

“We are celebrating 10 years of our clients having the opportunity to practise socialization in a positive way and the community has responded and embraced the house,” says Ridgley.

“These men are now part of the community and any stigma

From left, Derrick Shears; Dan Baker, Lorrie Marlow, Hintonburg Economic Development Committee (HEDC); Steve Ridgley; Cheryl Parrot, Pat McCleod, Sylvia Bogusis, Tim Thibeault and Vance Fandrey, HEDC, celebrate Transitional House’s anniversary at a community barbecue

THE SALVATION ARMY’S Chatham-Kent Ministries, Ont., has moved its community and family services program to a new location that will allow the Army to provide more services to clients.

The new 5,000-sq-ft. facility offers a large training room, which will include a computer lab to be used in partnership with community partners to provide lifeskills training such as household budgeting, planning a menu and parenting skills for young mothers. The computer lab can also be used for job searches, helping people complete school assignments and expanding the income tax clinic the agency offers.

“Our goal is to empower our clients as much as possible,” says Captain Stephanie Watkinson, community ministries director. “There are unlimited possibilities for what we can do.”

Captain Watkinson’s favourite feature is the large teaching kitchen where food preparation skills will be taught to go hand-in-hand with the food bank services.

She sees this kitchen as an opportunity to expand The Salvation Army’s community garden program in Wallaceburg, Ont., to 6 • October 2014 • Salvationist

Photo and story: Chatham Daily News

Chatham Army Settles in New Location

Cpt Stephanie Watkinson shows off Chatham-Kent Ministries’ new kitchen

provide young clients basic kitchen skills on the preparation of fresh vegetables to help stretch food over three or four meals.

Another feature is a fully accessible on-site shower. Captain Watkinson says some homeless male clients don’t have a proper place to go for a shower, noting some clean up in washrooms at local res-

taurants or public buildings. “This now fills a gap we have in our community,” she says.

The new facility also provides more space for the food bank and a brighter waiting area for clients, complete with tables, chairs, a play area for kids and free coffee.

AROUND THE TERRITORY

Former Inmates Give Back to Community STAFF AND RESIDENTS of the W.P. Archibald Adult Resource Centre in Toronto provided relief from the heat this July, handing out food, clothing and drinks to the residents of Moss Park.

“Moss Park is home to some of the neediest people in the Greater Toronto Area and our staff and residents felt moved to get out at the street level to meet some of our neighbours and help,” says Art Rasmusson, director of the centre. Organizer Kayla Outway, community resource co-ordinator, found many willing donors who contributed food, clothing and supplies.

Rasmusson notes that many residents participated because they wanted to give back to the community after taking part in the Army’s Archibald program, which assists with employment, counselling and reintegration back into the community after periods of incarceration.

“Giving back to the community and recognizing that we all can make a difference, regardless of our past, is an important part of restoration for men returning from federal institutions at the end of their sentences,” says Rasmusson.

Art Rasmusson (centre) and Archibald residents Marcelle and Brook serve hot dogs at Moss Park

Territorial Survey Reveals Army’s Values MORE THAN 1,100 Salvation Army officers and employees answered a survey in February, shedding light on the core values of the Army. Participants were asked to choose their top 10 personal values, and identify current and desired cultural values in The Salvation Army.

The survey was conducted by The Salvation Army’s Ethics Centre in Winnipeg, which strives to ensure that the core values of the Army are evident in all areas of ministry. “Maintaining congruence between the Army’s core values and operational culture is important,” says Sharon Jones-Ryan, consultant, management and organizational ethics, “because what you do reflects your values, even if it’s unintentional.

“This survey gives us some rich information about what people are thinking and it gives us a glimpse at what people

Top Survey Answers Which of the following values and behaviours most represent who you are?

want the organization to look like,” she explains.

Three core values appeared on all three lists: accountability, compassion and caring. Jones-Ryan notes that though people within the Army can agree on the same values, those values can look different depending on the context. “These values are expressed differently in each of us,” she says. “Where one ministry identifies hierarchy as a positive existing value, another may see it as an impediment.”

To understand the direction that The Salvation Army is moving in, the survey will be sent out and results analyzed annually. The hope in releasing the information is that the Army will gain an awareness of where its values stand and where they hold true. “This survey gives us a place to begin conversations,” Jones-Ryan says. “It’s important to build with these tools and continually strengthen the connection between our behaviours and values.”

Which of the following values and behaviours most represent how your organization currently operates?

Which of the following values and behaviours are essential for your organization to achieve its highest performance?

1. Accountability

1. Community involvement

1. Accountability

2. Compassion

2. Accountability

2. Compassion

3. Honesty

3. Caring

3. Coaching/mentoring

4. Caring

4. Compassion

4. Teamwork

5. Family

5. Mission focus

5. Community involvement

6. Commitment

6. Brand image

6. Adaptability

7. Intimacy with God

7. Bureaucracy

7. Caring

8. Integrity

8. Making a difference

8. Leadership development

9. Humour/fun

9. Hierarchy

9. Intimacy with God

10. Respect

10. Teamwork

10. Integrity

Salvationist • October 2014 • 7

Where They Belong

The new Montreal Citadel boasts 29 nationalities, reflecting a changing Quebec

S

BY KEN RAMSTEAD, EDITOR, FAITH & FRIENDS AND FOI & VIE

oon after Montreal Citadel relocated to its new premises, Colonel Eleanor Shepherd, corps officer, was visited by a fellow pastor. When his nearby church had been unable to purchase the property that is now home to Montreal Citadel, his congregation prayed that the Lord would put another church in its place.

“We saw the renovations and knew that our prayers had been answered,” he told Colonel Shepherd. “We were so happy. We prayed for you because we knew you were coming.”

“That beautiful gesture confirmed the wisdom of the move in my mind,” she says. “I knew this is where we should be.”

Rise, Decline and Rise The history of Montreal Citadel is a reflection of the changing nature of Quebec. When it opened in 1884, the congregation was primarily anglophone.

But in the wake of the language wars and referendums of the late 20th century, Quebec’s anglophone population steadily declined, and Montreal Citadel’s congregation declined with it. By the time the Army sold the downtown Drummond Street structure to Alcan in 2007, the church only had 80 people in attendance.

Montreal Citadel and Quebec Divisional Headquarters were relocated to a nondescript building southwest of the city core. With city zoning laws forbidding them to advertise that the building was a church, many were convinced the citadel would soon have to close its doors forever.

Instead, the opposite occurred.

“With the influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants to Montreal, a Salvationist was inspired to offer ESL courses at the citadel even before our move,” Colonel Shepherd says. “Then the decision was made to offer an immigrant and refugee program. Family services informed new arrivals who came, liked what they saw and, in turn, told their friends and family.”

8 • October 2014 • Salvationist

As a result of this interaction, Montreal Citadel’s population doubled in seven years and, by the time the lease terminated in 2014, the congregation had outgrown the building.

Rebirth Divisional headquarters relocated downtown overlook i ng McGi l l Un i ve r s it y a n d Montreal Citadel marks the centenary of Una Adams, centre, a member Montreal Citadel of the corps, with Col Eleanor Shepherd, CO, at right moved southwest of the city centre near the Lachine Canal, home to many of the new immigrants who were already attending the church.

One third of the congregation are new immigrants from Latin America and the corps is home to 29 different nationalities. Volunteer interpreters simultaneously translate church services every Sunday.

The renovated location boasts a large sanctuary and ample office space for childcare facilities and family serviThe newly renovated Montreal Citadel today ces. An immigrant and refugee office is conveniently located right outside the sanctuary, and the facility is a short “He’d never attended our church walk to the subway. before,” she explains. “People are always Even more important, the surrounddropping in and asking how they can ing neighbourhood has welcomed the help.” new church with open arms.

In fact, so many people have offered “At Easter, we hosted cadets from their services that one of Colonel CFOT who went door to door,” Colonel Shepherd’s main prayer concerns now Shepherd says. “People were thrilled to is to find a volunteer co-ordinator to realize we had moved into the neighhandle the demand. bourhood.

For Colonel Shepherd, Montreal “One lady who lived up the street had Citadel’s new life has confirmed they been a Salvationist in Eastern Canada are on the right track. but had stopped attending church,” con“God’s not finished with us yet.” tinues Colonel Shepherd. “The citadel is now her church home.”

Montreal Citadel will mark its official One morning as Colonel Shepherd reopening on October 11-12 with was making her way to her office, a guided tours and Commissioner Susan man stopped her outside the door and McMillan, territorial commander, in announced, “I’d like to volunteer.” attendance. All are invited.

CHIEF PRIORITIES

For All the World Taking a stand for God’s love

BY COLONEL MARK TILLSLEY

A

colleague recently challenged me as we planned for a leaders’ conference that is designed to address the mission challenges and goals of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. Dozens of proposed agenda items were submitted, most of which had been identified as priorities.

My colleague said, “If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.”

As chief secretary, I have the privilege of contributing to Salvationist, under the title Chief Priorities. This forum gives me the opportunity to address what I see as priorities for me and for the Army.

We are living in a time when people are looking to The Salvation Army for guidance on many important—and often controversial—issues. Two recent examples where we have taken a stand include speaking on behalf of vulnerable women and children who have been coerced into and commoditized by the sex industry, and joining other people of faith to challenge the persecution of religious minorities.

A matter that should enflame the hearts of Salvationists, one that has been embroiled in controversy for hundreds of years—the declaration of which could have branded you as

a heretic, or a blasphemer—is to boldly declare that God is love, and his love extends to all people.

In What’s So Amazing About Grace? author Philip Yancey quotes theologian Karl Barth, who, after writing thousands of pages in his seminal work Church Dogmatics, arrived at this simple definition of God: “the One who loves.”

What is perhaps more controversial—God’s love extends to all people. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 states: “This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

In these encouraging days of ecumenism, we thank God for our brothers and sisters who lift up the name of Jesus, but who have come to quite different conclusions regarding the extent of God’s saving purposes. As Salvationists, spiritual children of John and Charles Wesley, and William and Catherine Booth, our passions are stirred and our minds engaged with the glorious proclamation that “whosoever will may come, and who comes to him [Jesus] will never disappointed turn away” (SASB #824). Praise the Lord—the gospel is for whosoever.

How important was this proclamation of God’s love for our forefathers in the faith? Charles Wesley shared his priority for life this way in the stanza of one of his hymns: My life, I here present, My heart’s last drop of blood: O let it all be freely spent In proof that thou art good, Art good to all that breathe, Who all may pardon have; Thou willest not the sinner’s death, But all the world wouldst save.

The extravagance of God’s love is not easy to understand.

Why God chooses to act in kindness and mercy will forever produce profound questions, and I pray, profound gratitude.

Henri Nouwen, the Catholic writer and theologian, told a parable about an old man who meditated each day near the Ganges River in India. One morning he saw a scorpion floating on the water. When the scorpion drifted near the old man, he reached to rescue it but was stung by it. Later he tried again and was stung again, the bite swelling his hand painfully. Another man passing by saw what was happening and yelled at the old man, “Hey, old man, what’s wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don’t you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?”

The old man calmly replied, “My friend, just because it is in the scorpion’s nature to sting, does not change my nature to save.”

It is God’s nature to save because it is God’s nature to love.

God seeks the lost, heals the wounded, forgives the offender and gives hope to those who are in despair. It is what God does.

What is my chief priority? To increase in my understanding of God’s love and to share the wonderful news that God’s love, forgiveness and gift of salvation are available to all people.

It is my conviction that God does not want The Salvation Army to be primarily defined by what we are against, but what we are for—taking a stand for God’s love. It may be controversial, and we may lose favour with some, but this is the hour for the hope-filled, Spirit-empowered message that God longs for all people to come into the safety of his love.

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

Salvationist • October 2014 • 9

SNAPSHOTS OF MINISTRY

An Open Door The Salvation Army’s Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports provide help, healing and hope

BY GISELLE RANDALL, FEATURES EDITOR, AND WARREN POT, PHOTOGRAPHER

Alexander Molina Aguilar volunteers as a barber at Gateway each week.

E

very night, at least 30,000 Canadians sleep on the streets, in an emergency shelter or in temporary accommodations. Thousands more live in precarious situations, at risk for homelessness. The causes of homelessness are complex, with structural and individual factors at work—poverty, high housing costs, family violence, mental health disorders and addiction.

In Toronto, five Salvation Army shelters—Maxwell Meighen Centre, Hope Shelter, Gateway, Florence Booth House and Evangeline Residence—offer an open door, welcome and support to 10 • October 2014 • Salvationist

people in crisis. Recently integrated under Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports, these shelters meet basic needs for food, shelter and clothing, as well as provide pastoral care, addictions counselling and housing help.

“We are moving from services that are grounded in an emergency response to an integrated approach to housing stability,” says Bradley Harris, executive director, Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports. “We want to help people find—and keep—permanent housing. That means offering programs that will work for each person who turns

to The Salvation Army for assistance.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.”

Life skills, health care, outreach, art and game nights, sports events and a drop-in program all build community and help people reach their goals.

“When people come through our doors, we want our staff to treat them as human beings created in the image of God—as equals,” says Dion Oxford, director of mission integration for the shelters. “It’s not a handout or a hand up.

We want to hold out our flawed hands and offer to walk through this thing called life together.”

SNAPSHOTS OF MINISTRY

Gateway Linens is a social-enterprise program that offers employment to shelter residents, many of whom want to work but have been deemed “unemployable.” With training and support, participants regain the confidence and skills needed to become marketable again. Gateway Linens does the laundry for all five Salvation Army shelters in Toronto and several other businesses.

Martin checks Gateway’s lineup for the season opener of the Downtown East End Softball League, with teams from various shelters and drop-in centres. The team is made up of current and past residents, community members and staff. Martin has been Gateway’s team captain for eight years. He recently found permanent housing but still visits friends at the shelter. Gateway participates in the Army’s softball tournament at Jackson’s Point Camp every year.

Darrin Murphy, an addictions counsellor at Maxwell Meighen Centre, meets with Shane, who will soon enter the Harbour Light treatment program.

Richard uses pen and ink to experiment with lines, form and shape at Gateway’s art night. “I used to do a lot of drawing and painting and I’m getting back into it. Art is a good therapy tool,” he says. “Things that are bothering me are excused from my mind while I concentrate on the work. It makes me realize that there is at least this one aspect of myself that hasn’t diminished and is being preserved, even through the hard times. Instead of wringing my hands over what anxieties might be worrying me, as I draw or paint, my mind stretches back to better and happier times—many of which did involve art— and I have a more positive outlook.”

Darlene Gumbs, a housing worker at Maxwell Meighen Centre, helps Nohe apply for income assistance.

Salvationist • October 2014 • 11

SNAPSHOTS OF MINISTRY Ieshia has been at Florence Booth House, a women’s shelter, for two weeks.

“I went down to my lowest. I didn’t have a place to stay. I was on the street,” she says.

“It was bad. Rough.”

Somebody told her about the shelter.

“Here I have a roof over my head, I have food to eat.” She’s now in a substance-abuse program, and hopes to get a job, her own place and go back to school.

A life-skills session at Florence Booth House.

Sharmila Mohammed, a housing worker at Florence Booth House, meets with Julie. Along with helping women find housing, Mohammed provides community follow up. “I make sure they have a bed, dishes, clothes and furniture, so they don’t have an empty apartment,” she says. She also goes grocery shopping with them, and shows them where to find food banks, churches and medical centres, “so they don’t feel isolated and know they have support.”

Marian Thompson, a housing worker at Evangeline Residence, meets with Jo-Anne.

On Monday evenings, women at Evangeline Residence express their creativity as they sew, knit, crochet, paint and make jewelry.

12 • October 2014 • Salvationist

SNAPSHOTS OF MINISTRY Laura has found safety and support at Evangeline Residence after experiencing domestic violence. “I’m using it as a stepping stone in my life,” she says. She is studying towards a certificate in family counselling at Centennial College, and wants to help other women.

“They’ve been crushed with negative, critical words, with failed expectations. Maybe they’ve lost their children, their spouse, their job—all they’ve done is lose all their lives. But they are not losers,” she says. “God has given us all something. We all need each other. We’re not carbon copies. God is a creator. We’re all necessary.”

Linda and Carol visit a mobile health bus that comes to Evangeline Residence each week.

Lunch at Hope Shelter.

Major Carson Durdle, the director of Hope Shelter, leads a brief chapel time each morning.

Aaron is staying at Hope Shelter for a few days while he waits to enter the Harbour Light treatment program. He’s been in treatment before, but has hope for the future. “Underneath everything, I do have faith in God,” he says. “Part of faith is belief in self, and I think I still have enough faith to be tenacious and try again. I can’t give up on myself, because I really want to have a life.”

Salvationist • October 2014 • 13

The Whole Gospel Following the way of Jesus through integrated mission

I

BY LT-COLONEL DEBBIE GRAVES

Photo: Courtesy of Ontario Great Lakes Division

n the early days of The Salvation Army, people told William Booth, “We can do with your social operations, but we can’t do with your religion; we don’t want it.” Booth responded, “If you want my social work, you have got to have my religion; they are joined together like the Siamese twins, to divide them is to slay them.” This has been the Army’s mission since the beginning, to hold together word and deed, proclamation and demonstration, evangelism and social action. Today it is known as integrated mission.

The topic of integrated mission has been around for a long time. We have tried to understand it, define it and label it. It has become a strategic priority from an international, territorial and divisional level. And yet it continues to lack a clear definition.

General William Booth gave us the motto, “Heart to God and Hand to Man,” General John Gowans gave us “Save Souls, Grow Saints and Serve Suffering Humanity” and General Linda Bond (Rtd) gave us “One Army, One Mission, One Message.”

All three clearly outline the importance of integrated mission.

14 • October 2014 • Salvationist

So what is it and are we doing it? The Salvation Army is known for sharing the love of God through practical ministry, reaching out to a needy world with love in action. We seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus, caring for the hurting, broken, lonely, dispossessed and lost.

John’s Gospel helps us understand how Jesus lived out integrated mission. “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood” (John 1:14 The Message).

Jesus lived, walked, ate and prayed with the people he met.

He had no comfortable building or programs to invite people to, and yet lives were transformed. The Apostles, including Paul, were followers of Christ, not because he was popular or rich or well-educated, but because of the relationship that Jesus built with them. For people who spent every day with him and those who only met him once, an encounter with Jesus was transformative.

Integrated mission works the same way today. If we live every day in the presence of the one who created us, who loves us and calls us to be his hands and feet, then we will

live in integrated mission. It’s not enough to write “everyone is welcome” on a sign outside the church. We need to build relationships in the name of Christ by going where the people are and not expect them to come to us.

God changes the hearts of people through relationships.

We need to be preaching from our pulpits the importance of our relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to be preaching “integral mission,” which emphasizes the need to be a missional church. It is integral to who we are as Christ’s disciples to help build the body of believers. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The missional church empowers its people to be the church in the community. The missional church challenges its people to live out the good news in their community. The missional church recognizes that every believer embodies the life of the church in their neighbourhoods, schools and workplaces, each one telling God’s story in the context of compassionate, genuine relationships.

Integrated mission has no boundaries. It is not corps ministry here and social ministry over there. It is simply the expression of love, care, compassion, respect and dignity given in the name of Christ wherever we find ourselves. In Called to be God’s People, Commissioner Robert Street quotes Warren Johnson: “Service is a practical ministry. It is not only a reaching into the body of believers with the heart of a servant, it is also a reaching out into a desperate and dying world with love in action.” He adds: “A giant leap forward for the new believer is to comprehend the essence of God’s call to men and women to serve and minister to those who cross

Examples of Integrated Mission

Corps ministry and social action are integrated at Moncton Citadel Community Church, N.B., where a worshipping congregation provides a Pioneer Club, life issues group, outreach to prisoners, and an early childhood education centre. Community and family services offers a daily breakfast at the café-styled Gathering Place, self-esteem groups, a men’s addictions recovery program, Red Cap anger management for kids and summer park programs for children and adults.

In the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the Harbour Light demonstrates God’s love through holistic programs that attend to the spiritual, social, physical and psychological well-being of the individual. Here people can access detox, drug and alcohol treatment, emergency shelter and a feeding ministry. Residents and the community can worship and receive pastoral care at the Anchor of Hope Community Church.

Cedarbrae Community Church in Toronto is more than just a congregation. There are 12 high-rise apartments, housing more than 1,000 children of 18 different nationalities, within 800 metres of their building. They offer a food bank, life-skills training, after-school music programs for children and youth, a weekly gathering for coffee and conversation at a local community housing complex, and a new believers’ Bible study. School breakfast and lunch programs and “help in the classroom” are ways in which this community church supports children and youth at school.

Salvationist • October 2014 • 15

our paths every day of the week. God wants to use us in the lives of other people.” It is about being there at the centre of crisis to help the most vulnerable. In the midst of fire and flood, tsunami and earthquake, the Army serves with no hesitation or discrimination.

Integrated mission is also about helping to build the capacity of people while sharing the love of God. Our position statement on human diversity reads: “We seek to treat all people with dignity and respect in response to Jesus’ call to love our neighbours as ourselves. We oppose oppression or unjust discrimination based on such differences as race, gender, age, belief, lifestyle, economic status, sexual orientation, or physical or mental ability. We believe that diversity strengthens and shapes community and ministry. Therefore, in our community services, employment practices and church life, we will seek to actively promote sensitivity, understanding and communication in both intent and practice.”

Integrated mission is about building bridges. A demographic study of Ottawa prompted Bethany Hope Centre to move from a neighbourhood they had been in for more than 100 years to the west side of the city, where the clients who were using their services lived. Along with their counselling and parenting programs, the added “chapel” offers worship and spiritual care to the program and greater community.

Kelowna Community Church, B.C., which is surrounded by low-income housing and seniors’ residences, reaches out to families and seniors with spiritual and practical support.

This is integrated mission—building bridges between corps, social services and the community.

“It doesn’t matter what we do, whether we work at a corps, a big social services centre, a thrift store or headquarters,” says Commissioner Susan McMillan, territorial commander.

“We need to be focused on that vision … reaching out and helping to transform lives. And wherever we work, we need to be talking to people about Jesus, helping them have an encounter with him. That’s our main mission, what everything we do is aimed at.”

Integrated mission is a lifestyle. In Community in Mission, Commissioner Phil Needham writes: “It is to say that the church takes its stand alongside the Word who ‘became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14). The incarnational basis of the gospel cannot be denied. God in Christ entered human existence, redeemed us in the world and made sanctification possible. In Christ the common becomes holy, and through the power of the Spirit the church is called to holy living in the world. It is God’s intention that his people live in the world as transformed people who see the transformation of life in all aspects. The church is called into the world to celebrate God’s redemptive presence in common life and to be a transforming fellowship through which he can demonstrate the power of God unto salvation.”

“When we take pride in being part of The Salvation Army and the wonderful works we do, but lack the driving passion to win the world for Jesus, there’s a disconnect because we’re only delivering half of the mission,” says General André Cox, international leader of The Salvation Army. “Jesus calls us to have a heart of compassion and reach out to a needy world.

While we care for those who are sick, we should also be concerned for those who are dying in sin. Being a wonderfully run institution is not enough to meet all the physical, emotional and spiritual needs in our communities.” I believe this is a challenge for all of us to make integrated mission 16 • October 2014 • Salvationist

a way of life.

So, what is integrated mission? “We show our solidarity by identifying with those to whom we minister,” says Lt-Colonel Ray Moulton, area commander for social services in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario Central-East Division. “We cannot be on the outside pushing solutions at others. Rather, we are called to participate in the conversation, share our gifts, validate the assets that others contribute and celebrate the transformation of communities over time.”

Whether we call it integrated mission, incarnational ministry, holistic transformation or community capacity development, the plain and simple truth is that “we are the lives in which Jesus is incarnated every day and everywhere we go,” writes Alan Burns in Founding Vision for a Future Army. “As disciples, we are called to live out the principle of laying down our lives daily, so that others can pick up theirs.”

Lt. Colonel Debbie Graves is the territorial secretary for integrated mission.

She and her husband, Lee, have served in various appointments across the Canada and Bermuda Territory as corps officers, in youth ministry and divisional leadership. They have four children and four grandchildren.

If you are interested in becoming more intentional about integrated mission, please contact deborah_graves@can. salvationarmy.org or visit the Facebook page: www.facebook. com/salvationarmyintegratedmission.

Integrated Mission Toolkit

1. Nurture congregational renewal: To be effective in integrated mission, a congregation needs to be “heart ready.”

What is the passion of the people? How can you facilitate this in your congregation?

2. Connect with other ministry units and other churches in the community: What services are already being offered? What are the gaps? How, as a group of believers, can you join forces to help bridge those gaps?

3. Engage your youth: Young people bring fresh ideas with a heart for mission and holiness. Find out what drives them.

What are their gifts and passions? Don’t be afraid to use them and learn from them.

4. Plan strategically within the ministry unit/community: A strategic plan gives focus and direction and helps to set goals. Engaging the ministry unit in this exercise can benefit the bigger picture. It will help to move beyond BandAid solutions to a place where relationships are built and the people have the capacity to help themselves.

5. Conduct a community assessment: Walk your neighbourhood, being observant to what is happening around you. How do people interact? Where do they congregate?

What are the obvious needs in the community?

6. Contact your municipal government: Have a conversation about the needs in the community and how the Army might help to meet some of those needs. Talk about new opportunities for partnership.

7. Invite ministry units to present their programs and volunteer opportunities: Host a Salvation Army Sunday and invite other Army ministry units in your community to showcase their programs and ministries. There may be people in your congregation looking to get involved in service and ministry.

Illustration: © iStock.com/CatLane

Salute your leaders during Clergy Appreciation Month

ear brothers and sisters, honour those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 NLT).

A day in the life of a Salvation Army officer … it might include anything from handing out canned goods at the food bank to counselling a corps member who has lost a spouse, running a Bible study or shooting hoops with some youth.

The Bible calls us to honour those who lead us, and this October we have the perfect opportunity to do so during Clergy Appreciation Month. Here are some ways that you can thank your officers for all that they do.

Send cards. Depending on the size of your corps, you may want to encourage people to write their own cards or sign a group card. Get the children at your corps involved by having them make cards during Sunday school.

Take a corps photo. Take a group photo of your corps members and frame it for your officers. Put a large mat around the photo and have everyone in the photo sign it.

Create an encouragement jar. Assemble a large jar and many slips of paper and ask people at the corps to write encouraging messages for their officers. These could be Scripture verses, inspiring quotes—whatever they think will encourage their leaders. The messages don’t need to be long or complicated.

Pulling out a message as simple as “You can do it” may be just what your corps officer needs when he or she is having a difficult day.

Organize a practical work day. Find out what needs to be done around your officers’ quarters. Create a sign-up sheet and get corps members to wash a car, mow the lawn, clean gutters, trim bushes, weed the garden, change light bulbs—whatever needs to be done.

Thank your corps officers publicly by taking out an ad in the local newspaper. Show your whole community how much you appreciate them. As a bonus, this kind of public notice doubles as an advertisement for your corps. Who wouldn’t want to go to a church with such a beloved pastor?

Organize a sharing Sunday. Ask a few people at your corps to share about a meaningful experience they have had with your officers.

Create a video presentation. Use photos of your officers in action to create a video slideshow. Incorporate video clips if they are available. Show the presentation at a Sunday meeting.

Create a photo book for your officers. Another great way to use photos of your corps officers and your corps in action

Photo: Albert Miguel

D

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN, STAFF WRITER

Cpts Deana and Rick Zelinsky (top left and right) are thankful for the support and appreciation they receive as the corps officers at North Toronto CC

is to create a photo book. Many retailers, from Wal-Mart to Black’s, as well as a host of online retailers, offer this service.

Not only is a photo book a great thank-you gift but it will also make a lovely memento for your corps officers when they are moved to a new appointment.

Recognize a milestone. Find out if your corps officers are celebrating an important milestone in their ministry this year.

Perhaps they have just been promoted to captain or major, or they have reached 25 years of service. Consider holding a dinner in their honour.

Organize a date night. Give your officers a night off they will remember. Organize an all-expenses-paid date from start to finish with reservations at a nice restaurant and tickets to a show or some other fun activity. If they have children, be sure to provide babysitting for the night.

Compliment their children. This may sound strange, but many officers feel enormous pressure to be perfect parents, as well as perfect pastors. Let them know they’re doing a good job.

Give them a World’s Best Pastor mug. The classic. Remind them every time they get their cup of joe how much you appreciate them.

Pray for them. An absolutely essential way to support your corps officers. Ask God to bless them and guide them in their ministry.

Salvationist • October 2014 • 17

Faithful to His Calling

In his new autobiography, General Shaw Clifton (Rtd) offers a candid account of his life and ministry

T

hree years after his retirement, General Shaw Clifton (Rtd) has written a deeply personal and engaging autobiography. In this collection of essays, entitled ‘Something Better…’, General Clifton shares openly about a range of topics from difficult leadership decisions, to his love of music and sport, to struggles with illness, to his philosophy on ministry. Geoff Moulton, editor-in-chief, spoke with General Clifton at his home in London, England.

Why did you call the book ‘Something Better…’?

I wanted a title that echoed something of The Salvation Army, so instinctively I turned to a verse of the Founder’s song: “I feel something better most surely would be if once thy pure waters would roll over me.” It signals that, with the reader, I’m always striving for something better in the spiritual life. We never quite arrive—not this side of heaven anyway.

This is a very intimate telling of your life. What inspired you to be so open?

I couldn’t see the point in writing an autobiographical volume unless I was prepared to be candid. I didn’t think an autobiography would serve a useful purpose if I confined it to generalizations. I also think the Army is mature enough now as a movement to take a few more risks with what we publish. In the past, we’ve been justly accused of being overcautious. So I hope this book will push out the boundaries and encourage others to feel freer with the pen.

I’ve read all of the biographies and autobiographies of Salvation Army Generals and each has its merits, but the one that made the most impact on me was Frederick Coutts’ No Continuing City. He takes a topical approach and 18 • October 2014 • Salvationist

weaves in personal information with consummate modesty, yet in some parts he is stridently outspoken and dogmatic about things that really matter to him. I felt it gave me licence to be just as direct in my volume.

You tell of a happy childhood growing up in the Army. How did your parents shape your understanding of faith?

My parents impacted me and my sisters in intelligent and gracious ways when it came to matters of faith. They were rigorously objective about the Army.

They loved the Army, but only because they knew that God loved it. They were not blind to its foibles, its idiosyncrasies or even its outright weaknesses. But they raised us to understand that, when true to its origins and primary purposes, the Army is powerfully effective. They also made it very clear that the Army was not God, and we were never to confuse the two. That’s how my wife, Helen, and I sought to raise our own children.

Describe how God called you to officership and to holiness.

The book details key moments when the voice of God appealed to my soul.

When I was 12 years old, I was coming home from school and heard a voice say, “Shaw, one day you’ll be an officer in the Army.” Well, I wasn’t thinking about that! I was wondering if it was sausage and mash or chicken pie for tea that night. The next day my parents told me, “Oh, God often speaks like that.”

And that was the end of it. They were not going to make a fuss about it or get us all suddenly down on our knees. It was just normality. We were to expect it and treat it as part of God’s ways.

As an officer, I had another strange experience on my morning train com-

General Shaw Clifton (Rtd)

mute to International Headquarters. I got completely lost in reading the 1940 Handbook of Doctrine, particularly Chapter 10 on sanctification. The language today strikes us as old-fashioned, but the truths it articulated were powerful to my soul. When the train arrived in Liverpool Street station, I didn’t even realize that I was at the end of the line.

Reading that chapter marked me. It made me even hungrier for the holy life.

Why is a continued emphasis on holiness so crucial?

One thing that has kept me in the Army through the years is our holiness teaching. It is such an entrenched part of our DNA, entrusted to us by God. If we neglect it or diminish its emphasis, I regard that as betrayal. We’re no longer who we were raised up to be. Too many Christians settle for being saved, but go on sinning. Our teaching on holiness and sanctification helps us avoid that syndrome. Jesus died for more than that.

Why did you take such a clear approach to Army doctrines and distinctives?

We haven’t been raised up by God to be a watered-down version of something else.

When we see shrinking congregations—especially in the West—the response is often one of desperation: officers don’t wear their uniforms, the mercy seats are removed from the halls, no Salvation Army terminology appears on signage, red juice is distributed in the holiness meeting. This seems to me like panic, and the solution, in my view, is not to be less Army, but to be more Army. But we must do so intelligently and understand the social trends that have led to diminishing numbers. I’m not speaking about clinging to outdated methods, but rather to timeless values and truths. We need a renewed clarity about where we came from and a healthy pride at being the Army under God. We need never apologize for that.

What have you learned from your association with other churches?

Our ecumenical relations are crucially important. We relate to other churches on three levels: doctrine, structure and people. It’s at the level of the people that we get our most fruitful experience. So if we cannot quite trust another church’s doctrines or understand its structures, we can still have Christ-honouring personal friendships across denominational boundaries. The most rewarding friendships are when the other person doesn’t want to convert me, but is proud of where they stand and is deeply respectful of my tradition. I think that’s the way forward.

You write about your love for music.

Why did you commission a new Salvation Army Song Book?

I consulted the Army world and the answer was unambiguous: “How can we be a self-respecting Christian denomination without a hymnal that articulates our faith?” So I brought together a Song Book Council, and by the time I entered retirement, the content was settled.

We took out 30 percent of the 1986 book, which gave us a lot of scope for

has gifted to us. We must not give the impression that we should all be the same. We share the same loyalties and the same mission, but we do it in a thousand different ways.

I’m worried that over emphasis on one Army might diminish our spontaneity, our cultural self-expression.

You and Helen both battled cancer. How did you make it through those dark times?

It was difficult to write about Helen and her death, but I’m glad I did it. It still affects me deeply. I wanted to honour Helen and her memory for the sake of my children and grandchildren.

It also allowed me to pay tribute to the Army who gathered around and upheld us. The Army is at its best when it offers loving support to those in trouble, whether outside our ranks or within them. Through those periods of ill health, we knew there was a globe full of people praying for us. That was uplifting. It helps you to bear the despair and the pain.

When you can’t pray, the Army is doing that for you. unused material. We subjected everything to doctrinal scrutiny and “singability.” We are now waiting for the music to be finalized and there is a skilled international team of musicians who are working on that.

You’ve served on five continents. How did overseas ministry shape you?

Overseas appointments broadened our outlook and made us deeply curious about other cultures. We learned that to benefit most we had to be humble and recognize that we did not have all of the answers. It’s possible to surround yourself with the trappings of your native culture, almost in a self-protective manner. But that is a great shame because you miss out on so much. If you can allow yourself to be exposed to another culture it is challenging and uncomfortable, but in the end deeply enriching and formative.

These days, we’re hearing a lot about “one Army.” We need to be cautious, because we are only one Army in a broad sense. We must not overlook the cultural richness and variety that God

What do you hope your legacy will be?

I don’t want to be remembered for any particular policy initiative, because at the end of the day that’s simply doing the job you are called to do. Rather, I’d like to be remembered as a faithful steward in each appointment I’ve held. I’d like to be counted faithful to my calling. But more important, I’d like to be remembered as a faithful spouse, and a loving parent and grandparent. We have always regarded that aspect of our lives as equally if not more significant than the official things we are called to do as officers. It’s easy to get that out of balance.

What message do you hope readers will take from the book?

I hope that readers will get some new insights about the Army, where I’m able to say some things that haven’t always been said openly before. I would also like the readers to sense afresh that our Generals are very human, completely dependent on God’s grace and very much in need of prayer. Each General is an ordinary person given an extraordinary task.

Salvationist • October 2014 • 19

CROSS CULTURE

IN REVIEW Let’s All Be Brave

Living life with everything you have

by Annie F. Downs “I’m not brave,” Annie Downs ironically admits in her most recent book, Let’s All Be Brave. This book challenges readers to embrace change and step off the linear path of Christianity into a confident walk with God. Directed at women, this book recounts stories from Downs’ own life and applies them to the universal stories of women around the globe. By blending together humorous anecdotes, encouraging thoughts and Scripture, the author prompts everyone to dig deep and harvest an organic life of bravery.

Downs writes, “You haven’t lost your chance to make a difference for Christ. You are one of a kind, made on purpose, deeply loved and called to be courageous.”

Speak

How your story can change the world

by Nish Weiseth Jesus was a master storyteller. He frequently and effectively used the art of storytelling to communicate deep truths about God, humanity, love and eternity. His stories defied social norms, revealed God’s kingdom and fiercely advocated for the disenfranchised.

In Speak, popular blogger Nish Weiseth encourages Christians to follow Jesus’ example by using story as a vehicle for change. Using examples from Scripture as the foundation, Speak is a call for grace, openness and vulnerability within the church. She writes about the power of telling our own stories and hearing those of others to change hearts, build bridges, advocate for good, make disciples with grace and proclaim God’s kingdom on earth today.

Doing Good Without Giving Up

Sustaining social action in a world that’s hard to change

by Ben Lowe Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

Working to change the world can sometimes lead to discouragement.

Needs are overwhelming, resources are limited, opposition is real and progress is slow. How do we persevere when we face difficulty?

In Doing Good Without Giving Up, activist Ben Lowe offers encouragement to those fighting for social justice. He explores the importance of social action today and outlines practices for faithfully sustaining that action. Moving beyond theory, Lowe showcases real-world examples of what it looks like to persevere in Christian activism and advocacy.

20 • October 2014 • Salvationist

Simplify

Ten practices to unclutter your soul

by Bill Hybels Life in the 21st century is defined by busyness. Many of us feel overscheduled, overwhelmed and generally exhausted. More than just tiring us out, our breakneck pace can have serious spiritual consequences. When we spend our lives doing things that keep us busy but don’t really matter, we sacrifice the things that do.

Does life have to be this way?

Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, believes it doesn’t, and offers 10 ways to live a simpler life in his new book, Simplify. Hybels argues that simplified living requires more than just cleaning out your closets or reorganizing your desk drawer; it requires uncluttering your soul. Simplify addresses many areas of life where we can unclutter, from work to finances to friendships. He identifies the core issues that can lead us into frenetic living and offers practical advice that can help readers stop doing what doesn’t matter and start doing what does.

Would I Lie to You?

In the new movie Believe Me, Sam (Alex Russell) stands on stage as thousands of fans go wild.

Smart, charismatic, handsome, he moves them with his message, and when he calls for donations to his charity, the money pours in. Only thing is, Sam doesn’t believe a word he’s saying.

Just months earlier, Sam was a typical college senior focused on keg stands, hookups and graduation. But when a surprise tuition bill threatens his dream of law school and leaves him thousands of dollars in the hole, he’s forced to think outside the box. He convinces his three roommates they can make a killing on the gullible church crowd and the guys start a sham charity, campaigning across the country, raising funds for a cause as fake as their message.

For Sam, embezzlement is easy compared to getting attention from the only person he cares about. When Callie (Johanna Braddy), the tour manager and Sam’s love interest, finally discovers the guys’ ruse, it’s Sam’s moment of truth. On the final night of the tour, before a packed auditorium and alone in the spotlight, Sam must decide what he really believes.

Co-written and directed by Will Bakke, Believe Me is not a Christian movie, so viewers beware. “Believe Me is a parody on religious scandals,” says co-producer and co-writer Michael B. Allen. “It holds up a mirror for viewers to see themselves and their assumptions from a new perspective.”

A Riot Studios Production in association with Lascaux Films, Believe Me was released in theatres and on demand September 26.

CROSS CULTURE

ON THE WEB A Deeper Story

Are You an

www.deeperstory.com A Deeper Story is a blogging collective where Christians from various backgrounds and locations around the world discuss difficult topics in Christianity and culture. Topics fall under three main headings—culture, family and church—and cover everything from marriage to depression to social justice to life in the mission field. Spearheaded by author Nish Weiseth (who also blogs at www.nishweiseth.com), A Deeper Story takes the approach that the best way to address a topic is through the lens of our personal experiences: “We believe that if we’re honest, vulnerable and brave when we tell our stories, that those stories can build bridges across ideologies, advocate for the least of these and proclaim the kingdom of God breaking in on earth every day.”

Aspiring Writer?

Come to an

Editorial Workshop (Includes tips on writing, photography and web design)

Saturday, October 4 The Salvation Army Halifax Citadel Community Church 1327 Barrington St. Time: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Presenters: Lt-Colonel Jim Champ Photo: © iStockphoto.com/RichVintage

Territorial Secretary for Communications

Geoff Moulton Editor-in-Chief and Literary Secretary

Cost: $10 (includes lunch)

RSVP to the Editorial Dept. at salvationist@can.salvationarmy.org or 416-422-6119

Special Guests Singer, Robert Pilon Toronto Northern Lights Chorus, Musical Director, Steven Armstrong Organist, Ian Sadler

Featuring The Festival Chorus with Canadian Staff Band, John Lam, Bandmaster Major Leonard Ballantine, Artistic Director

Saturday, December, 13th, 2014 7:30 p.m. at Roy Thomson Hall 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto Tickets from $20 to $30 available at roythomson.com or call Roy Thomson Hall Box Office 416-872-4255 Presented by The Salvation Army Ontario Central East Division

Salvationist • October 2014 • 21

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

ENROLMENTS AND RECOGNITION

SIMCOE, ONT.—During 130th anniversary celebrations at Simcoe CC that took place under the leadership of Mjrs Morris and Wanda Vincent, DC and DDWM, Ont. GL Div, 12 senior soldiers and two adherents joined the

ranks. Front, from left, Michael Cooper, Sarah Cooper, senior soldiers; John Wisson, adherent; Lillian Roberts, Terri Simmons, Wally Simmons, Nicolas Simmons, senior soldiers; Cpt Karen Holland, CO. Middle, from left, Mjrs Morris and

ST. THOMAS, ONT.—Exciting things are happening at St. Thomas Corps as two senior soldiers, five junior soldiers and eight adherents are enrolled during 131st anniversary celebrations. On hand for weekend events were Colonels Mark and Sharon Tillsley, chief secretary and territorial secretary for women’s ministries, and Mjrs Morris and Wanda Vincent, DC and DDWM, Ont. GL Div. Shown with their leaders are Leah Hale, Nicholas Roberts-Neef, Freja Chilcott, Wyatt Chilcott, Breeze Cameron, Aryanna Chilcott, junior soldiers; Patricia Vankoughnett, Sonya Williams, Angel Chilcott, senior soldiers; Joe Bright, Jennifer Bright, Gloria Penney, Diane Wiens, Rebecca Donnelly and Sean Ross, adherents.

OSHAWA, ONT.—The Army marches forward at Oshawa Temple as three senior soldiers are enrolled, one senior soldier is reinstated and an adherent is welcomed. From left, Mjr Robert Reid, then CO; Sarah Ball, Emily Noel, senior soldiers; Charlie Ball, holding the flag; Liam Cooey, senior soldier; Linda Leigh, reinstated senior soldier; Steve Leigh, adherent; and RS Kevin Thompson.

22 • October 2014 • Salvationist

Wanda Vincent; Stephen Simmons, adherent; Cpt Stephen Holland, CO. Back, from left, Jeff Lightheart, Alana Lightheart, Sam Lightheart, Justin Ouwendyk, Courtney Ouwendyk, senior soldiers; and Wayne Cowan, adherent.

KENTVILLE, N.S.—Jonathan Pippy is commissioned as the bandmaster at Kentville CC. With him are Mjrs Ross and Doreen Grandy, then COs.

PETERBOROUGH, ONT.—Jumaani Davison receives a pin from Mjr Kathie Sharp, CO, marking his membership in the candidates’ fellowship, a network of Salvationists around the Canada and Bermuda Tty who are committed to pursuing the possibility of officership. With them are, from left, Mjr Bert Sharp, CO, and RS Doug Leach.

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CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

NIAGARA FALLS, ONT.—Jahred Warkentin celebrates with his four grandparents following his enrolment as a senior soldier at Niagara Orchard CC by one of his grandfathers, Lt-Col Alf Richardson. From left, Erna and Bob Warkentin; John Carson, holding the flag; Jahred Warkentin; Lt-Cols Alf and Ethel Richardson.

BRIDGEWATER, N.S.—Sadie Christine Rideout is dedicated to the Lord at Bridgewater Corps. From left, Cpt Felipe Vega, then CO; Robert Aulenback, holding the flag; Chris and Jennifer Rideout, Sadie’s parents; Nicole Grist; Cpt Phyllis Vega, then CO; and Curtis Rideout.

PETERBOROUGH, ONT.—Peterborough Temple welcomes three new senior soldiers to its fellowship. From left, Mjrs Bert and Kathie Sharp, COs; Carole Robichaud; Clarence Robichaud; Bramwell Robertson; and RS Doug Leach.

SARNIA, ONT.—From left, Heather Campbell, Dianne Davidson, Arlene and Clarence Lewis, Shirley McLachlen, Helen and Charlie Riddell, Tyler Rose, Irene and Rick Smith, and Mike Street and Bonnie Yorke are welcomed as adherents during weekend events celebrating the 130th anniversary of Sarnia Corps.

DARTMOUTH, N.S.—Dartmouth CC welcomes four new junior soldiers to its rolls. Celebrating this day are, from left, Lt Monika Gillard, CO; Elizabeth Rollin; Esosa Eweka; Ewan Gillard; Trevor Rollin; and Lt Lance Gillard, CO.

BARRIE, ONT.—The corps family in Barrie is growing as three people publicly identify the Army as their place of worship by becoming adherents. From left, Mjr Colin Bain, CO; Janet Page; Clifford Ashdown; Lennard Johnston, director of business administration, holding the flag; Carolyne Cowan; and Mjr Maureen Bain, CO.

WHISTLER, B.C.—Ten volunteers participate in Tough Mudder, a grueling 20-kilometre mountain course filled with obstacles ranging from high dives to crawling through mud, in support of Vancouver 614 Corps’ youth and family outreach into Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. A portion of the $10,000 raised was used to send children to summer camp.

WHITBY, ONT.—Congratulations to the newest junior soldiers at Whitby CC. Front, from left, Jeffery Giunta, Melissa Giunta, Chloe Kitney. Back, from left, Mjr Bond Jennings, CO; Ethan Ford; Mjr Marina Jennings, CO; Bernadette Fleishman, acting JSS; and CCC Carolyn Kitney.

Salvationist • October 2014 • 23

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C.—Cpt Neil Wilkinson, CO, welcomes 11 adherents to Prince George CC.

WINNIPEG—Children, staff and volunteers of the Barbara Mitchell Family Resource Centre’s summer kids’ club receive a visit from Shelly Glover, MP for Saint Boniface (front, centre), who brought snacks and interacted with them. Of the 41 children enrolled in the program, 39 are new to Canada.

NORRIS ARM, N.L.—Three new senior soldiers augment the rolls at Norris Arm Corps. From left, George Payne, holding the flag; Tina Head; Warrick Walker; Marjorie Walker; Whitney and Matthew Reid, then corps leaders.

LONDON, ONT.—London Citadel Songster Edith Bennett retires following 74 years of commissioned and faithful service. Celebrating with her as she receives her reservist pin and certificates marking the occasion are, from left, SL Jane Lam and Susan Noseworthy, songster sergeant.

GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L.—Mya Nichol receives her certificate from Daniel Kelly, youth director, as she is enrolled as the newest junior soldier at Park Street Citadel. With them is Tom White, holding the flag.

GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L.—Park Street Citadel enrols four senior soldiers. From left, ACSM Lorraine White; Brian Fudge; John Wiseman; Zackery Davis; Corey Boone; Walwin Blackmore, instructor; and Tom White, holding the flag.

Montreal Citadel for the World Come Back to Our Future Be part of the opening and dedication of the new Montreal Citadel October 11-12, 2014 With Colonels Mark and Sharon Tillsley Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries 6620 Monk Boulevard, Montreal For more information: www.MontrealCitadel.com eleanor_shepherd@can.salvationarmy.org 24 • October 2014 • Salvationist

MIDLAND, ONT.—Graduates of Midland CC’s discipleship class proudly display their certificates during a special celebratory meal acknowledging 13 weeks of hard study of Salvation Army theology, ministry and mission under the leadership of Mjr Geoff Groves, CO. From left, Joan Henderson, Sue Forbes, Spencer Forbes and John Weyman.

CELEBRATE COMMUNITY

GAZETTE

TERRITORIAL Appointments Mjrs Ed/Kathie Chiu, Richmond, B.C. Div; Cpts Richard/Elaine Honcharsky, Eastwood, Windsor, Ont. GL Div; Mjr Wendy Mouland, associate CO, CC of Lethbridge, Alta. & N.T. Div; Mjrs Brad/Mary Smith, community and family services, Vancouver, B.C. Div; Mjr Ralph Young, community ministries officer, Pembroke CC, Ont. CE Div; Mjr Sharron Young, Pembroke CC, Ont. CE Div Retirements Mjr Roy Dueck, Mjrs Leonard/Rossyln Millar

CALENDAR

Commissioner Susan McMillan Oct 5 officer information weekend, CFOT, Winnipeg; Oct 11-12 welcome as territorial leader, Quebec Div, and official opening, Montreal Citadel; Oct 18-19 social services conference, Mississauga, Ont.; Oct 21 5th Year Pre-Confirmation Institute, JPCC; Oct 26 welcome as territorial leader, B.C. Div Colonels Mark and Sharon Tillsley Oct 3-4 board of trustees, Booth UC, Winnipeg; Oct 11-12 welcome of territorial leader, Quebec Div, and official opening, Montreal Citadel; Oct 19 CFOT, Winnipeg; Oct 26 welcome of territorial leader, B.C. Div; Oct 27-28 review, B.C. Div Canadian Staff Band Oct 18-19 social services conference, Mississauga, Ont.

Guidelines for Tributes Tributes should be received within two months of the promotion to glory and include: community where the person resided; conversion to Christ; corps involvement; Christian ministry; survivors. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. High-resolution digital photos or clear, original photos are acceptable (original photos will be returned).

TRIBUTES TORONTO—Major William Stanley Clarke was born in Toronto in 1930 and raised in Smiths Falls, Ont. He made a decision to follow Christ as a young boy. Bill attended the School for the Blind in Brantford, Ont., where he made many lifelong friends. He early identified the call to ministry in The Salvation Army, never allowing the challenges of his visual handicap or the restrictions of others to keep him from serving God. As a teenager, Bill began his evangelistic ministry.

Married to Ethel Carr in 1953, he entered training college in 1959. Bill preached the good news with passion and blessed others with his musical gifts for over six decades. He loved God and shared the message of his grace to countless people across North America and beyond. Bill will be remembered for his joyous sense of humour reflected in his conversations, songs, preaching and writing. His love and laughter remain with many.

The memory of his stories and skilful impersonations will be cherished by his four children, 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

BARRIE, ONT.—Mary Selina Allen was born in 1932 in North Sydney, Cape Breton Island, N.S. Soon after, her family moved to La Poile Bay, N.L., where she lived until her teenage years. Mary returned to North Sydney and worked with her uncle and aunt, Archie and Hilda Anderson. It was there that she met her future husband, Charlie, and they were married in 1951. Mary attended The Salvation Army and became active in the home league and community care ministries, the latter of which she continued for more than 50 years. They moved to Barrie in October 1962, where Mary was also a member of the home league and community care ministries, and taught Sunday school. Well known for her welcoming heart and passion for helping others, she was promoted to glory following a battle with cancer. Mary and Charlie were blessed with 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

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Messengers of Light Session (2014-16) College for Officer Training, Winnipeg Curtis Metcalf Yorkminster Citadel, Toronto Ontario Central-East Division Responding to the call to officership means fully surrendering to God’s will and entering into a life of full-time ministry. I have felt God’s call for a long time, but it wasn’t until my wife, Erin, and I were married that it became clear that God wanted us to become Salvation Army officers. CFOT is the next step in this journey. I feel confident that God will prepare me to reach out to those who need to hear the gospel message and use me in whatever way he sees fit.

Erin Metcalf Yorkminster Citadel, Toronto Ontario Central-East Division I felt God’s calling on my life from a young age, but circumstances led me down different paths for a while. I have been blessed to experience the love and grace of God and I know that I am his beloved.

When I met Curtis, we knew that our individual calls were now on us as a family and we began to pray about the journey towards officership. God opened doors and confirmed our calling, and I believe that CFOT will provide me with the time, resources and education to equip me with the practical tools required to begin a lifetime of ministry.

GAMBO, N.L.—Emma Jerrett was born in 1926 to Gilbert and Francis (Fanny) Pritchett. In 1954, she married George Jerrett of Gambo and they resided with his parents.

Emma was enrolled as a senior solder of Gambo Corps in 1956, and was very active in the church. She was a Sunday school teacher for many years, a faithful home league member until two years before her promotion to glory and a member of community care ministries. Emma strived to lead a true Christian life and loved to read her Bible every day. She was a sweet woman who was loved by everyone she knew at church, the town’s senior citizens’ group, her family, friends and neighbours. She is sadly missed and fondly remembered by all.

PRINCE ALBERT, SASK.—Mrs. Lt-Colonel Alvina Chapman was born in Selkirk, Man., to Robert and Opal Scott. She accepted the Lord at the Army at the young age of seven.

Moving to Calgary with her family, Alvina attended Calgary Citadel from which she entered the training college.

She was commissioned in the Warriors Session in 1947 and appointed to Red Deer, Alta. In 1951, Alvina married Lieutenant Robert Chapman and joined him in Vermilion, Alta. Corps appointments followed in Calgary, Toronto’s Mount Dennis and Grand Falls, N.L. Divisional youth work followed until 1969 when they served at Woodroffe Temple in Ottawa. Subsequent appointments included serving as divisional leaders in Saskatchewan and Ontario, and at the training college and territorial headquarters in Toronto. Alvina excelled in women’s ministries, organizing camps, rallies and conferences, as God blessed her with artistic talents that she willingly shared with others in her ministry. Retiring with her husband in 1992, she was an active soldier of Prince Albert Corps. Alvina will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 63 years, Bob; daughter Carolyn (David); grandchildren Heather, Stephanie, Christopher, Erin; four great-grandchildren; and many friends from across the territory.

Salvationist • October 2014 • 25

How to Kill Your Corps Four easy steps to ruin your ministry

N

othing is more time-consuming, exhausting and fulfilling than being part of a vibrant and healthy body of believers, if you’re into that sort of thing. For the rest of you, here are some friendly tips to make sure your corps dies a slow death, giving you time to focus on what really matters—yourself. If you’re looking for a safe, comfortable, stress-free life, follow these four easy steps and you’ll have plenty of time to kick back as your ministry dies.

✃

BY CADET JONATHAN TAUBE Lord? You’ve got errands and programs and stuff. And TV! You do have a lot of TV to catch up on. After all, like Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” So if you’re trying to kill a corps, make sure to coast as much as you

1) Don’t Pray Samuel Chadwick once said, “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” The most important thing you can do to kill your corps is make sure everyone works really hard in their own strength until they’re burnt out. That way, they’ll either leave or become so bitter and angry they’ll tear each other apart. A lot of corps have stopped at this step and had great success at quickly falling into obscurity.

can. Sure, you can flip through the lesson plan right before Sunday school, or throw your sermon together at the last minute. Why not pick out the songs while everyone is coming in? Just keep sliding by. If you really gave the Lord your best effort, he’d probably bless it and you’d be back to square one!

2) Don’t Plan You’re good at figuring out what to do as you go along. Who’s got time to sit around being still and waiting on the

3) Don’t Change If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Your corps has been in steady decline for a few decades now, so you must be doing some-

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thing right. Along with not planning or visioning, neglecting an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses will keep you on track to imminent demise.

Evaluating the efficacy of your work might lead you to try new things, or invest resources differently in reaching people for Christ in your community.

Keep your head in the sand and you’ll do fine.

4) Don’t Get Your Uniform Dirty You know how Jesus disrobed, wearing the garment of a slave, when he washed the disciples’ feet? That’s how the uniform is meant to be worn, with genuine humility. But while others might have been “saved to save” or “saved to serve,” you were saved to swagger! If you can make the uniform a symbol of status, position or membership, no one will work that hard to join your weird club.

So wear it with pride—in yourself, that is. But wear it only when it benefits you, and make sure you don’t get it dirty or ragged while working in your community (unless they’re handing out trophies or something).

Cadet Jonathan Taube is currently enrolled at the College for Officer Training in Chicago.

God has grown a deep passion in his heart for discipleship, world missions and incarnational expressions of the gospel. You can keep up with his journey at iamjonathantaube.com.

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26 • October 2014 • Salvationist

or visit salvationist.ca/subscribe to order

CONVICTIONS MATTER

Jesus the Christ How our fourth doctrine calls us to Christlike humility

Photo: © iStock.com/isitsharp

BY MAJOR RAY HARRIS

T

The Salvation Army has been shaped by its core convictions,

called doctrines. But what difference do they make to the life of

Salvationists in the 21st century? This book explores the relevance and contribution of these historic doctrines for the present age. It argues that each doctrine has something vital to contribute to the Army’s

understanding and practice of holiness. These convictions matter!

“In articulating and reflecting on the core convictions that guide the work of The Salvation Army and hold its communal life together,

Ray Harris has achieved that elusive but essential balance between accessibility and depth. He has put the doctrines of the Army in

conversation with the Salvationist understanding of holiness for the purpose of engaging the future.”

—The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton, General Secretary, The Canadian Council of Churches

“Doctrines are not monuments to the past, but living testimonies to

Statue of Christ the Redeemer on top of Corcovado Mountain, overlooking Rio de Janeiro

Statue of Jesus the Homeless by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmatz, on a bench outside Regis College, Toronto

Lord and Teacher, washing dirty feet. What would it look like for this aspect of Christ’s character to unfold in our personal lives and corporate life as The Salvation Army? Those of us who live in the western world inhabit what has been called a culture of entitlement. Students often feel entitled to a passing grade simply by showing up for class. CEOs of large corporations feel entitled to bonuses for meeting financial goals, even if it meant cheating to accomplish those goals. In contrast, we are called to exhibit Christlike humility—personally and corporately. The basin and towel are the symbols of our authority.

The paradox is that through Christ we understand God, who watches over the cities of our world as redeemer. And through Christ we understand God to be homeless among us. Truly and properly human; truly and properly God. For good reason Salvationists sing, “To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me.”

Ray Harris is a retired Salvation Army officer of the Canada and Bermuda Territory. He lives in Winnipeg where he plays trombone in the Heritage Park Temple Band.

CONVICTIONS MATTER

wo images of Jesus Christ. The first overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro and the site of the 2014 World Cup final.

It’s a majestic image of Christ the Redeemer. The second is set on a park bench in front of Regis College, Toronto. It’s a haunting sculpture of Jesus the Homeless. What is it about Jesus Christ that prompts such contrasting expressions of art? The Salvation Army’s fourth doctrine responds to this question with its own affirmation of faith: We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that he is truly and properly God and truly and properly man. Let’s explore the meaning of this doctrine for our times.

Jesus is truly and properly human. New Testament writers account for this conviction: he was born in a Bethlehem stable; he grew up within a family; he was vulnerable to temptation; he learned obedience; he got tired; he prayed; he was amazed at a Roman centurion’s faith; he asked questions; he enjoyed human companionship; he suffered and died. In every respect, we conclude that Jesus of Nazareth lived a truly human life.

Jesus is truly and properly God. According to the biblical writers, Jesus forgave sins; he healed lepers who had been excluded from their communities; his word calmed tumultuous seas; he restored a demoniac to his right mind; he gave a dead son back to his mother; he was worshipped by some; he was raised from the dead and exalted “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11 NRSV). This is not to say that Jesus of Nazareth exhausts our understanding of God, but what we see in Jesus is truly and properly God. In the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united. It’s not that the human nature of Jesus is expressed when he learns obedience, or that the divine nature takes over when he calms the waters of Galilee. They are united, not compartmentalized. Christ the Redeemer and Jesus the Homeless are the same person. Because of this we come to understand the character of God through the actions of Jesus, and those same actions give us a glimpse of God’s intentions for humanity.

It was The Salvation Army’s eighth General, Frederick Coutts, who argued that Christian holiness is “the unfolding of Christ’s own character in the life of the believer.” And his character is made visible through his actions. For instance, in the hours just prior to his arrest and Crucifixion, Jesus took a towel and basin and washed the feet of his disciples, including Judas. Peter objected, but Jesus insisted: “ ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you’ ” (John 13:12-15 NRSV).

the present and hopeful signs of the future. Ray Harris adeptly looks

Convictions Matter, Major Ray Harris’ new book, is available at store. salvationarmy.ca, 416-422-6100, orderdesk@can.salvationarmy.org. For the e-book, visit amazon.ca.

at the formation of our doctrines [and] speaks about those doctrines with clarity and purpose [using] a wide range of sources, which

will enrich the doctrinal conversation of the Army with the broader theological world.”

—Dr. Roger J. Green, Professor and Chair of Biblical Studies and Christian Ministries, Terrelle B. Crum Chair of Humanities, Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts

Canada and Bermuda Territory

9 780888 575081

RELIGION / The Salvation Army / Church & Doctrine

cover_final_newblue.indd 1

The Function of Salvation Army Doctrines RAY HARRIS

ISBN: 978-0-88857-508-1

Ray Harris is a Salvation Army officer in the Canada and Bermuda Territory. He and his wife, Cathie, have served across Canada in various congregational, college and administrative appointments. In the course of his officership, Ray received the Doctor of Ministry degree from Regis College, Toronto School of Theology, with an emphasis on curriculum design in theological education. He lives in Winnipeg where he enjoys family, baking muffins, singing Charles Wesley hymns and running in a prairie winter.

RAY HARRIS FOREWORD JOHN LARSSON

2014-04-08 8:54 AM

Salvationist • October 2014 • 27

JUST CAUSE

Harnessing Hope Celebrating progress on the slow journey to justice

BY JAMES READ AND DON POSTERSKI

A

s the 14-year-old son of a farmer in Malawi, William Kamkwamba harnessed the wind.

In 2001, famine left his family eating only one meal a day. There was no money to send William to school, so he went to the meagre local library. He found books on science and used a dictionary to understand the English illustrations.

A picture of a windmill intrigued him.

The description said that windmills could create electricity and pump water.

With fortitude and ingenuity, William scrounged materials from the junkyard. He cobbled together a discarded tractor fan, an old bicycle frame and shock absorber, a melted plastic pipe and a used motor. Eventually, he was able to power four small lights with the windmill-generator he built.

A few years later, he built a second windmill that pulled water from a small well near his home to irrigate his family’s farm. As a result, they began growing two crops of maize a year.

In 2007, William was discovered by some journalists and invited to give a TED Talk (a global forum for sharing ideas) in Tanzania, and then another in Oxford, England. To listen to him in his own words, go to ted.com/ talks/william_kamkwamba_how_i_ harnessed_the_wind.html. Today, he is studying to be an engineer at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The Williams of this world give us reasons to celebrate. They represent the best of life—optimism, creativity, intelligence and the imagination to solve problems.

We also celebrate the social, medical and economic global progress that is being achieved through the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals represent a strategic attack on poverty, with measurement indicators to assess progress. And there is good news.

•• In the last 20 years, the mortality rate for children has dropped 41 28 • October 2014 • Salvationist

percent. A staggering 7,256 young lives are being saved every day •• In the same timeframe, 700 million fewer people are living on less than $1.25 per day (from 47 to 22 percent) and are being lifted out of extreme poverty •• Safer sources of water have been accessed for 2.1 billion people in the past 21 years. The MDG target was reached five years ahead of time •• Remarkable gains have been made in the fight against malaria.

Mosquito nets and other interventions have averted an estimated 1.1 million deaths •• Eight million people are receiving medical treatment for HIV-AIDS, and the Global Fund is funding the treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmissions of the dreaded disease •• The proportion of undernourished people has decreased from 23 to 15 percent We are moving from inequity to hope. The slow journey to justice is happening. We shout out “Thanks be to God” for the resources being raised and the progress being made.

But there is still enormous, life-denying disparity. A new report from Oxfam, a global anti-poverty group, finds that the world’s 85 wealthiest people hold as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion— or half of the world’s population. Our world is skewed in favour of the rich.

William Kamkwamba’s first experience in New York City calls us to pursue more fairness, more equity in our world.

Standing at a construction site, William lamented: “I watched giant cranes lift enormous pieces of steel into the sky, and it made me wonder how America could build these skyscrapers in a year, but in four decades of independence, Malawi can’t even pipe clean water to a village … or keep electricity in our homes. We always seem to be struggling to catch up. Even with so many smart and hard-

William Kamkwamba built a windmill to power lights and irrigation for his family’s farm in Malawi

working people, we are still living and dying like our ancestors.”

The chasm is too wide. The inequality is immoral. Even with the advances, the disparity is still unjust. The distance between the more developed and the less developed dishonours God’s equal love for all humanity.

At the International Social Justice Commission, we think about these things and try to do something about them. What do you think?

Dr. James Read and Dr. Don Posterski work for the International Social Justice Commission, The Salvation Army’s strategic voice to advocate for human dignity and social justice with the world’s poor and oppressed. Visit salvationarmy.org/isjc for more information.

Their new book, When Justice Is the Measure, is available at store. salvationarmy.ca, 416422-6100, orderdesk@ can.salvationarmy. org. For an e-book, visit amazon.ca.

On Moral Grounds Can we be good on our own?

BY MAJOR AMY REARDON

G

enesis tells us that sin came into the world when Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But what does “knowledge of good and evil” mean? If good and evil existed, wouldn’t God want people to know how to distinguish between them?

One theory is that eating the fruit would result in humankind’s ability to make moral judgments based on our own wisdom. Before indulging in the fruit, Adam and Eve were childlike in their complete dependence on God. But when their eyes were opened and they saw good and evil, they started to rely on their own judgment. Lest we think this is a good thing, let’s remember that the eventual result of human wisdom was death.

Word Biblical Commentary says: “The wisdom literature [Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Job] … makes it plain that there is a wisdom that is God’s sole preserve, which man should not aspire to attain.…

To pursue it without reference to revelation [from God] is to assert human autonomy and neglect the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of knowledge” (see Proverbs 1:7).

Whether you believe that the story of Adam and Eve is a historical account or a parable used to teach people about the entrance of sin in the world, the point is the same.

The original sin of humanity, the greatest sin that still plagues us today, is that people are trying to live without God. They want to be wise, good and moral, but they want to avoid the author of all goodness, morality and wisdom.

Throughout history, God has said, “I’ve got your answers. I am the source.

Draw upon my wisdom, my morality; I am without flaw and you are not.” He set clear parameters for the Israelites through the law. In Jesus, he gave us

the law of love. Jesus, God incarnate, demonstrated the type of life humankind was designed to live, which is why Paul refers to Jesus as the “second Adam.” The true morality, the appropriate knowledge of good and evil, has been revealed to us in these ways.

Morality based on human wisdom has caused great destruction But we would rather do it our way.

We want to be our own gods.

Morality based on human wisdom has caused great destruction. Kings and queens have turned into tyrants because their “wisdom” taught them they were born superior to others and deserved to devour everything, even at the expense of their starving population.

Tyrants have used “morality” to argue

that one race is superior over the others, resulting in hideous oppression. Even biblical truths, when filtered through human wisdom, have been skewed to bring about harm, such as the teaching that women are inferior to men.

Not all human endeavours are selfish and harmful, however. Governments, social agencies and philanthropists labour to create a perfect society. They want the Garden of Eden back. That is laudable. They want justice for everyone, a good life for all citizens. So does God. But the problem is our wisdom and morality will never be enough. It took God to create the perfect Garden of Eden. We can’t recreate that without him.

The work of Christ is to redeem us.

He is restoring us to the kind of whole, beautiful beings that Adam and Eve were before sin. Some day, earth itself will be made new. In Revelation 21:5, Jesus says: “Behold, I am making all things new” (ESV). And everything will be the way

it was supposed to be. The kingdom will have come.

In the wisdom of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you and I are to bring justice, love and beauty to the world. Without God, it isn’t possible. With God moving through us, we advance toward a great society, but we cannot complete the mission. A place that mirrors Eden before the entrance of sin will only be fully achieved when Christ banishes Satan and reigns forever beside the Father, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named” (Ephesians 1:21 ESV). Then all of creation, including you and me, will be as it was meant to be.

Major Amy Reardon is a corps officer at Seattle Temple in Washington, U.S.A. Salvationist • October 2014 • 29

Photo: © depositphotos.com/jamesgroup

IN THE TRENCHES

TIES THAT BIND

Joy for Mourning

Learning to give thanks in the midst of grief

Background: © iStock.com/artJazz; photos: Major Kathie Chiu

BY MAJOR KATHIE CHIU

1961

I

t was Thanksgiving 2009, just four blurry 24-hour periods since the passing of my mother. I felt like I was walking through a fog as things happened around me. Looking back, I wonder how I navigated those days and the weeks that followed.

That was only five years ago, but so many of the memories are gone. I can’t remember what day of the week she died. I remember our divisional commander, Lt-Colonel Susan van Duinen, arriving early at my mother’s bedside to sit and pray with us. How did she get there so soon?

My kids watched, helpless, as I grieved. They watched as I sang hymns to her every day for seven weeks. They watched me sob as she lay in the hospital. They watched me walk around the house aimlessly.

They talked to me without expecting a reply, or waited patiently for me to answer 30 • October 2014 • Salvationist

tarn r st io a Silvse t en pre

when I stopped mid-sentence to stare off into the air.

They knew I was no longer hearing them.

My husband also lost a mother that day. My mother had become his mother, too. She accepted and loved him as one of her own, and he accepted and loved her back. He teased her mercilessly, and his quick smile and loud, crazy laugh would chase away her annoyance.

He grieved heavily, responding with constant activity.

Where I was overwhelmed and paralyzed, he got busy.

While I felt numb, he got everything organized.

I can’t remember the day of her memorial here i n Br it i sh Columbi a — what songs we sang, what Scripture was read. I have no memory of getting on the plane to take her back to Ontario to be buried with my father. I do remember the funeral service at her home corps and all the

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people—family and friends; her Sunday school kids, all grown up; her junior soldiers, who loved her dedication to them; my school friends, who knew her as their Brownie leader—who came to send her off to glory.

There was standing room only in that little corps on the lakeshore.

Everyone reacts to grief in a different way. For me, talking about my mom really helped. I reminisced, cried and laughed. It was cathartic. Even though I spent so much time with her in those last few weeks, I still felt guilty about leaving the day she had a moment of lucidity. My son was giving me a ride home and needed to be somewhere. All we managed to say was, “I love you,” and although it was sweet, I still regret not staying. Family and friends reminded me to be easy on myself.

The other thing that helped was reading the cards

people sent with their sweet messages of grace and peace.

Along with phone calls, they helped me feel the prayers and support of friends.

As a writer, I poured my grief and loss onto the page.

Writing about my mom and the experience of her death helped me mourn.

Five years later, my grief has become a sense of peace and joy for having had her in my life for so long, and for so many wonderful memories.

I was her youngest child and only girl—she spoiled me with love and affection. It is, I’m sure, what buffeted me against a distant and broken father plagued with alcoholism. She was my lifeline. She took me to Sunday school and Sunday meetings. She made sure I was surrounded by people who loved God. Even in her own brokenness, she showed me how to be resilient—how to persevere and get to the finish line.

When I wanted to quit, she made me keep at it. When I said I was leaving home, she offered to help me pack. And when, as a teenager, I did leave, she waited patiently for me to return. She was a rock in a turbulent sea of family chaos and messiness.

When Th an k sg iv ing comes and our family gathers around the table, filled with delicious foods made just the way she taught me—like her awesome turkey gravy—I give thanks for my mother. My children give thanks for a grandmother who loved, kissed and cuddled them, and gave them her unconditional support.

In her eyes, we were perfect.

In our eyes, she was simply the best.

Major Kathie Chiu grew up in The Salvation Army and has been an officer for 22 years. She has five children, including two teenaged boys still living at home, and eight grandchildren. She is the corps officer in Richmond, B.C.

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