Salvationist - October 2016

Why Do We Kneel at the Mercy Seat?

A Family’s Journey With Infertility and Infant Loss

Race Relations: “Why I Support Black Lives Matter”

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

October 2016

Salvationist.ca

Calling the Courageous Territorial campaign sets target to boost soldiership by 2020

Women’s Ministries Launches “Others” Program

Grace Under Fire: Escape From Fort McMurray

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

September 2016

Salvationist.ca

Higher Education

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Give generously to the Home Missions Focus Fund during the month of October. Your offering will support ongoing mission initiatives, allow new ministries to begin and enhance existing programs that are reaching people for Christ.

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2 October 2016 Salvationist

CONTENTS

Salvationist October 2016 • Volume 11, Number 10

13 Hi kids!

This week’s Bible story is about Lazarus, a friend of Jesus who died. But that’s not the end of the story. Four days after Lazarus was buried, Jesus went to his tomb, prayed and brought him back to life. Can you imagine how amazed everyone must have been?

Which One Does Not Belong?

30

22 Spiritual Life Time Out

by Cadet Jennifer Henson

25 Cross Culture 26 People & Places

Columns 4 Editorial Soldier On!

by Geoff Moulton

9 Onward Aiming for Growth

by Commissioner Susan McMillan

23 #Trending Race Relations

by Captain Mark Braye

24 Herstory Illuminating Women

by Lieutenant Kristen Jackson-Dockeray

“Yes, Lord,” she replied. “I believe that You are the Son of God.” Jesus went to the tomb where Lazarus was buried and told him to come out.

Still wrapped in his grave clothes, Lazarus came out … very much alive!

Many people believed in Jesus because of this miracle.

Just for Kids is an exciting weekly activity page published by The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda for children ages five to 12. Packed with Bible stories, games, puzzles, colouring, jokes and more, Just for Kids can be used in a variety of children’s ministries and programs, and in community and family services offices, food banks or anywhere there is an opportunity to share the message of Jesus Christ with children.

Sunny Side Up

by Michael Boyce and Eilis O’Connor

Never Give Up

by Charlene Feakins

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

Just for Kids

17 Fresh Ideas

30 Salvation Stories

esus had a good friend named Lazarus who became very sick and died. Soon after, Jesus went to visit Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha.

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again. I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even if they die. Do you believe this?”

Circle the object in each row that does not belong with the rest.

6 Frontlines

J

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “I wish You had been here! Then my brother would not have died.

But I know that even now God will give You anything You ask for.”

Your friend, Kristin

5 Inbox

18 Reel to Real

38

By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed that He was the Son of God. Nothing is more powerful than Him—not even death.

Departments

On the Go With Faith & Friends

by Joyce Starr Macias

ISSUE

Features Territorial campaign sets target to boost soldiership by 2020.

Interview by Pamela Richardson

E-mail circulation@can. salvationarmy.org or phone 416-422-6119 to learn how you can receive Just for Kids in your ministry unit.

13 A Dream Fulfilled

Read and share it!

10 Calling the Courageous

A Salvation Army family’s journey with infertility, infant loss and adoption.

by Kristin Ostensen

Phil Callaway

GOES BANANAS P.5

The Rise of a

CHESS GENIUS P.8

Escaping the

TALIBAN P.22

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

16 Ground Crew

OCTOBER 2016

Once the jets land, airport chaplain Major Ron Trickett is there to meet spiritual and emotional needs.

by Ken Ramstead

20 Before the Throne Why do we kneel at the mercy seat?

by Captain Scott Strissel

21 Heavenly Chorus A Salvation Army officer makes her debut at Carnegie Hall.

by Kristin Ostensen

Grace Haven

YOUNG MOMS GRADUATE WITH HONOUR P.16 faithandfriends.ca I OCTOBER 2016

•1

Salvationist October 2016 3

EDITORIAL

A

Soldier On!

n army is not an army without soldiers. This month, Canada and Bermuda launches Calling the Courageous, a campaign to boost soldiership in the territory. The target is 20,000 soldiers by 2020, a 10-percent increase. Not just more soldiers, but better equipped soldiers. Soldiers who are steeped in biblical knowledge, passionate about their relationship with God and active in the fight for social justice.

It’s ambitious, but The Salvation Army is not known for doing things half-heartedly.

In recent years we have seen a decline in our ranks. What’s behind it? Do we live in a society that finds it difficult to commit? Is institutional loyalty waning?

Are people finding community outside of the church? Is the “old guard” dying off? Are we just too busy?

Perhaps. And yet, new evidence shows that there is a surge in the number of people who are radically committed to the cause of Christ.

A recent Pew research survey tracked church attendance and membership trends in North America. What it discovered was that, although there is an overall decline in religious practice, those who do go to church are going more frequently. This was particularly common among evangelical Protestants, three quarters of whom say they attend church at least twice a month.

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 4 October 2016 Salvationist

The reasons? Worshippers reported that “they’ve become more religious; they found that they need God in their life; they’ve gotten more mature as they’ve aged.” While some are finding reasons to abandon the church, those who stay are seeking a deeper experience—and they’re being rewarded.

In this issue of Salvationist, we speak with the territorial corps ministries secretary, territorial director of discipleship and a corps officer about the importance of soldiership, the new campaign and what it will take to meet the target (page 10). Commissioner Susan McMillan, territorial commander, notes, “We need as many covenanted warriors as possible … to win the world for Jesus” (page 9).

Of course no one said it would be easy. The Apostle Paul points not to the glory of battle, but to the hardship: “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). As Kevin Slous affirms in our interview, “Soldiership is not for the faint of heart.” This is a fight that can only be won on our knees.

When it came to soldier-making, General William Booth didn’t mince words: “We are a salvation people—this is our speciality—getting saved and keeping saved, and then getting somebody else saved,

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, New International Version (NIV) © 2011.

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

and then getting saved ourselves more and more….” It’s a never-ending process.

If this campaign is going to work, it’s going to take all of us. We need to raise the profile of soldiership in the territory.

We need to use the new training materials that are being produced. We need to re-examine our own commitments to the Soldier’s Covenant. Lastly, we must “be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT).

GEOFF MOULTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Mission

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INBOX A Moving Article Thank you for the article by Lieutenant Kristen JacksonDockeray (“On the Move,” salvationist.ca). “Happy and sad” is such a great way to explain the feelings that come with a change of appointment, especially such a significant one.

Welcome to the world of divisional youth secretaries from a couple in our third DYS appointment. Praying you will also find it happy and sad when you move the next time.

Sandy MacDonald We Are All Connected Ministers of Reconciliation I just finished reading Major Shari Russell’s article (“Ministers of Reconciliation,” July 2016). It boosted my day and made me understand a lot of my belief in Creator as a native woman in an ever-changing world.

I was not brought up in church, although I attended Sunday school as a child. My dad taught me the ways of the land and the ways of the people, about my ancestors. I am considering attending church and learning more—I just don’t want to lose my traditions. Thank you for your work with the Army.

May Creator bless you, sister. We are all connected around mother’s hoop.

Monica Jollymore How The Salvation Army can celebrate and integrate Indigenous people

Major Shari Russell, territorial Aboriginal ministries consultant, speaks to Kristin Ostensen about the Army’s plan for reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians—attitudes that need to change, ministries that are already succeeding and practical steps corps can take toward integration.

Stories about Indigenous issues are more common in the media today than they have been in the past—for example, the inquiry into missing and murdered women and the rash of suicide attempts at the Attiwapiskat reserve in northern Ontario. Why do you think that is?

These issues were there, but they weren’t something that the general public wanted to hear about, so they were often dismissed or presented in a negative light. In recent years, we’ve seen much more sensitivity and cultural awareness. And as Indigenous people, we’ve articulated our voice differently.

We have the resources and personnel in key leadership positions who can communicate our concerns in a way that the general public understands and responds more positively to.

Photo: Timothy Cheng

What are some of the most significant issues for Indigenous people in Canada today?

Mjr Shari Russell was born into the Saulteaux First Nation in Saskatchewan

There are issues that are evident, such as alcoholism, poverty, abuse, broken relationships. We want to address those issues, but we also want to look at what’s behind those issues, which isn’t always visible. Underlying attitudes need to be addressed. The doctrine of discovery, for example, is not just an issue; it’s a way of thinking. It’s the idea that, before settlers came, Canada was terra nullius, which means “no man’s land,” and this gave settlers the right to claim the land for themselves. The doctrine of discovery still affects us. And that’s where education comes in, to create awareness and repudiate those attitudes.

things to do in God’s service than to further the “PC” agenda.

T. Fensch Ever hear the phrase, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”? The writer suggests that Christians (he doesn’t mention what culture he’s talking about) need to be more sensitive.

Perhaps we can be more sensitive if we take off our self-righteous blinders and realize that our clothes are not what should be the sensitive “issue,” but rather our universal and common desire to be worthy of our community’s respect.

Murray D. Clare The mention of sports teams seems to have struck a nerve and the point of the article is being missed. Thank you for your emphasis that we need to be sensitive to the cultures that own the traditions, rather than arrogantly assuming we have the right to imitate or reproduce them for our own purposes.

Captain Jaclyn Wynne

12 July 2016 Salvationist

Three Salvationists share how their heritage and faith work together

SYLVIA THORBURN, Swift Current Community Church, Sask.

grew up on a First Nations reserve about 500 kilometres northeast of Swift Current, Sask., with a family of nine sisters and five brothers. I was raised Roman Catholic, but I also grew up with First Nations cultural ceremonies and I participate in them when I go home to visit. It is normal for me to be a part of the ceremonies. I am not ashamed of my heritage; to turn my back on it would be to deny who Sylvia Thorburn has become. I embrace and accept it as part of who I am.

My grandparents prayed often, with both Christian and Indigenous practices—my grandmother would burn sweet grass in the mornings, and she would also say the rosary. My parents were devout and we attended church and prayed regularly.

In our culture, we are taught to respect our elders and follow their teaching. Still, my parents taught us to be independent thinkers. They didn’t impose their religious beliefs on us; we were allowed to find our own value system. This made becoming a Salvationist

much easier. Nevertheless, it wasn’t an easy decision—I had to wrestle with my upbringing and my cultural background.

I was introduced to The Salvation Army in 1998 when I was hired as a clerk at a thrift store. The staff at the store prayed on a regular basis and I began to notice that often their prayers were answered. That caught my interest and I wanted to know more. The captains at the time invited me to events and encouraged me to volunteer, but I still wasn’t sure of the organization. It was a slow process. Over time, I decided that this was something I wanted to embrace and so, in 2002, I started attending the church and, in 2003, I became a soldier.

Even still, I had doubts—being a First Nations person in The Salvation Army was not the norm, but since then I have found myself placed in the path of my people many times. I believe that God opened a door for me and, under the leadership of former corps officer Captain Michael Ramsay, I grew into this new role. Captain Ramsay showed me that if I allowed God to guide and

help me, he would use my cultural background to help other First Nations people. God would show me how I could help other people who were trying to understand their value system, to help them find a path toward embracing both their cultural heritage and way of praying, and find peace in the direction they want to go. I don’t think rejecting your culture is the answer; rather, it’s identifying the parts that work for you. At the end of the day, it’s an individual choice.

I know that the Army is where I can be the most effective, being a First Nations person, and it’s an honour to work for the Army in Swift Current.

18 July 2016 Salvationist

Culture Wars Hijacking Culture I’m writing in response to Captain Mark Braye’s article (“Hijacking W Culture,” July 2016). It’s disappointing to see The Salvation Army slide into the morass of political correctness. Surveys show that Native Americans in the United States don’t care about the name “Redskins.” If it doesn’t bother them, isn’t Captain Braye imposing his morality on them by insisting that it should? Many sports teams named for Indigenous people in the United States were honouring those people, not mocking or belittling them.

I have the utmost respect for The Salvation Army, but I have to wonder if Captain Braye doesn’t have more pressing #TRENDING

The dangers of borrowing from other traditions

Photo: © CyberOnix/iStock.com

BY CAPTAIN MARK BRAYE

hen Justin Bieber attended the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles this past April, his appearance created quite a stir. Why? He was wearing his hair in dreadlocks. The question arose: was this cultural appreciation, or an offensive form of cultural appropriation?

In a multicultural society, where do we draw the line?

Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of elements of one culture—ideas, symbols and artifacts—by members of a different culture. Some views distinguish between “appropriation” and “misappropriation”—when cultural elements are used outside their original context, in a disrespectful way. It’s a form of cultural theft.

Was it offensive for Justin Bieber to wear dreadlocks, or is it just hair? CBC reporter Lauren O’Neil outlined criticisms of Bieber’s choice: “It’s not just hair to those who wear dreadlocks for cultural, political or religious reasons. Rastafarians in Jamaica for many years faced discrimination based on their appearance, for example. It’s not ‘just hair’ for men and women who’ve been fired, sent home from school and even physically assaulted over what’s on their own heads, either.”

It’s not clear to me that wearing dreadlocks is outright (mis)appropriation. A clearer example would be when white people wear “black face.” The historical struggle faced by people of colour is diminished when their appearance is used for fun and amusement. For me, this is disrespectful and offensive and has no place in society.

Consider also the names of the following sports teams: Edmonton Eskimos (Canadian Football League); Cleveland Indians (Major League Baseball); Chicago Blackhawks (National Hockey League); Washington Redskins (National Football League). I believe these team names, and their logos, are belittling and offensive to our Indigenous neighbours and friends.

The last two, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Redskins, present an interesting case.

The Chicago Blackhawks take their name from an infantry division that fought in the First World War. The division was named for Chief Black Hawk, a Sauk leader and an important figure in the history of the state of Illinois. Some argue that this name is not offensive because it’s based on an individual, not an entire community. I’d like to know how the Sauk community feels about the name. If they are offended, I would side with them.

Washington Redskins is an offensive team name, period.

It dehumanizes an entire community of people. I’ve read that some sports magazines will not print the word “Redskins,” referring to the team as solely “Washington.” This past season, Phil Simms, a former NFL quarterback and current broadcaster with CBS, refused to use the word “Redskins” when working

a game featuring Washington. We would never accept a professional sports team called the Washington N-words or the Washington Whiteys. It’s time to change the name.

Cultural appropriation has theological, spiritual and practical implications. As Christians, we believe everyone is created in the image of God. We need to reflect carefully on how our attitudes and actions impact other people. We need to be aware of how cultural appropriation can creep into our lives in small ways, in the jokes we tell or laugh at, in the things we say or don’t say.

Perhaps there are positive ways to appreciate other cultures.

For example, singing a spiritual to commemorate Black History Month; celebrating a seder meal in solidarity with Jewish friends; or creating an Indigenous craft in Sunday school to learn about our First Nations. In each instance, it’s important to take our cues from others who “own” these traditions.

Even in writing this article, I’m aware that, as a white male, I’m coming from the perspective of the dominant culture, and I have much to learn.

As The Salvation Army, we need to ask ourselves if we are sensitive to other cultures and ethnicities in our church congregations and as an organization. Are there times when we belittle or offend other cultures without knowing it? How can we acknowledge, encourage and respect cultural differences without stereotyping people? How do we make room for people to express themselves in their own way? Where do we need to change?

Do you think the church is guilty of cultural appropriation?

Join the conversation online at salvationist.ca.

Captain Mark Braye is the corps officer at Sarnia Community Church, Ont. Salvationist

July 2016 25

Photos: Courtesy of Open Road Films

REEL TO REAL

Award-winning Spotlight reveals truth in dark corners

In our culture, films have become a place where we wrestle with the big questions of life. Who is God? What gives life meaning? What does it mean to be human? Reel to Real explores the intersection between film and theology, offering thoughtful engagement with an art form capable of conveying deep spiritual truth. Dr. James Read, director of The Salvation Army Ethics Centre in Winnipeg, and Dr. Aimee Patterson, a Christian ethics consultant at the Ethics Centre, reflect on Spotlight.

Dear Jim,

watched the movie Spotlight reluctantly. Despite the fact that it received glowing reviews and the Academy Award for best picture, it didn’t interest me. Yet another opportunity for popular culture to draw attention to problems in the church, I thought. My expectations were low, and in this respect they were met. Although this docudrama-style flick exposed issues of abuse in the church, it didn’t sufficiently explore them.

What Spotlight attempts to do is convert us to the notion that journalism is a profession the world needs, a profession that is motivated to find the truth. The investigative reporters—the “Spotlight” team of The Boston Globe—are a tenacious bunch.

They won’t let go of this story despite the various obstacles they face in exposing the facts. Until a spotlight shines truth into the dark corners of the Catholic Church, the abuse continues.

But what is “truth”? Truth is an age-old concern. It’s been under investigation long before Pilate asked the question. Is truth primarily about exposing facts? Why do we want to know the truth, or think we have a right to it?

I would have liked this film to contemplate why abuse happens in the church. In one scene, an attorney for the church says persuasively that the church is full of good people who do a lot of good things. But the abuse exposed was not just a matter of individual priests committing sinful acts. It was systemic. How can good deeds and the sexual abuse of children exist side by side? The Spotlight team was content to report incidents of abuse, but the film doesn’t explore what lies beneath.

Aimee Dear Aimee, o tell the truth, I didn’t think Spotlight was a good movie, either. To me, it seemed like they were trying too often to make a scene dramatic. Maybe I’m just conditioned by Hollywood to expect car chases, shootouts and flying superheroes. The story Spotlight tells is important, but it isn’t exciting. The truth often isn’t.

I think you’re right that the movie was not trying to tell the story of sexual abuse of children at the hands of clergy, but I think it’s more than propaganda for investigative journalism. I think it’s about betrayal of vocation. “Spotlight” was the name of the team at The Boston Globe. The team was supposed to bring hidden and embarrassing truth to light. They had leads

14 August 2016 Salvationist

Circuit City Thanks for the article on rural ministry (“Natural Resources,” August 2016). I like the circuit, rather than the amalgamation, model. Circuits give the opportunity for lay corps members to increase their involvement and develop the church and community work. Appropriately skilled and committed officers remain essential, of course.

Howard N. Russell

Natural RESOURCES How The Salvation Army cultivates rural ministry

L

ast September, The Salvation Army in Lloydminster, Alta., was facing a desperate situation. With the downturn in the oil market, more and more people were turning to the Army for assistance.

In just a few months, the number of families accessing the Army’s food bank—the only food bank in Lloydminster—had more than doubled and the shelves were bare.

A call for donations went up on their Facebook page and the message was picked up by local media. Within 24 hours, donations started pouring in from organizations as diverse as The Crazy Indian Brotherhood, Husky Energy and the Lloydminster Bobcats hockey team,

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN along with many individuals.

“Over the course of the next two weeks we were overwhelmed by the generosity of the community,” says Major Lisa O’Doherty, corps officer.

“The food bank was full to overflowing.”

The corps had to put out a second call, asking for volunteers to help process the donations.

For Major O’Doherty, it’s just one example of the power and the appeal of a small-town community. “As a rural ministries officer, you’re very involved in the community,” she says. “You’re the face of the Army, so you have the opportunity to build relationships with so many people.”

An officer for 23 years, Major

O’Doherty has spent her entire ministry in a rural setting. “Sharing people’s lives, the ins and outs, the ups and downs—I consider that a real privilege.”

The Face of the Army The Salvation Army has 168 rural ministry units in Canada and Bermuda, representing over half of the territory’s corps and nearly 300 officers. Rural ministry units typically serve small, isolated communities that are reliant on natural resources for their sustainability and demonstrate a resilient sense of community and interdependency.

The highest concentration of rural ministry units is found in the Newfoundland and Labrador Division Salvationist

August 2016

Photo: © John Saunders/stock.Adobe.com

Photo: Timothy Cheng

Unity in Diversity The testimonies of Indigenous Christians were very interesting (“Indigenous Christianity,” July Indigenous Christianity 2016). Thank God we don’t condemn Not Ashamed the introduction of traditional tribal I ceremonies in the church as heresy anymore. I see traditional dance and rituals in Salvation Army citadels in Australia regularly. If we are to have an inclusive church, then we need to start by appreciating all cultural diversity and personal differences. How we move on from there into kingdom culture is a whole new story worthy of open, honest and continued discussion in our local church communities.

Glenn Kingsley Mortimer

In the Spotlight I was troubled by James Read and Aimee Patterson’s discussion of the movie Spotlight (“Shine a Light,” August 2016). The fact that you can’t Shine a Light see parallels to the reactions of leaders of your own church is proof that neither of you understands the point I of this film. Whenever a problem T is brought to light, be it corruption or abuse of any kind, The Salvation Army, like many other religious institutions, tries to bury it—or worse, promotes the senior officer in charge and lets the foot soldier take the fall. It has happened many times, in territories all over the world. It takes tenacious reporters to out the sins of the church and the Spotlight team at the Boston Globe is to be commended, not denounced, for their valiant efforts. There is no excuse for the offenders. Even if they admit their faults, the damage is already done. If, as you seem to believe, they had any insight into the nature of their crimes and the harm caused by them, they would not have committed them.

Sheila Gowan

21

All letters must include the name, address and phone number or e-mail address where the writer can be contacted.

Letters may be edited for space and clarity, and may be published in any medium.

Salvationist October 2016 5

FRONTLINES

Oshawa Band Shares Gospel During Calgary Stampede

I

After rehearsing with their host band at Calgary’s Glenmore Temple on Wednesday, the OTB travelled to Banff, Alta., to perform an outdoor concert in the band shell on Thursday. Many passersby stopped to take in moments of meditation and excitement.

The next day, the band played at Calgary’s Heritage Park Historical Village as part of the Army’s Doughnut Day. Saturday’s events included OTB concerts framed by receptive crowds on the grounds of the Army’s Barbara

Mitchell Family Resource Centre, at a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary and a community stampede music concert at Glenmore Temple.

The band concluded their tour on Sunday at Glenmore Temple, where Colonel Lindsay Rowe gave a thought-provoking message and the OTB contributed to praise and worship.

Photos: Steve Nelson

n July, 41 members of the Oshawa Temple Band (OTB), along with Bandmaster Andrew Burditt and Colonels Lindsay and Lynette Rowe, corps officers, shared the gospel during various activities around the Calgary Stampede.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for the band,” says Burditt. “It was one filled with music, sightseeing and fellowship. But most importantly, it was an opportunity to spread the gospel through music.”

The Oshawa Temple Band plays at the Heritage Park Historical Village in Calgary

Jillian Haskey and Annalise Kranenburg of Glenmore Temple join the festivities

Supporting Flood-Ravaged Communities in Saskatchewan

M

any parts of Saskatchewan experienced torrential rains and flash flooding in July, forcing hundreds to evacuate and several communities to declare states of emergency. Salvation Army emergency and disaster services personnel offered support in the aftermath, serving meals and providing emotional and spiritual care to evacuees and first responders.

“The hardest hit area was Arborfield, a community of 400 in central Saskatchewan, where much of the town turned into a lake,” says Captain Rick Robins, corps officer, Melfort—Circuit with Nipawin and Tisdale, Sask. “The worst damage was in the southeast side, which was flooded when a road gave way.

“We served hot meals to the emergency workers and dedicated residents who had sandbagged around the clock to prevent their town from washing away and to hungry evacuees trying to come to grips with the devastation.”

The Army continued to assist residents once the flooding subsided and the clean-up process began. “We are here for the long term,” says Captain Robins.

6 October 2016 Salvationist

Salvation Army workers serve meals in Arborfield, Sask.

FRONTLINES

Summer Feeding Program Benefits Kids

T The Doughnut Day distribution team

Owen Sound Celebrates Doughnut Day

T

he Salvation Army in Owen Sound and Saugeen Shores, Ont., celebrated its first Doughnut Day in June. The Doughnut Day initiative harkens back to the First World War, when Salvation Army volunteers provided free homemade doughnuts and coffee to troops near the front lines in canteens set up in abandoned buildings.

In Owen Sound, an enthusiastic group of 23 volunteers gave away 1,000 packages containing two Timbits at various downtown businesses. Doughnut Day was also celebrated with customers and donors at The Salvation Army’s thrift stores in Owen Sound and Port Elgin, Ont. Major David Kennedy, corps officer, Owen Sound Community Church, says that Doughnut Day is one way for the Army to thank the public for their support.

“So often we are out in the community with our hands out seeking their assistance,” he says. “It was wonderful to be able to give back.”

he Salvation Army in Regina provided lunches and snacks to children throughout the city during the summer. The Food on the Move summer feeding program, a partnership with The Salvation Army Haven of Hope and PotashCorp, aimed to fill the summer nutrition gap for children who rely on feeding programs provided by schools, which do not occur over the summer months. For many children, the meal provided by the Army would have been their only substantial meal of the day.

Over the course of the summer, more than 10,000 lunches and snacks were made and delivered at seven locations, including three pools, three schools and one community centre.

The Army’s partnership with PotashCorp also benefited children in Saskatoon, where more than 8,000 lunches and snacks were delivered at 12 inner-city pools, parks and community centres.

“We recognize that children need year-round access to healthy food,” says Rhonda Speiss, PotashCorp’s manager of community investment. “Food on the Move brings kids the nutrition they need to grow and learn, and we are proud to work with the Army to support food security.”

Children in Saskatoon receive lunches and snacks from the Army

NEWS IN BRIEF Healthy Choices in Parksville, B.C. The Salvation Army’s food bank in Parksville, B.C., can now offer clients more healthy food, thanks to a partnership with Thrifty Foods. Healthy Choices, a food re-purposing project, will allow the Army to give out fresh food that is too close to its best-before date for the grocery store to sell. Food banks, which have more flexibility than stores, can give out safe, perishable food as much as two weeks after stores can sell it.

New Donor Welcome Centres in Brampton, Ont. The Salvation Army’s National Recycling Operations has embarked on a partnership with the Region of Peel in Ontario to collect items at four community recycling centres. These donor welcome centres will accept various items for the Army’s thrift stores, from clothing to household items and power tools, adding new products to the stores’ shelves and contributing to the region’s waste diversion goals.

Free Suits for Men in Barrie, Ont. More than a dozen low-income men in Barrie, Ont., received free suits, thanks to a partnership with The Salvation Army and Moores clothing for men. The store ran a promotion where men could trade in an old suit for a discount on a new one. As well as building self-esteem, the giveaway will help the recipients present a positive image when they go for job interviews or meet prospective landlords.

Salvationist October 2016 7

FRONTLINES

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Army Leaders Attend B.C. Elders Gathering

alvation Army leaders were honoured guests at the 40th Annual B.C. Elders Gathering, which took place in Williams Lake, B.C., in July. The event was hosted by the Tl’etinqox, one of six Tsilhqot’in communities, along with united support from the Tsilhqot’in (Chilcotin), Secwepemc (Shuswap), Dene (Carrier), St’at’imc (Lillooet Nation) and Nuxalk (Bella Coola). The Williams Lake Corps, along with corps from the surrounding area, served breakfast to more than 3,000 participants all three days of the gathering.

The purpose of the event was to advance education in the histories, cultures and ways of Indigenous communities and in the experiences and contributions of community elders.

“The events included a totem pole unveiling, fashion show, Elder care, arts and crafts, and an Elders talent show,” explains Major Shari Russell, territorial Indigenous ministries consultant. “The Gathering was an opportunity to build relationships, recognize contributions and appreciate the value that the

Elders have to share with their youth.”

The Army’s delegation included Major Russell; Lt-Colonel Jim Champ, secretary for communications; Captain David Macpherson, corps officer, Nanaimo Community Church, and area commander, British Columbia Division; Captain Lisa Macpherson, corps officer, Nanaimo Community Church; and Jessica McKeachie, public affairs director.

“Being guests of the Elders was a great honour for us and a recognition of the special place the First Nations hold for The Salvation Army,” says Lt-Colonel Champ.

Thrift Stores Send Kids to Camp

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ore than 600 children from low-income homes across Canada were able to go to camp this summer thanks to Salvation Army thrift stores. The Army’s National Recycling Operations (NRO) held its sixth annual Send a Kid to Camp GoodWorks@Work campaign at 106 NRO thrift store locations, raising a record-breaking $133,894 over the course of eight weeks.

Aiming to help send 500 kids to camp, the campaign surpassed its goal, raising enough to send 608 kids to 13 Salvation Army summer camps across the country. Last year, NRO thrift stores collected just over $100,000, helping 484 children go to camp.

“We are overjoyed to be supporting this initiative to send kids to camp,” says Michele Walker, national retail operations manager. “One week at camp is an uplifting experience for these children, one that they would normally not have had an opportunity to be involved in.

They will now have memories that will last a lifetime.”

Ryan Walker, Marylou Nason, Nancy Saunders, April Barnes and Julie Buchanan, NRO staff, presented a cheque while visiting Scotian Glen Camp, Thorburn, N.S.

8 October 2016 Salvationist

Mjr Shari Russell, Cpt Lisa Macpherson and Lt-Col Jim Champ meet honorary king and queen James and Dinah Lulua at the recent Elders Gathering in British Columbia

Officers Take Time to be Holy

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group of 55 officers from the Ontario Great Lakes Division gathered in Guelph, Ont., for the inaugural Time to Be Holy for Officers weekend earlier this year. The gathering, planned by the divisional spiritual life development committee under the leadership of Major Wanda Vincent, then divisional director of women’s ministries in the Ontario Great Lakes Division, was modeled after the Time to Be Holy experience that has been offered to young people of the division for the past three years.

General Bramwell Tillsley (Rtd), Colonel Mark Tillsley, chief secretary, and Majors David and Beth Pearo, pastoral services officers, shared biblical teaching on the subject of holiness. A highlight for many of the delegates was hearing General Tillsley share his personal journey of sanctification.

Sessions began with corporate worship led by Captains Terence and Jennifer Hale, divisional youth secretaries, followed by teaching, prayer and time at the cross-shaped mercy seat. Officers were also given opportunity to engage in prayer walks and front-line service. The final session included a Q&A panel with faculty who responded to questions put forward by the delegates.

ONWARD

Aiming for Growth Are you called to be a Salvation Army soldier?

BY COMMISSIONER SUSAN McMILLAN

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s I sat down to write this article, I Googled the following phrase: “An army needs soldiers.” Of course, it took me to a list of recruitment sites for the British, American and Canadian Armed Forces. But off in the margin, under related searches, I saw “Salvation Army Soldier’s Covenant.” That link took me to the most “reliable” of Internet sources, Wikipedia. There, under soldier, Salvation Army, I read this: “Salvationist soldiers are considered by their peers to be covenanted warriors exercising ‘holy passion’ to win the world for Jesus.”

Does our Army need soldiers? Yes. We need as many covenanted warriors as possible to exercise their holy passion to win the world for Jesus. Our mission is grand, our mission field is huge; therefore, our need for workers is enormous.

The Apostle Paul often described followers of Jesus Christ using the imagery of soldiers fighting a spiritual battle. He addressed a letter to Philemon this way: “To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier” (Philemon 1:1-2; emphasis mine).

Paul clearly sees himself and his collaborators in this role.

He does, however, point out that the battle is a spiritual one: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

When he advised young Timothy, he told him to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus … join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Then he went on to explain, “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:1-4; emphasis mine).

In other words, we are called to act like soldiers—sharing with each other and supporting one another through difficult times. Never leave a fellow soldier behind. At the same time, as soldiers, we must be focused on our mission—not expecting personal advantages, but rather being obedient to God, our commander, at all times.

As it does in all conflicts, soldiership has its perils. As you identify yourself with a fighting force, you become a target for the enemy. Again, we look to Paul the Apostle for advice on how to keep safe: “Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes … so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:11, 13).

When we encourage people to join The Salvation Army, sign the Soldier’s Covenant and be obedient to God’s direction in their lives, we know that without the protection of the Holy

Spirit—the armour of God— they will surely fail. But Scripture also states that, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

(Romans 8:31). It confirms: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

The Salvation Army needs soldiers! We have a God-given mission to take the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world and to help those who are hungry, lonely, homeless or otherwise in crisis. I am calling the courageous!

Will you join us in this noble quest?

Soldiers of our God, arise!

The day is drawing nearer; Shake the slumber from your eyes, The light is growing clearer.

Sit no longer idly by While the heedless millions die, Lift the bloodstained banner high And take the field for Jesus.

Robert Johnson (SASB 980)

Commissioner Susan McMillan is the territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Follow her at facebook.com/susanmcmillantc and twitter.com/salvationarmytc.

For a video highlighting all the junior and senior soldiers enrolled across the territory in 2015, visit ow.ly/ C0MM3032GZ0.

The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda is launching Calling the Courageous, a multi-faceted soldiership campaign. See page 10 for details.

Salvationist October 2016 9

Calling the Courageous

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Territorial campaign sets target to boost soldiership by 2020.

his fall, the Canada and Bermuda Territory launches Calling the Courageous, a campaign designed to elevate the profile of soldiership and encourage enrolments across the territory. News editor Pamela Richardson spoke with Major Doug Binner (DB), territorial corps ministries secretary, Kevin Slous (KS), territorial director of discipleship, and Captain Carolyn Simpson (CS), corps officer at Cobourg Community Church, Ont., about the new campaign and the state of soldiership in Canada and Bermuda.

Where did the idea for a soldiership campaign originate?

KS: This campaign is directly connected to discipleship, one of our territory’s strategic priorities under the Mobilize banner. As the champion for this priority, 10 October 2016 Salvationist

I know that one of our desired outcomes is to increase the number of soldiers who are enrolled, growing spiritually

We need soldiers who are willing to enter into this kind of covenant, to be the backbone of our organization. and engaged in mission in Canada and Bermuda. To see that our leaders are on board with this campaign is encouraging.

What are the goals for the Calling the Courageous campaign?

DB: We are targeting a 10-percent net increase in the territorial soldiers’ roll by 2020. That means enrolling 1,900 junior and senior soldiers over the next three to four years, taking our total membership roll to more than 20,000. It’s a huge challenge. It’s not that we aren’t enrolling soldiers, but we aren’t enrolling them in sufficient quantity to offset the number we are losing. We’re counting on everyone from divisional leaders to corps and local officers to keep each other accountable as we work collaboratively to realize our territorial goal.

KS: Calling the Courageous is about more than the numbers. Yes, we are encouraging enrolments, but we want to encourage spiritual growth and mission engagement in the existing soldiery as well.

DB: We want to re-engage soldiers who are sitting on the sidelines, to get them actively involved in mission, evangelism and discipleship as positive examples for new members.

How are you preparing and equipping soldiers?

KS: The release of three new preparation courses for senior soldiers—Mobilized for Mission, Call to Arms and Battle Ready— as well as an Adherent Training Manual is the first foray into the campaign (see page 12). This interview is the second,

Illustration: Courtesy of the U.S.A. Western Territory

DB: In May, the corps ministries department made a presentation to territorial and divisional leaders on the state of soldiership in Canada and Bermuda. In the past year, we enrolled 582 soldiers, 348 of which were senior soldiers. In that same time period, 380 senior soldiers died. We are losing ground, simply based on attrition, and that doesn’t take into account the soldiers we are required to remove because of indifference or those changing denominations. Over the past five years, our soldiership roll has decreased from more than 20,000 to 18,886, and while we have nearly 33,000 adherents (people who make a declaration of faith, but choose not to sign the Soldier’s Covenant), five years ago that number was 38,000. Our leaders are committed to turning those statistics around. That’s where Calling the Courageous comes in.

so people can become aware of what’s happening. Then beginning in January 2017, a new resource will be provided each month for one year—for example, materials for a soldier’s day of renewal.

The various resources will enhance soldiership, encourage enrolments and promote spiritual growth.

DB: We will get the word out each month in a variety of ways, using Facebook, the Lotus Notes notice board, e-mails, saministryresources.ca and articles in Salvationist. The territorial commander, chief secretary and Cabinet secretaries will be talking about this campaign throughout the year as they travel, do retreats and correspond with the field.

We’re hoping this campaign will keep soldiership on everybody’s radar. Calling the Courageous will support soldiers as they live out the covenant they have made and encourage corps leadership to embrace soldier-making as a priority.

How can the materials be accessed?

DB: Every corps will receive one free hard copy of all four curriculums. Materials are also available at saministryresources.ca.

CS: As a corps officer, it’s exciting to have something in our hands. To see these resources come across your desk makes it a bit more real. Admittedly there are so many things that corps are already trying to focus on, but soldier-making should be at the top of the list. I’m excited about it because there are great choices here.

Photos: Timothy Cheng

Why is making soldiers so important for The Salvation Army?

DB: We are a covenanted Army made up of covenanted people. The promises made in the Soldier’s Covenant create a

sense of mission that keeps us growing as a faith-based movement. We need soldiers who are willing to enter into this kind of covenant, to be the backbone of our organization. The old adage that you can’t have an army if you don’t have soldiers holds true, but it’s more than

of moral and ethical values. There are some in our churches whose lifestyles do not yet line up with the promises we make as soldiers. We must be able to carry out the promises in the Soldier’s Covenant and say, “I’m committed to this.” It’s also imperative that our

Kevin Slous and Cpt Carolyn Simpson discuss the territory’s new soldiership campaign

that. Our covenant relationship with God brings our soldiery to a place of action, where they’re ready to serve.

KS: Soldiership is not just about individualistic faith but about being a part of a people who live and express their faith in a particular way. The Soldier’s Covenant is at the heart of who we are as people, together, in the body of Christ.

CS: Wearing the soldier’s uniform is a visible expression of an inward change.

Making soldiers is indicative of the fact that God continues to transform lives today. It is important to celebrate that fact.

What are the challenges to soldiership?

CS: We live in a grey world in terms

“The promises made in the Soldier’s Covenant create a sense of mission that keeps us growing as a faith-based movement,” says Mjr Doug Binner

current soldiers exhibit the fruit of the Spirit and live lives reflective of their covenants. This will encourage potential soldiers as they see it is possible to make and keep these promises.

KS: The Soldier’s Covenant holds people to a high standard. That’s part of the reason why we named the campaign Calling the Courageous. Soldiership is not for the faint of heart. The challenge lies in helping people understand what the covenant means so they can faithfully live out the promises they make.

DB: Another challenge is that we don’t have denominational loyalty the way we once did. In decades gone by, if my parents were Salvationists, then I grew up as a Salvationist. If my parents were soldiers, then I very likely would become a soldier. That doesn’t happen anymore.

KS: And yet soldiership still gives a sense of common identity and a feeling of belonging. Over the past year at Mississauga Temple Community Church Ont., my home corps, a number of young people were enrolled as senior soldiers.

A vast majority of them took that sense of common identity a step further by choosing to wear a uniform. It wasn’t so much about getting into uniform to be in a particular group as about them saying, “If I’m going to do this, I need to do it completely.” Soldiership sets a standard that asks, “Are you full in?”

Salvationist October 2016 11

How does soldiership embrace the diversity of our territory?

DB: We’re excited about the new Canadians who are becoming soldiers.

Enrolment pictures in Salvationist show more ethnicities, particularly from our urban centres. The enrolment at commissioning weekend this past June, in London, Ont., was a beautiful picture of multiculturalism. We had people from so many different countries, all declaring their faith and commitment to God and the Army.

ED

F OR

M IS S I O N

B M O I LI Z

A STUDY IN SALVATIONIST DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE

BRIAN R. SLOUS SOLDIERSHIP TRAINING MANUAL

How do people get started?

KS: Talk to your corps officers, check out the new training materials, share your own positive experiences of soldiership. Don’t be afraid to challenge and encourage someone who may be feeling the Spirit’s prompting to take that next step.

CS: Making soldiers is contagious. The more adherents and soldiers you make that can share their testimony and show that transformation is possible, that God

obilized for Mission—Written by Major M Brian Slous, Mobilized for Mission is an 11-lesson in-depth study of Salvationist doctrine and practice. This senior soldier preparation course contains five lessons on doctrine, three on Christian lifestyle and three on Salvationism. It is an updated and revised version of Preparing for Battle, which has been widely used and well received, both territorially and internationally. all to Arms—Produced by the Australia C Southern Territory, Call to Arms is a sixsession senior soldier preparation course that includes student workbooks and a leader’s guide. This user-friendly resource can be used one-on-one or in a small-group setting. Filled with solid, biblical teaching, it also works well as a refresher course.

A N I MMERS IVE PREPARATORY B IB LE ST UDY F O R TEENS CONS IDERING S OLDIERS H IP IN T H E S ALVAT ION ARM Y

Battle Ready: L I V I N G A L I F E M A R K E D B Y A C H R I S T- C E N T E R E D , O T H E R S - F O C U S E D FA I T H I N S A C R E D C O V E N A N T

K E V I N S LO U S

attle Ready—This 14-session senior soldier B preparation course is designed as a smallgroup Bible study for teens aged 14-18.

Produced in partnership with the U.S.A. Eastern Territory, Battle Ready utilizes active learning and engages teen culture to help young people understand the Soldier’s Covenant and how the promises they make will apply to their lives. dherent Training Manual—This interactive A four-lesson manual was produced by the Canada and Bermuda Territory’s corps ministries department. It explains the commitments of membership, what belonging to the Army means and that adherency can be seen as an on-ramp to soldiership. The manual explains Army history, culture, local mission and ministry, and works as a course for newcomers.

12 October 2016 Salvationist

is still calling people to be set apart for him, the more people will want to jump on board and do the same.

DB: If you were in London and witnessed that soldier enrolment I just spoke about, you could not help but be energized. I pray that next year at the commissioning events in St. John’s, N.L., we will enrol an even larger contingent of soldiers. And General André Cox will be there, so it’ll be even more exciting.

Cpts Shannon and Jeff Howard, with their children

A Dream Fulfilled

A Salvation Army family’s journey with infertility, infant loss and adoption.

to the car, and I cried and cried and cried.

“Up until that point, we just thought it was going to take a little longer. And he basically told us that it would never happen for us, and that was hard. Really hard.”

Trying to Conceive Recounting their story at their home in Toronto eight years later, Shannon and Jeff still remember that day with emotion. “It was heartbreaking,” says Shannon.

It would turn out to be the first of many sorrows on their journey to becoming parents.

Growing up, Shannon had always wanted to be a mom. “I used to joke that

getting married was just a means to getting kids,” she smiles. “But when I was 16, I felt like the Lord told me that I would not be able to have kids easily, and that always stuck with me.”

Though roughly 16 percent of couples in Canada (or 1 in 6) experience infertility, it never occurred to Jeff that they could have trouble conceiving. “I just expected it to happen,” he says.

The Howards, who are currently corps officers at North Toronto Community Church, entered training college in 2002 and started trying to conceive shortly before commissioning in 2004. “That was back when we thought we were in control,” Jeff says with a wry smile.

Salvationist October 2016 13

Photos: Timothy Cheng

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ou have a one percent chance of ever getting pregnant.”

Captain Shannon Howard sat in stunned silence as she struggled to process the fertility specialist’s words. After three years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive, she and her husband, Captain Jeff Howard, had gone into the appointment feeling hopeful.

“It took a long time for us to get an appointment, so there was all this buildup,” she says. “We would finally find out what was going on and what we could do to fix it.”

With one sentence, the doctor crushed those hopes. They were infertile.

“I couldn’t wait to get out of the room,” Shannon recalls. “We went out

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN

“The first year of trying is by far the worst,” says Shannon. “You expect it to happen every single month.”

Jeff and Shannon were in their early 20s when they started trying, so they weren’t too concerned when it didn’t happen right away. But after one year turned into two, they began to worry that something was wrong.

They went to their family doctor first, and Shannon began taking Clomid, a medication that increases ovulation. “I called them ‘crazy pills’ because they mess with your hormones like you wouldn’t believe,” she says. “It was awful.

I used to apologize to Jeff all the time.

‘I’m so sorry your wife has gone away.

She’ll come back some day.’ ” They also underwent testing and found out that they had male factor infertility. Cognizant of how infertility can drive couples apart, they faced the news with a united front.

“We approached it as an issue that we had together,” says Jeff.

“We decided that no matter what came back, no matter who the issue was with, or if it was both of us, we’re married, we’re one, and so the problem is both of ours,” Shannon adds.

“Just Adopt”?

Nevertheless, the fertility specialist’s diagnosis changed them.

“Over time, it became who we were: We were the infertile couple,” says Shannon. “I don’t think a day went by that I didn’t think, I just want a baby.”

“For a long time I tried to ignore it,” Jeff admits. “I didn’t want to deal with it. There was lots to think about—we were in our first appointment, finding our way in ministry and establishing ourselves in our marriage. I tried to push it to the side.”

But Shannon could tell it wasn’t working. “He went from being great with kids to being standoffish,” she recalls.

“Looking back now, I can see what it was: they represented what was wrong in my life and so I backed off,” Jeff says.

After that specialist appointment, the Howards started looking into adoption.

Living in High River, Alta., at the time, they attended an information session with Alberta’s child and family services.

“We both went in skeptical that this was what God wanted us to do,” Shannon says, “but when we came out, we looked at each other and said, ‘That’s exactly what we need.’ ” Not long after that information ses14 October 2016 Salvationist

After 10 years of trying to have children, Cpts Jeff and Shannon were able to adopt Grayson

sion, they were appointed to Whitehorse and registered with Yukon’s family and children’s services when they moved.

They quickly discovered that the adoption process would be long and complex.

“Sometimes, when you’re dealing with infertility, people say ‘just adopt’ as if it were as easy as going down to the orphan store, but it’s definitely not like that,” says Jeff. The application process involves an extensive home study and a six-week parenting course. “And even after you complete the process, it’s still just ‘maybe.’ ” Starting the paperwork in 2009, their application took a full year. Their social worker conducted interviews with Shannon and Jeff, as well as their families, covering all aspects of their background, along with medical and police checks. In July 2010, the Howards found out they were “paper pregnant”: they were officially on the list to adopt a child.

Dark Times Once they were on the list, things moved quickly. In August, they received word that they had been chosen to adopt a toddler in Alberta.

“While we were in Alberta at the end of August, we were allowed to go and visit the foster family and meet our ‘son,’ ” Shannon recalls. “He was so beautiful—I was in love.” With blue eyes and blonde hair, the boy even looked a bit like Jeff.

They began preparing their home for the boy, whom they expected to arrive early in October. “I can’t describe how excited we were,” says Shannon. “Finally, after seven years of praying for a child,

our dream was coming true.

“I would sit in his room and dream of all the things we would do with him—the places we would take him, the activities we would do,” she continues. “I couldn’t wait to sit in his room and watch him sleep and hear him call me ‘Mom.’ ” But on September 14, all of that excitement evaporated. A manager who needed to sign off on the adoption decided that policy was not followed and put a stop to the adoption.

“That was the hardest thing through our entire journey—even worse than the miscarriages that would follow,” Shannon says. “It was absolutely devastating because we had met him, we had hugged him and kissed him.”

“It was a very dark time for us,” remembers Jeff. “It didn’t make any sense. Why was this happening?”

“That set me on a year of soul searching,” says Shannon. “It rocked my faith because I was so sure that this was what God had planned for us. Up until this point, I was confident of God’s work in our life. I didn’t know how to deal with this. It’s always hard when you’re in the midst of it; it’s really isolating.”

Though she didn’t feel it at the time, looking back, Shannon can see how God was still working in her life. “Even when I couldn’t pray, he was there. Even when I couldn’t understand, and I was so frustrated and sad, he didn’t abandon me.”

“I remained convinced that God was in control, and that he would turn it into something, sometime,” adds Jeff.

Life Lost After the adoption loss, Shannon and

Jeff began trying to conceive again. In the new year, they also started discussing in vitro fertilization (IVF), a process by which an egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body in a laboratory.

“IVF is not something to be taken lightly,” says Shannon. “We believe that the moment egg and sperm meet, that’s a life, that’s a human being that we need to protect.”

After much prayer, the Howards felt they had God’s blessing to go ahead, as long as they used all of the embryos that were created. They flew to Vancouver in June 2012 to undergo the procedure and ended up with seven viable embryos, two of which were implanted during Shannon’s first transfer.

When she took a pregnancy test a few weeks later, she saw the two lines she had been waiting for. “This was it—we were pregnant,” she says. “After all these years, we were going to have a baby.”

Jeff bought Shannon a t-shirt that said “Finally!” and they announced the good news on her blog.

But as before, their joy was shortlived: Shannon miscarried at six weeks.

They went back to the clinic to do another transfer, and Shannon became pregnant. But like the first, she miscarried at six weeks. “That’s when it hit me that, once again, this was not going to work for us,” she recalls. “I remember thinking, Why would I have thought it would?”

Along with the physical pain of miscarrying, Shannon’s grief was extended by what are known as “marker babies.”

“That happens when your friends get pregnant at the same time, and they go on to have a baby,” she explains. “All of my pregnancies have a marker baby, and so even today, whenever I see those children, I think, My babies would be that age now. That’s really tough.”

On the third transfer, Shannon did not get pregnant. “It’s just as hard,” she says. “Maybe you don’t have the physical part of it, but this embryo, this life that we loved, died.”

New Birth In December 2013, Shannon received an unexpected e-mail. A young woman that they had known in Alberta had become pregnant and did not feel that she could raise the child. “She asked if we would be interested in adopting him,” Shannon smiles.

Because of their relationship with the woman, Shannon felt hopeful. But

after multiple disappointments, Jeff was munity Hannah’s Prayer (hannah.org), skeptical. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to a Christian forum for infertility and loss. do it,” he says. “I thought, That sounds But Shannon acknowledges that not great, but we’ll see.” every parent is so fortunate. “Christians The mother ended up delivering a sometimes have this attitude of, ‘If you few weeks before the due date, catching trust God, then you shouldn’t be sad.’ the Howards by surprise.

So you hide all your sadness and the “We’re in Whitehorse, she’s in church becomes this place where you Alberta, and we get this phone call: the can’t share what’s going on in your life, baby’s coming tonight,” Shannon recalls. when it should be the one place you can.”

“All of a sudden, I’m in a panic: how do “Churches need to be intentional we get to Alberta in time? Because I about asking those people, ‘How can really wanted to be there when he was we support you?’ ” adds Jeff. born.”

As part of their healing process, They arrived in the middle of the the Howards have named each of their night, seven hours after the baby was lost children—Zane, Esme, Gabriel and born. “It was surreal,” Shannon says.

Maria—and remember their due dates.

“When we walked into the hospital, I “From the moment you see those lines thought, Is this all going to fall through? on a pregnancy test, they’re your baby,” Because up till then, everything always Shannon says. had.

Acknowledging that is an import“But I walked into the room, and she ant part of supporting a family that has said, ‘Would you like to hold your son?’ ” experienced infant loss, she notes. “That It had been 10 years since she and Jeff first started trying to conceive. “All my dreams, all those years, was for that one moment,” she recalls tearfully. “And that was it. He was ours.” They named him Grayson Charlie James.

For Jef f, t he realization that he was finally a father came the next day.

“We took part in his care—feeding him and changing his This drawing, created by Cpt Shannon, represents the Howard family. diapers and stuff— On the branches are Cpts Shannon and Jeff with their two children, and started talking while the four birds in the sky represent the infants they lost through with the doctors miscarriage about some of the things that they wanted to do, and that’s was the biggest thing for us—having when it clicked: when we went back to people recognize with us that these Whitehorse, there would be three of us.” babies were real.”

Since adopting Grayson, the Howards Journey’s End have had another child come to them After they adopted Grayson, Shannon through social services. They have cushad another embryo implanted as the tody of her, but the adoption is still in Howards still had three remaining. “We process. got pregnant and it was our healthiest “After this long journey, here we are so far, right up until six weeks,” says with two and I couldn’t imagine not havShannon, “and then just like that, we ing them,” Shannon says. “When you’re ended up miscarrying.” in the midst of it, it can be hard to see Through their losses, the Howards where God is, or how he’s working. But are grateful that they’ve been able to deep down, I always knew that God’s plan rely on their church community for was better than mine. And no matter support, as well as the online comwhat, he would be there.”

Salvationist October 2016 15

Ground Crew Once the jets land, airport chaplain Major Ron Trickett is there to meet spiritual and emotional needs.

BY KEN RAMSTEAD

“You have to expect the unexpected when you’re an airport chaplain,” says Mjr Ron Trickett

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ne Sunday morning, Major Ron Trickett received a call from Vancouver International Airport, where he serves as a chaplain.

“A 21-year-old was going home on vacation from university in Ontario,” Major Trickett says. “He thought his father was meeting him at the airport but, unbeknownst to the son, the father had died that morning while the son was in flight.”

Now, the young man’s sister, mother and grandmother were waiting at the airport chapel and Major Trickett was asked to meet the student and give him the news.

“That was probably the toughest thing I ever had to do,” Major Trickett says, “but you have to expect the unexpected when you’re an airport chaplain.”

Reaching Out The sign outside room C2154 at the Vancouver International Airport reads: “Vancouver Airport Chaplaincy—Services to Airport/Airline Staff; Travelling Public; Immigrants/Refugees.”

16 October 2016 Salvationist

This concisely describes the ministry that the chaplaincy services have provided at the Vancouver International Airport for more than 25 years.

With more than 24,000 employees and thousands of travellers passing through each day, there is a need for spiritual counselling and direction. Many have no church or faith connection and look to the airport chaplains for help when all hope seems lost.

Recently, Major Trickett received a call for assistance from the manager of a bank branch located in the airport. An airport employee was attempting to secure a loan of several thousand dollars to repay a debt that she had incurred without her husband’s knowledge. When the bank was unable to make the loan, the employee, feeling she could not face her husband, expressed thoughts of taking her own life.

“The woman was born Catholic and so I was able to use her faith to draw her out and talk to her,” explains Major Trickett.

“We were able to get her into counselling, and she is now back at work and paying down her debt.”

Sunrise Service Major Trickett has been an airport chaplain since 2004, the year after he retired. There’s no “average” day for him. In the morning, he might be called on to deal with a refugee situation. In the afternoon, he could be summoned to assist a passenger with special needs. Sometimes, he’ll just walk around the airport chatting with people.

After more than a decade on the job, he’s developed a ministry with the staff, particularly those volunteers at the information desks set up at the entrances for domestic and international arrivals.

“I’ve become their pastor in a very real sense,” Major Trickett says. “When they are sick, I visit them when they’re in the hospital. I’ve conducted funerals and I’ve officiated at weddings.”

Major Trickett was once called in to conduct the wedding for a daughter of one of the airline agents. “They’d wanted to get married in Cuba but ran up against some unexpected paperwork, so I was called in at 7:30 in the morning to tie the knot before they left,” Major Trickett smiles.

“A Ministry Blessed” Not all of Major Trickett’s interactions are of a happy nature.

Sometimes a death in-flight occurs and Major Trickett is asked to meet with the waiting families, and he often shares in the debriefing of the airline crew.

“We receive many referrals from the Canada Border Services Agency to assist immigrants and refugees who are stranded at the airport,” Major Trickett says. “There are times when Canadian citizens, for various reasons, are deported from other countries and are sent to Vancouver. Landing here, they often need a place to stay until they make other arrangements.”

One such incident occurred when the chaplaincy office received a call from Ottawa. A Canadian citizen was being deported from Mexico. Her parents were in China and her family in Toronto wanted nothing to do with the matter.

“I was able to find a place for her at The Salvation Army’s Belkin House,” says Major Trickett, “and they were able to work with her and help her get the support she needed.

“This truly is a ministry blessed and used by the Holy Spirit to bring comfort, aid and spiritual guidance to many.”

For more information contact www.yvrchaplain.com.

FRESH IDEAS

“No one here ever turns down an offer to read Faith & Friends,” says Joyce Starr Macias, at home in Arizona

On the Go With Faith & Friends Once I read my copy, it’s only the start of a journey.

BY JOYCE STARR MACIAS

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hen my Faith & Friends arrives each month, I know that its stories will teach, inspire and encourage me in my walk with God. But that’s not all this little magazine does.

Once I’ve read it from cover to cover, Faith & Friends goes on a missionary journey! I use it as a tool to help others see how God is at work in the lives of both ordinary people and celebrities alike.

Sometimes I pass the magazine along discreetly by tucking it into a stack of other magazines in a doctor’s office. I’m tickled when, on a subsequent visit, I see someone lift it from the stack and proceed to read away.

Or I may run into someone who men-

tions a personal problem. In that case, I’ll go home and flip through back issues until I find a story related to that person’s particular need. I’ll give the person the magazine, saying, “This issue has a story about someone who overcame the same problem you’re facing. Would you like to read about it?”

No one ever turns down an offer like that.

Conversations and Connections I’ve also initiated conversations by bringing the magazine to people who are in the same field of business as the subject of a story.

One issue featured an article about a bank president who shared his faith in a unique way. He owned a stunning

83-centimetre-tall, teardrop-shaped vase created from broken pieces of failed glass-making projects. The banking executive compares the process of creating beauty from broken pieces to God’s grace in redeeming people and healing their broken hearts. I made sure that my local banker got a copy.

I also have friends who are sports fans. Whatever sport they follow, I’m certain Faith & Friends has profiled someone in it.

Conversations with people I’m meeting for the first time often lead to questions about what I do for a living. If they seem interested when I tell them I’m a freelance writer, I’ll ask if they’d like to read something I’ve written. Since some of my stories have appeared in Faith & Friends, you know I’ll share that issue.

Whatever stories they choose to read, I know they’ll find one that connects with them, and that may encourage them to look to God as their source of help and strength. I think people find the articles especially appealing because they are applicable to real life and not too “churchy”—and they highlight people who have experienced God’s love.

Sometimes I’ll get feedback from people who have read the magazine, sometimes I don’t. Most recipients are casual acquaintances or strangers I’m unlikely to see again. It doesn’t matter.

I know my issues of Faith & Friends will be read and impact people from all walks of life.

Here are some other ways to share your Faith & Friends to reach more people and impact more lives: • Give Faith & Friends away at Christmas dinners, in sunshine bags and in Christmas hampers. Give it away at the Christmas kettles and when your band performs. Go doorto-door in your community with copies.

• Take Faith & Friends to community events, bazaars and fairs, park services, picnics and barbecues.

• Take Faith & Friends on nursing home and hospital visits. With permission, place copies in public waiting areas of government and business buildings. Give copies to libraries and schools.

Salvationist October 2016 17

REEL TO REAL

Sunny Side Up

Photos: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

What Inside Out can teach us about our emotions.

In our culture, films have become a place where we wrestle with the big questions of life. Who is God? What gives life meaning? What does it mean to be human? Reel to Real explores the intersection between film and theology, offering thoughtful engagement with an art form capable of conveying deep spiritual truth. Dr. Michael Boyce, head of English and film studies at Booth University College in Winnipeg, and Eilis O’Connor (not her real name), a teenager who aspires to a future in human rights law and politics, reflect on Inside Out. Dear Michael,

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s a child, my favourite movie was Mary Poppins.

Most movies had bits that I found frightening, so I stuck with what I knew. The only animated films I remember watching were Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and I don’t think my parents were happy with their message.

I have never been a fan of animated films and, to be perfectly honest with you, when I heard that I would be writing about one, I groaned inwardly.

I justified my dislike by reasoning that I couldn’t relate to computer-generated characters. But Inside Out immediately 18 October 2016 Salvationist

dispelled this notion. The film centres on Riley Anderson, an 11-year-old girl whose family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. Riley is controlled by five personified emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. Joy essentially runs the show in Riley’s mind. She is constantly trying to keep Sadness away from Riley’s happiest core memories, lest those memories be tainted.

But when Joy tries to remove a core memory tainted by Sadness, she faces dangerous consequences. As humans, we are pressured to believe that we must strive for constant joy and that sadness is an emotion we must avoid. While I agree that joy is something we should all hope for, God gave us a spectrum of feelings for a reason.

What’s your take?

Eilis Dear Eilis,

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had a different experience with animated film growing up. I loved cartoons—everything from Looney Tunes to Scooby Doo to the classic Disney films. While I don’t watch many animated films these days, I, too, was struck by Inside Out and the various ways I related to Riley’s experiences, particularly the role of sadness. I especially liked how the fantastic things

REEL TO REAL happening in Riley’s mind are anchored in reality—the stress are integral to core happy memories. of moving, the anxiety of finding new friends.

As for the difference between joy and happiness, it’s hard You’re absolutely correct: we typically think of sadness for me to say. From personal experience, at least, I would argue as something to be avoided or even denied. There’s a lot of that joy is a much more powerful (although brief) emotion. pressure to be “happy”—which, it seems to me, is missing an Joy is almost euphoric, while happiness is milder, but more important aspect of our emotional well-being. So often we likely to remain constant. treat sadness as a “bad” emotion, something we’re not supWe learn another lesson from Joy, who is absolutely desposed to feel. And yet, as Joy learns, sadness can be incredibly perate to retain control of the situation—in this case, Riley’s powerful in shaping our core memories. My own memories of mind. In Proverbs 19:21, we read, “Many are the plans in my grandmother, for example, are more powerful because of a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” the sadness I feel now that she’s When Riley is left alone with promoted to glory. It’s interestAnger, Fear and Disgust, Joy is ing that this isn’t a lesson Riley forced to realize the situation learns directly; it’s something is beyond her control, and that Joy has to learn.

Riley can’t feel only joy all the In fact, all of the other emotime. In the end, Riley is better tions that control Riley’s experiable to identify and cope with ences could be (and have been) her feelings. considered “negative:” Disgust, Sometimes, it’s hard for us Anger, Fear. However, each to trust that God has a plan. plays an important role. As Why do you think we have such Joy herself notes, Disgust keeps a difficult time with this? And Riley from being poisoned, what was your take-away from Anger helps her compete and Inside Out? Fear keeps her safe. As you note, Eilis God gives us a wide spectrum of feelings, and often those feelDear Eilis, ings are messy.

It’s interesting that the think the main reason lead emotion is “Joy,” not is because of the lack “Happiness.” I think it’s an of control you mention. important distinction, although More often than not, we avoid I’m not sure if many people Inside Out focuses on Riley, an 11-year-old girl whose family moves situations where we lack conthink of them as different. I’ve from Minnesota to San Francisco. The film is set mostly in her mind, trol. When you add powerful, given this a lot of thought over where five personified emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and often volatile, emotions, there’s the years as part of my spiritual Disgust—struggle to guide her through the stress of adjusting to new a strong sense of helplessness surroundings journey. I consider joy a conthat most people don’t handle scious choice, one that can be well. We like to be in control. made in times of sadness or anger. Happiness seems more like And I think that’s connected to my ultimate take-away from the emotion of anger, a reaction to something happening: I this movie: the role that emotions play in our lives. feel happy when seeing a friend or getting an unexpected gift.

As I write this, I’m still processing a variety of emotions The feeling is real, but temporary. Joy, on the other hand, is about the tragedies and horrors of this world: sadness over the a willingness to be positive, to see God’s goodness no matter senseless loss of life in mass shootings (and some “Christian” what I’m feeling. responses); anger over police violence and violence against What do you think? Why do we feel such a push to be happy police; disgust at the news of another terrorist attack and all the time? Where does that come from? Do you think there’s another murdered child. a difference between joy and happiness?

At one time in my life, I thought such emotions were “bad” Michael because they got in the way of reason and logic. But that’s just nonsense. Like Joy learns in Inside Out, emotions play a crucial Dear Michael, role in our lives. It’s what we do with them that’s important.

When “joy” is in control (and I think joy is much deeper and visited my local bookstore recently and was surprised by more profound than happiness), emotions such as anger and the size of the self-help section. Walking through the aisle, sadness can spur us on to actions of justice, mercy and love, I was confronted by aggressive titles along the lines of: Find to work toward creating the kingdom of God. They can lead Your Happiness—NOW! and Unlocking the Key to Eternal Joy. us to show kindness in a cynical world, to be, paraphrasing While I’m sure that some of these books are helpful, I wonder the words of Teresa of Avila, the hands and feet of Christ. if some of them give people unrealistic expectations.

I fear that people will dismiss Inside Out because it’s an We are fed this notion that the pursuit of happiness should animated film, and fail to grasp the value of its message. It’s be our ultimate goal. While I do agree that it’s important, it so much more than a “kid’s film.” Well, as they say, out of the would be strange to experience it constantly. How could we mouths of babes. really appreciate it? As you mentioned, emotions like sadness Michael

I

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Salvationist October 2016 19

Before the Throne Why do we kneel at the mercy seat?

e call it the mercy seat. Others call it the penitent form.

Still others call it the altar. What is it? Why is it there?

Maybe you’re new to The Salvation Army, or maybe you’ve been a soldier for years and never understood why, when it comes time for the “altar call” or “time of response,” people often kneel at a simple wooden bench at the front of the sanctuary. Is this practice outdated, or is it still useful? What is the biblical understanding of the “mercy seat”?

Major Joseph Vijay Boda, former executive secretary for social services in India, explains, “The mercy seat in Salvation Army meetings symbolizes God’s unremitting call to his people to meet with him. It is not only a place for repentance and forgiveness, but also a place for communion and commitment … [where] we may experience a deep awareness of God’s abundant grace and claim his boundless salvation.”

In Scripture, the first mention of the mercy seat is in Exodus 25. The kapporeth or “place of atonement” was the slab of gold covering the Ark of the Covenant. Imagine—the place of atonement covered the opening to the presence of God. Jesus became our place of atonement once and for all. His blood makes us clean and his grace cancels our debts.

When we kneel at the mercy seat, we are placing our sins on Christ. We lay them down and, in so doing, we are invited to pick up a new life, based on the unmerited grace and forgiveness that Christ offers us in his death and Resurrection.

The mercy seat is a sacred place, whether we are at a holiness meeting at our corps or at a special event, where the chairs have been turned around, waiting for those who seek repentance or reconciliation. It is a place of divine encounter.

But it’s so much more than a specific place. We have access to this mercy seat anywhere, any time, any place. No, it’s not a new app for your cellphone or computer. The mercy seat is never far away, 20 October 2016 Salvationist

no matter where you are. The mercy seat is found in our hearts.

When we accept Christ and receive forgiveness, we also receive the blessing of his presence. The Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. Not in some sort of alien, “body snatchers” way, but rather in a Creator-meets-and-communes-withcreation sort of way. His presence is the mercy seat in our hearts, where we can come at any time before him to confess, commune and grow in his image.

Photo: Steve Nelson

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BY CAPTAIN SCOTT STRISSEL

have to go back. Nothing could be further from the truth! If Brengle, one of our first theologians, went to his mercy seat frequently, how much more do we still need it in our lives?

The mercy seat beckons us to: •• surrender our lives to God—or surrender again; •• respond to the Holy Spirit and pour out the deepest secrets of our hearts; •• seek forgiveness and reconciliation; •• re-ignite our commitment; •• pray in thanksgiving; •• intercede for others; •• bring a brother or sister who needs encouragement and assurance, who desires new life and is sick of sin.

Is the mercy seat pointless in our modern, sophisticated age? Yes. It’s as pointless as the Son of God stepping down out of heaven and taking our sins

“The mercy seat in Salvation Army meetings symbolizes God’s unremitting call to his people to meet with him”—Mjr Joseph Vijay Boda

Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle once said, “I have carried a penitent form (mercy seat) around in my heart half a century or more. And if there is ever any need, I constantly fly to thee.”

The mercy seat isn’t just for sinners.

It takes real courage to come before the church and kneel at the altar. Many people worry about what others will think, but shame on anyone who would criticize a brother or sister penitent before the Lord. Or we may think that once we’ve gone to the altar, we shouldn’t

upon himself. If that is pointless, then so are our lives.

The mercy seat is so much more than a kneeling place for sinners or saints. It is the exhalation of sin and the inhalation of salvation, new life and holiness. We should preach and emphasize it over and over again, with clarity, sincerity and truth.

Captain Scott Strissel is the corps officer at Evansville Corps and Community Center in Indiana. He blogs at pastorsponderings.org.

The Lux Aeterna choir on stage at Carnegie Hall

Heavenly Chorus A Salvation Army officer makes her debut at Carnegie Hall.

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BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN

ew York City’s Carnegie Hall is one of the world’s most famous stages, hosting performers such as Billie Holiday, the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Earlier this year, a Salvation Army officer added her name to that prestigious list, performing Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna at Carnegie as a member of the Flin Flon Community Choir.

For Major Debbie Allen, corps officer in Flin Flon, Man., it was an experience like none other.

“It was amazing,” says Major Allen, a soprano. “Singing with a choir of 160 people, there was such support there.

Everybody wanted to do their best, to sing the piece the way it was supposed to be sung, and we accomplished that.

It felt really good.”

Major Allen has been the corps officer in Flin Flon since 2013, and a member of the community choir almost as long.

“The week after I arrived, I went to a Rotary meeting. We sang O Canada, and several members of the club said to me afterward, ‘You need to join the choir,’ ” she says.

Major Allen grew up in The Salvation Army and has always been involved in music ministry, both choral and band, so the community choir was a natural fit.

Performing at Carnegie Hall was an “amazing” experience for Mjr Debbie Allen

“I like to sing, and it’s an opportunity to get to know people in the community, beyond the church circles,” Major Allen says. Along with the community choir, she also plays in the Flin Flon Community Band.

As the only Salvation Army officer in a town of 5,600, Major Allen sees participation in the choir as an extension of her ministry. “In a small town, everybody knows who you are and, being in the choir, I get to know who they are

as well,” she says. “Participating in community activities shows people that I want to belong here. It’s important for the community to know that I see this as my home.”

In her three seasons with the choir, Major Allen has performed a wide repertoire, from the Messiah to Les Misérables.

“Our choir director, Crystal Kolt, had been trying to get the rights to do Les Misérables for 20 years,” notes Major Allen. “We did five performances, all sold-out. We had a power failure during one of the performances, but the show went on. The crowd did not leave because the singers were amazing.”

The choir started practising Lux Aeterna in January to perform at Carnegie Hall on June 12. It was one of a dozen choirs participating in the performance. The concert, presented

by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), was conducted by Jonathan Griffith, DCINY artistic director.

The name of the piece, which runs approximately 27 minutes, means “eternal light” in Latin. “It is a religious piece,” Major Allen notes. “We were singing about Jesus as the eternal light—that gave it great significance for me.”

Lux Aeterna is divided into five parts, two of which are taken from the requiem mass and three of which come from Te Deum, a hymn of praise to God. After months of practice, Major Allen entered Carnegie Hall on the morning of the performance for a final dress rehearsal. At first, the size of the hall, which seats 2,800, was intimidating.

“The room is huge,” she remembers.

“Even though there were 160 of us, we felt so little.”

Walking back on stage later that day, Major Allen was excited to see the hall was about 80 percent full. “The room was electric,” she smiles.

When the final notes faded to silence, the audience was absolutely still, and after about five seconds, rewarded the performers with a well-deserved standing ovation. The New York Concert Review described the performance as a “celestial journey.”

The Flin Flon Community Choir hopes to be back at Carnegie Hall in two years, singing with DCINY again.

Until then, the choir has set its sights on another New York institution: Broadway.

In spring 2017, it will perform Mamma Mia or Shrek: The Musical, to an enthusiastic hometown crowd in Flin Flon.

Salvationist October 2016 21

SPIRITUAL LIFE

Time Out Spiritual transformation happens in the middle of life’s messy moments.

Photo: Carson Samson

BY CADET JENNIFER HENSON

Cdts Rob and Jennifer Henson and their sons, Isaac, 6, and Elijah, 8

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have a confession to make: I’m not perfect and neither is my family.

(There, that felt good! If you’re anything like me, it’s a relief when another parent admits their weaknesses. It’s consoling to know we’re not alone.)

So you can imagine how relieved I was to read in one of my textbooks at the College for Officer Training that God works through all types of families. It was reassuring to hear that my family could still be a place to grow in love, acceptance, forgiveness and grace, despite our dysfunctions and shortcomings.

Spiritual Formation: A Wesleyan Paradigm, by Mark A. Maddix and Diane Leclerc, explains how this spiritual growth happens. Families are one of the main places we grow in our relationships with Christ and experience inner transformation. This transformation occurs as God speaks to us through our ordinary, daily routines. It takes place in our day-to-day interactions and in how we 22 October 2016 Salvationist

depend on God’s power to relate to one another. This divine power is especially valuable smack-dab in the middle of an “I need a time out” moment.

Do you ever have those? I think it’s safe to say that family relationships can be some of the most difficult and I, for one, could use some divine help on a regular basis. The bonus is that God not only helps me through challenging moments, but he transforms them into opportunities for my family to see him through me. He takes my weaknesses and turns them into occasions for them to experience his goodness. This exchange happens when I depend on his power and trust in his guidance.

Let me give you an example of this sanctifying journey. Before having children, I could hold my temper, even when someone was irritating me and I was short on patience. But over the past eight years, a few things have changed. On this journey of motherhood, I have seen my ugliest uglies bubble up. Where did all

of my patience go?

Sometimes my kids even model my less-than-stellar behaviour, providing me with a front-row seat to a re-enactment of my mistakes. Knowing the value Jesus placed on humility, I’ve often asked my kids for forgiveness. I’ve noticed that when they see how I respond to mistakes, it affects their spiritual formation.

Together we learn about repentance, forgiveness, grace and love.

The Apostle Paul writes, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Our families see us in our weakest moments and notice most of our character defects, but it is then that God’s power is made perfect. It is in these moments of vulnerability and intimacy that we help each other grow.

Along with spontaneous opportunities for spiritual formation, it’s important to intentionally practise spiritual disciplines as a family. Here are some that Maddix and Leclerc recommend: 1. Worship—attending church together.

Faith communities provide a place to share our struggles and our stories, and are where we recognize our connection to the broader family of God. 2. Discipleship—praying and reading Scripture together, over a meal or during a car ride.

3. Mission—serving together, whether at a local shelter or on an overseas mission trip.

4. Stewardship—learning together how to manage time, money and talents.

Keep in mind that every family is different. We need to discover what works to nurture spiritual formation for our family. Over time, the disciplines we connect with will likely change as we change, and that’s to be expected.

Whether it’s through the organic, day-to-day moments, or through the intentional practice of spiritual disciplines, don’t lose perspective: it’s God who is growing your family spiritually, even through your imperfections.

Cadet Jennifer Henson is in her second year of study in the Joyful Intercessors Session at the College for Officer Training in Winnipeg.

Race Relations Why I support the Black Lives Matter movement.

BY CAPTAIN MARK BRAYE

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n July 2013, George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. In the protests that followed, a hashtag on social media, #BlackLivesMatter, soon grew into what has been called a new civil rights movement.

Black Lives Matter has organized more than a thousand street demonstrations, bringing attention to the deaths of African Americans—such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Walter Scott, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, among others—at the hands of police.

In the United States, black men make up six percent of the population, but in 2015, they were 40 percent of all the unarmed people shot and killed by police, reports the Washington Post.

Black Lives Matter is a call to action against systemic racism and inequality, a call for justice.

Some have criticized the Black Lives Matter movement by responding, “All lives matter.” While this is true, it’s not a helpful reaction. It’s insensitive and dismissive of real issues and concerns.

In the United States, black men make up six percent of the population, but in 2015, they were 40 percent of all the unarmed people shot and killed by police.

No one says “all lives matter” when someone is drowning—we respond to the emergency in front of us. No one says “all cancer matters” when someone is dying of breast cancer. No one says “all cities matter” when praying for Orlando or another city struck by tragedy. Black Lives Matter doesn’t mean only black lives matter; it means racism and injustice against people of colour is something

urgent we need to address.

Still another response to Black Lives Matter has been “Blue Lives Matter,” acknowledging that police officers risk their lives in the line of duty. In July, a gunman killed five police officers and injured nine others at a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas. A few weeks later, three more police officers were targeted in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Both were revenge attacks for the killing of black men by police.

Let’s be clear—the killing of police officers is tragic and completely unacceptable. But does that mean we can’t support the Black Lives Matter movement? Former U.S. president George W. Bush said, “Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our best intentions.” Does supporting a movement for its best intentions mean we are also supporting its worst examples? Should peaceful members of Black Lives Matter renounce the movement because of the racism and violence of other members?

Should lawful police officers leave their profession because of the racism and violence of some police officers? Should Christians leave Christianity because of the bigotry and hate speech of the Westboro Baptist Church?

We often paint one group with the same brush (e.g. all Black Lives Matter members hate police) and another group with two brushes, to suit our beliefs (e.g. there are good police officers and bad police officers). Not all members of the Black Lives Matter movement hate police. Not all police officers are racist.

Our world is broken and suffering.

It’s why innocent black men are killed.

It’s why police officers are killed while protecting and serving the community.

We can be pro-Black Lives Matter and pro-Blue Lives Matter—these things do not have to be mutually exclusive.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks about his followers having love for each other. And not just any love, but the kind of love Jesus showed, love that lays down one’s life for friends. As Christians, we are called to show this self-sacrificial love. We are called to live in hope, as the words of Ella’s Song, by activist Bernice Johnson Reagon, make clear: “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”

Captain Mark Braye is the corps officer at Sarnia Community Church, Ont. Salvationist October 2016 23

Photo: © DJMcCoy/iStock.com

#TRENDING

Illuminating Women Reclaiming their role in Scripture.

BY LIEUTENANT KRISTEN JACKSON-DOCKERAY

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ctober is for cozy sweaters and woolen socks, apple picking and fall colours, pumpkinspice lattes and Thanksgiving. It’s also women’s history month, a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements of women who blazed a trail in Canada.

Women have shaped the history of the church, as well. For too long, their stories have been ignored, overlooked and forgotten. It’s time to change that.

So light a fire, curl up under a quilt and read about these heroes of our faith.

There is no doubt that the biblical text was written in a patriarchal culture. Men are named far more often than women. Men hold positions of leadership more often than women. And yet, Scripture is full of examples of women who were warriors and judges, poets and prophets, teachers and deacons.

The prophet Huldah is an important 24 October 2016 Salvationist

Scripture is full of examples of women who were warriors and judges, poets and prophets, teachers and deacons. figure in Israel’s history. When King Josiah realized how far the Israelites had strayed from God’s word, he turned to her for help. He called on Huldah, not because there were no other options—he could have consulted with Jeremiah— but because she stood out among the

prophets (see 2 Kings 22:14-20).

The story of the prophet Anna is found in Luke 2. When Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, Anna recognized the Saviour and praised God. She spoke about Jesus and the redemption of Jerusalem to everyone who would listen.

The Bible identifies 10 female prophets: Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Noadiah and Isaiah’s wife in the Old Testament; Anna and the four daughters of Philip in the New Testament. Other women, such as Rachel, Hannah, Abigail, Elizabeth and Mary, are described as having prophetic visions about the future of their children, the destiny of the nations and the coming Saviour. Junia is described as “outstanding among the apostles” (Romans 16:7).

C.S. Lewis writes, “We read to know that we are not alone.” These stories are important. They speak to women who find it hard to see themselves in the biblical text. They whisper to our weary souls: you are not alone.

These stories show us who God is.

They show us that God values women.

They show us that we are part of the story, that our voices are needed to point others to the Saviour, Jesus Christ, the one who has come to redeem the world.

When the Holy Spirit descended upon the first Christians at Pentecost, Peter recalled the words of the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy …

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy” (Acts 2:17-18).

The kingdom vision of Jesus restores women to wholeness, to their full humanity. God called Huldah from among male contemporaries to guide the nation of Judah back to him. He called Anna, an old widow, to step out in faith and announce the reign of God’s kingdom.

He calls all women, without exception, to use their gifts for the kingdom.

As we read their stories, let’s remember that the same creative, life-giving power that was at work in their lives is available to us, too. The same God who called them is calling us. How will you respond?

Lieutenant Kristen Jackson-Dockeray is the divisional youth secretary in the British Columbia Division.

Photo: © kevron2001/stock.Adobe.com

HERSTORY

CROSS CULTURE

IN REVIEW

ON THE WEB

All But Normal

Life on victory road

BY SHAWN THORNTON Growing up, Shawn Thornton’s life was far from normal.

His mother, Beverly, was involved in a terrible car crash, leaving her with limited motor skills and violent mood swings. Her disability would impact every aspect of their family life.

And so All But Normal is a tumultuous coming-of-age story, as well as a testimony of faith, written by Thornton, a pastor in California. It’s a complex tale, and Thornton renders it in all its complexity, never reducing his mother to her disabilities. A moment of rage might prompt her to throw knives or plates. But Bev was also a devoted Bible reader, Sunday school teacher and friend to the elderly, poor and marginalized wherever she went. She might have been “broken,” Thornton concludes, but she “was also my greatest example of what it means to live and love like Jesus.”

The Birth of a Nation DIRECTED BY NATE PARKER Based on true events, The Birth of a Nation tells the story of Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a slave who led a rebellion in Virginia in 1831—the most successful slave rebellion in American history. As a child, Turner was taught to read so that he could study the Bible and become a preacher to his fellow slaves. Turner’s master takes him across the country on a speaking tour to profit from his preaching.

But when Turner sees the scope and widespread brutalities of slavery, he decides he must take action. An intelligent and well-researched film, The Birth of a Nation won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered earlier this year, and is already generating Oscar buzz.

Lucifer

What if the devil left hell, moved to Los Angeles and started solving crimes with the local police department? Strange as it may sound, that is the premise of Lucifer, a television show that begins its second season this fall. The show follows Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), who leaves hell because he is bored and wants to open his own nightclub. But after a friend of his is killed, he teams up with Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German) to capture criminals, using his supernatural ability to know any person’s hidden desires and compel them to speak the truth.

On the one hand, Lucifer is a fairly standard police procedural, but it raises interesting questions about free will and redemption. The most evil being in all of creation chooses to come to earth, where he helps others (including a priest), donates to charities and starts seeing a therapist to help him deal with his emotional problems. Can an evil person change?

Would God forgive such a being, if he were to repent? Lucifer is a work of fantasy, not theology, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Faith & Witness podcast faithandwitness.libsyn.com

This summer, the Faith and Witness Commission of the Canadian Council of Churches launched a monthly podcast, Faith & Witness, that explores ecumenism—“what happens when churches talk to each other and the people who have spent their lives in dialogue with Christians of other traditions.” Released during the first week of the month, the podcast runs between approximately 60 and 90 minutes, divided into two or three segments. The first segment involves a dialogue between two people from differing denominations, followed by an interview. Thus far, the podcast has featured a range of clergy and lay people, from denominations such as the United, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Orthodox churches. Episodes can be streamed from the website or downloaded and listened to on another device.

IN THE NEWS Philistine Burial Ground Discovered

Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath but, beyond what is recorded in the Bible, we know very little about that infamous giant and his civilization. That may change, thanks to a recent discovery in southern Israel.

Archeologists have discovered the first Philistine cemetery ever to be found, after more than 30 years of exploration at the site. The scientists unearthed bones, along with jugs, jars, jewelry and weaponry. Samples from the bones will undergo three different kinds of testing—DNA, radiocarbon and biological distance studies—to shed light on the Philistines’ origins.

Salvationist October 2016 25

PEOPLE & PLACES

BRACEBRIDGE, ONT.—The corps family at Bracebridge CC celebrates as seven adherents are welcomed and six senior soldiers are enrolled. Front, from left, CSM Nancy Turley, Jamie Eaton, Bobbi Dawkins, George Morrison, Danielle Bullock, Alyssa Hawn and Cpt Carolyn Reid, then CO. Back, from left, Cpt Fred Reid, then CO; Elke Schlichte; Alana Terry; Jochen Schlichte; Jim Peat; Susan Coleman; Mjr Richard Cooper, holding the flag; Shirley Stafford; Ryan Bullock; and Cathy Hawn.

GUELPH, ONT.—Donna Harris is commissioned as the corps sergeant-major at Guelph Citadel. Supporting her are Mjrs Chris and Claudette Pilgrim, COs.

GAZETTE

GAMBO, N.L.—Hannah Rideout is enrolled as a junior soldier at Gambo Corps by her parents, Cpts David and Melanie Rideout, COs, on the same day that her baby sister, Abigail Dawn, is dedicated to the Lord. Celebrating with the Rideout family are CSM Marvin Wells, who performed the dedication ceremony, and Keith Peckford, holding the flag.

INTERNATIONAL Appointments: Jan 1—Lt-Cols Kelvin/Julie Alley, TC/TPWM, Papua New Guinea Tty, with rank of col; Lt-Cols Herve/Deborah Cachelin, CS/TS for adult and family ministries, Germany, Lithuania and Poland Tty; Cols Stephen/Grace Chepkurui, TC/TPWM, Kenya West Tty, with rank of comr; Comrs Robert/Janine Donaldson, IS for accountability and governance/ ZSWM, South Pacific and East Asia Zone; Lt-Cols Lee/Deborah Graves, CS/TSWM, Canada and Bermuda Tty, with rank of col; Comrs Kenneth/ Jolene Hodder, TC/TPWM, U.S.A. Western Tty; Lt-Col Dina Ismael, CS, Papua New Guinea Tty; Lt-Cols Kelvin/Cheralynne Pethybridge, CS-incharge/TSWM, Australia Eastern Tty; Comr Denise Swansbury, ZSWM, Europe Zone; Cols Mark/Sharon Tillsley, TC/TPWM, Caribbean Tty, with rank of comr; Mjrs Morris/Wanda Vincent, CS/TSWM, Kenya West Tty, with rank of lt-col; Cols Neil/Christine Webb, principal of ICO and CSLD/ secretary for spiritual life development; Cols Andrew/Yvonne Westrupp, TC/TPWM, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Tty, with rank of comr TERRITORIAL Appointment: Mjr Ross Grandy, assistant executive director, Halifax Centre of Hope, Maritime Div Long service: 25 years—Mjr Keith Pike, Mjr Wayne Pike; 35 years—Mjr Renée Dearing Retirements: Mjr Debra Beaupre, Mjrs Ross/Brenda Bungay, Mjr Violet Chaulk Promoted to glory: Mjr Larry Farley, from Chilliwack, B.C., Jul 17

CALENDAR Commissioner Susan McMillan: Oct 9 20th anniversary, Korean CC, Toronto; Oct 15-16 territorial information weekend, CFOT; Oct 20-23 Fort McMurray, Alta.

Colonels Mark and Sharon Tillsley: Oct 8-9 125th anniversary, Montclair Citadel, New Jersey; Oct 10-14 leadership orientation, IHQ; Oct 24-25 divisional review, Ont. CE Div; Oct 30-31 in-Sunday and lecture, CFOT General Bramwell H. Tillsley (Rtd): Oct 16 homecoming, Kitchener, Ont. Canadian Staff Band: Oct 1 band clinic and concert with Impact Brass and iGNiTE, Guelph Citadel, Ont.

GATINEAU, QUE.—Front, from left, Allison Chirinos-Albert and Roland Assoune are the newest junior soldiers at Église communautaire de l’Outaouais. Supporting them are, from left, Lts Indira Albert and Juan Chirinos, COs. 26 October 2016 Salvationist

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Accepted for Training Messengers of the Gospel Session (2016-2018) College for Officer Training, Winnipeg Kaitlyn Young Cobourg Community Church, Ontario CentralEast Division I feel blessed to be a teacher and to have learned about culturally responsive education for Aboriginal and First Nations people. I am looking forward to applying those skills to my future ministry. My time at the training college is an answer to prayer and a long-awaited fulfilment of God’s call on my life.

Andrew Benson Fort McMurray, Alberta and Northern Territories Division Officership means I will have the privilege of equipping and encouraging others as they seek to be closer to God. It’s about serving Jesus and giving it all I’ve got.

April Ward Glover’s Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador Division I felt the call to officership at an early age, but didn’t feel qualified for this calling. God placed people in my life to love and support me, who helped me realize that he equips us if we allow him to have his way in our lives. I look forward to learning and sharing community with other cadets at the CFOT. Brian Dueck North Vancouver, British Columbia Division Officership means serving from a grateful heart for having been called to God’s mission field. My prayer is that he will be glorified in my life as an officer, and by his grace, in the lives of others.

DILDO, N.L.—Front, from left, Dillon Brown and Mackinley Vokey-Wolfrey receive certificates marking their completion of the Ready to Serve program at Trinity Bay South Corps. With them are, from left, CSM Glen Reid, YPSM Cora Smith, and Mjrs Sandra and Garry Ward, COs.

FERNIE, B.C.—Two senior soldiers are enrolled at Fernie Corps. From left, Mjr James Hagglund, then CO; Andrea Horton; Robert Dyck; and Mjr Gwen Hagglund, then CO.

Officer Retirements Majors Ivan and Audrey Rowsell retired August 1. Audrey was commissioned in the Overcomers Session in 1976, and Ivan, in 1982, in the God’s Messengers Session.

Between them, they served in five corps throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, in Whitbourne, Blaketown, Little Bay Islands, Brighton and Haven of Hope in St. John’s. They served for 16 years in correctional and justice services (CJS) in St. John’s, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto, where Ivan was the divisional director of CJS chaplaincy in the Ontario Central-East Division. The Rowsells worked faithfully at territorial headquarters in Toronto, where Ivan served for seven years in the finance department and Audrey spent 11 years in a variety of appointments, including as territorial secretary for the Outer Circle and Fellowship of the Silver Star, assistant territorial women’s ministries secretary and personnel office administrator. Ivan and Audrey retired following six years at Jackson’s Point Conference Centre, as executive director of operations and executive director of guest services, respectively. They are grateful for the opportunity of service, for people who have impacted their lives and for God’s blessings and faithfulness.

In retirement, they look forward to spending quality time with family and God’s continued leading in their lives.

Majors Bertrand and Betty Lessard retired September 1.

After entering The Salvation Army as envoys in 1992, they became officers in 1995 through auxiliary-captaincy.

Their appointments have been in Montreal throughout their officership. Bertrand acted as finance officer/secretary at Quebec Divisional Headquarters for six years, after which he served as executive director of the Montreal Booth Centre for most of his remaining active officership.

Betty held various appointments at Quebec Divisional Headquarters, including in an editorial position, in the women’s ministries department, as an administrative assistant to the divisional commander, and headed a church plant out of the Booth Centre from 2013 until retirement.

Salvationist October 2016 27

PEOPLE & PLACES

DILDO, N.L.—Supported by Mjrs Garry and Sandra Ward, COs, and CSM Glen Reid, four senior soldiers have joined the ranks at Trinity Bay South Corps.

Holding their Soldier’s Covenants are, from left, Abigail Drover, Laura Drover and Destiny Reid (above), and Doreen Hann (inset).

DILDO, N.L.—Front, from left, Dale Higdon, Doreen Hann, Lawrence Mercer, Clyde Hoskins, Graham Williams and Violet Warren receive certificates as they are welcomed as members of community care ministries at Trinity Bay South Corps. Back, from left, CSM Glen Reid; Mjrs Garry and Sandra Ward, COs; Cpt Jennifer Reid, divisional adult ministries secretary and divisional secretary for spiritual life development, N.L. Div; and Cpt Bradley Reid, DSBA, N.L. Div.

TORONTO—Scarborough Citadel celebrates as three people join the ranks.

From left, Mjr Donna Millar, CO; CT Paul Thornhill, holding the flag; Marcia Farrell, who was enrolled as a senior soldier; Sharon Haist, who renewed her commitment as an adherent; James Wilkinson, who renewed his commitment as a senior soldier; and Mjr Ron Millar, CO. 28 October 2016 Salvationist

BELLEVILLE, ONT.—Belleville CC recognizes participants of its Class 101 Discipleship group with certificates marking their successful completion of the program. Front, from left, Dee Gainham, Sharleine Haycock, Valerie Watson, Terri Howes and Julie Purvis. Back, from left, Mjr Catherine Brown-Ratcliffe, CO; Mike Scott; Frank Bennett, colour sergeant; Noah Gonyea; Liam Gonyea; Dawn Gonyea; Todd Purvis; Debbie Scott; Mjr Wil Brown-Ratcliffe, CO; Brenda Storms; and Donna Hawley.

ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Four young people take a stand for Christ and are enrolled as senior soldiers at St. John’s Temple during a recent visit from the territorial commander, Commissioner Susan McMillan. Front, from left, Ana Ramirez-Cruz, Maggie Lee, Michael Hancock and Stephanie Purdy. Back, from left, Lt-Cols Douglas and Jean Hefford, then DC and DDWM, N.L. Div; Commissioner McMillan; Mjrs Wanda and Rene Loveless, COs; and RS Arlene Riche.

TRIBUTE PRINCE ALBERT, SASK.—Lt-Colonel Robert Chapman was born in 1927. He was very proud of his godly heritage which went back to the early days of The Salvation Army in London, England. At the age of 18, Bob followed God’s call and entered training college where he met his wife, Alvina. Together, Bob and Alvina served in many appointments across Canada, as corps officers, as divisional leaders in New Brunswick, Southern and Central Ontario, and Saskatchewan, and as training college staff. His final appointment leading up to retirement was as the assistant chief secretary for the Canada and Bermuda Territory. Even in retirement, Bob remained active in his ministry to others and The Salvation Army. His unwavering faith and kindness will be missed by many. Bob is joined in heaven with his wife, Alvina; son, Bob Jr.; daughter-in-law, Ruth; and grandsons Ross and Timothy. He is dearly missed by his daughter, Carolyn (Dave); grandchildren Erin (Kevin), Heather (Ryan), Stephanie (Brann) and Chris; and great-grandchildren.

He has now received his “well done” and is celebrating with his Lord and Saviour, family and friends.

PEOPLE & PLACES

ROBERT’S ARM, N.L.—Margaret Rice retires following 35 years of faithful service as the corps treasurer at Robert’s Arm Corps. Presenting her with a certificate to mark the occasion is Mjr Lindsay Oxford, then CO.

ST. THOMAS, ONT.—Young people from St. Thomas Corps are this year’s champions of Bible Bowl, an in-depth Bible quiz competition for students across the Ont. GL Div. Throughout the year, young people studied Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon, and then met for a very close final round of competition between St. Thomas Corps and London Citadel. Celebrating with the winning team is Cpt Jennifer Hale, DYS, Ont. GL Div (back, left).

GATINEAU, QUE.—Exciting things are happening at Église communautaire de l’Outaouais as five senior soldiers are enrolled. From left, Lt Juan Chirinos, CO; Jean François Lauzon; Kerlin Génard; Hercule Génard; Claire Génard; Anne Génard; and Lt Indira Albert, CO.

WOODSTOCK, ONT.—Five junior soldiers, one senior soldier and three adherents are enrolled and welcomed at Woodstock CC. Front, from left, Christina Fyn, junior soldier teacher; Zion Kim, Jason Waterland, Joshua Kim, Sierra Wegman and Charter Noels, junior soldiers. Middle, from left, Don Nutt, Shirley Foster and Randy Foster, adherents; and Robert Donaldson, senior soldier. Back, from left, Mjr Gayle Sears, CO; CSM Janis Coon; Gregory Jolly, holding the flag; and Mjr Stephen Sears, CO.

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SALVATION STORIES

Never Give Up When my dreams were shattered, God restored my hope and my life.

BY CHARLENE FEAKINS

I

’ve always been a dreamer. I dreamed of being a missionary, and God opened the door for me to serve in Brazil, Mozambique and South Africa. I dreamed of getting married and having a family, and then I met a young man through church. It seemed like all my dreams were coming true.

But over the next five-and-a-half years, my dream turned into a nightmare. We had what I thought was unexplained infertility. I came to realize that perhaps I would never be a mother to my own biological children. I tried to accept it with grace, wondering if it was God’s plan for me to become a foster mother and adopt children.

As the problems in my marriage grew, I realized not having children might be for the best. I was unhappy with who I was and what my marriage had become. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I couldn’t sit still, staying busy so that I didn’t have time to think. I couldn’t hear God’s voice. I knew that he loved me, but I struggled to see how he was answering my prayers. Things were so bad that I almost listened to the voice that said, “Just give up. It’s not worth living anymore.”

In November 2011, I made one of the most difficult decisions of my life—to leave my marriage. I ended up in the hospital.

I couldn’t work. I was humiliated, terrified of what my family and friends would think.

“When I look at my children, I am reminded of God’s provision and faithfulness,” says Charlene Feakins, with her husband, Martin, and children, Connor and Ashlyn

All that mattered was that I was a child of God who was forgiven and deeply loved.

Feakins with children in Mozambique, where she went on a short-term mission trip in 2005

30 October 2016 Salvationist

Then I came to the altar at Kingston Citadel, Ont., and knelt in brokenness to pray. Majors David and April McNeilly, the corps officers, accepted me as I was. It didn’t matter to them what sin I carried or that I had left my husband. All that mattered was that I was a child of God who was forgiven and deeply loved.

The Salvation Army offered me community. It helped me rebuke the lie that said my life wasn’t worth living. It helped me reclaim my God-given potential. It helped restore my faith.

On July 6, 2013, I walked down the aisle to say my vows to the most caring, loving and gentle man I have ever met. Later that year, we were able to work side-by-side in Tanzania with people experiencing mental health issues. We now have two beautiful children, a boy and a girl.

When I think back to what I went through—the fear, pain, hurt and rejection; applying for bankruptcy, almost losing my home—it all seems like a horrible nightmare. Sometimes I forget that it was even my life. But those tough times taught me great lessons and have shaped and formed who I am today.

I share my story as a praise offering to God. I thank him every day for the life he has given me. I wake up in a home where I feel safe, loved, cared for and protected. When I look at my children, I am reminded of God’s provision and faithfulness.

We have a mighty God—we must never give up hope that he answers prayer in ways far greater than we can ever imagine.

I had given up on the dreams God placed in my heart as a little girl, but he restored my dreams and my life. I continue to be a dreamer—and I pray that God will shape and mould my dreams to honour him.

HIGHER EDUCATION FOR A HIGHER PURPOSE. EDUCATION FOR A BETTER WORLD

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