Salvationist September 2019

Farewell Interview With Commissioner Susan McMillan

Gateway Garden Offers Healthy Options

How the Raptors’ Victory Changed Us

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

September 2019

Leaving everything behind, a family gets a new start with The Salvation Army

Salvationist.ca

Escape From Syria’s War Zone

CONTENTS

Salvationist September 2019 • Volume 14, Number 9

Departments 5 Inbox 6 Frontlines 9 Fresh Ideas Raise the Roof

by Giselle Randall

21 Perspectives See Differently

by Lt-Colonel John P. Murray

Just for Kids 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.

25 Cross Culture 26 People & Places 30 Salvation Stories Youth on a Mission

by Jason Wilson

Columns 4 Editorial

10

Semicolons and Hope

by Geoff Moulton

17 Viewpoint School of Thought

by Darryn Oldford

19 Not Called?

A Joint Call

by Ken Ramstead

24 Grace Notes Come As You Are

by Captain Laura Van Schaick

30

Features 10 A Grand Adventure As she takes up new responsibilities, Commissioner Susan McMillan reflects on the challenges of being territorial commander, the joys of ministry and what God has taught her along the way.

Interview by Geoff Moulton

14 Freedom in Christ From a Syrian prison cell to a Salvation Army church, Maan and Marwah Dabbagh trust God to guide their steps.

by Kristin Ostensen

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

On the cover: The Dabbagh family; photo by Timothy Cheng

Read and share it!

Volunteer Gives Back

MEETING NEEDS P.8

Helping Schoolkids

FOOD FOR THOUGHT P.10

Go Ahead

SMILE! P.26

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

faithandfriends.ca

SEPTEMBER 2019

20 Learning by Heart Education provides hope and a future in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

by Major Donna Barthau

22 The Calculus of Grace The brother who stayed.

by Donald E. Burke

Come From Away

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE SMASH BROADWAY MUSICAL. P.16

Salvationist September 2019 3

EDITORIAL

Semicolons and Hope

P

ity the semicolon. It’s a piece of punctuation that has largely fallen into disuse—replaced either by the long “em dash” or by parentheses (as seen in this sentence). When people do use it, they usually don’t get it right.

For the word nerds among us, the semicolon indicates a pause between two main clauses that is more pronounced than a comma. It allows you to join two related but distinct thoughts, which results in a stronger, more interesting sentence.

In recent years, the semicolon has been used as a symbol by people who have experienced mental health challenges, suicidal thoughts, self-injury and addiction. Known as Project Semicolon, the movement’s aim is to help people rewrite their life stories in a positive way.

As the project’s website explains: “A semicolon is used when an author could have chosen to end their sentence, but didn’t. The author is you and the sentence is your life.” Many advocates have even acquired tattoos of semicolons, which has brought visibility to the issue and created a network of support.

As an editor, I love the semicolon, but I’m even more excited by what it stands for in the lives of these survivors. I believe Christians could adopt the semicolon, too. Our stories have a distinct

Salvationist

is a monthly publication of The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory Brian Peddle General Commissioner Susan McMillan Territorial Commander Lt-Colonel John P. Murray Secretary for Communications Geoff Moulton Editor-in-Chief and Literary Secretary Giselle Randall Features Editor (416-467-3185) Pamela Richardson News Editor, Copy Editor and Production Co-ordinator (416-422-6112) Kristin Ostensen Associate Editor and Staff Writer 4 September 2019 Salvationist

“before” and “after”: I was dead in my sin; I have been made alive in Christ. We are all in need of his grace. Our stories are not finished.

In this issue of Salvationist, we tell the story of the Dabbagh family who fled war-torn Aleppo in Syria (page 14).

During a harrowing journey through military checkpoints, they felt God’s hand protecting them. Amazingly, they made it to Canada, found a home at The Salvation Army and were enrolled as soldiers at the B.C. Congress and Commissioning in June. God is still writing their story.

I also sat down with Commissioner Susan McMillan to reflect on her five years leading the Canada and Bermuda Territory (page 10). She shares some of the highlights and challenges of her tenure. As this chapter of her officership concludes, new opportunities are on the horizon. God is still writing her story.

We also feature the testimonies of some of the 27 candidates (page 28) who have been accepted for officer training this year—the most since 2003. They have surrendered their future to God’s will.

He is still writing their stories.

Words have tremendous power.

An entire life story can be expressed

Brandon Laird Senior Graphic Designer Hannah Saley Digital 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.

in even the smallest bit of punctuation.

As American poet Lewis Thomas wrote, the semicolon leaves “a pleasant little feeling of expectancy; there is more to come; read on; it will get clearer.”

God is still writing our stories. Read on; the best is yet to come!

GEOFF MOULTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Mission

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

INBOX Out of the Box

Putting mission first revitalizes corps in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L.

difference from Monday to Saturday.

We reviewed our goals at every board meeting, before any other business. Then we started to take action—How are we going to get there?

For our first goal, we distributed a letter to make sure everyone in the corps was aware of our financial reality. We did a sermon series on stewardship. We delivered church envelopes, rather than leaving them in the foyer in hopes that they would be picked up. And we kept the congregation informed of our expenses and giving through monthly updates.

After two years, we were completely self-sufficient—and even able to hire a janitor and full-time community and youth ministries co-ordinator.

Our next goal was to focus on children and youth, keeping in mind advice from a church revitalization conference: “Act like the church you want to be.”

Even though we only had one or two kids, we started a nursery program and held family-friendly activities. We got kids involved in the service by taking up the offering, and we began a singing company that participated every other

Sunday. Now, we have 15 to 20 children under the age of 12 on a Sunday morning.

Our third goal was outreach, so we looked for the gaps in our community and found ways that we could fill them.

With a hydroelectric megaproject in our backyard, rent is steep and homelessness is an issue. We were one of the community partners that worked together to make a homeless shelter a reality. And we started a monthly community meal on Saturdays, which has grown from 15-20 people to more than 200 at our Christmas dinner last December. We are also responding to the need for mental health supports and services.

As we began to see results after the first cycle of strategic planning, the board and congregation realized the value of this process, and we have set three new goals every year.

Changeless Mission Another key factor was the mindset that mission matters most. While I’ve always wanted to see people come to Jesus, attending a conference with Dr. Paul Borden, a well-known church revitaliza-

Five young Salvationists reveal how they are keeping the faith as emerging adults.

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN

ove over, millennials. Gen Z—loosely defined as people born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s—are now entering adulthood.

It’s a demographic shift the church needs to pay attention to—especially as Gen Z is reportedly the most secular generation yet.

Studies by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) have found that major life transitions—for example, graduat-

ing from high school—are times when youth are most likely to leave the church. The EFC’s latest report, Renegotiating Faith, shows how the church can encourage them to stay (see “Renegotiating Faith,” page 12).

So how does The Salvation Army stack up? Five young Salvationists share candidly about what keeps them connected and offer insights into how the Army could strengthen its ministry to emerging adults.

Kailey Gillis is in her third year of studying at Booth University College, where she is a member of the residence advisory group, a student ambassador in the admissions office and a member of the Booth University College senate

to look to God,” she says. “Being part of a good church family has kept me grounded and reminded me that even when I can’t pray, someone else is praying for me. That’s so powerful.”

Raised in Toronto’s Yorkminster Citadel, Gillis is now in her third year at Booth University College in Winnipeg.

She has not yet decided on a career path, but is studying religion. “I came to Booth knowing that I wanted to have a role in improving people’s lives,” she says. “When people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I had no idea, but I knew that I wanted to

help people.”

Yet she may not have ended up at Booth had it not been for her mentors, Steve and Erika White, who were divisional youth secretaries for the Ontario Central-East Division while she was a teen.

“Steve looked at me one day and said, ‘You like helping people. You should go to Booth,’ ” Gillis recalls. “I was in Grade 10, I had no plans to go to Booth. But that was what sparked my first interest—because he had taken an interest in me and knew what I was about.”

A suggestion such as Steve’s can have a profound influence on a young person’s future. But Gillis says that all the small “nudges” from mentors along the way are just as crucial for spiritual development and discipleship.

“It’s having people constantly reminding you of why we do what we do,” she says. “It’s someone asking you, ‘Do you know why we’re standing on this kettle?’ You need someone to be intentional with you, making sure that your spiritual growth is a priority.”

While some young people struggle to stay connected with a church community after moving away from home, for Gillis, that was not a problem.

“When I moved from Ontario to Manitoba to go to school, I was automatically connected with a church because of The Salvation Army,” she says. “Even though I didn’t know any of the people at my new corps, there was already a bond because of the Army.”

Photos: Kristin Ostensen

From my understanding, all these young people were connected to The Salvation Army while growing up or involved in music. How O do we retain young people who are not musical and new to the Army? I agree it’s not just through programs, but being able to develop long-lasting mentoring relationships, and finding the time to do so. Corps officers and divisional leadership must make time to mentor our youth—whatever generational letter they come from, X, Y or Z. Captain Rhonda Harmon ver the course of her life, Kailey Gillis has been involved in just about every Salvation Army activity you can think of. But as she makes the transition from teenager to young adult, 20-year-old Gillis emphasizes that when it comes to keeping the faith, programs, on their own, are far less important than having a supportive church community.

“There are times when life is stressful, and it’s not always the easiest thing

can’t do it—I’ll get too attached.

That was my response whenever my wife, Melissa, brought up the idea of becoming foster parents.

From early in our marriage, her sense of purpose and passion to make a difference in the lives of children and youth through fostering had been clear. But my consistent answer was, “I can’t.”

I knew the need for foster parents was great, and it wasn’t that I had no desire to respond. I just couldn’t imagine how I would deal with the emotions when the time came for a child to leave—a child I had grown to love and care for as my own.

Thankfully, Melissa was understanding and patient with me, and no matter where I turned, I couldn’t escape it. There was the TV ad campaign, called “Foster a Future,” that spoke about the shortage of foster homes in Newfoundland and Labrador. Then we were appointed to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., a town with one of the highest rates of chil-

dren in care in the province. One of my daily devotions was titled “a father to the fatherless.” At church on Sundays, we sang, “This is amazing grace—who makes the orphan a son and daughter.”

Just when I thought God could speak no louder, I walked into church and right there on a table in the foyer were brochures on fostering. I went into the office and asked Melissa, “Did you see this?”

“Yes, but before you ask, I had nothing to do with it!” she responded. “A social worker dropped in and asked if she could place them in our church and, of course, I said yes.”

With all these signs around me, and a wife who kept the topic at the forefront of so many conversations, I started to think about fostering in a different way.

The pivotal moment came when I asked myself, Who is this really about? If it was simply about me and how I might be negatively affected, then clearly, I couldn’t do it. But if it was about the children and youth who needed help,

the lives I could touch and the love of Jesus I could share, then I could.

Changing my answer to the question of “who” was the beginning of our journey with foster parenting. In March 2016, less than 24 hours after saying “yes,” we received our first phone call about a teen who wanted to finish his final year of high school with a family.

I Wouldn’t Change a Thing Since then, we have welcomed five children and youth into our home. Each one of them has become part of our family and holds a special place in our hearts.

Fostering has brought some of the greatest joy I have ever experienced to my life and ministry. But to be honest, it has also brought the greatest sorrow.

When I look back at my early reservations about fostering—“I’ll get too attached”—I had no idea how true those words would prove to be. I did become too attached to a child we fostered for 18 months. When she had to leave our

At Philip’s high school graduation

8 June 2019 Salvationist

Renegotiating Faith As I read the testimonies of young Salvationists about what keeps them connected to the church (“Future Proof,” April 2019), I noticed that three attributed their faith development to camp, and all of them have worked at or been part of camp.

It’s encouraging to see that camp is a vehicle for helping young people Future Proof figure out and own their faith.

Major Rick Zelinsky M

Yorkminster Citadel, Toronto

BY CAPTAIN BRENT HAAS

I

Cpts Brent and Melissa Haas with Philip, who lived with them for his final year of high school

14 May 2019 Salvationist

KAILEY GILLIS

A Father to the Fatherless

Why I opened my heart and home to foster children.

14 April 2019 Salvationist

We Stand with Wet’suwet’en Thank you, Erica, for your thoughtful article about the Wet’suwet’en pipeline protests (“Land Claims,” March 2019).

So many decisions are being made without respect. I really like what you’ve said: “Decisions here are made through careful discussion, prayer and reaching a consensus among leaders.

Having the loudest voice doesn’t give you an advantage when conversations happen in this circular way. It is with this teaching that I try and guide my Western brain to a new way of understanding.”

The Lord is speaking to us about what it means to humble ourselves before each other so his love can heal and restore.

Dion Durdle Fostering Hope This was a beautiful story of answering the call to action through fostering children (“A Father to the Fatherless,” June 2019). In Labrador, we have been lifted up by the mission of Captains Brent and Melissa Haas. Their presence in our community has strengthened our own call to action and sense of community and pushed out despair in favour of hope.

Their personal engagement with people and involvement

God and Gender In response to an article about the motherhood of God (“Our Mother, Who Art in Heaven,” May 2019)—no. Just no. God has revealed himself to us in a consistent manner throughout Scripture. We should not dilute the Word with modern hang-ups regarding gender issues, or claims that patriarchal society has somehow perverted inspiration. That Jesus addressed him as Father, and that Paul taught we have been brought into such an intimate relationship that we can cry “Abba, Father” should end all argument to the contrary. We address God as “him” because that’s the way the Bible instructs us.

Major Gerald Reilly Refresh Your Soul I was at a friend’s home tonight when her alarm went off at 9 p.m. to pray the hours, as part of the territory’s Lenten campaign (“Praying the Hours,” March 2019). She invited me to listen in as she read the prayer.

What a calming moment in the midst of the evening’s discussions. I’m in!

Captain Charlotte Dean

Praying the Hours Refresh your soul with the 2019 territorial prayer initiative.

BY MAJOR APRIL McNEILLY

F

ather John Vianney, a 19thcentury parish priest and Catholic saint, said “Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.” Close your eyes and picture that phrase. Allow God’s Spirit to move your heart, even now whispering to you of our great need for this baptism of love. As we experience more of him, we will operate less out of insecurity and fear, and more out of genuine love, taking us to places we could never imagine.

In his new year message, General Brian Peddle outlined his vision for The Salvation Army in the coming years, challenging Salvationists to be ready, be engaged and take responsibility for mission—beginning with a call to prayer.

That’s why we’re calling The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda to try something new in this season before Easter. Traditionally, Lent has been a time to give something up—to deny oneself. Let’s change things up a bit this year: while also choosing one day a week to fast, let’s add something to our everyday life.

Prayer is one of the primary ways that

God gets our attention. I love Eugene Peterson’s take on Romans 12: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (Romans 12:1-2 The Message).

In addition to our regular devotions during Lent, why don’t we, as a territory, structure our entire day around prayer?

Ancient Paths Lent is the 40-day period before Easter, a time of prayer and fasting that echoes Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:1-2). While it has always been part of the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, it is not as familiar in Protestant circles. In recent years, however, evangelicals have joined in observing this season as a time to enter into Christ’s sufferings, reflect on our own vulnerability to sin and deny ourselves as we take up our cross and follow our Lord to Calvary. The imagery is powerful.

In The Salvation Army, we have focused on self-denial during the preEaster season. Whether we call this

Photo: © ALLEKO/iStock.com

From A to B The first key factor was strategic planning, using the resources of the corps review process. We asked the congregation to identify strengths and weaknesses—Where are we? Then we started casting vision—Where do we want to be?

Three immediate goals were clear: financial stability, children and youth, and community outreach. We wanted to be a church where people not only came on Sunday, but were sent out to make a

“We have experienced and continue to experience a move of God,” says Cpt Brent Haas, corps officer, Happy-Valley Goose Bay Corps, N.L., with his wife, Cpt Melissa (centre), and Jenny Seaward, community and youth ministries co-ordinator

in Christian-led initiatives inspired people from all corners to reach out.

They have established The Salvation Army in the true meaning of its work, inclusive of all people in worship and missionary work. We will miss them both and wish them success in all aspects of their life. May God bless them and all who surround them.

Yvonne Jones

season Lent, or choose another term or phrase, we are all invited to set aside 40 days with Christ-followers around the world as we enter into Jesus’ final weeks here on earth. This is a time to reflect on our inner heart condition, perhaps even deny ourselves something specific, as we call out to the Lord for a fresh touch from him.

As we pray and fast, we enter a discipline that Jews and Christians have benefitted from for thousands of years. Who are we to dismiss these ancient paths?

This brings us to the main point of this article: a call to Salvationists across Canada and Bermuda to “pray the hours” during Lent 2019. Let’s be an Army on our knees!

Fixed Prayer A friend of mine recently said: “I’m bored with my prayers—I can’t imagine how bored Jesus must be with them!” Our prayer life can be dry and uninspired. Yet prayer is as vital as the air we breathe.

The Psalmist said, “Seven times a day I praise you” (Psalm 119:164). One of the most ancient methods of prayer is to pray at fixed hours each day, structuring

16 March 2019 Salvationist

True Contentment I appreciated Captain Laura Van Schaick’s article on tidying up (“Sparking Joy,” June 2019). Tidying will not bring us contentment or joy.

Sparking Joy At the end of the day, things are only things. True, some things invoke a memory and a pleasant or happy feeling. However, joy and contentment come in our interactions with people.

I It comes with sharing the hope we have in Christ and the day-to-day interactions with family, friends, work colleagues and fellow believers.

Ruth Fearn GRACE NOTES

Can tidying up really change your life?

BY CAPTAIN LAURA VAN SCHAICK

t was mid-January when a local news outlet called our thrift store, wondering if we had seen an increase in donations. I wasn’t surprised by the question. Just the night before, I had been reading about the global influx of donations to second-hand stores, thanks to the success of the Netflix series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.

Kondo’s message is not new in a world where minimalism is in vogue. But her Japanese-inspired method seems to have struck a chord with westerners. She helps people tidy each area of their home systematically, starting with clothes and ending with sentimental items. Each piece is held and evaluated. Those that “spark joy” are kept, those that don’t are “thanked” and given away.

The result is a less cluttered, more organized house. But the message seems to be that the real reward is a less chaotic, more contented life. While the process seems beautiful in its simplicity, its popularity raises an important question: Why do we feel the need to tidy up?

Writing for The Guardian, Oliver Burkeman suggests that we may be

drawn to tidying up because it promises a sense of control over our lives in a world that so often feels out of control. If we can control the clutter in our closets, perhaps the rest of our lives will seem less chaotic.

The hazard with this type of thinking is that we will simply never achieve it. That’s not to say that tidying your house is a lost cause, though Burkeman does suggest that external elements in the form of toddlers, spouses and even our own heightened expectations for ourselves, will always rebel against our best efforts. But absolute control of our lives is not something we should seek, for we are not the ones in control in the first place. God is.

I get it. In light of all that is happening in the world, from mass shootings to natural disasters, it can be difficult to believe there is a sovereign God in control. Closer to home, when we journey through adversity, such as the loss of employment, miscarriage or cancer, we can sometimes wonder, Is God really in control? Where is God in all of this?

It’s true that God has given humans

the gift of free will, and that we can control our emotions and actions. But when external forces weigh in on us, we wrestle with God’s part in it. The writer of Lamentations, reflecting on the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE, asks, “Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” (Lamentations 3:38).

Jesus himself affirmed God’s control in tragedy. When Pilate asked, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (see John 19:10-11).

Many find these Scripture passages challenging, or even offensive. There are many unanswered questions that follow a period of trial or tragedy. However, if we acknowledge that God is in control in times of success and in times of tragedy, and that in it all he works for our good and his glory, the result will not be control, but contentment. Even the writer of Lamentations declares in the midst of his chaos, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

We often seek contentment from the stuff around us. If we could just have a nice house, a reliable car, some pretty clothes, perhaps then we could be content. Kondo’s message mirrors this.

During the tidying process, she is still advocating that our stuff be what sparks joy, just a smaller portion of it.

But true contentment does not come from material possessions. True contentment comes from trusting God in all circumstances, in times of plenty and in times of want. There is a peace and intimacy that comes from walking with the Lord through the dark and chaotic days of our lives, trusting that even when we cannot see how, he is in control.

Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, exhorts, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:6-7).

A tidy house will not make us content. Though I have to say, Kondo’s folding methods are making my dresser drawers look lovely these days.

Photo: © KatarzynaBialasiewicz/iStock.com

M

y wife and I arrived in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., in July 2013.

We had been told, and it did not take long to confirm, that things at the corps were not going well.

Attendance was low, leaders were in short supply and the finances were in rough shape. There didn’t seem to be a sense of mission or vision for the future.

Fast forward six years, and what a difference! Attendance at our Sunday services and programs has almost tripled; we have more people in leadership roles, and more ministries and programs than ever before; and we have been financially self-sufficient for more than four years.

There’s a real sense of living out mission and great anticipation about what God will continue to do in the future.

When people hear of this transformation, we are asked time and time again, how? How did a dying congregation come to life? How did a congregation so inward-focused become so engaged in their community? How did a congregation with very few children come to a point where about 25 per cent of the congregation is made up of children on a Sunday morning?

First and foremost, we must acknowledge and give praise to God for the work he is doing among us. We played our part by being faithful and obedient to how God was leading us as a congregation. It started with addressing past conflict and healing wounds. As we moved forward together, here are some of the major tools God used to bring about renewal.

BY CAPTAIN BRENT HAAS

Photos: Evan Careen

Mission First I am a member of a Baptist church that is in transition. Your article about the transformation at Happy Valley-Goose Bay Corps, N.L. (“Out of the Box,” May 2019), gives me great encouragement on how to focus on the things that are important in our ministry. Thank you for sharing.

Susan Saunders

Captain Laura Van Schaick is the corps officer at The Salvation Army, A Community Church in Prince Albert, Sask.

24 June 2019 Salvationist

To be considered for publication, letters to the editor must include your name and address, and a phone number or email address where you can be contacted. Letters may be edited for space and clarity, and may be published in any medium.

Salvationist September 2019 5

FRONTLINES

Thrift Stores Send Kids to Camp

Staff and campers at the Army’s Lac l’Achigan Camp in Quebec receive a cheque from National Recycling Operations

T

he Salvation Army’s National Recycling Operations (NRO) made camp dreams come true for 831 kids across Canada this summer.

Through the generosity of donors

T

to NRO’s annual Send a Kid to Camp campaign, which took place in 107 locations over six weeks, $207,858 was raised.

These funds support sending local children from the thrift stores’ communities

to 11 Salvation Army camps in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Our teams put incredible effort into our Send a Kid to Camp campaign,” says Michele Walker, national director of retail operations, NRO. “Their dedication and desire to support our camping ministries can be seen in these amazing results, as they raised $25,000 more than last year.”

Funds raised in this year’s campaign are in addition to a $15,000 donation made

by NRO thrift stores in Edmonton to purchase a new tractor for The Salvation Army’s Pine Lake Camp in Alberta.

“We received a special donation last year and our stores felt strongly about it being used for their local camp,” notes Walker. “On the list of needs for the camp was a new tractor to assist with upgrades to their site and we were happy to help fund it.”

Army Launches Brave Initiative

he Salvation Army’s Yorkminster Citadel in Toronto helped launch BRAVE Global in Canada in May. Co-founded by Salvationist speaker and author Danielle Strickland, BRAVE Global is a campaign that partners with churches to reach out to vulnerable girls with a message of empowerment.

“I’ve spent more than 20 years trying to fight human trafficking,” says Strickland. “Most of the women I’ve met on the streets and in brothels don’t come from impoverished villages on the other side of the world—70 to 80 percent come from the foster care system. Without support, they are at risk of exploitation. We want to get there first.”

BRAVE Global partners with local churches to find and reach out to girls aged 12 to 18 who are vulnerable to abuse or exploitation, and invite them to a “catalytic” event. Almost 60 girls, including six from Yorkminster Citadel, attended the launch event, held at St. John’s York Mills Anglican Church in Toronto. Major Pauline Gruer-Caulfield, corps officer, Yorkminster Citadel, was on the organizing committee.

The event kicked off with breakfast and fun activities and then moved into a high-energy party, hosted by Cheryl Nembhard, with music by Juno Award-winning R&B/soul singer Jully Black, dance and spoken word performances, a self-defence demonstration and a dramatic re-enactment of brave women in history.

Strickland shared a message with the girls, encouraging them to hang on when life feels overwhelming, and to know the difference between real help and help with conditions attached.

6 September 2019 Salvationist

BRAVE Global, co-founded by Danielle Strickland, launches in Canada at an event in Toronto in May

“What we’re trying to do is change the script,” says Strickland.

“Girls are not the problem—they’re the solution.”

The third stage of BRAVE Global, after the initial connection and catalytic event, is follow up. Every girl who attends an event receives a guided journal called This is Me, written

by Captain Lisa Barnes of the U.S.A. Western Territory, and is connected to resources in their area.

For more information about BRAVE Global, visit braveglobal.ca.

FRONTLINES

T

P.E.I. Shelter Expands Programming

his spring, The Salvation Army’s Bedford MacDonald House in Charlottetown, P.E.I., received a significant boost, thanks to the provincial government and the University of Prince Edward Island.

At the end of May, the province’s department of social development and housing announced it would provide the Army $355,500 annually to help with Bedford’s operational costs.

This will allow 24-7 accessibility and increased programming and supports for men experiencing homelessness.

“Every Islander deserves to feel safe and secure and have a roof over their head,” says Dennis King, premier of Prince Edward Island. “Over the past number of years, we have seen an unfortunate increase in demand for stays at shelters and we need to meet this demand and work with our partners to not only address housing needs but also understand and remove its underlying causes.”

The new funding has enabled Bedford to add new staff, including a residence manager and caseworker. They will provide coaching, life skills development and connection to practical and community resources, as well as programming such as grooming, health, social and spiritual care. The maximum length of stay for residents will also increase from seven days in a 30-day period to 21 days.

In June, Bedford announced a new partnership with the University of Prince Edward Island’s faculty of nursing, which will provide health care for residents and valuable experience for nursing students.

Beginning this September, two fourth-year nursing students will conduct their clinical placements at Bedford three days a week. The students will focus on the determinants of health, those at risk for both physical and psychosocial disruptions in health, as well as strategies to promote the health of Bedford

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residents. During the winter semester, two third-year nursing students will conduct clinical placements two days a week, which will involve developing partnerships with clients as they promote and maintain health, providing support to individuals, families and groups in the home and community. And in May and June 2020, two third-year nursing students will practise their clinical knowledge at Bedford, integrating theory into their daily practice as they care for the men and help empower them to take charge of their health.

“The clinical work of the students will add a valuable component to the services offered at Bedford MacDonald House,” says Major Daniel Roode, then corps officer, Charlottetown Community Church. “They will teach our guests how to take better care of themselves, which will play a role in helping them escape homelessness.”

Representatives from The Salvation Army and the University of Prince Edward Island’s faculty of nursing stand together after announcing a new partnership

General Awards Order of the Founder

eneral Brian Peddle admitted 95-year-old Commissioner Harry Read to the Order of the Founder during commissioning celebrations for the Messengers of Compassion Session in the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland, which took place in July.

A video about Commissioner Read recalled his Second World War service, for which in 2016 he was made a Chevalier (knight) of the Légion d’honneur—the highest French order of merit—and detailed his lifetime of international service as a Salvation Army officer, including his ministry as a writer.

The video also showed the commissioner’s recent skydive to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The General read the citation, which

stated that Commissioner Read was admitted to the Order of the Founder “in recognition of a life of outstanding Christian witness in word, verse and deed spanning 75 years, with a recent and relevant witness through social media, captivating a global audience with the authentic message of reconciliation, hope and peace.”

“I count it a great privilege and honour to be made a member of the Order of the Founder,” said Commissioner Read. “Thank you so very much indeed, General.”

The Order of the Founder was instituted by General Bramwell Booth in 1917 to mark “outstanding service rendered by officers and soldiers such as would in spirit or achievement have been specially commended by the Founder.”

General Brian Peddle pins the Order of the Founder medal to Comr Harry Read’s tunic

Salvationist September 2019 7

FRONTLINES

Glenmore Temple’s Stampede Ministry

Salvationists from Glenmore Temple march in the Calgary Stampede Parade

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he Salvation Army’s Glenmore Temple in Calgary took to the streets in July for ministry during the annual Calgary Stampede, supported

by Colonels Edward and Shelley Hill, chief secretary and territorial secretary for women’s ministries.

On July 5, the Glenmore Temple Band and timbrels marched in the annual Stampede Parade, a tradition that has been going strong for more than 100 years. The next day, Salvationists and friends gathered at the Barbara Mitchell Family Resource Centre for a pancake

breakfast and carnival. Later that day, the Glenmore Temple Band and choir engaged in open-air ministry at Heritage Park. The corps’ Stampede ministry concluded that evening as the band and choir performed at Glenmore Temple, a concert that was enjoyed by many.

Deputy Premier Visits Salvation Army Hospital

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he Salvation Army’s Toronto Grace Health Centre (TGHC) welcomed Christine Elliott, deputy premier of Ontario and minister of health, for a tour and presentation on the hospital’s programs and services in June.

“The visit went very well,” says Jake Tran, president and CEO, TGHC. “There was great conversation and interest by Minister Elliott in our programs and the opportunities we take in filling gaps in the health care needs of the community.”

Along with learning about TGHC’s programs and services, Elliott was informed about the work of The Salvation Army across the province of Ontario and was briefed on the Army’s application to join Ontario Health Teams (OHT). OHT is a new initiative of the provincial government that will change the way the province organizes and delivers health services. Under OHT, various health care providers will work together as one co-ordinated team.

Tran believes the broad range of health services The Salvation Army provides makes the Army a natural fit for OHT. “It brings all of The Salvation Army’s health funded programs together under one roof,” he says.

The team approach will co-ordinate the activities of the Army’s TGHC, long-term care facilities, addictions and mental health programs, supportive hous-

8 September 2019 Salvationist

ing, employment programs and other social and community services, across the province. This approach will allow the various care providers to share information, making it easier to identify and address the needs of patients. It will also bring the funding of these ministries into one place.

“It makes us that much stronger,” Tran concludes. “Times have changed and we need to work together in order for us to be successful.”

Christine Elliott (second from left) visits the Toronto Grace Health Centre

FRESH IDEAS

Raise the Roof Growing peace, beauty and food security at the Gateway of Hope in Langley, B.C.

Photos: Dan Donkers

BY GISELLE RANDALL

Jean, a resident of the transitional housing program at the Gateway of Hope, is an avid gardener

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hen Jean wants to water his plants at the community garden at the Gateway of Hope, a Salvation Army emergency shelter in Langley, B.C., he doesn’t go outside—he goes upstairs, because the sunny, peaceful retreat is on the roof. Designed with a garden in mind, the roof can hold people and soil, and has a safety railing around the edge.

Jean grows flowers, herbs and vegetables in his plot, one of eight raised beds.

“We’ve seen such a rise in the cost of living,” says Andrea Voss, family services co-ordinator at the Gateway of Hope.

“Even though our local food bank offers fruits and vegetables, most of them are donated and don’t last very long. The garden is a way to increase food security for vulnerable individuals and families, by providing access to fresh, nutritious food.”

Voss started the garden in 2015, in partnership with A Rocha Canada, a Christian environmental stewardship organization. “They helped us develop workshops for each stage of the growing season,” says Voss, “from planning and starting seedlings in the greenhouse, to cultivating the soil, to planting, tending and harvesting, to preparing the garden for winter.”

After the first season, Voss continued the workshops on her own. The program, which is open to members of the community and residents of the transitional housing program, has grown from three gardeners to eight.

“We ask them to commit for a year,” says Voss. “They are responsible for watering and weeding their plots. A garden isn’t something you can plant and leave—you have to nurture it. And those skills of patience and discipline can transfer into our lives. Gardening can be a life-changing experience.”

Jean moved into the transitional housing program after spending a month in the hospital recovering from an accident.

He often goes up to the garden to find quiet and to pray. “It’s very

“I’m just as excited as the participants when we see the first green thing sprouting, or the first thing they harvest,” says Andrea Voss, who started the gardening program.

“Seeing the results of their work gives them a sense of accomplishment”

The Gateway of Hope offers gardening workshops

healing,” he says. “It’s soothing to have my hands in the soil.”

“Our goal is not only to help people grow food, but to provide a meaningful place to connect with God as our creator and provider,” says Voss.

The Gateway of Hope is within walking distance of the downtown core. “Having a garden on our roof is a way to reclaim an under-utilized space,” says Voss. “Gardening can be an act of restoration.”

Salvationist September 2019 9

A Grand Adventure

Commissioner Susan McMillan stands with territorial leaders and delegates who are considering God’s call to be officers in The Salvation Army

10 September 2019 Salvationist

Photo: Matthew Osmond

As she takes up new responsibilities, Commissioner Susan McMillan reflects on the challenges of being territorial commander, the joys of ministry and what God has taught her along the way.

You’ve spent your life serving God in The Salvation Army. How would you describe the experience?

I always tell candidates that it’s a grand adventure. You never know when you put your hand in God’s what’s going to happen, and it’s been that way for me.

I’ve been places and done things I never dreamed I would, never thought about, never thought I could do. But with God’s guidance and our obedience, it all comes together.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your appointment as territorial commander?

There have been many things, but one of the biggest has been travelling across the territory and seeing the breadth of services the Army is providing, to see the dedication of our staff and our officers to the mission. It’s been exciting to hear them tell me about what they’re doing.

Tell me about your other roles as territorial president of women’s ministries, executive officer of the Canadian Staff Band (CSB) and chancellor of Booth University College.

I’ve always enjoyed women’s ministries. I tell people I used to go to home league before I was born, as my mother was an enthusiast of women’s ministries. Women’s ministries offer unique programs that give us opportunity to reach out into our communities with the message of the gospel. I’ve seen it work!

People have gone into a new community, started up a women’s ministries program, won children and entire families to Christ, and built a corps. It’s the one program where you’re only limited by your imagination.

Now, the CSB’s a whole other thing.

I’ve been a CSB groupie since I was about 15 or 16, when the band came to Victoria

on one of their early band trips, and I was enthralled from then on. At the suggestion of the then chief secretary, Colonel Lee Graves, I became the executive officer of the CSB for their 50th anniversary year. After travelling with the band, I have a whole new appreciation for the musicians and their dedication. They put their heart and soul into it. And I’ve seen that it’s not just a performance—it’s a ministry as well. What they enjoy the most is encouraging emerging musicians in the corps or wherever they go.

I’ve also been privileged to be chancellor of Booth University College. It’s a ceremonial role, but it’s rewarding to be able to see our young people receiving their degrees. I get to see all the possibilities that lie within people who have applied themselves in education as they get ready to do ministry.

of people around me to support, advise and bring their knowledge and expertise.

So I’ve never felt alone on the journey.

What has surprised you most as a leader?

It was surprising to have people call me commissioner all the time (laughs). But when you show people you care about them and the mission, people respond.

It’s exciting to see the call for candidates, to see people kneeling at the mercy seat in response to the Word of God. It’s amazing how God works through all of us one way or another if we’re open to him.

It also surprises me how much is on the shoulders of leaders to bear and the tough decisions that need to be made. At the same time, I’ve had a wonderful team

What have been the territory’s most significant accomplishments during your tenure?

There are so many highlights. I’m pleased that our strategic priorities have been embraced by people throughout the organization. They are living them out in their ministry across the territory.

In terms of events, participating in the Indigenous Salvation Army pow wows in Pine Lake, Alta., was a major step in our journey of reconciliation.

The Canadian Staff Band’s 50th anniversary celebration weekend, with five staff bands at Roy Thomson Hall, was incredible.

What was the toughest decision you had to make?

The toughest decision that a leader has to make is when we have to close down a program. I always ask why we’re closing down this program. Is it because it’s no longer relevant or we have no funding for it or the people have moved away?

My second question is always, what are we doing for that community instead?

How are we looking after the people we leave behind when we close a program?

Sometimes we close a program because it’s not needed anymore, and that’s a good thing. We’ve done our job. Other times, we’re forced to close down, which is difficult but necessary.

Cdts Jenny Marin and Carlos Cuellar are commissioned by Commissioner Susan McMillan

Salvationist September 2019 11

Photo: Timothy Cheng

This month, we say farewell to Commissioner Susan McMillan, territorial commander, who will be taking up a new appointment with International Headquarters (IHQ).

In this interview with Geoff Moulton, editor-in-chief, she looks back on her five years leading the Canada and Bermuda Territory—on the highlights and challenges of ministry, the health of the territory and her plans for the future.

Photo: Giselle Randall

DEPARTMENT

At the Pine Lake pow wow, Commissioner Susan McMillan, territorial commander, receives a second eagle feather to add to The Salvation Army’s eagle staff

We are also growing in spiritual leadership. The advent of Officership Information Weekend in Winnipeg has reaped a harvest—we have 27 cadets entering training college this year. I’m proud of work that’s been done in youth discipleship. The framework and materials for ongoing discipleship are going to set the territory on a firm theological footing.

In addition, I think the territory has responded well to crisis issues, such as the legislation around medical assistance in dying. We now have a policy in place and have stood our ground on balancing compassionate care with the sanctity of life.

dous creativity of our people, who are producing materials and programs and resourcing the front lines for mission.

The other is our solid financial footing: our methods of fundraising are working, our distribution of those funds across the territory is effective and relevant, and our care and stewardship of resources is strong. I also want to acknowledge our diversity. We’re becoming much more reflective of the communities we serve and that’s good!

Can you share one or two important leadership lessons?

The main one I’ve learned is not being too full of yourself. Christ taught us to lead with humility and recognize that it doesn’t all depend on us. It all depends on God and it depends on every one of us working together to make the mission happen.

A close second is keeping the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is saving souls and growing saints and serving suffering humanity. That has to happen in an integrated way. We lose our way if we start dividing up our mission and saying one group of people does the soul saving and another does the social services.

What’s the biggest challenge for the Army moving forward?

We are challenged in some ways with the secularism that is spreading across the western world. We need to push against it with all our might because we have one purpose and one reason for being, which is our relationship with Jesus Christ.

As people who fund us, donate to us, volunteer with us become more and more secular, we’ll need to work hard to show them why our faith matters to all that we do.

On the f lip side, we need to be accountable. We need to be transparent and accountable for the privileges the world gives us. People are now starting to question things, for example, should churches have tax exemptions? We must continually demonstrate the value we bring to the community through our services.

What are the greatest strengths of the Canada and Bermuda Territory?

One of our strengths is the tremen-

Can you give examples of where you’ve seen God’s Spirit at work?

This May, I was a guest at a women’s camp in Newfoundland and Labrador.

12 September 2019 Salvationist

People are very enthusiastic about coming to camp and it was a joy when, on the very first night, a woman came to the Lord. She didn’t wait for the message. We were singing a chorus and she came running up to the altar to kneel and she accepted Christ.

Another example is the Syrian family who were at congress and commissioning in Vancouver (see page 14). These people were in the most dangerous place in the world—the city they came from has been almost completely destroyed—and they escaped and made their way to Canada.

Now, here they are soldiers in The Salvation Army. Only God can do that!

I remember the story of Mark Carlos, an ex-biker-gang member, who gave his testimony in Faith & Friends and at a territorial headquarters chapel service.

A Salvation Army chaplain met with him in the lockup. Mark was so nasty then that even the guards didn’t want to go near him. But the chaplain dropped a New Testament through the bars. It fell open to an inspirational passage of Scripture, he read it and got saved. That’s God’s Spirit at work.

How have your international appointments shaped you as a leader?

I served for four years in Mexico, for five years in South America West as chief secretary, responsible for Chile, Peru,

Commissioner Susan McMillan with one of the children who participated in a holiness meeting at Managua Central Corps in Nicaragua

Photo: Joel Johnson

many people have written to congratulate me on retirement (laughs), but I will remain an active officer. There are new opportunities for me and I’m happy to do whatever’s needed.

Commissioner Susan McMillan with the bass section of the CSB

Bolivia and Ecuador. I was appointed three different times (seven years total) in South America East, which includes Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, lastly as territorial commander. And then I spent a couple of years at IHQ. So how did that help me in leadership? One of the things I learned early on in Mexico was how much you can accomplish with very little. In many cases, the corps and children’s home was the only Salvation Army presence in the city. An officer couple might run it together with a cook and some part-time administrative help. But the work that they would do to care for 50 orphan children as mom and dad, pastor, administrator and everything else, it was an eye-opener for me. They even raised their own money by collecting in the streets. Rather than having a big building or formal programs, they would just walk the neighbourhood and serve people.

I came home to realize that we have such potential in this territory to do great things for God because we have more than enough and are so blessed to have the support of the public.

How is God preparing you for this next stage in your journey of officership?

As we prepare for the arrival of the Tidds, I know I am leaving the territory in good hands. As I move on, I’m excited to reconnect with many of my international colleagues. For example, in South America, where I served, many who were up-and-coming officers are now leading those territories. It’s nice to know that I can play a continued role in assisting them.

I’ve always had a sense of peace about my calling. As I said before, when you put your hand in God’s you can enjoy the adventure because you know that wherever you go, it’s going to be what he wants. It reminds me of the verse: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV).

Do you have any words of wisdom for the incoming leaders, Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd?

I’d want them to know that they’re coming to the best territory in the world (laughs). What they will find here are officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers who are dedicated to the mission. What they need from their leaders is someone to keep inspiring them spiritually and help them to know how valued they are.

Tell us about your new role.

Many will know that I’m an accountant by background. I’m going to be helping IHQ by helping territories implement our new International Financial Accounting Standards (IFAS), which come out of General André Cox’s Accountability Movement. These new policies and procedures reflect how much has changed in the financial world—such as moving from cash and paper systems to electronic systems. These are more sophisticated and require greater accountability on the part of the Salvation Army territories to account for the funds that are given to us—from governments, donations from the public or our own tithers.

I was originally supposed to retire this year, but was asked to continue on in this new role instead. It’s been confusing— Salvationist September 2019 13

Freedom in Christ

From a Syrian prison cell to a Salvation Army church, Maan and Marwah Dabbagh trust God to guide their steps.

Photo: Timothy Cheng

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN

From left, Merna, Marwah, Maan and Shareef Dabbagh are Syrian refugees who attend Harvest CC in Burnaby, B.C.

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or decades, Tadmur was the most notorious prison in Syria, its name practically synonymous with human rights abuses.

Located in Palmyra, a desert city 200 kilometres northeast of Damascus, it was used during the Syrian civil war to detain and torture political prisoners and dissidents until it was destroyed by ISIS in 2015.

Maan Dabbagh was one of those prisoners. He spent more than a year in a Tadmur cell, not knowing if he would ever see his family again. Not knowing when it would be his turn to be tortured by the guards—or worse, killed.

“In the Palmyra prison, it was like the devil had closed the eyes of God over that place,” Maan says. “During this time, I kept saying, ‘God does not exist,’ because if he did, what was happening to me and to my country wouldn’t be happening.”

Captured As Maan and his wife, Marwah, now 14 September 2019 Salvationist

share their story in the safety of Vancouver, flashes of fear still appear in their eyes—along with relief. It’s been 13 months since they arrived in Canada, and nearly a year since they first connected with The Salvation Army.

Maan and Marwah are an unusual couple by Syrian standards. “In Syria, marriage is done through the parents, not through knowing each other, but we have a long love story,” Maan smiles.

He and Marwah are high school sweethearts—they met in 2001 and married in 2007. A lawyer and an accountant by training, Maan and Marwah had two children, Shareef and Merna, and lived a comfortable life in Aleppo.

“We were happy, life was good,” Maan says.

There was only one problem. “In Syria, every male 18 years and older has to do a year and a half of military service,” Maan explains. “The government won’t give you a passport if you don’t finish your service, meaning you

can’t travel anywhere.”

So Maan joined the military in December 2010, thinking it was as good a time as any. Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t have been worse—a mere three months later, massive protests began in Syria, kicking off the civil war. When Maan completed his obligatory service in 2012, going home was no longer an option. “The military refused to release me so I decided to run away to Lebanon,” Maan says.

Not long after he deserted, Maan was captured and beaten. After standing trial, he was sent to Tadmur.

Protected Maan’s parents paid a substantial amount of money to have him released from Tadmur, but they couldn’t get him out of his military service.

“From prison, I went straight back to the military, with no end in sight,” Maan says.

He was finally able to see Marwah

“Go to Antioch” Once in Turkey, the Dabbaghs planned to go to one of the larger cities. The day before they crossed the border, however, Maan was sent in a different direction.

“A voice came to me and said, ‘Maan, go to Antioch,’ ” he recalls. “I said, ‘Why?’ and the voice repeated, ‘Maan, go to Antioch,’ a second and then a third time.”

Maan and Marwah decided to follow the voice to Antioch, and soon found an apartment there. The day after they moved in, two men visited the building—a Turkish man and a Korean pastor, who invited the family to church.

They took him up on the invitation, even though Maan and Marwah were never particularly religious—Maan considered himself an agnostic, while

Marwah was raised Roman Catholic.

“When I went to the church, the pastor started to speak about the gospel of Jesus Christ and shared Mark 8:36, ‘What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?’ ” Maan recalls. “When I heard this verse, it touched me. I thought, I used to have everything, but just like that—I lost it.

Having everything didn’t help me. So that’s why, when I heard this verse, I decided to give my life to Jesus.”

The Dabbaghs lived in Antioch for nearly four years while they waited to be accepted as refugees. During that time, they were far from idle. When Maan and Marwah saw that Syrian children were not able to attend Turkish schools, they immediately spotted an opportunity.

“God spoke to us and told us to open a school,” Maan says. “There are hundreds if not thousands of Syrian families in Antioch, who need to hear about the true God. The main idea behind the school was not just to give the children education, but also to share the gospel with the families.”

The school quickly grew from one class of four students to five classes with 60 students. And as the Dabbaghs built relationships with people and shared the gospel, about 25 people from an Islamic background came to faith.

“We were sorry to leave Turkey, but when the Canadian ambassador called us and said, ‘You are ready to travel,’ it’s a chance you can’t miss,” says Maan.

New Beginnings When the Dabbaghs arrived in Canada in August 2018, something new was about to begin at The Salvation Army in Burnaby, B.C., a suburb of Vancouver.

For many years, Lieutenants Peter and Lorri-Anne Mitchell had felt a call to church planting, so when they were brought in to lead a new corps in south Burnaby, it was a divine appointment.

The church plant’s ministries began last September in a building that was previously occupied by the Army’s Metrotown Community Church. While Metrotown was on an extended hiatus, the nearby Southmount Citadel kept some of its ministries going, including a Monday soup kitchen and Christmas assistance.

When they were planting the new corps, that established presence gave the Mitchells many opportunities to connect with people in the community, particu-

larly as the Christmas season arrived.

“In the past, the church had given people a grocery gift card instead of a Christmas hamper,” explains Lieutenant Lorri-Anne.

“So we had a barrage of people coming to the door to get these cards,” Lieutenant Peter says.

Two of those people were Maan and Marwah.

Photo: Kristin Ostensen

and their children again, but in the four years since he’d left their home in Aleppo, everything had changed.

“When I saw Marwah, she told me the bad news,” Maan says. “In 2012, a big bomb came over the building we lived in and destroyed it. We lost all our possessions, including our car. My office was also bombed and destroyed. We lost everything.”

Back in the military, Maan was stationed in As-Suwayda, near the border with Jordan, and though he was no longer imprisoned, he was far from free. “The leaders were watching me, especially because they said that I am a political prisoner,” he says. “That means I’m very dangerous, and they can’t release me if I am dangerous.”

By the fall of 2014, Maan had had enough—he decided to run away again, but this time, with his wife and children.

It was 600 kilometres north from As-Suwayda to the border of Turkey.

Before the war, the journey would have taken seven hours; now, with 27 checkpoints blocking the way, it would take 33 hours.

Maan travelled under an assumed identity. He knew that if he were caught deserting again, there would be no second chances, no prison even—he would be executed. But, miraculously, they made it through every checkpoint and across the border.

“I think there was an angel covering us,” Maan says. “Every time they looked at my ID card at the checkpoints, none of them really compared the picture and my face, to see they didn’t match. I felt like I was protected.”

The Dabbagh family share a moment with Lt-Col Jamie Braund, DC, B.C. Div, and Commissioner Susan McMillan, territorial commander, after their enrolment at the British Columbia divisional congress and commissioning weekend in June

“The Burnaby School District gave us a paper and told us to take it to The Salvation Army to get some presents for our kids,” says Maan.

When Maan arrived at the church on a Friday morning and handed Lieutenant Peter the paper, he got an invitation in return. “He said, ‘We have a fun night tonight. Come here at 7 p.m. if you want,’ ” Maan remembers. “I said, ‘Why not?’ ” The Friday fun night was the first program the Mitchells launched at the new corps.

“Our children, Marshall and Lily, attend the school right across the road from the church, so we thought, let’s do a Friday games night because that could be a great way of meeting their friends and connecting with the community,” Lieutenant Lorri-Anne says.

Salvationist September 2019 15

16 September 2019 Salvationist

Photo: Kristin Ostensen

The first night, five people gathered to play games. Within three months, that number had grown to more than 40. Today, the program is known as Common Ground and averages 60 to 70 people each week—more than half of whom are children.

Along with games and activities, the program includes a conversation café where newcomers can practise their English.

At their first Friday fun night, Maan and Marwah immediately felt a connection to the church and eagerly accepted Lieutenant Peter’s invitation to a Sunday meeting. They had tried a few churches in the Vancouver area, but none had the same feel as The Salvation Army.

“One of the most important things that I taught the kids is that church is a joyful place,” Maan says. “The first time we attended the service with Peter and Lorri-Anne, it was a happy service. We came out cheerful.”

Coming from a Methodist church in Antioch, Maan and Marwah are at home theologically in The Salvation Army and, like the Mitchells, have a heart for evangelism and service among the Arabic community. For Maan, the Friday fun night is the perfect opportunity for outreach.

“A lot of people—especially Muslims—are very shy to come to the church because they have an idea that these people are not helping us because they love us, they are helping us because they want us to change our religion,” he says. “But when the people come, they see that we are just having fun and we want to show them that we love them. Then when we find someone who is interested in asking questions, we say, ‘Come on Sunday!’ ”

Lts Lorri-Anne and Peter Mitchell are the corps officers at Harvest CC, a church plant in south Burnaby, B.C.

God’s Plan Given how much the church has grown in the past year, it’s fitting that it has been named Harvest Community Church.

“When we were coming here, God gave us a word from Matthew 9,” Lieutenant Lorri-Anne explains. “Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he turned to his disciples and said, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest for workers.’ We are seeing it here. There are so many people and different cultures—the harvest is all around us.”

In addition to Common Ground and the Sunday afternoon meeting, which draws around 25 people each week, the church recently wrapped up a six-week vacation Bible school and is launching an after-school program called Kids Finding Connection this month.

Putting their teaching experience in Turkey to good use, the after-school program will be run by Maan and Marwah, who were enrolled as senior soldiers at the British Columbia divisional congress and commissioning weekend in June.

“We are excited to be soldiers,” says Marwah. “This is God’s plan for us.”

Along with running the after-school program, the Dabbaghs volunteer at Common Ground, teach Sunday school and provide translation assistance. And now that they are soldiers, the Dabbaghs are interested in becoming candidates, and dream of planting churches themselves in the future.

“I told Peter that if I had the chance to go back to Turkey or Syria, I would go back under the name of The Salvation Army and plant churches,” Maan says. “The war will end sooner or later in Syria and when it does, there will be a good chance for missionaries and pastors to go and share the gospel.”

Marwah agrees. “As we know about God’s love, we need to share this love with other people.”

“Maan and Marwah are such a blessing,” Lieutenant LorriAnne concludes. “With their love for Jesus and their desire to see people come to freedom in Christ, I’m excited that God has brought them into our lives and into The Salvation Army.”

VIEWPOINT

School of Thought Higher education is not the enemy of religion.

BY DARRYN OLDFORD

1. A good foundation. The Salvation Army is a unique part of the Christian church. As a senior soldier, I have a lot of experience explaining our doctrines and beliefs to other Christians, which was good practice for when I reached university. Although I was raised in this culture, I knew I needed to decide for myself whether or not to continue in the Christian faith—God has no

Illustration: Sergey Nivens/stock.Adobe.com

B

efore I started post-secondary education, several well-meaning Christians warned me about the dangers of losing my faith at university. I understood their concern—I had already seen it happen to several friends. It’s a trend that the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has well documented (see the reports Hemorrhaging Faith and Renegotiating Faith at evangelical fellowship.ca).

So I entered the University of Toronto with an “us versus them” mentality, prepared to defend my beliefs against attack. And those beliefs were challenged as I confronted different ideas and ways of looking at the world for the first time. University can be a time of “deconstruction” for many young people, a time when everything they thought they knew comes crashing down.

It happened when a new friend asked me, if God really loved her, why would he send her to hell for not believing? It happened in an anthropology class, as my professor sliced through centuries of Christian history, culture and teaching, dissecting my faith for the whole class to see. It also happened as I read books about the big bang theory and evolutionary biology and realized they made sense to me.

But in the end, my beliefs were sharpened by examining what I believed and why. We shouldn’t be afraid of asking questions—honest wrestling is an important, even necessary, part of faith. Here’s what else helped me stay connected to the church:

grandchildren. What has kept me in the fold is not obligation, but adoration.

While I still have questions and concerns, my life is better with God in it.

2. Being comfortable with not knowing everything. Although God reveals much to us through the leading of the Holy Spirit and through his written Word, there is a lot in life we don’t know.

Problems arise when we start to think we have the answers to every question. An underlying theme of Christianity is that we cannot fully know the mind of God or unlock all the secrets of the universe, and that’s OK. 3. Dividing core beliefs from culture.

What we are taught as Christians is often all lumped together, with each piece treated the same way. I believe the Bible is the God-breathed Word for humanity, but how we read and interpret Scripture is important. I have friends who believe the earth was created in seven days and is only a few thousand years old. I believe God used the big bang and evolution to create life and that the universe is billions of years old. But we both believe that

God created the earth, and that’s what’s important. There is room for people to disagree on topics that have no bearing on salvation.

Every person is different and will face unique challenges at university.

Ultimately, it isn’t about religion versus academia, or faith versus science. It’s about faith seeking understanding.

Although some university professors do want to indoctrinate you with their own beliefs, most simply want you to engage with the world while having an open mind. Proverbs 18:15 says, “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.”

It is understandable that Christian parents may feel concerned when a young adult leaves home and goes to university for the first time. A firm understanding of why you believe what you believe, openness to not knowing, personal faith in Jesus and holding on to core beliefs, all help. And for those who do walk away, all hope is not lost. God’s arms are always open.

Darryn Oldford is a senior soldier in Toronto.

Salvationist September 2019 17

NOT CALLED?

Photos: Andrew Blundon

A Joint Call Roger and Glenda Barrow never planned on being Salvation Army officers. What made them change their minds?

Roger Barrow

R

oger Barrow’s heart was in turmoil. He was sitting with his wife, Glenda, surrounded by fellow Salvationists, attending the 2017 Newfoundland and Labrador divisional congress and commissioning in Mount Pearl, N.L. General André Cox was in attendance.

Roger had been hemming and hawing all evening, and wanted to leave. He didn’t realize it, but the Barrows’ lives were about to change forever.

Satisfied Lives Glenda and Roger started worshipping at St. John’s Temple, N.L., in 1999.

“I had not attended church for many years but soon realized that God was calling me,” says Glenda. “I knew my next step was to submit to God, and that’s when I came to faith and Roger recommitted his life to the Lord.”

The Barrows were at St. John’s Temple for six years and became soldiers.

“We were provided with opportunities for spiritual growth,” says Glenda, “and we stepped into ministry and worship team roles, including at a church plant at Pathway Community Church in Paradise, N.L.” While Glenda and Roger felt fulfilled as soldiers—Glenda was a corps sergeantmajor and Roger was a worship leader— neither felt a desire to become officers.

They were happy where they were.

And then came the divisional congress.

Internal Fight “I had no desire to go to congress,” says

BY KEN RAMSTEAD Roger. “All week, Glenda had been talking about it. I didn’t know why I didn’t want to go but I was being very stubborn about it.”

Roger managed to convince a reluctant Glenda to skip the Friday welcome service but, despite his protestations, Glenda bought tickets to the Saturday morning prayer breakfast.

Roger wasn’t happy. “I went with arms crossed and, looking around, all I could think was, Oh, how unhappy everyone looks in their uniforms.”

“If this sounds wrong,” he continues, “that’s because it was wrong! I have the greatest respect for the Army, but this was a fight that was all in my head.”

Putting it Off That night, the couple attended the commissioning service.

“We suspected our daughter, Alecia, would go forward when the call for officership occurred,” says Roger. “So we watched Alecia go onstage. Again, I kept grumbling to myself: Everybody looks so stiff. What am I doing here?”

Sunday morning saw a conflicted Roger sitting with Glenda when General Cox made an altar appeal.

“As a worship leader I always want people to go forward, but now I prayed, ‘Oh, Lord, don’t let Glenda go up.’ I kept distracting her with silly questions, trying to keep her from concentrating on the appeal.”

At lunch, Glenda told Roger, “You know what’s funny? I felt called to go forward but I didn’t know why.” Roger chuckled it off.

Glenda Barrow

“I Know” Through that evening’s service, Roger sat stoically with his arms folded despite an uncle brushing by him twice and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“God,” Roger prayed, “I love you but you’ll need more than a little pat to get me out of my seat.

“The only way I will know if I’m being called to full-time ministry is if the General himself stops the band and says, ‘There’s someone here tonight resisting the call to officership.’ ” And with that, General Cox stopped the band and said exactly those words.

Roger looked at his wife and said, “I’ve got to go.”

Glenda looked at him and replied, “I know.”

And with that, Roger pushed through the crowd to stand next to the General.

It turned out that as General Cox was making his appeal, Glenda had had the same feeling. But a voice whispered, “Do not step out in front of him.”

And at that exact moment, Roger looked at her, tears streaming down his face, and said he had to go up.

“That’s how I knew,” says Glenda.

“Roger needed to take that first step first.” And a weeping Glenda closely followed.

“This call wasn’t just for him,” says Glenda. “God had spoken to both of us.

We needed to become officers. And we haven’t regretted our decision.”

Roger and Glenda Barrow enter the College for Officer Training in Winnipeg this month, in the Messengers of Grace Session.

Salvationist September 2019 19

Learning by Heart

Education provides hope and a future in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

20 September 2019 Salvationist

Photos: Mjr Donna Barthau; bottom left, Cpt Liane Newcomb

L

ast September, I travelled to Zimbabwe and Zambia to visit some of the schools supported by The Salvation Army’s Brighter Futures Children’s Sponsorship Program. It took two days to reach Matabeleland South, a province in southwestern Zimbabwe, where the climate is extremely hot and dry. The region sits on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, and had been without rain for two years. As we drove along dried-out riverbeds, we often saw children digging in the dirt, hoping for water.

When we arrived at Seula Primary School, the students welcomed us with song. Many walk long distances to get to school, leaving early in the morning and getting home late, but they are happy to learn.

Brighter Futures is a communitybased approach to children’s sponsorship, focusing on education as a way to break the cycle of poverty. Sponsorship funding provides access to education by assisting with school fees, books, uniforms and other essential equipment.

As we walked around the compound, we learned that every child was being allowed to attend school, even those who weren’t part of the program. “They want to learn so much, and we have to teach classes anyway—I just don’t have the heart to turn any of them away,” confessed the headmaster.

We could see the determination of staff and parents to help the children. In the small office, there were charts with short-term and long-term goals. One goal was underway with the construction of a new classroom, but the workers were struggling with the heat and lack of water.

In this remote, arid region, malnutrition is a serious concern. Many students at the school were also struggling because of the suspension of feeding programs, due to a cholera scare across the country. Life is challenging, but the Brighter Futures program offers tangible help and hope.

One of the ways we make funding go further is by partnering with The Salvation Army’s Gifts of Hope (visit

BY MAJOR DONNA BARTHAU

Top: “I don’t have the heart to turn any of them away,” says the headmaster at Seula Primary School in Zimbabwe, which is supported by the Brighter Futures Children’s Sponsorship Program; bottom left: Mjr Donna Barthau with staff and students, including Vernon, from Chaanga Secondary School in Zambia; bottom right: at Kawama Primary School in Zambia, education gives girls a future

saworldmissions.ca/giftsofhope). In Chaanga, Zambia, many children have lost their parents to the HIV epidemic.

Extended family and neighbours have stepped in to provide food, clothing and shelter, but little is left for tuition fees, forcing many to drop out of school.

Things began to change when each orphan or vulnerable child in the community received one or two goats through Gifts of Hope, providing a sustainable source of income.

I will never forget listening to Vernon, a young man who uses a wheelchair, share what a difference two goats have made in his life. Vernon’s family is unable to support him, and he lives with the headmistress at Chaanga Secondary School.

His two goats—that have now become a small flock of six—have allowed him to help his host family, repair his wheelchair

and return to school.

We also encourage the children’s homes and schools we support to become self-sustaining, often through agriculture and small livestock farming. At Kawama Primary School in Zambia, a parent-teacher group has recently started a chicken project. The children are learning responsibility as they look after the chickens, and income from selling the eggs allows more children to attend school.

The Brighter Futures program is making an incredible difference in Zimbabwe and Zambia. If you would like to be part of giving children a brighter future, please visit saworldmissions.ca or call 416-4226224.

Major Donna Barthau is the sponsorship co-ordinator in the world missions department.

PERSPECTIVES

See Differently How do we make room for others?

It starts with changing our perspective.

BY LT-COLONEL JOHN P. MURRAY

I

CEO, Laurie Beth Jones says, “Jesus did not always perceive situations the way others did.” Indeed, “Jesus was always seeing things differently.”

As a leader and teacher, Jesus always looked for the best in people and the most effective outcomes for situations.

His perspectives and understanding were unique in that he genuinely tried to engage elders and leaders, teachers and merchants, in the work of the kingdom.

He encouraged his followers and other leaders to consider looking at situations and circumstances through different lenses, angles and perspectives.

Jesus also saw the diversity around him and embraced it. He elevated a Samaritan woman (see John 4), welcomed children (see Matthew 19:14), associated with tax collectors (see Luke 19) and healed lepers (see Matthew 8)— people who were typically excluded or disregarded by society. Jesus’ decisions were often countercultural and ran against the grain of society. By challenging the status quo, he made room for diversity in his kingdom.

Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

t was the sporting event of the decade, a triumph that brought Canada together in all its diversity.

In June, the Toronto Raptors won the NBA finals, bringing the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy north of the border for the first time. This was not only a sporting triumph; it was a seismic cultural shift. We are no longer just hockey lovers; we are now a basketball nation.

In the words of the Raptors slogan: We the North!

The Raptors’ spring playoff run started slowly, but by the end of the second round, the franchise had galvanized Canadians. In dozens of communities across Canada, people gathered in arenas and parks to watch the playoff games together. As the world’s media descended on Toronto, viewers’ perception of Canada’s largest city was changed.

They discovered a multi-ethnic, multicultural mosaic of people with a love for basketball, diversity and inclusiveness.

Sometimes it takes a monumental event to help us see ourselves and others differently. In her book Jesus,

Toronto Raptors fans watch the NBA finals in “Jurassic Park,” the fan zone in downtown Toronto

I remember one of my first trips to Heathrow Airport in London, England.

I saw that HSBC—the global banking behemoth—had advertised with a series of posters on every mobile jetway.

The ads showed identical objects side by side with contrasting descriptions. A souped-up classic car from the 1950s was described both as a “status symbol” and a “polluter.” A Persian rug was identified as a “souvenir” and a “place of prayer.”

A piece of sushi bursting with fish eggs was both “nasty” and “tasty.” The tag line read, “The more you look at the world, the more you recognize people’s different values.” The gist of their advertising was that culture and perspective are vitally important in understanding people and situations.

In The Salvation Army, we hold fast to our biblical principles and core values, but we must also learn to see people through different cultural lenses. Every day we make decisions, and often the outcomes of our decisions directly affect family members or employees, partner organizations or volunteers. Leaders must be transparent in their willingness to engage varying perspectives that might differ from their own. When a leader takes the time to engage, listen and consider varying opinions, it often leads to better decision-making. It takes courage to engage colleagues and team members in this “fair process.”

In practical terms, this means ensuring our boards, committees and corps councils better reflect the diversity of communities and congregations we serve. It means identifying young leaders who can be mentored and trained.

It means rejecting racism, sexism and prejudice against those with disabilities.

It means seeking the input of the people we serve, listening to their needs and engaging them in the process of improving their lot in life.

As a leader, Jesus made room for others. It is my prayer that we will seek to walk alongside those who need help in our communities and who walk through the doors of our ministry units. Continue to engage, reflect and consider differing perspectives and opinions, and you will be amazed to see how God will bless and use you for his glory in ministry.

Lt-Colonel John P. Murray is the territorial secretary for communications.

Salvationist September 2019 21

The Calculus of Grace The brother who stayed.

I

have wondered often why Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-32) doesn’t end with the happy reunion of the father and his wayward son. That would be such a satisfying end to the story—a family restored so that everyone can live happily ever after. But the truth is that families rarely have such tidy resolutions to troubling situations and, in this case, Jesus had another lesson to teach.

After the reunion of the prodigal and his father, the bestowal of gifts and the party to celebrate the return of the younger son, Jesus lifts the curtain on another dynamic in this household. The focus of the story has been on the father and the younger son, but what about the older brother? He was introduced in passing at the beginning of the story, perhaps as a prop. We had forgotten about him.

In fact, he almost seems to have been 22 September 2019 Salvationist

Illustration: ConradFries/iStock.com via Getty Images

BY DONALD E. BURKE

forgotten within his father’s household.

While the party celebrating the return of the prodigal was underway, the elder son was working in his father’s field.

When he learned that his younger— irresponsible and wayward—brother had returned and had been embraced by their father, the elder brother’s anger surged.

When confronted by his father, the elder son protested that he has worked hard— like a slave rather than a son (see Luke 15:29)—to please his father, only to have a party thrown for his brother, who had shown no loyalty, faithfulness or concern for his family, and who had returned empty-handed. “Why does he deserve this kind of treatment? Why have you never celebrated my presence with you?

My faithfulness? My hard work?” he asks.

The response of the father is telling. First, the father affirms his elder son’s work and place in the family.

Everything that the father has will be given to his elder son. The reception given to the returning son has not diminished what will be given to this elder son. But second, despite the prodigal’s irresponsible departure, riotous living and squandering of his share of the family inheritance, the fact that he has come home must be celebrated. For the father who thought his son was lost forever, the return of the prodigal brings immense joy. The lost has been found; the wanderer has come home! Who could resist rejoicing?

As I read this final scene in the parable, three thoughts come to mind. First, the elder son gives away his innermost feeling when he notes that he has worked like a slave (see Luke 15:29). He was a son, but he worked liked a slave. I think his comment was not about the intensity of his labour, but rather revealed that his

hard work was offered out of obligation more than love. He may well have started out working “as a son,” but that enthusiasm melted away over time. In the crush of daily labour, the elder son had replaced his joyful service as a son with the grudging obligation of a slave.

He had worked for “hireling wages.”

Second, the elder son assumes that grace is a limited commodity, with only so much to go around. That is, whatever the father gives freely to the younger son will diminish what is available to the faithful son. Once this perspective has been adopted, it is easy to slide into the belief that, from the perspective of the elder son, there is something inherently unfair about the father’s gracious reception of the prodigal. He didn’t deserve to be celebrated! He didn’t deserve to be welcomed home in this way! He didn’t deserve to receive a cloak, a ring and a fatted calf! The elder son is correct on all three points. But what this parable teaches is that grace is not about what we deserve. Grace is not a limited resource with only enough available so that everyone gets a small share. God’s grace is abundant, even overflowing. It is about what God is prepared to give, much more than what we deserve.

The hardest lesson to learn about grace seems to be that God’s generosity toward others does not cheat me out of my inheritance. When God extends grace to someone else, it doesn’t come out of my account. There is plenty to go around. The grace of God our Father

knows no limits as he waits for the lost child to return and as he acknowledges the labour of those who have been faithful over the long haul.

Finally, the parable of the Prodigal Son teaches that the grace of God is embarrassingly unfair. God showers it upon those who are most undeserving.

God is generous beyond measure—perhaps even beyond reason—when it comes to God’s lost children. For those of us who have been on the journey of faith for a long time and who have given faithful service, perhaps God’s lavish grace toward those who have not worked along-

side us or who have not shared in the hard labour of faithfulness is offensive.

Too often, we think that grace should be distributed “fairly.” But Jesus taught that God’s grace overflows every channel we construct to contain it—beyond what we deserve, beyond what is reasonable.

Perhaps most offensively, God’s grace flows over those whom we think deserve it least! The calculus of grace doesn’t work according to our rules, but rather according to the expansive love of God for those who are lost.

The unfairness of God’s grace must have been a serious issue among Jesus’ earliest followers. Jesus teaches a similar lesson in the parable of the workers in the vineyard (see Matthew 20:1-16). There, workers hired early in the day object to receiving the same pay as those who start work near the end of the day. It’s just so blatantly unfair. I get that. Yet as this story concludes, the grace of God is God’s to give, not ours to calculate and hoard. Despite all of our efforts to regulate and control who can receive God’s grace and under what conditions they may receive it, grace overflows. After all, if the parable of the Prodigal Son teaches us anything, it is that there is a wideness in God’s grace beyond anything we imagine.

Dr. Donald E. Burke is a professor of biblical studies at Booth University College in Winnipeg.

This is the third in a series of three articles.

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GRACE NOTES

Come As You Are You don’t need to be a Christian to belong at church.

Photo: Rawpixel/iStock.com via Getty Images

BY CAPTAIN LAURA VAN SCHAICK

I

had just delivered what I thought was a moving message at a church women’s event that was filled to capacity. Women were moving freely about the room, engaging with one another over dessert and crafts, when one particular woman approached me.

“I just wanted to say that I am not religious at all,” she began with great emphasis, “but I appreciate the people here and always feel so welcomed and accepted that I just keep coming back.”

I don’t think I’ve ever received a better compliment. This woman did not believe, and yet she felt like she belonged.

There is a misconception out there that says you need to be a Christian to attend church. You don’t.

In the past, many churches functioned on a model of behave, believe, belong. You first needed to behave a certain way and believe a certain set of doctrines before you were allowed to feel or say that you belonged to a church community.

This isn’t the way Jesus attracted followers, and it isn’t the way we should seek church growth, either.

Jesus’ first followers had little to draw them together. The Gospels tell 24 September 2019 Salvationist

us that Jews and gentiles, men and women, young and old, sick and well, religious and non-religious, all flocked to Jesus. Some immediately believed Jesus to be the promised Messiah, but most were still questioning who Jesus was when they dropped their fishing nets or tax ledgers or rose from their beggars’ mats to follow him. Was he a teacher? A prophet? They followed seeking truth and healing. They followed seeking acceptance and belonging. All began their journey before reciting a sinner’s prayer or signing a declaration of faith. Yet Jesus welcomed them and called them his disciples.

We need to do likewise. We need to allow people to come as they are to church.

Regardless of outward appearance, sexual orientation, marital status or citizenship, regardless of beliefs or doubts or whether they are even a Christian, everyone should be accepted and welcomed into the Christian community.

They should feel as though they belong in church.

It is only after finding honest relationships rooted in love and witnessing the countercultural behaviour of their

new Christian friends that most will be open to hearing about Jesus. Out of belonging comes believing.

And it is only after believing in Jesus and becoming open to the working of the Holy Spirit that transformation takes place. Hearts may be convicted of sin and repent. Callings to acts of service may be received. And gradually, through believing, these individuals become part of this countercultural Christian community that continues to offer a place of belonging for everyone.

Belong, believe, become. This evangelistic model, which has gained significant traction in recent years, is challenging the way we present the gospel in a postChristian culture, and it is doing so by getting back to basics and modelling our efforts after Jesus.

The true gospel says that Jesus “did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). The true gospel says we can’t work our way into God’s kingdom through right behaviour. The true gospel says that God so loved the whole world that he gave his only Son (see John 3:16) and that Christ “died for all” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

The woman at the church event came because she was seeking a place of belonging. She found a community of compassion rather than condemnation, and because of this she heard the story of Jesus and was witness to Christian testimony month after month.

The late Rachel Held Evans, who advocated strongly for an inclusive Christian community, suggests that “this is what God’s kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table, not because they are rich or worthy or good, but because they said yes. And there is always room for more.”

Captain Laura Van Schaick is the women’s ministries program and resource officer.

CROSS CULTURE

IN REVIEW Sermons That Illuminate How the Bible Can Ignite Your Preaching to Connect People With God

BY DALE W. PILGRIM This book is a practical guide for preachers, both ordained and layleaders alike. Commissioned in 1983, Major Dale Pilgrim, officer personnel secretary, has spent 22 years in corps appointments and was a homiletics instructor at the College for Officer Training in Winnipeg. He brings this considerable experience to Sermons That Illuminate, a project that reflects his passion for preaching and teaching. Major Pilgrim spends the first section of the book exploring the various genres of Scripture—parables, poetry, epistles, prophecy and more.

The second section covers “Ministers, Methods and Models.”

He looks at different styles and models of presentation, and highlights some popular speakers who demonstrate how to take the complexity of a biblical text and transmit it in a way that people can understand. Toward the end of the book, Major Pilgrim takes a break from the disciplines of preaching to consider the disciple. “How are you faring in life?” he asks.

“Everything about preaching is significantly driven by the preacher’s health.” The book concludes with Major Pilgrim reflecting on his own sermon preparation style.

For those who are new to preaching, Sermons That Illuminate is a foundational text for sermon preparation. For longtime ministers of the Word, it’s a call to get “back to basics,” to rediscover the holy calling of presenting biblical truth. “We must never treat preaching like it is a lesser discipline that does not require specific skill sets and training,” writes Major Pilgrim. This book will encourage readers to apply appropriate discipline in their preparation and delivery of sermons.

Presenting the Canadian Staff Songsters CANADIAN STAFF SONGSTERS Presenting the Canadian Staff Songsters (CSS) is the first official recording of the CSS under the leadership of Major Len Ballantine and Lt-Colonel Wendy Waters, executive officer. Formed in 2016, 100 years after the founding of the original CSS, today’s group consists of 40 members representing corps from across southern Ontario. Recorded in June 2018 at Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ont., Presenting the Canadian Staff Songsters features 14 songs—classics, gospels, spirituals and familiar Salvation Army medleys. Seven of the tracks were composed or arranged by Major Ballantine. Well-known Army composers and poets—from Harold Burgmayer to General John Gowans and General Albert Orsborn—also make contributions, and familiar worship songs, such as Still and I Love You, Lord, get fresh arrangements. With this diversity of songs and styles, this recording has something for every Salvationist.

The items highlighted in Cross Culture are available through Supplies and Purchasing at store.salvationarmy.ca, or call 416-422-6100.

Identity Revealed

A Devotional Study in Colossians

BY AMY REARDON Seattle-based Salvation Army officer Major Amy Reardon follows up her previous book—Holiness Revealed, a study of the Book of Hebrews—with a new devotional guide on the Book of Colossians. Similar to her previous book, Identity Revealed breaks Colossians into 30 days of in-depth devotions, meditating on who Christ is and who we are as believers in Christ. Major Reardon goes verse by verse, beginning with the Apostle Paul’s defence of the glory and supremacy of Christ. She then explores how Paul defends the truth of the gospel against various heresies. Finally, she examines how Paul defends liberty in Christ—liberty from rules and rituals; liberty from society’s expectations in favour of God’s priorities; and liberty from the old, sinful self, who is replaced with the new Christ-ruled self. Each devotional chapter concludes with a series of questions for reflection, making Identity Revealed ideal for individual or group study.

Livestock

Plant a Garden

Train a Farmer

Change a Life with Hope through Farming salvationarmy.ca/giftsofhope

Salvationist September 2019 25

PEOPLE & PLACES

TORONTO—Lt-Colonel Neil Watt, former interim hospital president and chair of the Toronto Grace Health Centre’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, Lt-Colonel Lynda Watt (centre), are thanked for their service to the hospital by Lt-Colonel John Murray, secretary for communications and current chair (right), as well as Jake Tran, president and CEO (left). Lt-Colonel Neil Watt ably led the board during a challenging time of transition as the Church Street site underwent extensive renovations to better serve its patients.

WETASKIWIN, ALTA.—Claire White-Beauchard is enrolled as a senior soldier at Wetaskiwin Corps. Supporting her are Cpts Dae-Gun Kim and Aejin Jeong, then COs.

GAZETTE

ACTON, ONT.—On a special CCM Sunday, members of the CCM group at Acton CC receive certificates celebrating more than 200 combined years of service through CCM. From left, Pat Politi; Laura Good; Tom Politi; Avis Benoit; Shirley Thompson; Mjrs Drucella and Rick Pollard, COs; Lilly Shewring; Ernie Coles; and retired CCMS Eileen Coles.

INTERNATIONAL Appointments: Lt-Cols Eugene/Brigitte Bamanabio, TC/TPWM, Congo (Brazzaville) Tty, with rank of col; Lt-Col Brit Knedal, TSWM, Norway, Iceland and the Færoes Tty; Oct 1—Mjrs Dieudonné/Philippine Tsilulu, CS/TSWM, Congo (Brazzaville) Tty, with rank of lt-col TERRITORIAL Appointments: Cpt Kimberly Chan, DSBA, Maritime Div; Cpt Jodi Dunstan, divisional secretary for candidates, Ont. CE Div (additional responsibility); Mjr Marilyn Shirran, pastoral services support staff, THQ (designation change) Promoted to major: Cpts Morgan/Lisa Hillier, Cpts Jeffrey/Shannon Howard, Cpt Chad Ingram, Cpts Tim/Laura Jenkins, Cpts BJ/Krista Loder, Cpt Melanie Rideout, Cpt Heather Samuel, Cpt Donna Senter, Cpts Michael/ Carolyn Simpson, Cpt Anthony Stokes, Cpt Lisa Trickett, Cpts Peter/LeeAnn van Duinen, Cpts Ron/Judi Wickens, Cpts Neil/Crystal Wilkinson Promoted to captain: Lts Juan Chirinos/Indira Albert, Lt Shawna Goulding, Lts Dae-Gun Kim/Aejin Jeong, Lts Norman/Crystal Porter, Lts Devin/ Laurie Reid, Lts Daniel/Bhreagh Rowe, Lt Cathy Shears, Lt Sharon Tidd, Lt Mark Young Retirements: Mjrs Collin/Jacqueline Abbott, Mjrs Murray/Annetta Jaster, Mjrs Wycliffe/Shirley Reid, Cpts Serge/Yvette Brunet, Cpt Dwight Millar Promoted to glory: Mrs. Mjr Maysie Howse, Jun 29; Mjr Carson Janes, Jul 15; Mjr Rose Canning, Jul 20; Cpt William Keats, Jul 20

CALENDAR

ACTON, ONT.—Using the theme “Dream Big … Pray Like a Child,” young people take an active part in worship on a special youth and children’s Sunday at Acton CC. From left, Alicia Daamen; Marilyn Ritchie, young people’s leader; Jessica Walsh; Elisabeth Armogan; Beverley Daamen; Connor Walsh; Kyndra Godwin; Abigail Beisel; Claire Walsh; Trent Beisel; Ryan Thompson; Kaiden Kennedy; Kerri Armogan; and Jennifer Daamen.

26 September 2019 Salvationist

Commissioner Susan McMillan: Sep 5-6 opening convocation, Booth University College, Winnipeg; Sep 13-16 cadets’ welcome weekend, CFOT, and renaming ceremony for Centre of Hope, Winnipeg; Sep 25-30 National Advisory Board, Bermuda divisional congress and farewell to Commissioner Susan McMillan, Hamilton, Bermuda Colonels Edward and Shelley Hill: Sep 3-12 Leaders’ Conference, London, England; Sep 13-15 cadets’ welcome weekend, CFOT; Sep 16 Ethics Centre board meeting, Winnipeg*; Sep 20-21 Booth University College board of trustees meeting, Winnipeg*; Sep 25-29 National Advisory Board, Bermuda divisional congress and farewell to Commissioner Susan McMillan, Hamilton, Bermuda (*Colonel Edward Hill only) Canadian Staff Songsters: Sep 27-29 Bermuda divisional congress and farewell to Commissioner Susan McMillan, Hamilton, Bermuda

PEOPLE & PLACES

WELCOME SERVICE

MESSENGERS

OF

GRACE

2019-2021 SESSION OF CADETS ELIM CHAPEL 546 PORTAGE AVE. WINNIPEG, MB

SEPTEMBER 15, 2019 4PM CENTRAL

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Salvationist September 2019 27

PEOPLE & PLACES

Accepted for Training Messengers of Grace (2019-2021) College for Officer Training, Winnipeg Amy Patrick Glenmore Temple, Calgary, Alberta and Northern Territories Division My grandparents, Majors Glenn and Jacqueline Patrick, helped me understand God’s call on my life. After graduating with a degree in social work, I wanted to see the world and have a career in social work. Knowing this, my grandparents helped me to organize a trip to Sri Lanka, where they had spent many years as officers. When I saw the work of the Army and the love the Sri Lankan people have for Christ, my call to service as an officer was realized.

Anjie DaSilva Kamloops Community Church, British Columbia Division The Lord led me to The Salvation Army as an employee of community and family services in Kamloops. I started regularly attending worship services at the corps with my husband, Tony, and we became soldiers. While I had already sensed a call from the Lord to full-time ministry, Tony became aware of his call during the Officership Information Weekend last year. I am excited to attend the College for Officer Training and look forward to the field training opportunities.

Amanda Thompson Vernon Community Church, British Columbia Division My husband, Jeremy, and I attended the Officership Information Weekend at the College for Officer Training in 2018. God spoke to both of us that weekend and we have experienced incredible peace and joy since taking steps in obedience to his call. I know this is where God wants me to be and that he will equip me for officership.

Tony DaSilva Kamloops Community Church, British Columbia Division Before joining The Salvation Army, my previous pastors talked to me about God’s call on my life to be a shepherd, and this was confirmed for me through the encouragement of our corps officers. I see the College for Officer Training helping me to fulfil this call by training me to deliver the gospel in a loving way to bring hope and salvation to all.

Jeremy Thompson Vernon Community Church, British Columbia Division As I was completing Bible college, I was encouraged to be a servant leader, which has stuck with me. There have been many officers, lay leaders and family members who have encouraged me and shown me the daily sacrifices, challenges and joys of officership. I went to the Officership Information Weekend last year with an open mind and heart, and rediscovered the heart of the Army, which prompted me to accept God’s call.

Almeta Ward Conception Bay South Corps, Newfoundland and Labrador Division I sensed God’s call to full-time ministry when I was a teenager, in particular while attending a youth councils event. I expressed my feelings to cadets and officers, and it was their words of affirmation that made me fully aware of where my journey needed to be heading. While attending a congress event in Newfoundland, I totally surrendered my life to God’s will and I am confident that he will continue to direct my path.

Lester Ward Conception Bay South Corps, Newfoundland and Labrador Division Officership is a calling I feel blessed to have received.

I believe in being open to God so that he can use me wherever I am needed. I look forward to attending the College for Officer Training so that he can prepare me for different avenues of ministry, by studying his Word and fellowshipping with others who will journey with me.

28 September 2019 Salvationist

Janice Brinson Brantford Community Church, Ontario Great Lakes Division Being an officer will provide a foundation from which I can use the gifts God has given me to carry out the Great Commission to a hurting world. I look forward to journeying with others, bringing the message of salvation and helping to create disciples for the kingdom.

Jason Brinson Brantford Community Church, Ontario Great Lakes Division My call to officership was not a loud voice but a gradual experience where God used the circumstances and people around me to prepare me and affirm the call.

Encouraging words, wise counsel and continued support made God’s path for my life clear.

David Hipperson North York Temple, Toronto, Ontario Central-East Division I recognized God’s call while helping at senior music camp at Jackson’s Point Camp. After a morning Bible meeting, I sensed the Lord telling me that officership was something I could do. A subsequent conversation with then-Captain Mark Hall, the divisional youth secretary at that time, about officership confirmed that the Lord was guiding me to fulfil this calling.

Look for more testimonies of the Messengers of Grace in the October issue of Salvationist.

PEOPLE & PLACES

TRIBUTES

MONTREAL—Every year, TELUS’ financial team initiates a “Socks for SOX” campaign during the annual SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) certification process. All funds raised are donated to The Salvation Army for the purchase of socks for people in need. Pictured are representatives from TELUS who joined Army personnel to distribute socks at Place Émilie-Gamelin, a city square located in central Montreal.

LEWISPORTE, N.L.— Cpts Laurie and Devin Reid, then COs, support Christa Peckford as she is enrolled as a senior soldier at Lewisporte Corps. Holding the flag is Christa’s father, Cyril Peckford.

PICTON, ONT.—Elsie Carr was born in Central Argyle, N.S., in 1936, to Felix and Louise Muise. She moved to Picton in 1962, where she served in a restaurant and cared for her family. Elsie attended The Salvation Army in Picton for 55 years and was enrolled as a senior soldier in 1987.

Elsie enjoyed volunteering with the food bank and for the kettle campaign, and was fully involved in women’s ministry. She had a love for all people, with a gentle spirit and a kind heart.

She always had a hug for everyone every time she saw them. Predeceased by her first husband, Roger Burrill; sons Roger and Billy; daughter, Roseanna; and siblings Evelyn, Isabelle, Barbara, Phyllis, Albert, Franklin, Leon and Wilfred, Elsie is lovingly remembered by her husband, Howard Carr; children Nellie (Mike), Debbie (John), Doreen (Bill), Joanne (John), Bobby (Jennifer) and Gloria (Tom); sister, Jennie; brother, Jerry; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

WATERLOO, ONT.—Major Nellie Craddock was born in Hamilton, Ont., to Albert and Ada Oates in 1929. She gave her heart to the Lord at a young age and followed him faithfully throughout her life. Nellie entered the College for Officer Training from Hamilton’s Fairfield Corps in 1949 as a cadet in the Standard Bearers Session. She served in various corps appointments before marrying Lieutenant Basil Craddock in 1954. They served together in corps, divisional and territorial appointments across the Canada and Bermuda Territory before retiring in 1995. In retirement, Nellie was an active member of Toronto’s North York Temple before moving to Waterloo due to ill health. Predeceased by son, Phillip, and grandson, Rhyss, Nellie leaves behind her husband, Basil; daughters Yvonne and Lynette; sons David and John; 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

HALIFAX—Violet Louise Thorne was born in North Sydney, N.S., in 1931, and promoted to glory at the age of 87. Moving from Sydney in the late 1980s, Violet served the Lord as a faithful soldier of Fairview Citadel in Halifax. She was a successful businesswoman who loved people and gave them her all. Violet loved The Salvation Army and gave freely of her time to volunteer for the Christmas kettle campaign, at the food bank and wherever and whenever she was asked to serve. Missing her, but grateful for her strength, strong presence and love, are daughters Brenda (George) and Delores (Jil); son, James (Michelle); seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; extended family and friends.

BOTWOOD, N.L.—Evan Thompson and Samantha Crann are the newest junior soldiers at Botwood Corps. Supporting them are, from left, Mjrs Morgan and Lisa Hillier, then COs; Wes Thompson, holding the flag; Kim Best, youth leader; Ernestine Lockyer and Amanda Crann, junior soldier preparation leaders.

BOTWOOD, N.L.—Paul Sceviour is pictured with Mjrs Lisa and Morgan Hillier, then COs, on the occasion of his retirement following 15 years of faithful service as the bandmaster at Botwood Corps.

TORONTO—Promoted to glory at the age of 92, Mrs. Major Maysie Howse was born in Wesleyville, N.L., and moved with her parents to St. John’s, N.L., where she attended high school. Maysie accepted Christ at an early age and became active in all facets of Salvation Army ministry.

When she heard the call of God for full-time service, Maysie entered the College for Officer Training in 1945 as a cadet in the Challengers Session. Commissioned in 1946, she served as the corps officer in Cottle’s Island, N.L., where she also taught school.

Following her marriage to Fred Howse, together they rendered dedicated service as corps officers across Newfoundland before moving to Windsor, Ont., in 1966. Several appointments in the men’s social services department followed, where they spent the remainder of their career, which spanned 80 combined years of service. Predeceased by her son, David, and granddaughter, Judy Taylor, Maysie is lovingly remembered by her husband, Fred; daughters Vera (Ron Hart) and Verley; four grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; many relatives and friends.

Salvationist September 2019 29

SALVATION STORIES

Sharing the love of God with campers through Ontario Camping Ministries fills me with joy.

“ I will never forget that moment of leading a child to the Lord,” says Jason Wilson

BY JASON WILSON

I

grew up in a Christian family and committed my life to Jesus at a young age. The Salvation Army’s Jackson’s Point Camp was a big part of our lives—my parents were volunteers and I went to sports and music camps for many years.

It was a place where I could be myself, a place that helped me grow in faith.

When I got older, I wanted to help others in the same way.

I completed Timothy 1 and 2, a discipleship training and leadership development program. I gained hands-on experience working in different positions at camp, as a maintenance worker, lifeguard and cabin leader.

As a cabin leader at Camp Blaze, we spent the week taking the kids swimming, playing “wide games” with the whole camp, and supervising activities, such as canoeing and archery. Every night at campfire, we had music, skits and Bible stories. At campfire on Thursdays, we shared the gospel, and offered an invitation to accept Christ.

One of my favourite memories as cabin leader happened on one of these nights. One kid in particular was very hard to work with and never wanted to participate in any activities. On Thursday night that week, he continued misbehaving, causing a distraction to the other campers.

I remember pulling him aside from his cabin group to talk to him. We stayed by the campfire after everyone else had left.

As we threw pebbles into the fire together, I told him about Jesus—who he was, how much he loved us and his sacrifice on the cross for our sins. I didn’t think he was listening, but

when I asked if he wanted to pray and invite Jesus into his life, he said, “Yes!” I will never forget that moment of leading a child to the Lord. I was filled with unexplainable joy. I told every leader I saw and even called my parents to tell them about it. Making an impact on children and spreading God’s love was easily the best part of being a camp leader and the highlight of my entire summer.

Camp has played a significant role in my life and shaped the person I am today.

After graduating from high school, my desire to continue sharing the love of God with people led me to join Youth With A Mission (YWAM), a mission-sending organization that believes in equipping youth to make Jesus known in the nations.

I spent the first three months in discipleship training in Hawaii, growing in my relationship with Jesus and learning about my identity in him. We covered so many things, such as biblical fundamentals, evangelism and spiritual disciplines.

One night, during a time of worship, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room so clearly. I dropped to my knees and started to pray, overwhelmed by God’s love and goodness.

We spent the next three months in Southeast Asia, preaching the gospel to people who had never heard of Jesus. God doesn’t forget any of his children.

This fall, I will be attending York University to study sociology. God is good. His love for us is immeasurable and unconditional—something we should all rejoice in.

I didn’t think he was listening, but when I asked if he wanted to pray and invite Jesus into his life, he said, “Yes!”

30 September 2019 Salvationist

Photo: Clayton Thornburrow

Youth on a Mission

All Paths Point To Booth University College Located in Winnipeg, Canada we are The Salvation Army’s ONLY Christian University College.

"The friendships, the teachers, the caring environment, the small class sizes: they're just some of the reasons I love Booth UC - that and my sister. Booth Bound was pivotal in my decision to attend Booth UC." - Sheila Hewines

Alexis Hewines (L), Sheila Hewines (R)

#BOOTHBOUND #BOOTH Event: October 24-27, 2019 Deadline for applications: September 2019 Learn more and apply at: BoothUC.ca/BoothBound Join us for a FREE campus visit weekend! Experience YOUR University • Explore Winnipeg's Vibrant Culture • Attend Classes • Meet Faculty • Learn about Scholarships

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EDUCATION FOR A BETTER WORLD

For address changes or subscription information contact (416) 422-6119 or circulation@can.salvationarmy.org. Allow 4-6 weeks for changes. PM 40064794