Salvationist + Faith & Friends March/April 2023

March/April 2023

Get Ready for the INSPIRE Conference and Congress

New Remote Care Program at Army Health Centre

“We’re Here to Help”: Winnipeg’s Tent-City Ministry

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

Salvationist.ca

At the Foot of the Cross

As we approach the Easter season, let’s watch, share, wait and pray

10 Inspired for Mission

The territorial conference and congress is coming this June. Are you ready? by Abbigail Oliver

13

14

A

20

22 The Map-Makers

CONNECT ONLINE

Visit Salvationist.ca to add your comments and read web-exclusive articles

@salvationistmagazine

Follow us on Instagram for the latest and best Army photos. Tag your photos #salvationists

/salvationistmagazine

Like us on Facebook for photos and updates. Interact with our community of 40,000+ followers

@Salvationist

Follow us on Twitter for the Army’s breaking news. Use hashtag #SalvationArmy for your own updates and photos

issuu.com/salvationist

Catch up on all the Salvation Army news and features on your tablet, desktop or smartphone

Cover illustration: Halfpoint/stock. Adobe.com

Faith & Friends

Four

One of TV’s longest-running game shows, Family Feud is a combination of quick thinking, intense competition and hilarious bloopers. Two family teams square off to see who can best guess the most popular answers to unusual questions. When he’s not needling contestants, host Steve Harvey turns to the giant game board, repeats their often-incongruous answers, and calls out: “Survey says…!” Audiences wait expectantly for the guesses to be revealed as correct or rejected with a noisy strike.

Unlike other quiz shows that are based on straight facts, Family Feud demands a deeper understanding of human nature. Winning relies on a contestant’s instinctual grasp of public thinking: What would other people say? Does my thinking align with the majority? Should I trust my gut? It’s more difficult than it looks. Especially when you’re under pressure.

At Salvationist magazine, we’ve got good instincts, but we’re not mind readers. Rather than trying to guess what our readers are thinking, we’re asking you directly: What do you like about our publication? What can we improve? What types of stories should we print in our pages? Turn to page 31 of this issue or visit salvationist.ca/survey to offer your thoughts. We’re offering two prizes to be selected randomly for those who participate. Survey says…?

A lot has changed since our last reader

Salvationist is a bimonthly publication of The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory

Brian Peddle

General

Commissioner Floyd Tidd

Territorial Commander

Lt-Colonel John P. Murray

Secretary for Communications

Geoff Moulton

Director of Internal Communications, Editor-in-Chief and Literary Secretary

Pamela Richardson

Assistant Editor-in-Chief

Kristin Ostensen

Managing Editor of Salvationist and Salvationist.ca

Giselle Randall

Features Editor

Survey Says …

survey in 2015. We’ve weathered a global pandemic, Zoom has become a household word, inflation has skyrocketed, global tensions have mounted.... With a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other, we have continued to grapple with the intersection between Christian thinking and society’s challenges. How do we live out the gospel faithfully in our day?

We’ve also endeavoured to keep pace in the digital space at Salvationist.ca by adding a weekly Salvationist letter, a podcast, more video con tent and web-exclusive content. We want to continually evolve to serve the needs of Salvationists, so please visit us online, leave a comment and tell us how we are doing.

As The Salvation Army, we know that meeting the needs of society also means regularly taking the pulse of our communi ties and adapting accord ingly. In this issue of Salvationist, you’ll read about unique programs such as Winnipeg’s tentcity outreach (page 14) where Army volunteers conduct wellness checks to provide food, winter gear, hygiene items and blankets.

Elsewhere, we share how

Abbigail Oliver Staff Writer

Lisa Suroso

Graphic Design Specialist

Rivonny Luchas

Digital Media Specialist

Ada Leung

Circulation Co-ordinator

Ken Ramstead Contributor

Agreement No. 40064794, ISSN 1718-5769.

Member, The Canadian Christian Communicators Association. 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.

the corps in Buchans, N.L., used an innovation grant to spark an amazing community outreach ministry (page 13). You’ll also see how the Remote Care Monitoring program at the Toronto Grace Health Centre is helping relieve the strain on hospitals by giving homecare patients help at the push of a button (page 18). In these and other ways, we are Giving Hope Today.

Let’s keep asking ourselves the tough questions. Let’s keep growing as a Salvation Army. Let’s stay attuned to the deep challenges of our society. And this Easter season, let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He alone knows the answers to our every need.

MOULTON EDITOR-IN-

Subscriptions

Annual: Canada $30 (includes GST/ HST); U.S. $36; foreign $41. Available from: The Salvation Army, 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto ON M4H 1P4. Phone: 416-422-6119; fax: 416-422-6217; email: circulation@salvationarmy.ca.

Advertising

Inquire by email for rates at salvationist@salvationarmy.ca.

News, Events and Submissions

Editorial lead time is seven weeks prior to an issue’s publication date. No responsibility is assumed to publish, preserve or return unsolicited material. Write to salvationist@salvationarmy.ca or Salvationist, 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto ON M4H 1P4.

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

“Everyone Needs an Army” Exhibit at International Headquarters

In January, a new exhibition was held at Gallery 101 at International Headquarters entitled Everyone Needs an Army. Produced by the Canada and Bermuda Territory’s communications team and Grey Canada, the exhibit features a 15-minute documentary film and corresponding display panels that showcase stories of Salvation Army community response and service throughout the COVID-19 p andemic across Canada and Bermuda.

The exhibition was opened by General Brian Peddle, who commended the Canada and Bermuda Territory’s pandemic response and highlighted The Salvation Army’s compassionate presence around the world. “As we declare this exhibit open, may it be something that encourages our hearts, helps us celebrate a difficult time in our history and gives us great hope for the future.”

His Excellency Ralph Goodale P.C., High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom, brought greetings. He praised the partnership between The Salvation Army and the government’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to deliver millions of dollars in aid to Canadians in need. “Sincere thanks to The Salvation Army for the work that you have done in Canada and around the world in that long global struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic…. Your relief work to rescue Canadians, get them out of danger and provide that comfort and reassurance, is extremely impressive.”

Kimberley Durrant, director and UK representative, Government of Bermuda London Office, was also on hand to express her appreciation for the work of The Salvation Army in her home country.

Stories featured in the documentary included a Salvation Army partnership with clothing retailer Joe Fresh of Loblaw Companies Limited and Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation to deliver clothing to children in Canada’s extreme north; the development of a specialized care centre for seniors in Toronto by the Toronto Grace Health Centre; food delivery to isolated and vulnerable Bermudians; ministry to truckers in Newfoundland and Labrador; and portable showers and outreach for people experiencing homelessness in Victoria.

Lt-Colonel John Murray, territorial secretary for communications, chaired the exhibit launch. He noted that The Salvation Army’s efforts throughout the pandemic were the largest nationally co-ordinated relief effort since the Second World War. Last year alone, 2.6 million Canadians received assistance from The Salvation Army.

The Everyone Needs an Army COVID documentary has already won many accolades from international film festivals, including winner of best documentary short at the Orlando International Film Festival.

Representatives from IHQ, the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory and partner agencies also attended the launch event.

From left, His Excellency Ralph Goodale, General Brian Peddle, Kimberley Durrant and Lt-Col John Murray hold plaques commemorating the launch of the Gallery 101 exhibit at International Headquarters

General Peddle launches the Gallery 101 exhibit as Lt-Col John Murray looks on

Canadian Officer Represents Army at Pope’s Funeral

Hosted by Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the ecumenical partners were given private access to the body of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Basilica and then ushered into seating on the steps of the Basilica just in front of the Holy Door, with a view of St. Peter’s Square.

“The pomp and ceremony combined with the grandiose and historic location of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome were overwhelming,” Lt-Colonel Morgan shares. “Being close enough to the altar, the rich smell of ceremonial incense added to the sensory experience.”

At the conclusion of the funeral mass, Pope Francis met with the ecumenical partners, taking time to shake hands with each person in attendance. Lt-Colonel Morgan offered His Holiness condolences on behalf of the General and the worldwide Salvation Army.

After the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the end of December, a funeral was held at the Vatican on January 5, with tens of thousands in attendance.

Among the ecumenical partners at the event was Canadian officer Lt-Colonel Andrew Morgan, officer commanding, Italy and Greece Command, who was invited by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and attended in his capacity as the General’s representative to the Vatican.

“My presence at the funeral highlighted, at such a significant and public event, that The Salvation Army values our ecumenical relationship with the Catholic Church and desires through its presence at the funeral to enhance mutual understanding of our global denominations,” Lt-Colonel Morgan notes. “In addition, being among other ecumenical partners attending the funeral offered an openness to informal one-on-one dialogue that is otherwise very difficult to replicate.”

The Salvation Army has a well-established ecumenical relationship with the Catholic Church, with numerous helpful contacts between Salvationists and Catholics at various levels around the world, as well as the appointment of the General’s representative to the Vatican.

Christmas Storm Brings

Maple Creek Community Together

Amida fierce snowstorm that swept through Maple Creek, Sask., in December, white-out conditions and zero visibility on Highway 1 left travellers stranded two days before Christmas. As the night set in, a member of the RCMP knocked on the door of Lieutenants Amber and Brent Wareham, corps officers in Maple Creek, asking if there was anything The Salvation Army could do to help.

“We told them, ‘Absolutely,’ and offered to open the church as a shelter, warming station, feeding station—whatever was needed,” says Lieutenant Brent. Within an hour and a half, the RCMP and local tow truck drivers sent out convoys to collect displaced people from the highway and bring them safely to the Maple Creek corps.

Local hotels were already full of holiday travellers whose plans had been put on hold due to the storm, and people needed a place to stay, a hot meal and their spirits lifted. At the corps, they were offered cots and blankets with temporary barriers to create privacy between groups. Volunteers in the kitchen helped prepare soup, rolls, snacks, tea and coffee. Even those who travelled with pets were welcomed, and the corps had dog food readily available at the food bank through their partnership with the Saskatchewan Pet Food Bank.

Though Lieutenants Wareham offered people an opportunity to come in from the storm and rest, many chose to help out instead. “I was really impressed with the sense of morale that existed. People wanted to help themselves and others. They wanted to feel useful,” says Lieutenant Brent.

“The community reached out immediately. Mayor Michelle McKenzie was on site that night and the following morning helping with preparations and serving food,” says Lieutenant Brent. “Many called to offer their own homes to people if we ran out of space at the corps, and we had community members arrive with extra pillows and blankets.” The RCMP and tow truck drivers travelled back and forth in dangerous road conditions to scout for vehicles, transport people and bring them back to their vehicles the following day once the storm had cleared.

“The families couldn’t be more thankful, especially so close to Christmas. They were grateful to have a warm place to rest and where their kids could feel safe,” says Lieutenant Amber. “One mother shared with us that her teenage boys have had reservations about church because of many public perceptions. She said, ‘I’m so glad that we’re here because they get to see what the church actually is.’ ”

Lt-Col Andrew Morgan meets Pope Francis following the funeral for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Photo: Vatican Media—Produzione Fotografica

Community Runs for a Cause at the 2022 Santa Shuffle

Every year, thousands of Canadians come together for the Santa Shuffle in support of The Salvation Army and to help raise money for vulnerable people in their communities. The 2022 Santa Shuffle was held across the country in December, seeing national participation in cities such as Edmonton; Abbotsford, B.C.; Ottawa; Thunder Bay, Ont.; St. John’s, N.L.; Moncton, N.B.; and Charlottetown.

Hosted by the Running Room in partnership with The Salvation Army, the Santa Shuffle invited participants to join a five-kilometre Fun Run for adults or one-

kilometre Elf Walk for kids. At each site, shufflers were greeted by a registration and warming tent and a Running Room inflatable start/finish line arch. The event began with a warm-up by local fitness sponsors before racers approached the starting line.

“This was my first Santa Shuffle, and while it was freezing outside, the atmosphere was so warm and friendly,” says Katie Marshall, special events, initiatives and marketing specialist at territorial headquarters, who attended the Toronto race at Sunnybrook Park. “Many people came dressed in festive attire to participate in the best-dressed contest, and the kids were excited to get their faces painted and to see Santa, who was in attendance.”

At First Lake Trail in Lower Sackville, N.S., more than 160 participants and 15 volunteers came together for the Santa Shuffle in partnership with The Salvation Army Encounter Church. Pre- and postrace festivities were offered at the corps with music, hot chocolate, snacks and Salvation Army mascots, Shieldy and Sally

Army History on Display at National Historic Site

FromNovember to Christmas, a month-long exhibit at Hillary House National Historic Site in Aurora, Ont., organized by Northridge Community Church and The Salvation Army Archives, showcased the 139-year presence of the Army in the Newmarket and Aurora area of York Region. This was the first outside exhibit at Hillary House in the museum’s 40-year history.

“We hoped to encourage people to learn more about The Salvation Army in the community and we were proud to be the first outside exhibit at Hillary House National Historic Site,” says Angela Covert, community relations representative at Northridge Community Church.

“There are many people in the community, including new Canadians, who are not aware of The Salvation Army and the programs and services we provide. We support anyone in need of assistance in Central York Region and I hope this exhibit increased the knowledge of The

Salvation Army as a whole.”

The exhibit showcased historical photographs of Salvation Army officers and members, uniforms from 1960, church buildings from York Region, brass band instruments and artifacts and information about the establishment of the Army in the region, which dates to 1883 in Newmarket and 1884 in Aurora.

“The Aurora Historical Society was excited to partner with Northridge Community Church and The Salvation Army Archives to showcase the history of this important organization. The Salvation Army has had a significant presence in Newmarket and Aurora for over 130 years and this exhibit gave visitors a glimpse into their charitable work and positive impact on the community,” says Kathleen Vahey, curator and manager of Hillary House.

Included in the collection was the earliest known photograph of Newmarket church members, taken in January 1896. One of the exhibit’s highlights was a paint-

Ann. Participants enjoyed fellowship, a pre-race warm up and a five-kilometre run along the shore of First Lake.

Funds raised from the Santa Shuffle stay in the community of each race. “Donations from our event are used to support the Army’s work with vulnerable children, youth and families in the North End community of Halifax,” says Major Terence Hale, executive director at the Halifax Centre of Hope and Santa Shuffle race director for Halifax.

With the Santa Shuffle taking place virtually in previous years due to pandemic restrictions, The Salvation Army was thrilled to return in-person for another fun, family-oriented and festive event in support of the Army’s local ministries.

ing entitled Montage from Ontario artist Alan Dent Wilson. The large painting was part of a 1972 travelling art show that celebrated the 90th anniversary of The Salvation Army in Canada. Montage depicts the range of services provided by the Army for women, children and seniors, and in correctional justice and health care.

Tom Mrakas (right), mayor of Aurora, Ont., visits the Hillary House exhibit, where he shares a moment with Mjr Ron Millar, director of The Salvation Army Archives

Santa shufflers prepare to run the Toronto race

Shieldy and Sally Ann attend the Santa Shuffle in Lower Sackville, N.S.

Efforts from corps, ministry units, community volunteers, thrift stores and supporters resulted in another successful Christmas kettle campaign. In 2022, The Salvation Army raised $21.8 million from divisions across the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Of this total, 98 National Recycling Operations thrift stores raised $341,265 from 76,000 donors who engaged in giving through their local stores. In addition, $2.3 million in donations were received through the tiptap function at the kettles, allowing donors to simply tap their debit or credit card rather

2022 Kettle Campaign Raises More Than $21 Million

than putting cash into the kettle. Last year, 201 corps and ministry units made use of this innovative function, attracting more than 240,000 total tap donations—21 percent of which were gifts of a $20 value, a generous individual kettle gift.

As inflation continues to directly affect the cost of groceries, fuel and housing, The Salvation Army has seen a 30 percent increase in families with children who need support. The funds raised through Christmas kettles will be distributed in the communities in which they were raised, directly benefiting the people who live there.

“For at-risk people, this need doesn’t end with Christmas. The income we raise from Christmas kettles supports local programming throughout the year as well,” says Lt-Colonel John Murray, territorial secretary for communications.

“While the Christmas kettle is an iconic symbol of help and hope during the holiday season in Canada, it only happens thanks to the tireless efforts of officers, volunteers and staff,” continues Lt-Colonel Murray. “We are incredibly grateful for this support and for their commitment to the mission of The Salvation Army in the communities in which they serve.”

Food Recovery Program in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Feeds Families in Need

Withincreasing food prices in grocery stores and a record cost of living across Canada, demand for food bank services is on the rise. Salvation Army food banks are finding new and innovative ways to meet the growing need in their communities with initiatives such as the food recovery program in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

“Before the pandemic, we would serve roughly 15 families a day, which is about 40 individuals,” explains Major Sean Furey, corps officer and community ministries officer in Sault Ste. Marie. “Now, a normal day for us is around 240 people, and a busy day is well over 300. We’re up three or four hundred percent. We’re managing but we’ve had to change how we operate.”

The food recovery program, in partnership with Metro stores and other local businesses such as Food Basics, Little Caesars, Country Style Donuts and Loblaws, takes food that would otherwise be wasted and redistributes it to people in need through food banks such as The Salvation Army’s. This allows the food bank a greater capacity to serve, and to serve fresh, perishable food such as dairy, bread, meat, fruit and vegetables, and prepared meals.

“It’s not strange for people to leave here with 25 pounds of fresh food, and they can do so three times a week,” says Major Furey. “We started off with 32 clients and now we have five or six hundred regulars who come to us on a weekly basis.”

The program is entirely run by senior volunteers, with the youngest being 72 years old. “The volunteers are doing a fabu-

lous job,” says Major Furey. Together, they pick up hundreds of pounds of food from grocery stores, bring it back to the food bank, and then put the food in the hands of clients—a turnaround time of only a few hours.

The food distributed through the food recovery program reduces waste and offers people grocery items they may not be able to afford in stores. Though the food bank typically gives ground beef and chicken, sometimes they receive items such as salmon, prime rib steak and even lobster tails. They often receive cheese trays that retail for more than $35 on shelves. “People sometimes leave here in tears when we give them their food, especially those who have never been here before,” says Major Furey. “They’re just blown away.”

One 83-year-old man whose wife has passed away comes to the food bank for prepared meals because he does not know how to cook for himself. When Major Furey asked him one day what he might like for supper, he responded, “Well, I would like ribs, but I bet you can’t do that!” Major Furey gathered the man a sandwich for lunch, and a package of cooked ribs and bagged Caesar salad that had just arrived from Metro.

“We’re putting out tremendous amounts of prepared meals. We’re so blessed. We’re meeting the need,” says Major Furey, who invites other officers and ministry unit leaders to investigate ways they can start food recovery programs in their own communities. This program is available for partnership anywhere there is a Metro store.

Susan Waterfield, a member of the National Advisory Board, rings kettle bells at the Eaton Centre in Toronto, accompanied by Lt-Col John Murray (left) and Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander

Now What?

BY COMMISSIONER FLOYD TIDD

How often have I said, “Now what?” in times when I’ve missed a connecting flight or the off-ramp for my exit or discovered that we’re out of an ingredient halfway through a recipe. And then there are more significant moments— the loss of a job, the death of a spouse, family member or close friend, an unexpected turn in the road of life—when we wonder, “Now what?”

Although we are living in a post-pandemic world, we recognize that the impact of COVID-19 is still with us. With continued outbreaks of variants of the virus, inflation, global economic and political turmoil, and lives that have been changed forever by COVID and its effects, many have thrown their hands in the air and asked, “Now what?”

The closest followers of Jesus might well have asked “Now what?” as they watched Jesus die on a cross, as a stone sealed the borrowed tomb, as word came from Mary that the tomb was empty. But as we read the accounts of the Gospel writers, including Luke’s record in the Book of Acts, we find the answers to their “Now what?” moments—answers that can shape our thinking and guide our response today.

Now watch! According to Scripture, Jesus appeared to his followers 10 times after his Resurrection. At the empty tomb, on the road to Emmaus and in gatherings he let them see him with their own eyes. When they were uncertain about what was next, he let them watch him fulfil his promise to rise from the dead. No doubt, with each appearance of Jesus, the word spread among his disciples, and they began to watch fervently for Jesus to show up. When life is uncertain, the God who is certain shows up, still at work, still faithful to his promises. Watch for his faithfulness to his promises in your life.

Now share! In John’s first letter, he writes, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). John was a witness to the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus. He lived through the biggest “Now what?” moments of any follower of Jesus, and then saw the risen Christ, broke bread with him and watched him ascend into heaven. And what did he do? He shared what he saw and experienced so that others could know and believe. Peter reminds us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). If ever people needed to know where to find hope it’s now. The Salvation Army has been defined as a people who are “Giving Hope Today.” Now is the time to proclaim what we have seen and heard, that others might believe in Jesus, the source of hope.

Now wait! In one of Jesus’ post-Resurrection encounters with his disciples,

he shared instructions that would guide them in the “Now what?” moment after his Ascension. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about … the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-6). How we hate to wait. We live in a culture of instant gratification. But their instructions are to wait. Waiting is not necessarily a passive approach to life. Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, is a time of waiting. It is a time of preparation. As we wait, we prepare for what God has in mind to do.

Now pray! In the days following his Ascension to the Father, the disciples gathered to pray. While they were together at Pentecost, the promised Holy Spirit came upon them. The Spirit filled and equipped them for what God would do in and through them as they took the message of the gospel from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Sometimes it takes a “Now what?” moment to bring God’s people to their knees in prayer. Is this not the time that God is calling us to unite in prayer, praying for a fresh wind of his Spirit to move across his Army, inspiring us for mission?

As Christ-centred, others-focused followers of Jesus, we know what to do in the “Now what?” moments. Now let’s watch, share, wait and pray!

Commissioner Floyd Tidd is the territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

As we approach the Easter season, let’s watch, share, wait and pray.

Inspired for Mission

The territorial conference and congress is coming this June. Are you ready?

BY ABBIGAIL OLIVER

It has been many years since Salvationists have gathered at the historic Massey Hall in Toronto for a Salvation Army event. Many will remember congresses past when the streets were closed and flooded with Salvationists in celebration and fellowship. “Congresses are part of the lifeblood of The Salvation Army. The first congress was held in 1886 in London, England,” says Commissioner Tracey Tidd, territorial president of women’s ministries. “William Booth was determined that congress would show the world that The Salvation Army was not just a ‘passing wonder of the day.’ ”

Massey Hall is a key site in Salvation Army history—a place where many have been called to officership, commissioned on the platform and sent out across the territory to serve suffering humanity. This June, the Canada and Bermuda Territory will return to Massey Hall for the INSPIRE Conference and Congress.

INSPIRE is an invitation to people across the territory to come home to The Salvation Army’s territorial centre in Toronto, including Salvationists, friends, volunteers, employees, officers, international personnel and representatives from partner territories. The event will be two-fold, beginning with a weekday conference from June 26 to 29, and ending in congress and commissioning events over the weekend of June 30 to July 2.

“We gather to learn throughout the week, celebrate together, and on the Sunday morning we go back out into our communities refreshed, renewed and inspired for mission,” says Lt-Colonel John Murray, territorial secretary for communications and congress planning chair.

“We have carefully selected the theme ‘Inspire’ as together we seek a fresh wind of God’s Spirit blowing into The Salvation Army,” says Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander. “We want this gathering to reignite our passion for mission—to mobilize each congregation to reach out to our communities, care for the vulnerable and share the love of Jesus.”

The Conference

The four-day conference, to be held at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in downtown Toronto in the lead up to the weekend congress, is just one way INSPIRE is unique, compared to past congresses. Salvation Army personnel are invited to engage in plenary sessions by renowned guest speakers Reggie McNeal, Jeff Lockyer and Ann Voskamp (see box), and diverse workshops that encourage learning and personal, professional and spiritual development. The conference will begin with a gala dinner on Monday night attended by Commissioners Tidd, who will set the stage for a week of inspirational teaching, learning and fellowship.

From Monday to Thursday, delegates can register for 94 different work shops in seven streams: business, children and youth, community engagement, corps health, ethics, Indigenous and international development, leadership, musical ministry, public relations and communications, social mission, and women’s ministry. Each stream is open to anyone who wishes to participate, allowing delegates to explore areas of interest and choose sessions they believe will most effectively inspire them for ministry.

“We want people to go back into their communities fired up to do something new, more and better to build the kingdom and advance the

A large crowd of Salvationists gathers outside Massey Hall for the Centenary Congress in 1965

Photo: The Salvation Army Archives

mission in brand-new ways,” says Major Doug Binner, executive assistant territorial secretary for mission.

In addition to keynote sessions and dedicated workshops, performances of Skeleton Army and intentional connection time will be woven into the conference schedule for those who have missed seeing friends, sessionmates and partners in ministry throughout the pandemic years. The conference will conclude with a gala event attended by international leaders General Brian Peddle and Commissioner Rosalie Peddle.

The Congress

This year’s congress is inspired by Scripture and the movement of breath and fire of the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel 37:9-10, which describes the valley of the dry bones, reads: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live,” and as the breath of the Holy Spirit entered them, they came to life and stood up a vast army.

“We believe this is happening now as the Spirit is preparing us to come together for congress,” says Major Corinne Cameron, assistant training principal and spiritual formation officer, College for Officer Training.

Congress is not just about celebrating The Salvation Army and its history—it is about celebrating who God is and how he works through The Salvation Army, encouraging his people to be transforming influences in communities across the world.

Beginning on Friday night, Salvationists and friends will gather for a large service at Massey Hall, reflecting on what God has done in our territory over the past 141 years. The service will include representatives from different music and creative arts expressions such as the Four Crest Dancers from the Nisga’a Nation of Gitwinksihlkw, B.C., and the North Street Citadel Lyrical Dancers from Hamilton, Bermuda.

The following morning, delegates are invited to witness the life-changing decisions of the Reflectors of Holiness as they are ordained and commissioned as Salvation Army

SAVE THE DATES

Monday, June 26 to Sunday, July 2, 2023

WESTIN HARBOUR CASTLE HOTEL AND MASSEY HALL, TORONTO

Keynote Speakers

Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd were born and raised in Sudbury, Ont., where they began their journey with The Salvation Army. They have served as church leaders, church planters, youth leaders, and at divisional and territorial headquarters. Following six years of Salvation Army leadership in Australia, they returned to the Canada and Bermuda Territory to serve as the territorial commander and territorial president of women’s ministries, respectively.

Reggie McNeal is a Christian thought leader, church health consultant and author of Kingdom Come. His session will explore the importance of realigning the church’s mission with God’s kingdom mission, and how our corps leaders can help lead the kingdom movement in their communities.

Jeff Lockyer leads a multisite church in Ontario and has recently released his first book, Finding Our Way: Reclaiming the First-Century Church in the Twenty-First Century. Lockyer’s session will discuss the integration of mission, compassion and justice in our church models and how The Salvation Army disciples people in their faith.

Ann Voskamp is a New York Times

sending forth of Salvationists and mission partners back into their communities across the territory and the world.

“Congress is for Salvationists, but it is also a time to invite friends and family to come along and discover the life-giving, transforming, saving work of Jesus,” says Major Cameron. “For those who have already made a commitment to Jesus, congress will provide inspiration to live out that commitment, and for people who do not yet know Jesus, it can be a way to introduce them to who Jesus is and the amazing relationship that he is waiting to have with every one of us.”

A Place for Youth

“Our young people are a highlight and strength of our territory,” says Captain Jason Dockeray, territorial children and youth secretary. “We have hundreds of young leaders who are invested in the mission of The Salvation Army, who are connected at the local level and who are passionate about ministry. I want people to see this and be inspired that we have an exciting future for young people in our Army.”

To ensure that the youth of the territory have a place in this once-in-ageneration Salvation Army event, Canada and Bermuda Youth, the Youth Action Committee and youth leaders across the territory have united to create intentional programming for children, youth, young adults and those who lead youth in their communities. “Youth and children aren’t an afterthought,” says Captain Dockeray. “They’ve been at the forefront of our planning since day one.”

The conference will offer a dedicated stream of workshops geared toward youth leaders and officers who work with children and youth, exploring topics such as child safety training, supporting children and youth in crisis, how to make use of the Orange curriculum in ministry, and ways to build youth programming from the ground up.

On Friday night after the service at Massey Hall, youth will be invited back to the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel for “Army Con,” a night of fun activities such as a dodgeball tournament, SA Gaming tournament, photo booths, music and food. On Saturday, families can attend a carnival at Yonge-Dundas Square with inflatables, carnival games and food trucks, and in the evening, an outdoor concert. For young adults with an interest in pursuing ministry, a candidates luncheon with General Peddle will take place at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel.

Those who have young children and wish to attend INSPIRE events can access childcare services through Improv Care, who will be available on site for children ages 12 and under during the conference week, and Grade 1 and younger during the congress weekend. Improv Care provides learning through play, which will be supplemented by daily biblical teachings.

“My hope is that our young people feel valued and supported by the organization, and they feel like The Salvation Army is a place for them,” says Captain Dockeray. “This congress is for them, not just for their parents and grandparents.”

Called to Inspire

The Salvation Army wishes to build and look toward the future. At the INSPIRE Conference and Congress, mission partners from every ministry in every division will come together to celebrate Jesus and what he is doing in and through The Salvation Army. It will be a watershed moment for the Canada and Bermuda Territory, featuring ministry in all its expressions—from music and artistry to prayer and fellowship.

“It’s going to be unique, significant and empowering,” says Lt-Colonel Murray. “As we leave Massey Hall, we will be encouraged and reminded that there is life in The Salvation Army. We are committed to the days and years ahead in the mission to which God has called us.”

To learn more about the INSPIRE Conference and Congress, visit Salvationist.ca/Inspire.

40 Days of Prayer

Beginning on May 28, Pentecost Sunday, the territory will enter 40 days of prayer in the lead up to INSPIRE. “There is a unity that is formed when people dedicate their hearts and their minds together,” says Major Corinne Cameron. “We recognize this is not something we are doing of our own strength, but something we are doing through the power of the Holy Spirit. For this incredible, inspirational weekend to happen, it is through the power and unity of prayer.”

The 40 days of prayer will unfold across different platforms to ensure resources are accessible for all, no matter what media they engage with. Each person who is registered for the event will receive a daily email with a biblical passage, a prayer focus and a written prayer. This will also be available across social media and on a dedicated prayer section of the INSPIRE web page.

The final days of prayer will unfold after congress ends, with messages that focus on going home, remembering, prayer and action. “It takes the commitment we make throughout congress and gives it feet,” says Major Cameron. “As we walk into our homes and our ministry units again, we will continue to be inspired by God and help other people come to know the inspiring God.”

General Evangeline Booth stands at the pulpit at territorial congress in 1935

Photo: The Salvation Army Archives

All in the Family

Innovation grants spark new ministries in Buchans, N.L.

BY KRISTIN OSTENSEN

“I’mso bored!” Three words parents dread hearing from their kids.

But for many families, it’s not always easy to come up with new ideas or wholesome activities.

So, when Lieutenant April Ward, corps officer in Buchans, N.L., was looking for ways the Army could better serve the community, she had an idea.

“We have a small school—about 65, 70 students—and we noticed that a lot of folks sometimes lacked family time or didn’t know what to do when they were together,” she says. “So, I thought, What about a family night theme bag every month? This will gather families together, give them a space and time to be themselves, have some fun and get to know each other.”

It was a simple idea—with a big impact.

Just the Beginning

Supported by an innovation grant from territorial headquarters, Buchans Corps launched the theme bag program in September 2021. Every month since, Lieutenant Ward has loaded up her car and driven to the local school, where she drops off bags for families. So far, themes have included a pumpkin-carving kit; a smoothie night, complete with blender; a board game night; a Newfoundland “boil-up” winter picnic; and much more.

“The kids absolutely adore it,” Lieutenant Ward notes. “It gives them something to look forward to—stuff some of them may have never done before. And the parents are amazed at what we’re able to do and so thankful.”

“It’s such a great program as it allows families to spend time together without any financial burden,” say Todd and Danielle Hayley, who participate in the program with their two daughters. “We enjoy the laughter and fun that it brings and being able to reconnect after a day at work and school. We look forward to getting the bags every month.”

The theme bags, while still going strong, were just the beginning of new ministries at the corps. Having established relationships with the youth of the community, Buchans Corps has hosted a variety of youth and family-focused events, including an Easter egg hunt, corps-run volleyball nights at the school, a scavenger hunt, a backyard campfire at Lieutenant Ward’s quarters, and more.

“The kids are responding—they’re coming and feeling welcomed,” says Lieutenant Ward. “And knowing that there’s an interest in all of these things, it makes it easier to venture out in the community and try new things.”

Building Relationships

One of those new ventures is a meal program for seniors, also supported by an innovation grant.

“There are a lot of seniors in our community who are lonely,” Lieutenant Ward explains. “They don’t get out much and associate with other seniors. So, we came up with the idea of holding bimonthly suppers for them, using the school building to host the meals.”

Since the first supper, which brought in 40-50 seniors,

the program has grown dramatically, now serving more than 100.

“People who came said, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this for us. We enjoy it so much,’ ” says Lieutenant Ward, noting that the program is only possible because of the relationships the corps has built with the youth.

“They help prep the day before, setting up tables,” she says. “They do prep the day of, too, and they come and serve the seniors their suppers. So, they’re talking with the seniors, getting to know each other, and there’s a multi-generational connection that’s being made there. It’s bringing everyone together.”

The Hayley family are now regular volunteers with the seniors’ program, and their daughter, Jeaden, also helps out with the food bank and various programs at the church.

“People feel more welcome in our building,” Lieutenant Ward notes. “They feel that they can talk to us and share what’s on their mind, to say to us, ‘Can you pray for me?’

“That’s relationship building,” she adds. “To let people know that we love you, Jesus loves you, and we’re here for you. We want people to feel the love of Jesus through us and through our service.”

Looking ahead, the corps plans to build on those relationships, with more ministry opportunities in the works. “We look forward to what God has in store,” Lieutenant Ward concludes.

Lt April Ward (standing, second from right) and volunteers from Buchans Corps prepare for a seniors’ supper

Layah Penney and Charleigh LeDrew enjoy a family taco night theme bag

The Cold Community

Across the city of Winnipeg, there are encampments of people living outside—in bus shelters, tent cities, abandoned homes or makeshift structures of wood, blocks and tarps. Winnipeg has long cold seasons and often sees temperatures as cold as minus 50 degrees with a wind chill. The need is great, and it only rises in the wintertime.

“One winter, a few people set up their living quarters inside a huge pile of snow left by a plow,” recalls Major Mervyn Halvorsen, associate chaplain, Winnipeg Centre of Hope, and street ministry officer. “They dug into the side of it to stay out of the wind and snow. They stayed there until the snow began to melt in the spring.”

Major Halvorsen leads teams of volunteers that go out into camps to assess the need and provide wellness checks. “In one shift, we can see around 150 people,” he says. The outreach team offers necessary items such as food, cold and hot drinks, clothing and winter gear, footwear, hygiene items, sleeping mats and blankets. Their goal is to meet people where they are without judgment, and to build relationships that will hopefully help bring them to the Centre of Hope.

“We are always open for them. We want to get people in from the cold, whether for one night or a couple of nights—let them shower, get clean clothes and a hot meal,” says Mark Stewart, executive director. “If they are going to go back out there, they can at least go back out with warm clothes. We’re providing life-saving services when we bring people in from the cold.”

The Face of Homelessness

“I don’t think homelessness has one face,” Stewart notes. “There are multiple camps and they have different ways of living—in

old shipping containers with a blanket, in tents or under bridges. We’ve found families living in cars when it is minus 30 degrees.”

In Winnipeg, there are larger encampments with up to 50 people living together, and smaller communities of only three or four people. “They all have their own rules and space,” says Major Halvorsen. “Sometimes folks gather outside to enjoy a fire. Some larger camps know each other well and will support one another. If there’s something going on, they will help out. But other camps are more dangerous, and some are led by gangs.”

Four days a week, the Salvation Army street outreach team goes into the city to find camps and check on those living there. Most people living in encampments are happy to see the community response unit arrive.

“When they see the Red Shield, they know we’re here to help. They know they have a friend,” says Stewart. “We’re not there to demean them or try to get them out of the camp; we’re just there to help and to hopefully offer a pathway into our shelter, especially in the winter.”

When they see that The Salvation

The Salvation Army in Winnipeg reaches out to those living on the street in the wintertime.

BY ABBIGAIL OLIVER

“We’re providing life-saving services when we bring people in from the cold.”

—Mark Stewart

Mjr Mervyn Halvorsen visits an encampment by the river for a routine wellness check

Army cares for them, without criticism or putting them down, they can speak freely, and share their stories and struggles.

“A wellness check is just showing up and being there,” says Stewart. “We don’t want to intrude on their space. We wait to be welcomed in and we usually are. Once we are welcomed, we can ask how they are doing and what they need.”

From day to day, the wellness check will depend on what condition they’re in—are they down? Are they excited? Are they hurt or harmed? Are they looking for housing? Do they need mental-health support or crisis intervention? Based on the assessment, the outreach team can give referrals, call an ambulance, or transport people to hospitals, shelters or other partner organizations. The goal is to support people however they need it, whether by helping them warm up and find shelter or just providing a listening ear, and emotional and spiritual support.

In From the Cold

The Salvation Army Centre of Hope has more than 180 private rooms, a 60-bed family shelter, 45-bed emergency shelter, and provides three meals a day to residents. As part of the outreach ministry, Major Halvorsen invites people to come

to the Centre of Hope where they can find warmth, shelter, a bathroom, shower and food. If someone does choose to come to the Centre of Hope, they can access further supports and Salvation Army caseworkers are available to help them find long-term accommodations.

“There are some people that come to the Centre of Hope for food but may not want to stay. In the winter, we are a stop-off point. People come in to get warm. A lot of the people in the camps already know us, so they come in and say hi,” says Stewart. “There are still a

lot of myths out there about how shelters work and so we’re just trying to provide the right information and build those relationships.”

Still, not everybody living outside wishes to stay in a shelter. Many report that they don’t feel safe or that they prefer the freedom they have outside. By having a consistent and supportive presence in the camps, the Salvation Army team can introduce themselves, build trust, mend conflicts and provide practical assistance while showing that the Army is here for them.

e n t D o n a t i o n s M a n a g e m e n t

C a s e M a n a g e m e n t C a s e a n a g e m e n t

R e c o v e r y W o r k e r R e c o v e r y o r k e r

F u l l t r a i n i n g p r o v i d e d F u l l t r a i n i n g p r o v i d e d

I n t e r e s t e d i n j o i n i n g u s ?

S e n d u s a n e m a i l a t e d s @ s a l v a t i o n a r m y . c a o r c o n t a c t y o u r D i v i s i o n a l

E m e r g e n c y D i s a s t e r

S e r v i c e s O f f i c e

Mjr Halvorsen and the outreach team have served up to 35 locations in a single day, but there are too many encampments in the city to visit in one day

An Encounter With Jesus

We are called to embody the gospel.

BY MAJOR STEVEN CAMERON

Jesus Christ, who challenges us not only to believe but also calls us into a belonging relationship with God’s own family. A relationship that will transform us into children of God, who are blessed to be a blessing (see Genesis 12:2-3).

In 1865, William and Catherine Booth found their destiny among the physically and spiritually poor in the East End of London, England. They shared the life-transforming gospel, encouraging an encounter with Jesus that affected one’s whole self, which leads to holy living. The Salvation Army looks and acts differently today than it did; however, it is by understanding our origins that we begin to comprehend what it means to be a Salvationist.

God often invites people to reflect on their beginnings to help them understand their present. The Gospel of John helps its readers understand the newness of life that comes from Jesus by drawing images from Israel’s history to demonstrate that God is doing and acting in a new and life-changing way. The purpose of John’s Gospel is found in John 20:31: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Karoline Lewis, author of a biblical preaching commentary on John, maintains that John’s Gospel is not about information—it is about an encounter. In Jesus, we are faced with the presence of God and our decision to believe makes a transformational difference.

In the first phrase of John’s Gospel— “In the beginning was the Word”—we are brought right back to the creative activity of God in Genesis. This is done with purpose, because the advent of Jesus means

a new creation with a new understanding of our origins and the foundations of who we are.

Lewis highlights eight key theological themes in the first 18 verses of John, which act as a prologue to the book. These themes are unfolded throughout the rest of the Gospel. In brief, they are:

1. The connection of Jesus to the creative activity of God.

2. The origin story of Jesus.

3. The primary role of the Word made flesh is to reveal God.

4. Jesus, in John’s Gospel, is holding the human and divine together.

5. The theological themes of light and darkness (belief and unbelief).

6. Being a disciple means being a witness.

7. Children of God are called to abide with God.

8. God’s grace is revealed in abundance.

Early in the Gospel, we read, “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given” (John 1:16). In Jesus, we are confronted with the living grace of God that will provide for God’s followers. The Jesus we encounter in John’s Gospel will supply all our needs. This is sacramental living. It is an encounter with the living God, through

During the rest of this series, we will examine a specific encounter with Jesus according to one of the theological themes in John’s Gospel. We will be looking to Jesus, who embodies God to humanity, and how we, in turn, are called to embody God’s message to the world. We will then see concretely that Christians are called to live sacramentally. Just as John’s Gospel turned to creation to describe the new things that were happening in Jesus Christ, we will turn to the beginnings of The Salvation Army to see what it means to live sacramentally as a Christian in the Army.

The four themes from John will call us to be an embodiment of the gospel and to live sacramentally. These themes are: called into the creative activity of God, called to abide, called into abundance and called to witness. These themes will help us to comprehend what it means to encounter Jesus and to live for him.

The opening of John’s Gospel is designed to bring people into an encounter with Jesus. We are called to begin, renew and continue our relationship with Jesus. Our journey of sacramental living also begins when we make that commitment through the power of the Holy Spirit, to recognize that God is with us. The same God who was with The Salvation Army, encountering and transforming people in the East End of London, is with us today. The same Jesus who was in the beginning, who was with God, who was God, is with us. Let us go forward in our lives knowing that God is with us.

This is the first article in a five-part series on sacramental living. Articles will be published monthly, alternating in print and online at Salvationist.ca.

Major Steven Cameron is the theological formation co-ordinator at the College for Officer Training in Winnipeg.

Photo: Kruraphoto/iStock via Getty Images Plus

A Different Kind of

Medical Care

A Toronto Grace Health Centre program helps people age at home safely and surrounded with care.

BY JANE AYER

fter falling while filling bird feeders in her sister’s backyard, 77-year-old Donna White started to panic. With two artificial knees preventing her from standing up without holding on to something, the “what ifs” started to play loudly in her head. What if I can’t stand up? What if I can’t find a way out of the backyard? What if no one can hear me call for help?

Her sister and brother-in-law, whose house she was looking after, were away for the month, and their neighbours were nowhere in sight that March afternoon.

Inching her way toward the house’s back door, hands and knees soaked with snow, shivering from the cold, White made herself a promise: she would get what she calls “an alert button.”

“I knew it could have been really bad. And I’ve had quite a few falls—I probably average at least two a year,” White says. Today, if she does fall, there’s help at the push of a button.

Aging in Place

White heard about The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre’s Remote Care Monitoring (RCM) program from a friend at her seniors’ residence. The pre-pandemic brainchild of health centre CEO Jake Tran, it was designed to help older or at-risk patients stay in their homes while still receiving hospital-level care, also freeing up in-demand acute care beds. The onset of COVID-19 accelerated Tran’s idea into a full-fledged pilot project in the summer of 2020.

“We were asked to open up 20 beds for chronic ventilators,” says Tran. “But where would we put those 20 patients? We knew we had the RCM system in place, so we decided to take it to the next level, allowing us to then not rely on institutional responses but use the clients’ homes. We call it aging in place.”

Funded by public and private donors, this aging-in-place system provides medical and non-medical monitoring by a

Toronto Grace team, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Levels of Care

Eighty to 90 percent of the program’s patients need only its basic services, like White, who wanted a medical alert device to help her feel safe day-to-day. She uses the Odyssey device, worn as a pendant, a watch, or even attached to a belt clip, where it detects falls or unusual movements and notifies Toronto Grace staff. It also permits geo-fencing for patients prone to wandering, sending alerts to family members or the RCM team if they leave set geographic parameters. Direct, two-way calling allows clients to call for help by pushing a button.

Technology providing a deeper level of care is also available, including devices that monitor blood pressure, oxygen levels and body temperature, along with a machine known as the Karie, programmed to dispense medication at specific times and to the right person (by means of facial recognition technology). There’s also the option of in-home passive monitoring: a series of sensors that learn the client’s movements and trigger a warning if they detect something out of the ordinary, such as a lack of movement.

All devices report back to a centralized portal that tracks patients’ individual health information, collating the data and providing the RCM team with a full picture of how patients are faring and whether interventions are required. This team includes a range of doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers.

Room to Expand

The RCM program now serves clients across the Greater Toronto Area, but, with the right funding and support, Tran hopes to take the program province-wide by the end of this year.

“It’s a beautiful way of getting people home (from the hospital) and helping those who are at home stay there,” says Tran. “It

Donna White is one of more than a thousand people currently enrolled in The Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre’s Remote Care Monitoring program. Her medical alert pendant provides assurance that help is available at the push of a button

is not the answer to everything. But it is the beginning of a different type of medical care.”

And in the wake of COVID-19, a different type of medical care, where older Ontarians can stay in their homes—and out of longterm care facilities—seems to be exactly what the province needs.

Peace of Mind

Statistics from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, a non-profit that studies Canada’s health system and the health of Canadians, show long-term care residents accounted for just three percent of all COVID-19 infections, but 43 percent of deaths from the virus. Long-term care homes became a dangerous place for many during the pandemic.

And studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association show patients receiving care at home versus in hospital have a lower risk of hospital readmission, a reduced risk of long-term care admission and lower depression and anxiety rates. It seems receiving care at home is good for your health.

Laurel Franks can tell you how good Toronto Grace’s RCM program has been for her patients. The Toronto Western Hospital social worker has referred clients to the program for almost a year, primarily for the Odyssey pendant. She still remembers the first patient she referred.

“It took away this layer of anxiety for us as his care providers and for him, because he lives alone and really has nobody else in the world,” says Franks. “If he fell or needed support, no one would know. This is a huge deal to him. And the peace of mind that everybody felt when he came into the clinic wearing his pendant—I could cry just thinking about it.”

Financial Impact

Franks says medical alert devices from for-profit companies carry a cost prohibitive to many of her clients. Neither do they provide the extended care possible with Toronto Grace’s program. The cost to patients referred to the RCM system? It’s free.

Compare that to the cost of not investing in an outside-ofthe-box (and outside-of-the-hospital) program such as this. Alan Ruth, CEO of GRT Health, which supplies Toronto Grace’s RCM technology, adds it up.

“My estimate is that in Ontario, there are about 100,000plus people who would benefit from access to the Grace’s RCM program,” says Ruth. “For acute level of care patients, if they’re institutionalized, the direct cost is about $800 a day. If they wind up in long-term care, it’s about $400 a day.

“The cost to build a hospital bed is about $1,000,000, and you don’t just build one hospital bed, you build units of 35 or more,” he continues. “Then you’ve got the cost of the build, the cost of maintaining it and the cost to operate. On top of that, there’s scalability. If I say we need another 35 hospital beds in Toronto, they may not be built in the next three to five years. But if somebody calls the RCM program and says, ‘I’ve got 35 people I need to put on,’ well, we’re now averaging about 11 to 15 referrals a day. The scalability is technically infinite.”

Accessibility for All

Also infinite, says Franks, is what a province-wide remote care program like this could mean to the health-care system she has worked in for almost a decade.

“It could mean everything,” she says. “In a province that’s struggling, it seems common sense. It would change how people feel about aging in place. It would make that opportunity

accessible (to everyone). It could mean unneeded long-term care placements and hospitalizations, shortened hospital stays, and happier, less scared people. It’s multifactorial in terms of how it could impact people.”

For Dawn Tobler and her family, the impact has been deeply personal. Her mother, Shirley, was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, and wears a Toronto Grace pendant like a watch on her wrist. Because she’s prone to wandering, Shirley’s device sends a text alert to Tobler or her husband if she leaves a designated area around her building. Which is exactly what happened one morning last winter, when they were awoken by a 5 a.m. text message showing Shirley blocks away from her building. Tobler called her mother, told her to stay put, and was able to bring her safely home.

“We swear that saved her life or saved her from getting sick or falling,” says Tobler. “It’s reassuring to know there’s a community out there, checking in on her. I appreciate it and know my mom deserves that help.”

Life-Changing Care

That help now extends to more than 3,000 people like Shirley; that’s exponential growth considering the RCM program only served 75 clients less than two years ago. Who is the clientele?

“Eighty-five percent of our clients are older adults who are frail and many are marginalized,” says Tran. “This is one way in which they can truly age at home.”

Aging well at home is exactly why White wears her pendant. She organizes regular bridge, euchre and movie nights in her seniors’ residence. She still drives, taking friends to appointments or the grocery store. She sees her sister often, popping in with coffee. She visits her son regularly. Being able to continue doing all of this with a sense of security means everything.

“I just feel safe,” White concludes. “I can’t put it into any better words than that: I feel safe.”

Jane Ayer is a communications consultant in the internal communications department at territorial headquarters.

The Karie uses facial recognition to safely dispense medication to patients in their homes

“We swear (it) saved her life,” says Dawn Tobler of the Odyssey pendant that her mother uses

Photos: Eric Gerard

What a week! It began on Palm Sunday, with a celebratory procession entering Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosanna!” Jesus was ushered into the holy city as a conquering hero, with the crowds proclaiming his imminent accession to the throne of David. It ended on Friday, with his agonized cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34), as Jesus gave up his last breath after the brutal sadism of his Crucifixion. In between, the cries of “Hosanna!” became shouts of “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

On the surface, the transformation of the crowd’s mood from ecstatic expectation on Sunday to ravenous bloodthirst a few days later may seem hard to explain. But it makes sense in the larger telling of Jesus’ story in the Gospel of Mark. According to Mark, one of the major challenges that Jesus faced was overturning the expectations that the people—including his own disciples— had for their Messiah. They expected the Messiah to be a new David, a conquering hero who would overthrow the oppressive Roman rule and establish, at

In the Shadow of the Cross

Why did Jesus keep his identity as the Messiah a secret?

BY DONALD E. BURKE

last, God’s reign of righteousness, with Jesus, a son of David, on the throne in Jerusalem. The ensuing days would be glorious, a time of unprecedented prosperity and supremacy for the Jewish kingdom, as well as a time of power and influence for Jesus’ closest followers. But that, however, was not the mission of the Messiah, as Jesus was to teach. It is this clash of expectations that prompted the stark transformation from shouts of “Hosanna!” to “Crucify him!”

You Are the Messiah

To understand this, we need to go back to the scene in which Jesus quizzed his disciples about the public’s perception of him (see Mark 8:27-30). Some in the crowd thought Jesus was a prophet, perhaps the great Elijah or a reappearing John the Baptist. They recognized Jesus’ closeness to God, that he was a messenger from God. Quickly, Jesus turned the question to his disciples. “Who do you say that I am?” Peter, speaking on behalf of all the disciples, exclaimed, “You are the Messiah!” Inexplicably, Jesus ordered the disciples to guard this as a secret.

But even more shockingly, Jesus then proceeded to teach the disciples that he must suffer, be rejected by the leadership of the Jewish people, be killed and then rise again. Peter, in his characteristically impetuous manner, objected to this. Jesus’ prediction of his suffering, death and Resurrection did not fit with Peter’s own understanding of what it meant to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. For Peter and the disciples, Jesus’ messiahship must lead to triumph over the Romans, to Jesus’ enthronement on the throne of King David, and—for them—prominent positions in his kingdom. That was their expectation. The allure of following Jesus, then, was the prospect of sharing in the power and glory of the conquering Messiah. But what Jesus promised instead was suffering, rejection and a cross. It’s little wonder that Peter objected to this.

In the following verses (see Mark 8:34-9:1), Jesus taught his disciples that following him required self-denial, taking up one’s cross and losing one’s life. Peter had stumbled upon the truth about Jesus—that he was the Messiah—but it was only a half-truth. Peter and the other

disciples were partially blinded by their own expectations and ambitions. They could not hear what Jesus was teaching them; they could not understand his mission. They had eyes and ears but could neither see nor hear what he said.

The blindness of the disciples continues in the next chapter. Beginning in Mark 9:30, Jesus revealed to the disciples for the second time that he would be betrayed, killed and rise again. But, once again, the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying about his messianic mission. This is confirmed in the following verses as the disciples argued among themselves about who was the greatest (see Mark 9:33-34). Such a question was possible only because the disciples were mired in their expectation that Jesus’ messiahship would lead to conquest and power. This was such a powerful and attractive prospect that it drowned out the teaching of Jesus and blinded the disciples to the reality of his messianic mission.

In response to the disciples’ obsession with greatness and power, Jesus turned everything on its head. “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). To the disciples—and I suspect to many Christians today—this must have sounded like nonsense.

The Suffering Servant

As Jesus and the disciples continued their journey toward Jerusalem, Jesus made a third and final attempt to prepare his closest followers for the nature of his messiahship and, in turn, for their discipleship. Beginning in Mark 10:33, Jesus once again predicted his suffering, death and Resurrection—this time in greater detail. Immediately after, James and John made a shocking request of Jesus: grant us to sit on your right and left hand in your kingdom. They were still seeking power and glory; they were still imagining that Jesus’ messiahship would be evident in dominion and triumph. What that meant for James and John was the possibility of holding positions of power in Jesus’ kingdom. The other 10 disciples were no more tuned in to what Jesus was saying, since they were angry that James and John had attempted to gain an inside track on them. Jesus, perhaps with some frustration, continued his teaching, asserting that while rulers of

the Gentiles may lord it over their subjects, among the followers of Jesus, such assertions of power over one another are out of bounds. Greatness, when following a suffering Messiah, is found not in glory but in service; discipleship is evident in humility rather than an arrogant quest for power. Suffering and service, more than power and glory, are the marks of Jesus’ followers.

the only character in Mark who is permitted to speak the true identity of Jesus is a hated Roman centurion who, having seen Jesus suffer through his Crucifixion and death, proclaimed, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).

What the disciples had failed to recognize through Jesus’ three Passion predictions, this hated Roman soldier saw most clearly in the shadow of the cross: Jesus’ messiahship overthrows human ambitions for power and glory. It goes against the grain of human self-interest and sinfulness to forge a different path. Discipleship to a crucified Messiah leads to a striking contrast in relationships, in the world and in the community of Jesus’ followers—or at least it should. Lording over one another, in all its forms, is rendered out of order in the shadow of the cross. There is no legitimate hierarchy among the disciples of the crucified Messiah.

The Way of the Cross

The Messianic Secret

If even Jesus’ closest disciples were so blind to the true nature of his messiahship and its implications for those who would be his followers, is it any wonder that throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus commands silence about his messianic mission? It’s a great secret; a messianic secret. Demons who recognize Jesus are commanded to silence (see Mark 1:34; 3:11-12); recipients of healing are told to tell no one what they know about Jesus (see Mark 7:36). And in Mark, Jesus always refers to himself as “Son of Man” and never as “Christ” or “Son of God.” In fact, there is only one human character who is permitted to proclaim the identity of Jesus. It was not one of Jesus’ disciples, who had spent countless hours observing his life and receiving his instruction; it was not one of the people whom Jesus had healed; and it certainly was not one of the demons who recognized Jesus. No,

Temptations to pursue glory, authority and the perks of power abound even among the followers of Jesus to this day. Sometimes, even among those of us who profess to take the Bible seriously and to be disciples of Jesus, the pursuit of such “greatness” continues unabated. It shows up in claims to authority over others. But Jesus’ messiahship exposes such claims as fraudulent. Even a Roman centurion could see what Jesus’ closest disciples could not. When the cross becomes the lens through which we see the nature of discipleship to Jesus, everything changes. Serving, rather than being served, becomes the way of the disciple.

It’s no surprise that we sometimes succumb to the allure of shouting hosannas in glorious processions instead of taking the way of the cross. Rushing past Calvary to get to the empty tomb is understandable; it feeds our tendency to pursue the adoring crowd. But as Mark teaches us, to do so leads to a distorted discipleship that focuses on the trappings of success and elevates us above others. Jesus, on the other hand, through his suffering and death, taught us that our practice of discipleship—just like the disciples’—may need to be transformed in the shadow of the cross.

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

Photo: The fresco of Crucifixion as part of Cross way station in the church of St. John the Nepomuk by Josef Furlich (1844-1846)/Renáta Sedmáková via stock.Adobe.com

The Map-Makers

BY ANDREW WILEMAN

What are old people for? Not only is that the title of a great book by Dr. William Thomas, but it is perhaps one of the most important questions facing The Salvation Army and the wider church.

Why is that you might ask? The number of older people in the world is growing inexorably and future projections are startling. The latest census in the United Kingdom, where I am the assistant director of older people’s services for the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, shows that more than one-fifth of the population was 65 or over in 2021, and this is projected to grow to about a quarter of the population by 2041.

The combination of falling birth rates and people living longer is leading to a marked change in our society. The world is going to be older and greyer, with larger numbers of people who are dependent on others for care. So, what do these changing demographics mean for our Salvation Army? How do we respond to “What are old people for?”—because it seems as though God is going to give us an awful lot of them!

You might be thinking this is a worrisome trend, but may I suggest instead that this is an age of new possibilities and opportunities that are fundamental to our future mission?

In the biblical narrative, old people are celebrated and venerated. “Grey hair is a crown of splendour; it is attained in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31). “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God” (Leviticus 19:32). “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12).

And yet, the pervasive ageism we find in the secular world seems to be replicated in the church. We have a relentless focus on young people and young families. A youthful, trendy image is paramount. We want to be energetic, informed and in touch with society. Unfortunately, the rows of senior citizens in many corps don’t quite fit the image. After all, the endless pursuit of youth epitomizes energy, vigour, flexibility and the future, and old age represents fatigue, rigidity, old-fashioned

thinking, dependence and the past, right? But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Of course, young people matter. This mingling of youthful zeal and the wisdom of our older saints is part of the point of God’s multi-generational church. However, we must acknowledge that all generations and perspectives are necessary to truly be the corps and churches that God commissions to reach and love the world. I suggest that we need wisdom to understand the season of life we are in as The Salvation Army, and we need an active, ongoing conversation about the gifts and callings of our older people.

Here are four biblical ways that older people can make an impact on our local mission in the 21st century.

Custodians of families. In Leviticus 19, we see that the primary role of elders was to form community by expressing love, wisdom, memory, authority and example. Offering wisdom in a non-judgmental way can provide an antidote to the simplistic black and white perspectives of much of our public discourse. The experiences of going through deep waters of suffering, failure and bereavement can provide resources of wisdom to pass on.

Servants of God. In 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul outlines a series of setbacks and sufferings. The words are a note from a season that can also apply to those who are older: “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The role of older people in our corps can be to prophetically counter the obsession with outward things, whatever they might happen to be in our local context—our buildings, programs, budgets, etc. We need those who go before us to show us how it can be done with grace and humility.

Ambassadors of the lifelong journey. Investing in the next generation through deep intergenerational friendships in a society increasingly segmented by age can seem unusual, even suspect. But Christian history shows the profound importance of intergenerational friendships in growing the next generation

Photo: Halfpoint/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Four biblical ways older adults can make an impact on our local mission.

of disciples. The Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unamuno reminds us that we have a choice of “seeing life from the balcony,” as spectators, or we can choose to “live on the road” as pilgrims making progress.

Reflectors of prayer and purpose. Simeon and Anna, whom we read about in Luke 2:21-38, were not high profile. They didn’t need to be. We don’t need to be. All they did as older people in the temple was herald the baby king Jesus. They recognized Jesus as Lord and lived such godly lives that what they said about him was considered true beyond doubt. As a younger person, I was so grateful and moved to know there were older saints who were praying faithfully for me. Now it’s up to us who are older to take up that role for the next generations.

Our older people are both map-readers and map-makers of the ways of God. These days, we can buy a map cheaply or even access it via an online app or GPS. However, the original map-makers were explorers who gave their lives to survey unknown territory, and one by one they charted new horizons.

Today, we inherit all those achievements. How foolish it would be for our youth-obsessed contemporary culture to reject the past, forget our map-makers and ignore the wisdom of those in later life.

Andrew Wileman is the assistant director of older people’s services for the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, based at territorial headquarters in London, England.

This is the second in a series of three articles on aging. Look for the final piece in our May/June issue.

Songs of the Faith

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrew Wileman’s ministry team wrote and posted daily devotionals on their Facebook page for older Salvationists.

“We wanted to provide some hope, encouragement and inspiration,” he says. “I’d highlight the stories behind some of our great hymns and songs, particularly those found in the Salvation Army song book, and link them with themes of encouragement or challenge.”

These devotionals became the inspiration for the book Songs of the Faith, which contains 52 entries, each focusing on the background or themes of a hymn. The book is intended as a guide for personal discipleship or for small groups.

“We hope it will bring to life stories written by ordinary people through history, often facing some of the challenges that we face in our lives,” says Wileman.

For more information, visit salvationist.org.uk/articles/ andrew-wileman-daily-facebook-posts-publishingbook. Songs of the Faith is available for purchase at sps-shop.com/101892.

Embracing Equity

How supporting women in agriculture is forging change.

BY KATHY NGUYEN

Chrissie is a farmer in Chambo, Malawi. After receiving training in conservation agriculture, her yield rose from seven to 35 bags of maize, enough to feed her family for a year and send all her children to school

The United Nations (UN) has designated March 8 as International Women’s Day, with this year’s theme being “Embrace Equity.”

According to the UN, gender equity means “being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, measures are often needed to compensate for historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from otherwise operating as equals. Equity leads to equality.”

Helping girls and women around the world receive the tools and resources to live in a more just, equitable society is at the forefront of The Salvation Army’s international work, which is why the education of females is a critical aspect of our projects overseas.

One of the missions of International Women’s Day is “to shine a spotlight on activity uplifting and inspiring women to pursue goals without bias or barrier.”

Today, we celebrate the strong women who are forging change. Forging change could look like many things— beginning a new job in a male-dominated field, being a stay-at-home mother nurturing the family and household or doing whatever it takes to provide for your family.

For Chrissie, a single mother of six, it was all three.

Working as a small-scale farmer in

Chambo, Malawi, Chrissie used to cultivate three-and-a-half acres, which would yield less than seven bags of maize. This wasn’t enough to provide for her family, and she was only able to send two of her children to school.

A lack of tools and resources, combined with drought and degraded soil, meant Chrissie struggled to make ends meet.

The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda has implemented agriculture projects all over the world, which is just one of the ways we’ve been fighting global hunger for more than 100 years.

Partnering with The Salvation Army in Malawi and Canadian Foodgrains Bank, an organization whose mission is to end global hunger, we’ve been supporting the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security project.

This three-year project is providing more than 450 farmers with training in conservation agriculture. This method of farming provides farmers with the knowledge and tools to achieve higher crop production levels while saving resources and protecting the environment.

Thirty lead farmers were chosen to promote their new findings and techniques to their communities, ensuring that the learning goes beyond this project and more families can benefit.

Chrissie was one of the farmers who participated in the training and received agriculture inputs, including maize and cowpea seeds and fertilizer. Once she adopted her new learning, Chrissie’s life was changed.

After harvesting her two plots, she grew 35 bags of maize, each weighing nearly 50 kilograms. For a rural farmer, this is a life-changing triumph.

Chrissie kept 15 bags to feed her family—enough for a whole year. She also sold 20 bags and used some of the proceeds to send all her children to school.

“God has made a way for me,” she says. “My hopes were gone but now I can see my children smiling again.”

Chrissie’s story is one of many— stories of hope and transformation are birthed when people are given the tools, resources and education they need, and the belief that they can and will forge change.

The Salvation Army is actively working in 133 countries to combat food insecurity and ensure that women always have a seat at the table. This is how we’re working to embrace equity, everywhere.

What can you do today to embrace equity?

Kathy Nguyen is the resource/media co-ordinator in the international development department.

An Observable Faith

What is your response-ability?

BY MAJOR DEANA ZELINSKY

In this series, we are exploring our CHRIST-centred, OTHERS-focused faith. We now come to R—responsibility. We are called to faithfully use all we are for God’s glory. Major Deana Zelinsky reflects on how responsibility encompasses stewardship, discernment and decision-making, relation to authority, and our response to God’s call.

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). This is our calling as followers of Christ—to use our abilities in response to grace. We might say this is our response-ability to God’s work in us.

“

Living an observable faith is the Christian response to God’s work in our world and is only made possible through his Spirit’s work in us. Does the way we live our lives—our speech, actions, the choices we make with our resources, the work we put into relationships—point people to Jesus? It becomes evident as we accept his invitation to join in the work of ushering in the kingdom of God.

I have been blessed to call two strong, influential and wise women “Mom.” My mother and mother-in-law came to faith in very different circumstances and contexts, but I had a front-row seat to their Christ-centred, others-focused living in response to God’s love.

My mother-in-law, Betty, accepted Jesus as her Saviour at a mid-week prayer meeting at The Salvation Army’s Hamilton Temple, Ont. Although she didn’t know all the implications at the time, she knew she wanted her life to be different, and she believed Jesus was the answer to her search. She gave her heart to the Lord and, from that point on, was released from addiction and despair and forever changed by the Holy Spirit, full stop. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As a result, every aspect of her life looked different. She went from full

stop to full steam ahead—studying the teachings of Jesus, giving generously of her time and abilities to her corps and community, and supporting people in their time of need. As time passed and her faith matured, my mother-in-law began to tackle the more challenging aspects of “living as Jesus did,” such as repairing broken relationships, making difficult decisions that implied personal sacrifice and surrender, and speaking truth to power.

My mother Judy’s salvation story was notably less dramatic, but her faith journey was equally influential and observable. My parents opened their home, hosting weekly Bible studies and prayer groups, and they made space for children in the care of the Children’s Aid Society, providing safety, stability and love. My mom advocated for the rights of children, their parents and other foster parents. All of this—and more—was the result of the Spirit’s power at work within her.

This was their response-ability to

God’s grace and love. Their lives reflected the coming of the kingdom of God on earth through a close relationship with Jesus and serving others.

We all have access to God’s Spirit, who empowers us and uses our abilities to the benefit of others. Although it is embodied differently by each of us—as it was for my moms—our lived-out faith points to Jesus.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God’s grace is compelling. As we read the Gospels, we observe Jesus caring for the poor, marginalized and oppressed, and he invites us to follow him. We are called to live out our faith by taking responsibility for others.

This is embedded in our covenant for Salvation Army officers: love the unloved and befriend those who have no friends. Commissioner Robert Street expands the call and covenant to all followers of Jesus. In Day by Day: Call to Mission, he writes, “The closer we follow Jesus, the more we will reflect his mission to those who are marginalized, excluded or overlooked.” His words echo the call of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesian church: “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1).

How is your walk with Jesus? What response-ability of yours can the Holy Spirit use to be others-focused? To be Christ-centred and others-focused, responsibility and response-ability go hand in hand.

Major Deana Zelinsky is the training principal at the College for Officer Training in Toronto.

Photo: Africa Studio/stock.Adobe.com

Forging Ahead

Regional Integration Forums will help The Salvation Army work together to meet community needs.

BY COLONEL EVIE DIAZ

• Everyone is on the same page and pulling together in the same direction;

• Knowledge is captured, shared and mobilized;

• Innovative ideas are encouraged and distributed across teams;

• Best practices are highlighted and leveraged across the Army;

• Problems are being solved through collaboration.

Divisional commanders have begun to select communities in their respective divisions to begin using RIFs. These communities represent Phase 1, a test and learn period to help determine the best approach for future RIFs.

Over the last several months, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to travel across Canada and Bermuda. Since my initial introduction to the territory was primarily virtual, this has been an incredible blessing. From the east coast to the west, from Bermuda to the Northwest Territories, I have seen the best of front-line ministry.

Of course, it’s not all perfect and there are many challenges facing our work. Yet, in every centre, corps and divisional office, I have met people who love Jesus and love serving their communities, and they are making a difference in practical and spiritual ways. It has been a great encouragement to see and hear these stories of transformation. My prayer is that this helps me in my role as a territorial leader.

One of the most exciting areas of growth I’ve observed is the effort to build partnerships. The third pillar of our territorial strategy, drawn from our vision statement, is to “forge stronger partnerships,” and it has been particularly inspiring and hopeful to hear how our Salvation Army mission partners are finding ways to work together.

These partnerships are both external and internal. Paying attention to partnerships between us will help to strengthen our processes, improve our community outreach and provide encouragement to each other.

One way we are forging stronger internal partnerships is by establishing Regional Integration Forums (RIFs). The purpose of these forums is to bring together all the Salvation Army ministry units in a geographic region—corps, social services and National Recycling Operations—to collaborate to meet the needs of the community.

By building meaningful relationships between ministry units, RIFs will create supportive environments, allowing officers and employees to share knowledge, learn from one another and feel more connected to their mission. This improved understanding of one another will make it easier to support clients, recognize and assess unmet needs within their community, co-ordinate services and strengthen continuity of care through cross-referrals.

We hope and pray that these strong internal relationships will result in ministry where:

Major Neil Wilkinson, an area commander in British Columbia, took up the challenge of starting a RIF, assembling one in the Kootenays in September. This location offers a great opportunity for us to learn about the possibilities of collaboration in a more geographically spread-out community in a rural context.

Major Wilkinson dedicated his first RIF to team building and learning about one another, with the idea that building relationships and trust are at the centre of working together to create a shared strategy for ongoing collaboration and integration.

The forum was very well received by the members. One said, “I appreciated how we were invited to share and were challenged to be vulnerable pretty much right away.” Another shared, “It was a great opportunity to get to know the officers in the Kootenays and hear their stories.”

We look forward to hearing more about our Phase 1 RIFs and will share best practices when we roll out others throughout the year. Look for more news about these in the future.

By working together, praying together and serving together, we see a bright future for our Army in the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Colonel Evie Diaz is the chief secretary in the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Mjr Neil Wilkinson established a Regional Integration Forum in the Kootenays, B.C., and dedicated the first one to team building

Tentmakers

Multivocational Ministry in Western Society

REVIEW BY LT-COLONEL ANDREW MORGAN

Tentmakers: Multivocational Ministry in Western Society is a thought-provoking compilation birthed from the Canadian Multivocational Ministry Project (CMMP). The CMMP is a multi-denominational and multiagency research project examining patterns of ministry that combine paid and unpaid leadership responsibilities in Canadian churches.

This theologically grounded research examines the societal trends that negatively affect personal belief and participation in religious organizations. Pastoral leaders and church planters today find it challenging to recreate the economic model of a bygone era when the pastor’s full-time ministry costs were supported by the church they pastored. Today, more and more clergy are finding themselves to be “multivocational” pastors.

Salvationists who read this book will be both encouraged and challenged. Many will recognize co-editor Dr. James Watson, corps health and planting consultant in the corps mission resource department at territorial headquarters, and contributors such as Dr. James Pedlar, theologian and professor at Toronto’s Tyndale University, and Major (Dr.) Michael Puddicombe, corps officer, Burlington Community Church, Ont. These

are individuals who have helped articulate how a paradigm of Salvation Army leadership structure has facilitated historic ministry success.

In his chapter, Major Puddicombe describes the corps officer who, rather than needing to seek supportive secular employment (i.e., multivocational or “tentmaking”), pours their energies into the other ministry roles such as director of family services, leading various social outreach programs or even managing a thrift store. While some Salvation Army officers might disparage their multi-role responsibilities, ministers in other denominations dream of an opportunity for ministry and an economic model that facilitates community engagement and transformational impact typical of The Salvation Army.

This book encourages the Salvationist reader as we grapple with the societal challenges for religious organizations today, knowing that we have a historic ministry model that continues to equip us to be a transforming influence in our communities. Also enlightening are the considerations of a pastor’s role as a ministry or a career, and the place of sabbath rest in multivocational ministry. The book’s helpful reflection questions challenge us to consider our missional approach. Tentmakers could be used as a thought-provoking text in a group study setting, and though it may seem academic in tone, the benefit of the work is well worth the reader’s investment in engagement and reflection.

Tentmakers is available to purchase on Amazon.

Lt-Colonel (Dr.) Andrew Morgan is a Canadian officer currently appointed as officer commanding of the Italy and Greece Command.

Fully Scored UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND TERRITORY

Fully Scored, hosted by Matthew Frost and produced by the music editorial department of The Salvation Army’s United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, is a podcast for Salvationists and brassband lovers. Each episode features a musical arrangement and interviews with diverse musicians such as the International Staff Band’s principal cornet, Gavin Lamplough, Canadian Staff Bandmaster John Lam and Melbourne Staff Bandmaster Ken Waterworth. Frost discusses music, the message and inspiration behind the music, and even includes Salvation Army banding trivia. The hour-long episodes are filled with creative passion, humour, interesting commentary and deep knowledge of music and The Salvation Army at an international level. Episodes include topics such as the life of a bandmaster, analysis of compositions, the experience of making music, and music as a ministry.

Fully Scored is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Play.

The Lives We Actually Have 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days

BY KATE BOWLER AND JESSICA RICHIE

Authors Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie are New York Times bestselling coauthors of Good Enough , and together they host and produce the popular podcast Everything Happens. In their new book, The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days, they share faith-based lessons on God’s presence in our day to day.

Formatted like a devotional prayer book, The Lives We Actually Have reminds readers that everyday experiences are worthy of blessings. Despite our living in a society so focused on perfection and having it all, God sees us in our ordinary human moments—the good, bad, lonely, grieving, boring and happy.

As a companion to The Lives We Actually Have , Bowler and Richie have created a free 40-day devotional guide, a sermon guide and group discussion guide for Lent. Meant to help readers reflect, pray and bless their imperfect lives, these guides will use the book’s material to carry these everyday blessings through Lent.

The Lives We Actually Have is available for purchase on Amazon and Indigo. Daily devotional, sermon and group discussion guides can be downloaded at katebowler.com/blessthislent.

CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C—Ocean Crest Corps celebrates the enrolment of five CCM members. Front, from left, Betty Tiede, CCM leader; Bill Dennett, Joanne Fischer, Tami Ness, Anne Desjardin and Murray McMurdo, new members; and Cpt Violet Hopkins, CO. Back, Hazen Taylor, colour sergeant.

AURORA,

Fred Reid, CO, Northridge CC, receives the Queen’s

pin and certificate in recognition of his leadership and compassion for the people of Newmarket-Aurora and his efforts to ensure the community is a welcoming and caring place to live. From left, Angela Covert, community rela-

BECOME A SPONSOR TODAY

young people are enrolled as junior soldiers at Mountain Citadel. Front, from left, Lt-Col Beverley Slous, CO; Zoey Newbury, Avery Downer, Declan Bird, Malachi Kent, Eliana Pineda and Anthony Pineda, junior soldiers; and Mjr Brian Slous, CO. Back, from left, CSM Nathan Downer; Courtney McLeod, children and youth ministries co-ordinator; and JSS Debbie Urquhart.

REGINA—Ivy Scobie receives the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medal for exceptional service in the health-care field in recognition of her dedication and service in the role of executive director at The Salvation Army’s William Booth Special Care Home in Regina, where she led new programs such as hospice and adult day support. “I am very thankful for The Salvation Army and the opportunities it provided me,” says Scobie.

HAMILTON, ONT.—Six

ONT.—Cpt

Platinum Jubilee

tions representative, Northridge CC; Tony Van Bynen, MP for Newmarket-Aurora; and Cpt Reid.

Photo: Lynnette Lanning

MOUNT PEARL, N.L.—Jared Elliott is enrolled as a senior soldier at Mount Pearl Corps, supported by Mjrs Lisa and Morgan Hillier, COs; Mjr Melva Elliott, senior soldier preparation leader (left); and his brother, Nathan Elliott, holding the flag.

EDMONTON—Lt Amy Patrick, CO, enrols Judy Turner as an adherent and Bruce Peterkin as a senior soldier at Edmonton Crossroads CC.

GAZETTE INTERNATIONAL

Appointments: Comrs Janine/Robert Donaldson, General’s representatives for mission effectiveness (pilot), IHQ; Lt-Col Miriam Gluyas, TC, Australia Tty, with rank of comr; Lt-Cols Christine/Ivan Rock, TSWM and territorial secretary for officer development and care/CS, U.S.A. Eastern Tty, with rank of col

TERRITORIAL

Appointments: Mjr Sheldon Feener, DSPR, B.C. Div (additional responsibility pro tem); Mjrs April/David McNeilly, special assignment, church planting, Ont. Div; Mjrs Lisa/Randy Randell, interim executive directors, Ontario Distribution Centre, Toronto (additional responsibility); Lt Alecia Barrow, assistant corps and community ministries officer (pro tem), Lakeshore CC, Toronto

Promoted to major: Cpt Steven Barrett

Long service: 25 years—Mjr Sharon Dannock

Promoted to glory: Mjr Penny Lang, Nov 16; Mjr Ivy Monk, Nov 19; Mjr Lloyd Eason, Nov 24; Mjr Phyllis Henderson, Dec 4; Mjr John Gerard, Dec 10; Lt-Col Ralph Stanley, Dec 10; Mjr Valetta England, Dec 21; Mjr Harold Thornhill, Dec 21

CALENDAR

Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd: Mar 3-4 91st Annual SAROA Reunion, St. Petersburg Citadel, Fla.; Mar 5 Clearwater Corps, Fla.; Mar 27-28 EFC Annual Denominational Leaders Retreat, Mississauga, Ont.*; Mar 30-31 2nd Year Institute, Toronto; Apr 6-11 Alta. & N.T. Div; Apr 14-17

St. John’s West Corps, N.L.; Apr 18-25 Partners in Mission visit, Malawi Tty; Apr 29-30 convocation weekend, Booth University College (*Commissioner Floyd Tidd only)

Colonel Evie Diaz: Mar 12-13 CFOT, Winnipeg; Mar 27 2nd Year Institute, Toronto; Apr 6-10 B.C. Div; Apr 23 Dearborn Heights Corps, Mich.; Apr 29-30 convocation weekend, Booth University College

Canadian Staff Songsters: Mar 4-5 St. Thomas, Ont.; Apr 7-9 Vancouver, Victoria and Abbotsford, B.C.

TRIBUTES

WATERDOWN, ONT.—Major Ivy Monk (nee Morey) was born in La Scie, N.L., in 1930. The influence of godly parents led Ivy to accept Christ at an early age, and she entered training college in 1950 to become a Salvation Army officer. Her first appointment was in New Chelsea, N.L., as a corps officer and teacher, followed by appointments in Garnish, N.L., and La Scie. In 1955, Ivy married Captain Leonard Monk from Monkstown, N.L. Together, they served in corps throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, in family services in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and in men’s social in Edmonton and Grande Prairie, Alta. Ivy was a people person and a dynamic speaker with a passion for working with youth, leading many to enter training college. After retirement in 1987, Ivy served as assistant secretary for community care ministries and represented the Army on pastoral committees in nursing homes. She was always prepared to minister to those needing spiritual direction. Predeceased by her husband, Leonard; an infant daughter; daughter Beverly; parents Pearce and Mabel; and brothers Captain Cyril and Percy, Ivy is remembered by daughter Brenda (Don); grandchildren Courtney (Tim), Grayson (Megan) and Janet (Graydon); great-grandchildren Preston and Elsie; son-in-law, Richard (Cindy); and sister, Ruby.

WOODSTOCK, ONT.—Jim (James) Gordon was born into a Salvation Army family in Woodstock in 1931 and spent his life serving God in ministry at the Woodstock Corps. Known for his musical abilities, Jim served as the deputy songster leader before becoming the songster leader in 1964, a position he retired from 58 years later in 2022. He was an accomplished cornet soloist and was passionate about music ministry, songsters and sharing God’s love through the words of the music. Jim was also the acting bandmaster for 42 years. Having led the Ontario West Divisional Youth Band and the Jubilee Brass, he will be fondly remembered for teaching and encouraging young people at the corps and music camps across Canada. His legacy will continue in the hearts and ministry of those he encouraged and taught to do the same. Jim is survived by his wife of more than 69 years, Barbara; children Deborah (Ted), Marg (Ken), Jim (Patti) and Jeff (Kelly); 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and sisters Margaret and Gladys.

EDMONTON—Major Harold Thornhill was born in Fortune, N.L., in 1929 and later moved to North Sydney, N.S., before entering the Ambassadors Session at training college in 1950. There, Harold met his beloved wife, Eva. Following their marriage in 1953, they served together in corps appointments in Vancouver and South Burnaby, B.C. In 1959, Harold was appointed to the Army’s health services department where he served for 35 years. During that time, he served as assistant administrator, administrator and president at the Grace hospitals in Windsor, Ont., Winnipeg, St. John’s, N.L., Scarborough, Ont., Halifax and Calgary. After retirement, Harold served with The Salvation Army at the Winnipeg Grace Hospital and Saskatoon Eventide Home. Predeceased by his wife, Eva, Harold is survived by children Philip (Nancy), Robert (Gail), Karen (Bruce) Coley, Paul (Rosemary) and Cathy Dawe; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; sister, Grace; and many friends.

Div, at Vernon CC, with Mjr Lisa MacPherson, AC, B.C. Div, holding the flag. During his time serving as a cabin leader at Camp Sunrise, Thompson felt God’s call to make this commitment.

TORONTO—Marjorie Yetts was born to Salvationist parents in Leigh-on-Sea, England, in 1943. She moved to Canada around 1960 and lived with the Sargeant family in Oshawa, Ont., who became her Canadian family. She later moved to Toronto where she worked at the Salvation Army territorial headquarters. Marjorie became involved in the North Toronto Corps, serving in various positions, singing in the songsters and volunteering with the ESL classes. She was a caring person and had close friends who supported her during her final days. Predeceased by her parents and four siblings, Marjorie is missed by her brother, Graham; nieces and nephews; and close friends, including the Sargeant family.

VERNON, B.C.—Nathan Thompson is enrolled as a senior soldier by Cpt Josh Downer, DCYS, B.C.

“Ialwaysknew from a young age that I was meant to be a pastor,” says Lieutenant Kaitlyn Young. “My grandparents will tell you that from the age of five, I was running around with curly hair and freckles, telling everybody that one day I was going be a pastor.

“I just didn’t know what that meant then, but The Salvation Army is where God has led me.”

Radio Silence

Though Lieutenant Kaitlyn’s grandparents were officers, she was not born into the Army.

When her parents moved to Cobourg, Ont., to start their married life, they checked out both the Pentecostal and Salvation Army churches there and decided that the former was the one that best suited their needs.

Lieutenant Kaitlyn’s early dream of becoming a pastor did not abate as she grew up. She was actively involved in her church, teaching Sunday school and eventually taking on the junior classrooms when she became a teenager. By the time she reached high school, she was still determined to be a pastor one day.

“The Grade 9 version of me thought that you graduated, went on to Pentecostal seminary, became a pastor, and things

The Easiest “Yes”

BY KEN RAMSTEAD

would be rainbows and sunshine for the rest of your life,” she laughs. “That’s how it was meant to be because I was obeying what I felt God was calling me to do.

“But the Grade 12 version of me realized that, at the time, there were only 10 single women in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada serving as senior pastors. Lots of women in women’s ministry, lots of women in children’s ministry, but few senior leaders of the church, which was what I felt called to.”

Lieutenant Kaitlyn didn’t like those odds, so she pursued an undergraduate degree in teaching as a backup plan. All the while, she prayed for guidance.

“I had radio silence from God on the issue of where he wanted me to minister,” Lieutenant Kaitlyn says. “It was like the conversation had gone dead, like the phone was hung up or something.”

The Journey Begins

Meanwhile, some friends of her grandparents asked if Lieutenant Kaitlyn had considered training in a different denomination. What about The Salvation Army?

“I was like, ‘No! They’re so weird,’ ” she smiles now. “They wear uniforms and they play brass instruments. I don’t know how to play anything and I’ve never been to camp. Would I even be allowed?”

But the suggestion left her something to think about.

“And I did,” Lieutenant Kaitlyn says. She decided to interview all the women in Cobourg who were serving in ministry.

“The one I felt most reflected the calling I had on my life was the Salvation Army officer, Lt-Colonel Myra Pritchett.”

Encouraged, Lieutenant Kaitlyn attended an information night at divisional headquarters in Toronto.

“It was a fact-finding mission,” she says. “What is this training college like? What does The Salvation Army expect of their pastors? And what would this mean for me?”

That evening, she felt that The Salvation Army was where God wanted her.

Lieutenant Kaitlyn drove home from Toronto that day and told her family, who were happy and supportive of her, as was her senior pastor.

“So, I said goodbye to the congregation that had raised me, and I started the journey to soldiership, candidacy and the College for Officer Training, from which I was commissioned in 2018 as part of the Messengers of the Gospel Session.”

In Step

After stints in Medicine Hat, Alta., Toronto and Hamilton, Ont., Lieutenant Kaitlyn is now the corps officer in Fenelon Falls, Ont.

“I didn’t necessarily choose officership or The Salvation Army because I felt it was the best option for me,” Lieutenant Kaitlyn explains. “Put simply, The Salvation Army was and is the best place for me because that’s where God told me to go. It’s the centre of his will for my life. And that’s where I surrendered myself to be.

“As a Christian woman first, then a soldier of The Salvation Army and an officer of The Salvation Army, my first ‘yes’ was always to the will of the Holy Spirit and walking in step with the Holy Spirit. That was the easiest ‘yes.’ Everything else has just been a wonderful bonus on the journey that God has designed for my life.”

For Lieutenant Kaitlyn Young, walking in step with the Holy Spirit led her to The Salvation Army.

Lt Kaitlyn Young

TAKE OUR READER SURVEY

We want to know what you think about Salvationist magazine! Answer the survey and return it to us OR use the QR code below to complete it online at salvationist.ca/survey and you could win one of two $100 Amazon gift cards (contest open to residents of Canada and Bermuda only). All surveys should be returned by March 31, 2023. Include your contact information for a chance to win.

1. What best describes your relationship to The Salvation Army?

 Soldier/adherent  Church attender  Officer

Employee  Other:

2. Corps/church/ministry unit:

3. Age:

4. How do you receive your copy of Salvationist?  Corps display table/rack

 From an usher  From a friend or family member  Personal subscription  I read it online

5. How many issues of Salvationist do you typically read in the course of a year?

8. How often do you read the following?

6. How important are these goals for Salvationist magazine?

9. What issues or topics would you like to see in Salvationist?

10. Rate the quality of Salvationist magazine.

7. What actions have you taken as a result of reading Salvationist?

 Attended a Salvation Army church service for the first time

 Volunteered with The Salvation Army (e.g., food bank, Christmas kettle)

 Sought assistance from a Salvation Army centre

 Donated to The Salvation Army

 Saved an article or issue

 Wrote a letter to the editor or commented online

11. What would improve the design of Salvationist?

12. In the past month, how often have you read articles on our website, Salvationist.ca?

 0 times

7 times +

4-6 times  1-3 times

13. How do you connect to Salvationist online? Check all that apply.

 Direct to website

Salvationist eNewsletter  Facebook

 Twitter

Salvationist podcast

Links from other Salvation

 Instagram Army websites

 YouTube

Search engine

All surveys (print or online) should be received by March 31, 2023.

Mailing address: Readers’ Survey, The Salvation Army Editorial Department, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto ON M4H 1P4; email: salvationist@salvationarmy.ca; online: salvationist.ca/survey.

Faith & Friends

The Jazz Singer

VIRTUOSO ELIZABETH SHEPHERD’S SONG STYLINGS ARE PRAISED AROUND THE WORLD, BUT SHE HAS STAYED TRUE TO HER SALVATION ARMY ROOTS. P.16

Our Lifeboat

The sinking of the Titanic, one of the worst maritime disasters in history, took place 111 years ago in April. More than 1,500 people died in the tragedy—a death toll much higher than it should have been. The ship only had 20 lifeboats, enough to accommodate 1,178 people. Not nearly enough for the 2,223 souls on board.

In the wake of the disaster, new regulations came into effect, requiring boats to have enough lifeboats and life-jackets for everyone on board. Because so many lives were needlessly lost, many more lives have been saved.

At Easter, we remember the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Though He was the Son of God, He willingly gave up His life so that we could be saved. His suffering is our salvation. His death is our life.

That’s the promise of Easter. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

/stock.Adobe.com

To learn more about Jesus this Easter, visit a Salvation Army church near you, go to our website at faithandfriends.ca or contact us at: The Salvation Army Editorial Department, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto ON M4H 1P4.

Photo: Andrey Kuzmin

COMMON GROUND

5 A Blooming Mistake

Joyce Starr Macias needed to start looking past the exterior to the heart of a person.

THE BIG PICTURE

8 His First Home

Edmonton photographer gives back to Salvation Army shelter.

FAITH BUILDERS

12 Enola Holmes 2

Sherlock’s sister seeks the truth about a missing factory girl. For the Army, though, the game was already afoot. 8

14 This Changes Everything

Jesus’ Resurrection transformed a weekend of sadness into one of triumph.

16 The Jazz Singer

Elizabeth Shepherd’s song stylings are praised around the world, but she has stayed true to her Salvation Army roots.

22 Agony at Easter

Helena Smrcek thought her world had come to an end. However, there was hope in the midst of heartbreak.

BAD TO THE BONE?

26 Rahab: Hide and Seek

When a woman co-operates with God, her future turns bright.

LITE STUFF

28 Eating Healthy With Erin

Sudoku, Quick Quiz, Word Search.

NIFTY THRIFTY

31 If the Shoe Fits …

Can a pair of thrift-store shoes be given new life?

The Jazz Singer

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

Picture Perfect W

hen freelance writer Kimberly McIntyre was asked to profile Edmonton photographer Dickson Obasuyi ’ s exhibit spotlighting clients at a Salvation Army shelter he once called home, she knew exactly what she had to do.

“The process of writing this piece was extra exciting since I knew the final layout would feature Dickson’s own photos,” she says. “Writing with that in mind allowed me to imagine the story as a completed whole, and I chose each word as carefully as photographers choose their best images.”

Kimberly was particularly struck by Dickson’s joy and appreciation for where he started, and the way in which he was able to give back.

“I came away from this assignment with the reminder that everyone is beautiful regardless of their story,” she concludes. “Every person is God’s child.”

Kimberly’s article—and Dickson’s photos—are on page 8.

Elsewhere in this month’s Faith & Friends, we showcase Juno-nominated jazz artist Elizabeth Shepherd, daughter of Salvation Army officer parents and a proud Salvationist herself. You’ll also see our take on the new Enola Holmes 2 movie—and the surprising link it has to an important bit of Salvation Army history.

In “Soul Survivor” (January/February 2023), Maryanne Oketch was misidentified as the recipient of a Survivor immunity idol instead of Drea Wheeler. Faith & Friends regrets the error.

Ken Ramstead

Mission Statement

To show Christ at work in the lives of real people, and to provide spiritual resources for those who are new to the Christian faith.

Faith & Friends is published bimonthly by:

The Salvation Army

2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M4H 1P4

International Headquarters

101 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4P 4EP, England

Brian Peddle, GENERAL Commissioner Floyd Tidd

TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Lt-Colonel John P. Murray

SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS

Geoff Moulton, DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND LITERARY SECRETARY

Pamela Richardson

ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ken Ramstead, EDITOR

Kristin Ostensen

MANAGING EDITOR OF SALVATIONIST AND SALVATIONIST.CA

Lisa Suroso

GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST

Rivonny Luchas

DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

Ada Leung

CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR

Giselle Randall, Abbigail Oliver STAFF WRITERS

Scripture Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from New International Version

Contact Us

P. (416) 467-3188, F. (416) 422-6217

Websites

faithandfriends.ca, salvationist.ca, salvationarmy.ca

Email faithandfriends@salvationarmy.ca

Subscription for one year:

Canada $17 (includes GST/HST);

U.S. $22; foreign $24

P. (416) 422-6119

circulation@ salvationarmy.ca

All articles are copyright The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Publications Mail

Agreement No. 40064794

ISSN 1702-0131

A Blooming Mistake

by Joyce Starr Macias

My mother was the gardener in our family. I am definitely not.

She made it look so easy: prepare the soil, sow some seeds, water as needed. Before long, beautiful flowers bloomed. For my mother, yes. But not when I tried it. And I tried it many times, with both flowers and vegetable plants.

The Future’s in Plastic

I remember the year when I planted squash seeds in a small plot in the backyard. I watered them faithfully, checked on them daily and even talked to them on occasion. How excited I was when they began to grow!

They soon developed good-sized leaves and, later, some blossoms.

Like my mother and her plants, I need to start looking past the exterior to the heart of a person.

Photo: Iryna/stock.Adobe.com

Nice, big blossoms. I was sure that I’d soon see something that looked like the yellow crookneck squash on the package of seeds I’d bought.

But that didn’t happen. One day, the blossoms just keeled over and dried up. The green stems turned a sickening brownish yellow, and I could almost hear them mocking me as they gave up whatever plants give up when they die.

Off I went to a garden shop where I bought potted outdoor plants. No more seeds for me. The salesman assured me that the flowers I chose would be easy to care for.

But first, I needed to clear the flower beds. They were so overrun with green plants that virtually no soil was visible. Healthy, nice-looking plants. But I wanted flowers, not healthy weeds.

After that I gave up gardening altogether, telling myself that a wellmowed lawn and a hardy bush or two was all my little yard needed. If I wanted more colour, I could always opt for plastic!

Flowers, Not Weeds

That lasted until my husband’s company transferred him to another town. The house we found there had a large grassy yard bordered by waist-high hedges. It was late fall when we moved, so I didn’t even think about flowers. But then, spring arrived and, with it, an unbidden urge to plant flowers in the beds out front.

No More Potted Plants

I spent about an hour yanking them out and putting them into a big pile to throw out later. My mother was coming to visit, so I wanted to get at least that part done before she got there. By the time she arrived, I was covered with dirt, and my pile of weeds had grown pretty high.

I was feeling quite proud of my efforts, so I wasn’t prepared for my mother’s reaction.

“Joyce, Joyce, what are you doing?” she cried out. “Why are you letting those plants sit in the hot sun? They’re going to die if you don’t get them in the dirt and water them.”

She rattled off the name of some

“I’ve decided it’s much better to extend a friendly welcome to everyone God puts in my path each day.” JOYCE STARR MACIAS

perennial plant species I’d never heard of before. Before I could show her the flowers I intended to plant, she got down in the dirt with me and started digging little holes for replanting my “weeds,” saying they would be absolutely gorgeous with a little tender, loving care.

And she was right, of course. As the weeks went by, their stalks grew to just the right height and they soon produced stunningly colourful flowers that lasted most of the summer.

I don’t remember what I did with my potted plants!

The Heart of the Matter

Much later, it occurred to me that there was a similarity between my initial attitude toward the plants and the way we often treat people. We tend to surround ourselves with those who look like us, dress like us and talk like us without taking time to really see others who are different. We don’t make the effort to look for what’s inside of them.

The Bible speaks of this human

flaw in 1 Samuel 16:7: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I certainly hadn’t looked for the potential of the plants that were in my flower beds. My insistence that they were weeds almost kept me from seeing the true beauty within them. I wondered if a negative attitude toward other people could rob me in the same way.

I’ve decided it’s much better to extend a friendly welcome to everyone God puts in my path each day. If God values what’s inside people more than what they may seem like at first glance, then I need to have the same attitude. (And I can hope they will look at me the same way!)

By valuing each person as a unique creation of God, I’m seeing the beautiful blossoms of new friendships developing. I’m expecting those blooms will keep flourishing even for people like me who weren’t born with a green thumb! And that’s no mistake.

(left)

Joyce Starr Macias is a retired newspaper reporter who lives in Apache Junction, Arizona. As a freelance writer, her stories have been published in numerous Christian magazines and short-story collections.

His First Home

Edmonton photographer gives back to Salvation Army shelter.

by Kimberly McIntyre

Shutterbug

“God is good,” says Dickson Obasuyi

Photo s : Courtesy of Dickson Obasuyi

Portrait of Dignity Graham. “The Centre of Hope represented a roof overhead for everybody,” Dickson states, “no matter whom.”

In 2014, Dickson Obasuyi found himself in Edmonton with $80 and no place to go as a new graduate from a college in Ontario. Looking for a place to escape the cold, Dickson weighed his options. Thankfully, he knew The Salvation Army’s Edmonton Centre of Hope would provide him with shelter, though it wasn’t an easy decision .

“I thought there would be drug addicts and terrible people in there,” he remembers. How would he cope?

Image of Hope

Brian. “I wanted to show that everyone is beautiful, no matter the situation, no matter what your status is,” says Dickson

Constant Presence

When Dickson finally went in and got settled, he realized just how far off the mark he was. He was impressed and touched by the love that the staff showed for those in their care, from the cleanliness of the facilities to the protection and security of personal items. He also found an unexpected friend right in his room.

“When I moved in, the person I shared the space with was a new

Job Well Done

graduate and new to the city, too. I realized that there are people here who are trying to start life,” he says. “Contrary to my belief, there were people there who were put together, and the Centre of Hope represented a roof overhead for everybody, no matter whom.”

With the downtown location of the Edmonton Centre of Hope, Dickson was able to walk to construction jobs just blocks away. He began to save money and eventually was able to settle in the city. As life went on, he often

passed by the building and reflected on how thankful his heart continued to be, thinking: “How can I say thank you back to this place? ”

“This is where my story began,” he says. “I don’t see it the way other people see it. I see it as my first home.”

The Centre of Hope was almost peeking over his shoulder during another major life event, receiving his Canadian citizenship.

“My citizenship ceremony was two blocks away from the Centre of Hope. After, I walked by and thanked God.”

Picture Perfect

Prep Work

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dickson went into a local store and looked at a camera. He couldn’t get it out of his mind and, after much deliberation, went back in and purchased it. What started as a hobby within the COVID-19 restrictions at the time became a business for him, all through the goodness of others.

“People were telling me that I took good photos, then someone asked if I

Residents, Salvation Army staff and volunteers, including the hairstylists who donated the haircuts and the nail technician who did the manicures, share a moment with Jennifer Rice (front, centre), councillor, City of Edmonton, who was on hand for Dickson's photography event

Dickson reached out to some friends for help and had an acquaintance give free haircuts

would take their engagement shots,” he says. From there, his photography business grew enough that he had an idea of how he would say thank you to his first home.

“I realized I could use photography to achieve my dream of giving back to The Salvation Army,” he says. “I would go back there and take photos of the clients.

“I wanted to show that everyone is beautiful, no matter the situation, no matter what your status is,” he shares. “I wanted people to look back at their photos and remember a day when they felt that way.”

Dickson reached out to some friends for help and had an acquaintance give free haircuts to those who participated, while another person came to help with manicures. At the event, which took place last October, a city councillor showed up to lend support and

thanked the management and Dickson for their efforts.

“The councillor said that because of people like The Salvation Army, people like me can go through their system and not be homeless,” he says.

Dickson remembers a conversation with a member of Parliament who was present.

“He told me that they can’t get people off the streets without The Salvation Army, and that he could see what the organization means to people.”

Homelessness continues to be a cause close to Dickson’s heart, and he plans to stay in touch with those he made connections with. He also gives back to the wider community in other ways, too. For instance, he conducts a photography workshop with high school students.

“God is good, God has been faithful,” Dickson beams.

“I realized I could use photography to achieve my dream of giving back to The Salvation Army.” DICKSON OBASUYI

(left) Kimberly McIntyre enjoys writing stories of transformation, faith and the human experience. After completing a communications and media degree from Canadian Mennonite University, Kimberly is continuing her education and pursuing a bachelor of science in exercise science. When she is not writing or working in Riding Mountain National Park, she enjoys cooking, exploring Canadian national parks and dancing.

Match Game

In the new movie Enola Holmes 2, Sherlock’s sister seeks the truth about a missing factory girl. But for The Salvation Army, the game was already afoot .

by Ken Ramstead

When last we saw Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) in the 2020 movie bearing her name, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) had travelled to London, England, to find her missing mother, Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter). After many misadventures, she ended up solving the case of Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), whose disappearance threatened the political stability of the United Kingdom. Along the way, Enola also reunited with her mother, who explained to her daughter why she had left and why she had to leave again—but not before saying how proud she was of who Enola had become.

Enola had found her purpose—she was a detective and a finder of lost souls.

“After solving my first case, I started a detective agency,” Enola proudly states. “I was going to join the pantheon of great Victorian detec-

tives. And best of all, I would be joining my brother. I would be his equal. A detective in my own right, worthy of the Holmes name. Or so I thought.”

Deadly Ingredient

It seems that the Victorian world is not yet ready to embrace a female detective, even one with as storied a pedigree as Enola Holmes.

Without clients, the young sleuth seemed fated to return home when a girl named Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss) asks Enola if she would take on the case of her missing sister, Sarah Chapman (Hannah Dodd).

The sisters work at a match factory that is experiencing a typhus epidemic. In the course of her investigations, Enola discovers that cheap white phosphorus, used by the match factory owner Lord McIntyre (Tim McMullan) to increase profits, is killing the female workers, not typhus.

Together with Sarah, Lord Tewkes-

bury and even Sherlock, Enola intends to expose the scheme. But Lord McIntyre and his police henchmen have other ideas.

Never Alone

In the movie, Enola and Sarah encourage her fellow match factory workers to strike for better conditions. In reality, the matchgirls’ strike of 1888, which was a protest against their appalling working conditions, also raised awareness of a medical condition called “phossy jaw.” The yellow phosphorus used in the production process contaminated the workers’ hands and food, causing their jawbones to decay—with death the result.

Enter General William Booth, the

co-Founder of The Salvation Army. Concerned with the workers’ wellbeing, he pioneered the production of non-poisonous safety matches at the Army’s own match factory. Other manufacturers gradually adopted The Salvation Army’s practices and in 1908, the use of yellow phosphorus was finally made illegal by an act of Parliament.

The Army’s response to this and other social concerns, such as poverty and homelessness, echoes down the years to the present. What has kept the church relevant with the times is a refusal to back away when injustice rears its head. When other institutions turn away, Salvationists echo Enola: “No one should be alone.”

And, God willing, no one will be.

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

“I would be a detective in my own right, worthy of the Holmes name.”

ENOLA HOLMES

This Changes Everything

JESUS’ RESURRECTION TRANSFORMED A WEEKEND OF SADNESS INTO ONE OF TRIUMPH.

by Matt Gillon

The story of the first Easter is a roller-coaster of highs and lows and highs. Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph, acclaimed as the Messiah, the Saviour of the Jewish people, only to be arrested, tried and crucified by the Roman authorities. His followers are scattered, one of them, Peter, even denying he knew Jesus. Entombed for three days, it seems as if this is the end of Jesus’ story, until His followers, including Mary Magdalene, make an incredible discovery. Writer Matt Gillon takes up the tale:

There is hustle and bustle in the City of David. Crowds everywhere. The city is usually full, but now it is bursting. There is a joyful energy in the air thick with the voices of family and friends reuniting after long journeys, here to celebrate Passover.

“Hey … have you heard the news? A new rabbi is in town. They say he speaks about God in new ways and works miracles.”

“Really? Miracles? Has God begun to talk to us once more? It has been decades, no, hundreds of years of silence. I’ve heard the rumours, too, but I’ll believe it when I hear it for myself.”

Suddenly, there is a commotion. Roman soldiers push the crowds aside, yelling at people to clear the way. A blood-soaked, battered figure stumbles past, a rough-hewn beam strapped to his shoulders. As the small group continues toward the

city gate, a sea of people swallows the brief disruption.

“Someone is saying that was the rabbi, Jesus?”

“Surely not. Why on earth is He being punished by the Romans? He’s a Jew. And a rabbi!”

Death of a Rabbi

Confirmation came later that afternoon.

“It was Jesus. Some of the neighbours had been out to see Him. Crucified like a common thief. Apparently, it was one of His own disciples who betrayed Him, too.”

“Bah, what a waste of a good and godly man. I have so many questions.”

Collapsed in a side street is a shadow of a man, wincing at the conversation. Pressed into a corner, slumped behind some barrels, Peter can barely be seen. He hasn’t spoken all day; last time he did, he regretted it. His accent almost gave him away. He has been up all night and his world is shattered. His eyes, heavy with tears, give way to sleep.

Could It Be?

Rooster crows break the crisp morning air, echoing through the neighbourhood. He staggers to his feet in the dawn light. Still groggy and barely functioning, the day is a blur of eyes everywhere and the fear

of discovery. Then, finally, familiar faces. Security. Food. Quiet company, broken only by deep questions with no answers. Is it night again already? Where did the day go?

“Peter!” Thump, thump, thump. “John!” Thump, thump, thump. Another morning, shocked awake; Peter recognizes Mary’s voice, but it sounds strange. She continues her incessant banging then bursts through the barely open door. Chatter from the women is as fast and punchy as their knocks.

“He’s gone! We thought they took Jesus’ body … instead, we saw angels. They asked us why we were looking for the living among the dead. He is alive!”

Peter, unsure, starts running, but his fellow apostle, John, beats him to the tomb. From a distance he can see the stone is rolled away, and not a guard in sight. Hearts already pounding, they enter—neatly folded grave clothes, no body.

The walk home is much slower; something has shifted deep inside. Hope has been born again. Could it be true? Is Jesus alive? And if He is, well, this changes … everything!

If you would like to know more about the Easter story, turn to John 20 in the New Testament.

Reprinted from War Cry (New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa), April 16, 2022

Photo: Philip Steury/stock.Adobe.com

“Jesus is alive!”

MARY MAGDALENE

The Jazz Singer

VIRTUOSO ELIZABETH SHEPHERD'S SONG STYLINGS ARE PRAISED AROUND THE WORLD, BUT SHE HAS STAYED TRUE TO HER SALVATION ARMY ROOTS.

by Ken Ramstead

Photo : Courtesy of Elizabeth Shepherd

Music-Maker

“All ideas and all creativity come from God,” Elizabeth Shepherd explains. “That was what drew me to jazz"

Velvety-voiced jazz keyboardist Elizabeth Shepherd arrived on the international scene in 2006 and, since then, the Montreal-based soul-jazz innovator has established herself as one of the most alluring and imaginative artists on the scene today.

Elizabeth has a “soulful coolness,” states USA Today. Montreal’s La Presse writes that she is “more interesting than all the other jazz singers out there,” while MOJO magazine declares that her “wholly unique and unclassifiable style blurs the boundaries between jazz, R&B, pop and hip hop.”

A six-time JUNO nominee, Elizabeth has toured extensively in North America, Europe, Japan and Mexico, selling out shows from the Cotton Club in Tokyo to the Jazz Cafe in London, England.

“THERE’S AN IMMEDIACY TO MUSIC,” declares jazz musician Elizabeth. “There are so many things you try to put into words that ultimately can’t be expressed. You try, but you get bogged down in the nuances of what you actually mean to say, but not quite express correctly. With music, it’s immediate. That emotional content, whether you label it or not, is incredibly palpable.”

Shared Language

Elizabeth grew up in The Salvation Army, the daughter of pastor parents. Though the family moved around as they were transferred to different postings, Elizabeth never felt unmoored.

DISCOGRAPHY Shepherd :

“In retrospect, the church provided community because it was the one place of continuity from city to city or even country to country,” Elizabeth recalls. “The Salvation Army was important in providing a sense of stability for me.”

The other source of continuity for Elizabeth as a child was music.

“Wherever we moved, music in general and The Salvation Army’s rich musical tradition in particular provided familiarity and structure.”

For instance, when the family

Parkdale

Her second album deals sympathetically with its Toronto neighbourhood namesake, known for its grit. The album was nominated for both the 2009 Vocal Jazz JUNO Award and jazz vocalist of the year at the 2009 National Jazz Awards.

Start to Move

Elizabeth’s debut album was voted among the top three jazz albums of 2006 by the listeners of the influential Gilles Peterson Show on BBC Radio 1 International. In 2007, it was nominated for a JUNO Award in the vocal jazz category and won the INDIE Award for jazz album of the year.

moved to France, Elizabeth befriended a Congolese choir. Though she could speak little French then and they spoke very little English, they took her under their wing.

“And so long before I knew what I was singing, I just had this incredible joy and sharing.”

Speaking Through Her

Elizabeth discovered jazz as a student at McGill University in Montreal. There was something

Photo : Courtesy of Vernon Jazz Club

Montreal

Heavy Falls the Night

Elizabeth’s third album was the first to be selfproduced. It includes the single, Seven Bucks, which climbed to No. 37 on the Tokio Hot 100 chart. The album was long-listed for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize in 2010 and garnered Elizabeth the INDIE Award for jazz vocalist of the year.

By far Elizabeth’s most ambitious work to date, the 2020 JUNO Award nominated album is her sixth. An innovative multi-media project celebrating her hometown, it is a collection of 11 songs inspired by interviews with strangers that together form an unofficial “people’s history” of the city. Groove-driven, soulful, electro-infused jazz, this opus is accompanied by a series of films for each song, as well as a coffee table book. 2010

Rewind

Her fourth album is a collection of soulfully reworked covers of beloved songs. Dedicated to her first daughter, it was nominated for the 2013 Vocal Jazz JUNO Award, and was produced by Elizabeth.

about it that just spoke to her.

“Historically, jazz is deeply political and a music of empowerment,” she explains, “but it’s a deeply spiritual form, too.”

One of the biggest parts of jazz is improvisation, and that was an important spiritual step for Elizabeth.

“In order to improvise, you need to get out of your own way to allow God to speak through you, because all ideas and all creativity come from God,” she explains. “That was what

The Signal

This studio album is an adventurous leap into electro-tinged soul jazz. JUNO nominated and Polaris Prize long-listed in 2015, it was produced by Elizabeth.

drew me to jazz. I remember writing in my journal when I was 19 that I felt as if my life’s mission was to learn how God spoke through music.”

Realizing that was a large part of the reason why Elizabeth is a musician.

“It’s not just because I love music, not because it brings me joy, not even because I feel that I’m good at it,” she says. “It’s because it’s a spiritual path and it’s a way for me to understand God, to understand my place in all of

this, to relate to others.

“To allow God to just speak through me.”

Her Home

For years, Elizabeth was a Salvation Army soldier (an official member). But as she plunged into her musical career and spent more and more time touring and in the studio, her soldiership had lapsed and she was reluctant to recommit.

“Having grown up in the Army, I knew the demands it could—and should—make on your time,” she explains.

But as she settled down with her family in the Laurentian area of Quebec just north of Montreal, at some point, Elizabeth started to attend Salvation Army worship services on a regular basis again and has become more and more involved in the life of her church.

When not on the road performing, she works with the choir at the

Army’s Montreal Citadel. She also assists with the residents at the Booth Centre, a Salvation Army facility that offers temporary housing and the support of intervention workers to men experiencing housing difficulties, alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illness, and has been developing a music program.

“I’ve repeatedly seen the power of music to heal and bring joy and light in that setting,” she says. “However, I’ve also witnessed some of the challenges residents have in getting out to enjoy live music—either due to physical disabilities, chronic health issues or mental illness/addiction programs that require they stay put for treatment.”

Elizabeth plans to become an adherent this year, someone who believes in God, participates in worship, fellowship, service and support of a local Salvation Army congregation, and identifies with the Army’s mission statement.

All Together Elizabeth with her parents, brother and family

“I didn’t even know that was an option!” Elizabeth smiles. “I thought you were either a soldier or you weren’t. But when my parents told me all about it, I thought it was very cool.

“It’s a great way of telling the world, ‘The Salvation Army is my home church.’ ”

In February, Elizabeth released her seventh studio album, Three Things (based on 1 Corinthians 13:13). It is a joyful celebration of love, resilience and connection. She’ll be embarking on a cross-Canada tour this spring, summer and fall and plans to team up with The Salvation Army to include some concerts in Army shelters along the way.

“Music is a way for me to understand God, to understand my place in all of this, to relate to others.”

ELIZABETH SHEPHERD

Photo s: Courtesy of Elizabeth Shepherd

Agony at Easter

I THOUGHT MY WORLD HAD COME TO AN END ON GOOD FRIDAY. BUT THERE WAS HOPE IN THE MIDST OF HEARTBREAK.

by Helena Smrcek

It was the week before Easter 1995. I was five months pregnant, my husband took a day off work and we headed for the most exciting ultrasound appointment of our lives. We were going to see our first baby. A few minutes into the appointment, the technician’s smile

disappeared, then she excused herself to go find the doctor. My heart started to sink. The room filled with fear.

When she returned with the news that the doctor had needed to attend to a delivery and would call us later, I asked her what the problem was.

All she was allowed to tell us was that there was something wrong with the baby.

We drove home, and I couldn’t hold back my tears. We had waited so long for this pregnancy. This was our joy, our hope, our blessing. My mind raced through the possibilities. What was going on with our baby?

Where Was God?

We prayed, like never before. When the phone rang later that day, I was unprepared for the news. Our baby was dead. My heart was crushed. I called our family doctor and asked for an emergency appointment, for this had to be a mistake.

The contractions started early in

the morning on Good Friday. I felt my world was going to end. When we came home that evening, my dreams were shattered. Where was God in all of this? How could He let this happen to us? And on Easter weekend?

I looked for an explanation. What did I do to cause this? We went to see our doctor, then the genetics team, the obstetrician again. All of them repeated that we had done nothing wrong; these things happened more often than we thought. But I still couldn’t comprehend it. Where was God on that day?

One of His Ways

Our pastor had no answers, either, and friends seemingly didn’t know what to say. I felt utterly alone, lost in sadness, hopeless, depressed, questioning if we ever could have another baby.

And then I walked across the street from our apartment building and mustered the courage to enter a community outreach centre in Bramalea, Ont., staffed by volunteers with a weekly Bible study and an emergency food pantry.

I talked to Bob, the man in charge. I didn’t tell him about our Easter, but after sitting down for a coffee and a good chat, I asked if I could volunteer. Through my work with our walk-in visitors, searching for God, I slowly came out of the darkness that settled over my soul. My body healed faster than my broken

spirit, but over time, that did, too.

Three months later, we were blessed with another pregnancy, and on Mother’s Day 1996, our son was born. Two years later, on the day of our seventh anniversary, God blessed us with a daughter.

I had always thought these dates were not accidental. God talks to us through various means, and to me, this was one of His ways.

thoughts didn’t cross their minds.

In their despair, they hid, as we often do in the midst of our struggles and suffering, unwilling to accept that this painful situation is no surprise to Him. God found them, and He found me, as I’d almost lost my faith during that time. But God called out to me through Bob and a group of people who cared. They didn’t know my entire story, yet they

Hidden and Found

Years later, as I recall that Easter weekend and the pain of that experience, I can’t help but think of the disciples, witnessing the demise of Jesus. Their faith, hope and love were destroyed right before their eyes. They were devastated, scared, disillusioned. They asked where God was in all of this. Were they wrong to hope and believe? They must have felt robbed, cheated, destroyed.

Yet Easter Sunday was coming. Had they even thought of resurrection? Jesus brought people back from the dead before, but seeing the tortured body of our Lord must have been so devastating that such

took the time to listen and offer prayers, hope and love. They showed me that Jesus cares and loves me, no matter the difficulty I face.

Shining Through

Since that time, we have faced many hurdles as we continue on our journey toward eternity, but also many blessings and, may I say, a few miracles. Our faith remains strong, as we know who holds our future. Jesus not only showed us how to live, but on that first Easter weekend, He showed us that death is not permanent. He beat it, and because of His victory, we will beat it, too.

Reading about Jesus’ death and

“Where was God in all of this? How could He let this happen to us? And on Easter weekend?“

HELENA SMRCEK

Resurrection in the New Testament always leaves me astonished. This event was real, just as real as Jesus’ teachings and miracles were. What that tells me is that Jesus, in His physical, resurrected body, is somewhere. That “somewhere” is heaven. A real place of beauty, love and peace. And that gives me comfort, for I know that our baby is there, as are my in-laws and other loved ones who went before us, watching, cheering us on and waiting for the day our Lord calls us, too.

The miracle of Easter is a story of hope. God’s love is with us. He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us as we walk through life, but He also gives hope through us, His people. If you are suffering today, dealing with pain, loss or fear—as I was—find courage and visit a Salvation Army centre or church. There are hundreds scattered across this country. For God’s love shines through His people, people who understand pain and are prepared to help you.

Let them.

(left) Journalist, author and screenplay writer Helena Smrcek believes in the power of a well-told story. When not at her keyboard, Helena loves listening to audiobooks, working on her hobby farm and travelling. She lives in Brantford, Ont.

Rahab: Hide and Seek

by Jeanette Levellie

Most of us have heard the story of Joshua and his army marching around the city of Jericho for seven days. At God’s command on the seventh day, the men blew their trumpets and shouted. The high walls crumpled to the ground, leaving Jericho’s population defenseless. They were now easy prey for the Israelites. All but one clan: Rahab and her relatives.

Oh, did I mention that Rahab was a prostitute?

Hiding Spies

When Joshua took over from Moses as leader of the Israelites, he sent two spies into Jericho, a heavily fortified enemy city. The spies stayed in the house of a prostitute named Rahab, built into the city wall. We mustn’t assume that the soldiers sought her company. Most likely they hid in Rahab’s inn to avoid suspicion, as the citizens of Jericho probably thought nothing of seeing strangers come and go at all hours to her establishment. Further, we mustn’t assume that this was Rahab’s chosen vocation.

Unmarried women in that ancient society had no career options. Perhaps she was a victim, like many women today. With lavish love and mercy, God reached out to Rahab.

The Israelite spies told Rahab their mission. She explained how the Israelites’ reputation for conquering the lands God had promised them preceded them. “I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you” (Joshua 2:9 Contemporary English Version). She hid the spies under stacks of flax on her roof, and then asked them to protect her and her family when they overtook the city.

When the king of Jericho heard that Israelite men had been spotted going into Rahab’s house, he demanded that Rahab turn the men over. Rahab lied and sent the king’s men on their way.

Upon hearing the spies’ story, Joshua gave orders to his soldiers to spare Rahab’s clan on the day they conquered Jericho. In a dramatic rescue operation, the Israelite soldiers took this woman’s family into their

When a woman with a dark past co-operates with God, her future turns bright.

tribe, and Rahab became a Jew. She married Salmon, who became the great-great-great- … (15 times over) grandfather of Jesus.

God used a former prostitute to help His chosen people. He saw in Rahab a brave heart and a strong soul. He wiped away her past labels and allowed her the honour of being in the same family tree as His Son (see Hebrews 11:31).

How Deep Is God’s Grace?

Many of us have a dark past, shameful things we’ve done or former lifestyles we don’t like to talk about. When we realized we were sinners and turned to Jesus for forgiveness, God wiped away the labels of our past. He erased every sin. Took us into His family. Made us new people (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).

But sometimes, when we recall our past, we feel unworthy to serve God and share His good news with others. Thoughts like, Who do you think you are? and You’re not worthy to call yourself a Christian rattle our confidence. Our hearts sink with

condemnation.

That’s when we need to remember Rahab.

Although she started out as an immoral woman, we see that she believed in the one true God to save and keep her. She bravely risked her own life to shield the Israelite spies. Faith in God changed her heart and entire life from dark to light. Rahab’s story reminds us that God’s grace— His willingness to forgive us and let us start over—is deeper than any wrongdoing in our past. Those old accusing labels don’t apply now. Like Rahab, we are part of God’s family.

He always allows us to turn the page on our past. And by His love, He sets us free.

All About Rahab

Read Joshua 2 and 6:17, 22-23; Matthew 1:5-6; Hebrews 11:31.

• Who: A prostitute who hid Israelite spies in exchange for her family’s safety

• When: About 1400 BC

• Where: Jordan, on the West Bank of the Jordan River

Illustration: Woodcut by Gustave Doré (1832-1883), courtesy of The Doré Bible Gallery

He saw in Rahab a brave heart and a strong soul.

JEANETTE LEVELLIE

Eating Healthy With Erin

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP AND ROAST CHICKEN

TIME 2 hrs, 10 min MAKES 10-12 servings SERVE WITH fresh bread

Chicken Noodle Soup

1.8 kg (4 lbs) chicken

4 L (16 cups) water

1 large tomato, sliced in half

2 garlic cloves

1 onion, peeled

1 parsnip, peeled and quartered

2 carrots, peeled and quartered

1 celery stalk, quartered

30 g (1 oz.) ginger, peeled

45 ml (3 tbsp) pickle juice

2 bay leaves

15 ml (1 tbsp) salt

250 g (8 oz.) egg noodles

fresh parsley to taste

Roast Chicken

5 ml (1 tsp) olive oil

15 ml (1 tbsp) salt

10 ml (2 tsp) black pepper

1. Take a fresh or defrosted whole chicken and rinse. Fill large pot with 3 litres water and add the chicken and soup ingredients except salt, noodles and parsley.

2. Bring to boil and add salt. Put a loose lid on top and simmer for 45 minutes.

3. Remove chicken and set aside in lightly greased roasting pan. Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F). Rub with salt and pepper.

4. Add 1 litre water to soup pot and simmer for 1 hour.

5. Roast chicken with lid off roasting pan for 45 minutes or until it’s browned with an internal temperature of 180 C (350 F).

6. Strain soup so it’s clear and add noodles, then cook until noodles are soft. Dice cooked carrot and add back in.

7. Serve soup and garnish with fresh parsley. Carve chicken and serve.

VANILLA MAPLE CRUNCH GRANOLA

TIME 70 min MAKES 16 servings SERVE WITH dried fruit or chocolate chips

1 L (4 cups) rolled oats

15 ml (1 tbsp) sea salt

5 ml (1 tsp) cinnamon

1 ml (¼ tsp) nutmeg

125 ml (½ cup) melted

coconut oil or olive oil

125 ml (½ cup) real maple syrup

10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In bowl, mix together oats, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add oil, syrup and vanilla extract, then spoon mixture on to baking sheet and pat down evenly.

3. Bake for 22 minutes, stirring halfway.

4. Remove and allow to cool for 45 minutes in the pan. Break apart and transfer to an air-tight container.

Recipe photos: Erin Stanley

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 × 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

1. What gems are birthstones for the month of March?

2. What does the texting abbreviation “JSYK ” mean?

3. What is pyromania an obsession with?

Word Search Hope Springs Eternal

Photo:

If the Shoe Fits …

Can a pair of thriftstore shoes be given new life?

How do you feel about thrifted shoes? As long as they are in good condition and have minimal wear, I am happy to purchase second-hand footwear. My local Salvation Army thrift store has so many different styles and sizes that it’s hard to choose sometimes! Over the years, I have been very lucky to find high-quality shoes for less. Now, some of these shoes have been so well loved, they needed some repair, and I was curious if making the investment in thrifted footwear would be worth it:

Pikolinos Nude Leather Shoes

Thrift Price: $8.99, Actual Retail Price: $200. The sole at the front was coming away from the shoe and needed to be glued.

See by Chloe Maroon Leather Loafers

Thrift Price: $10.99, Actual Retail Price: $350. The leather was separating at the seam near the top.

Stubbs and Wootton Needlepoint Leather Shoes

Thrift Price: $8.99, Actual Retail Price: $575. The leather sole was wearing thin and needed to be reinforced.

I thrifted all three pairs for $28.97 from my local Salvation Army thrift store. If I had paid retail, that amount would’ve been $1,125! To repair all the shoes cost a total of $45, which brings the price to $73.97 for all three.

If you’re unsure of thrifting a pair of shoes, I say go for it! You’ll most likely find a highquality item for less, and they will last for many years to come.

(left) Tijana McAllister is the frugalista behind A Plentiful Life, a lifestyle blog that shows readers how to live their best lives on a budget. She is also a creative expert for The Salvation Army’s thrift stores. Find a thrift store near you at thriftstore.ca.

A recent survey from The Salvation Army finds more than half of Canadians are extremely concerned about rising inflation and cost of living; one in four are not sure they will have enough income to cover basic needs.

At The Salvation Army, we have seen significant increase in demand for services. Those impacted are no longer the most vulnerable in society–they are friends, neighbours or family members.

Together, we can give hope to more than 2.6 million people who rely on us today and every day—because Canadians care.

Visit SalvationArmy.ca or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY to donate.

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