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MATTHEW’S MOMENT
Tribute to a Father
Nova Scotia boy’s initiative helps hundreds of people in need at The Salvation Army.
by Melissa Yue Wallace
Then ... Ken Gordon (second from right) was a true family man
Ten-year-old Matthew Gordon’s life changed forever when his father, Ken, was killed in a highway traffic accident in 2017. Ken was checking the cargo in his truck by the side of the road when he was struck by another vehicle.
Weeks after his death, Matthew and his mother, Lorna, who live in Tantallon, N.S., continued to grieve and sort through his things. “Always Help” “My father’s clothes were sitting in bags and not going anywhere, so I asked my mom where we could donate them, and she suggested The Salvation Army,” says Matthew.
The family, including Lorna’s three children from her first marriage, put up posters to ask the community for donations to their clothing drive in honour of Ken. The response from the community
was overwhelming, with strangers dropping off clothes at the family’s doorstep and packing the family’s trailer.
“It’s a great feeling to have community support and we plan to keep doing this to let his memory live forever,” says Matthew, now 15. Over the past five years, Matthew’s annual campaign has helped hundreds of people at The Salvation Army Halifax Centre of Hope through clothing and donated gift cards. He and his mother also volunteered to help during a Christmas meal and were able to meet some of the recipients.
“They’re just like other people who deserve a chance, and because of the campaign, they’ve gotten new clothes, they’ve gotten to go to job interviews, and they’ve gotten jobs,” he says. “Some own their own house now and they’re doing great.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, you should always help people.”
A Different Life Lorna chose The Salvation Army for a reason. Her husband was an alcoholic and was only able to overcome his addiction through their support and interventions such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
“He would go to The Salvation Army to talk with the men that were in the shelter,” she says. “He needed to be near other men who were like him and know that he felt safe going there.”
Lorna loved her husband’s willingness to help anyone, his kind-hearted nature, humble spirit, and the fact that—even though he was six feet two inches tall and 320 pounds—he was “a gentle giant.”
“His struggle with alcohol was the worst demon I’ve ever seen in a person,” says Lorna. “I didn’t even realize he had an alcohol problem when I first met him.”
... And Now Lorna Gordon and her son, Matthew. To celebrate his father’s 59th birthday this year, Matthew filed a name to start his own non-profit. The Ken Gordon Society will help individuals who are homeless in the community to move forward in a positive way
Lorna describes the tough times watching Ken drink, get sick, seek help and then repeat the cycle. She felt powerless as she worked three jobs and cared for her children. It wasn’t until 2013 when a major health issue and the threat of losing his family for good forced him to sober up. Ken was sober for three years and nine months and a true family man before he died.
“It was a different life for us,” says Lorna. “We did all the family adventures and were living a good life … then it was gone.”
Lifeline to God After Ken’s death, a friend invited Lorna to a church in Halifax. At first, she adamantly refused.
“When Ken died, there was no God. I was so angry,” she says. “I yelled and cursed for six months because I wanted to know why He would take Ken when we were finally in our happy place.”
She eventually relented and scoffed, at first, when the young pastor spoke about death and dying when he had not experienced it himself.
“Then, my heart warmed up, and I felt I was being loved by God right there in that moment,” she says. “I felt accepted, not judged, and the church became more than my family … it became my lifeline to God.”
Today, Lorna helps others by organizing free grief counselling sessions at a local community hall.
Going National In 2017, Keith Reardon, a senior vice-president at Canadian National Railway (CN) in Ontario learned about Matthew’s campaign and garnered support from staff. Last year, he presented him with a cheque for $14,450 for the Army. CN’s future plans include taking Matthew’s campaign national, collecting clothing donations from coast to coast.
“It warms our hearts that this young man, who is struggling with the loss of his father, has done something so utterly incredible to remember him by,” says Rebekah Brounstein, residential manager at the Centre of Hope for the past six years. “Folks that come to the shelter, because they’re homeless, don’t often come with anything. With Matthew’s help, we’re able to give them what they need.”
A Lifer’s Journey
Hank Dixon’s story is a testimony to God’s persistent life-saving presence.
by James Read
By his own account, as a 19-year-old drug addict, Hank Dixon and an accomplice broke into a house and ransacked it, tied up the man who was there and beat him. Within an hour, the man was dead. As a result, Hank was convicted of seconddegree murder and sentenced to life with no hope of parole for 10 years.
When he was released in 1985, the prison officer discharging him said, “You’ll be back!” And Hank did return—but as a chaplain, not a re-offender.
Page Turner Details of Hank’s prison conversion and of his two decades as a prison chaplain are recounted in vivid detail in A Lifer’s Journey. In the pages of the book, there are stories of his dramatic first encounter with Jesus while a convict in prison, of his subsequent relapse into drugs and unbelief, and his recovery. There are engaging stories of his years as a prison chaplain, rubbing shoulders with inmates and prison guards.
We learn that the angels are not all on one side. We read of inmates who are honest, kind and self-aware as well as those who are deceitful and cruel. We read of chaplains who courageously speak the truth and speak it in love, and of chaplains who belittle inmates, alienate staff and exaggerate their own success. We read of prison riots and suicides, and of lives (like Hank’s own) that are turned from darkness toward light.
Birth of a Bond Among the most heartwarming stories of God’s surprising grace
is the story of Hank and Brian. As Hank said in his sermon at Brian’s funeral: “The first time I met Brian, it was in a small basement apartment in Edmonton. He was on the other end of a .38 revolver jammed into the back of my neck. His first words of greeting were not the warmest for the beginnings of a friendship. In a clear, powerful, no-nonsense voice, he declared, ‘Edmonton City Police. Don’t move. You’re under arrest.’ ”
Unlike many cops, Brian “stepped in to offer a measure of compassion and act with an integrity I did not expect.” Not just once and not just for a short span of time. Ex-con and retired cop developed a close 38-year-long bond.
God Is Present Compelling as these stories are, Hank’s book is not just made up of stories. Hank also intends the book as counsel for those who want to be—those who, like him, are called to be—prison chaplains. It’s not easy work, he says. “In the midst of all this, watching the destructive claws of a prison culture and environment strip men of dignity, self-respect and any sense of security, a chaplain stands for the most part powerless, unable to do very much.”
What sustains him or her? Well, for one thing, says Hank, “theology matters.” The prison chaplain needs a theology that is robust enough to understand failure as well as victory, according to Hank, and a theology that can cast a light on self-deception and self-justification.
As A Lifer’s Journey shows, the Bible can disclose truth to those living behind bars, and life behind bars can shed light on the Bible. What Hank Dixon does with the gospel story of Jesus’ journey to Emmaus with two of his disciples after His Resurrection is worth the price of the book (see Luke 24:13-35). And at the heart of that story in which Jesus was present long before He was recognized, Hank finds the central good news message that, invoked or not, God is present.
(left) Dr. James Read is the recently retired executive director of The Salvation Army Ethics Centre in Winnipeg and a recipient of the Order of the Founder, the Army’s highest award.
