New Frontier Chronicle vol. 32 no. 01

Education 4

Boot Camp 20

Inside the ring 3

e-Waste 6

Honduras 13

ARC 24

NEW FRONTIER JANUARY 2014 Volume 32, Number 1

INSIDE this issue: Empowering readers

More on New Frontier Chronicle, the source of news and networking for The Salvation Army.

CHRONICLE PAGE 2

The case for online ministry

“In every way possible, we’ve become a corps like a local corps...”

TECHNOLOGY PAGE 6

Mockabee takes reins as new SAWSO director

Reinventing the bridge from territorial funds to high-impact projects overseas

PROFILE PAGE 13

Kenya holds first disability day

Salvation Army brings together many of its 12 schools and 12 units for the disabled.

KENYA WEST PAGE 12 newfrontierpublications.org new.frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org newfrontierchronicle

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GLENDALE, CA PERMIT #654

NON PROFIT US POSTAGE

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|Getty Images

Shelter from the cold

Escaping

conditions and finding community.

BY JOSIAH HESSE

W

henever a deep-sea diver travels too deep into the water, it’s essential that he come back up slowly. If he ascends too quickly he’ll suffer from the bends, a trauma that requires therapy in a recompression chamber. Similarly, the chronically homeless often have trouble dealing with transitioning from the independent yet insecure life of the street to the responsibilities and consistencies of a home and job. They need to come up gradually under the right conditions, and trying to manage

a compression chamber filled with 300 men all in different stages of that process requires a delicate and nuanced director.

“There are guys who will come here and stay for a week or a month and leave, and then there are those who will stay for a year or more,” says Carlton Jackson, manager of The Salvation Army Crossroads Shelter for men in Denver, Colo. “But those guys who stay will often be the more stable part of the population.”

Carlton explains that there are three residency levels at Crossroads. The unestablished newcomers will wait in line outside the building at 4 p.m., SHELTER PAGE 8

ADDRESSING PTSD The Salvation Army

P.O. Box 22646 Long Beach, CA 90802-9998

Bell Shelter introduces neurofeedback study as part of national movement.

BY VIVIAN GATICA Removed from battle, veterans face the emotional scars of war. Many face post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Salvation Army Bell Shelter in Bell,

Calif., houses 350 homeless men and women, of whom 100 are veterans. This got the attention of Carol Kelson and Ben Miller, founders of Advance Neurofeedback, who wanted to conduct a neurofeedback study on veterans with PTSD. According to Miller—who now volunteers at Bell Shelter as neurofeedback coordinator—the process measures the electricity within the brain via electrodes affixed to the

head of the patient. The measurements are displayed through video and sound, showing the brain what it is doing and teaching it to self-regulate when it is not functioning properly.

“What we’re essentially doing is measuring the electricity given off by the brain at different wavelengths, feeding it through an amplifier, which then feeds it into the computer, and then we show it to them through a video game or movie,” Miller said. “The brain recognizes that it’s seeing itself moment to moment.”

PTSD PAGE 14

Page 2—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

ON THE CORNER

BY BOB DOCTER

Reinventing ourselves

T

here is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens (Eccl. 3:1).

First of all, you need to know I really love the Army—I mean really love it. I love the foundation principles of the organization in William Booth’s interpretation of Wesleyan holiness and his cab horse charter that implies you must feed a hungry person food before trying to feed the soul. I love how we trust people to grow, our willingness to forgive and provide second chances, and the way we fly to humanity’s fires and quench them with a cup of cold water. Most of all, I love that which motivates us— the expression of love in the cause of Christ.

On Feb. 1, 1983, New Frontier presented its first edition to Salvationists in the USA Western Territory and around the world. In these past 32 years, our pages have sought to remind us who we are as an Army, to focus on our historic, yet unchanging identity—an identity forged in a cauldron of human despair that was London’s East End. It’s a holistic message that links and preaches both spiritual and social forgiveness, new beginnings.

We’ve always had one goal: to publish timely, readable and visually appealing stories about the Army’s march toward mission fulfillment.

We are a publication of the USA West, but we are internationalists. This is One Army, and so we cover the span of this movement’s reach into the hearts and souls, the lives and traumas, the hunger and hopes of humanity everywhere.

It all started in 1983 when Commissioner Will Pratt, then territorial commander, approved of the plan to record the events of this vast territory. He even thought of the name—New Frontier—to communicate energy, ac-

We’ve always had one goal: to publish timely, readable and visually appealing stories about the Army’s march toward mission fulfillment. tion, and uniqueness.

“From its first chortle in the crib, New Frontier excited me,” Pratt wrote in our 25th anniversary issue in 2007 (vol. 25 no. 13). “And every succeeding issue has borne the unmistakable hallmark of the West: flare, excitement, cheek, enthusiasm, pride, energy, vision.”

Since that first issue, we’ve had several changes in format, design, personnel and style. Now, New Frontier Publications aims to tell the Army story with New Frontier Chronicle, Caring, Vida, and Frontier Press (visit newfrontierpublications.org).

Today, we look a little different, but our motivation remains the same.

The Army was created as a church for the poor, the desperate, the disenfranchised, the hungry, hopeless and hurting of society.

We’re still at it, and New Frontier Chronicle will keep telling the story.|NFC

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PEACOCK REMEMBERED I was deeply saddened to read about the promotion to Glory of Ray [Lt. Col. Raymond Peacock] in the Dec. 6 edition of New Frontier (vol. 31 no. 20). He and I shared the same positions in our respective territories, the USA West and Canada and Bermuda, as territorial social service and program secretaries.

We met from time to time for meetings with other colleagues at the USA National Headquarters. Apart from the successful outcome of our meetings we became kindred spirits and I valued both his experience of devotion to God, The Salvation Army, and our personal relationship.

Raymond Peacock, servant well done!

David Luginbuhl, Lt. Colonel Calgary, Alberta, Canada We want to hear from you We value you as a reader and want your input.

Tell us what you think of an article, or submit one of your own. Stay in touch:

newfrontierpublications.org new.frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org newfrontierchronicle @nfchronicle

EMPOWERING TODAY’S READERS H I S C A L L | H I S P E O P L E | H I S S E RV I C E

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 11

Education 4

Boot Camp 20

Inside the ring 3

The Salvation Army intervenes for PG&E customers short on payment.

KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON T

October 10-12, 2014 | Anaheim Convention Center e-Waste 6

Honduras 13

ARC 24

BY JARED MCKIERNAN

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow healso firstmembers of the month is citizens with God's people and of his household.”

– Eph. 2:19

NEW FRONTIER

a tense time for Ronnie Ramirez. The 59-year-old Atwater, Calif., resident suffered a massive heart attack a few years ago that left him dealing with a host of medical conditions and unfit to work a fulltime job. He

JANUARY 2014 Volume 32, Number 1

INSIDE this issue: Empowering readers

More on New Frontier Chronicle, the source of news and networking for The CHRONICLE PAGE 2 Salvation Army.

has since struggled to find work as an auto mechanic and had to supplement his wages with his Social Security check to stay afloat. His wife is unemployed and hampered by her own stockpile of health issues, and he’s left scrambling to scrounge up money for rent and utilities each month.

The case for online ministry

“In every way possible, we’ve become a corps like a local corps...”

TECHNOLOGY PAGE 6

Mockabee takes reins as new SAWSO director

Reinventing the bridge from territorial funds to high-impact projects overseas PROFILE PAGE 13

Kenya holds first disability day

Salvation Army brings together many of its 12 schools and 12 units for the KENYA WEST PAGE 12 disabled. newfrontierpublications.org new.frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org newfrontierchronicle

PAID

NON PROFIT US POSTAGE

GLENDALE, CA PERMIT #654

@nfchronicle

|Getty Images

Shelter from the cold

Escaping

conditions and finding community.

BY JOSIAH HESSE

W

henever a deep-sea diver travels too deep into the water, it’s essential that he come back up slowly. If he ascends too quickly he’ll suffer from the bends, a trauma that requires therapy in a recompression chamber. Similarly, the chronically homeless often have trouble dealing with transitioning from the independent yet insecure life of the street to the responsibilities and consistencies of a home and job. They need to come up gradually under the right conditions, and trying to manage

a compression chamber filled with 300 men all in different stages of that process requires a delicate and nuanced director.

“There are guys who will come here and stay for a week or a month and leave, and then there are those who will stay for a year or more,” says Carlton Jackson, manager of The Salvation Army Crossroads Shelter for men in Denver, Colo. “But those guys who stay will often be the more stable part of the population.”

Carlton explains that there are three residency levels at Crossroads. The unestablished newcomers will wait in line outside the building at 4 p.m., SHELTER PAGE 8

ADDRESSING PTSD P.O. Box 22646 Long Beach, CA 90802-9998

Bell Shelter introduces neurofeedback study as part of national movement.

The Salvation Army

The whole goal is to help the client get

in 2013, the situation worsened.

For more information“ILate visit our website: www.arcsalvationarmy.com sold our coffee table so I could get money for

BY VIVIAN GATICA Removed from battle, veterans face the emotional scars of war. Many face post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Salvation Army Bell Shelter in Bell,

Calif., houses 350 homeless men and women, of whom 100 are veterans. This got the attention of Carol Kelson and Ben Miller, founders of Advance Neurofeedback, who wanted to conduct a neurofeedback study on veterans with PTSD. According to Miller—who now volunteers at Bell Shelter as neurofeedback coordinator—the process measures the electricity within the brain via electrodes affixed to the

head of the patient. The measurements are displayed through video and sound, showing the brain what it is doing and teaching it to self-regulate when it is not functioning properly.

“What we’re essentially doing is measuring the electricity given off by the brain at different wavelengths, feeding it through an amplifier, which then feeds it into the computer, and then we show it to them through a video game or movie,” Miller said. “The brain recognizes that it’s seeing itself moment to moment.”

PTSD PAGE 14

gas,” he said.

For years, Ramirez had known Steve Shelton, director of family services for The Salvation Army of Merced County. When Ramirez’s bills became unmanageable, Shelton suggested he apply for assistance through The Salvation Army’s Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) program.

Formed in 1983, REACH is a utility assistance program operated by The Salvation Army that offers one-time grants of up to $200 to low-income households in danger of having their power shut off. The administrative branch of the program is entirely funded by the PG&E Corporation and Foundation while the program support come from PG&E customers, employees and shareholders, according to Nancy Udy, REACH executive director.

REACH is based in San Francisco, yet service areas run to the Oregon border in the north and to Santa Maria, Calif., in the south, spanning across the Golden State, Del Oro and Southern California divisions. Since its launch, REACH has disbursed more than $105 million to more than 600,000 households through 170 Salvation Army service centers, making it the largest single-utility-funded assistance program in the country.

Shelton said he directs about five to 10 Merced County residents a week toward REACH and that without it, a lot more people would be in trouble.

Merced County is one of the poorest in the PG&E service area and all of California. Without the help Ramirez received through REACH, “I would have had no power or anything,” he said.

While REACH was designed to benefit PG&E customers, 10 percent of the budget is allocated to assist clients using vendors other than PG&E. REACH beneficiaries can receive assistance up to once every 18 months. If they owe more than $200 on a bill, the assigned caseworker may pool resources with another utility assistance program in that area to cover the remaining balance on the bill. PG&E customers can also donate to REACH through their monthly bills.

out of a one-time emergency situation so that they can start off with a zero balance on their bill.’

—NANCY UDY

“It’s just something that they know is there, that can help them through a rough spot and get them back on their feet again,” Udy said. “The hope is that we help them so they won’t need assistance again.”

While that’s not always the case, Udy said it usually gives clients time to save money to prevent future emergencies.

“The whole goal is to help the client get out of a one-time emergency situation so that they can start off with a zero balance on their bill,” Udy said. “So that they can hopefully then have at least a month or two before they get another bill on their account.”

Shelton said many of the people in Merced County—where one in four residents live below the poverty line—call to apply for REACH assistance after they have already received their 48-hour shutoff notices.

“We’re really the last resort for a lot of people,” Shelton said.

“Other than church, family and friends, it’s just The Salvation Army.”

And while Ramirez, like many of the thousands of others helped

by REACH, is still fighting just to provide for his family, he’s grateful for the timely boost.

“I was in a bad spot; I still am,” he said. “We’re surviving on my salary and my Social Security but I just thank The Salvation Army for how they helped me.”|NFC

Applicants are eligible for REACH assistance if they have a residential account with PG&E in the name of an adult living in the household; demonstrate an uncontrollable or unplanned change in their ability to pay their PG&E bill; do not live in subsidized housing (exceptions: seniors, permanently disabled or terminally ill); have not received REACH assistance within the past 18 months; and do not exceed the REACH income guidelines, which are 200 percent above the federal poverty guidelines

THE SALVATION ARMY’S RELIEF FOR ENERGY ASSISTANCE (REACH) Launched in 1983 | Can assist with $200 of a single utility | Helped more than 604,000 households through $105 million in assistance | Assitance offered once every 18 months | Offered through 170 Salvation Army Centers

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 17

Page 12—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

50BOOKS

Through its schools, The Salvation Army in Kenya gives children with disabilities the opportunity to reach their full potential.

EVERY SALVATIONIST SHOULD READ

BY KEVIN JACKSON, MAJOR

(Frontier Press, 2013) by Rob Birks.

Somebody has to be no. 50. It’s not Bonhoeffer, but its postmodern approach introduces a new generation to some of the greatest poetry/theology in our history. Good stuff.

49|Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World

Children from the Kibos school for the visually impaired. FAR RIGHT A child creates beadwork with his toes at the International Day of Persons with Disabilities event.

(Baker Academic, 1999) by Robert Webber.

One of the first books to consider doing Christian ministry in the postmodern age.

| Photos courtesy of the Kenya West Territory

48|Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty

BY JOLENE HODDER, COMMISSIONER

T

he Salvation Army in Kenya has a nearly 70-year history of service to disabled persons, particularly disabled children who are often rejected by their families and communities and unable to attend school. The Army runs a number of schools specifically for them, a place for each one to achieve his or her full potential.

The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey estimates that over 10 percent of the nation’s population is mentally or physically disabled. According to the World Health Organization, this is primarily due to accidents (road and domestic), malaria, measles, congenital diseases and leprosy.

The issue is compounded by a lack of adequate health care and the risk of abuse. The Lancet, a leading general medical journal, reported in 2012 that disabled children worldwide are at nearly four times greater risk of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or of neglect than children who are not disabled.

Within this context The Salvation Army began work in Thika among the disabled in 1946 when it sought to assist soldiers blinded during World War II. That program grew into the country’s first education and training center for the blind. The Army’s Thika School for the Blind was so successful that it led to the founding of many different institutions across East Africa.

In the Kenya West Territory alone, the Army today operates or sponsors 12 schools and 12 units for the disabled.

While these programs are registered with the government, countless unregistered schools are run or supported by the Army as well. Many lack running water, electricity, books and other fundamental resources. Some schools do not have enough beds or adequate food for the over 5,000 children who come for help annually.

Since 1992, the United Nations has promoted an International Day of Persons with Disabilities to encourage an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Thus, to highlight the Army’s work and empower its children the Kenya West Territory held its first International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration on Dec. 3, 2013.

Under the leadership of Major Eleanor Haddick, territorial social and sponsorship secretary, the students planned and led the event. They provided translation, music and enter-

(Beacon Press, 2009) by Mark Winnie.

Food is quickly becoming a severe issue in the U.S. again. We serve people who live in food deserts and should seek better ways to provide healthy, clean food to the people who need it most.

EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN tainment, gave tours of the school, and displayed arts and crafts.

In total, 389 students from 10 schools and three units gathered at Joyland Secondary School in Kisumu for the festivities.

Roughly 175 invited guests joined them, including family members, teachers, headmasters and territorial headquarters staff.

Lt. Colonels Edward and Shelley Hill, from the USA Western Territory, were the international guests.

“This is our time to shine and to show that it is not our disability that should matter, but our abilities, for we have been blessed with many,” said the day’s emcee, Peter Otieno, a physically-disabled boy from Joyland. “Today no one is excluded, but all are included because we are all God’s children. He has a plan for each one of us, and as Scripture says, through God all things are possible.”

Visually-impaired students from the Kibos School spoke. “Although we may not be able to see well with our eyes, we do see with the heart, and our other senses are all heightened,” they said. “So we can sense the presence of God, and we know that, if we let him, he will use us to bring blessings to others. We do not want your sympathy. We simply ask that we be given the same respect and opportunities as anyone else so that we can take our rightful place in society. We do not want to be treated as different, but as equals.”

Through Haddick, mentally-challenged students from Kuywa School and Shavahiga Special Unit asked attendees to consider their situation: “If you have ever felt lost, confused or unable to understand a situation, instruction or task, then you too have been mentally challenged. Being mentally challenged does not mean we are stupid or incapable of learning. It just means that new ways are needed to stimulate our

Personally, I loved the opportunity to dance with the students.

There is something almost magical about dancing with children who have no legs, or who cannot hear the music, for it is as if they are dancing with their hearts.’

—COMMISSIONER JOLENE HODDER

47|Somebody’s Brother: A History of the Salvation Army Men’s Social Service Department, 1891-1985

(Edwin Mellen Pr, 1986) by Ed McKinley.

50|OrsbornAgain

A great overview of The Salvation Army’s work in the field of addictions. It’s a little dry, but it’s hard to find a better story.

46|The Book of Leviticus Don’t laugh! If you want to understand holiness as it’s lived out in community, here’s your book.

45|Rich Christians in a Hungry World: Moving From Affluence to Generosity (Thomas Nelson, 2005) by Ronald Sider.

Groundbreaking work on poverty in the world. Not liberal. Not conservative. Just the facts accompanied by solutions that can be accomplished by people of faith.

Sounds like us.

44|Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (Zondervan, 2012) by Timothy Keller.

A great resource for doing urban centered ministry in the 21st century.

43|Catherine Booth: A Biography of the Cofounder of The Salvation Army (Baker Pub Group, 1996)

by Roger Green.

Only the greatest woman in our history and not a bad biography.

42|A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems 1979-1997 (Counterpoint, 1996)

by Wendell Berry.

Amazing poetry about private reflections.

Written each Sunday as Berry strolled through the local landscape. An argument that we have to experience God’s creation to really experience him fully with beauty, humanity, death, and hope for the future.

41|The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila (Digireads, 2009) by herself.

Spiritual wisdom and prayerful advice to people of faith.

A great book for personal reflection among the hectic world we minister in.

40|The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out (Multnomah Books, 2005)

by Brennan Manning.

A great reminder about God’s grace, as we seek to serve him through our demanding efforts.

39|Indescribable: Encountering the Glory of God in the Beauty of the Universe (David C. Cook, 2011) by Louie Giglio.

In The Salvation Army, we focus on hard work to make the world a better place. Sometimes it’s good to escape to the stars, and there is no better book to consider the heavens.

38|Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community (HarperOne, 2009) by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

A classic guide to the Christian faith lived out in community.

BOOKS PAGE 18

Welcome to New Frontier Chronicle, the source of news and networking for The Salvation Army.

When New Frontier began publication in 1983 as a pioneer in Salvation Army communication, it had the chance to break Salvation Army news in print. It’s a different media landscape today and we are adapting.

According to the Pew Research Center’s The State of the News Media 2013 report, more Americans get news online than in print, but newspaper circulation remained steady (down just 0.2 percent). Simultaneously, digital audiences increased 7.2 percent.

Over the past year, we studied our own readers, completing surveys of Western Territory officers as well as the entire current readership. From that insight comes the New Frontier Chronicle.

We are now focusing on a digital-first strategy, which includes a reshaping of the newspaper. A monthly 24-page print edition will provide context, analysis and the news behind the news that you already know as a complement to the online presence at newfrontierchronicle.org. Both have a fresh look to reflect modern tastes and reading habits.

In print, we will aim to empower

readers to communicate The Salvation Army’s mission through actionable and applicable content. Look for information from across The Salvation Army world, investigative reports that analyze effective programs and identify the unique features and trends for what works, tips to help your local congregation better engage in the issues of today, and influential voices on relevant (and sometimes controversial) matters. We will also provide heightened coverage of the top three areas of concern—education, immigration and health—as identified in our readership survey.

Find daily Salvation Army news at newfrontierchronicle.org and—since nearly 90 percent of our audience uses Facebook as their primary social network—an increased attention to networking there.

To connect and engage with our readers beyond the publication, we are planning writer’s workshops throughout the territory and town hall style events to discuss issues that matter to The Salvation Army.

We hope to connect with you at these events.

As always, our goal is to deepen engagement with you and provide quality content for you. Visit us online and tell us what you think.|NFC

ENTER TO WIN In honor of the launch of New Frontier Chronicle we are giving away

50 BOOKS EVERY SALVATIONIST SHOULD READ See the list starting on page 17 then visit newfrontierchronicle.org/ top50books for your chance to win the entire collection.

is published monthly by The Salvation Army USA Western Territory P.O. Box 22646 Long Beach, CA 90802-9998 Commissioner James Knaggs, Territorial Commander Colonel Dave Hudson, Chief Secretary

newfrontierpublications.org Member of the Evangelical Press Association EDITORIAL STAFF Robert L. Docter, Editor-In-Chief 562/491-8330 bob.docter@usw.salvationarmy.org Christin Davis, Managing Editor 562/491-8723 christin.davis@usw.salvationarmy.org Erica Andrews • 562/491-8334 erica.andrews@usw.salvationarmy.org Vivian Gatica • 562/491-8782 vivian.gatica@usw.salvationarmy.org Karen Gleason • 562/491-8332 karen.gleason@usw.salvationarmy.org Major Kevin Jackson • 562/491-8303 kevin.jackson@usw.salvationarmy.org Major Linda Jackson • 562/491-8306 linda.jackson@usw.salvationarmy.org Jared McKiernan • 562/491-8417 jared.mckiernan@usw.salvationarmy.org Diana Sanglab, Intern diana.sanglab@usw.salvationarmy.org ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA Shannon Forrey, Web Editor 562/491-8329 shannon.forrey@usw.salvationarmy.org LAYOUT AND DESIGN Kevin Dobruck, Art Director 562/491-8328 kevin.dobruck@usw.salvationarmy.org Adriana Rivera, Graphic Designer 562/491-8331 adriana.rivera@usw.salvationarmy.org ADVERTISING/BUSINESS Karen Gleason, Business Manager 562/491-8332 karen.gleason@usw.salvationarmy.org CIRCULATION Arlene De Jesus, Circulation Manager 562/491-8343 arlene.dejesus@usw.salvationarmy.org

ISSN 2164-5930

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 3

The Double Punches Boxing Club promotes confidence and character.

OUTSIDE THE BOX, INSIDE THE RING

BY MARIA LOPEZ

R

ichard Lopez grew up fatherless, without a male role model in the home, which laid the groundwork for a childhood clouded by drug abuse and gang violence.

After several years of struggling to find his way, two people came along and inspired Lopez to change. One was a pastor.

The other, a boxing coach.

These two men taught him a life-shaping lesson: In order to be successful, you must develop—physically, mentally and spiritually.

Now founder and director of the Santa Rosa, Calif., Double Punches Boxing Club, Lopez teaches boxing to at-risk youth with that same philosophy. He refers to the children in the program as “treasures.”

“I go into these neighborhoods that few people want to go into because they don’t see anything good that can come out of them,” Lopez said. “But God has showed me that there are leaders, workers and potential there and boxing is the tool that God has given me to reach these treasures. I don’t have much money, but I consider myself a rich man.”

It started in 1991. Lopez, who holds a Level III Coaches License from USA Boxing Inc., hung a punching bag and speed bag in his garage for his own use. Kids from the neighborhood would come by and ask him to show them how to hit the bags. Then, one parent brought his son over and asked if Lopez would train him for The Golden Gloves, an annual amateur boxing tournament.

After that came another student. Then another. Lopez began to see gangs as an emerging problem in the community.

Eager to do something, he formed Double Punches Boxing Club, an outlet for youth in Santa Rosa, especially those vulnerable to gang recruitment.

Pretty soon, the small garage could no longer provide adequate space for training. The next year, he moved into a larger garage, then a small building. By 2005, they had outgrown that building. Lopez met then-Captain Fred Rasmussen of The Salvation Army’s Santa Rosa Corps, and Rasmussen saw that The Salvation Army and Double Punches shared a similar mission and vision for reaching the community. A trial partnership followed.

“They really became the darling of the community,” Rasmussen said of Double Punches. “They had an effectiveness for providing a foundation for kids who were headed down the route of delinquency. For us, it was not a difficult marriage. It was a natural fit.”

In July 2010, The Salvation Army adopted Double Punches as an official corps program, moving it into a 4,000-squarefoot facility at the corps. There, it runs a year-round program for approximately 125 youth ages 10-18 and young adults ages 18-24. Double Punches emphasizes fundamentals and discipline rather than brute force and toughness. Its goal is to improve the confidence and character of young people and re-channel their energy into positive activities.

Participants are asked to make a three-month enrollment commitment, however 70 percent stay longer, according to Double Punches staff. Its After School Books and Boxing Program is $100 per semester with academic incentive discounts of $10-$20 available. This includes picking up the students from four school locations, approximately one hour of homework assistance courtesy of The Salvation Army Tutoring and Mentoring (TAM) program, a snack and 1.5 hours of

TOP: Andre Salonga holds his winning belts for the 135-pound weight class of the 2012 and 2013 University of San Francisco Hilltop Cup, the largest amateur boxing event in California.

ABOVE: Katelyn Wilkinson and Judith Garcia take a break from the heavy bag. | Photos courtesy of Double Punches

I have seen my child’s outlook on life become happy again. It has given him an amazing experience that has changed his life... ’ —ALICIA ALVARENGA

boxing lessons two to four times per week. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 3-7:30 p.m.

Double Punches has also served as an active member on the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force for the City of Santa Rosa since 2006. The task force is engineered to stop violence and victimization through enforcement and intervention efforts and to redirect young people to services aimed at keeping them out of gangs. Since 2006, the number of total crimes per 100,000 persons per year in Santa Rosa has fallen 21 percent from 3,302 to 2,606. In 2013, Double Punches was added to the Sonoma County Portfolio of Model Upstream Programs—initiatives deemed valuable to the community.

Parents are impressed by the impact of the program. Alicia Alvarenga, aunt and guardian of member Angel Jimenez, called Double Punches an “amazing program.”

“I have seen my child’s outlook on life become happy again,” Alvarenga said. “It has given him an amazing experience that has changed his life and he will always hold close to him.”

While boxing may appear an unorthodox, even ironic way to counter violence, Rasmussen insisted it’s not about “smashing someone in the nose,” but rather building character and good sportsmanship. Social worker Whitney Wright addressed the seeming paradox in her 2006 study, “Keep It in the Ring: Using Boxing in Social Group Work with High-Risk and Offender Youth to Reduce Violence.” In the study, Wright uses examples from boxing groups in New York City and San Francisco that merge boxing training with group discussion.

“For many group members who experience violence or emotional abuse in their communities, home, schools, or from the police, the safest time in their week is at the boxing gym,” she writes. “Training to be a boxer taps their strengths and helps them learn more about themselves, gain confidence and find a way out of violence.”

Brian Munoz joined Double Punches as a sixth grader and stayed in the program through high school. He said getting in shape was just one of the benefits of the program.

“I joined because I wanted to be active as well as work on my self esteem,” Munoz said. “Double Punches not only helped me stay fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle but I also learned discipline, determination, dedication and desire. I learned life lessons that I will never forget and that I will carry with me throughout my life.”

Araceli Sandoval came to Double Punches when she was 14, a period when her home life was anything but stable.

“During that time there was lots of problems at home,” she said. “Without Double Punches I don’t know where I would be. Seriously, from my heart, this was more like a family to me.”|NFC

Page 4—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

Investigating trends that make Army programs a success

THE SALVATION ARMY

Chef instructor Barry Crall in the kitchen of the Hope Harbor Culinary Arts Program

Ingredients of success

BY CHRISTIN DAVIS

E

Outside support

ducation is empowering.

And so, as The Salvation Army works to meet the unique Unwavering commitment challenges of each community, education is often part of its Tangible takeaway work—from parenting classes to culinary arts training.

“People cannot not learn,” said Dr. Joanne McLain, who studied educational leadership and innovation, is a former administrator at Elbert County Department of Human Services, and now runs a private counseling practice. “No matter what you do, you’re learning all the time. The question is what are you learning and how will you apply it?”

At its core, McLain said, learning is sustained activity over time that results in change. For an adult, the essence of learning is no different than a child.

You have to first pay attention, be aware, then find applicability.

“You can’t tell someone what to learn, but you can influence it,” McLain said. “The individual has to connect, has to be engaged emotionally for learning to really stick.”

Though goals and methods differ, many of the Army’s social services programs are engaged in education.

“In the context of Salvation Army programs, the strengths-based approach is applied to help identify and develop the existing abilities of clients, thus affirming their individual value and integrity, while also instilling new ones,” said Christopher Doughty, Western Territory social services research assistant.

“Education and the perceived progress made in successfully applying that knowledge leads to increased self-esteem, confidence, motivation, and hope, and these traits, in turn, help people to implement their strengths even more adeptly, transforming a cycle of despair into a pathway of hope.”

Here, we’ve profiled four of these programs to identify their unique features while looking for

trends. Collectively, these programs have three ingredients of success: outside support from an advisory board or community partnerships, an unwavering commitment from leaders and participants, and a tangible takeaway that betters an individual’s life.

1] Hope Harbor Culinary Arts Program, Lodi, Calif.

At age 6, Barry Crall was in the kitchen making pancakes.

“They say you’re born to be a chef, and I guess I was,” he said. Crall trained under three chefs before becoming one in 1985 and has worked in the restaurant business ever Outside support since. He cooked at famInitial design, funding, ily-owned restaurants community partnerships and published recipes in Northern California Fine Unwavering commitment Chef instructor, residential Dining, and now is the students chef instructor at The Salvation Army Lodi Tangible takeaway Hope Harbor Culinary ServSafe certificate, portfolio Arts Program.

Eighty-two students have graduated since the program’s first session in January 2008, 90 percent of whom are currently working—74 percent are working in the restaurant industry.

The 86-bed Hope Harbor Family Service Center opened in 2005. Crall—a graduate of the Stockton Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC)—took the lead of the job skills training program after an advisory board member recognized the kitchen’s potential.

The Army contracted with a local college chef in-

| Photo courtesy of savn.tv

structor, who mentored Crall for the first year, and helped to adapt a four-year curriculum into a 16-week course. A residential program, the culinary arts program accepts 10 students per session from area ARCs and other sobriety programs. The $5,000 per student cost is generated by grants, foundations and private funding.

The course includes academics, hands-on training, visits to food service operations and one-on-one mentoring by industry professionals to prepare students to be a prep or line cook.

Each student finishes the class with a ServSafe certificate and a portfolio that details the course and includes pictures of his or her work.

“We joke that we want these students to pay taxes, because we want them to be productive members of society,” Crall said. “They come out trained as entry-level prep cooks, who could cook a breakfast line with ease.”

One graduate—despite a history dotted with prison, narcotics and violence—landed a fulltime job as a chef at a local senior citizens social club. He cooks a hot lunch there every day.

Lodi’s Wine and Roses has hired nine of Crall’s students, and others work at local golf and country clubs. Crall said employers are now approaching him looking for chefs.

He recently interviewed 18 applicants for the February session.

“With a new job skill, they don’t need to turn back to what they’ve known before,” Crall said.

“That’s my ministry.”

Watch a five-minute video, “The Difference Food Can Make,” about the program at live.savn. tv/campaign/view/1124.

2] Baby Haven, Caldwell, Idaho When Jessica Madrigal, 31, received a flyer for a program that helped with diapers, she signed up.

That was two years ago, when she was preg-

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 5

AND EDUCATION nant, and she has attended Baby Haven ever since.

Started by the Caldwell, Idaho, corps in 2006, Baby Haven is an incentive-based two-year educational program focusing on healthy families, starting at pregnancy. In exchange for class attendance, parents receive credit for supplies.

“It helped so much to not have to buy diapers,” Outside support Madrigal said. She attended classes ranging Instruction, community partnerships from nutrition, to baby sign language, emotions with kids, and medical resources, and got her Unwavering commitment sister involved in the program as well. “They Volunteer instructors took us in and treated us really well; everybody Tangible takeaway was so friendly and helpful. It was just comfortImmediate application, able,” she said. supplies In a recent eight-week series, the biweekly classes focused on healthy eating, and a nutritionist visited the families at home.

“I recently had to start dialysis, so learning about foods and grains really helped me out,” Madrigal said. “We also cooked in class; we made lasagna with spinach and learned what was good with fibers, and how to control portions and read labels.”

Next, classes will cover legal considerations, such as writing a will. Then, a new grant will fund the Strengthening Families Program.

“Education is what drives the economy now a days. Without education it’s hard to do anything,” said Lt. Kristy Church, Caldwell corps officer and program coordinator. “For us it’s not necessarily school education, but informational. House safety, for example. Reminding people that we need to have two exits in case of a fire. It’s learning to protect, raise and provide for your family.”

The program averaged six classes per month in the past year with 75 active participants.

“I’ve learned our clients are strong,” Church said. “They push through and they find ways to move on and take care of their family. It’s cool to see the growth in them during the two years.”

3] Bootstraps Asset Building Education, Denver, Colo.

The Denver Harbor Light six-month residential program helps nearly 600 men each year work through addictions issues and job readiness.

The program includes the Bootstraps Asset Building Education, a four-week curriculum that provides an in-depth look at the role of financial stress on a person’s employment stability and ability to maintain sobriety.

“We treat each person with dignity and respect and believe in them, believe that God is able to heal and restore them, and believe that they are valuable as individuals both to us and to society,” said Auxiliary Captain Diana Gomes, administrator of the Harbor Light.

Outside support “I believe we should provide the best tools in reInitial design, community gard to relapse prevention education as well as partnerships tools necessary to be successful in recovery, such Unwavering commitment as the Bootstraps class.”

Residential students Shawn Young, founder of the Financial Health Institute, created the program initially to help Tangible takeaway young adults improve their personal and profesImmediate application, real-world tools sional lives through financial and civic education.

The curriculum takes into account a person’s environment, and demonstrates how personal values impact financial decisions and health choices. It has been used in more than 30 organizations—from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation to Denver Housing Authority—throughout Colorado.

“It’s real information that’s valid for any person,” said Dr. Joanne McLain, former administrator at Elbert County Department of Human Services who now runs a private counseling practice and consults in developing the Financial Health Institute with Young. “The individual has to connect to it and be emotionally engaged for learning to really stick.”

Since the program was implemented at Harbor Light in 2011, over 200 men have participated. In exit surveys, 85 percent said the program is highly effective; 73 percent said they would use the information to make changes in their lives.

“For any type of organization where we try to help clients, we tend to approach it as ‘I know what’s right, let me teach you what it is.’ That’s natural, but that’s not ideal,” McLain said. “People need to feel like they have some choice in what they learn and how it applies to them. They need to approach it from their own place and perspective.”

McLain said the sessions begin by asking people what is important to them—goals, values, and how those goals fit with the values. She said she’s witnessed participants lose weight or quit smoking as they become more aware of where their money goes.

“It’s important for people in difficult places in life to develop a sense of ‘yes, I can control something in my life and I can make things better,’” McLain said. “This program is a tool for that. It helps people make choices and gain confidence.”

4] HOPE Center, Los Banos, Calif.

With unemployment more than double the national rate in Merced County, Calif., The Salvation Army Los Banos Corps started a HOPE Cen-

ter—Helping Others Prepare for Employment.

Its resources and weekly workshops—from creating a résumé, to budgeting or building self-esteem—aim to break the cycle of poverty and enable self-sufficiency.

It has increased the employability of over 1,500 people since October 2012.

Sandy Lemas, a retired 35-year veteran of Worknet, designed the program to target those in need of basic services before the job search.

“There are a lot of excellent services out there, but Outside support they are designed for people who are ready to work; Initial design, community we’re providing skills to get people there,” Lemas said. partnerships “We want people to be able to get jobs, and more imporUnwavering commitment tantly, keep a job once they get it.”

Volunteers The HOPE Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for job seekers to help with job Tangible takeaway Immediate application, readiness and logistics, including bus passes to get to inreal-world tools, supplies terviews. A clothes closet provides options for work-appropriate attire.

From 3 to 6 p.m., the resource computer lab is open for students, who can find assistance with homework or simply a place to complete it. Lemas said she discovered many of the students needed flash drives for class requirements, so the HOPE Center has a supply ready.

Gabriela came to the HOPE Center as a teen mom who wanted to work to support her daughter. Lemas said they completed a job search portfolio, and guided her on interviewing and employer expectations.

“When she came back after the McDonald’s interview and was hired it was such a great feeling—our first client’s job placement,” Lemas said. The center then assisted in securing her the required black pants and shoes, completing the online training course and helping her prepare right to work documentation.

HOPE Center has referral relationships with a number of local organizations, including Memorial Hospital, Oasis ReStore, Soroptimist, Habitat for Humanity, and Los Banos Chamber of Commerce.|NFC

In Caldwell, Idaho, parents attend educational classes in exchange for needed supplies. Lt. Col. Eda Hokom (below) is a regular volunteer. | Photos by Kimberly Valadez

Page 6—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

It is part of our DNA as The Salvation Army to try anything, to do whatever it takes to see souls won, to see the salvation of the world.’

—GRANT WHITEHEAD

| Photos by John Docter

The ARC kept 12 million pounds of electronics out of landfills in 2013.

e-Waste recycled by ARC

BY KEVIN JACKSON, MAJOR Recycling is big business today, and the Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) Command is making the most of it, especially by recycling e-waste in California.

Last year, this recycling generated nearly $1.85 million in the Western Territory and kept 12 million pounds of electronics out of landfills—in addition to the 85 million pounds of other waste recycled by the territory.

“The money we generate in California is important as it helps defray the costs of ARC operation in states where they are unable to earn any income from their e-waste recycling,” said Major Mark Nelson, ARC Command general secretary.

Though only California ARCs generate revenue, Nelson said other ARC programs in the territory also recycle e-waste as an environmental service to the community.

The ARC works with Electronics Recycler International (ERI), which recycles 25 million pounds of e-waste monthly, to demanufacture items like television sets or computers.

At the Stockton, Calif., ARC, Director of Production Mark Maceron leads recycling efforts. In 2013, Maceron helped to recycle nearly 451,000 pounds of e-waste, resulting in over $77,000 of income.

“The economic downturn in the community of Stockton in 2008 brought significant challenges to the operation of the Stockton ARC,” Maceron said.

“Recycling e-waste and strengthening the overall recycling program helped alleviate some of the financial challenges that arose out of the local economic downturn.”

As Maceron said, it’s a two-part service to the community: additional funding to assist individuals out of addiction, and safely removing hazardous materials from the local environment.|NFC

Major Kevin Jackson, Major Rhonda Gilger and Grant Whitehead discuss divorce on OnlineCorps. | Photo courtesy of OnlineCorps

ONLINE EVANGELISM

BY VIVIAN GATICA Since beginning in September 2012, OnlineCorps has linked thousands of viewers to The Salvation Army through videos and evangelical resources. Although it is a Western Territory creation, its outreach stretches beyond the territory’s borders.

“In every way possible, we’ve become a corps like a local corps; all the things that happen at a local corps—where it can translate online—we have online,” said Grant Whitehead, Western Territory social media champlain. “We have a worship community, a place that people come to be encouraged and held accountable to living a Christian life…and it’s uplifting and enjoyable.”

The number of onlinecorps.net members has increased from 609 to 1,654 in the span of eight months with 215 people committing themselves to Christ online.

Whitehead attributed the ministry’s growth and success to its coverage of important Salvation Army Western Territory events, which include the Welcome of Cadets, Commissioning and band concerts.

“What we find is that people find OnlineCorps through an event,” Whitehead said. “So they might not have ever heard of [it], but they watch an event and from there discover all this other stuff and they continue to come back.”

December 2013 marked a milestone for the ministry as its YouTube channel received 14,605 views, the most in a month since its creation.

This, in part, was due to the popularity of the Southern California Division’s Night of Wonder 2012 Christmas concert.

“It’s amazing to have a backlog of all this content that people seem to just stumble across and find,” Whitehead said.

In addition to the ongoing “GospelStories” and “LifeStories,” the website premiered a new show called “Rejoice” with the music department. It teaches viewers about worship through music and other performing arts.

OnlineCorps has also guided 15 people through six weeks of soldiership classes with many looking to be enrolled or enrolling at their local corps.

TOP 5 WESTERN TERRITORY

of 2013

AVERAGE WEEKLY COUNTS IN FIVE CATEGORIES OF CORPS MINISTRY

05

0

100

150

200

250

300

05

0

100

150

200

250

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 7

THE MYTHS OF ONLINE MINISTRY MYTH1

BY GRANT WHITEHEAD It is not what The Salvation Army should be doing.

Founder William Booth said, “If I thought I could win one more soul to the Lord by walking on my head and playing the tambourine with my toes, I’d learn how!”It is part of our DNA as The Salvation Army to try anything, to do whatever it takes to see souls won, to see the salvation of the world.

We are called to be witnesses everywhere we go, to be the light in the darkness. This should include our time spent online as well. We regularly hear about the dark places of the Internet, but as we explore we realize there is more good online than bad. As The Salvation Army, we do not shy away from the rough parts of town, and go to the places that many others don’t. The same should be true of ministry online.

It reminds me of Booth reclaiming the music of his day. “Why should the devil have all the best tunes?” he asked. Why should the devil have free run online? We need to be there.

Countries reached: 177 Total views of all videos: 88,645

FACEBOOK STATS Total likes: 17,131 Reach in past 28 days: 98,156 Top 10 countries reached in past 28 days:

United States of America 49,190 United Kingdom

10,660

Canada

9,455

Netherlands

2,266

India

2,011

New Zealand

1,939

Sweden

1,229

Philippines

1,202

Hong Kong

912

MYTH4

Since September 2012

11,545

It’s not real community; face to face is the only way to have fellowship.

In no way are we saying that online ministry should replace face-to-face ministry. It’s just another way to do it. It’s part of the day and age we live in, where people look up medical advice online, converse through text with friends, and spend hours on social media. Facebook had 727 million daily active users on average in September 2013.

OnlineCorps strives to provide personal interaction, so that while watching you can chat with others in the chatroom, and during many programs actually shape the discussion that is happening in the studio by making comments and asking questions.

This live text chat room, which is used for all of our live events, is a wonderful place and a great leveler as people from all walks of life, demographics and education participate.

A common misconception is the chat room is superficial, idle chit chat.

In fact, the opposite is generally true. People share deeply and genuinely about their lives, and minister to one another through it.

Part of the inspiration for OnlineCorps is that some of the most isolated people (either geographically or socially) would be able to join community. We are a global Army. The more we can do to remind us of that, and to connect us through countries, will encourage us that the Army is alive and well and strengthen our identity as a global movement.

“We are still journeying with these individuals as to what their next step is,” Whitehead said. “We have other people who are not connected to a local corps [or] can’t access a local corps, so we’re working on how that looks.”

Recently, the ministry has developed a mobile app, available on iTunes and Google Play, allowing smartphone and tablet access to all the website’s resources and content.

Whitehead hopes to break into different languages in the future to reach out to audiences in Spanish, Chinese and Arabic, in addition to English.

“I’d love to do a GospelStories where we talk about Jesus from the perspective of the Muslim faith, but actually from a Christian angle,” he said.

According to Whitehead, OnlineCorps appeals to many people who are geographically or socially isolated from attending a local corps or church.

“The lost, the last and the least are found online,” he said. “We’re finding these people online.”

If face-to-face ministry is like a sixstring guitar, Whitehead said, online ministry is a one-string guitar.

“A six-string guitar has extra elements to it, and it’s different. There’s a lot of elements going on, but do we deny the onestring guitar from being music? Not at all,” he said. “Online community, ministry and mission is absolutely valid.”|NFC

YOUTUBE STATS

Australia

MYTH3 MYTH2

If people watch online they’ll stop going to church.

Most people active on OnlineCorps are active in their local corps. We are attracting those who are heavily involved at their church and are looking for more, along with those who, for various reasons, don’t yet feel comfortable entering a church. In our 15 months online, OnlineCorps has seen several people move from a disinterest in attending a local corps, to regularly attending.

The Salvation Army has a history of making recordings of corps meetings available to those who didn’t attend. Today’s inexpensive technology enables people to watch live from virtually anywhere. Our experience would suggest that people who start by watching online are actually more likely to attend locally in the future.

There is no fruit from online ministry.

“Tom” is a high school senior who lives in a rural American town with a population of 204 people (there are many more animals). He lives two hours away from the closest church and nearly three hours from the closest Salvation Army corps. After volunteering as a bell-ringer at Christmas, Tom was intrigued by The Salvation Army and wanted to check out a service.

He wondered if the Army webcasted meetings, and searched online for “Salvation Army service.” Tom found OnlineCorps, which was streaming live at the time from Pasadena Tabernacle Corps. He logged on, joined the chat room, and shared concerns and loss he had experienced. Many people in the chat room engaged him, offered prayer and shared common experiences. At the end of the meeting, we held a virtual alter call and I physically went to the mercy seat to pray for Tom and the 30 other people still online. During this time, Tom committed his life to Jesus Christ.

We’ve stayed in touch with Tom, and sent him other resources. We even used some old technology, the telephone, to talk! Tom is just one example of the fruit of the OnlineCorps ministry, which has proven necessary and beneficial. Whatever we do, be it online or in person, may it be for God’s glory.

Visit onlinecorps.net or facebook.com/onlinecorps.|NFC

05

0

100

150

200

01

02

03

04

05

06

0

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Compiled by Amy Jorgens, Territorial Statistician

54

Page 8—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 9

COMMUNITY AT CROSSROADS jokes and gets everyone laughing, neutralizing what he knows from experience had the potential to be a fight.

Earlier in the year Carlos was assaulted during an argument in the courtyard, resulting in a broken jaw that required surgery. Having grown up around Hell’s Angels and being homeless since the age of 14, Carlos says he “didn’t want to be a snitch. Carlton kept asking me ‘who did this to you?’ but I told him not to worry about it. But then I was gonna get kicked out for not saying who it was.”

“I didn’t want to put you in that position,” Jackson says, speaking to Carlos about the incident. “But the bottom line is we can’t have that here. If there’s someone here who’s willing to assault other people, you’re not going to be the last one he hits.”

Jackson has the ability to empathize and communicate with the residents of Crossroads because it wasn’t long ago that he was in their shoes. Along with half of the shelter’s staff, Jackson found his way into employment with The Salvation Army through first being one of its clients.

“They get a different perspective,” says Ty of staff members who once lived here. “When things go down, they can say ‘hey, you know what’s going to happen,’ and it doesn’t feel like it’s authoritative, it’s like it’s coming from one of your friends.”

Scott Fingers was never a resident of Crossroads, and up until a few months ago he had a secure job in healthcare, but then he says that “the Lord called me into ministry. . . . And when I saw that Salvation Army was a Christian, evangelistic organization, I knew it was for me.”

Fingers is now head of Crossroads’ Stepping Up program, which is the third level of residency available to those staying at the shelter. Involvement in the program requires a structured lifestyle of strict sobriety, employment and consistent attendance of church services (though this is not limited to Christian churches).

“The goal of Stepping Up is to get people back into the mainstream,” he says. “After they’re sober and attending church, we then help them get a job, and once they’re employed they get a room on the second floor. They pay 25 percent of their income to us for rent, they save 50 percent toward a down-payment on an apartment, and the remainder is theirs. And while they’re up here we provide classes on things like how to build a budget, anger-management, fitness.”

The program can only admit 25 men at a time, and they are allowed to stay on the second floor for three to six months. The shelter already has to turn people away when it reaches its capacity of 260 bodies, and between the record low temperatures (on Dec. 4 the wind chill was recorded at -31 degrees), and a report from the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative that the city is enduring an influx of homeless from surrounding counties, the staff has had its hands full keeping things calm and optimistic at Crossroads.

“At the end of the day it’s about resource allocation,” says Jackson. “Unfortunately there’s a much bigger need than the resources that we have. So we have to find a fair, compassionate way to apply those resources, and a firm hand when we’re out. When we’re full and don’t have beds, it’s very hard to face a man and turn him away. But we know from past experiences that when we take in 10 extra guys it leads to problems like not enough food, no space, and before you know it the police are here. When we create stability and safety, a community forms, which is just human nature; it’s what we do.”|NFC

|Photo courtesy Ivy D. Gibson

STAY AT A SALVATION ARMY SHELTER PROVIDES DIRECTION, HOPE

A NEW BEGINNING

BY IVY D. GIBSON

|Getty Images

SHELTER FROM PAGE 1 and will have the opportunity to sleep on floormats along with up to 160 other men (along with a meal, shower, TV and library). From there they can get on the list for a bed and a locker at $42 a week, spread out army-barracks style across one large room. Eventually they can enroll in Crossroads newly minted Stepping Up program, which offers fitness and financial planning classes, as well as a room of their own on the second floor.

Jackson stresses that something like a bed and a secure locker are not only practical necessities, but are essential in aiding a homeless individual in the delicate transition.

“The psychological and the practical go hand in hand,” he says. “If you’re trying to get yourself into the regular world and you’ve got all your belongings on your back, it’s hard to get yourself mentally prepared and show up for a job interview. With a bed and a locker you can leave your stuff here and go out and tackle things. Unfortunately we only have so much room, so those staying on mats have to take their stuff with them.”

Those sleeping for free on mats are required to leave at 6 a.m., while the patrons of rented beds can sleep in later—though many of them are out by four or five, heading to day labor offices where they wait in another line, hoping to get work that will cover the cost of their bed.

After spending five years incarcerated for burglary, Mike has spent the last two months at Crossroads, working at a carwash to pay for his bed, a court-ordered restitution, and hopefully a little savings in time. “I became a Christian minister while I was incarcerated,” he says. “And staying here is a good stepping stone; a good foundation.

I want to start my own ministry going to disaster sites, helping communities rebuild.”

And he’s getting plenty of first-hand exposure to disaster relief while here. Mike says that the chaos of those sleeping on the mats is notably different from the stable consistency of those renting the beds. Lately he’s become acquainted with Ty, Carlos and “Uncle” Ray, three longterm residents who are part of the community that has developed between the roommates of Crossroads.

After staying here for a year, Ty says that moving up to the beds “gives you a sense that there will be a next step, a next phase. When you’re sleeping on the mats staring at the ceiling, you feel trapped, like it’s never going to end.”

Despite graduating from Cornell University, employment and financial issues led to Ty to becoming homeless, which Jackson says is well-tread road to the shelter’s doorstep. “Joblessness is the biggest unifier here,” he says.

“There are others, like mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction, incarceration, but at the end of the day it’s the inability to get and hold onto work.”

Jackson says the bed population have formed a community that networks with each other. “Last year there was a time when Denver’s Waste Management had been using day-labor, and some people were informed about permanent jobs opening up there,” he says. “And the guys here who got the tip would tell other people they trusted, and there was a wave of employment throughout the shelter.”

At the same time, trying to keep that community together with up to 260 men dealing with various addictions, illnesses and unfortunate backgrounds under one roof is a tricky juggling act. Just before dinner, an argument ensues between some residents over the TV—one wants the news, the other wants the Broncos. Jackson knows each of them by name, and gracefully cracks some

Ivy D. Gibson

| Photo by Josiah Hesse

Salvation Army locations that offer emergency shelter across the West this winter:

# shelters

capacity

105

Alaska

1

Cascade

7

435

Del Oro

4

336

3

141

Hawaii & Pacific Islands

0

0

Intermountain

1

210

5

280

1

12

3

269

5

207

Golden State

Northwest

Sierra del Mar

Southern California Southwest

Data provided by social services department at territorial headquarters and divisional representatives.

Scott Fingers, head of Crossroad’s Stepping Up program, speaks with residents.

| Photo by Josiah Hesse

I’ve been presented with many things in life that have taken me places I thought I would never go, see, or consider. A shelter was one of them. Coming from a hard working middle-class single parent home, I was always taught to be humble and not let my pride get in front of me. Well, I did, and soon began to see my life turn upside down.

In the midst of pride, I also was coping with an addiction to alcohol. As you can imagine, those two things do not mix. I began to turn against my family, friends and jobs for my own selfish ways. Life became miserable, unbearable and lonely. So one day, at the point of no return, after losing everything I had worked so hard for, I asked God to lead me to a place where I could regain my strength, faith and focus back.

That prayer was the start of a new beginning with The Salvation Army. With no place to go, no food to eat, and the sun beaming down on me and the last of my possessions, I dragged my things, battered and torn, to a Salvation Army shelter.

Without humility intact, I came face to face with my pride. The process of getting into a shelter was something out of the ordinary and scary. What would I do? I began to tremble and shake as I walked into this abyss of unknown with people I would never consider my type of crowd. I began to notice the staff, all with smiles, arms out giving hugs, directing everyone inside. Just to see a smile and receive a hug from anyone was a feeling I cannot explain.

I met a wonderful lady, willing to help me get a bus ticket home to Denver. It was quite funny at that time for me because we made a deal with each other—in order for me to receive a bus ticket, she would pray over me for safe travels. Secondly, I had to stay two nights and help serve meals to the guys coming in. Two nights in a shelter out of the extreme conditions for a lifetime of happiness was something I could do. I shook hands with her and off I went, relieved to be serving and cleaning in a cool air conditioned building.

I boarded the bus to Denver, but had to wonder why God was putting me on this journey.

My fiancé later drove me to the Harbor Light Center—a place for me to get on my feet and back into society. There I was, looking at the shield that brought me all the way home, facing the cross that protected me from all the harm, bitterness of the world and indecisiveness I brought upon myself.

I jumped in, knowing I had to believe there was help and apply it. The winter months would be coming soon and I knew I didn’t want to struggle with the elements of Mother Nature. I had found a warm, welcoming, helpful environment. Harbor Light provided me with housing, rehabilitation, worship, work therapy and a sense of commonality. No one is above anyone, and thanks to The Salvation Army and the Harbor Light Center I am moving forward and learning that with God anything can be accomplished.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5:14 NLT).

Without it I cannot imagine where I would be.|NFC

Page 10—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

Egyptian-born Christian shares unique perspective on Islam with The Salvation Army.

BRIDGING THE GAP

BY ERICA ANDREWS

A

n estimated 1.6 billion Muslims around the world make Islam the world’s second largest religious tradition after Christianity, according to Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Samy Tanagho, who previously worked as a lawyer in Egypt, aims to bring Muslims to Christ. He’s consulting with The Salvation Army Sierra del Mar Division this year to do just that.

Tanagho will provide training in evangelizing to Muslims and ways to minister in cross-cultural situations, along with Arabic translation.

“Chances are Salvationists will meet Muslims either here or overseas and most of the churches in America are not prepared to share Jesus effectively with Muslims,” Tanagho said. “They have no idea how to answer their questions and as you know very well from the Bible, God’s great commission is to share Jesus and preach the gospel to all people.”

While Muslims are widespread worldwide, seven in 10 Americans admit they know very little about the Islamic religion, according to the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security.

According to Pew Research Center, Muslim Americans tend to be highly educated, politically conscious and fluent in English. As a group, they share similar socioeconomic characteristics with the general U.S. population in terms of education, income and employment: one-fourth have bachelor’s degrees or higher; one-fourth live in households with incomes of $75,000 or more; and the majority are employed.

Tanagho was born and raised in a nominal Christian family in Egypt while many of his best friends and Glad News! God Loves You, My Musneighbors were Muslims. lim Friend by Samy “After I became born again in law school of course Tanagho has been many of them asked me about God and Jesus and I start- translated into 11 ed witnessing to them,” Tanagho said. “I was not received different languages.

Samy Tanagho

| Photo by Erica Andrews

There are obstacles, cultural, theological and emotional. My job is to bridge the gap that exists between Christians and Muslims.’

—SAMY TANAGHO

STAYING IN SCHOOL The Salvation Army in Honduras offers education to hospitalized children.

BY GERARDO GÓCHEZ, MAJOR The Salvation Army in Honduras teamed with the San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa hospitals and Honduran Department of Education in 2001 to create a school program within the hospitals to keep children from falling behind in school while sick.

In the past two years, the program reached 7,730 children, exceeding the annual goal to help 1,400 children.

The Honduran Department of Education provides the teachers, the hospitals provide space for the classes, and The Salvation Army runs the school program, providing the materials, resources and volunteers needed to keep it going year-round.

“It is undeniable that The Salvation Army maintains the school, and without its help the program would not continue,” said Sarai Soler, a teacher for the school. “Without the support of The Salvation Army, the school would not have the educational resources to teach the children.”

The typical school day for a child in the program consists of activities based on the Department of Education civic calendar, singing, and sharing and exploring values. The average classroom contains four to 11 students, depending on the physical condition of the children.

Teachers prepare the class material, visit and meet with newly hospitalized children, and determine which of them will be able to go to the classrooms. Salvation Army volunteers work with the teachers to meet individually with the children who need to remain in bed.

very well by some of the Muslims and my father, whom I worked for.”

A defense lawyer, Tanagho’s father said he needed to focus on doing well in his legal career rather than talk about Jesus. Tanagho eventually quit his job and moved to California. He met his wife at the University of California, Irvine. She was an ex-Muslim and had been imprisoned in Egypt for her faith in Christ.

While working on his 2004 book, Glad News! God Loves You, My Muslim Friend—which was published in 11 different languages—Tanagho worked at a gas station, as a waiter and as an administrative assistant for the County of Orange.

“Glad News is helping many Muslims come to Christ,” Tanagho said.

“It’s also helping many Christians here in America and overseas to know how to answer the questions that Muslims have about the Christian faith and to know how to present Jesus to them through using a common ground.

“There are obstacles, cultural, theological and emotional,” Tanagho said. “My job is to bridge the gap that exists between Christians and Muslims. I’m excited about this new relationship because I feel God is going to use me in a far greater way than before I joined The Salvation Army.”|NFC

| Photo by Gerardo Góchez

All school work and progress is recorded and sent to the principals of local schools and the Department of Education, along with a document from the doctor explaining why the child was hospitalized in order to make sure that he or she receives credit for the education completed.

“This motivates the children a lot, and the parents get involved by encouraging the children to do their homework,” Soler said. “There is evidence of some of the children returning to their schools with increased motivation after being in the program during their hospitalization.”

According to Soler, around 5 percent of the children were unable to attend school prior to hospitalization because they lived in rural areas with big families who were in no condition financially to send them to school or because of their health con-

ditions. She said approximately 90 percent of the children in the program continue their education at public schools after being released from the hospital.

“When a child is sick, health is the priority, which is why we cannot hold them to educational expectations that create unnecessary stress,” Soler said. “The main idea is to motivate the child to continue his or her studies.”

Progress is tracked by setting educational goals, but varies based on the time of an individual’s hospitalization and health.

“There is an immediate impact on the kids because it motivates them, and makes them more active,” Soler said. “If the school didn’t exist many of them would be very depressed.”

Dr. Jorge Villacorta, head of pediatrics for the San Pedro Sula Hospital, said that the studies affect the health of the children.

“The positive change in the emotional states of the children is evident because they need something to wake up to every day, and they get that with the school,” Villacorta said.

Byron, a child in the program, spent a little over a month in the hospital before going home and continuing his education at a public school. Despite some difficulty in mathematics, he adapted well and is excited to be back in his school.

“After everything my son and I went through, this was a great help,” said Aracely García, Byron’s mother.

“The boy’s mind was focused on his studies even while stuck in a bed and connected to machines to help him get better.”

Many of the parents with children in the program do not know how to read or write, so the program also offers literacy, writing and math courses to them. The Salvation Army often provides these parents with food, and at times financial assistance for emergency medications or procedures.

Adults and children staying at a local shelter to be closer to the hospital for medical treatments can also participate.|NFC

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 11

The Salvation Army intervenes for PG&E customers short on payment.

KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON T

BY JARED McKIERNAN

he first of the month is a tense time for Ronnie Ramirez. The 59-year-old Atwater, Calif., resident suffered a massive heart attack a few years ago that left him dealing with a host of medical conditions and unfit to work a full-time job. He

has since struggled to find work as an auto mechanic and had to supplement his wages with his Social Security check to stay afloat. His wife is unemployed and hampered by her own stockpile of health issues, and he’s left scrambling to scrounge up money for rent and utilities each month.

Late in 2013, the situation worsened.

“I sold our coffee table so I could get money for gas,” he said.

For years, Ramirez had known Steve Shelton, director of family services for The Salvation Army of Merced County. When Ramirez’s bills became unmanageable, Shelton suggested he apply for assistance through The Salvation Army’s Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) program.

Formed in 1983, REACH is a utility assistance program operated by The Salvation Army that offers one-time grants of up to $200 to low-income households in danger of having their power shut off. The administrative branch of the program is entirely funded by the PG&E Corporation and Foundation while the program support comes from PG&E customers, employees and shareholders, according to Nancy Udy, REACH executive director.

REACH is based in San Francisco, yet service areas run to the Oregon border in the north and to Santa Maria, Calif., in the south, spanning across the Golden State, Del Oro and Southern California divisions. Since its launch, REACH has disbursed more than $105 million to more than 600,000 households through 170 Salvation Army service centers, making it the largest single-utility-funded assistance program in the country.

Shelton said he directs about five to 10 Merced County residents a week toward REACH and that without it, a lot more people would be in trouble.

Merced County is one of the poorest in the PG&E service area and all of California. Without the help Ramirez received through REACH, “I would have had no power or anything,” he said.

While REACH was designed to benefit PG&E customers, 10 percent of the budget is allocated to assist clients using vendors other than PG&E. REACH beneficiaries can receive assistance up to once every 18 months. If they owe more than $200 on a bill, the assigned caseworker may pool resources with another utility assistance program in that area to cover the remaining balance on the bill. PG&E customers can also donate to REACH through their monthly bills.

The whole goal is to help the client get out of a one-time emergency situation so that they can start off with a zero balance on their bill.’

—NANCY UDY

“It’s just something that they know is there, that can help them through a rough spot and get them back on their feet again,” Udy said. “The hope is that we help them so they won’t need assistance again.”

While that’s not always the case, Udy said it usually gives clients time to save money to prevent future emergencies.

“The whole goal is to help the client get out of a one-time emergency situation so that they can start off with a zero balance on their bill,” Udy said. “So that they can hopefully then have at least a month or two before they get another bill on their account.”

Shelton said many of the people in Merced County—where one in four residents live below the poverty line—call to apply for REACH assistance after they have already received their 48-hour shutoff notices.

“We’re really the last resort for a lot of people,” Shelton said.

“Other than church, family and friends, it’s just The Salvation Army.”

And while Ramirez, like many of the thousands of others helped

by REACH, is still fighting to provide for his family, he’s grateful for the timely boost.

“I was in a bad spot; I still am,” he said. “We’re surviving on my salary and my Social Security but I just thank The Salvation Army for how they helped me.”|NFC

Applicants are eligible for REACH assistance if they have a residential account with PG&E in the name of an adult living in the household; demonstrate an uncontrollable or unplanned change in their ability to pay their PG&E bill; do not live in subsidized housing (exceptions: seniors, permanently disabled or terminally ill); have not received REACH assistance within the past 18 months; and do not exceed the REACH income guidelines, which are 200 percent above the federal poverty guidelines.

The Salvation Army’s Relief for Energy Assistance Through Community Help (REACH) Launched in 1983 | Can assist with $200 of a single utility | Helped more than 604,000 households through $105 million in assistance | Assitance offered once every 18 months | Offered through 170 Salvation Army centers across 3 divisions

Page 12—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

Through its schools, The Salvation Army in Kenya gives children with disabilities the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Children from the Kibos school for the visually impaired. FAR RIGHT A child creates beadwork with his toes at the International Day of Persons with Disabilities event. | Photos courtesy of the Kenya West Territory

BY JOLENE HODDER, COMMISSIONER

T

he Salvation Army in Kenya has a nearly 70-year history of service to disabled persons, particularly disabled children who are often rejected by their families and communities and unable to attend school. The Army runs a number of schools specifically for them, a place for each one to achieve his or her full potential.

The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey estimates that over 10 percent of the nation’s population is mentally or physically disabled. According to the World Health Organization, this is primarily due to accidents (road and domestic), malaria, measles, congenital diseases and leprosy.

The issue is compounded by a lack of adequate health care and the risk of abuse. The Lancet, a leading general medical journal, reported in 2012 that disabled children worldwide are at nearly four times greater risk of physical, sexual or emotional abuse or of neglect than children who are not disabled.

Within this context The Salvation Army began work in Thika among the disabled in 1946 when it sought to assist soldiers blinded during World War II. That program grew into the country’s first education and training center for the blind. The Army’s Thika School for the Blind was so successful that it led to the founding of many different institutions across East Africa.

In the Kenya West Territory alone, the Army today operates or sponsors 12 schools and 12 units for the disabled.

While these programs are registered with the government, countless unregistered schools are run or supported by the Army as well. Many lack running water, electricity, books and other fundamental resources. Some schools do not have enough beds or adequate food for the over 5,000 children who come for help annually.

Since 1992, the United Nations has promoted an International Day of Persons with Disabilities to encourage an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Thus, to highlight the Army’s work and empower its children the Kenya West Territory held its first International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration on Dec. 3, 2013.

Under the leadership of Major Eleanor Haddick, territorial social and sponsorship secretary, the students planned and led the event. They provided translation, music and enter-

EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN tainment, gave tours of the school, and displayed arts and crafts.

In total, 389 students from 10 schools and three units gathered at Joyland Secondary School in Kisumu for the festivities.

Roughly 175 invited guests joined them, including family members, teachers, headmasters and territorial headquarters staff.

Lt. Colonels Edward and Shelley Hill, from the USA Western Territory, were the international guests.

“This is our time to shine and to show that it is not our disability that should matter, but our abilities, for we have been blessed with many,” said the day’s emcee, Peter Otieno, a physically-disabled boy from Joyland. “Today no one is excluded, but all are included because we are all God’s children. He has a plan for each one of us, and as Scripture says, through God all things are possible.”

Visually-impaired students from the Kibos School spoke. “Although we may not be able to see well with our eyes, we do see with the heart, and our other senses are all heightened,” they said. “So we can sense the presence of God, and we know that, if we let him, he will use us to bring blessings to others. We do not want your sympathy. We simply ask that we be given the same respect and opportunities as anyone else so that we can take our rightful place in society. We do not want to be treated as different, but as equals.”

Through Haddick, mentally-challenged students from Kuywa School and Shavahiga Special Unit asked attendees to consider their situation: “If you have ever felt lost, confused or unable to understand a situation, instruction or task, then you too have been mentally challenged. Being mentally challenged does not mean we are stupid or incapable of learning. It just means that new ways are needed to stimulate our

Personally, I loved the opportunity to dance with the students.

There is something almost magical about dancing with children who have no legs, or who cannot hear the music, for it is as if they are dancing with their hearts.’

—COMMISSIONER JOLENE HODDER

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 13

EDUCTED TO IMPACT JOSEPHINE ODIRA SINYO was the first blind woman lawyer in Kenya, a graduate of the Thika Salvation Army School for the Blind. Sinyo studied law at Nairobi University and the University of Hull in England, and is respected throughout Kenya as a human rights activist.

MARY NAFULA MATERE was blinded as a child after an object hit her eyes while she played.

When a Salvation Army officer visited her village, Matere was enrolled in the Kibos Special School in Kisumu.

In 1986, she passed the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam and in 1990 received the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. She entered a teachers training college, and was later employed in Mukhuyu Primary School in Bungoma East. Sixteen years later, she transferred to St. Francis School— Kapenguria in West Pokot where she now teaches children with special needs.

She is married and has three children.

PAUL SHIKANGA lost sight in his right eye in primary school.

He encountered Salvation Army officers at the Mukumu Mission Hospital and was enrolled in the Kibos Special School for the Visually Impaired. After passing his primary education exam, he entered the Army’s Thika High School for the Blind.

A graduate of Asumbi Teachers Training College, he is now the teacher incharge of a special unit at Kuvasali Primary School in Kakamega County.

He is married and has six children, and serves as corps secretary at his Salvation Army corps.

minds. Through music, pictures, art, drama and play, every child that is mentally challenged can become a participating member of the community.”

As I watched the children share their God-given gifts and talents, I thought of the quote by Albert Einstein: “Everybody is a genius. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

He was right. All of God’s children are beautifully created with a God-given purpose. It’s The Salvation Army’s mission in the Kenya West Territory to help these disabled children recognize how exceptional they truly are, discover their gifts, and then fulfill God’s will for their lives. |NFC

SCHOOLS/UNITS THAT TOOK PART IN DISABILITY DAY: Joy Valley—Boarding (388 students), primary and secondary school for the physically challenged Kibos—Boarding (305 students), primary and secondary school for the visually impaired Kuwya—Boarding (198 students) school for the physically and mentally challenged Joyland—Boarding (388 students), primary and secondary school for the physically and mentally challenged Madegwa—Non-boarding (68 students) special unit for the severely mentally challenged Chekombero—Boarding (200 students), primary and secondary school for the hearing impaired and deaf Mitoto—Boarding (15 students) special unit for the visually impaired Shavihiga—Non-boarding (18 students) special unit for the mentally challenged Bunyore—Boarding (number unavailable) special unit for the hearing impaired

MOCKABEE TO LEAD WORLD SERVICE OFFICE

BY CHRISTIN DAVIS

L

t. Col. Bill Mockabee started meeting needs as a Salvation Army officer in 1975, and as of Jan. 29, will lead the Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) out of National Headquarters in Alexandria, Va.

For 36 years, SAWSO has worked to find longterm solutions to poverty in underdeveloped countries. It started in 1977 as a separate corporation, which allows it to contract with foundations and the government. The office aims to help people help themselves through programs that improve living conditions, raise skill levels, increase productivity and instill self-confidence. It works in ongoing international aid projects and when immediate relief is required.

“I am most proud of The Salvation Army in times of disaster,” Mockabee said. “This is when we seem to be at our best; we take action and ask questions later. One of the rules in disasters is that there are no rules—if you see a need, meet it and go on. It makes me proud to be a Salvation Army officer.”

A fourth generation Salvationist, Mockabee and wife Deborah have three sons. All three became officers; one son died “with his boots on,” Mockabee said, during Hurricane Katrina. Previously, the Mockabees served as corps officers, divisional and territorial youth secretaries, divisional leaders in Georgia, as second in command in Sri Lanka, and most recently as assistant chief secretary and assistant to the chief secretary, respectively, in the Southern Territory.

“I have worked with SAWSO from the other side of the table and now I will be involved directly,” Mockabee said. “But leadership is not position. I’ve learned to listen to what people are saying and try to be flexible enough to pay attention.”

A key part of Salvation Army infrastructure in the U.S., SAWSO serves as a bridge from territorial funds to high-impact projects overseas.

The 17-member staff provides strategic advising on project feasibility and capability at the early stages, oversees resources devoted to projects, and gives technical support both remotely and on scene. Its advisors impart high-level expertise in the key focus sectors of empowerment and livelihoods, community health, HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment, anti-human trafficking, and disaster response and recovery.

SAWSO is currently leading efforts to eradicate polio in Angola, increase literacy and financial education in Kenya, and help the people of Haiti conserve their natural resources for future generations.

Mockabee said he will rely on his experience in Sri Lanka, and remember those days of reliance on international funds.

“I pray that I never lose the feeling of being dependent on someone, yet I hope we can do some things to allow some of the territories to be self supportive,” he said. “There’s no one in Sri Lanka, in any developing country, who wants to beg for money. We need to draw a balance between funding programs and helping them invest in areas to become more self-supporting.”

SAWSO is currently working on a five-year strategic plan and as part of that plan hired a development director, grant writer, and communications and outreach manager. Now with Mockabee, it will refine its focus areas to guide future fundraising and communications efforts.

“We have to identify why we are existing.

Why is there a SAWSO, and how do we do the most good with it?” Mockabee said. “We have to reinvent ourselves as to what our mission is go-

| Photo by Dave Haas, Jr.

I am most proud of The Salvation Army in times of disaster. This is when we seem to be at our best; we take action and ask questions later.’

—LT. COL. BILL MOCKABEE ing to be, and are looking deep inside to retool.”

It’s a role others say Mockabee is ready for.

“He tends to replace status quo immobility with dynamic change environment flexibility,” said Lt. Col. John Needham, secretary for personnel services in the Southern Territory. “People find him trustworthy because his heart is anchored in his resolute faith in Jesus… His service in key areas of responsibility will provide him with a platform for relating SAWSO in user-friendly ways to the rest of the Army organization.”

In addition to being an intermediary between the four territories, Mockabee plans to make the Army aware of SAWSO and look at ways it can raise money from people who want to give specifically to international projects.

“I have a street education. I’ve been there, seen it, and know what is expected and what needs to be done,” he said.

“I am totally committed to what I am doing.” |NFC

Page 14—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

NEUROFEEDBACK STUDY PTSD FROM 1

The electrodes are intentionally placed at the sites that trigger PTSD symptoms for the individual, said Paul Wager, clinical director at Bell Shelter. When the brain recognizes those sites are not functioning correctly, it learns to correct itself, therefore reducing the symptoms.

Miller and Kelson first approached Wager with the idea for the study in April 2013. Ten veterans volunteered, and were split into a control group of five not receiving neurofeedback and a study group of five receiving it. After witnessing significant PTSD symptom reduction within the group of veterans receiving the treatment, all 10 participants started treatment.

“We saw the difference it was making on a lot of these guys’ lives—from getting extra sleep, to having chronic pain go away and getting rid of ringing in the ears,” Miller said. “It can be an intense situation living in this environment, so we’re able to calm their anger so they’re not going into mood swings.”

Donald, one of the veteran participants, looked to neurofeedback after battling severe anxiety and the inability to sleep for more than one hour without waking up.

“I was stuck in my own mind, [and] I couldn’t leave the shelter by myself,” he said. “I wanted to be able to live, to be able to come out of the building and really live, so I decided to try this.”

Donald is now sleeping between 4 to 5 hours each night. He has also reunited with family and is taking life skills courses.

Veterans receive three types of feedback during treatment: visual, auditory, and tactical.

Wager said that the visual is conducted through movies or video games so that the brain can see its own electrical activity on the screen.

“If a movie is used, the screen will shrink in size, become fuzzy or disappear when the brain isn’t self-regulating itself optimally. In a video game, the spaceship or vehicle will slow down, speed up or stop

| Photos by John Docter

completely... the client is not supposed to try to move the vehicle,” Wager said. “It is all happening automatically as the brain figures out by itself that it is seeing feedback of its own activity.

The brain then figures out how to self-regulate better.”

The same goes for auditory, which is conducted through changes in sound through headphones, and tactical as each veteran receives a teddy bear that vibrates at different intensities and stops periodically.

“In just 20 sessions, which can occur over 10 weeks...we can see very significant symptom reduction,” Wager said. “It’s a very quick treatment for dealing with some of these issues that have plagued some of these [veterans] for 20 to 30 years.”

Chase, another veteran receiving treatment, had experienced severe panic attacks for 28

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 15

NSSDMC 2014

ESTIMATED PTSD OCCURRENCES (Out of 100) 40

30 11-20

20

10

10

0

Gulf War Veterans (Desert Storm)

Vietnam Veterans

years, often three to five times a day.

“When you have a lot of [panic attacks], they become part of your life and actually dominate [it],” he said.

After receiving treatment for a little more than two months, Chase now has an average of two panic attacks every couple of weeks.

“I don’t have to live with as much fear as I always have; fear of having [a panic attack] when you don’t know you’re going to have one, and always contemplating how I might have a panic attack,” Chase said. “It’s miraculous; it really is.”

According to Wager, neurofeedback is also effective at treating addiction, as it is often linked to PTSD itself.

“Folks with PTSD tend to be very anxious and have trouble sleeping because they are hypervigilant and tend to be depressed; these are all symptoms that lead to people wanting to

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

self-medicate with drugs and alcohol,” Wager said. “As they’re more calm, they have less desire to want drugs and alcohol.”

As the brain stabilizes through the treatment, Wager said that the veterans have less need for psychiatric medications as well.

Twenty veterans are now receiving treatment through the neurofeedback program at Bell Shelter. It is part of a nationwide movement organized by non-profit organization Homecoming for Veterans to offer free neurofeedback to veterans.

Wager hopes to be able to expand the program with Miller, and be able to treat all people at Bell Shelter who need it.

“We feel like it’s good will,” Miller said. “It’s something that we need to do, and if we’re in this industry, we’re here to help people and help them have a better life.”|NFC

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

30

Registration is now open for the 2014 National Social Services and Disaster Management Conference—“The Power of One Army, Transforming Our World”—happening March 25-28 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The biennial gathering brings together Salvation Army social and disaster services representatives, including front line social workers, case managers, teachers, counselors and corps officers.

“We sometimes fail to recognize how great our collective strength is,” said Major Darryl Leedom, national social services secretary. “A national conference provides the opportunity for personnel to see themselves woven into the fabric of The Salvation Army, this garment that is large in scope and in service. An individual might play a small part, but he or she is part of a movement doing great things.”

National Headquarters anticipates 600 delegates, including nearly 200 international guests.

Keynote speakers include General André Cox; Commissioner David Jeffrey, national commander; Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World; Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and Candy Hill, executive vice president of social policy and external affairs for Catholic Charities.

Leedom said key issues will be addressed, including alleviating poverty in America.

“The Army is starting to see itself not only serving the poor but bringing solutions to the poor,” Leedom said.

“We’re 30 million strong in units of

delivery, but are we at capacity? Here, we will focus more on outcome as opposed to output.”

Tabletop discussions on eight issues from the LBGTQ initiative to workplace violence and housing first solutions will happen over meals intended to facilitate participation.

“Being in the Magic Kingdom, I can’t help but think that so many of Disney’s stories are about individuals in crisis finding redemption. From Mulan, to Cinderella to Mary Poppins, each character has a crisis moment and then some intervention that leads to a life that is fuller and richer,” Leedom said. “I firmly believe that’s the role of The Salvation Army for so many in America who find themselves in crisis. The Salvation Army intervenes and makes life richer and fuller.”

See more about the conference and register at nssdmc.org.|NFC

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Page 16—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

CommiSSioninG weeKend Special Guests: General Paul Rader (R) & Commissioner Kay Rader June 13-15, 2014 | Pasadena Convention Center Friday June 13 10:30 am CommenCement (CFot) 12:00 pm Silver Star Banquet (CFot) 7:00 pm Amy GRAnt in ConCeRt

FridAy, June 13, 2014 @ 7PM PAsAdenA ciVic AudiToriuM TickeTs: ViP - $50 Preferred - $25 General Admission - $15 USA Western Territory

VisiT www.uswevents.org

Saturday June 14 8:30 am Future officers Fellowship Breakfast 8:30 am Recovery Breakfast 8:45 am Spanish Seminars through 4:00 Pm 9:00 am enCoRe! 12:00 pm Long Service Lunch 12:00 pm nSe Reunion Lunch 2:00 pm Bible Bowl Round 3:15 pm BiBLe BowL ChAmPionShiP and enCoRe! AwARdS 4:00 pm hall of Faith – Reception 6:30 pm the PAth oF the CRoSS Sunday June 15 9:00 am Sunday School Assembly 10:00 am CommiSSioninG & oRdinAtion 12:00 pm Commissioning Lunch 3:00 pm SeRviCe oF APPointmentS

www.uswevents.org USA western territory

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 17

50

BOOKS EVERY SALVATIONIST SHOULD READ

BY KEVIN JACKSON, MAJOR

47|Somebody’s Brother: A History of the Salvation Army Men’s Social Service Department, 1891-1985

50|OrsbornAgain

A great overview of The Salvation Army’s work in the field of addictions. It’s a little dry, but it’s hard to find a better story.

(Edwin Mellen Pr, 1986) by Ed McKinley.

(Frontier Press, 2013) by Rob Birks.

Somebody has to be no. 50. It’s not Bonhoeffer, but its postmodern approach introduces a new generation to some of the greatest poetry/theology in our history. Good stuff.

49|Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World (Baker Academic, 1999) by Robert Webber.

One of the first books to consider doing Christian ministry in the postmodern age.

48|Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty (Beacon Press, 2009) by Mark Winnie.

Food is quickly becoming a severe issue in the U.S. again. We serve people who live in food deserts and should seek better ways to provide healthy, clean food to the people who need it most.

46|The Book of Leviticus Don’t laugh! If you want to understand holiness as it’s lived out in community, here’s your book.

45|Rich Christians in a Hungry World: Moving From Affluence to Generosity (Thomas Nelson, 2005) by Ronald Sider.

Groundbreaking work on poverty in the world. Not liberal. Not conservative. Just the facts accompanied by solutions that can be accomplished by people of faith.

Sounds like us.

44|Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (Zondervan, 2012) by Timothy Keller.

A great resource for doing urban centered ministry in the 21st century.

43|Catherine Booth: A Biography of the Cofounder of The Salvation Army (Baker Pub Group, 1996)

by Roger Green.

Only the greatest woman in our history and not a bad biography.

42|A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems 1979-1997 (Counterpoint, 1996)

by Wendell Berry.

Amazing poetry about private reflections.

Written each Sunday as Berry strolled through the local landscape. An argument that we have to experience God’s creation to really experience him fully with beauty, humanity, death, and hope for the future.

41|The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila (Digireads, 2009) by herself.

Spiritual wisdom and prayerful advice to people of faith.

A great book for personal reflection among the hectic world we minister in.

40|The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out (Multnomah Books, 2005)

by Brennan Manning.

A great reminder about God’s grace, as we seek to serve him through our demanding efforts.

39|Indescribable: Encountering the Glory of God in the Beauty of the Universe (David C. Cook, 2011) by Louie Giglio.

In The Salvation Army, we focus on hard work to make the world a better place. Sometimes it’s good to escape to the stars, and there is no better book to consider the heavens.

38|Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community (HarperOne, 2009) by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

A classic guide to the Christian faith lived out in community.

BOOKS PAGE 18

Page 18—January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE

50 BOOKS EVERY SALVATIONIST SHOULD READ BOOKS FROM PAGE 17

37|The Book of Genesis The book of the Bible that started it all. You can’t go wrong with that.

27|Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches (Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1999) by Walter Wink, ed.

A tough issue facing us today. While there are no easy answers, this collection of essays on the topic provide a wide variety of views.

36|Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It)

26|A View From the Corner

(HarperOne, 2012) by Robert D. Lupton.

(Frontier Press, 2008) by Bob Docter.

We want to help those we serve. Our goal isn’t to make our clients dependent on our charity. This is a great reminder that instead we want to be a resource to those in the margins, and the story of humankind’s redemption.

Pure wisdom for every Salvationist in this masterpiece of thoughtful essays.

35|A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (1872)

by John Wesley.

This little book summarizes Wesley’s teaching on holiness. Anyone interested in the origins of our holiness movement would profit from this gem, which can be read online.

25|The Splendour of Holiness (Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, 1983)

by Fredrick Coutts.

Readable thoughts on living a holy life from our most intellectual leader in The Salvation Army. Coutts was a quiet thinker, but his words always inspire. He is also the leader who introduced a second view of holiness to the Army world.

24|Dark Night of the Soul (1578 or 1579)

34|Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1987) by Judith Viorst.

by St John of the Cross.

We all go through difficult times. John of the Cross helps us get through those times and offers real hope that we will.

A children’s book that reminds us all that life can be stressful.

33|The Green Bible (HarperOne, 2010)

With over 1,000 references highlighted about God’s good creation, The Green Bible is a unique and powerful resource. If you are environmentally minded or just desire to be the steward we are all called to be, this should be on your reading list.

32|Created for Community: Connecting Christian Belief with Christian Living (Baker Academic, 1998) by Stanley Grenz.

Simply the best readable introduction to an understanding of the theology of the Church.

31|A Christmas Carol (1843)

by Charles Dickens.

Redemption, Christmas, Scrooge…God bless us everyone!

30|The Death of the Messiah, From Gethsemane to the Grave, Volume 1: A Commentary on the Passion Narratives in the Four Gospels (Yale University Press, 1998) by Raymond E. Brown.

Over 1,500 pages on the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Be prepared for a serious treatment of the Passion of the Christ.

29|The Company of Strangers: Christians and the Renewal of America’s Public Life (The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1983)

by Parker Palmer.

We are about transforming society, and this book shows some of the cultural challenges we face.

28|Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?

23|The Gospel of Luke.

If you want to read about the liberating power of good news as it was written for the poor, marginalized, outcasts, women, children, and downtrodden, Luke is your Gospel. It’s a book for every good Salvationist to base his or her ministry on.

22|It All Turns on Affection: The Jefferson Lecture and Other Essays (Counterpoint, 2012) by Wendell Berry.

A small but powerful book about the problems of our world today, and hope for the future. As Salvationists we grapple with such issues and can find thoughtful guidance in these essays.

21|Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World (The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2002)

by Henri Nouwen.

A book written to his non-Christian friends about how much God loves them.

20|One Faith, One Church; The Salvation Army’s Response to Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry (The Campfield Press, 1990) by Phil Needham.

Our movement’s position and practices are detailed and explained in an understandable manner. Many have written about it, but few as concisely and clearly.

19|The Clash of Cymbals: The Secret History of the Revolt in The Salvation Army (Brentano’s, ltd., 1929) by F.A. Mackenzie.

It’s hard to find, but if you can get it, read it. This is the story of how The Salvation Army changed to become more democratic and set itself up to be the modern model of a faith-based charity. As much as we don’t want to admit it, Americans were behind it all.

(Beacon Press, 1968) by Martin Luther King, Jr.

A message of hope in King’s final book before his death. The themes of this book should resonate with all Salvationists.

18|Hallelujah Lads and Lasses: Remaking The Salvation Army in America, 1880-1930 (The University of North Carolina Press, 2000) by Lillian Taiz.

It’s always good to know where you come from, and this is a well written history of the early Salvation Army in America.

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 19

17|The Great Divorce

6|Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

(The Guardian, 1945) by C.S. Lewis.

(Harcourt Brace, 1955) by C S Lewis.

Good and evil, grace and judgment—all in a weird tale from Lewis. Can’t beat that.

Best book we know of regarding prevenient grace. A beautifully written classic of the story how Lewis came to faith.

16|A Place at the Table: The Crisis of 49 Million Hungry Americans and How to Solve It

(Diggory Press, 1902) by William Booth.

(PublicAffairs, 2013) by Peter Pringle, ed.

Food insecurity maybe the greatest social issue we face in the near future.

This is a great resource to see what we can do about it.

5|Purity of Heart Booth’s best written and most powerful book. Short, sweet and as always, a to the point book on holiness.

4|Salvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine

15|A Theology For the Social Gospel

(The Salvation Army, 1998).

(The MacMillan Company, 1917) by Walter Rauschenbush.

The book that replaced the book that tells a Salvationist who and whose they are. A great overview of what we believe, and how we enact our faith.

Read it online via bit.ly/sadoctrine.

A reminder of our social obligations and having a Christian faith with a heart for the poor. Understanding social justice viewed through the lens of Christian teachings.

3|In Darkest England and the Way Out 14|The Grapes of Wrath

(Diggory Press, 1890) by William Booth.

(The Viking Press, 1939) by John Steinbeck.

The book that laid the groundwork for the modern day Salvation Army. It is the perfect mix of practical ministry and personal salvation. The language and illustrations are Victorian, but it’s required reading for the truly thoughtful Salvationist.

Set against the Great Depression, master storyteller Steinbeck tells the classic tale of poverty, suffering, disease, hunger, and the human condition. A challenging book that serves as a reminder to all Salvationists.

13|Pulling Down the Devil’s Kingdom: The Salvation Army in Victorian Britain (University of California Press, 2001) by Pamela J. Walker.

It’s good to know that The Salvation Army started in England. Here’s the best version of that story.

12|Red-Hot and Righteous: The Urban Religion of The Salvation Army (Harvard University Press, 2000) by Diane Winston.

A serious social scientist takes a fun look at our movement. Scholarly, yet readable.

11|armybarmy.com by Stephen Court.

OK. Not a book, but rather a website, this is certainly a place to access many things to read about Salvation Army ministry in the 21st century. We are going to count it here, and recommend you read it.

10|O Lord!

2|Heart Talks On Holiness (Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, 1897)

by Samuel Logan Brengle.

There are too many Brengle books on holiness to choose from, but we think this is his best. It is readable theology for anyone by the great Salvationist thinker on the topic. He will enlighten, challenge, and illuminate the life of holiness for you. Read it online via bit.ly/hearttalksbrengle.

1|The Songbook of The Salvation Army (1986).

Think what you want about this choice, but there is no more valuable collection for the Salvationist.

It has classic words of inspiration, enlightenment, illumination and challenge. Read the song’s lyrics via sa-songbook.info/sa-song. |NFC

(Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, 1981) by John Gowans.

Salvation Army poetry from a Salvation Army poet that is both challenging and inspiring. Gowans was a true wordsmith.

9|Writings of Catherine Booth.

We are cheating a little in recommending a collection of writings, and not a specific book. But we just couldn’t leave her off this list. No one understood The Salvation Army on a spiritual level like Catherine. More practical, powerful, and inspired words are difficult to find. Simply put, she was a truth-teller.

8|CEB Common English Wesley Study Bible (Common English Bible, 2013).

Every Salvationist should have a good study Bible. Might as well have one with readable prose and Wesleyan study notes. This Bible has both.

7|Keeping Faith in Faith-Based Organizations: A Practical Theology of Salvation Army Health Ministry (Wipf & Stock Pub, 2012) by Dean Pallant.

Timely work on health care and the poor. Challenging arguments around the role of The Salvation Army and this issue.

WOULD YOU PUT A DIFFERENT BOOK ON THE LIST? Head to newfrontierchronicle.org/top50books to leave a comment with any books you would add, and to find links on where to purchase or read these 50 books.

WIN

THE ENTIRE COLLECTION

Visit newfrontierchronicle.org /top50books to enter

Page 20—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 21

Salvation Army youth workers gathered at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center Jan. 13–17 for Boot Camp 5.

BOOT CAMP Boot Camp 5 turned inward with a focus on “Home,” Jan. 13-17 at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center in Santa Cruz County, Calif.

“Our hope at Boot Camp this year is to let people know that God wants to make his home in each individual’s personal life and ministry,” said Jim Sparks, territorial youth leadership and development director.

“We want each attendee’s personal home to be worthy of his presence and for those that come to our corps to feel as if they are home.”

The event theme is based on Joshua 24:15: As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

“We all need to clean, rearrange, update and improve our home from time to time,” Sparks said. “That’s the opportunity available at Boot Camp—not only a time of encouragement, fellowship, and fun, but also a time to look at the personal home and corps home and how both could be improved.”

Just as Joshua proclaimed in front of all of Israel that nothing came before the Lord, Sparks said The Salvation Army’s youth programs must also show the love of Christ in everything.|NFC

PARTICIPATING in Boot Camp are (clockwise from top) the Boot Camp praise band led by Jude St. Aime of the Territorial Music Department; Lt. Anthony Barnes and Major Rob Birks; author and blogger Anne Marie Miller teaching on grace; Camp chaplin Colonel Dave Hudson delivers a message on the prodigal son; and Chris Haas of The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Coeur d’alene networks with guests Adam McLane (adammclane.com) and Mark Oestreicher of Youth Cartel. | Photos by Jim Sparks and Jacob Varela

Page 22—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

USA WEST NEWS BRIEFS ALASKA

Hoonah Corps’ pantry well stocked heading into 2014

Lt. Liane Newcomb, Hoonah, Alaska, corps officer, reports that The Salvation Army is prepared to feed local residents in need thanks to successful food drives in late 2013.

The Boy and Girl Scouts and the Juneau Lions Club conducted a drive for Hoonah’s pantries. With his connections and desire to serve the community, new Police Chief Cory Rawlings made this project possible.

Newcomb said that a dozen volunteers helped unload and sort the food. “We literally ran out of shelf space—made me cry,” she said.

In addition, Wings of Alaska—an air service operating in Southeast Alaska and Western Canada—conducted a food drive that benefitted both the Hoonah and Haines corps and the Glory Hole in Juneau.

CASCADE

‘Santa Cuts’ trims kids’ hair, not trees

With its “Santa Cuts” event, The Salvation Army Portland (Ore.) Moore Street Corps helped local children up to age 16 get a new look for Christmas by offering free professional haircuts Dec. 23 at the corps.

Local stylists from Perfect Image Plus Sa-

lon volunteered at the event.

“It’s the little things that make the season bright,” said Captain Hilary Patterson, Moore Street corps officer. “By partnering with local stylists, we can make Christmas even more special for kids in need.”

For some of the kids, it was their first haircut.

Thanks to the stylists’ support, the children received over $1,250 in free services.

Santa Cuts has been an annual event for more than 30 years.

DEL ORO

E-40 donates $10,000 to The Salvation Army of Vallejo

The Salvation Army of Vallejo, Calif., received an early Christmas present when hip-hop recording artist E-40 presented a $10,000 check to the organization on Christmas Eve. “I picked [The Salvation Army] because I feel like that’s a place you can go when you need clothes on your back or food in your stomach,” E-40 said. “They don’t turn you away.”

E-40, legally Earl Stevens, is a Vallejo native and has recorded more than 20 albums. He said The Salvation Army assisted his family during Christmas when he was young, which was another reason for his contribution.

“When you’re dealing with donations, you want to make sure that you’re dealing with reputable people,” he said. “The Salvation Army is reputable. My family always taught me to give and believe in God.” The Christmas Eve donation served as a big shot in the arm for The Salvation Army, which has seen a shortfall in Red Kettle donations. Compared to last year’s total, donations to The Salvation Army of Solano County were down 30 percent.

“This is definitely a Christmas miracle,” said Capt. Jonathan Harvey, Salvation Army Solano County Coordinator. “We’ve been standing faithfully for this season, and with a belief that God was going to provide. We knew it had to be big, and we didn’t know how. I’ve been struggling with the how, and we got the answer today. It’s tremendous.”

In 2007, the NFL launched NFL Play60, a national youth health and fitness campaign designed to address childhood obesity by encouraging kids to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. To date, the NFL has dedicated over $200 million to youth health and wellness through NFL Play60.

GOLDEN STATE

A 100-year-old former Navy man—“Santa”—visited The Salvation Army R.J. Montgomery Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Christmas Day 2013. He handed out $10 and a pocket-sized gospel to 169 residents of the homeless shelter, slipping in extra cash for those with kids or special needs.

It marked the third year of his generosity, which for many meant a meal, medicine or transportation that week.

Photo by Christian Murdock, The Gazette.

Reprinted with permission.

American Conservatory Theater presents “Major Barbara”

The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco, Calif., premiered “Major Barbara” Jan. 8.

The play, which runs through Feb. 2, details the story of Salvation Army officer Major Barbara Undershaft in the 1900s, illustrating themes of morality through satire.

The ACT donated $5 from each ticket sold to The Salvation Army.

Thirty people lost their jobs after a fire damaged small businesses in Hollister, Calif., two weeks before Christmas.

The fire started at a Dollar Tree, and quickly spread to three surrounding businesses. It will be at least a year before the damage is restored.

The Salvation Army Hollister Corps, led

by Envoy Jesus Quintanilla, reached out to the families affected with food and toys for the holiday season, in addition to the 360 families already signed up for help. They also raffled off 12 bicycles.

Watsonville opens shelter

WORLD

Anonymous Santa

NORTHWEST

Hollister corps responds amid local fire

ARMY

INTERMOUNTAIN

The Salvation Army corps in Watsonville, Calif., led by Majors Roberto and Melissa Viquez, opened a Cold Weather Shelter last November for single moms with children. It remains open through April 15.

The shelter has seven bedrooms, each with an accompanying bathroom, and can house 28 women with children.

“We don’t have a full house yet, but we are working to admit more residents,” Melissa Viquez said.

The corps feeds the families and invites them to participate in its weekly Feeding Program and Home League meetings.

Patty Duke visits Army

For the second consecutive year, The Salvation Army Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, hosted “Traditions of Christmas,” a musical revue showcasing Christmas traditions and songs from around the world.

The cast of 87 entertainers performed in a total of 10 sold-out shows over a threeweek run during the 2013 holiday season.

Comprised of a series of short vignettes, the show included a Dickens caroling scene, rhythmic gymnastics and a Rockette-style tap dance. In one scene, local veterans and active servicemen were asked to stand for a USO tribute.

“It just brings me to tears every time I see it, even in rehearsal,” said Producer Laura Little.

Academy Award-winning actress Patty Duke also appeared in the show alongside her husband Mike Pearce, in featured roles as Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Major Benton Markham, corps officer at the Coeur d’Alene Kroc Center, said the event has “given our community a new way to celebrate the joy of Christmas together while being introduced to The Salvation Army.”

SIERRA DEL MAR

HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDS

Kids get active at Aloha Stadium The Salvation Army and YMCA of Honolulu hosted a free NFL Play60 event at Aloha Stadium. The event featured a day of fitness activities and prizes for K-8 students.

Bell ringing record

Major Marcelino Soriano set a record for 105 consecutive hours of bell ringing outside a Wal-Mart in Colton, Calif. He raised nearly $2,700 for charity and matched hour-for-hour his fellow ringers James

January 2014 • New Frontier CHRONICLE—Page 23

PROMOTED TO GLORY Carol eventually joined the training college staff in Kingston, Jamaica, mentoring many cadets. She moved to Fond de Negres, Haiti, for nine years.

While there, she resigned her commission to marry Frenchman Lucien Ganot, but continued as a soldier in The Salvation Army. The Ganots fulfilled their mutual dream in the 1970s when they built a school and clinic in the Haitian countryside. The structure withstood the 2010 earthquake, serving as a shelter and medical station.

In 1981, the couple adopted a baby girl, Elizabeth, from Guatemala. Shortly after, her husband suffered a fatal heart attack. Carol then adopted a second daughter, Violette, from the children’s home where she had worked, and the three returned to Canada.

Returning to The Salvation Army, Carol served

MAJOR CAROL EDITH GANOT was promoted to Glory Dec. 1 from Waimea, Hawaii.

Carol Edith Ratcliff was born Jan. 1, 1932, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to Lyman and Edith Ratcliff.

She lived in Alberta with her parents and five siblings until age 9 or 10, when the family moved to a farm outside the city without running water, indoor plumbing or electric power. Working as a telephone operator after high school, she was introduced to The Salvation Army. Carol later attended the training college in Toronto, and was commissioned with the Pioneers Session at age 21.

At age 27, she accepted her first missionary assignment in the Bahamas, West Indies. Ratcliff eventually opened a school for visually impaired children, which still operates today.

MAJOR JOHN PEARSON was

promoted to Glory Nov. 27 from Elk Grove, Calif.

Rune Johannes Persson was born in Solleron, Sweden, in 1924. His parents brought him and his younger sister, Eva, to America in 1929 and his name was changed to John R. (Rune) Pearson.

After a short time in Tacoma, Wash., the family moved to Denver, where Pearson attended The Salvation Army Scandinavian Corps. The bombing of Pearl Harbor happened about a year before his high school graduation.

With the draft hanging over his head, Pearson joined the U.S. Maritime Service (Merchant Marines), serving as a radio officer on various ships in the At-

MORE BRIEFS

lantic and Pacific oceans until the end of World War II. Pearson met Captain Maizie Wilkins during a stopover in New Orleans and they married. About a year later John became a cadet at The Salvation Army Training College, leaving his bride, now a new mother, in Denver. John was commissioned in 1948, and with his wife, was sent to the Ballard (Seattle) Scandinavian Corps. Appointments followed in Salt Lake City; Sheridan, Wyo.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Chico, Calif.; and Butte, Mont. He then served in the Men’s Social Services Department (ARC) in Los Angeles and San Francisco before two more corps appointments in Portland, Ore., and San Diego.

Pearson then had Finance Department appointments in the Southern California, Northwest and Southwest divisions, as well as at Territorial Headquarters. His final appointment was to The Salvation Army Trade Department.

John’s wife Maizie was promoted to Glory in 1989, and he moved to Sacramento, Calif., where, after six more months of active service, he retired.

In June 1990, John married Captain Betty Kellerer, whom he met while they were both stationed at Territorial Headquarters. The two soldiered at the Sacramento Citadel Corps.

In his retirement, John felt the need to be active in his corps and found his place in the string band,

playing at different times an accordion, mandolin, and the piano. He was the corps’ organist for many years, and also taught a Thursday night Bible study for 17 years. His other interests included gardening, harvesting fruit, and woodworking. He also had a love of writing.

John is survived by his wife Betty, children Mary Ellen (Bill) Gochnauer, John David (Janis) Pearson, Janet (Jonathan) Knapp, stepdaughter Verna (Joe) Catalfano, sister Eva (Hank) Bentsen, and seven grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life Service was held Dec. 14 at the Sacramento Corps with Captain David Kauffman presiding and Major Kenneth Osbourn bringing the message.|NFC

FROM 22

Brickson of Albert Lea, Minn., and Andre Thompson of Tyler, Texas.

“I feel a little bit tired, not as tired as I thought I would be,” he told UT San Diego after putting down his bellringer. “I’m excited the other people all agreed to stop at the same time, so now we have a three-way tie.”

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Elementary student raises blankets

Rett Longson, 10, collected 302 blankets for individuals who are homeless this winter.

With friends from Sonrise Christian School, Longson, a member of the Pasadena Tabernacle Children’s Chorus, coordinated the blanket drive for three weeks leading up

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briefly in El Paso, Texas, before moving to Henderson, Nev., where she opened an adult day care center. In 1988, she returned to the Caribbean to serve six years as divisional commander of Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and St. Vincent. She worked with a team supporting drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, shelters for abused women and food distribution centers.

In 1995, Carol made her final move to Waimea.

She started an after-school skateboard program, pursued efforts to build and open a skate park and opened a thrift store and food bank, which closed after her retirement.

New Hope Church hosted a Celebration of Life service Dec. 8 with Major Angie Sholin presiding.|NFC

SOUTHWEST

APPOINTMENTS

The Santa Fe New Mexican joined forces with the Santa Fe Corps and other local businesses for the Empty Stocking Fund.

The Empty Stocking Fund was created to help families throughout Santa Fe and Rio Arriba County in need of financial assistance throughout the holidays, whether it be for bills, medications or basic essentials to keep warm.

It was extended past last December due to extreme need in the area.

The corps, led by Lts. Joseph and Dina Cisneros, assisted in processing interviews and approving applicants in need of the assistance.

Almost $200,000 in aid has been distributed through the program.|NFC

ADULT REHABILITATION CENTERS COMMAND

Santa Fe New Mexican partners

to Christmas.

He donated the blankets to The Salvation Army, because he said the organization “would know where the people who most needed them could be found.”

Pasadena Tabernacle Corps Officer Major Darren Norton collected the blankets and thanked the students for their hard work and compassion. newfrontierpublications.org new.frontier@usw.salvationarmy.org newfrontierchronicle @nfchronicle

Lieutenant Kelly Pensabene Assistant to the Director of Special Services, San Diego ARC CASCADE DIVISION

Captain Laura Fenton Associate Corps Officer Portland Tabernacle Corps and additional duties as Metro Chaplain at White Shield Center

Page 24—New Frontier CHRONICLE •January 2014

“Count Me In” set for October 2014 Planning committee expects 5,000 guests

BY JARED McKIERNAN The Salvation Army Western Territory will host “Count Me In,” a three-day congress at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California from Oct. 10-12 to advance the ongoing partnership between Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARC) and corps.

“For many individuals, the ARC is their spiritual home, where they learn to pray, learn to worship,” said ARC Commander Major Man-Hee Chang, who initiated the gathering. “But at times, we’ve neglected to provide good aftercare to these individuals. We don’t want them to disappear after they’re out of the program.”

Roughly 5,000 active beneficiaries and alumni, along with family members, volunteers, corps officers and soldiers, are expected to attend, according to Major Shari Fowler, chairperson of the event’s planning committee.

“We really want to see a holistic ministry in The Salvation Army,

not an ‘us and them,’” Fowler said. “We want to see that integration to where we can see the support on both sides.”

The convention will feature an array of speakers, both members and non-members of The Salvation Army. The workshops will be geared toward beneficiaries in recovery as well as how to develop recovery ministry, how to minister to families of beneficiaries and how to advance the integration to make better partnerships.

The event will begin with keynote speaker Dr. Steven Arterburn, author of The Life Recovery Bible and host of the nationally syndicated Christian counseling talk show “New Life Live.” The following day will be “Empowering Day,” an opportunity for beneficiaries to learn from recovery experts, including Maria Durso.

The final day will conclude with an address from Western Territorial Commander Commissioner James Knaggs.

According to Chang, better aftercare for graduates starts with greater corps involvement.

“We want the beneficiaries to know that you can continue your spiritual journey at the corps,” Chang said. “They want to help with

your recovery there. They want to be a part of it.”

Martin Hunt, assistant secretary for program in the territory, said the desire to promote the ARC on a larger scale is a linchpin of the Harvest Initiative.

“This has all come out of the Harvest Initiative,” Hunt said. “It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve seen the territory develop. I would hope we see a lot of Salvationists and officers not linked to the ARC ministry present at the convention.”|NFC

“COUNT ME IN” REGISTRATION will open in March at events.usawest.org. Tickets will be $50 for adults and $25 for children. The maximum family cost is $150. There is no cost for active beneficiaries.

Follow event updates at arcsalvationarmy.com.