SAconnects, Volume 5, Number 2 — March 2019

VOL. 5, NO. 2 • MARCH 2019

Taking

the magazine

the

Lead

In the Christian faith, women continue to play a significant role in leadership and ministry.

SACONNECTS.ORG

General Evangeline Booth, circa 1907

MARCH

contents VOLUME 5 | NUMBER 2

special issue

in every issue

For Women’s History Month, our stories celebrate the roles of women throughout The Salvation Army and in other Christian ministries.

3 from the editor

Carol Taylor (shown here), is the first woman president of her alma mater, Evangel University in Springfield, Mo. Read more about her and other women at the helm of prestigious Christian colleges in “Taking the Lead” on page 14.

departments

5 an active army 6 relevents 24 snapshot 30 wholly living

4 LEAD How do you turn inputs into positive, effective outcomes? Isaiah Allen shares innovative ideas.

26 FAITH in ACTION The UN’s Commission on the Status of Women meets this month and The Salvation Army will serve as a host.

28 great moments The first women to play in the New York Staff Band reflect on their amazing experience.

32 20/20 vision highlights Ministry is happening at a corps or ARC near you. Have you caught the vision?

7 Living a Legacy

Anita Mohammed lives out her faith with purpose at the New York Temple Corps.

page 26

10 Women Who WIN WIN Women INvolved has helped revitalize the Capital City Corps in Harrisburg, Pa.

14 Taking the Lead

The number of women who serve as Christian college presidents is growing. Read what they say about their administrative roles and ministries.

19 Women on a mission For these Salvationists, overseas missionary work shaped their calling and their lives.

Para leer los artículos en español por favor visite SACONNECTS.ORG/ENESPANOL

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Scandinavian Heritage Weekend May 24–27, 2019 Camp Ladore, Waymart, Pa.

Guests

Colonel Jan Peder Fosen and Colonel Birgit Fosen Chief Secretary of the Norway, Iceland, and the Færoes Territory and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries

details

For registration application and more information contact Major Sidney Anderson at Sidney.Anderson@use.salvationarmy.org or call 914–512–1288

last Scandinavian Heritage Weekend for the Eastern Territory

features

Lucia Fest * Jul Tre Fest * Maypole Fest * String Band * Brass Band

Victory in Jesus—Hallelujah! Tack Min Gud

A learning event and retreat for soldiers, local officers, and other leaders—novice or veteran. Registration is $120. saconnects.org/lead

from the editor the magazine

your connection to The Salvation Army

USA EASTERN TERRITORY TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioner William A. Bamford III Commissioner G. Lorraine Bamford CHIEF SECRETARY Colonel Kenneth O. Johnson, Jr. COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY Major Tonie Cameron EDITOR IN CHIEF Warren L. Maye MANAGING EDITOR Robert Mitchell EDITOR / HISPANIC CORRESPONDENT Hugo Bravo KOREAN EDITOR Lt. Colonel Chongwon D. Kim ART DIRECTOR Reginald Raines PUBLICATION MANAGING DESIGNER Lea La Notte Greene GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Keri Johnson, Joe Marino, Mabel Zorzano STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ryan Love CIRCULATION Doris Marasigan COMMAND NEWS CORRESPONDENTS PENDEL Major Kathryn A. Avery EMP Jaye C. Jones GNY Major Susan Wittenberg MASS Heather McFarlane NNE Cheryl Poulopoulos PR & VI Linette Luna SNE Laura Krueger WEPASA Captain Kimberly DeLong Territorial Music Liaison Derek Lance Territorial Youth Liaison Captain Gillian Rogers

THE SALVATION ARMY

MISSION STATEMENT

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

SAconnects is published monthly by The Salvation Army USA’s Eastern Territory. Bulk rate is $12.00 per month for 25–100 copies.

Single subscriptions are available. Write to: SAconnects, The Salvation Army, 440 W. Nyack Rd., West Nyack, NY 10994–1739.

Vol. 5, No. 2, March Issue 2019. Printed in USA. Postmaster: Send all address changes to: SAconnects, 440 West Nyack Rd., West Nyack, NY 10994–1739. SAconnects accepts advertising. Copyright © 2019

by The Salvation Army, USA Eastern Territory. Articles may be reprinted only with written permission. All scripture references are taken from the New International Version (NIV) unless indicated otherwise.

www.saconnects.org

The book of God “At any price, give me the book of God….”

— JOHN WESLEY

A pastor friend told me how, one rainy night, a thief broke into his SUV in search of valuables of any kind.

When he saw a Bible on the front passenger seat, he quickly tossed it out a window. It landed under a tree.

He continued to ransack the vehicle until, in frustration and empty handed, he abandoned it.

Apparently, the would–be crook saw the leather– bound book as just one more item to ignore. So busy was he, even a moment was too much time to spend searching through its pages.

According to a recent Barna research survey, such attitudes regarding the Bible are shared by many law– abiding Americans, most of whom live in the northeast United States.

In our next SAconnects magazine, we’ll explore what The Salvation Army’s USA Eastern Territory is doing to combat the problems of biblical illiteracy and apathy.

From the history of Sunday school to the most recent innovations in Christian education for children and adults, we’ll share stories that tell how people are taking a second look at the Good Book and are inspiring more Bible reading in our area.

By the way—the next day, a neighbor found the rain– swollen Word and returned it to the pastor. He quickly opened it to see that his $700 cash was still hidden between the pages!

Money notwithstanding, we invite you to join us as we search for the deeper spiritual value inherent in “the book of God.”

— Warren L. Maye, Editor in Chief

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LEAD

Turning Inputs into OUTCOMES

by Isaiah Allen

“Some people have ten years of experience while others have one year of experience, ten times.” That saying is popular because, rather than develop automatically, our personal growth, Christian maturity, and leadership skills depend on what we do with what we’ve got.

Think of the things God has put in your life to form you: experiences & education, people & relationships, and opportunities & challenges. In learning theory, these are called “inputs,” that go through a “process,” and result in a “product.” Processes involve experimentation, reflection, and support. Consider the following inputs.

EXPERIENCES & EDUCATION We learn formally (education) and informally (experience), but we are often involuntary participants. We are “sent” to school, we are “placed” in situations.

Notice the passive voice? Turning these inputs into desirable outcomes means deciding to learn—from everything.

I knew a college professor who temporarily worked a menial job. That unanticipated experience made her a better instructor. Instead of it being a setback, it advanced her personal formation. Scripture says that even Jesus learned through His experiences (Luke 2:40, 52; Hebrews 5:8).

PEOPLE & RELATIONSHIPS Discipleship, the process of maturing as a Christian, is relational in nature. That’s why banding with a small group that deliberately supports mission and growth in each other’s lives is pivotal to our formation.

The Gospels portray Jesus’ relationships with His family, John the Baptist, His disciples, and His closest friends. Jesus’

incarnation, passion, atonement, resurrection, ascension, Parousia (second coming), and other sophisticated–sounding theological terms are important to Christianity.

But the Gospels are full of concrete relational stuff too, such as obeying His mom (Luke 2:51), eating meals with all kinds of people (Luke 5:27–39, 7:36–50, 14:1–24), and seeking support from His companions (Matthew 26:38).

OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES As John Ortberg points out, Caleb, even in his old age, didn’t take the easier path.

In Joshua 14:10–12, he requested, “Give me the hill country” (The Me I Want to Be, Zondervan, 2010).

He knew that every challenge is an opportunity to grow—if we take it. Every failure can be a priceless lesson. Your neighborhood is both your mission field and your training ground. It offers you an arena for experimentation; your group provides a safe place for reflection.

Remember, even Jesus didn’t go it alone. He had a peer group. When He sent His disciples, they went together.

George Scott Railton, William Booth’s first lieutenant, was passionate about leading people to Christ. Railton single– handedly set out to save Morocco. He failed. But when he landed in New York with Captain Emma Westbrook and the other “Hallelujah Lassies,” the official work of The Salvation Army began.

Everyone endures difficulties, but God has called us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). Form a group of Christian friends with whom to face the challenges of formation and mission. Nurturing our inwardness is too low an aim when Jesus, our Captain, has given us such a Great Commission!

T he Salvation Army US A Eastern Territory

Kensico at

K E N S ICO C E M ET E RY VA LH A LL A, N.Y.

The Corps Leadership Development Bureau of The Salvation Army—USA East serves to strengthen local leadership. Contact us to arrange a learning event in your town: isaiah.allen@use.salvationarmy.org.

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MAY 19, 2019

3:00PM

relevents

Catherine Booth (1829-1890), the Mother of The Salvation Army and wife of William Booth, talks about achieving true peace, how our hearts can be made perfect, and what a Christian can learn from one of Napoleon’s soldiers.*

by Hugo Bravo

None of our hearts are born perfect by nature, but they can be renewed to be made perfect. For this, first, a heart must be loyal to God. It should be thoroughly given to Him, irrespective of consequences. Second, a heart must be obedient. A perfect heart does not pick and choose which commandments to obey. Hearts that do so are partial, not perfect. Third, at the root of all perfect hearts, is trust. Look no further than Abraham to see a heart perfect in its trust. Abraham Our charity must be divine and believed God focused on the soul. Sentiments almost to the blood of pity and acts of generosity of his son Isaac, towards man is sometimes done and God showed all without a spark of divinity in Himself strong in one’s heart. Or worse, it may be his behalf. simply done to merit one’s own eternal life. Those are examples of nothing but false charity; they begin in self and end on earth.

Are we more concerned about Peace is the universal want of man, but true peace relieving temporal distress, in is not simply a state of mere quietness or insensibility. others and in us, than we are True peace only arises out of a reconciliation with God. about feeding famished souls?

Where there is sin, there is conflict and misery. God Divine charity, such as when Himself cannot give peace to a soul holding on to sin.

Christ fed both the spirit and the But when one confesses and forsakes their sins and hunger of His followers, realizes casts their guilty soul on Jesus, then He will give that the value of looking after the soul. soul true, divine peace. It will abide forever.

Here is great encouragement for those of us who suffer from doubt. Faith, as it is described in the Scriptures, is a voluntary thing.

I have known sincere and honest souls whose minds are tormented with doubt, but whose hearts have still inquired about God’s love and truth. I have more sympathy towards them than with those who would profess all and do nothing. God believes in man’s honesty and sincerity. If you are sincere in your heart, He will not abandon you.

*Excerpted from Catherine Booth’s sermons.

It is said that one of Napoleon’s men, while being operated on for the extraction of a bullet, exclaimed, “Cut a little deeper, and you will find my general’s name.”

Napoleon’s name was engraved on that soldier’s heart. As God’s soldiers, the image and glory of Christ must be engraved on our hearts as well. It is what Jesus Christ demands of us. We must be thoroughly committed to His side; there can be no neutrals in spiritual warfare.

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an active army

PRESCHOOL

by Hugo Bravo

Five years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, Major David Hernandez arrived at the Salvation Army’s Ohio City Corps and noticed how the city’s Department of Education promoted its preschools.

“Ohio City already had an afterschool program, but I saw preschool as bigger fruit for the Army. It was a stronger need to meet in this community,” remembers Major Hernandez.

The corps devoted its attention to creating a certified, year–round preschool program for 3– and 4–year–old children. Today, the Ohio City Corps has the second of three Salvation Army preschools in the area, and has been awarded four–star ratings and monetary grants from noted state education organizations such as Step Up To Quality and PRE4CLE. “The Salvation Army Ohio City Corps has a preschool with licensed, bilingual teachers and a strict curriculum,” says Lucy Conant, director of education at Ohio City and a former grade school and special ed teacher.

“Children who have had even one year of preschool education begin kindergarten with an advantage,” says Conant. “Socially, it can be the difference between a kindergartener being able to express, with words, that he or she feels angry, and another child who uses aggression to express that anger.

“After three months here, children from Spanish–speaking homes are talking in English too,” says Conant. “But we also have children from English–speaking homes who have yet to learn basic words. They may come from a home

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without any vocal interactions or have parents who are not willing to make the effort. That’s where you find a child who needs a preschool environment most of all.”

“We are blessed to offer support that another preschool program would not be able to offer,” says Hernandez. “Parents are invited to participate in Sunday services and other Army programs. We also have a case manager who we refer families to if they need special help.”

“We also accommodate parents with difficult schedules by extending our own hours,” says Conant, who has picked up children and driven them to preschool or home at the end of the day.

“For many households that have been denied help one way or another for so long, especially single–parent households, it can be overwhelming to suddenly have so many resources at their disposal,” says Conant. “You have to be cognizant of every situation and communicate as well as you can.”

The preschool program has become a powerful outreach ministry for the Ohio City Corps. “I spoke to a mother who did not know about The Salvation Army, but asked us if her youngest child could attend our preschool. She had heard what we do here and loved it,” says Hernandez.

“Every year, more children turn three years old in Cleveland, and our enrollment will only get larger. We now know all the ways that preschool benefits a child,” says Conant.

THE BENEFITS OF A PRESCHOOL EDUCATION Preschool provides social and emotional development for children. It may be the first place where children learn to share their belongings and follow instructions. They will also build trusting, loving relationships with teachers and other children.

A preschool environment is structured.

Though it may not appear that way at first to parents, and likely never to a child, a good preschool is structured to encourage interactions, and minimize congestion and conflicts.

Preschool promotes language skills.

Between the ages of 3 and 5, a child’s vocabulary grows from 900 to 2,500 words. Preschool teachers help stretch a child’s language skills with thought– provoking questions and discussions.

Preschool nurtures curiosity and imagination. An encounter with a new toy, an unusual plant or a bird singing at a window can be turned into an exciting opportunity to learn and imagine.

Preschool develops pre–math, literacy, and motor skills. Young children are naturally interested in new numbers and words. In preschool, they are introduced in ways that are meaningful and memorable to children, such as rhyming songs and number–matching games. A preschool keeps children in motion through running, playing, and climbing, but also tunes their fine motor skills by cutting with scissors, holding crayons, and threading beads.

by Robert Mitchell

ANITA MOHAMMED and her sister, Alene, were always close and shared a special bond. As children in Westbury, N.Y., on Long Island, they accepted Christ together and were baptized on the same day.

Last year, Alene’s battle with cancer and her subsequent death left Anita devastated. However, she soon received a card from one of Alene’s friends, Felicia, who wrote that Alene had taught her how to be kind. The card helped relieve some of the sting.

“I think about my sister’s legacy and I say, ‘Wow.’ I hope people would say that about me when I pass away,” Anita said through tears.

For the past 15 years, Anita has built her own legacy as the women’s ministry secretary at the New York Temple Corps in Manhattan. A retired day care teacher from the Bronx, Anita, 69, is also a widow and mother of Azikiwe, her adult son. That leaves her plenty of time for ministry.

“I really didn’t think I was any more qualified than any of the other ladies to lead the group,” Anita said. “But we all work together to carry out the activities we do. I enjoyed coming to women’s ministry before I became the leader. It’s fun. That’s really what motivated me.”

Anita said the women’s ministry at the corps focuses on service, fellowship, education, and worship.

“Within those four areas, we’re quite active and do many things for the corps, the church, and for individuals,” Anita says.

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN Anita said the women have engaged in several service projects, including making blankets for the homeless, many of whom wander 14th Street in Manhattan right outside the doors of the corps and come to the daily soup kitchen.

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One of the group’s signature projects is making heart– shaped pillows for recovering breast cancer patients at local hospitals, including the Mount Sinai Dubin Breast Cancer Center near the corps. Patients tuck the pillows under their arm after breast or node surgery.

This ministry is important to Anita, who had a non– cancerous tumor removed from her breast at Mount

“

You learn about yourself at our meetings. You learn more about your abilities. You learn about trying to be in touch with the Lord Jesus and His will for our lives.

”

Sinai. She wants to continue making pillows for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where her sister was treated.

“I know how uncomfortable that is after breast surgery,” Anita said. “I actually bought a sewing machine so I could do some more sewing.”

Anita said the women also engage in fellowship to just talk or sometimes take a short trip. The group recently visited New York City’s Chinatown to mark the Lunar New Year.

“Our times of fellowship are really a lot of fun and very enjoyable,” Anita says. “It’s a way for all the women to interact with each other and to have some time to ourselves. Some of the other ladies may not have time for themselves. This is a time just for them.”

SHARING AND CARING Some of the women who work and have children occasionally need a break, Anita said.

“It’s important because sometimes these ladies don’t have people who are close to them,” she said. “When they come here, we’re like a bridge from their home. It’s a chance for them to say something to our group, who they feel comfortable with. It’s a chance to share something that they haven’t said to anyone else or they don’t have the opportunity to say to anyone else.

“Just the camaraderie, the acceptance, the encouragement, the caring, and the compassion of the other ladies

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will uplift you and that’s just the Holy Spirit speaking through them to whomever in the group.”

Anita says she has become more attuned to the Holy Spirit’s promptings in her life as she reads the Bible and prays. That includes her decision to take the position as women’s ministry secretary and a greeting card ministry to the sick and people who she hasn’t seen in church for a while.

“I think most people like to get other things in the mail besides bills and advertisements. It’s nice to get a card,” Anita says. “The Holy Spirit will prompt me to give them a call or send them a card. The card ministry shows that someone cares. I hope the people who get the card know that someone cares. It’s me, at least, along with other people who are praying for them.

“When you get a card in the mail, it’s different. Most people aren’t writing cards anymore. They text. That’s not the same as writing. I think it’s really something special. I think people enjoy getting cards and I really enjoy sending them to people.”

THAT STILL, SMALL VOICE A former day care teacher in the Connecticut and New York City public schools, Anita also makes sure education is an important part of the women’s ministry. The group invites speakers to talk about breast cancer, Black History Month, cake decorating, and many other subjects.

“You learn about yourself at our meetings,” Anita said. “You learn more about your abilities. You learn about trying to be in touch with the Lord Jesus and His will for our lives.”

The women also take part in the worship at the New York Temple Corps, including reading Scripture during the Advent season.

Anita prepares by reading a women’s devotional Bible daily. She also uses The Salvation Army Songbook in her devotions and makes use of the popular devotional coloring books on the market.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned more about the Lord and I’m trying to meditate and just be quiet and give the Lord a chance to talk to me, not just me talking to Him,” said Anita. “That’s not easy to do with all the distractions we have in our lives.

“I read the Word in the morning and think about the day. I write about the things that come to mind for the day. I let Him order my steps.”

Anita is also normally at the corps three days a week—Sunday for church, Tuesday for women’s ministry, and Wednesday for Bible study and prayer meeting.

Born in Harlem, Anita’s family moved to Westbury when she was in 3rd grade and she often attended a Baptist church with Leona, her grandmother.

PASSING THE TRIALS Coming to The Salvation Army meant getting used to the different worship style, the uniforms and epaulets, and ranks such as “major” and “colonel.”

“I didn’t understand any of that,” she said. “It took me a while. The music certainly was different, but the songs were similar. Many of them were songs that I already knew.”

Anita was also in an 18–year, mixed–faith marriage.

Her husband, Salim, was a Muslim for most of his life, but he didn’t interfere with her Christian faith and allowed their son to go to the corps. Anita’s husband died 15 years ago.

“We had a very good relationship so our difference in religions didn’t affect what we did,” she said. “He went to a mosque. I came here to The Salvation Army.”

Anita said Salim accepted Christ after listening to a televangelist shortly before his death.

“It made me very happy because I know that one day, I’ll see him in heaven,” Anita said.

Lieutenant Miguel Aguilera, corps officer at the New York Temple Corps, said Anita’s sister died shortly after he arrived, but he was impressed with how she handled the trial.

“Through the pain, I saw her strong faith,” he said. “I saw the love of Jesus through her. That is holiness; when you can reflect Jesus in your life.”

Aguilera said while Anita exudes a quiet spirit, she manages to have an influence on the other women at the corps, where she also serves as corps sergeant major and teaches Sunday school.

“She is very faithful and humble and always looking to learn more and more about God and improve her relationship with Jesus,” he said. “She’s been very faithful in her job as women’s ministry secretary. She expresses kindness and mercy to others.”

ministries and she loves working with the women.”

Through the years, Shepherd has helped Anita with women’s ministry at the corps and watched her deal with several deaths, including her husband, mother, brother, and sister.

“She’s had to handle bereavement and she’s handled that well,” Shepherd said. “She’s learning and growing spiritually and doing very well.”

The deaths have led Anita to think deeply about her own legacy and living up to her sister’s acts of kindness.

Anita paused when asked what she hopes people would say about her someday.

“I hope they would say I’m kind, thoughtful, and prayerful,” she said.

LEAVING A MARK Retired Major Edith Shepherd said she remembers the first time Anita walked into the corps with her young son in 1986. Anita, who lived in Manhattan at the time, had attended family camp at Star Lake. Impressed with The Salvation Army, she asked for the nearest corps and was referred to the New York Temple Corps.

“It’s been wonderful to watch her grow spiritually,” Shepherd said. “She’s been great. She loves women’s

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Women who

WIN

by Robert Mitchell

M

argaret Thatcher once said, “if you want something done, ask a woman.”

The women’s auxiliary of the Capital City Corps in Harrisburg, Pa., known as “WIN Women INvolved,” has been getting things done for the corps and its programs for the last eight years. Kathy Anderson–Martin, the director of resource development for the corps, said this is “not your grandmother’s auxiliary” and features many of the community’s movers and shakers.

“They’re all professional women,” says Anderson– Martin. “They’re business owners and business leaders. They’re very involved and people that you know in the community. They also get people they know in the community to join.”

Anderson–Martin said when she started at the corps in 2010, the leadership had committed to host a Chamber of Commerce luncheon. The only problem was that this

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was their first such meeting and they wondered what to expect. The staff brainstormed and decided to model it after a business fair. People would receive a card, which listed one of The Salvation Army’s programs. Then they had to find a solution to a problem.

“People loved it,” Anderson–Martin recalls. “Some of my friends said, ‘That was a lot of fun. What else can we do for The Salvation Army?’ I told them about our women’s auxiliary.”

The women were eager to get involved but thought the title “auxiliary” was dated. They settled on the name “WIN Women INvolved.”

Anderson–Martin said the group of about 70 high– powered women from Harrisburg hold monthly networking mixers. They also get involved in service projects and hold a signature fundraiser, “Shoe Strut,” each year to raise money for The Salvation Army.

Kathy Anderson–Martin, the director of resource development for the corps, leads a meeting of WIN Women INvolved.

“If you’re in business, you have to go to networking events,” Anderson–Martin said. “However, you can do that same thing while you’re doing something to help others through The Salvation Army. They get their businesses involved as well.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE Shoe Strut, now in its 7th year of providing thousands of shoes for needy children in Harrisburg, raised close to $100,000 last year for Salvation Army programs. Even though the event was held in September, it sold out in May. “Shoe Strut is now the cool thing to do in Harrisburg,” Anderson–Martin said. “The event is very fun and rowdy, and they have a good time, but it’s also real. Within two weeks, we’re sending out letters telling exactly what we raised and what that will do. That’s unusual because most

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people don’t do that.”

The diverse women of all ages and backgrounds sat in the corps for a luncheon last year and voted to allocate the proceeds from Shoe Strut.

Jenny Gallagher Blom, director of programs and operations for the corps, said the women deliver funding for tangible resources: shoes for children, meals for the weekday breakfast program, milk and eggs for the food pantry, and sponsoring kids in the summer program and after– school activities.

“What they provide is truly priceless because they go out and tell our story,” she said. “We’re often very busy doing the work. The demand only continues to grow, and we need people to come alongside us and help. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. Their enthusiasm is contagious.”

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In the spring, the women created spice packets and meal kits for the corps food pantry. In November, they helped pack Thanksgiving baskets and sort food. The women hold a career fair in the summer as part of a youth enrichment program. WIN has also spun off a youth auxiliary called Salvation Army Youth Making A Change (SAYMAC), which was involved in Shoe Strut.

Anderson–Martin said when she started at The Salvation Army, the corps had trouble finding 25 people to pack Christmas boxes. Now, she has a volunteer army of 400 people and a waiting list.

“Women have a desire to connect with other women and build professional networks, but we wanted to be meaningful and purposeful and we wanted to be of service,” she said. “This group really formed with the idea that we’re not getting together just to socialize. We’re getting together to develop each other, personally and professionally, and to do good in our community.

“We want to bring ideas to the table that are new and fresh and will attract other people who feel the same way that we do; people of all ages and all backgrounds.”

A DIVERSE GROUP

Williams, who was raised Catholic, said the group includes women of all faiths.

“There is absolutely a spiritual motivation and a high spiritual component to everything we do,” she said. “We thank God, we praise God, and we ask for God’s help and guidance.

We get a lot of satisfaction and reward from doing so.

“To say there is an energy in this group is an understatement. When we’re at the Shoe Strut, you can feel the energy in the room and that people care about the services and programs The Salvation Army provides and they want to be able to help. For a lot of organizations, I don’t think it’s what you’re doing, it’s who’s doing it. Somehow the ‘who’ here is amazing and that’s what makes this so great and this organization so successful.”

Kristel Zaring, WIN’s president, saw that energy at the first meeting and was impressed by the breadth of The Salvation Army.

“I just was blown away by what they do, by the amazing staff, by their mission, and by their story,” she said. “I thought, I have to be a part of this.”

Zaring recalls how her father told her to always put something in a red kettle. After joining WIN, she learned that he had a soft spot for The Salvation Army because it had helped him during his military days.

“There is something that grabbed me and said, ‘This is where you need to be. You need to be doing the most good here.’ I think that special spirit of my dad guided me here,” Zaring said.

A former banker, Zaring now does business development for a CPA firm. She and the other founders of WIN wanted to attract like–minded women.

“We wanted to revitalize it as far as making it meaningful and networking with a purpose,” she said. “We wanted to capture a larger demographic. An auxiliary gives you a certain image of what the demographic would be.

“We wanted to ignite this group and really bring in some dynamic women, diverse women, and women of all ages.

IRRESISTIBLE PULL WIN has also helped raise money for the furnishings in a new $12 million corps that will open in 2019.

“We had 200 people at the groundbreaking and a lot of the ladies were there because they’re very invested,” Anderson–Martin said. “I haven’t found anything comparable to our program in working with any Salvation Army.

We get calls all the time, asking, ‘How do you do this?’ I tell everybody, ‘It’s not how did you do it, it’s who.’ You have to get very intentional with whom you get involved.

You need people of influence and affluence.”

The group has attracted women like Bonnie Bellis, who leads the service projects committee. She is an executive assistant to the president of a local engineering company and puts her skills as an administrator to use in WIN. “In order to attract the women in our community, whether they’re in the workplace or retired or they’re at home with their kids, we wanted something they would feel comfortable joining,” Bellis said. “The old view of an auxiliary may communicate to people out in the community that they may not be able to join because they would have to be a member of The Salvation Army or have some kind of credentials. By not classifying ourselves as an auxiliary, it makes it a more open and approachable group to be a part of and join.”

Bellis, a Christian, said her spiritual life is definitely behind her involvement.

“What motivates me is the fact that I’m able to be Jesus’ hands and feet to the people in the community where I work and live. I also partner with The Salvation Army, which is doing the most good every day. They have the overall resources and the knowledge and then God can plug me in where I’m needed,” she said.

When the group first started, Claudia Williams, an attorney who is now a consultant for leadership development, suggested the “Shoe Strut” idea by saying, “Why don’t we do something with shoes?” She ended up being the chairwoman of the event.

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Jenny Gallagher Blom

Cindy Minnich

Claudia Williams

Kristel Zaring

Director of programs and operations for the corps

Community outreach and events coordinator for the corps

Longtime WIN Women INvolved member

President of WIN Women INvolved

We wanted to make sure we were open about what our mission was going to be. We also wanted to offer networking with a purpose and be able to give back by doing that.”

GOD IN THE MIDST “There was a reason these women came together,” Zaring said. “There was a reason that idea became a part of it and every year it just grows and grows. We know there’s a higher power that’s guiding us and blessing us by having the people in this group. I totally believe it’s a God thing.

“The women who are in this group are well–known in the community. We have a good core group that knows a lot of people. They’re connected, and that helps us drive our mission too. We all are interacting with different organizations and companies, so that helps us expand our network.”

Cindy Minnich, the community outreach and events coordinator for the corps, said the connections in the group are invaluable. For example, when a tuxedo was needed for Shoe Strut, someone in the group knew where they could get one.

“This has been an amazing network of women who are willing to donate their time and their energies and their resources and who are willing to reach their networks,” Minnich said. “We reach people who we never would have reached on our own. Just those connections in the community—I can’t put a value on that.

“It’s a beautiful thing, whether the women are employed

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or retired. We need all of them to really make this work.”

Minnich said the group continues to grow. “Our best advertisers for WIN are all the WIN members,” she said.

“Those women all got their friends together and they’re always inviting new ones. We just grow through word of mouth, really.”

FINDING A HOME Major Elizabeth Griner, a longtime Salvation Army officer, called the changes the women have brought “exciting.”

“They have proven to have a heart and compassion for our community, and it’s been quite successful,” she said.

“It’s taken a few years to grow, but it’s been a good change for our community.

“I think it’s breathed new life into the auxiliary. It’s given them a fresh outlook. The projects are less traditional. These women are more in touch with what’s happening in today’s world. They’re constantly looking for what’s fresh and what’s new. That brings new life and new vitality to the auxiliary as a whole.”

Zaring said she was involved in other community groups before WIN, but nothing seemed right and she felt unfulfilled. Those days are over for Zaring.

“I will do anything they ask me to do,” she said. “I feed off the energy in this group and this organization. This is by far the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done. It’s right.

I know I belong here.”

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Taking the Lead

Women assume the role of president at prestigious Christian colleges around the country.

by Retta Blaney

W

ith a sense that they have been called, and with an appreciation for the groundbreaking role they are assuming, women have been taking over the leadership of Christian colleges and universities in slowly increasing numbers. Religious schools still lag far behind secular institutions in the appointing of female presidents, but the ceiling has been broken in schools across the country that were established in the holiness tradition.

“The idea has been that only one population, gender or ethnicity makes all the decisions,” said Deana L. Porterfield, who in 2014 became the first female president of Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, N.Y. “We’re better when we’re diverse. I do believe it’s what God’s calling us to do. Full representation is important if you really believe all are made in the image of God.”

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While being the first woman president is an honor, it carries with it a major responsibility beyond all that being a college president entails.

“Once you’re in, you become aware of all kinds of other ways you have to navigate in these roles that men wouldn’t,” said Shirley Mullen, who in 2006 became the first female president of her alma mater, Houghton College in western New York State. “Anytime when you are in a role where people have not imagined you in that role, whether it’s that you’re single, a person of color or a woman, you have to use emotional intelligence and sense what’s going on. You are there for all people in your category. If you’re not able to navigate the role you’re letting down not just your institution, but you’re making it difficult for anyone in your category in the future.”

The schools that have been open to female presidents are those that come from religious traditions such as The Salvation Army that, from the beginning, valued women as leaders. But even with this receptiveness, it can take time for the early beliefs of a tradition to result in appointing a woman to lead.

The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, a higher education association of more than 180 Christian institutions around the world, didn’t have a college with a woman in the president’s role until Kim S. Phipps took over at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pa., as its first female leader in 2004. Of the 183 presidents associated with CCCU, only 16 are women, a small number but one that is on the rise. In the United States, women account for 7.6 percent of CCCU presidents, up from 6.7 percent in 2015 and 5 percent in 2010.

Not all Christian colleges descend from traditions that support women’s leadership, which is why the number of female presidents is significantly lower than in secular institutions where 30 percent are women, according to a 2016 American Council on Education report.

“Part of it is historic,” said Shirley V. Hoogstra, who became CCCU’s first female president in 2014. “We’re still remedying a historic set of patterns.”

In previous generations, she explained, women made choices that limited their careers; choices made out of necessity or a lack of opportunities. However, one factor from the past that hindered women’s advancement was out of their hands.

“The job of the board of trustees is to manage risk,” Hoogstra said. “If you pick a first, there’s not a track record. There may have been a perceived risk.” Even in the most accepting of traditions, women’s ascent into leadership isn’t automatic.

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“I recognize theory and practice don’t always line up with the contemporary Salvation Army,” said Janet Munn, who, in 2015, became the first female principal of The Salvation Army College for Officer Training in Suffern, N.Y. “I share great respect for the Army’s history. It was a front–runner in Victorian England with women in leadership. It’s one of the things that attracted me to the Army in the first place.”

But attention needs to be paid with “deliberateness and intentionality,” she says, or leadership will remain with the dominant gender and race and continue to look the same as it has for decades.

“Since the Salvation Army’s progressive, counter– cultural start in Victorian England, we have in the area of gender equality at the highest levels of leadership lost ground in recent years, defaulting to white, male leaders,” she says. “In terms of my current experience as being the first married woman training principal in New York, I am enjoying the appointment greatly, but would

“ Full representation is important if you really believe all are made in the image of God.” — Deana L. Porterfield

have rejoiced also if another woman had been appointed in this regard as women in all levels of leadership align with the Army’s history and values.”

Those values run deep and wide, as Munn learned in talking to Salvation Army leaders around the world while pursuing her doctoral research in transformational leadership. She found that it was their strongly held belief that gender equality was a biblical mandate and was a key value in Salvation Army history.

“I was surprised by these results,” she said. “They were overwhelming in their response. ‘Yes, it’s biblical.

Yes, it matters,’ they said.”

But progress can be slow. Messiah’s Phipps said she feels sadness that women’s leadership can still be considered historical in the Church and in the broader culture.

“There are so many stereotypes and misunderstandings about women as leaders,” she said. “We need to constantly educate people.”

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Because it is so often the board of trustees, traditionally made up largely of older men, that chooses the president, “we need to be raising up boards capable of seeing women as leaders,” she says.

At the time Phipps was chosen to be president of Messiah, the college had its first female board president, Eunice Steinbercher.

“Her leadership enabled the board to see a woman in this role. Her involvement was significant toward making this happen.”

Seeing a woman in that role is also important for students—all students rather than just the 60 percent who are women, says Sandra C. Gray, who in 2007 became the first female president of Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky. “Men and women are different,” she said. “They lead differently. We need to observe both. It’s just as important for men to value the contributions of God’s female creation. They need to see it. It’s important for both genders to see it.”

One factor that remains a big area of difference between a man assuming the president’s role and a woman, is the age of their children.

“Trying to balance the timing was an important thing for me,” said Amy Bragg Carey, who in 2015 became the first female president of Friends University in Wichita, Kan. “I didn’t pursue my doctorate until my daughter was finished with high school. I wouldn’t have had the time.”

It was the same with her presidency. The opportunity came when her children were independent enough to be left in Minnesota, where the family was rooted.

“Those considerations come into play for women in leadership. You factor that in. Women take this role later in life. Most are not married or have children who are grown.”

All of the female presidents say that, in general, women govern more collaboratively, and this is crucial now more than ever for working with staff, boards, and the community.

“Colleges and universities need to be involved in business partnerships,” Carey said. “The top–down leadership is not working well in higher education these days. Many of us do well what we’ve needed to do throughout our careers; make connections and help one another on the way.

“Often times women are more intuitive and relationship–focused. To bring in resources, you need relationship skills. It’s important in a leadership role to use not only facts and information, but when sometimes something doesn’t feel right, to go with that concern.”

For Carol Taylor, who became the first female

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Colonel Janet Munn Principal, 2015—2019 Salvation Army College for Officer Training Luke 18:1–8

Carol Taylor President, 2014—present Evangel University John 13:1–17

Shirley Mullen President, 2006—present Houghton College Book of Esther

Amy Brag Carey Kim S. Phipps

President, 2015—present Friends University

President, 2004—present Messiah College

Proverbs 31:10–31

Book of Esther

Shirley V. Hoogstra President, 2014—present Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Exodus 3

Sandra C. Grey President, 2007—present Asbury University Luke 2:19

Deana L. Porterfield President, 2014—present Roberts Wesleyan College Joshua 1:1–18

president of her alma mater, Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., it’s all about service. Before taking over in 2014, she was the first female president at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif.

On her desk facing her is a small, beautifully crafted picture frame in which the number 24 is shown. Nothing else, just that number.

“It’s my reminder on any given day that the night Christ was betrayed he washed 24 feet, knowing full well what they were going to do that night, even Judas.”

It helps to look at that picture frame and what that number represents so that on tough days she can focus on serving all members of the community, whether that is challenging or not.

“The ultimate role model of leadership is Christ. We never achieve that, but we need to remember that any member of our community needs to be served well.”

The presidents turn to other biblical figures; Esther being a favorite of several. Mullen sees her as a role model

“ The ultimate role model of leadership is Christ.”

— Carol Taylor

for women in leadership because even though Esther’s circumstances were different—being in a harem—she followed what she felt was a call to do God’s will in difficult circumstances, trusting God’s timing and preparation. “I take that very seriously,” said Mullen.

Esther reminds Phipps that “we have to be faithful in any given moment.”

Porterfield is inspired by Joshua, who had to take over the work of another. The message for her is “be strong and courageous. God’s calling you. Let go.”

Carey’s choice is a person she refers to as “the Proverbs 31 woman” because she was a wife and mother, but also bought a field. She was a business leader.

“I wanted to be involved in leadership but the messages I received growing up didn’t lead to that. I’ve looked to that scripture throughout my life. It does seem a little unattainable. She’s sort of a superwoman. She gives a view of all the roles women can play.”

Another nameless woman registers with Taylor for having the longest recorded conversation with Jesus— the woman at the well, which reveals to Taylor the

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dignity and worth Jesus had for all creation.

“Why does that get so much space? What does it say about people who others would discard?”

She also points to another against–the–grain choice, Mary Magdalene. Although still broken with grief, she was the first to see Jesus after His resurrection.

“She is the first witness in a culture where she wouldn’t be allowed to testify in court. What does that say about the value Christ placed on women?”

Gray also is heartened by the way Jesus showed love to the Mary who washed His feet, despite living in a society that would have rejected her for doing such an act.

“He knew how needy she was. I’m needy,” Gray said.

“I would break open my best alabaster box because I love Him that much.”

Gray also is comforted by Mary, the mother of Jesus, who bowed to God’s will and who pondered things in her heart.

“Sometimes I feel lonely and need to ponder in my heart when there’s no one other than the dear Lord to talk to about it.”

Munn also chose a nameless woman. She looks to the parable of the persistent widow in Luke’s Gospel. When the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray, He told them to consider the poor widow who repeatedly went before the judge who feared neither God nor people, but who gave into her because she was unrelenting.

“She’s the role model Jesus gives the disciples on how to pray. Here you have this poor widow, who would have had no rights and no value in that society. It would have been hard for [the disciples] to accept.”

To her, the message is clear.

“Never give up. Even if the odds are against you, will not God give justice to His children who cry out to Him? Jesus is really affirming a female for being outspoken and refusing to be silenced or discouraged—driven by her need for justice. She’s one of my faves.

“So often in the work place and elsewhere, women are interrupted and told not to speak up or persist or raise their voices. Jesus says the opposite, ‘This is what you should be like.’

“Women do have tenacity. We don’t give up. It’s the opposite of that voice from the fallen world that’s telling women to be silent. Jesus is telling women to speak up.”

Retta Blaney is an eight–time journalism award winner and the author of Working on the Inside: The Spiritual Life Through the Eyes of Actors, which features interviews with Kristin Chenoweth, Edward Herrmann, Liam Neeson, Phylicia Rashad, Vanessa Williams, and many others.

Women

on a mission

The women in this article have all answered the call to overseas ministries. In the process, some found their careers; others found their purpose.

Some used their time away to see the real work of the Church. But all personify the Salvation Army’s commitment to do the most good, no matter where the Lord places them.

by Hugo Bravo

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REBECCA TOMASELLO IN SOUTH KOREA Years before Rebecca Tomasello became a senior soldier at the Fall River Corps Community Center in Massachusetts, she taught English in South Korea. But at the end of her work day there, she found it difficult to socialize with other teachers.

“A lot of them would spend their nights in bars, but I don’t drink,” said Tomasello.

Instead, she found a local church to attend where pastors led services in both English and Korean. Through them, she volunteered her extra time to a local orphanage.

The children were receptive to learning about Jesus and were interested in knowing Tomasello, an American. Many of them spoke English and enjoyed talking to her.

“The church leader said that children in South Korean orphanages enjoy little interaction with people outside; even their schooling is done within the confines of the orphanage,” said Rebecca.

“After my first day of volunteering, I remember crying in my apartment. It was heartbreaking to think that, in just one building, existed a child’s entire world,” said Tomasello. After her stay in South Korea, she went back to school to study children’s ministry. She is now the youth ministry coordinator at the Fall River Corps.

One of the children Rebecca met at the orphanage, now in his teens, recently reached out to her on social media. “He remembered me from those visits, seven years ago. It’s rewarding to know I made such an impact on someone,” said Rebecca.

“In college, I had no interest in ever working with children,” said Tomasello. “But South Korea made me realize that helping young people find Christ is what I was always meant to do.”

Army children’s home in Asuncion, Paraguay.

The children in El Redil had been taken away from their parents because of neglect, or parents had willingly given them up.

“I met two girls whose father could not provide for them, so he gave them up to the Army,” says Otero. “These girls were 8 and 12 but looked half their age from malnutrition.

They were so weak that they had to be helped to move their jaws when they were fed. When I saw the work that El Redil was doing for children like them, I thought to myself, I want to do this work one day too.”

Three years later, Otero led her own Hands On team in Costa Rica. There, she met Lieutenant Umberto Tribino, an officer who would handle the corps’ daily feeding programs for the sick, the poor, and the street workers from Costa Rica’s dangerous red–light district.

“Everyone looking for help knew the Lieutenant and what he represented. It astounded me to see that The Salvation Army has built a reputation that lets us walk into the most dangerous places, only to be accepted and protected by our uniform.”

“The soldiers from Costa Rica were living in the same conditions as the people we were helping, but they were still grateful to God for what they had,” says Lieutenant Angelys Davies, who was part of Otero’s team in Costa Rica. “At Costa Rica’s training school, the cadets were the ones running, helping to renovate, and maintaining the school. They all served with such passion. It made me realize all of the things we take for granted in our lives.”

“We have so much here at our disposal in the Eastern Territory,” says Otero. “But there are officers, soldiers, and cadets in other parts of the world who are making immense sacrifices for The Salvation Army.”

“You may be nervous to serve far from home, LIEUTENANT LILYBETH OTERO AND especially if you’re young,” says Davies. “But LIEUTENANT ANGELYS DAVIES IN COSTA RICA trust that God wants you there. He will bring you comfort in ways that you cannot imagine.”

When she was 18, Lieutenant Lilybeth Otero “Serving overseas opens your spiritual traveled to Paraguay with Hands On, the eyes. Every officer should take the opportuSalvation Army’s summer mission program, nity to experience it if they have the chance,” and witnessed the Army’s overseas work firstsays Otero. “Doing so will help you as an offihand. She visited Hogar El Redil, a Salvation cer, and as a Christian.”

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MAJOR MARCIA VANOVER IN RUSSIA Retired Major Marcia Vanover and her husband Major Kellus Vanover traveled to Russia in 1992 to be part of the Salvation Army’s training school staff. It was the first of several mission trips to that country. Opposition from the Russian government and the Orthodox Church kept The Salvation Army from registering as a church in Moscow for 12 years after the fall of the Soviet Union. Even today, there are restrictions on Sunday schools and other religious programs.

Having grown up during the era of the “Red Scare,” Major Vanover met the people that she had feared as a child. She remembers hearing the news reports saying that America was in danger of a Communist invasion.

“But the Russian people were friendly and curious about who we were,” says Vanover.

“They asked about our uniforms and wanted to practice their English with us, which they had not been allowed to use in public.”

Vanover says the most important thing that officers must remember when overseas is to be good guests in the host country and never forcefully impose their own culture. Instead, learn to adjust.

“In Russia, visiting officers would talk about going to see people in their homes, which is common practice for most Salvationists.

However, you could tell by the expressions on the Russian cadets’ faces that this wasn’t a good idea,” said Vanover.

“When I talked to our language teacher about the reaction, she said that Russians are immediately suspicious of strangers who knock at their door. This comes from the days of the Soviet Union, when Communist informants would randomly visit homes. We knew then that visits were not going to work here. You never want to stir any type of fear in anyone.

“I also learned that during those Red Scare years, the Russians were afraid too. Not just of Americans, but of their own leaders and government. Russians couldn’t openly worship without persecution. It’s something they had in common with early–day Salvationists,” says Vanover.

CAPTAIN TAWNY COWEN–ZANDERS IN RUSSIA In 1995 as a sophomore attending Malone University in Ohio, Captain Tawny Cowen– Zanders studied in Russia for a semester.

The study abroad program had Christian elements, and her student team met with a Baptist missionary serving in Moscow. When he asked the group what church they each attended, Tawny said “The Salvation Army,” where her father was a corps sergeant major.

“When I said this, the missionary stood up, walked up to me and said, ‘I want to shake your hand. The Salvation Army are people of action. What we are just starting to do today, they have been doing for years,’” said Zanders.

“That night, I could not sleep. At the time, my view of the Army was camp and the corps.

I wanted to know what he had seen here that made him call us people of action.”

Tawny reached out to The Salvation Army in Russia. Days later, at a local train station where the Army did daily feedings, she saw an example of the people of action that the Baptist minister had talked about.

“A short female British officer drove up to our location in a screeching car,” remembers Zanders. “She got out, picked up a large vat of hot soup over her head, and immediately started feeding everyone there. She was gruff and serious, giving orders in English and in Russian, but you could tell she had a real love for these hungry people. She made every one of them smile.

“Through her, I saw what The Salvation Army is all about. We don’t talk about it, we just do it.

We come in, no matter where we are needed, no matter how cold the day is, and we help.

“And no one needed help like the people of Russia,” says Zanders. “These were folks that, through no fault of their own, had lost their identity. We had to show the Russian people that Jesus had not forgotten them.”

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LIEUTENANT MHAIRI SMEATON IN KENYA As a cadet in the College for Officer Training, Lieutenant Mhairi Smeaton led a team to Kenya, East Africa. They stayed in Nairobi and worked with the women from Others, the Salvation Army’s overseas social enterprise for women.

“The people of Kenya show honor to any guest that stays with them, especially westerners who come in the name of God,” says Mhairi. “The rank of a minister is held in high regard by them.”

Amari was one of the women from Others that Smeaton met in Kenya. Amari’s father had been a polygamist, and when he died, his first family took all of his inheritance, leaving Amari, her sick husband, and their daughters with nothing. They all lived on a small piece of land with little more than an open fire for cooking in the living room and a couch bed for guests. Amari’s work for Others helped pay for her daughters’ schooling.

When Smeaton was assigned to stay over at Amari’s house, she wondered how that family could make space for another person.

“I thought, there’s no room for me in this house. There’s barely room for her family,” says Smeaton. “All the while, Amari was so happy to have me stay with her. As we walked into town to buy food, she introduced me to every person she came across, proudly telling them I was a cadet staying in her home.”

Amari made rice and peas for dinner and prepared space on the couch bed for Smeaton to sleep. Zewadi, Amari’s daughter, slept on the opposite end of the couch.

That night, Smeaton remembered the day she had spent with Amari, the delicious meal she had lovingly prepared, and the space her family had provided for Smeaton to sleep.

“I felt ashamed that I could ever think that Amari, my sister, could not bless me. Who was I to say that there was no room for me here?

In any home where the Lord is present, we are welcome too,” says Smeaton.

“On mission trips, you will meet the hearts of the people you help. You will learn that everyone, no matter who they are, can bring something to God’s table.”

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MAJOR NANCY BEAUCHAMP IN PAKISTAN For two years, Major Nancy Beauchamp has been part of a modern missionary ministry for The Salvation Army. Through Skype, she gives Bible and ministry lessons to three evangelists in Pakistan, who then go out into the villages near Khanewal to share the gospel with their neighbors. On Saturday (Sunday in Pakistan because of the time zone), Beauchamp also holds a worship service with her team and people from the villages via Skype.

“The evangelists have an amazing understanding of the Word of God, and they do all this work under the Army’s name,” says Beauchamp. “They know the doctrine and have committed to living publicly for Jesus in a Muslim country.”

Beauchamp has supplied her evangelists with Bibles, a laptop with projector, and Sunday school materials for their ministry.

She has financed open–air tent meetings for them in the villages, where the evangelists have welcomed hundreds of people to services.

Along with these ministry tools, she has also sent them a sewing machine and materials for garments to make and sell clothing, which helps her team become self–sufficient.

The Pakistani evangelists are always eager to talk about the groups of people they have introduced to Christ, and they hope The Salvation Army will reach out to help them establish their own corps. “They have already talked about becoming soldiers, and someday maybe even officers,” says Beauchamp.

But for now, Beauchamp and her evangelists will continue to bring the gospel to villages in Pakistan through the internet and other technologies.

“Even with all the miles between us, we succeed because we are a group so strongly rooted in the word of Christ.”

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snapshot

FAREWELL! NEW YORK CITY, 1934—Evangeline Booth makes her farewell appearance at Madison Square Garden to a capacity crowd. She then went on to London and became the fourth General of the international Salvation Army and the first woman to hold that post in the Army’s history. Booth, who was the daughter of founders Catherine and William Booth, traveled the world and was called “The Musician General.” The Army grew extensively during her administration, which concluded in 1939. She was promoted to Glory in 1950 at age 84. Seated on the platform among many other notables, are Helen Keller (author and the first deaf/blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree), Salvationists Joe the Turk (Armenian–born evangelist, preacher, and activist), and Tom Ferguson (Jamaican– born songwriter, musician, and poet).

To see an actual video clip of this historic event, go to: saconnects.org/snapshot-march-2019

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FAITH in ACTION

The Commission on the Status of Women

by Major Victoria Edmonds

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), established in 1946. The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

This year, the CSW will draw about 15,000 people when it meets from March 11–22 at the United Nations (UN) in New York City. The Salvation Army is an active member of the group and will send at least 15 delegates to the Commission. During the past 12 years, the Army has sent delegates from all parts of the world to participate in this event.

During the CSW, The Salvation Army takes on a logistical role. When delegates from Non–Governmental Organizations (NGOs) attend from other countries, the Army provides a place in the city for them to set up their displays and to host parallel events and receptions.

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The Salvation Army has also hosted such events, which have focused on the Army’s work and offered discussions on the themes of the year.

For example, during one International Day of the Girl Child, teenage girls represented the Army on a panel. They participated with other girls from around the world as they expressed their thoughts and shared heartfelt testimonies on global issues.

Each year, the Commission chooses a “Priority Theme.” It also reviews a prior theme from three years ago, which it calls the “Review Theme.” Delegates then discuss and agree upon a plan of action, which they take back to their respective countries. They then advocate for legislation that hopefully will be put into law.

This year, the Priority Theme is

“Social protection systems, access to public services, and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.” The Review Theme is “Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development.”

UN Women will begin the CSW with a worship service that a group of ecumenical women will hold on Saturday, March 9, before the Commission officially starts on Monday, March 11.

— Major Victoria Edmonds is a retired Salvation Army officer and The Salvation Army’s representative to the UN.

1947

The United Nations (UN) is established. Soon after, the CSW meets at Lake Success, N.Y. The CSW becomes a unit of the United Nations and later becomes the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) in the UN Secretariat.

That same year, The Salvation Army receives consultative status at the UN.

19471962

The Commission sets standards and formulates international conventions to change discriminatory legislation. It fosters global awareness of women’s issues by contributing to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Commission argues against references to men as the synonym for humanity, and succeeds in introducing new, more inclusive language.

1963

Efforts to consolidate standards for women’s rights lead to the UN General Assembly’s request that the Commission draft a Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which the Assembly ultimately adopts in 1967.

1960s

As evidence accumulates that women are disproportionately affected by poverty, the Commission focuses on women’s needs in community and rural development, agricultural work, family planning, and scientific and technological advances.

1972

To mark its 25th anniversary, the Commission recommends that the year 1975 be designated as International Women’s Year, which draws attention to women’s equality with men and to their contribution to development and peace.

1975

1980

1985

1st World Conference on Women is held in Mexico City, Mexico.

2nd World Conference on Women is held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

3rd World Conference on Women is held in Nairobi, Kenya.

1994

The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences is appointed by the Commission on Human Rights, with a mandate to investigate and report on all aspects of violence against women.

1995

The Commission serves as the preparatory body for the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. It adopts the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

The Salvation Army sends 10 women to this conference.

2011

The UN combines all the offices that deal with the Women’s issues Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

They merge to become UN Women, which is now the Secretariat of the Commission on the Status of Women.

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great moments

BRE AKING BARRIERS in the New York Staff Band

by Robert Mitchell

Lauren Garell (left) and Lori Jackson Laidlaw during their first year in the New York Staff Band and after marching in a parade.

It’s been 33 years since Lori Jackson Laidlaw and Lauren Garell became the first women members of the New York Staff Band (NYSB). Both said they were proud and honored by the distinction, but they also knew there were other talented women before them.

Laidlaw, now a Salvation Army major in Levittown, Pa., said she is pleased today to see several women in the band.

“There were many women prior to me who were good enough players to have been in the band,” Laidlaw says. “I lament that they didn’t get that opportunity. I was in the right place at the right time.”

Garell agreed, adding, “I’m proud that I was in the band. It’s a major accomplishment for anyone—male or female. I don’t think having women in the band is special anymore. When it was just two of us, people stopped and looked. It’s

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becoming commonplace.”

Both women came aboard in the fall of 1986 under Bandmaster Brian Bowen.

The book The Proclaimers: A History of the New York Staff Band 1887–2007 dedicates several pages to the unexpected move, calling the NYSB “one of the last bastions of all–male comradeship.”

The Chicago Staff Band had accepted women, but few other Army brass bands in North America had followed its lead.

Laidlaw said she was contacted in the summer of 1986 by Colonel Edward Fritz, the band’s executive officer, who asked her to pray about joining the band. She was only 19. If she accepted, the band would also bring on then–Captain Garell.

“I think the band was at a point where they needed to consider women,” Garell recalls. “It wasn’t the 1800s or early 1900s anymore. There were many fine

women players. I just happened to be in the New York area. The bandmaster needed players.”

Garell, who played the alto horn, said some of the bandsmen went out of their way to help the women feel welcome, but not everyone was happy with the move.

“There definitely was some resistance,” Garell said.

On the road, the women were often forced to find their own changing rooms.

“Lori and I usually went to the bathroom. No big deal,” Garell says.

The Proclaimers includes several anecdotes from the women about their early days with the band.

Laidlaw, who played cornet in the band from 1986 to 1997 and again from 2010 to 2015, said there were many “sanctifying moments” for her.

“Just one example would be during the middle of a piece called ‘Divine Communion,’ the chorus was ‘Sweet Will of God’ and the solo cornet player sitting next to me put his horn down and began to weep. God spoke to me in such a powerful way, asking me ‘Lori, are you wholly lost in me?’

“I first learned and witnessed the universality of the Gospel as we traveled and worshipped with fellow believers and Salvationists around the world. In Korea, as we played an arrangement of ‘Amazing Grace,’ a North Korean soldier put his rifle down and stood at attention until the end of the piece, at which time,

he picked his rifle back up. This was such a powerful moment for me.”

Both Laidlaw and Garell were heavily influenced by their parents and family when it came to music.

Laidlaw was a third–generation member on both sides. Both of her grandfathers, Samuel Maginnis and Frederick Jackson, played in the NYSB, as did her father, Frederick Jackson II, and her son, Caleb, a fourth-generation member.

Laidlaw said her father knew the sentiment in the band against women and urged her not to join.

“He told me, ‘If you’re going to do this, then you need to be the hardest worker in terms of loading and unloading the band truck, make sure you can play your part, keep your head down, and make sure you’re the best possible member that you can be.’ So, I tried to do that,” Laidlaw said. “I tried not to be a problem or a prima donna or a princess.”

Meanwhile, Garell’s presence in the band was a source of immense pride for her parents, Majors Laurence and Phyllis Garrell, who would often drive hundreds of miles to see their daughter perform.

Garell said she was unaware of the history she and Laidlaw were making at the time. She only knew that she had pleased her father, who was a good bandsman, but never got in the NYSB. “I don’t think I was thinking of it in terms of the history at the time,” she said.

“I know I was thinking how proud I had

Lori Jackson Laidlaw plays in the band.

Lauren Garell with members

finally made my parents. They were proud when I became an officer, but my Dad had always been a huge band enthusiast.

He put an instrument in my hand.”

Garell said her favorite part of seeing the band today is when they ask former members to stand.

“I am extremely proud to have been in that group and to develop so many unique friendships,” she said. “The band is a blessing. It’s hard work.”

find us on facebook / estamos en facebook www.facebook.com/saconnects

of the NYSB.

Garell and Laidlaw got to travel the world and enjoyed the camaraderie.

“I enjoyed playing music that was challenging to me,” Garell said. “I enjoyed the mentorship from bandsmen. They was some of the greatest days of my life. I saw places I never, ever would have been able to see.

“For me, it wasn’t about us, it was about who we reached. It was about what the crowd got from our performance.”

2019 MARCH

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wholly  living

P R A Y TOG E T H E R

by Lt. Colonel Patricia LaBossiere

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The quote “an army marches on its stomach” has been attributed to Frederick the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, and various other military leaders. But regardless of who said it first, its meaning is clear—an army cannot fight if it doesn’t have food to eat. Although the Salvation Army’s soldiers also love to eat, their real, spiritual strength comes through prayer.

“This Army marches on its knees.

So, pray hard, pray long, pray often,” writes coauthors Colonel Janet Munn and Major Stephen Court in their book Army on its Knees (2014). “Enduring, intimate, extraordinary prayer generates spiritual power, advance, and victory.

It is this kind of prayer that sustains communion with God, that drives the salvation war, that guarantees personal victory over sin, and corporate victory over the devil. Our humble, sacrificial adoration and intercession is empowered by His power at work within us!”

Last October, Commissioners William A. and G. Lorraine Bamford, leaders of the Salvation Army’s USA Eastern Territory, launched the “PRAY TOGETHER” initiative. It’s a monthly prayer focus designed to unify our voices in prayer as we worship together.

Rooted in Scripture and supporting the territory’s 20/20 Vision campaign, these opportunities for prayer are intended to guide us as a community.

The main part of this initiative is a simple, focused, and unifying prayer to be used in Holiness meeting (morning service) on the second Sunday of each month. There are supplemental materials such as Powerpoint slides and a core scripture to accompany the call to prayer. The prayer themes are simple and clear and apply across the territory. They’re easy to remember throughout the week as we continue

*The Song Book of The Salvation Army #796

to lift up our officers, our corps (churches), and our centers.

PRAY TOGETHER materials are emailed to all officers prior to the 2nd Sunday of the month. They are also available on www.saconnects.org under the Spiritual Life Development tab. As we move forward with the initiative, you will see more resources included such as offerings from RightNow Media, prayer stations, informational and inspirational materials, spiritual disciplines, and more.

amid our uncertainties, our example of penitence can spread healing.

This is what a territorial call to prayer means. This is what our prayers can look like and sound like. This is the opportunity before us when we PRAY TOGETHER. Restraining prayer,

we cease to fight; Prayer makes the soldier’s

armour bright; And Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees.

ONLY IMAGINE

A 20/20 VISION

We have an opportunity to grow in our individual and corporate prayer lives. Imagine: Salvationist voices from across the territory together each month in praise and in petition, united in prayer; voices from Ohio to Connecticut, from Puerto Rico to Maine, from rural areas to urban ones and everything in between.

Visualize prayers rising from every segment of society and every corner of the territory in English, Spanish, Korean, Creole, Chinese, and Portuguese. Picture hands of every color raised, and eyes of every generation lifted.

See the Spirit of God carry our united prayers from heavily populated buildings in New York City to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania. They are spreading the Kingdom of God in sanctuaries, halls, classrooms, living rooms, and even in 12–passenger vans.

Will you join us as we flow prayers of thanksgiving through our communities? Can you help us interrupt spiritual darkness? Do you want our sincere requests to echo in the hearts of our worshiping families?

Through confession and our acknowledgment of every blessing

“We must be open to change that will draw people to the Kingdom, be conscious of the wonderful blessings we already have, expand where and when God leads, and share our beautiful Army heritage. It’s a missional heritage, one of holiness teaching and living; one that ‘gets it done’ in Jesus’ name; one that maintains the purity and integrity God demands, both corporately and individually. We eagerly anticipate your reports of victory. ‘May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God’ (Psalm 20:5).”

There are three priorities which are essential to fulfill the mission: People, Programs, and Provisions. The Lord’s valuable provisions help us to accomplish His work. He has given us various programs to reach the masses. The Lord has also blessed the Army with people to fulfill His work, while continuing to bring thousands more people our way each day.

The Lord has placed an important path in front of us. “20/20” is our theme for the journey ahead. 20/20 is intended to provide clarity of focus for our ministries and a long–term perspective through the year 2020.

— William Cowper*

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20/20 vision highlights

BRONX (TREMONT) N.Y., CORPS 2121 WASHINGTON AVENUE

Tiffany Garcia’s testimomy is amazing. As a nine– year old, she and her family came to the United States from Honduras with nothing, found The Salvation Army, and experienced the love of God far beyond anything they could have previously imagined.

Now in her teens, she says, “The Salvation Army was there when we most needed it. They didn’t treat us like everybody else treated us. The Salvationists were heartwarming.”

Garcia said her family soon learned that they could always rely on the Army. “That was our safe place.”

Do you really know The Salvation Army?

Its corps (churches) and Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARCs) are places of worship and social service located throughout the United States and in 131 countries worldwide. Here are examples of what’s happening in the USA Eastern Territory, which includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

To read Tiffany’s full story and see and hear her on video, go now to saconnects.org.

AKRON (CITADEL), OHIO CORPS 190 SOUTH MAPLE STREET

The Billy Booth Music & Arts Program, a component of the Learning Zone After School Program, offers educational support and a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program. Master’s–level volunteers from Akron University and Kent State University regularly teach brass instruments, piano, timbrels, guitar, and dance. Learning Zone students explore all the aspects of theatrical production. In 2018, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “The Aristocats” were among the offerings.

*Provided by Lisa Collier EPA Ministry Development Coordinator

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PHILADELPHIA, (CITADEL) PA., CORPS 5830 RISING SUN AVENUE

Majors Eduardo and Janet Zuniga have followed up their four–week spiritual formation seminar with a monthly meeting focusing on the practice of spiritual disciplines.

More people are engaged in studying the Word and are developing deeper relationships within the congregation. In addition to Bible study, each small group shares in worship, fellowship, service, and evangelism.*

What’s happening in your area?

Send us your story. We’ll bring your corps or ARC ministry into clear focus as a “20/20 Vision Highlight”!

“We chose a charitable gift annuity during our lifetime so The Salvation Army would know the money will be available for future use.”

– Dennis & Fran Halaby

THANK YOU, MR. AND MRS. HALABY! The Salvation Army is excited to have a giving opportunity that furthers our mission AND benefits our dedicated and generous donor friends and members. Our work could not reach all those who need our ministry and services if it weren’t for “the army” of support we have.

It is an honor to have the trust of Salvation Army Gift Annuity donors like Mr. and Mrs. Halaby. It gives us great satisfaction to know they are pleased with the way this gift opportunity meets their needs for income and for putting their money where their values will be reinforced for generations in the future.

OUR GIFT ANNUITY CAN PROVIDE 

A Solid Rate of Return Based on Age



Tax–favored Fixed Payments for Life



A Charitable Deduction



Peace of Mind and Accomplishment

*

*e.g. at age 75 the payment rate is 6.2% and at age 85 the rate is 8.3%

2019PGSA30

DOING THE MOST GOOD

®

® For further information, please contact: The Salvation Army, Department of Planned Giving 440 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, NY 10994 (845) 620–7297