SAconnects, Volume 10, Number 6, 2024

ministry through the arts

WHO WE ARE

| 8|

Programs In Syracuse, Christmas gifts and food donations for the needy become a day of shopping.

| 9|

People Captain Stanley Pierre-Louis once had very different plans for how to be in service.

| 10|

History Timeless Christmas messages from our past leaders.

| 12|

Faith in Action

The Salvation Army in Pottstown, Pa., offers shelter and hope for the future.

| 14| Q&A

Keith Bryant Sr. is known as the singing bell ringer.

| 27|

Thrift Store Finds Holiday decorations, entertainment, and more are at your Salvation Army store.

LIVING

| 28|

Spiritual Life Development

Experience the story of Advent as if you’ve never heard it before.

| 30|

Book Review This devotional will sweeten your day.

| 31|

Health Learn ways to protect yourself during flu season.

| 32|

Volunteer Spotlight

Upon retirement, entrepreneurs Chris and Mary Howland moved to Newport, R.I., and got involved in their local Salvation Army.

Feature Captains Jean and Stephanie Sainteme lead the Salvation Army in Westbury, N.Y.

If you’re looking for a place to worship, we invite you to join us. To find a location near you, go to easternusa.salvationarmy.org and enter your ZIP code. Every Salvation Army corps offers Sunday worship services.

FOUNDER William Booth

GENERAL Lyndon Buckingham

TERRITORIAL LEADERS

Commissioner Ralph Bukiewicz

Commissioner Susan Bukiewicz

CHIEF SECRETARY Colonel Ivan K. Rock

DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Joseph Pritchard

EDITOR IN CHIEF / DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS

Warren L. Maye

MANAGING EDITOR Robert Mitchell

EDITOR / HISPANIC CORRESPONDENT Hugo Bravo

COPY EDITOR / PROOFREADER Donna L. Ng

ART DIRECTOR Reginald Raines

PUBLICATION CONTENT

MANAGER AND DESIGNER

Lea La Notte Greene

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Dave Hulteen Jr., Joe Marino, Karena Lin

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Lu Lu Rivera

CIRCULATION Doris Marasigan

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.

Member since 2015. Award winner 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

WARREN L. MAYE Editor in Chief

“If you can’t say it, write it down; if you can’t write it down, draw a picture.”

—Kenneth Stokes

As a child, I lost my voice and struggled with stuttering for two years after a traumatic experience. A good neighbor, Kenneth Stokes, encouraged me to express myself through writing and drawing. So I began creating stories and pictures and soon discovered how effectively I could communicate that way. I will forever be grateful for his loving advice.

In 2006, Sir Ken Robinson, in an outstanding TED Talk, spoke about the place of art, music, drama, and dance in education. He argued that creativity is as important as literacy and that the arts are undervalued compared with academics, despite their role in motivating students and enhancing their ability to tackle challenging subjects. In his eyes, the creative disciplines are essential for overall student well-being and success.

NY 10994–1739. Vol. 10, No. 6, 2024. Printed in USA. Postmaster: Send all address changes to: SAconnects, 440 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, NY 10994–1739. SAconnects accepts advertising. Copyright © 2024 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.

“We don’t grow into creativity; we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out of it,” Robinson said. “We have to be careful now that we use this gift wisely … and the only way we’ll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are and seeing our children for the hope that they are. Our task is to educate their whole being so they can face this future. By the way, we may not see this future, but they will, and our job is to help them make something of it.”

Robinson’s talk, with more than 77 million views, is one of the most popular TED Talks of all time.

In this issue of SAconnects magazine, we explore how The Salvation Army provides a wealth of programs to help people expand their mental, emotional, and spiritual capacities through the arts. See our cover story, “Creating for the King” (p. 16).

Speaking, writing, and drawing have been the tools of my career all these years. I hope that you will enjoy our focus on this topic and realize that critical thinking and creative expression go hand in hand.

THE SALVATION ARMY’S OTHERS PROGRAM OFFERS PEOPLE ACCESS TO FLEXIBLE JOBS, FAIR WAGES, AND DECENT EMPLOYMENT. THROUGH YOUR PURCHASES, WE PROVIDE LIFE–CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES TO OVER 1200 ARTISANS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD WHO PRODUCE QUALITY HANDMADE PRODUCTS, LIKE THIS BEAUTIFUL BEADED WREATH ORNAMENT FROM KENYA.

“A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart.”

—Charles Finney, a central figure in the Second Great Awakening and an influence on early Salvationists

Hot chocolate is a wintertime favorite, and it’s what the Salvation Army Donut Lassies often served to U.S. troops during World War I. Coffee beans were scarce and expensive during the war, but hot chocolate was readily available to purchase from the allied French army.

In Barbara Bush: A Memoir, she writes about her 1989 visit to Mazza Gallerie in Washington, D.C., to support The Salvation Army, which had been banned from many malls. By donating $11 while the press observed, Bush aimed to make a statement. Georgetown Mall decided to allow the bell ringers too, and it was reported that the first lady’s small gesture significantly benefited The Salvation Army’s fundraising efforts.

Donor Corner

The CMA CGM Foundation, the philanthropic arm of France’s CMA CGM Group, one of the world’s leading shipping and logistics companies, took its “Giving Across North America” initiative to The Salvation Army in Harlem, N.Y. The foundation donated 1,500 turkeys for Thanksgiving and 1,400 complete meals for Christmas—enough to provide almost 30,000 holiday meals in Harlem.

“I want to thank CMA CGM for their generous donation, and their volunteers who came to serve this distribution with cheerful hearts and pleasing smiles,” said Captain Neekenson Fils-Aime, corps officer at the Harlem Temple Corps. “This donation helped many in our community celebrate with their families. It’s always unfortunate when families aren’t able to celebrate a special holiday due to financial circumstances. This generosity has instilled a sense of family in many homes.”

Turkey Day Volunteers from CMA CGM with The Salvation Army and police in Harlem, N.Y.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

—ISAIAH 9:6

Christian recording artist Lauren Daigle performed the Christmas songs “What Child Is This?” and “Jingle Bells” in a New York City subway station last December with members of the New York Staff Band while two Salvation Army officers— Captain Clifford Douglas and Envoy LeNissa Sukhdeo—rang the bells. Daigle gave the mini concert at the Rockefeller Center station near Radio City Music Hall before her appearance on NBC’s Kelly Clarkson Show.

One of Christian music’s biggest stars, Daigle was a celebrity spokeswoman for The Salvation Army in 2023. The soulful singer released a Christmas album, Behold, in 2016 but is best known for songs like “You Say,” “Rescue,” “Hold On to Me,” and “How Can It Be.” The crossover hit “You Say” spent 132 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. Daigle, 33, has won two Grammy Awards and 12 Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association in her career.

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign is the oldest annual charitable fundraiser in the nation and central to the organization’s mission. The campaign helps fund Christmas assistance and year-round soup kitchens, food pantries, utility assistance programs, and more at local Salvation Army churches.

Distribution Day in Syracuse

by HUGO BRAVO

Did you know? (christmas edition)

 The average Christmas holiday budget is $708.

 The two days before Christmas are the busiest shopping days of the year.

 On Dec. 16, 1965, “Jingle Bells” was the first song played in space with instruments during NASA’s Gemini 6A spaceflight.

 Bing Crosby’s recording of “White Christmas” is the bestselling single of all time.

 The Salvation Army’s first red kettle was in the form of a large crab pot at San Francisco’s Oakland Ferry Landing. Above the pot was a sign that read “Keep the Pot Boiling.”

Distribution Day is the highlight of the year for The Salvation Army in Syracuse. That day, families who have signed up through the Army and met income requirements visit the Syracuse Oncenter Convention Center and receive a donation of toys for their children and food for their home, meeting with an assistant to guide them in making selections.

“From setup to the day of the event, we have over 1,000 volunteers, each doing three-hour work shifts,” says Deanna Delmonico, public and donor relations manager for The Salvation Army Syracuse Area Services. “On Distribution Day itself, volunteers arrive early and get training on their role as personal shoppers. They become familiar with the shopping rules, the locations of different toys, and how to use translator apps on their phones to communicate with families that don’t speak English.”

At the Oncenter, families are paired with their own personal shopper volunteer. Together they walk through a festively decorated hall and pick out toys sorted by theme and age. Sometimes they work from a list, or the guide can make suggestions as they browse through hundreds of stuffed animals, board games, books, and more. Families with older children and teens can opt to receive gift cards. After gift shopping, each family receives a food box with pasta, sauce, vegetables, and other ingredients for a Christmas dinner.

“We try to do Distribution Day close to Christmas, but not too close, so they can have time to prepare what they have received,” says Delmonico. “But the lead-up to Distribution Day is a culmination of connections The Salvation Army in Syracuse has made throughout the year.”

Over 20 local community agencies, including Toys for Tots and the United Way, donate

toys and books for the families. Without The Salvation Army’s partners in the community, an event like Distribution Day would be impossible.

“Last year, Distribution Day served about 1,900 households. That’s a little under 8,000 people, and 4,500 of those are children who received a Christmas toy,” she says. “Our volunteers put in about 3,000 hours of service combined, not just as shoppers but also making the food boxes, organizing and manning the toy tables, and cleaning up at the end of the day. Each of them is happy to make sure families have a merry Christmas.”

It’s a well-oiled machine. “There are so many people, gifts, and goods coming in and going out of the hall, but we make everything run as smooth as possible. Sometimes, I think it shouldn’t work as well as it does.”

Last year, a woman went into early labor in the middle of shopping. Still, she was determined to get presents for her children. Her list was given to an Army employee, who did the shopping for her. Meanwhile, the mother was taken to the hospital to deliver her baby.

“It must have been a very special Christmas for all of them,” says Delmonico.

Many of the families who attend Distribution Day are vulnerable and not used to having such personal one-on-one assistance. The connection they make with their shopper, and The Salvation Army itself, makes Distribution Day a popular ministry for everyone involved.

“Being a personal shopper for Distribution Day can be a demanding role, but it’s also the one that gets filled up the fastest,” says Delmonico. “Volunteers reach out to us in the summer to ask about being personal shoppers. They tell us how rewarding and how fun it is to be in service to these Syracuse families.”

I always had a passion to serve. When my father and stepmother had their own children, their attention shifted from me, my father’s first child, to my younger siblings. This did not bother me. I felt it was my duty to be in service to those new babies. As a teen, I wanted to join the Haitian military to serve my country. But the year I graduated high school, the government disbanded the military. Years later, my wife and I brought our family to live in New York. We came across The Salvation Army giving away boxes of food, and we were given one. I knew about the good the Army did, but felt serving for them was beyond my potential and English skills. So I volunteered to pack food boxes. When we were invited to learn about becoming officers, I could not believe The Salvation Army would consider us for such a role. But this was about what God wanted. He knew I still had the fire in my heart to serve.

In late 2020, an elderly woman, a regular at the Jamaica Citadel, stopped showing up to church. We were concerned, so we went to visit her to pray and bring tea. We learned from her son that she was wheezing, unable to walk, and had soiled herself lying in bed. She had taken a COVID-19 test but did not want to go to the hospital until she got her results. She would only see my wife, who looked at me and said, “I have to clean her.” In that moment, I saw my beautiful wife as one of The Salvation Army’s Slum Sisters, who would visit homes, sometimes late at night, to clean and take care of sick children or their parents. Finally, the woman was taken to the ICU, where it was confirmed she had COVID. She is alive today and still comes to the corps. She says she prays for us and owes us something for being there for her. Of course, she doesn’t owe us a thing, but we’re grateful for her prayers.

In Search of Service

Interview by HUGO BRAVO

Captain Stanley Pierre-Louis, corps officer at the Jamaica Citadel Corps in New York, talks about his early goal of serving in the Haitian military, the importance of self-care as a pastor, and seeing the work of the Salvation Army “Slum Sisters” through his wife, Captain Ermance Pierre-Louis.

I keep up my spiritual health by reading the Bible and living the Word of God. But our physical bodies are also temples of the Lord, and He has entrusted us to take care of them. If I cannot take care of myself, how can I take care of others? My favorite exercise is bike riding. Our family lives in Franklin Square, Long Island, which has a very big bike community. I taught all my children to ride bikes, so they could ride with my wife and me. Being an Army officer is not about sitting behind a desk all day. We are walking from place to place, meeting the community, lifting boxes, and representing The Salvation Army.

At our first assignment in Spring Valley, N.Y., I got a 1 a.m. phone call from a corps family. Their son, a 25-year-old man with mental issues, was very sick and would not talk to anyone but his pastor. When I arrived, he was scared and distrustful of stepping inside the ambulance his worried family had called. I thanked him for his trust and assured him that he’d be safe. He eventually agreed to go to the hospital and stayed for three months. That was a long, tiring night, but that man’s life and well-being was my only concern. I want anyone who needs me to disturb me at any time. My own discomfort means nothing to me if I can bring comfort to others.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” I had a very specific plan for a life in the military. I could have been facing dangerous Haitian gangs. I would have been taught to kill, or I may have been killed myself. God had a better plan. As a Salvation Army officer, I’m not in the business of taking lives. I’m in the business of saving souls.

LU LU RIVERA

Take Care Captain Stanley Pierre-Louis knows the importance of spiritual and physical health.

A Christmas Message

Listen and celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ

by ROB JEFFERY

I grew up in Canada in a very pro-monarchy household. Each Christmas morning my father would pause the gift-opening festivities at 11 o’clock, turn on the television, and make us watch the queen’s Christmas message. Sometimes he would even make us stand in the living room for the royal anthem, “God Save the Queen.”

We’d all slightly roll our eyes at his enthusiasm, but that annual tradition shaped my siblings and me to the point that at 43 years of age, now living in the United States of America, I still look forward to the Christmas greeting of the monarch. It is special to think that there are millions of people from the Commonwealth (the former British empire) watching and listening to the same message around the world.

Many heads of state record a Christmas

message. In 1927 President Calvin Coolidge wrote the first Christmas greeting to the American people on White House stationery. Since then, radio, TV, and now the internet have transmitted the president’s Christmas speech into countless American homes. Some may not relish the thought of hearing from political leaders on Christmas Day (of all days), but their words represent a sort of patriotic and spiritual reflection, meant to unify the country through the celebration of shared religious traditions.

It goes without saying that Christmastime in The Salvation Army is very special. Of course it’s equally special for every Christian church, yet many people associate our Army with the very celebration of Christmas.

For some, it’s not Christmas until they put that first $1 bill into the red kettle at the

local shopping mall while a volunteer in a red apron vigorously thanks them by ringing a silver bell, or until they hear the brass band playing a beloved Christmas carol on the corner.

For many years, the General of The Salvation Army has recorded a Christmas message. Thanks to the internet, nearly every Salvationist around the world can now hear those words of hope. Some of our great pioneers also shared their thoughts about Christmas, and we’re sharing them again here. Notice that, while joyful, these messages are free of the sugary-sweet sentimentality that sometimes characterizes holiday greetings. For the Salvationists of old, bringing people into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ was the best way to celebrate the birth of the true King of Kings.

Bramwell Booth

“There was no home for Jesus in Bethlehem. There was no room for Him in the inn. There was no cradle in the stable. There was no protector when Herod arose to kill. What a strange world it is! … The King of Glory had not a place to lay His head! Mary, it is true, was strong in faith, but both she and Joseph must need soon fly into Egypt with the Babe. Refused at the inn, soon even the stable must cast them out! … But amidst it all, what a great heart of passionate love was His! Blessed be His Name for ever! Whether the poverty and suffering and hatred were or were not favorable to it, there it was—the Great Heart of all the world. What about you? Can you ever be again the same since you learned that He loved you? … Depend upon it, the world’s great need is ‘Great Hearts.’ Will you be one?”

“Contrasts at Bethlehem,” Our Master, 1912

William Booth

“There is a stale, old argument used by the Gentile world about forgiving your enemies and rubbing off grudges, and all that sort of thing, as being a peculiarly gracious duty to be practised at Christmas time. That does not apply to our ranks, surely? Your Salvation Army people don’t burden themselves with the memory of grudges and enmities. They forgive as they go along. But before the Lord there are some who, on trying their hearts by the great inspired tuning fork, the Word of God, will find they are too high—too sharp! To these we say, come down. This is the very time of the year to get low—not only into the village of Bethlehem, but to the stable—that is the penitent form, where you will be sure to meet your Saviour.”

“A Merry Christmas,” Salvation Soldiery, 1890

Samuel Logan Brengle

“The heavenly host … appeared over the plain of Bethlehem. The first note of their song was, ‘Glory to God in the highest.’ They put heavenly things first. God was foremost in their thought, then His glory; afterwards they sang, ‘Peace on earth and goodwill toward men.’ … All who seek to keep God’s law and who embrace the Gospel are introduced into the life and spirit of Heaven and become citizens of Heaven. As heavenly beings therefore they must put heavenly things first; they must live the life of Heaven upon earth. In the light of these truths, the Christmas song of the angels, sung over the sleepy little town of Bethlehem, becomes a guide to us in these days. Our chief business is to give glory to God, to put Him first in our lives, to have a divine jealousy for His honor.”

“The Angels’ Song of Peace,” Love-Slaves, 1923

Evangeline Booth

“To some Christmas implies a round of ceaseless gaiety; to some a season of family reunion; to some a time of eating and drinking; to some many gifts both given and received. But to me Christmas means more—so much more—than any of these. First, because I was a Christmas gift myself. On the 25th of December, the snowflakes and I came into the world together. … It has always seemed to me that Christmas should be the world’s brightest day. … Christmas always stands to me for happiness, that rich and lasting kind, springing from the creation of happiness. Christmas is my busiest day in all the year. And the joy which grows as I hand out the packed baskets into thin hands, and see the faces of little children light up at the sight of our giant Christmas tree, and stroke the baby’s cheek as some poor mother thanks me with tears for its new coat, rests all my weariness.”

“What Christmas Means to Me,” 1907

A Roof Over Their Heads

The Salvation Army in Pottstown, Pa., offers more than a shelter to people who are homeless

by ROBERT MITCHELL

Charles Moore and his family used to be able to afford housing, but their life changed when his wife, Tiara, suffered a devastating stroke and couldn’t return to work. All the family had to live on was his modest disability check each month.

“That’s how we ended up homeless,” Charles says. “We didn’t have enough to pay the bills and the rent.”

Charles moved the family, including daughters Sharima, 9, and Shakia, 8, from North Carolina to the Philadelphia area, where he had family. They eventually ended up in a Salvation Army family shelter in Pottstown, Pa., about 40 miles northwest of Philly.

“They’ve done a lot for us at The Salvation Army,” Charles says. “We have a roof over our heads and the kids are satisfied. We’re not sleeping in a car. We did do that a couple of nights. It’s better than sitting in a park all day.

“They said we can be here until we can put our hands on something that we can afford. We need all the help we can get. It’s been a long road, and The Salvation Army took a big load off us. God has given me the faith and strength to hold on. This is home for us until we find something.”

The root causes

A large red shield is emblazoned on the door of the shelter, located behind the corps. With 11 rooms and a capacity of 44 residents, it’s the largest shelter in Montgomery County.

“It’s usually full all the time,” says Major Ida Perez, the corps officer in Pottstown. “I’m told

“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.”

—Leviticus 25:35 (ESV )

the waiting list can sometimes be as many as 60 families.”

Wendy Egolf, the shelter director, says most families stay for two or three months, but the time can vary depending on the barriers they may face. The Salvation Army refers residents to various community resources, while offering a place to stay and spiritual guidance if they ask.

“Some people have never had security before so when they get into a place that has some structure and a routine and guidelines and support, they like it here,” Egolf says. “Sometimes people find it hard to leave.”

The rising cost of housing is behind the homelessness problem. Perez rarely sees rents for less than $1,500 a month in Pottstown. People are spending more than half of their income on housing, she says, instead of about 30%, the amount that experts often say should be budgeted for the purpose.

“Everything is going into rent,” Perez says. “The costs are extreme. Most families are within two weeks of being homeless. If they lose pay for two pay periods, the chances are they could go into homelessness.”

Egolf agrees that the problem is the lack of affordable housing. “Housing is at a premium. We’re paying top-dollar prices now since COVID. All the rents have gone up.”

Giving them hope In Montgomery County, the homelessness problem centers around Pottstown, a small town with a population of 23,000, where many

live in “tent cities” that pop up from time to time. Many from the encampments come to a Wednesday soup kitchen offered at The Salvation Army that can draw up to 150 people.

“They gather outside beforehand, and I pray with them,” Perez says. “I am available to talk to them and kind of meet them where they are. Because everyone knows The Salvation Army, I do get to meet the people from the tent cities, and everyone refers them over. I’m very hands-on. Social services can be done by volunteers, but I make a point of always being there so I can talk to people.”

Perez invites homeless people to attend church on Sundays, but given their transient nature, some attend and then disappear to the next town or opportunity.

When she does get a chance to chat, Perez reassures them that they’re not alone and someone cares at The Salvation Army.

“The first line the enemy gives them is that they’re by themselves and there’s nobody around and things are hopeless,” she says. “My first step is always to remind them that we may not be able to offer them the thousands of dollars they need to get into a new place, but for this one moment, they can breathe and cry and tell me anything they need to tell me.”

Egolf, who has been the shelter director for 15 years, gets involved in the lives of the residents to talk about their options. The Salvation Army’s goal is to help people overcome the obstacles keeping them from permanent housing.

“I really like the fact that the

shelter gives us the opportunity to be here for families and support them and give them the tools and resources they need,” she says. “We put some support systems in place, so they are prepared to be independent with those supports.”

Help is here

Homeless families are also sometimes housed at other churches around town, but there is help coming in Pottstown. A local organization, Beacon of Hope, plans to build a 45-room shelter like The Salvation Army’s facility that will also offer services and help in the battle against homelessness.

Egolf leads The Salvation Army’s hugely successful Pottstown Works program, which grew out of the shelter and helps prepare people for sustainable jobs. Pottstown Works assists with everything from résumé writing to interview skills, right down to the proper attire and handshake.

“The good news about Pottstown Works is we stay with people,” Egolf says. “We’re going to help them build their résumé and get a job, and once they do, if they’re willing, we’ll stay in their lives.”

Pottstown Works helps program graduates with issues like child care, transportation, and even career advancement long after they find work, Egolf says. “Our graduates are contributing members of the community. We hear from them and they’re contributing wherever they are.”

Shelter residents are not required to attend church or other ministries of The

Salvation Army, but Egolf lets them know about all the offerings. For example, a mother in the shelter inquired recently about attending a Bible study at the corps, and her child heard about Salvation Army summer camp and the various children’s ministries.

“Whatever happens here at the corps, we make that totally available to any of the residents here at the shelter.”

It’s her career now Egolf once thought she would only be with The Salvation Army for three years to start a transitional housing program, but God clearly had other plans. Today, she handles all the housing programs at the corps, the shelter, Pottstown Works, and the Pathway of Hope program.

“For me, this is a mission,” she says. “God led me here for sure.”

The success stories are what keep Egolf going. Many years ago a couple came to the shelter with a nonverbal special-needs daughter. During the stay, the husband left his wife, who had never managed the family finances and had no resources. The Salvation Army helped get the woman and her daughter into housing and connected them to other programs.

Egolf says the woman has lived in the same house for 18 years and pays her bills on time—and is now returning the favor at The Salvation Army.

“She has volunteered here and helped out in our food pantry,” Egolf says. “My goal is to be able to encourage people to reach their greatest potential and to enjoy life and not to struggle so much.”

Spreading Joy

Meet the singing Salvation Army bell ringer of Westborough, Mass.

by ROBERT MITCHELL illustrationby DAVE HULTEEN

Keith Bryant Sr. is known as the singing Salvation Army bell ringer outside the Roche Bros. Supermarket in Westborough, Mass. A Worcester resident, the 60-year-old Bryant has been ringing the bell for 24 years now and mixes in Christmas classics and oldies for his shoppers.

He grew up in a musical family in New York City before moving to Massachusetts 38 years ago, but he never forgot what The Salvation Army did for him and his family when he was young. “On holidays we always had turkey and ham and all the sides from The Salvation Army,” he said. “We never had to worry about anything.”

Now retired, Bryant worked for a moving business and in security and human services, but it’s music that has always been his first love. As he prepares his voice for another season at the red kettle, he took a few minutes to talk to SA connects

Why do you ring the bell every year?

It’s because of my mom. When I was a little kid, we came upon some hard times and my mom used to donate her time to help in the kitchen and feed the homeless at The Salvation Army. When she did, I saw how hard she worked. That’s the reason I do it. My mother inspired me. On Christmas, she would say, “I have one thing to say before you open up your presents. When you see the red kettle, you put something in it.” She would give us some pocket change and we’d always put a penny or two in. My mom used to do bell ringing in New York City. It was always fun because I remember the bell ringers were in seasonal colors, and they were singing as quartets. It was beautiful back then.

Any other motivation?

I also know what it’s like to be a homeless person. I was there at one time. It wasn’t a fun experience, but I’m glad I did go through it because I learned what some local homeless people are going through and I help them today. If they need food, I tell them to go to The Salvation Army.

Do you have any spiritual motivation for what you do?

Most definitely. I’ve always known about The Salvation Army church. When I was going through hard times, I’d get the magazines my mom would bring home from The Salvation Army and read them when she was at work. I found them very interesting.

Do you sing the entire time you’re at the kettle?

Usually, yes. I’ll take a break for my lunch and dinner. I’ll sit around a little bit and then go back to work.

Is it a cappella, or do you play any musical instruments?

I have the songs on my phone screen and do them karaoke-style. I usually put it on top of my kettle. I sang a ton of Christmas songs last year. I can watch the kettle and sing.

Did you always sing, or is this new?

It was just me and the bell at first. That’s it. It was my third week working for The

Salvation Army and I just started singing and people started liking the songs. Then, down the road, I just added on a little more entertainment by having a speaker with lights on it. So, during the holidays, that gives them the Christmas spirit with the lights going around as the music plays.

What songs do you sing, and how do you choose them?

During the Thanksgiving season, I usually sing oldies but goodies like “Diana” by Paul Anka. I do that one for fun. Another one is “Get Here” by Oleta Adams. Gradually, as it goes into the Christmas season, I usually play some gospel music. People love that. I do some modern songs, but not very many.

Do you take requests?

If a little kid asks me to do “Jingle Bells,” I’ll take the request, but I usually only do a list of songs I’m really good at. The rest I’m kind of working on. If an adult really wants it, I’ll do the request. I know I’m doing this for people in need, so sometimes I just take requests.

How do people react?

It’s beautiful. One day a lady was walking by, and she had just lost her husband a few days before. She heard me singing “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra and she came by and put $50 in the kettle. I said, “Madam, are you OK?” I saw she was crying. I said, “Why do you have tears in your eyes and why did you donate so much?” She told me she had just lost her husband a few days before and the songs I was singing brought back memories from when they first met. I said, “I’m sorry.” She said, “Don’t be sorry. I love it. It’s beautiful.” Then she gave me a hug and a little kiss on the cheek. When she came back out of the store, she had a big smile on her face and had no sorrow. It was a beautiful day that day.

Do people give more when you’re singing?

I would think so. I mean, if you’re good at it and you’re really touching their hearts and their minds. There’s a certain way you have to sing though. Some people like to hear it in the classic way or in an urban way. Either way, you have to sing from the heart.

How do you protect your voice being out in the cold?

I take lemon drops and cough drops with me. I also take peppermint oil. I also usually have ginger chews, and that usually keeps me protected with my voice and my immune system.

In the winter, how do you get through long and grueling shifts?

I dance around a lot so I don’t stay cold. I sweat too much anyway, so I dance around and sweat even more to stay warm!

How important is music in your life?

Do you have any vocal training?

My family has been into music for years. That’s how I got into music. My mom used to sing at places for $2 before I was born. She would sing for the older adults who came over for the holidays. It’s been in my family for generations. All my cousins did shows and block parties back in the day. They’d get the permits and do shows in the parks, and they’d get people to come and be the entertainment. A lot of those people who did that in New York City are now famous.

What’s it like to bring joy to people with your singing?

It’s a magical feeling. There was a woman shopper, and I knew she had something against people of color. I turned the other cheek. I didn’t care, but when she came out of the store, she heard me singing and she said, “Is that you or the song?” I said, “That’s me.” She said, “Prove it.” So I turned the music off. She said, “Wow, that is you. Here’s $20.” I said, “Thank you!” At that time, I knew people can change. Their hearts can change if they have the right motivation.

Do you ever dwell on how many people your collections have helped?

All the time. I always think about that. I say to myself during the Christmas season, no matter how hard it was, it always turns out to be a perfect season at the end. People will give me cards and gift cards and they’ll buy me lunch. One lady bought me a wreath. I took it home and I had a great season that year. I can’t wait for this year.

“A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God, not just as tracts, mind you, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An art work can be a doxology in itself.”

—Francis Schaeffer, Art and the Bible

The Salvation Army’s music and arts programs change lives and help shape tomorrow’s leaders

by ROBERT MITCHELL

Jocelyn Benedict was bullied at school. She had few friends before she began singing in musicals at The Salvation Army’s Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Ashland, Ohio. Finding a place where she could spread her creative wings for God’s glory, she blossomed.

“The second I got there, I found so much love,” says Jocelyn, 14. “I was surrounded by other Christians and people who are just so influenced by the Holy Spirit. Being in the musicals we put on is so much fun, and I get to use the gifts God has given me and show other people. It helped me overcome the loneliness that came with bullying.”

Jocelyn was a Christian before coming to the Ashland Kroc Center, “but not a strong one,” she admits. She was “not good with God,” ignored her Bible, and only prayed occasionally. That all changed when the leaders emphasized spiritual disciplines as she honed her voice skills.

“I realized the amazing power of the Holy Spirit. Now I want to read my Bible. I want to pray more. I want to be more involved in youth groups,” says Jocelyn, who aspires to be a Salvation Army officer someday.

Jocelyn is one of millions of young people who have found a home through the wide variety of music and arts ministries offered by The Salvation Army.

Kathryn Higgins, director of the USA Eastern Territory’s Arts Ministries Bureau,

“

I’ve learned how to have more of a connection with God and how not to have negativity impact my life.”

hears stories like Jocelyn’s over and over again in The Salvation Army world.

“They talk about how they felt disconnected from the church or how the traditions or the rituals of church didn’t allow space for them—but the arts did,” Higgins says. “I think this is something that’s unique to The Salvation Army. We are a church that allows space for individuals who don’t always feel like they belong.

“There are so many children who come from the outskirts of society, or who are forgotten, or their dreams are forgotten.”

Endless opportunities

The Salvation Army offers a myriad of youth music programs, and the best and brightest gather each year during commissioning weekend for a competition called Star Search, putting on a spectacular variety show. Every summer, many brush up on their music skills at Star Lake Musicamp in the mountains of New Jersey. Others go on to perform as adults with the prestigious New York Staff Band or Eastern Territorial Staff Songsters.

Theater, dance, live audio production, and visual arts take center stage at the annual Territorial Arts Ministries Conservatory (TAMC) each summer. And a select group of young people travel overseas and throughout the United States to spread the gospel with the Creatives Arts Service Team (CAST).

Meanwhile, the Arts Ministries Bureau often travels around the territory performing the play Skeleton Army and producing Jesus Theatre and RePlay (a Playback Theatre company) at churches, summer camps, and Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers.

Every time she performs, Higgins says, audience members come up afterward to share their own experiences in the arts and how those events were pivotal in their lives.

“It helped them work together as a team,

it helped them speak in front of a crowd, it helped them gain confidence or learn how to speak for themselves,” she says. “It helped them develop empathy and understand what other people might be going through.

“Over and over, they tell me ‘I found a place in the arts.’ How amazing is it that The Salvation Army has a broad enough umbrella to reach people who otherwise don’t have that space?”

One of those people is Lydmarie Rivera Antonetti of the Guayama Corps in Puerto Rico. She has attended TAMC for several years and took every major track before joining the staff this year. Antonetti also has participated in Star Search, Star Lake Musicamp, two years of CAST, and other events since coming to The Salvation Army at age 14.

“I kind of made it my mission to learn a little bit of everything in the arts,” she says. “A lot of people who know me might not believe this, but before I came to The Salvation Army, I couldn’t talk on stage. I couldn’t express myself properly. I was socially awkward. I had stage fright even though I had danced for a few years. The Salvation Army helped me come out of my shell and try new things. I never in my life thought I would try drama. Participating in the Army helped me do that and gave me the motivation.”

Antonetti now has the courage to advocate for her island to host more events and training sessions for arts and music. The schools in Puerto Rico usually don’t offer much in those areas.

“Without The Salvation Army, I wouldn’t be doing the things I’m doing now,” she says. “I wouldn’t have the confidence. I would still be in a corner and unable to speak up, so I’m grateful to The Salvation Army.”

Star power

As the child of Salvation Army officers, Emily Betts learned to play piano and a brass instrument. Today, she is an envoy

who leads worship at the Kearny, N.J., Corps. She also helps with a free music program for children called Forte Friday.

Betts is a huge believer in the impact of this kind of ministry because she’s seen how Salvation Army music and arts programs help children grow socially and spiritually. She’s seen how they play into children’s lives. Public speaking and performing a solo in front of a crowd can be transformative experiences, especially for kids who might be naturally introverted or who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Maybe they can’t afford it or they’re not in a school system that offers it, so this brings them into a community that gives them the tools to grow in a way that will benefit their future,” Betts says. “It also puts them in an environment that is loving and encouraging, that in every way, shape, and form is trying to exemplify the goodness and love of Jesus Christ.

“I think that’s why people keep coming back. They feel loved and welcomed and know somebody is always here to support them and be here for them. I think The Salvation Army does a lot of things right, but one program that really hits the nail on the head is Star Search.”

In June, children’s laughter, their exuberant energy, and the sounds of musical instruments filled the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa., for the Star Search finals.

Emma Cornell, 13, from the Ithaca, N.Y., Corps, was on hand this year for drama and dance. She says the arts have taught her so much about life and faith.

“I’ve learned how to have more of a connection with God and how not to have negativity impact my life,” she says. “I’m able to share that with my friends who aren’t really religious and show them how I’m confident and how much I love God.”

Kayli Schoch, 16, from The Salvation Army in Coshocton, Ohio, says, “I play the piano because I want to glorify God. It’s one

GLORY TO GOD

Clockwise from right:

A drummer at Star Lake Musicamp; the Ashland Kroc Center’s performance of Matilda Jr., with Jocelyn Benedict at right; kicking off the 2024 TAMC finale; on stage at the 2024 Star Search Awards.

of my God-given talents, so I have fun with it. I feel God’s pleasure when I play.”

Performing for God

Kids like that are exactly who Majors Billy and Annalise Francis are trying to reach at the Ashland Kroc Center. When the couple arrived in 2018, the local schools offered few arts programs except band. Within a year, they were planning a musical and have now put on four—Frozen, Annie, Mary Poppins, and Matilda. Next up is Music Man.

Twenty-five young people came to audition for Frozen, and the Francises knew their new ministry had tapped into something.

“It’s just evolved from there,” Major Billy Francis says. “In Ashland, we’re known as the ‘musical theater people.’ Christ is the center of everything we do, and we’ve seen lives changed. We’re a place of belonging for these kids. They can’t wait for the next show.”

The Ashland Kroc offers not only theater but also drama troupes, a singing company, youth chorus, and voice lessons. Major Billy usually arranges the music for the musicals, and Major Annalise, a trained opera singer, handles choreography.

Major Billy says many of the kids are not initially part of the Salvation Army church but end up going to commissioning, youth retreats, and other events where Christ is magnified.

“What we’ve found is that they’ve learned that we are a church and we’ve even seen some of them partake in our church services,” he says. “It’s been a real joy to see that transpire with some of our children.”

More than a song and dance

Major Billy has always been an artsy person. Even though he moved around the territory with his parents, who are

Salvation Army officers, he would perform in high school plays and particularly enjoyed the New York City area and its rich cultural scene while his parents were stationed there.

He studied piano at Hunter College and says several musical mentors played pivotal roles in his life, including Salvationist luminaries like Gordon Ward, Ron Waiksnoris, Donna Peterson, and members of the New York Staff Band. He now tries to return the favor by imparting skills like teamwork, camaraderie, discipline, responsibility, and leadership to his young charges.

The arts help develop more than skills, says Higgins of the Arts Ministries Bureau. She cited studies showing that kids in the arts are more likely to show up for school, earn A’s, graduate, vote, and get into college.

“If all that is true, then wouldn’t access to arts programming break the cycle of

LIFTING HIS NAME

poverty? If we were able to provide quality arts programming for every youth free of charge, we could break the cycle of poverty in their family,” she says. “It’s ground shaking. It’s like gold and everyone seems to pass it over—and it could change the world.”

Astrid Echevarria, the former director of arts and music in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Division, feels the same way. Many of the kids from the island’s Fortissimo music program, she says, have gone on to earn scholarships and play music in college and in private bands because of what they learned at The Salvation Army.

Fortissimo is offered in four corps in Puerto Rico and involves 50 to 60 kids.

“I’ve seen kids really find themselves on those instruments. They spend a lot of time practicing and they connect to the music,” Echevarria says. “A lot of it is Salvation Army music they’re learning. You also see them getting involved in the corps and become leaders and teachers. It’s really awesome to see them grow in the corps as godly youth.”

She’s also the child of a Salvation Army

officer and a product of the Fortissimo program herself. When her mother was assigned to the San Juan Temple Corps, Echevarria learned to play the cornet and drums there. When she was 15 and her mother was sent to another corps with no music program, Echevarria took matters into her own hands. She volunteered to teach music lessons.

“I found myself rehearsing many nights and just singing to the Lord and playing instruments and learning and teaching as much as I could,” she recalls. “I spent many teenage years in the corps doing that. I spent hours practicing and I found I really enjoyed it. It became an important part of my life. It gave me a place in the corps, in the band, and in the world.

“I see myself a lot in these kids. I was once just like them with no clue and just playing an instrument. Those instruments helped shape my life.”

Evangelism through the arts

Alexis Dill, music director in The Salvation Army’s Western Pennsylvania Division,

says the arts and music programs are a great way to tie the community to the church. “Everyone is taking part in spiritual songs and worship,” she says. “The songs they sing, the words, they all relate to Jesus and the gospel, and it’s open to anyone.”

Dill, who hails from The Salvation Army in Canada, loves how musicians and artists come as children and are sometimes still performing as seniors. Learning an instrument requires discipline and commitment, which can last a lifetime.

“Music and arts especially really focus on building a skill and empowering a child or young adult to see they’re capable of doing something and growing in Christ,” she says. “When you’re making music and art all together, there’s a huge sense of community that is being built.”

Dill plays in the brass ensemble at the Pittsburgh Temple. She got her start with free lessons at the Yorkminster Citadel in Toronto, Ontario, and says the holiday concerts and other events put on by The Salvation Army glorify God and “speak truth” even to a secular audience.

A rousing night of praise and worship at Commissioning this past June in Hershey, Pa.

ANTONIO DI CATERINA

“ The Salvation Army is perfectly placed right in the center between faith and music.”

“The lyrics say ‘Jesus loves you. Jesus loves me.’ That’s a strong message and even if the person doesn’t know the lyrics, something spiritual happens,” she says. “The Holy Spirit can move. It can stir someone’s soul without them realizing it. Music can transcend words.”

Nathan Power is director of music in The Salvation Army’s New Jersey Division and says the music kids learn in The Salvation Army is specifically designed to connect with the spiritual. The devotions shared during sessions emphasize that they’re there to learn music but also about the saving power of the Lord.

“I think that’s what makes the difference in these kids’ lives,” Power says. “They pick up the words. They realize it’s not just about Disney or what have you, but there’s more meaning behind the music. As they grow in their faith, they start to make those connections.

“Some of those kids who come from tougher backgrounds, they almost need to hold on to that faith even more, and God uses the music ministry to do that.”

The mentoring cycle

Power, a professional musician who comes from a long line of Salvationist musicians in Ireland, says his parents instilled a love of music in him as he attended and performed in church.

“The Salvation Army really is lifechanging in some places, where a kid picks up a pair of drumsticks or a horn and does that instead of going somewhere else and doing a different thing,” he says. “The Salvation Army is perfectly placed right in the center between faith and music.

“We tell them that you can learn a skill and become a musician and learn how to be a team player, and we’ll also help you with the other parts of your life. We invite them to share the faith journey that we have experienced.”

Music can sometimes be a family affair in The Salvation Army. Brindley Venables plays the cornet in the New York Staff Band

alongside his father, Robert. The two also played cornet for many years together in the North York Temple Band in Toronto.

“Having my father there is a big support, and he’s a strong player,” Brindley says.

Robert and his wife, Rhonda, have six children and all of them are engaged in music. His children are the fifth generation in the family of musical Salvationists and lovers of brass banding.

“I’ve seen people come to The Salvation Army, and really what music does is it instills discipline and a sense of belonging,” Brindley says. “In the brass bands, you get an age range that’s massive. You get a 70-year-old sitting beside a 14-year-old, sharing a big sense of community.”

For Robert, the mentoring aspect of Salvation Army banding is key and part of a grand cycle.

“The older players teach the younger ones, and the younger ones come along and take their place,” Robert says. “It’s all because we’re doing it for the love of Jesus and spreading the gospel. It’s not just the love of music, it’s sharing the message through music.

“When you play music at a high level, it’s really special, but to be able to sit next to my son is great. There’s a love for brass bands you have to have. It’s a unique beast.”

Megan Odland, an arts ministry assistant in the USA Eastern Territory’s Arts Ministries Bureau, has seen passion for the arts on full display during her two years with The Salvation Army. She didn’t know much about the organization previously beyond its thrift stores and had no idea about the heavy emphasis on the arts.

“It’s so intentional about the arts as a form of ministry,” she says. “I’ve been impacted by the work The Salvation Army does, with dance and music and theater.

“It’s really cool to see these kids growing up in The Salvation Army, exploring their faith and being mentored and encouraged to know that their art is a form of worship. The kids who have the arts in their lives are very well rounded and learn wonderful

skills—responsibility, organization, and communication—all those things the arts teach you.”

A graduate of Eastern University, where she studied music and theater, Odland began to see God’s work through the arts when she witnessed vulnerable individuals from a Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) enjoying a show.

“Seeing the men from the ARC respond was really powerful,” she says. “For me, theater is about authentically representing the human experience. When that is being responded to in faith, and there’s open discussions and conversations about a piece of art specifically meant to glorify God and to bring people to Christ and bring restoration, it’s really cool to see that.”

Ministry beyond words Captain Jeffrey Brunelle of the Adult Rehabilitation Center in Worcester, Mass., invited the Arts Ministries Bureau’s RePlay Theater ensemble to perform after seeing the group at a retreat. The actors listened to and then dramatized stories shared by the ARC men and women, who were disarmed by the art form.

“Many of our people really opened up. It helped them express some things they had experienced in a way they had never seen before,” Brunelle says. “People were opening up and sharing deep things that maybe they’d never felt comfortable to share. They had an opportunity to have their life depicted in art, and most people found it very refreshing, very healing, and they felt seen, heard, and understood in ways they probably hadn’t experienced much before.”

To Higgins, the arts are “the clearest way to paint a picture of Jesus.” Jesus Theatre, performed at many Salvation Army summer camps, has changed countless lives.

“There’s thousands of kids every year giving their lives to Jesus and having encounters with Jesus because we’re using music and movement to communicate a story,” she says. “We can identify with the story. I can’t put into words how effective this is.”

A church to call home

The Westbury, N.Y., Corps is The Salvation Army’s largest congregation in the Eastern Territory. What’s so special about this ministry to Haitian immigrants?

by ROBERT MITCHELL

Captain Stephanie Sainteme refers to The Salvation Army in Westbury, N.Y., as her “home corps”—with good reason.

The first time she walked into the building, she wasn’t a Salvation Army officer or even a Christian. She’d been invited by Jean Sainteme, who attended church there and had chosen this as the location for the couple’s first date.

“My mother was impressed because he did not invite me to a club or to party or to drink. He invited me to church,” Captain Stephanie recalls. “When I got there, the bond and the relationships I developed, I felt like I had a new family.”

Captain Jean Sainteme, now 47, a Christian since childhood, grew up in The Salvation Army in Haiti. Stephanie, now 45, continued to go to church in Westbury after that first date and eventually put her faith in Christ too. The couple went to training to become Salvation Army officers in 2015 and first served in Hempstead, N.Y., before being assigned back to their old corps in Westbury in 2018.

“This is my corps, and this is my church,” Captain Jean says proudly. “We

“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”

—ISAIAH 32:18

PRAISE THE LORD! Sunday services at the Westbury Salvation Army can draw as many as 500 people for worship—with even more attending online.

love to worship. We don’t do it for our glory. It’s for God’s glory. We give Him the glory.”

Seeing God’s blessings

The Saintemes now lead a dynamic and growing Haitian church, which is often billed as the largest in The Salvation Army’s sprawling Eastern Territory. Major Joy Jugenheimer, secretary for program in the Greater New York Division, says the Westbury Corps draws 400 to 500-plus people between its two services on Sunday mornings. That doesn’t include online views, which average over 200 each Sunday.

Westbury’s Sunday school hosts 120 to 180 people each week, and around 180 attend a weekday Bible study.

On most weeknights, the tiny church building on Long Island, about 25 miles

the children, but we also have a relationship with the parents, and many of them also come to the corps. It makes the corps stronger and stronger.”

Captain Jean says the services on Sunday morning are in Creole, unless there’s an English-speaking guest who requests translation. Many of those coming are first- or second-generation immigrants from Haiti who have experienced unrest in their home country and need a calm place to call home in America.

“They find community,” says Captain Stephanie. “They find love. They find relationships. We treat them like they’re our own family. As a corps officer, this is our duty. We help them any way we can socially and spiritually.

“Most of them also need a church. They

newcomers from Haiti suffer from trauma.

“It’s like God took them away from Hell and now they’re in Heaven,” he says. “A lot of them cannot sleep at night because of the memories of gangs and guns going off day and night. Some of them had to move from their homes, leave everything behind, and find somewhere to escape and now they are in the U.S. They are very thankful to be at the Westbury Corps.”

Those suffering the worst lived around the capital city of Port-au-Prince, Captain Stephanie says, but many come from other parts of Haiti where things are not as bad. One memory that sticks with her, though, from five years ago, is of a little girl who told her, “I’m finally going to sleep tonight,” after fearing violence most of her life.

“Many of them, you can see the joy they have in their faces and the happiness,” she says. “If you don’t look at them as people who have been traumatized, you’re not going to know because the one thing they cannot take away is the joy that the Haitian people have.”

The key to helping people adjust, the Saintemes believe, is to give everyone a warm welcome to a place where they can feel at home and know they are safe and surrounded by caring Christians.

“We welcome them in a special way where they feel loved,” Captain Jean says. “They feel like there is somewhere they can go and someone that will help them.”

While the current humanitarian crisis in Haiti is heartbreaking, he has fond memories of his homeland. “It was great growing up in The Salvation Army and I had a good foundation of the Christian life. It got me to the U.S., and I’ve continued to serve the Lord.”

Setting the tone

east of Manhattan, is bustling and bursting at the seams with the sounds of children’s laughter and musical instruments. Westbury’s young people are regular winners at Star Search, the territory’s annual music competition for youth.

“The thing that makes our corps successful is community,” Captain Stephanie says. “We not only have a relationship with

need a community to be a part of. When they come for social services and they come visit us on Sunday, they feel like this is a community they want to be a part of because of the way we receive them as our own.”

A good night’s rest

Captain Jean, who came to the United States when he was 20, says many of the

The Saintemes exude the love of God, according to several people in the congregation. It permeates the upbeat praise and worship at the Westbury church, helping many of them focus on God instead of their past experiences in a country plagued by gang violence.

“They feel blessed and they feel comfortable and that motivates them to come back,” Captain Jean says. “I think another

BLESSINGS BE UPON THEM Captains Jean and Stephanie Sainteme pray over a couple in their congregation.

thing that has helped us grow, especially with new people, is when people worship with us, they feel the Spirit. A few of them told me as soon as they come into the building, they feel the Spirit and love the worship and they want to come back.”

Once newcomers show up at his church, Captain Jean says, The Salvation Army helps them obtain housing and access to English as a second language classes. The church also offers a food pantry twice a week and is the place to go if you need help with job applications or translation of paperwork to obtain U.S. citizenship.

“We are a bridge for them, and they know where to come for help,” Captain Stephanie says.

The exorbitant cost of housing in the area is a major obstacle, but the Haitian people’s warmth and generosity are often on full display when others need a temporary place to stay or other material help.

“We try everything we can to get food on the table,” she says. “It’s family helping family. That’s one thing about the Haitian community. The Haitian community has a bond. It doesn’t matter if you are my cousin or my aunt. If I know that person is in need, I will help that person. We have to say thank God for the Haitian community. They’re not going to let others do without or be homeless. They’re going to try to help them.”

Ginette Timolis, who came from Haiti more than three decades ago and is involved in several church ministries, agreed with her pastor.

“Everyone looks out for each other here,” Timolis says.

Legacy of success

That sense of togetherness is never more apparent than in the church’s youth programming. Its success stems from “a dedication and willingness to do what God has called us to do,” Captain Jean says. “We have a large group of kids who love arts and music, and they put themselves into it. To make progress, you must be consistent on everything. Consistency is something we keep in mind. Our corps is busy nearly every night of the week.”

In 2024, Westbury sent 28 kids to the

territory’s Star Search talent display. As in many other years, they brought home a bevy of trophies and honors.

“Good teachers, good leaders, and good helpers make us who we are today,” Captain Jean says.

The church sent students like Talisha Steide, 10, who says she loves learning spiritual lessons about Martin Luther along with her arts training.

Shyla Trophete, 9, studies drama, monologue, and singing at Westbury. “I like being on stage,” she says. “I’m a drama queen.”

Briana Romulus, who is the church’s new program director and teaches timbrels, is one of many young adult instructors who came up together and coach the kids to display excellence in Christ.

“We learn from each other and help each other out and we’ve grown together,” Romulus says. “We put in a lot of hard work.”

Julie Dorce, a dance instructor, agreed that it’s a close-knit group.

“Even though most of us aren’t actually blood family, I think we are a family,” Dorce says. “We’re always there for each other when we need something. We try to keep in touch with each other. When someone needs a ride or whatever, we’re always picking each other up. When someone needs to talk, we’re there.”

The spiritual side

Laura Joseph, whose parents came from Haiti, teaches drama and makes sure to work spiritual elements into her instruction as her leaders once did when she was a student.

“To see myself now being a leader and interacting and teaching the kids is a fullcircle moment for me,” she says. “I really just enjoy being able to teach them the Word of God and drama and acting and how that’s another form of worship and giving back to God.

“What makes our corps special is that we’re not just strangers. We’re not just people who come to the corps to do our tasks and walk away. We’ve really developed a familial relationship with one another, and that structure has really just kept us together.”

Coming back to Westbury as leaders

“They find community. They find love. They find relationships. We treat them like they’re our own family. As a corps officer, this is our duty. We help them any way we can socially and spiritually.”

—Captain Stephanie Sainteme

after being soldiers there has not been without challenges because of the familiarity, Captain Jean says. People remember the Saintemes when they were just soldiers and fellow workers.

“It’s not always easy to lead your own people, but we thank God because the people respect us, and they know who we are. They see God in us. They see the Spirit in us. They obey us. They love us and we love them too. They help us in everything we’re doing. We have a large congregation, but we have a lot of help.”

The building in Westbury is getting cramped, and plans are in the works for a new structure as the church continues to grow under the Saintemes.

“Everybody knows Westbury has a great corps with a lot of kids, but a small building,” he says. “Our hope is to get a new building for the community. I’m sure our people would love it and it would glorify God, which is why we do what we do here. It’s to bring glory to God in all we do.”

Hunger Disaster Illness

Loneliness

Basic Needs Shelter

Medical Bills

Unemployment

Despair

Spiritual Care

Measure

The goal of the Salvation Army’s Love Beyond campaign is to increase public awareness of our year-round services. We love beyond hunger, homelessness, destruction, fear, loss, addiction, loneliness, despair, overdue bills, and so much more. We love beyond the circumstances of those we serve, seeing and valuing each person.

KITCHEN ESSENTIALS Need ideas for your Christmas dinner menu or some fun holiday baking gear?

Christmas Finds

Holiday decorations and more at the Salvation Army thrift store

Start

Fill your home with the sounds of the season.

Every purchase you make at a Salvation Army thrift store helps fund local Adult Rehabilitation Centers, where people who are struggling from a variety of social and spiritual problems can find help and hope. Learn more at gethelp.salvationarmyusa.org

Go to sastores.org to locate a Salvation Army family thrift store near you.

COLLECTOR’S PLATES Decorate your fireplace mantel, kitchen wall, or living room.

CHRISTMAS TUNES

HOLIDAY CLASSICS

up a Christmas movie collection with favorites like Elf.

COZY COMFORTS Pillows give your favorite chair or couch a festive touch.

I’ve Heard It All Before

How can we experience the story of Advent as if for the first time?

by MAJOR LAUREN HODGSON

In case you haven’t heard, Christmas is coming. We all love Christmas. The story is one we know so well, whether we hear about it sitting in the pew on a Sunday morning or listening to Linus in the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. Could it be possible to know it too well?

Around 1990, Kellogg’s had a slogan for its cornflakes: “Taste them again for the first time.” Battle Creek, Mich., the birthplace of cornflakes, was the source for America’s breakfast menu, with every grain, fruit flavor, color, and shape invading the cereal bowl. Kellogg’s wanted the public to revisit the simplicity of cornflakes—to look at the cereal from a fresh perspective as if they’d never experienced the unpretentious flakes before.

Maybe we all need a dose of “hearing the Christmas story again for the first time” to approach this account with wide-eyed wonder. Don’t blow off this opportunity. Dust off the imagination you had as a child.

Rediscover the surprise and amazement stifled by the mandate to stop daydreaming or grow up. Let your mind be open to the viewpoints of the Advent characters and don’t just hear the story but feel what they must have felt.

A personal perspective

We look at life through the eyes of narrative—our own personal narrative. When we can place a person, situation, or thought in the context of story, our story, we can frame it and arrive at a conclusion, but our perspective shades that conclusion. Labeling has become an art in today’s world. We are identified by where we grew up, how we

were brought up, what our belief system is—you get the idea. Something happens within us when we take the time to know someone and really understand their story, perspective, and viewpoint. When we can see life through the eyes of another, it is amazing how God’s grace and mercy stir within us in a way we never knew before.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be Mary when she received word of carrying the Son of God? Your doubts, fears, acceptance, and holy wonder? How about Joseph caring for his cherished betrothed, pregnant through the Holy Spirit? Do you feel a bit betrayed, or are you willing to participate in this miracle, knowing you’ll hold the savior of the world in your arms? How would you feel to be a chief priest in jealous Herod’s court receiving a mandate to locate this newborn king? What would be your fate if you didn’t get the historical facts just right?

We seem to glaze over the lesser-known

characters who make up the Advent account. How about the innkeeper, who responded to a knock at his door to find an exhausted young couple inquiring about a room for the night, with desperation in their voices, as the young woman cradled her fully blossomed pregnant belly? He could have waved them away because there wasn’t a room available, but he didn’t. He reconsidered, and as humble as the inn’s stable was, it was an offer, nonetheless. What made him reconsider?

Only imagine

Then there are the Bethlehem babies slaughtered on the jealous whim of Herod the Great, king of Judah. One fell swoop to secure his power. Can you feel the cries of the mothers trying to save their baby boys? They are part of a prophecy they never wanted to be part of: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for

her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more” (Matthew 2:18).

When it comes to the Christmas story, none of us can say, “I’ve heard it all before.” What is so awesome about God’s Word is that we can read a portion of scripture for the rest of our lives and never reach the extent of its bottomless insights. All that is asked of you is your time and imagination. Take some time to read the Advent account again for the first time. Don’t rush through the narrative. Let it get embedded in your soul. Then, use your imagination to dig deeply into the lives of those who lived the story, for you will find some of yourself in them.

Advent Resource

Would you like to take a journey through Advent that is uniquely yours? The Spiritual Life Development Department has prepared an Advent resource to help. Christmas Viewpoint is a daily guide through December that will help you reflect on Christmas by guiding you closer to one of the familiar characters to experience the Christmas story again—for the very first time. Space for journaling (writing down your reflections) is also provided. Your viewpoint matters because the Lord has uniquely created it for His glory. May this walk through Advent help you have a greater understanding of the first Christmas and how you are marvelously made and deeply valued.

Thanks be to God for His incredible plan of bringing Christ into the world for us. The God who loved humankind so much that He sent His Son thousands of years ago is the God whose “compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23). Scan this code or go to sld.saconnects.org to download Christmas Viewpoint

Sprinkles of Sugar

After a haunting event, she found her way to faith and now shares sweetness for the soul

by WARREN L. MAYE

Linda Kozar is the author of six devotional books informed by her experiences growing up in the South, where greetings always included hugs and kisses, and “Gimme some sugar” still means “Come give me a kiss.” Her most recent book is Gimme Some Sugar: 90 Devotions to Sweeten Your Day in a Godly Way. Kozar’s family was always warm and affectionate, and in a brief introduction, she highlights the importance of expressing care for the ones you love—without prompting.

She introduces each of the 90 daily devotionals with an insightful or amusing quote from a wide range of sources, from Christian writers to untraceable memes (“Be ye fishers of men. You catch them; he’ll clean them”). The quotes are paired with short, God-focused, sometimes fun, and always thoughtful essays based on scripture gleaned from Genesis to Revelation,

from a variety of respected Bible versions. For each verse, she provides engaging context and ends with a “Sweet Spoonful” of down-to-earth advice or inspiration.

A haunted house

In an interview with SA connects, Kozar revealed how growing up in a “haunted house” in New Orleans helped shape her faith. She recounted a terrifying incident involving a Ouija board and the family’s journey to Christianity after her father faced a life-threatening medical condition.

“My mother played the Ouija board. When I was little, everybody played with those things,” Kozar said. But one day while her mom played the board, a strange wind blew through the house. “It came out of that board. People say, ‘You know, demons aren’t real.’ Well, they are real. It was real.”

Kozar, who is now born again, vividly remembers how her family came to believe in the Lord. “My dad almost died. He had an aneurysm, a damaged heart, and a leaking valve.” Her brother, who was the first person in the family to become radically saved, was able to lead their father to the Lord.

“The night before dad was to have surgery, we all got together and prayed,” Kozar said. “It wasn’t anything that shook the world, but my brother prayed that God would give him an extra 15 years, as He did Hezekiah in the Bible” (Isaiah 38:1–5).

Her dad survived the surgery. “But not only that, when the doctors came out, they said that my dad’s aneurysm was gone, and his artery was no longer leaking. So that was a miracle, right?”

God’s providence

Kozar then related another sign from God. “Dad lived exactly 15 more years before he

died,” she said. “The operation took place on Valentine’s Day, 1989. Then, 15 years later in 2004 on Valentine’s Day, he died. My brother asked, ‘Why didn’t I ask for more time?’”

She and her sister checked out the church their brother was attending. “I felt something I’d never felt before. I felt there was almost like an electricity in the air. I said to my sister, ‘God is here.’ I didn’t even know if I believed in God, but I knew my soul had recognized God.”

Her shy but wide-eyed sister felt something too and would also become born again. For Kozar, it took a little while yet.

“When I decided I wanted to give my life to Jesus, I was driving home to the apartment I shared with my sister. I pulled up in the driveway and I got through the door, and I didn’t even walk past the threshold. I just got down on my knees and asked Jesus into my heart. And I felt a weight off my shoulders right at that moment. I was delivered from cigarette smoking. I was trying to quit, and I couldn’t. I didn’t even realize I was delivered until a couple weeks later when my sister said, ‘Hey, I noticed you’re not smoking.’ I’ve never touched another one since.”

Kozar had always been a voracious reader. “And if I didn’t like the way a story ended, I would just rewrite it,” she said. Her life experiences catapulted her interest in writing, and besides devotionals, she is the author of numerous cozy mysteries, romances, and other books. She wrote Gimme Some Sugar to encourage people and give them a few laughs.

“I think there’s a lot of fear these days. Fear about everything,” Kozar said. “And you know, I feel like we’re in the end times, and I have a lot of company believing that. We’re called to have faith over fear.

“When you have humor, it kind of disarms you and you’re more comfortable. I learned that from my father. He could walk into any room and crack a joke, and everybody would be his friend and hang on his every word. I think that’s a big part of it.”

Gimme Some Sugar: 90 Devotions to Sweeten Your Day in a Godly Way, in Kindle and imitation leather editions, 201 pages, is published by BroadStreet Publishing Group and available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

It’s Flu Season

Educate yourself on what the flu is (and isn’t)

Influenza, or the flu, is a highly contagious, virus-based illness that develops in your respiratory system. Flu viruses spread by tiny droplets released when you cough, sneeze, or talk. These droplets travel and infect others through their mouth or nose. You can also catch the flu by touching an object that has the virus on it and then touching your nose or mouth; flu viruses can live on surfaces for up to 24 hours.

Most people can get over the flu with time and rest, but children, the elderly, and pregnant women can develop serious complications from it.

Flu breakouts are more common in the fall and winter seasons because we tend to stay inside and gather for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. However, it is possible to catch the flu at any time of the year.

Although influenza and the common cold share symptoms, such as runny noses and sneezing, the flu is much more dangerous and tends to last longer. A “stomach flu” is also not the same thing as influenza. What we tend to call a stomach flu is a virus that affects your gastrointestinal system, usually caused by consuming contaminated food or water.

COMMON FLU SYMPTOMS

by HUGO BRAVO

COUGHING, SORE THROAT, FEVER, CHILLS, RUNNY NOSE, BODY ACHES, FATIGUE

DO YOU HAVE THE FLU?

FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO REDUCE SYMPTOMS AND KEEP OTHERS FROM GETTING SICK:

STAY HOME

How many times have we heard about the flu going around at the office or in the classroom? If you have the flu, it’s important that you stay home and rest, especially while you are contagious. Adults are contagious until around three to five days from when the first symptoms appear; children can be contagious for up to seven days. If possible, set aside a room in your home for yourself to recover.

DRINK UP

Start taking extra liquids at the first sign of the flu. Dehydration is very serious and must be avoided during any sickness. Mild dehydration can be treated at home, but severe cases may require immediate hospitalization. Clear fluids like water and broth work best against dehydration, but electrolyte-heavy drinks like Pedialyte or Gatorade can also help.

KEEP IT CLEAN

The easiest way to prevent the spread of the flu virus is to practice good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, and cough or sneeze into a tissue or your upper arm or elbow crease (not your bare hands). If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

USE THE RIGHT TREATMENTS

Treat fevers and coughs with over-thecounter medicine. Stronger antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) must be prescribed and can reduce the duration and lessen the severity of the flu. These medications work better when taken within 48 hours of symptoms appearing.

CONSIDER THE FLU SHOT

Flu vaccines (and vaccines in general) have been a topic of discussion for years. Many individuals make it a point to get vaccinated for the flu every fall/winter season to combat new, evolving flu strains. Others feel that a vaccine is unnecessary, especially if they never get sick or experience serious symptoms. Talk to your doctor about how you and your family should approach getting the flu vaccine. It does not guarantee that you will never catch the flu, but experts agree that it will help you avoid the most serious symptoms and common flu-related complications.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

by HUGO BRAVO

Korean War veteran Robert Thomas Harbeck didn’t like to talk about his time in the war, except for one very specific part.

“All the charities that came to help the troops arrived carrying cameras, mics, and spot lights. That is, except The Salvation Army,” says Mary Howland, Robert’s daughter. “My father said Salvationists came in silence, bringing socks, food, and pen and paper so the soldiers could write notes to loved ones back home, which The Salvation Army would then deliver. That always meant so much to him.”

When Mary and her husband, Chris Howland, successful entrepreneurs, looked to financially support organizations that help others, they approached The Salvation Army first. Upon their retirement in 2018, the Howlands moved from Connecticut to Newport, R.I., and became directly involved as volunteers at The Salvation Army Newport Corps. Chris is also chairperson of The Salvation Army’s Rhode Island advisory board, and Mary is chair of the Newport Corps advisory council.

“Our skills complement each other well,” says Mary. “When he gets the vision, I work to make the program for that vision happen in Newport. Chris is like the general, and I’m the corporal, putting the boots on the ground.”

“Helping here gave us a new purpose,” says Chris. “Right now, one of our biggest goals is to build a stronger, more diverse advisory board. It’s important that our board represents the people who we are serving. Everyone who visits Rhode Island sees the mansions, yachts, and beaches and may think it’s nothing but wealth. But living here gave Mary and me a clear view of the need.”

Rhode Island is home to a large service industry, consisting of mostly Hispanic and immigrant employees who work in housekeeping, restaurants, souvenir stores, and other tourism-related jobs.

“They are underpaid, with few oppor-

“The Salvation Army’s work is done through Jesus Christ’s message of love and respect toward everyone they meet,” says Chris Howland, pictured with Mary Howland. “And it represents that message as well as or better than any organization I’ve ever seen.”

tunities for advancement, and their work is seasonal,” says Chris. “By the end of October, many employees are out of a job until April. Those are the families that we see at our corps. We’re making sure they aren’t bypassed in help and services.”

When Chris and Mary talk to new volunteers and donors, they mention The Salvation Army’s year-round programs, service centers, and numbers of people who receive help from the Army in Rhode Island every day.

“That’s what we need to do, but on a statewide level. We have to make everyone aware of how the Army positively impacts every corner of Rhode Island,” Chris says.

“During COVID-19,” Mary says, “I remember registering a woman to receive food boxes. She had been a hairdresser since she was old enough to work. There wasn’t a time in her life when she was out of a job, except now. She could not believe that she had to ask for help, but she was so appreciative that no one was questioning why she needed assistance. She was being served with love and dignity.”

“I once talked to an elderly couple who owned a good-sized estate and were familiar with the Army’s work,” says Chris. The husband had worked as a scuba diver at age 15 for a coastal town in the region. His job

was to locate the bodies of people who had drowned. One weekend, after finishing an eight-hour shift in the ocean, the diver came out and saw two service trucks from two different organizations. He approached the first one and asked for coffee and a donut. The worker tried to charge him, and of course, the diver had no money on him. But a man from the second truck, a Salvation Army canteen, waved him over and said, “Here’s donuts and coffee for you. God bless you.”

“Sixty-five years later,” says Chris, “the diver still remembers that kindness.”

Moments of kindness, like this or the ones that Robert Harbeck witnessed during the Korean War, are always present within the work of The Salvation Army. It’s why Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) is the Howlands’ passion. Both Chris and Mary are certified to be deployed for emergencies and have taken the Army’s EDS vehicle to funerals of slain police officers, ready to serve the mourners tea and coffee.

“There are communities for whom we’re always their support and steady safety net. But during a crisis, you see unique, un expected needs and opportunities to serve,” says Mary. “It’s in those moments when the mission of The Salvation Army shines the brightest.”