All The World (July 2011)

for

Victims of Sex Trade Trafficking SUNDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2011

JaPan – serving after the tsunami Changing communities – USa Photo competition prizes revealed

VOL 49 nO 3

Corps life and more in Ghana

JULY–SEPTEMBER 2011

CONTENTS

JULY–SEPTEMBER 2011

5

Visit ALL THE WORLD at: www.salvationarmy.org/alltheworld

03

UPFRONT From the Editor

04

COMPETITION Send your photos!

05

OUTREACH a changing community in the USa

07

PRAYER Global 24-7 prayer update

08

HOME AND AWAY Reflections from the USa and Rwanda

10

FACTFILE Japan facts and figures

11

EMERGENCY Japan earthquake and tsunami

15

MINISTRY Reflections from Ghana

17

INSIGHT Living in a multi-faith community

21

RESOURCES Ministry Toolkit website

22

SNAPSHOTS news from around the world

Subscriptions

11

22 17

Name

(Miss, Mrs, Ms, Mr)

Address For new subscriptions to All the World, fill in this form and send to: Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd 66-78 Denington Road, Denington Industrial Estate Wellingborough Northants NN8 2QH United Kingdom

Postcode Email Annual subscription rates (including postage) UK £3 Non-UK £3.50 surface mail/ £4.50 airmail Total: £ by cheque

For enquiries telephone [44] (0)1933 445451 or fax [44] (0)1933 445415 or email keith.jennings@sp-s.co.uk

All the World may also be ordered through many territorial headquarters. In the UK, subscribers may purchase All the World through the local Salvation Army corps at just 40p per copy.

I enclose payment

Please make cheques payable to: SP&S Please debit my Access/Mastercard/Visa/American Express/Maestro card Card No Start date

Security No /

Expiry date

Issue No (Maestro and Switch only)

/

Bursting bubbles T

hE writer Samuel Johnson had a way with words. ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,’ he wrote to a friend in September 1777. ‘For there is in London all that life can afford.’

More than 230 years on, Johnson’s words still ring true, although it could be argued that now, if not then, the variety of life he saw in London can be found in most of the world’s major cities.

This issue of All the World includes articles that reflect 21st-century urban

‘The majority are plugged into their music players, oblivious to what is around them’ reality in London and just outside another big city – Chicago in the USa. In Stepney, east London, Captains nick and Kerry Coke are working out how to live as Christians in the midst of a majority Muslim population. across the atlantic, just outside Chicago, a changing community is bringing new challenges to Salvationists of norridge Citadel. These challenges are being met head-on, using the twin-pronged approach of prayer and hospitality.

Big cities are fascinating, almost taking on a life of their own as people flow from one place to another.

In London, for instance, an everyday journey can turn into an adventure. My walk from the train station to work at International headquarters takes only 20 minutes through the city’s business district

but in that short time I see an incredible variety of life.

This morning I was overtaken by a police motorcyclist leading out a large number of cyclists, all wearing matching Lycra outfits. a couple of days ago a shortcut through a narrow alley saved less time than usual because I was held up behind two huge horses! and a few days before that I was nearly run over by a man riding one of the bikes you can hire in central London. nothing particularly unusual about that – except for the fact that this particular rider was resplendent in a dinner suit – tuxedo, bow tie, the works!

I enjoy taking in the various sights but many people seem to be unaware of what is going on around them. The majority are plugged into their music players, oblivious to what is around them.

I once kept my headphones plugged in after I got off the train to walk to work but I hated it! I felt removed from what was going on around me, almost as if I was viewing a film – with my choice of music as a soundtrack – rather than participating in life.

One thing I have noticed recently is the large number of churches I

Kevin Sims, editor

UPFRONT

FroM The ediTor

pass. Very few people actually live in the business district of London so it amazes me that they remain open, often hidden behind tower blocks and large corporate buildings, ready to pop up unexpectedly as I turn a corner.

There’s something about these churches that gladdens my heart as I trudge past on a rainy day. ‘We’re here to stay!’ they seem to say. and, just like Salvation army centres across the world that find themselves surrounded by the secular, the non-Christian and the anti-Christian, they serve as a reminder of faithfulness and perseverance in the face of apathy and even opposition.

I wonder how many of my fellow pedestrians notice the churches – or are they too busy in their self-contained bubbles to see and hear what is around them?

Of course, this leads to a challenge – how does the Church burst the bubble of indifference and opposition? The Salvation army in Stepney and norridge has come up with answers that work for them. I pray that you and I will be inspired to do the same.

ediTor Kevin Sims

FoUnder William Booth

deSiGn And ArTWorK Berni Georges

GenerAL Linda Bond

ediToriAL oFFiCe The Salvation Army international headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street London eC4V 4eh, United Kingdom

ediTor-in-ChieF Lieut-Colonel Laurie robertson

© The General of The Salvation Army 2011

Tel: [44] (0)20 7332 0101; fax: [44] (0)20 7332 8079

Published by Linda Bond, General of The Salvation Army

email: ihQ-alltheworld@salvationarmy.org

Printed in the UK by Lamport Gilbert Printers Ltd

JU LY –SE P TE MB ER 2 01 1 | ALL THE WORLD |

3

P H OTO C O M P E T I T I O N

Picture tHiS! THERE iS STiLL TiME To EnTER THE All the World photographic competition – but don’t leave it too late!

As you will have read in the April–June issue, we want people around the world to show us what The Salvation Army is and does where they live.

What you take a photograph of is up to you. it may be an open-air meeting in Africa, a soup-run in Europe, a Salvation Army school in Asia, emergency response in Australasia or worship in the Americas. Feel free to be as creative as you want.

A selection of entries will Show feature in a photo spread in the october– end your photoS that

December issue of All the World and will also be shown in a special exhibition, titled ‘This is The Salvation Army’, held at international Headquarters in London.

As well as having the pleasure of seeing his or her photograph in print and featured in an exhibition, the winning photographer will receive a £100 Amazon voucher and a copy of Voices from haiti Vault, the spectacular full-colour coffee table book produced after the Haiti earthquake of 2010.

Second- and third-prize-winners will receive a selection of books and audiobooks produced by international Headquarters.

Please send digital photographs to ihQ-alltheworld@salvationarmy.org and printed copies to: All the World Photographic Competition, The Salvation Army, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London eC4V 4eh, United Kingdom. entries should include the name of the photographer and his or her location. For files larger than 10MB please send a smaller version and we will contact you if we need the full-size image. Unfortunately we will not be able to return printed photos.

The closing date to receive entries is 15 August 2011.

B o o k s B y t h r e e r e t i r e d s a lva t i o n a r M y g e n e r a l s

Mid-year

general KNoWledGe

sale

selected Writings voluMe 1 and voluMe 2

by Shaw Clifton £4.00 each or two for £6.00 Plus postage: (for one book) UK £0.90/within the EU £2.32/ rest of the world £3.89; (for two books) UK £1.59/within the EU £3.65/rest of the world £6.40

saying yes to life and 1929 – A Crisis that Shaped The Salvation Army’s Future

by John Larsson there’s a Boy here…

by John Gowans £3.00 including postage

£7.00 each or two for £10.00 Plus postage: (for one book) UK £1.30/within the EU £4.19/ rest of the world £7.51; (for both books) UK £3.98/ within the EU £7.49/rest of the world £14.17

special Bundle

offer Buy all five Books for £15.00, saving £10.00 on individual prices!

Plus postage: UK £5.99/within the EU £11.34/ rest of the world £21.94

Please send a cheque made out to ‘The Salvation Army’ to: Communications Section, The Salvation Army international headquarters, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London eC4V 4eh, United Kingdom. Be sure to include your name and address and to be clear which items you wish to purchase. All Salvation Books publications are also available from territorial trade departments and on amazon.co.uk, although prices will vary.

4 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S E PT EM BE R 2 0 1 1

USA

norridge Citadel is known throughout The Salvation Army for its musical excellence and traditional Salvation Army ministry.

Major Morag Yoder tells All the World how the corps is building on these strengths

T

hE village of norridge, just outside the city of Chicago, Illinois, is next to O’hare International, one of the world’s busiest airports. In the mid-20th century norridge became home to the ‘suburban american dream’ as families (mostly Italian-Catholic and Polish-Catholic immigrants) relocated from urban apartment complexes and traditional three-storey flats to leafy streets with row after row of tidy, brick-built single-family bungalows.

In the late 1970s The Salvation army purchased a corner plot of land in the village and began to build a new home for the then Montclair Corps (church). When the doors of the new norridge Citadel Corps opened in 1983 and uniformed Salvationists – complete with brass band – marched up the street, neighbours must have wondered what impact this odd bunch of folk would have on their quiet corner of the globe.

Above: ray hosch, Aeri Thomas and Galyna hosch are enrolled as soldiers of The Salvation Army at norridge Citadel. ray, an African-American from the southside of Chicago, met Galyna – a Ukrainian tourist – when he worked at o’hare Airport. Aeri is the daughter of Korean immigrants; below: the corps building

and using prayer and a spirit of Christian

by Major Morag Yoder

hospitality to become increasingly relevant to a changing community.

New traditions Members of the corps developed and embraced a simple and effective mission statement: ‘To bring Christ to the people and the people to Christ’. This statement still defines the mission and purpose of norridge Citadel.

Early on it was decided that every activity and ministry happening in or through the corps would point to and culminate in the Sunday morning Celebration Service. The corps built on its tradition of musical excellence by seeking to ensure it was a place of vibrant, relevant, God-honouring worship.

Traditional Salvation army programmes and ministries have been utilised to reach out to the community. The development of an after-school programme (aSP) and summer day camp came in direct response to the needs of local workingclass families for quality child care.

FEaST (Families Eating and Studying Together) began as the passion of then-

‘O’Hare Airport brings immigrants looking for a better life’

Corps Sergeant-Major harry McBride. harry envisioned a gathering where people came to feast on God’s Word, enjoying good fellowship and an affordable meal.

Food pantry open-day – where people in need are provided with household necessities – is now scheduled on the same day as FEaST because people who seek practical assistance can form links with corps members over a meal, getting a glimpse of the activities and opportunities on offer. Conversations around the table have led to children joining a youth activity, adults staying for Bible study and a personal invitation to join in Sunday worship. norridge continues to be impacted by the expansion of greater Chicago. Today, many families are moving out of the old suburbs like norridge into newly developed, further-flung areas.

Easy access to major roads means that small, traditional bungalows on nowexpensive lots are being torn down to be replaced with larger homes for the economically advantaged. The older homes that are left often house more than one low- to middle-income family.

JU LY –SE P TE MB ER 2 01 1 | ALL THE WORLD |

5

USA Left: Julia Apostal is enrolled as a soldier. Julia, a single parent from South America, came into contact with norridge Citadel when she collected donated bread from the food pantry to give out to hungry neighbours. days before her enrolment Julia was injured in a house fire that left her homeless. Another family from norridge Citadel – a romanian man, his Columbian wife and their seven children – took in Julia and her dog.

Julia was determined to be enrolled as planned, even though she had lost her clothing in the fire. her friends scrambled to get together uniform items so she could be enrolled in style; below: practising basketball at an after-school club run by the corps; below right: corps officer Major Stephen Yoder dedicates to God Aman, the son of indian immigrants deepak and Sushma

O’hare airport brings immigrants looking for a better life. norridge continues to serve as the first stop out of the city for some and the first stop into america for others.

For the past three years the corps has responded to an increased demand for social service outreach ministries. The current economic climate greatly affects local working-class families, resulting in long-time donors now becoming recipients of material assistance. The number of families and individuals visiting the food pantry or seeking other types of assistance is increasing.

On the surface the race and ethnicity of the community remains predominantly ‘white-american’ and ‘white-European’ but different languages, races and ethnicities (such as Bulgarian, Ukrainian, hungarian, Romanian, Indian, Iraqi, Egyptian, hispanic and Mongolian) are now represented. These newcomers provide incredible opportunities as the corps family seeks to bring ‘Christ to the people and the people to Christ’.

Demonstrating hospitality is a natural entry point – offering drinks and snacks in comfortable surroundings is a simple act of kindness and respect.

It is also vital to get to know the specific needs of individuals and families. For instance, it was recently realised that donating pet food to local families can make a difference. Keeping a family pet out of the animal shelter has become a simple way to show compassion and practical care. a vibrant prayer ministry is proving effective. at norridge Citadel you soon discover the ready offer of prayer support!

Pamela Church-Pryor, community ministries director, regularly uses prayer as a way to interact with the people she supports. She also solicits prayer requests

which are shared in a prayer meeting led by Corps Sergeant-Major David Brooksbank every Sunday. These same requests are then prayed for by members of the high school-age Sunday school class. During seasonal distribution (Thanksgiving and Christmas) prayer rooms are manned by members of the corps. at these times, people hungry for God and desperate for hope line the corridors, waiting for the opportunity to pray before collecting their food basket or shopping for toys for their children. Polish and Spanish Bibles and tracts as well as English-language Bibles and resources are also distributed.

Whenever the doors of the corps are open someone is on hand to come alongside, offering a hand of friendship, a ready prayer and a sincere testimony of God’s love. On Sunday a meaningful prayer journal keeps the corps family abreast of praise reports and current needs.

Opportunities to meet the practical needs of the community are also expressed in Sunday bulletins. There may be a disabled senior who needs someone to mow their lawn, an Iraqi refugee who needs help preparing a résumé, a new mother who needs a crib, an out-of-work single parent who wants to learn a

‘It is also vital to get to know the specific needs of individuals and families’ 6 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S E PT EM BE R 2 0 1 1

marketable computer skill or victims of a house fire who need to replace furniture.

Whatever the need, corps members are made aware and quickly answer the call to be Christ in the community. an exciting outcome of living in active mission is that Sunday worship attendance is now reflective of the community served. The face and dynamic of norridge Citadel is evolving as newcomers discover a welcoming place of service and worship. Recruits classes are always on offer and Salvationist workshops, designed to explain the breadth and scope of the international Salvation army, link newcomers to a wider, global mission.

The recent enrolment of eight new soldiers and one adherent member – representing a variety of cultures – reflects God’s pleasure in diversity and his call of salvation for ‘the whosoever’.

God is at work in our rapidly-changing corner of suburban america. The Salvationists of norridge Citadel are grateful that he is allowing us to share in his vision and mission.

Major Morag Yoder and her husband, Major Stephen Yoder, are the corps officers at norridge Citadel. Major Morag is a contributor to Called to Preach, a new book of sermons by Salvation Army women (see page 22 for more details)

C A L L T O 2 4 - 7 P R AY E R

‘P

ICTURE God’s people united in prayer,’ writes Lieut-Colonel Janet Munn, ‘where one hour isn’t enough in the prayer room and there is a desire for more, where children and youth are crying out for justice.

Picture people committing themselves for a day, month, year or more of non-stop THE SALvATion ARMY’S prayer and intentionally giving voice to the issues that are on their hearts. Picture global 24-7 PRAYER FoCUS PASSES Six MonTHS faith increasing and prayers being answered. The good news is this beautiful imagery is happening in The Salvation army. It is a reality.’

Since 1 January 2011, 41 Salvation army territories, commands and regions Lieut-Colonel Munn, ‘and register your the Global Call to 24-7 Prayer through a Songs of Justice section on its website, to have been praying as part of the Global participation on the website.’ news items on the website show the which Salvationist composers are Call to 24-7 Prayer – A Day and Night Cry for Justice. Lieut-Colonel Munn is impact of the Global Call in places as contributing monthly. an artistic project, Just arts, is Secretary for Spiritual Life Development varied as Canada, the UK, Brazil and the at The Salvation army’s International Democratic Republic of Congo. The underway and will be linked to the 24-7 College for Officers and Centre for worldwide nature of the call is also shown Prayer website. Through Just arts, Spiritual Life Development (CSLD) in through the calendar, which shows day- Salvationists worldwide will be able to London, UK. The CSLD is overseeing the by-day when territories, commands or contribute and have access to music compositions, paintings, photographs, coordination of the Global Call, which regions have signed up to pray. another aspect of the Global Call is the poems and other forms of creative writing seeks to bring together The Salvation army worldwide through a united prayer focus. integration of prayer, justice and the arts. related to prayer and justice.

Latest prayer resources and news are The call comes from the parable of the Crying out for deliverance from persistent widow in Luke 18:7–8, where oppression through songs is part of also updated daily on the Global Call to Jesus said: ‘and will not God bring about Scripture and the history of the Church. 24-7 Prayer Facebook (facebook.com/ justice for his chosen, ones who cry out to This is why the Salvation army website saglobal247) and twitter (@saglobal247) him day and night? I tell you, he will see www.saytunes.com (set up by the USa pages.

Western Territory), in partnership with the ‘a renewal of prayer is happening in that they get justice, and quickly.’

The purpose of the Global Call is to Social Justice and Creative arts our day,’ concludes the colonel. ‘We are motivate and focus attention on prayer Departments of The Salvation army’s called to be part of it.’ throughout The Salvation army’s australia Southern Territory, is supporting international family, with a united purpose in ‘Another aspect is the intercession – the need f o r j u s t i c e f o r t h e integration of prayer, oppressed. justice and the arts’ Further information and examples are available at: www.saglobal247.org People from around t h e wo r l d c a n g e t involved by reading the Call to Prayer in full, downloading the 24-7 Prayer brochure and setting aside their own time to pray. The site also features monthly prayer focuses written on a justice-related theme by Commissioner Christine MacMillan, Director of the International Social Justice Commission.

‘Cast the vision to those around you,’ adds

Prayer reflections

JU LY –SE P TE MB ER 2 01 1 | ALL THE WORLD |

7

H O M E A N D A W AY

A SERiES LookinG AT THE THoUGHTS AnD ExPERiEnCES oF PEoPLE WoRkinG FoR THE SALvATion ARMY in THEiR CoUnTRY oF BiRTH AnD oTHERS GivinG SERviCE ABRoAD

MaJOR KELLY POnTSLER USA WESTERn TERRiToRY

What is your role in the Salvation army? i am General Secretary for the Golden State Division of The Salvation Army’s USA Western Territory as well as the San Francisco Metro Coordinator. how did you meet the Salvation army? i was born into a Salvationist family. My parents were cadets in training to be officers when they had me. do you have a ‘hero of the faith’? i have several but the person who comes to mind first is my grandfather, Brigadier Charles Bennett. My grandfather was truly a man of God, serving God faithfully throughout his lifetime. His officer service was always in corps (Salvation Army churches) that were small in size but big in heart. i believe he set the tone by his own commitment to holy living.

What is your favourite bible verse?

Psalm 143:8 ‘Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for i have put my trust in you. Show me the way i should go, for to you i entrust my life’ (New International Version).

What is your favourite Salvation army song? ‘in the Army of Jesus we’ve taken our stand ... i’ll stand for Christ alone’. i love music and there are loads of songs that speak to me, so this is a tough question. My recent appointment to the international College for officers was a tremendous experience of personal growth and renewal, as well as a chance to reaffirm my commitment to stand for Christ – and to do so with boldness and courage, no matter what! how do you think the Salvation army in the uSa differs from the rest of the world?

Having spent 14 years serving outside of the USA i have come to appreciate how many different types of programmes and activities we are able to support. no two communities are identical in terms of what the Army has to offer, no two programmes are the same, no two corps have the same schedule. While that can make it hard for us to find common ground for evaluating our own work, i do think it is a sign of our adaptability.

What particular challenges does the Salvation army face in the uSa? The Salvation Army remains highly respected by the community at large. its support for our work and trust in us is significant and foundational to our continued mission success.

The danger, though, is that we can focus so hard on finding and maintaining financial support for significant programmes and facilities that we lose sight of the real goal, which is to lead people into relationship with Jesus Christ.

What do you like most about the uSa? i think Americans have a very strong ‘can do’ attitude – we’re

8 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY- SE PT E MBE R 20 1 1

not easily persuaded to change course once we make up our minds. Plan A may not work, but we’ll get you with Plan B! What aspect of another country’s culture/attitudes do you think would be useful in the uSa? When i served in Africa some years ago i was taught that white hair on a person’s head is a sign of wisdom. Americans have such a strong attachment to all that is young and youthful that we can discount the wisdom of our elders. if you were appointed general, what would be the first thing you would change? now there’s a dangerous question! To be honest, i’m not sure there is anything i would change at the moment. i like the direction we are headed and i believe it reflects God’s inspiration to and through our leaders today. This is a great time to be a Salvationist. if you could choose to work for the Salvation army anywhere else, where would you choose? i’ve been privileged to serve in three of the Army’s five geographic zones, and there are a few places i would return to in an instant.

But if i were to head off to do something new, i think i’d like to serve in Australia. Australians strike me as abundantly creative, open, friendly people, with great heart and boldness when it comes to mission!

What skills do you use most in your work? i have a natural inclination towards organisation and structure, and that shows up in pretty much everything i do. Also, i am forever grateful that my mom signed me up for a typing class – i spend a good deal of my time following up correspondence.

What skills do you have that you would like the opportunity to use more? i thoroughly enjoy teaching. i suppose it creeps in indirectly in my current role, but i love the education environment and having time to grapple with new subjects in a classroom setting. how would you like to be remembered?

As someone who served the Lord with passion, integrity and courage.

What’s so special about the Salvation army? i love the description of the Army as the church with its sleeves rolled up. We’re not just pew sitters (though we love congregations) and we’re not just do-gooders (though we have huge opportunities to do good every day). We are people who love God and have a passion for people – and we get to be part of God’s grace delivery system to the world.

&

away

Ò MaJOR BEnTE GUnDERSEn RWAnDA AnD BURUnDi CoMMAnD (oRiGinALLY FRoM noRWAY)

What is your role in the Salvation army?

i am an officer (minister), appointed as the training principal and acting project officer in the Rwanda and Burundi Command.

how did you meet the Salvation army? i started teacher training as an atheist and ended it as a Salvation Army soldier and accepted candidate for officership! During the first six months of my studies God gradually revealed himself to me as a loving, living and holy God. His work in me and the influence and prayers of Christian friends forced me to see that the God i had dismissed as a crutch for weak people was real – he demanded my attention and a decision on what i wanted to do with this newfound knowledge of his reality. i accepted Jesus as my saviour. My friends and family were surprised but i experienced the joy and blessing of God’s presence in my life. Looking around for a church, the Lord made it easy for me and showed me that The Salvation Army was my spiritual home.

What is your favourite bible verse?

My favourite verse has a tendency to change from time to time.

Currently it is Colossians 1:19–20: ‘For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross’ (New International Version).

What is your favourite Salvation army song? ‘in the Secret of Thy Presence’ – in norwegian preferably. (if not, in English!)

&AWAY

how do you think the Salvation army in rwanda differs from the rest of the world? it is amazing, because there are differences from country to country in styles of worship, prayer or methods and much more – but somehow The Salvation Army is still The Salvation Army. i think The Salvation Army in Rwanda is recognisable as The Salvation Army!

The Rwandan version is still young, and may be lacking some traditional groups and activities, but it is energetic and enthusiastic about evangelising and growing in numbers, knowledge and strength.

What particular challenges does the Salvation army face in rwanda?

Because it is still young in Rwanda (17 years old), and came to the country with the emergency services after the genocide and war, there are still some challenges in making the transition in peoples’ minds from being seen as an aid organisation to being a church.

But one of the biggest challenges at the moment is that Rwanda and Burundi do not have enough officers to cover the needs in the

What do you miss most about your home country?

Being with my friends and family.

What do you like most about rwanda?

Rwanda is close to perfection in beauty and climate, and in addition to that it is a safe, clean, tidy and well organised country.

&AWAY

What would be your typical day? i have a five-minute walk from my house to the officer training college. That walk typically starts my working day. The rest of the day will be a combination of teaching, administrative tasks and planning and sharing with colleagues. i walk home in the evening to supper and sometimes a chat – usually an electronic one – with friends or family.

command. Corps and outposts need officers to continue the expansion and growth into new towns and villages, but just as much to ensure the continued spiritual growth of existing corps and to provide a reinforced support and outreach to different communities.

if you were appointed general, what would be the first thing you would change? if not the first thing then quite high on a list of priorities would be to insist on and formalise accountability, consultation and transparency in decision-making at all levels.

Major Bente Gundersen marches with fellow Salvationists after an open-air meeting

if you could choose to work for the Salvation army anywhere else, where would you choose and why? i’m very happy where i am today. i don’t think i want to move anywhere else for a while!

What skills do you use most in your work?

Probably equal parts of teaching and organisational/administrative skills. But i’m blessed with the opportunity to use my skills also in counselling and preaching in my service at the officer training college. how would you like to be remembered?

As someone who made it possible for people to live in and with God’s presence, so they could grow and become what God wanted, discovering his gifts and blessings in their lives.

What’s so special about the Salvation army? it is special to me because it is my church, my place and my spiritual home.

Major Bente Gundersen and Major Kelly Pontsler are both contributors to Called to Preach, a new book of sermons by Salvation Army women (see page 22 for more details)

&AWAY

JJU U LY-SE LY –SEPPTE TEMB MBER ER2201 0111 | | ALL ALLTHE THEWORLD WORLD | |

99

FACTFILE

N

hokkaido

an Jap f o s ea

south korea tokyo

n

o

sendai fukushima

north p ac ific

honshu

a

c

e

north korea

The Japanese flag shows a red circle on a white background.

The white represents honesty and purity and the red disc is a sun symbol, meaning brightness, sincerity and warmth.

kyushu

JAPAN = More than 127 million people live in Japan. = The country is made up of four major islands and more than 6,800 smaller islands!

= only 0.7 per cent of the population are Christians.

(Go-Shichi no Kiri) Government seal

According to the international Monetary Fund, in 2010 Japan was the third-richest nation in the world, with a gross domestic product of US$5.46 billion. This placed the country just behind China but significantly behind the United States of America.

= The Japan Staff Band of The Salvation Army was formed in 1907 but only made its first trip to Europe in 2011, when it toured the Uk before taking part in the international Staff Band’s 120th anniversary celebrations in London.

= The 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan in March 2011 is reported to be the fifth-strongest on record.

= The Salvation Army began work in Japan in 1895.

= There are 47 Salvation Army corps (churches) and 12 outposts in Japan, with 2,851 senior soldiers (full members) and 101 junior soldiers.

= The Japan Territory oversees two hospitals and 20 social services institutions including children’s homes, homes for the elderly and rehabilitation centres.

= The Salvation Army in Japan is known as

From top: the Golden hall and five-storey pagoda of hōryū-ji, among the oldest wooden buildings in the world; nozomi Shinkansen or 'Bullet Train' at Tokyo Station; 12th-century illustrated handscroll of The Tale of Genji, a national Treasure

10 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11

kyuu-Sei-Gun which means, literally, ‘Save-World-Army’. During the Second World War it had to change its name to kyuu-Sei-Dan (‘Save-World-Brigade/ Team’) because Gun (Army) was only allowed to be used to refer to the Japanese imperial Army.

in 1899, Japanese pioneer Salvation Army officer Commissioner Gunpei Yamamuro wrote, in Japanese, The Common People’s Gospel.

The book, which presents the gospel using illustrations that resonated with a Japanese readership, has sold more than three million copies in Japan alone and has been reprinted more than 500 times.

J A PA N

Love in the midst of chaos

by Major Drew Ruthven

‘Love in the midst of chaos,

T

Calm in the heat of war,

hE words of the neil Showed with amazing grace, Diamond song ‘Pretty amazing Grace’ struck What love was for.’ home for me as I worked (from ‘Pretty Amazing Grace’) in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on 11 March 2011. It was april and I was an appropriate description of what Japan making my second visit, having spent two was facing. The image the song brings of weeks there in the immediate aftermath of ‘calm in the heat of war’ is one that was the disaster. reflected by the Japanese Government If you have seen video material on the when it declared that, just as the country news or photos of the damage caused by recovered after the Second World War, so the tsunami you would agree that chaos is it will recover after this disaster.

The destruction caused by the tsunami reminded me of photographs I have seen Top: food distribution at Sendai Corps of hiroshima and nagasaki after the

atomic bombing during the Second World War. The tsunami left behind so much debris that the government and the Japanese army had to use heavy equipment to clear paths so they could continue their search for missing people.

Food distributions have been ongoing from day one of the disaster, which is when The Salvation army began its response. Tokyo Central Corps (Salvation army church), which is on the site of territorial headquarters, opened its doors to people who were caught up in transportation problems on the first night.

In the days since, more than 10,000 hot meals and household items have been handed out to people in need.

I saw the skill and determination of the local Salvationists. Many people were so grateful for their help. Members of the public seemed content to line up for hours for water when, for some I met, the only alternative was to scoop water from a swimming pool.

JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11 | ALL THE WORLD |

11

J A PA N

Two months after the with

Top: Salvation Army workers hold a minute’s silence to pray for the people who were killed in the tsunami and for their families; right: Major drew ruthven looks out on a scene of destruction while discussing The Salvation Army’s response with a government official; below: playing music for people who are waiting for food

The Japanese people showed resilience, something I have seen from others after disasters, but there was a calm, ordered way of life to these people and society that I had not seen elsewhere. as I moved around the impacted areas I gained a strong impression of a nation in recovery, not struggling with the question of ‘Will we recover?’ but, rather, asking: ‘When will we recover?’

Remarkable processes were put in place right from the start. Transport was quickly taken care of, roads repaired within days of being completely impassable, train lines that had been damaged were soon running again.

What I saw in Japan was a recovery process that came closer to matching the need – and quickly – more than anything I have witnessed before. (It was not perfect but I do not expect I will ever see that!) So many people were helped quickly by the government systems.

The people I saw were very civil to each other. This was in spite of the unspoken feeling of panic when there was an aftershock or when the reactors exploded at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. I could see the looks of worry on the faces of people watching TV screens in shop windows, catching the latest updates as they waited to cross the road.

The disaster in Japan was threefold. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake was near the very top of the scale – in fact, it was the fifth-strongest earthquake on record.

Many buildings were damaged.

The earthquake was followed by phase two – a tsunami that hit the shore only 10 minutes after the quake in some places.

This is what caused a large number of the deaths and so much destruction. There are still many people missing.

Tsunami damage is complete

destruction – we do not have structures that stand up to this sort of force. Very few buildings remained upright after the wave came in.

The third aspect to the disaster was the damage to the nuclear facility at Fukushima. The reactors at the plant will take many years to repair – if they can be repaired at all. The feeling of insecurity will probably last for a generation or two.

To some extent I felt it was a shame that the media focused so much on the nuclear crisis to the detriment of the coverage it gave to the incredible destruction wrought by the tsunami.

There is devastation on a massive scale along a large stretch of the north-eastern coast of Japan. I saw four-storey buildings that had simply been pushed over on their side and 40-ton train carriages that had been moved 100 metres from their tracks.

‘Tsunami damage is complete destruction – we do not have structures that 12 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11

J A PA N

earthquake there were still posters on poles pictures of missing loved ones

Top: children in Sendai receive treats and entertainment; above: ready-to-serve single packs of food. The writing offers the recipient God’s blessing

as I moved around Sendai and the surrounding area I was aware that what I saw was only a small part of the damage.

Two months after the earthquake there were still posters on poles with pictures of missing loved ones. I saw people looking through what remained of their homes, picking up the occasional photo or trinket.

I had no way of understanding what they felt. I wanted to talk with these people and listen to their stories but I didn’t want to cause more pain. The difficulty of having to have conversations translated and the chance of upsetting people as they tried to get their lives together stopped me from approaching many of them. I know they will keep looking for lost ones and possessions for a long time yet. any sort of resolution will take many months if not years.

I had a meal in a cafe whose owner told

stand up to this sort of force’

me she had wanted to reopen as soon as she possibly could. The cafe was busy; people were waiting outside to come in and have a meal. It was one of the few places that could reopen in the area.

It struck me that the cafe was fulfilling a dual role in being a place where people could eat but also a place they could meet with each other and reassure themselves that things will return to normal. apologising for the water mark on the wall – a sign of how high the floods had reached – the owner said she had tried to get everything back to normal but the walls had not been painted yet. For me, it was a good place to be, to feel the sense of community as people shared with each other was very comforting. There was good food as well.

The response of The Salvation army around the world has been great but the efficiency of the government response meant that many offers of goods and

money were not immediately taken up in the early days following the disaster.

Offers of help are still coming in and we will find ways to help people with the resources that are being donated. I give thanks to everyone who came to the aid of Japan.

The area around Sendai was badly affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

Much of the initial feeding programme set in place by The Salvation army was based around Sendai Corps, under its officers Majors Mitsuo and asako Igarashi.

The Salvation army in Japan is finding the gaps that exist in the overall response around Sendai. We have distributed hot food to people in places where either heating food was a problem or where the smaller numbers of people meant the government had not yet responded.

We discovered that fishing equipment and boats were lost in the tsunami, so we are putting into place projects to help get the local fishing industry underway again.

We are also supplying basic bedding for people moving into temporary housing – 30,000 people will be moving into accommodation that is designed to last for three years.

Sendai Corps also looks after the work at namie Corps, which is only eight kilometres (five miles) from the Fukushima power station – well inside the 20kilometre safety exclusion zone. It is not only inadvisable to enter this zone – it’s illegal.

Majors Igarashi are worried about their people and also about the security of the JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11 | ALL THE WORLD |

13

J A PA N

right: Major drew ruthven is shown around temporary housing built by the Japanese Government; below right: a child enjoys some hot soup; bottom: members of the Salvation Army team in Sendai after they prepared and served 1,000 meals

property. We know all the people from the corps are safe and have moved in with family in different parts of the country, although they face the prospect of never being able to return to their homes. We are not sure when, or if, the corps will function again as a worshipping community.

It is not known when The Salvation army will have access to the corps buildings. Even when this happens everything will have to be checked for radiation.

‘The people filed allowed to move back I was told that the corps into the area. It is secretary from namie past one at a time thought that a lot of faithfully looked after the to receive the people will not move buildings for many years back, but will instead but he and his family lived food and other go and live elsewhere. close to the Fukushima help offered’ I was amazed to power plant. he cannot go see how normal life back to his home – maybe not ever. throughout Japan continues. The Salvation Ms Keiko Saito, a soldier who works in army hospitals carry on with their work, the Literature Department at territorial food distributions for the homeless go on headquarters in Tokyo, spoke to me about in the streets of Tokyo, youth councils that the situation in namie.

Keiko’s family have lived in the namie area for a long time. She lives in Tokyo but has regularly travelled back twice a month to the family home. now she is unsure when she will be able to go back. She told me that because of the disaster her plans for retirement may need to be revised. at best it will be many months and could be years before the people of namie are

have been planned for some time take place. Sunday is still the day of worship.

I was able to go out one Friday night into a city street in Tokyo and watch the normal working out of the ministry of The Salvation army’s social services, which has a regular feeding programme for people who live on the street.

Many people lined up on the street – so many that the team arranged pedestrian ‘traffic controls’. The people filed past one at a time to receive the food and other help offered. Some packed it in their bags and headed to what they call home.

Others found a place nearby and sat down to enjoy a warm meal. a number of people passing by thanked The Salvation army for what it does for the homeless.

I’m reminded that on the day the earthquake struck, the meals that had been prepared as usual for the homeless ended up being used to feed people stuck in Tokyo because the transport system was down.

I can’t help but reflect that this is what I see time and time again in my work with International Emergency Services. So many times we are thanked and we feel good about what we are doing but, really, this is not the point. In the name of God we do what we do to help, when and where we can, to lift the dignity of the lives of people in urgent need. neil Diamond finishes his song with the words ‘showed me that love, truth, hope and grace were all I needed’. I witnessed The Salvation army offering love, truth, hope and grace to the people of Japan, and doing it all in God’s name.

Major Drew Ruthven is Emergency Personnel officer of the international Emergency Services team, based at The Salvation Army’s international Headquarters in London 14 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11

GHANA

I

T is four years since I first witnessed the work of The Salvation army in Ghana. Back in 2007 I led part of a worship service at the corps (church) in nungua, 15 miles from the capital city of accra.

Visiting africa for the first time from the UK, the presence of the Christian Church seemed very alive as I walked through nungua to attend the service, which was led by a small band and singing group. as in many african countries, allegiance to God is publicised in all sorts of places. Public and private transport, shops and businesses proclaim their religious affiliations and display religious slogans. at the time of my first visit, the work of The Salvation army in nungua was in its infancy. a concrete building had been partially built, with exposed iron supporting rods still in evidence.

I saw a number of church buildings around Ghana that would not look out of place in a rural town or village in the UK. The most noticeable differences were that the outsides of the buildings were painted in pastel shades and there was no glass in the windows (good in the heat of summer but not in the rainy season!). Elsewhere I came across buildings that were more utilitarian in style which, on drawing close, I also found to be places of worship.

Before flying home I returned to accra, where The Salvation army’s Ghana

Works of transformation

by Divisional Envoy Stuart M. Gay

Territory has its headquarters, and saw the changes that God is making in people’s lives through the work of the army.

Osu Corps, led by Captain Michael Eku, is next to the territorial headquarters.

The corps combines food and teaching as an outreach ministry to young people who gather on the local streets. The location is very busy, being just off the area’s main shopping street.

Some who receive help later attend worship on Sundays. among these is Edwin Foday-Lamin. an orphan, originally from Sierra Leone, Edwin is an example of how a life can be transformed. Originally on the streets, Edwin has now committed himself to a life of encouraging others and is an active, uniformed member of the corps.

‘Edwin is a visible example of how a life can be transformed’

Above: worship at duakwa Corps

In agona Duakwa The Salvation army has a corps, school and maternity and malnutrition centre. The work is led by Majors Stephen and Gladys Borbor, supported by retired Salvation army officer aux-Captain Dadedzie.

In 2008 and 2010 I travelled to agona Duakwa to see the building work that is being undertaken through fundraising activities I had started in the UK. The journey time from accra is approximately three hours by a mixture of local taxi, long distance bus and local minibus. Public transport in Ghana ranges from western-style buses to smaller minibuses where the ‘mate’ or conductor leans out of the sliding side door, gesturing or shouting the destination.

To me it appeared chaotic, but to those living there the system works. People know how to get from a to B and usually manage it OK even if they have to share JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11 | ALL THE WORLD |

15

GHANA

Above: part of the corps building in Agona duakwa; right: duakwa Corps hall; below: the Salvation Army school in Agona duakwa

the transport with live goats and several large bags of shopping!

Money for the building work in agona Duakwa is raised locally and through appeals in the UK. The funds are used to purchase wood and bags of cement which will eventually be transformed into an extension on the side of the corps which will include classrooms and new officers’ quarters. across the town a plantation was bought and cleared of vegetation, and a temporary wooden structure of five classrooms has been built. all labour is local, voluntary and unpaid.

Life in rural Ghana is far from easy but, despite obvious difficulties, the members of The Salvation army maintain a positive outlook. People in the corps are encouraged when they see that fellow Salvationists and people from other churches are interested in them and are trying to assist in meeting their development needs.

In 2010, people in the UK responded positively to an appeal I made for Christmas cards and presents to be collected and sent to the 90-plus children who come under the care of The Salvation army in agona Duakwa. This resulted in each child being able to experience God’s love in a practical, tangible way.

Giving Christmas presents is only a small undertaking, but it is

through such actions that the community and The Salvation army in agona Duakwa receive hope and encouragement.

Major Stephen Borbor advises that, for a while, people in the community were sending their children away to be educated because the facilities available locally were so poor. That has changed.

People are seeing a positive change and the school is again filled to capacity. The Salvation army’s commitment to ‘belief in action’ – a slogan used by the army in the UK – is a reality for the people of agona Duakwa.

Divisional Envoy Stuart M. Gay MBE works out of Blackpool Citadel Corps in The Salvation Army’s Uk Territory with the Republic of ireland

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 love for God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in his name without discrimination.

Now working in 124 countries, The Salvation Army has been offering help, hope and God’s love to people in need since 1865.

16 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11

UNITED KINGDOM

INSIGHT Stepney, in the East End of London, is a short walk from where The Salvation Army began in the 19th century. Today Stepney has a predominantly Muslim population – but this did not stop The Salvation Army from planting a new corps (church) there in 2003.

Corps officers captains nick and Kerry coke explain how they live and work as minority Christians in a multi-faith community.

S

Distinctively Christlike

aLVaTIOn army Founder William Booth famously found his destiny almost 150 years ago on the Whitechapel Road in London’s East End. Eight years ago we journeyed down the same road to arrive at the newly purchased Salvation army quarters in Stepney – just eight minutes’ walk from the site of Booth’s revelation. We had the overwhelming feeling of coming home!

We felt then – as now – that the work of The Salvation army in this area is not finished! The movement William Booth founded may have expanded across the world but God still has work for The Salvation army in the place of its birth.

Because of the docks this area has for centuries been home to ethnic and cultural diversity, but the East End of Booth’s time has changed beyond

‘Cultural, ethnic and religious boundaries are very real’

recognition. Today the predominant ethnic group where we live has Bangladeshi origins. Two hundred metres down the road stands the largest mosque complex in Europe. Ten thousand people gather there every week for Friday prayers and the call to prayer can be heard echoing down Whitechapel Road.

The army’s Founder declared that we should take the ‘world for God’. In the late 19th century this meant travelling from England to a far-off country. Today, the world has come to the East End! Just as in Booth’s day, poverty overshadows the lives of ordinary people in the East End of London. On the whole, most people no longer live in the abject poverty that existed in the Victorian era or in some parts of our world today. however, even where physical poverty

has been relieved it has been replaced by something as insidious – relational poverty. Communities do not function as they once did – neighbours do not know or love their neighbours. There is little trust between people, and cultural, ethnic and religious boundaries are very real.

The presence of Islam is strong – the strongest in the UK. The London Borough of Tower hamlets, in which we are located, has the largest Muslim population of any UK borough.

The older generation follows a Sufiinspired Islam transported from the villages of Bangladesh but the younger generation, mostly born in Britain, looks elsewhere for guidance on religious matters and on the whole are more inclined to a stricter form of Islam. however, that is not to say that this JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11 | ALL THE WORLD |

17

UNITED KINGDOM

Photos on this page and the page opposite show young people’s activities organised through The Salvation Army in Stepney

younger generation can be labelled as ‘radicals’.

The East End is also home to politicians and liberal secularists who work hard to remove religion of any sort from public life. Sadly, it seems to be Christians who bear the brunt of this movement. Islam has some protection as it is still considered a minority religion within the UK but Christianity is often regarded as having an over-represented and privileged position within society.

Planting a new Salvation army corps in this context is challenging. attempting to reach out beyond our boundaries might appear a task that is so full of thorny issues that it would be best avoided. however, we have constantly felt the Spirit of God leading us into the public sphere to reach across the boundaries that would separate us from our neighbours.

We understand that if a corps like ours is to have any kind of fruitful ministry in a multi-faith community it must have its own distinctive Christian voice. We have to ask ourselves: what is it about the ministry of The Salvation army in Stepney that marks it out as faithful to Jesus Christ and the gospel? What differentiates us from other groups in our community in the way we think and act?

We have learned through our experience, and occasionally our mistakes, that being distinctively Christian 18 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11

requires us to remain faithful to our own beliefs while reaching out in love to people of other faiths.

We recognise that what we say comes from a western context. We are not presuming that our reflections necessarily hold elsewhere.

So what makes us distinctively Christian in a multi-faith community?

We have learned that Christian ministry in a multi-faith community is only as effective as our ability to think and act theologically. By this we do not mean a stale theology formed in seminaries but a ‘Salvationist theology’ – one that is formed in the cut and thrust of ministry and mission in a real place and context. Our approach always starts with the question:

‘What does God say about this?’

When we act we do so with prayerful and scriptural consideration.

The Salvation army’s leadership at territorial headquarters doesn’t see our ministry in terms of numerical growth.

Prayerful and scriptural consideration led to the understanding that The Salvation army still has a mission in a community that will not easily yield converts and lead to church growth. The truth that our leaders grasped was that there are no ‘nogo areas’ for the gospel.

This approach is bearing fruit. The Salvation army is now one of the most influential Christian voices in our borough. We are constantly lobbied by politicians and councillors for our opinions as Christians. We have campaigned successfully on issues of justice. We have spoken by invitation to large gatherings of Muslims in mosques, giving the Christian perspective on various issues. We have even spoken on the Islam TV channel to thousands of Muslims. and finally – God has given us converts.

Today we have people from Communist, Jewish, hindu, Muslim and fiercely secular backgrounds who stand proudly as Christians – some as soldiers or adherent members of Stepney Corps! another aspect of our distinctiveness is to love as Jesus does.

In any multi-faith community, the need for peacemakers who cross boundaries is going to be a priority.

UNITED KINGDOM

‘We have spoken by invitation to large gatherings of Muslims in mosques’ no one knows better than Jesus what it is to cross divides. We see evidence of this through his teaching, in his ministry – dining with tax collectors, sharing a drink with a Samaritan woman, dying with criminals – and through his very incarnation.

Jesus is what makes Christians distinctively different in a multi-faith community.

Captain nick writes: I was introduced to Ishaque through Abdul, one of the Bangladeshi young men I had met playing cricket in the park. It was Ramadan and Ishaque invited me to an iftar (breaking the fast) party he was organising that Sunday at the local mosque.

‘Please come,’ he told me. ‘It’s going to be a community event, lots of different cultures – bring your family.’

‘Ok,’ I said ‘See you there.’ It seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

On Sunday, leaving Kerry and the children at home, I headed for the mosque.

As I approached I could see through the window that Ishaque’s claim about lots of cultures being there was more hope than expectation. I hesitated for a moment – everything in me was telling me to go home, that I’d be the odd one, that I wouldn’t know how to behave and I’d be on the back foot!

Then I remembered I was a Salvation Army officer and should be bold! I stepped

into the room, removed my shoes and glanced around uneasily as all eyes turned on me. Everyone else was clearly a Muslim, Bangladeshi and a male adult.

Thank goodness, I thought, I hadn’t brought the family!

Soon I was seated on the floor with a plate of very spicy food and having to use my right hand as cutlery. I felt the odd one out, particularly as most people were conversing in Sylheti. For an hour I chatted and engaged as best I could before saying my goodbyes.

I saw Ishaque soon after. He told me how impressed he was that I’d come, even though no other non-Muslim had.

Ishaque has become a great friend – we have jointly hosted community meals, run a weekly badminton club and started the Stepney Father’s Group that brings local men together to discuss issues of concern in Stepney.

A couple of months ago on a visit to our home Ishaque said, ‘Nick, you are a better Muslim than most Muslims I know.’

I wasn’t sure how to respond. I told him that if being a Muslim is submitting yourself to God then Jesus Christ is our ultimate example because he submitted himself even to death. He liked that.

We believe building relationally across our community is a Kingdom imperative.

It is a Christian distinctive because no one has done it better than Jesus Christ! We do it unconditionally and sometimes with

vulnerability. We do it because it is the only answer to relational poverty – without relationship we remain poor, divided and ultimately lost. God demonstrated the importance of relationship when he reached out to the world through his Son, and we follow his example.

On occasion Christians are required to speak robustly. We can’t forever dwell only on what we share in a relationship – sometimes we must acknowledge our differences and seek change, even if it rocks the boat.

In the Christian-Muslim relationship in Stepney we need to work out how to deal with areas of conflict. There are questions that need careful consideration. how, for instance, do we deal with people who choose to convert to another religion?

What do we do about the radical Muslim elements that spout hate towards Christians and non-Muslims? are there elements of certain attitudes towards women in the local Bangladeshi population that should be confronted?

We also have confronted those who are working hard to remove the Christian voice from public life. These are all difficult issues to grapple with while maintaining good relationships.

We held our parent-and-toddler group in a centre owned by our local council – with whom we had a good relationship.

Unfortunately, when we tried to provide a sort of midweek Sunday school for older children we were told that this was against the rules because religious meetings were not allowed – even though we knew Muslim gatherings were held there. after trying various options we met with our local councillor – himself a Muslim – to ask him to consider standing with us on this issue.

When we explained the situation he was very helpful and quite shocked. It was as if he had had his eyes opened to the JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11 | ALL THE WORLD |

19

UNITED KINGDOM

Above: children take part in a dance-based activity; below: Captain Kerry Coke enrols a junior soldier

reality that there were people other than Muslims living in Stepney!

‘That’s not fair is it?’ he told us. ‘My children get to go to the madrassa at Stepney Green School on a Saturday. Your children should be allowed their teaching too. Even the Jews need somewhere to meet!’

With his help we stood together against the council and obtained permission to extend our work.

Christian ministry in Stepney calls us to build relationships with grace but also to speak the truth with confidence. We share many values with Muslim people, like belief in God, commitment to religious practices and love of our neighbour but we do not believe in political Islam or the authority of the Qur’an. We also share

20 | ALL THE WORLD |

JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11

some values with liberal secularists such as a belief in freedom and liberty for all people – yet we don’t believe faith should be removed from public life.

We have learned that we must not be afraid to speak the truth – even when it is uncomfortable – but we must speak out with grace, relationship, confidence, vulnerability and hope. This is what makes us different – it is the way of Jesus and he is our guide.

So here is what we have learned of Christian ministry in a multi-faith community – in a western context, at least: We need to be distinctively Christian – to work out our path and agenda, refusing to be co-opted by others outside the Christian community or those from within the Christian community who veer from the way of Christ.

We need to think and act theologically – this comes from constant prayer, Bible study and reflection on Christian ministry.

With Jesus as our ultimate example we are called to love others as he loves others, building relationships across divides.

In the context of relationship we must speak prophetically with both grace and truth, leading to public truth-telling that

deals with differences as well as similarities.

The challenge for us all then, wherever we are, is to be distinctively Christlike – constantly taking the initiative to reach out beyond our boundaries.

In our experience The Salvation army around the world is well placed to get on with this vital 21st-century task. Our prayer is that through this work we may catch a glimpse of ‘God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven’.

R E S O U R C E W E B S I T E

MAnY years ago, in the Youth Department of The Salvation Army’s USA Southern Territorial Headquarters, an employee had a dream. He dreamed of a website that would house all the programme resources for The Salvation Army. Benefits like no more emailing of large attachments, and no more mass mailings of resources danced in his head.

‘How care-free life would be,’ thought the employee – well, probably!

The employee shared his thoughts with his boss, the territorial youth secretary, who gave the go-ahead for the project.

A committee was created to discuss the ins and outs and important logistics of such a ‘supersite’. The idea was broken down, rearranged and reorganised until it finally re-emerged as the Ministry Toolkit.

Within the planning of the so-called Ministry Toolkit, inevitable questions arose: What would it cost to develop; who would maintain the site; and what resources would the site provide? The committee decided that the site would house women’s ministries programmes, adult devotional booklets, visuals for use in PowerPoint and Media Shout, junior soldier curriculum, corps cadet lessons, sunbeam and adventure corps badge work, leadership materials and the like. it would be offered to anyone and everyone. no special email address would be required.

Best of all, it was decided that the site would be fluid: a growing database that could one day reach epic proportions.

Corps officers and youth leaders could upload the resources they’d created over the years – programmes they’d written, games they’d created, sermons they’d researched and mapped out. An approval process was discussed and finally it was decided that anyone with access to the internet could download materials, but

Resource dream becomes reality

by Lindsey Fleeman users who wanted to upload materials would need to register for the site. Then, once they uploaded their resources, a short approval process would commence during which Ministry Toolkit administrators would check for copyright and theological implications.

A temporary employee was hired to upload a decade’s worth of valuable resources from the different territorial headquarters departments – including youth, music and creative arts, women’s ministries, evangelism and adult ministries. Within three months, 1,500 resources were uploaded to the Ministry Toolkit in time for its launch on 5 May 2010.

Since it went live the Ministry Toolkit has welcomed over 6,600 unique visitors from

more than 80 countries. it continues to grow.

The site has also partnered with the Australia Southern Territory’s Corps Resources (www.salvationarmy.org.au/corpsresources), in hopes of combining efforts to offer even more material. The home page has gone through its second redesign with the intention of presenting the Ministry Toolkit’s vast resources in the most accessible form possible. it’s simple for even a technophobe to gain access to useful and usable graphics, audio feeds, devotional material and much more. in all their efforts, Ministry Toolkit administrators seek to get quality, relevant resources into the hands of corps leaders and others on a regular basis.

Check out the Ministry Toolkit at www.tsamtk.org and follow on twitter: @Lindsey_4_MTK

Lindsey Fleeman (pictured left) is Multimedia editor with responsibility for the Ministry Toolkit in The Salvation Army’s USA Southern Territory JU LY–S EP T EM BE R 2 0 11 | ALL THE WORLD |

21

C O U N T RY O R T H E M E

SNAPSHOTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD using Meeting Jesus to bless, encourage and inspire people who didn’t realise how God can use fallible people.’

Photo by dave Lock, Manna Christian Bookshop, Streatham

Launched in 2010, Christianity magazine’s Book of the Year celebrates quality, original, Christian-themed writing that offers something special to readers. The shortlist is made up of books that have received five-star reviews during the qualifying period.

Steve Morris, who reviewed Meeting Jesus for the magazine, says: ‘This book is perhaps the most extraordinary one i’ve reviewed since writing for Christianity. it is a series of stories of evangelism on the hard side of life. it is painfully honest and lists as many failures as successes, as many deaths as new lives. it documents Howard Webber’s spiritual battles too. it is perhaps the most moving set of accounts i’ve ever read and the most hopeful. ‘it is all too easy to see the role of being God’s ambassadors as reduced to preaching, or set among those who we love and are safe. But this book challenges us to be where Jesus would be, with the down-and-outs, with the hopeless and the broken. it looks the cost of such ministry square in the eye and carries on just the same.’

UNITED KINGDOM SALvATion Army officer Major Howard Webber is now an awardwinning writer. His book Meeting Jesus: Inspiring Stories of Modern-day evangelism was named Christianity magazine’s Book of the Year, receiving an astonishing 82 per cent of online votes.

Major Webber, from the United kingdom Territory with the Republic of ireland, was presented with his award by Ruth Dickinson, Editor of Christianity magazine, at the Christian Resources Together Retreat at High Leigh in the United kingdom (see photo). He told All the World he was ‘surprised, shocked, humbled but thrilled – and even more thrilled at the way God is

Ruth Dickinson adds: ‘i want to commend Howard Webber for this great achievement. What i loved about Meeting Jesus was the way it documented his “failures” as an evangelist as well as his success stories. it’s very rare to read something so honest and so inspiring at the same time.’ other books in the shortlist were: the Best Idea in the World by Mark Greene (Zondervan), Mere theology by Alister McGrath (SPCk), Forgotten God, by Francis Chan (David C. Cook), and Present Perfect by Greg Boyd (Zondervan).

Meeting Jesus: Inspiring Stories of Modern-day evangelism is published by the Uk Territory’s Shield Books.

UNITED KINGDOM THoUSAnDS of tourists and sightseers joined a large number of Salvationists in The Mall – the wide boulevard that leads to Buckingham Palace, London – to see a march of witness by The Salvation Army’s eight staff bands.

The march was one of a number of events to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the international Staff Band, which is based in London. The eight bands taking part were the international, Amsterdam, Canadian, Chicago, German, Japan, Melbourne and new York Staff Bands.

The weekend of celebrations included a day-long concert in the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday before the public event on Sunday. Huge crowds watched and sang along with the bands as they marched down The Mall before playing a short concert in the forecourt of the palace. As they marched away, each band passed a saluting party comprised of General Linda Bond, the Chief of the Staff (Commissioner Barry C. Swanson) and Commissioner Sue Swanson (World President of Women's Ministries), Uk territorial leaders Commissioners John and Betty Matear, and Colonels Brian (Chief Secretary, Uk) and Rosalie Peddle. it was a memorable weekend for all who took part but it was particularly special for the Japan Staff Band (pictured right), for whom this was a first visit to Europe.

22 | ALL THE WORLD |

J ULY– SE PT E MBE R 20 1 1

S N A P S H OT S

INTERNATIONAL HEADqUARTERS The themes for The Salvation Army’s 2011 Calls to Prayer for Peace and Victims of Sex Trade Trafficking have been announced. on Sunday 18 September the international Salvation Army will be encouraged to respond to a Call to Prayer for Peace, focusing on the Bible verse: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matthew 5:9 New International Version).

A week later, on 25 September, Salvationists and friends are called to prayer for victims of sex trade trafficking, with the theme verse: ‘i have come that they may have life’ (John 10:10).

As in previous years, both calls to prayer are publicised with distinctive, thought-provoking images created by Berni Georges of international headquarters. This is the fifth year that two Sundays in September have been set aside in this way.

f r o M s a lvat i o n B o o k s

This is the fifth year that two Sundays in September have been set aside in this way

Also on the subject of prayer, General Linda Bond used her first pastoral letter to announce that Salvation Army territories and commands have been asked to set aside a half-hour period every Thursday between 5am and 8am when they will commit to pray. it is hoped that this will result every week in continuous, focused prayer across the world over a 24-hour period.

coMing soon! called to preach – Sermons by Salvationist Women

Foreword by General Linda Bond Called to Preach – Sermons by Salvationist Women is a collection of sermons penned by women Salvation Army officers from around the world. The writers represent Salvation Army work on six continents and subjects include faith, holiness, prayer and salvation.

The project to gather together the thoughts and words of Salvationist women was originally proposed by former World President of Women’s Ministries Commissioner Helen Clifton, who was promoted to Glory in June 2011. This collection is dedicated to Commissioner Clifton.

Called to Preach will be published in September 2011.

Further details, including price, will be released shortly.

J U LY– SE PT E MBE R 20 1 1 | ALL THE WORLD |

23

JaPan – serving after the tsunami Changing communities – USa Photo competition prizes revealed Corps life and more in Ghana

for

Peace

VOL 49 nO 3

SUNDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2011

JULY–SEPTEMBER 2011