Salvationist + Faith & Friends August 2020

Volunteers Are the Army Behind the Army

It Isn’t Easy Being Green: Our Environmental Crisis

“I Can’t Breathe”: A Cry for Racial Justice

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

August 2020

Critical Care Chaplains bring spiritual comfort during the COVID-19 crisis

Salvationist.ca

WHEN THE WORLD O P E N CLOSES ITS EYES, THEM.

BOOTHUC.CA

ED UC ATI ON FOR A BETTER WO RLD

August 2020 • Volume 15, Number 8

8 DEPARTMENTS 5 Frontlines 15 Perspectives

IHQ Unveils New Vision for Women’s Ministries

Mister Rogers on Being a Good Neighbour

Advocate for Gender Equity Appointed

Fallen Hero: Rethinking Jean Vanier’s Legacy

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

Porn-Proof Your Kids

by Lt-Colonel Lynn Armstrong

May 2020

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From Camp Nurse to the Front Lines of COVID-19

Who Needs the Old Testament?

Being the Church in a Time of Physical Distancing

Unique Commissioning for Messengers of the Kingdom

Hope for Forgiveness in a “Cancel Culture”

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

THE VOICE OF THE ARMY

June 2020

Salvationist.ca

RINGIC ISTE and MIN PANDEM -19 services ster COVID IN Aency disaons e to

July 2020

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More Than a Memory Keeping Youth Ministry Alive in a Summer Without Camp

Emerg y’s resp the Arm

Thy Kingdom Come New lieutenants ready to share the gospel with the world

19 Corps Values Living Out Christ’s Mission Interview with Majors Herbert and Kathie Sharp

CATCH UP ONLINE Did you know that you can find free back issues of Salvationist and Faith & Friends magazines at the issuu.com/salvationist website? Catch up on all the Salvation Army news and features on your tablet or desktop.

20 Ethically Speaking Good Fruit

by James Read

26 People & Places 27 Salvation Stories On This Mountain

by Mike Forsey

COLUMNS 4 Editorial A Cry for Justice

by Geoff Moulton

7 Onward A New Playbook

by Commissioner Floyd Tidd

24 Grace Notes Pandemic Privilege

by Captain Laura Van Schaick

25 Viewpoint Race, Gospel and Justice

by Darryn Oldford

22

FEATURES 8 Continuing Care Spiritual care is central to the mission of The Salvation Army. Four chaplains, from a variety of ministry settings, share how they come alongside others, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed things.

12 At a Crossroads Remand program shows clients the power of choice.

by Leigha Vegh

Also available on the Territorial Archives section of Salvationist.ca is a searchable record of every War Cry dating back to 1884. Visit salvationist.ca/archives-andmuseum.

Cover: From left, Rev. Paula Willis, Mjr Marie Hollett and Cpt Donna Downey, Toronto Grace Health Centre; photo: Karol Kisielewski

READ AND SHARE IT! Joy Rediscovered

GOD’S WAY P.5

Matchbox Love

ONE OF A KIND P.8

From History to Hip Hop

HAMILTON MOVIE P.10

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

16 Serving in a Pandemic

AUGUST 2020

Volunteers embody what it means to give hope today.

by Leigha Vegh

21 Now and Then I rediscovered an essay I wrote for training college 20 years ago. What would I find?

by Major Elaine Locke

22 The Bible Jesus Read We need the Old Testament to understand the mission of God and the identity of the church.

by Donald E. Burke

COVID-19

Front-Line Chaplain JULIANE MARTIN SEES FAITH WITH NEW EYES. P.12

Salvationist August 2020 3

EDITORIAL

A Cry for Justice

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“

can’t breathe.” Those three words, uttered by George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck and extinguished his life, have galvanized a movement that is causing all of us to reevaluate our assumptions about racism in North America. A heartfelt cry for justice has erupted in response to George Floyd’s death and in solidarity with other Black people who have suffered unfair treatment for too long.

Perhaps George Floyd’s death hits closer to home because he was one of us. He worked for a time as a staff member at the Salvation Army Harbor Light centre in Minneapolis. So it was with heavy hearts that Salvationists in that city organized a prayer walk and vigil at the site of his death.

In his response, Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander, writes, “Since its inception, The Salvation Army has been called to stand alongside and uplift our brothers and sisters who are oppressed. To engage in dialogue, to listen, to forge a path together to healing, hope and transformation. As Christfollowers, we must also stand against systemic forces that subjugate, dehumanize and degrade others. These are deeprooted problems that require sustained effort and a collective response.”

More and more, people are saying what Andy Stanley, a prominent white

Salvationist

is a monthly publication of The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory Brian Peddle General Commissioner Floyd Tidd Territorial Commander Lt-Colonel John P. Murray Secretary for Communications Geoff Moulton Editor-in-Chief and Literary Secretary Giselle Randall Features Editor (416-467-3185) Pamela Richardson News Editor, Copy Editor and Production Co-ordinator (416-422-6112) Leigha Vegh Associate Editor and Staff Writer 4 August 2020 Salvationist

evangelical pastor, said during a recent sermon on the George Floyd protests: “It’s no longer enough to be a non-racist; one must be an anti-racist.” That means we must be ready to act. To speak out against racism. To engage in dialogue and listen to people from different backgrounds. To challenge societal structures that unfairly hold people back from their true potential.

In Salvationist magazine, we have tried to make space for these voices. But we can always do better. In the coming months, we resolve to continue to profile, affirm and celebrate the Army in all its ethnic diversity, believing that we are all made in the image of God. Columnist Darryn Oldford tackles the subject head-on: “Institutional racism did not end with slavery. Progress has been made to improve the lives of Black individuals, but we are far away from the kind of just and equitable world God wants to call his kingdom on earth.

We need to care for one another, to feel each other’s pain and to work toward justice” (page 25).

Elsewhere in this issue, we profile the work of Salvation Army chaplains who have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic to offer spiritual care and accompaniment (page 8). We also celebrate the Salvation Army vol-

Brandon Laird Senior Graphic Designer Hannah Saley Digital Media Specialist Ada Leung Circulation Co-ordinator Ken Ramstead Contributor Agreement No. 40064794, ISSN 1718-5769.

Member, The Canadian Christian Communicators Association. All Scripture references from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV) © 2011.

All articles are copyright The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory and can be reprinted only with written permission.

unteers who have pitched in to support their neighbours in this time of crisis (page 16). And we feature the restorative justice work that is happening at our Crossroads correctional and justice services ministry in Saskatoon (page 12).

In 1947, Peter Marshall, a chaplain of the U.S. Senate, prayed, “A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.” It’s never been truer than today.

GEOFF MOULTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Mission

The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world. Salvationist informs readers about the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. salvationist.ca facebook.com/salvationistmagazine twitter.com/salvationist youtube.com/salvationistmagazine instagram.com/salvationistmagazine

FRONTLINES

VOIT/SEE Goes Virtual

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n May 23, the Canada Bermuda Youth team hosted the largest online youth meeting in the territory’s history. Dubbed VOIT/SEE CONNECT, the Facebook Live/YouTube event marked the weekend that the territorial youth congress, VOIT/SEE , was to be held in Montreal until COVID-19 forced a postponement to spring 2021. More than 500 young people and youth leaders gathered online for teaching, games, music and fun.

The event kicked off with Majors Terence and Jennifer Hale, territorial youth secretary and secretary for candidates, respectively, live from territorial headquarters. Addressing the challenges of the pandemic, Major Terence Hale noted, “We are believing together that God has a new story to write and new things to do,” citing the congress theme verse, Isaiah 43:19 (“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”).

Divisional youth secretaries from across the territory brought greetings, including Captain Jason Dockeray, then serving in the British Columbia Division, and Captain Indira Albert, Quebec Division, who led young people in a series of online bilingual games, includ-

ing “Name that tune” and “Where am I?” incorporating virtual backgrounds.

Guest musical appearances from NEON, Impact Brass from the then Ontario Great Lakes Division, Jude St-Aimé, and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Blue East enhanced worship.

Another fun segment included Captain Joshua Downer, divisional youth secretary in the then Ontario Great Lakes Division, who was featured in a series of videos on a cross-country trek to attend VOIT/SEE in Montreal. VOIT/ SEE CONNECT picked up his story as he packed up for a new appointment and his family conspired to shave his beard in anticipation of a fresh start.

In a pre-recorded video, General Brian Peddle brought an encouraging mes-

sage about the future of The Salvation Army, noting that he sees “youth leading worship, using their gifts and talents; youth serving and standing in the path where justice is needed; youth responding, being sensitive to God’s voice; and youth standing, expressing faith and following with no retreats.”

Guest speaker Danielle Strickland spoke about “wilderness experiences” and living in uncertain times, noting that it’s often the best place to train and prepare for God’s future. Major Rock Marcoux, corps officer, Le Phare, Quebec Division, spoke of the “God of our salvation” and the new start that is possible when we are forgiven. Cadet Amy Patrick testified to how she was at a crossroads and chose a life of faith, which has made all the difference.

In conclusion, Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander, spoke of the FOMO factor, the fear of missing out on all the events that have been cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic. But he also reminded young people not to miss out on what new things God may be doing: “I see a generation rising up to embrace the invitation to partner with him and follow him along the road that he leads. It’s a road that you won’t regret.”

TELUS Donation Keeps Food Bank Operating in Toronto

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donation from TELUS allowed The Salvation Army Downtown East Community Church and community and family services office in Toronto to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the crisis hit, programs and outreach services were put on hold, especially in vulnerable neighbourhoods such as Regent Park and Moss Park.

As an essential service, the food bank remained open to distribute food hampers. To continue providing food security for those affected by poverty and living in crisis, the Army had to first ensure the safety of its staff, volunteers and clients. This meant switching to socially distanced food sorting and non-contact distribution, as well as the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The financial support from the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation allowed staff to purchase PPE and cleaning supplies so that The Salvation Army Downtown East Community Church could keep its doors open to continue serving groceries for up to 100 families each week. This included the families of children and youth from the after-school programs run throughout the year.

“TELUS Community Boards have shifted their focus on any underserved communities impacted by the current health crisis,” explains Jennifer Kirner, senior manager of community investment at TELUS. “The goal is to help build brighter futures for

those who need it most.”

“The generosity from TELUS is allowing The Salvation Army to continue serving the community and make a difference in the lives of many families who access our services,” says Brianne Zelinsky, community engagement co-ordinator at The Salvation Army Downtown East Community Church.

Cpt Deanna and Lt Ian Scott, COs, Downtown East CC, and Kingsley Josiah (centre) pack food hampers for vulnerable families in Toronto

Salvationist August 2020 5

FRONTLINES

Feeding Program Bridges Gap in Moose Jaw

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hen a local men’s emergency shelter reduced its feeding program to protect volunteers and residents from the coronavirus, The Salvation Army in Moose Jaw, Sask., launched a lunch program to bridge the gap.

“To keep everyone safe, volunteers and other non-essential workers weren’t allowed in the shelter,” says Sonya Bowles, family services co-ordinator. “On-site personnel only had the capacity to prepare a supper meal, so The Salvation Army stepped in to fill the lunchtime gap.” From Monday to Friday, a team of three from the Army prepared and handed out more than 50 bagged lunches.

The team consisted of the corps officer as the baker, the thrift store manager as the sous-chef and Bowles, who gave the guests their food through a window in the front lobby of the corps to ensure health and safety for all.

“We strive to make lunches interesting,” says Bowles. “From pizza and burgers, to Egg McMuffins, baked goods and a piece of fruit, our guests know that we are here to support them.”

Bowles and her team also have a passion for supporting seniors who are afraid or not able to leave their homes. A recent grant from the United Way allowed them to distribute care packages and activity kits to those identified as being at risk of isolation.

“In our ‘new normal,’ many are challenged by hardship, and

A guest receives a meal through a window as a safety measure during COVID-19

if The Salvation Army can help someone a little bit and relieve some pressure, then that’s what we will do,” she says.

Government Grant Offsets Food Insecurity in Grande Prairie gift card per child, per month.

With schools closing from the virus, some students faced a higher risk for food insecurity.

Students who relied on school feeding programs for some meals and snacks were left with fewer options. Families affected by layoffs and reduced hours needed help to make sure their children were getting proper meals.

“We intend to help as many families as we can,” says Cpt Peter Kim “Even though the school year will he Salvation Army started a new stuend in June, the program will continue dent feeding program in May with a until the money is all used,” says Captain $300,000 grant from the Alberta governPeter Kim, corps officer and communment, through the Ministry of Education ity ministries officer in Grande Prairie, in Grande Prairie, Alta. More than 200 in response to this need. “We intend to students were identified and registered help as many families as we can.” by the four school boards operating in The gift card system will also help the the city to receive a $100 grocery store local economy recover while ensuring

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6 August 2020 Salvationist

the dignity of food program recipients.

Rather than buying food for hampers and distributing them, families can go to the local grocery store to select the food and snacks their children prefer.

“I have three kids of my own, and they definitely don’t like the same things,” says Captain Kim. “This is a way to ensure we’re providing this program with dignity, and that means having a choice to buy what their kids like.”

The Grande Prairie community has been very supportive, notes Captain Kim. The Salvation Army runs the only food bank in Grande Prairie, and realizing the implications of a pandemic on their reserves, they began a monetary food drive as COVID-19 took hold.

“We are close to $400,000 raised, and our original goal was $100,000,” says Captain Kim. “Communities, businesses, individuals, community foundations and the local Rotary Club have all donated.

People who weren’t able to volunteer for our annual door-to-door food bank drive this year were very generous to this monetary campaign, and we’re so grateful.”

ONWARD

A New Playbook It’s time to seize the opportunity for vision and hope.

Illustration: sesame/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

BY COMMISSIONER FLOYD TIDD

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he summer of 2020 will long be remembered as the summer that wasn’t. The adventures of camp and travel were replaced with small backyard gatherings. Summer festivals and celebrations in the park were replaced with online events and Netflix binge-watching sessions.

Block parties were replaced with drive-by celebrations. And the familiar question coming from the back seat of the car, “Are we there yet?” was now being asked by those in the front seats, as well. It’s clear that wherever we may have been going, we were not going back to normal.

Over these past months, we have watched our world, our communities, our families and The Salvation Army respond to the new realities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. We reacted quickly to the changing dynamics that were suddenly thrust upon us as governments and public health offices put response measures in place. As it became evident that this pandemic would not pass quickly, we began to pivot and alter our approaches as we settled into what was becoming a new normal.

Living in a COVID-19 world has now shifted from a few weeks of interruption, to a season of disruption, to perhaps even a long-term reality—a new mini-era some suggest. The COVID-19 pandemic has also initiated political and economic dynamics that are affecting many lives and organizations.

In considering the response required of organizations, Dave Blanchard, co-founder of Praxis, a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship, notes that we are called to set aside our current “playbook” and write a new one that honours our mission and the communities we serve, making the most of our assets—our people, financial and social capital—and leaning on relationship and trust. There are questions that every organization, including our movement, must regularly review: Who are we?

Whom do we serve? Why do we serve them? What do we do? How do we do it?

The international vision statement of The Salvation Army addresses the first four questions: “We see a God-raised, Spirit-filled Army for the 21st century convinced of our calling, moving forward

together into the world of the hurting, broken, lonely, dispossessed and lost, reaching them in love by all means with the transforming message of Jesus, bringing freedom, hope and life.”

In these days, the question that demands our attention is, “How we do it?” This is the time to seize the opportunity and responsibility to build a new playbook, one that reflects the realities of the communities in which we live and serve, and the tools now available to us. The potential for vision and hope is greater than we have known in recent decades.

It must be understood, however, that we also need to make space for grief and lament. Many are experiencing a sense of loss. The Christian faith recognizes that grief and loss go together with vision and hope, as they are the story of the cross and the Resurrection.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a window has been opened that has allowed the deep pain of racism and injustice to be expressed across the global community.

Laments cry out from neighbourhood after neighbourhood. Out of the loss and grief can arise the creative potential of hope and vision. We do not grieve without hope. We know the hope of the Resurrection that followed the grief and pain of Calvary. We claim the promise that Jesus would send to his followers the Comforter. God will not leave his people alone but has sent his Comforter who will guide us into all truth.

For the choices to be made and the actions to be taken, he will guide and empower us.

May this be remembered as the season when we, in bold faith, embraced the God-given international vision for The Salvation Army and created the muchneeded new playbook for the present and the emerging future. We may not be able to answer the question from the back seat of the car yet, but I invite you to commit to working together to write and live out the new playbook. As a God-raised, Spirit-filled movement, created to fulfil his mission, let us ask and answer the questions, “How do we do it? How will I do it?”

Commissioner Floyd Tidd is the territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Salvationist August 2020 7

Photo: Karol Kisielewski

Mjr Marie Hollett is a chaplain on the palliative care unit at The Salvation Army’s Toronto Grace Health Centre

Continuing Care Spiritual care is central to the mission of The Salvation Army. Four chaplains, from a variety of ministry settings, share how they come alongside others, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed things.

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• Encouragement • Prayer • Religious rites • Spiritual practices

• A quiet presence • Active listening • Empathy

The chaplains work in an interfaith capacity with individuals from all faiths and with those who are not part of a traditional faith. It is through working from this perceptive that the TGHC demonstrates respect for diversity in culture, beliefs and practice. Chaplains are available for patients, families, staff,

piritual care is fundamental to The Salvation Army’s Toronto Grace Health Centre’s (TGHC) commitment to holistic care. Spiritual care reflects care of the whole person—spirit, mind and body. In times of illness and crisis, an individual’s sense of meaning, purpose and worth can be challenged.

A chaplain can offer:

8 August 2020 Salvationist

physicians and volunteers.

The services are open to all patients, families, staff and community members.

Patients wanting to participate, but unable to attend, may watch the chapel services on the hospitality network TVs or on the patient lounge TV. Spiritual music is available at other times on the same channel.

All of us go through difficult times in our lives. Serious illness and death can be times of great stress. Physical and emotional crises can affect us spiritually.

“Sometimes they just need someone to listen and I get to be that person,” says Mjr Shelly Rands, here with Dennis

Major Marie Hollett is the director of the spiritual and religious care program at The Salvation Army’s Toronto Grace Health Centre, and chaplain on the palliative care unit.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected patients and families at Toronto Grace?

Major Marie Hollett: In order to try and contain the spread of the COVID-19

virus, one of the directives of the Ontario government was to cease all visitors to hospitals, granting only exceptional circumstances. It has been a difficult time for both patients and their families. To help support the patients and families, the chaplains have been helping with Zoom meetings and telephone calls between them. The families are so appreciative of this service. On the palliative care unit, when a patient is actively dying, family members are permitted to visit, but need to wear personal protective equipment (masks and gowns). As chaplains, we keep in touch with families through telephone calls. After the patient passes away, I make a telephone call to the family and send a bereavement card.

“It’s not my job to have all the answers to hard questions, but to give people a safe place to ask them.”

—Karla Rudram Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were volunteers who faithfully visited patients, played music and brought patients to recreation therapy and to chapels. We had church groups come and lead denominational services, ministry of singing on our units and a eucharist minister who came weekly to give communion to those who wished to receive it, and a priest came when needed. During this unprecedented time, chaplains have

Major Shelly Rands is a chaplain at The Salvation Army’s Community Venture in Winnipeg, where adults with intellectual disabilities are supported to reach their potential through outreach, residential services and day programming.

will share with me. They teach me so many interesting things—from history to what they want for their birthday! Sometimes they just need someone to listen and I get to be that person.

What is the most important lesson you have learned in this appointment?

Major Shelly Rands: That we can all

How did a typical day look for you before the pandemic?

SR: A typical day for me is visiting

learn from each other and share in the journey of grace. Life is way too short not to have fun, laugh, enjoy life and love one another. I love being with people and learning from them. They have taught me that laughter is good medicine!

I have come to realize that our members deal with the same issues that we all deal with every day. We talk about the news and weather a lot, as they are very interested in what is going on around us. We study current events and sometimes we look up what is happening in the news.

We also chat about life and health quite a bit. They share their thoughts and dreams and love to tell me a joke or two sometimes! It is a joy to know that they trust me to share in their life’s journey.

What is the biggest challenge?

SR: I would have to say learning to

be patient. To wait and listen and hear what the person wants to share, when they are ready to share it.

We live in such a busy world that teaches us to rush and hurry, and I have had to learn to slow down and wait. It has taken time, but it is so rewarding. I never know what they

one of our many locations to spend time with the members and “be present,” to listen to what they want to share with me. I participate in the programs they attend and the work they do. I also oversee the choir every week, which is led by the parents of two of our members, and lead chapel once a month. I am on call when a member or staff person requests to speak to the chaplain and that keeps me very busy.

How has that changed?

SR: I have experimented with

different ways to do chapel— sometimes as a Zoom call, sometimes by posting a video on YouTube. For choir, we have sent out a list of songs with links to videos for members to practise at home. I make phone calls when members and staff request to speak to me. And I’ve written each member a personal card to let them know I’m thinking about and praying for them.

Look for an article about the creative ways Community Venture is still building community in a time of physical distancing in an upcoming issue of Salvationist.

Salvationist August 2020 9

Photo: Gentille-Ntwayingabo and Grace Lumibao

It is during the difficult times of life that our belief in God can be helpful.

The chaplains offer a memorial service to honour those people who have died recently at this health centre.

Photo: Karol Kisielewski

set up Zoom calls when patients want to speak to a chaplain or a clergy from their denomination.

Before the pandemic, we frequently hosted events called “Tea for the Soul”—tea and coffee, treats and fellowship for patients and families.

Chaplains are looking forward to doing this again.

“We are there to support in any way we can,” says Mjr Marie Hollett

self-loathing for the mistakes they have made. It’s in these times that I have the chance to speak words of truth and hope into their lives— words that tell them of God’s love for them, that nothing they have done or that has been done to them changes that love, that God has a good plan for them. It’s often on trips to appointments or to court that these conversations happen, and I have the privilege to walk alongside them for a time.

“Each day, I ask the Holy Spirit to give me a soft heart and compassion for the people I encounter,” says Matthew Dredge

Matthew Dredge is a chaplain at The Salvation Army’s Sutton Youth Services in Ontario, which offers an emergency shelter, transitional housing and a drop-in program for marginalized and homeless youth.

What struggles are the youth who come to Sutton Youth Services facing?

Matthew Dredge: The youth we are

dealing with have such a wide range of struggles, from anger, abandonment and self-esteem issues to mental-health challenges; from family problems to legal concerns.

Sometimes it’s only one, but often they are dealing with three or four of these things, plus the added stress of experiencing homelessness, many for the first time.

How do you support them?

MD: They often think they can solve

their own problems, and don’t want to show weakness. But when you get past that, they will weep, expressing 10 August 2020 Salvationist

What is the biggest challenge?

MD: Sometimes it seems there is

little to no change in the lives of the people I serve, that for every step forward they take two backwards.

Discouragement is a struggle at times.

However, whenever I start feeling this way, God shows me a glimpse of growth, of his image shining through for a moment. That is enough to keep me going, to be faithful to the calling of walking beside people and demonstrating God’s love for them.

What is the most important lesson you have learned?

MD: That there really is no difference

between me and the people I encounter. We are all created in God’s image and God desires that we all come to him and know life. At times, I have seen a deeper expression of community in shelters than I have in the church—they accept people in whatever state they are in, no matter the struggles. Sometimes they will share with one another, even if it means going without themselves.

A good example to me.

What about the staff?

MH: At the TGHC, part of the chaplain’s

ministry is to support our staff.

How do you stay healthy as you care for other people?

MD: This can be the most difficult

part of ministry. There is suffering and pain every day, stories that break the heart and bring tears to the eyes.

It’s so important to rely on Jesus for strength for the work he has given me, but I also need to be self-aware: when these stories are not breaking my heart, perhaps it’s time to take some time off.

My wife, Bible study group and the elders of the board I serve on are all supportive and hold me up in prayer.

Each day, I ask the Holy Spirit to give me a soft heart and compassion for the people I encounter.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your work?

MD: I’ve tried to maintain

relationship-building through phone, text and social media, to gauge how people are doing and support them with prayer. As we have been limiting the number of people in the shelter, I have primarily been working from home, but trying to stay connected with staff and encourage them through phone calls and email. I’ve also gone grocery shopping for some clients and taken a few to appointments—with physical distancing measures in place. It has taken some getting used to and I wish I could be of more support to people, but I’m so thankful for all who are doing their best to keep our clients and each other safe.

The chaplains usually support staff face to face, however, during this unprecedented time, it is important to support staff who are working from home or who are working on the COVID unit. Going to the COVID unit and other floors increases the risk of spreading the virus to other members of the interprofessional team. I have been sending encouraging emails to all staff, reminding them of the importance of their work and how much they are appreciated.

As for patients and families, we also do “Tea for the Soul” for staff.

On special occasions such as Easter, we bring treats to each unit and speak with the nurses. On the COVID unit, we left treats with a note enclosed by the unit’s doorway, to be picked up by a nurse. This ensures that the floor is well cared for. It is always a blessing to be able to do this and the chaplains were glad that it could be done creatively—a nice basket of chocolate and a note go a long way.

What has changed for you?

MH: As a chaplain, my ministry is

person to person, and that hasn’t changed for me on my unit. What has changed is not visiting any patients or staff on the COVID unit to ensure staff and patient safety. This is only temporary during this pandemic.

What has changed is the need for a face shield and a surgical mask. It is not easy to communicate clearly through the shield, especially with seniors who are hard of hearing, but it is necessary in order to keep everyone safe. I am thankful I can continue my ministry with appropriate innovative process.

As a chaplain during these challenging times, I have become more aware of the importance of engagement at a patient’s bedside in order to support, listen to their concerns, assist them with music and meeting their needs emotionally and spiritually. I have also become more aware of the importance of letting patients and families know that when anyone comes into the Grace, they became a part of the Grace family—we are there to support in any way we can, and we do this every day.

For some, it might be clothing and toiletries, for others it might be emotional and/or spiritual support, but whatever it may be, I will do my best to help.

from my own experience, but I felt, and continue to feel, that we are all in this together. During a time when we were asked to stay inside the safety of walls, the walls that separate us crumbled a bit.

There’s so much to learn from this time and I’m looking forward to the positive changes that we might see. I think we will be more grateful for the “mundane” parts of life. I think people will be more aware of the vulnerable around us—our beloved elders, people suffering “Our job here is to help guys reconnect with from homelessness and those living what gives them hope and peace,” says Karla in poverty will hopefully be more Rudram present in our thoughts. Hugs will Karla Rudram is a chaplain at The mean so much more. Going to church Salvation Army’s Addictions and will feel like even more of a spiritual Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Victoria. gathering of God’s people. But we have a way to go and more to learn How has the global pandemic affected before we can say this thing is over. the ARC? Karla Rudram: At the beginning of

March, when we were asked to “socially distance” and “flatten the curve,” we were a bit anxious. So many of the men in our care have compromised health and many are older. I was nervous about bringing the virus into work. I was nervous about bringing the virus home from work.

We changed our operations by adding a handwashing station in the lobby (complete with song lyrics to make it a 20-second handwash) and stopped taking new residents. About half of the management team and staff were asked to work from home and volunteers were asked to stop coming in. I started serving all our community meals.

In May, we were down to about half our normal numbers of residents but were relieved to not have had a case of COVID-19 in our building. We are beginning to talk about opening up more again, and staff coming back. It will be a slow process, but a good one.

I am excited to see all my co-workers again and feel a bit more normalcy.

The emotional and spiritual toll this thing has taken is not yet fully seen.

What have you learned from this time?

KR: Usually when guys talk about

their struggles, they are removed

What struggles are the men in this program facing?

KR: Homelessness, addiction,

criminal lifestyles, poverty and mental-health issues are all part of our everyday life here at the ARC. The predominant question is “Why me?” but there’s an awful lot of “How could anyone love me?” or “Why should I expect any different?”

Trauma is the cause of most of it. That trauma was often, if not always, outside of their control and caused by people who were meant to care for and love them.

Our job here is to help guys reconnect with what gives them hope and peace. It’s not my job to have all the answers to hard questions, but to give people a safe place to ask them— to sit with them, walk with them, ask the questions with them and pray with them when they are ready.

I also get to do fun things with the guys, too. We go on hikes or excursions twice a week in our skills for recovery program, walking along trails in what I think is the most beautiful place in the world, and I have the immense privilege of carrying the stories of these strong yet vulnerable men who want more and are seeking it. At the end of the day, it is about being heard and cared for. My job is to listen and care.

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At a Crossroads Remand program shows clients the power of choice.

Photo: 1STunningART/stock.Adobe.com

BY LEIGHA VEGH

W

hen Matthew Braaten was accepted into the Community Alternatives to Remand program (CAR) at The Salvation Army’s Crossroads Residential Services in Saskatoon, he was depressed, closed off and unmotivated.

“We finally took him aside and told him, ‘You will either need to work on this 12 August 2020 Salvationist

program or we will have to ask you to leave,’ ” says Anita Andreen, a caseworker at the facility.

The remand program allows those who have been charged with an offence, and who might otherwise be detained in jail awaiting trial, an opportunity to deal with their matters while in the community instead. Braaten had already spent one

week in jail awaiting trial, and now he was at risk of being sent back. He was at a crossroads in his life. Was he going to let The Salvation Army help him turn his life around?

Good Beginnings Braaten was at the height of his career with a successful job with the City of

From left, Anita Andreen, caseworker, and Tara Bunton, RPN, work together to provide the resources for a successful journey through the CAR program at Crossroads

Saskatoon for several years when one day he was let go. Being unemployed, he started incurring debt and soon after had no choice but to move back home.

When the feeling of embarrassment was too overwhelming, Braaten found solace in using substances, both legal and illicit.

“It was a really low point in my life,” he says. “I went over the edge with my alcohol and drug use, and that’s what led me to kind of losing it.”

Around the time he lost his job, his mother had just been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and the combination of all the misfortunes led to a turbulent relationship with his family.

One day, his substance use provoked a drug-induced psychosis where he lost his temper, broke property, threatened people and was eventually arrested.

Now, he was risking going back to a cold jail cell to await trial instead of to the comfortable bed and a warm meal that he was accustomed to at Crossroads.

It took a little over a week of levelling off with Andreen for Braaten to find the motivation he had been so desperately lacking. He began exercising, he found out that his mother’s health was improving and he started mending relationships with his family.

“Now he is actually one of our poster boys for this program—he is doing very

well,” says Andreen.

In fact, Braaten is doing so well that he has since moved out from Crossroads and is now working as a chef at a renowned restaurant.

A Second Chance For some at Crossroads, their journey is not as linear. Emil Brandon is back in the CAR program for a second time after a relapse.

“They could have kept me in jail, but Anita came to court and waited for me.

It made me feel special because I have nobody, then there’s someone there,” he says.

Before his first stint in the remand program in September 2019, he was no stranger to the system, having been in and out of jail for most of his life.

Brandon is of First Nations descent and grew up in Manitoba living as a child nobody wanted. He was adopted, then unadopted, and experienced homelessness from the ages of 12 to 18. When his father died suddenly, his mother’s new boyfriend kicked him and his brother out on the streets because they were “not his children.”

Four years before Brandon came to Crossroads for the first time, he spent three years in a Manitoba penitentiary for crimes he committed while strug-

gling with drug addiction. These were the darkest years of his life, according to Brandon.

“My son had passed away and I didn’t know how to deal with it, and I just used to bury a lot of feelings,” he says.

Inside those walls of the penitentiary, Brandon experienced another tragic loss when his workout-partner-turned-bestfriend died suddenly.

“When he died, I got scared because I knew where his body was, I just didn’t know where his spirit went,” he says. “It started my journey of trying to find out who God was.”

He began reading the Bible to find answers and started attending Sunday worship. Then something miraculous happened: he had a dream that changed everything.

“God came to me in a dream and told me that he loved me and that everything would be OK,” he says. When he woke up, his heart was filled with elation. “I woke up and I felt love for every human being in jail, even the guards,” he remembers.

Brandon says that he had a tough street mentality before, where so much as a glance could be seen as disrespect and had to be “taken care of.”

“A lot of my life I was in jail for pride, fighting and things like that,” he says. Since inviting Christ into his life, Brandon’s entire perspective has changed.

“Now, I have a lot of hope, and my hope is in Christ and the cross,” he says, noting that without God “it’s a lonely world.”

Proper Treatment Clients that come to the remand program at Crossroads often struggle with drug addiction. For many, a run-in with the law could have been avoided if they had been properly diagnosed. “Often the reason they’re in jail is because of their untreated health concerns and substance use,” says Tara Bunton, the registered psychiatric nurse on-site at the facility.

She has seen clients come in with a range of mental-health struggles such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and substance-use disorders. Her first step is to refer them for a rapid psychiatric assessment, so they can get the help they need to be stabilized quickly.

Bunton ensures clients get the proper clinical support, so they don’t need to rely on drugs from the street.

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“Often the reason they’re in jail is because of their untreated health concerns and substance use.”—Tara Bunton “Tara is amazing at breaking down systemic barriers and helping the men with mental-health challenges obtain diagnoses and proper medication,” says Merry McGregor, the bail supervisor who rigorously vets clients before they are allowed into the remand program at Crossroads.

Spiritual Care The Salvation Army cares just as much about a client’s physical and mental health as their spiritual well-being. While it is not mandatory for admission into the remand program, there is an on-site chaplain and Sunday worship services.

Matthew Braaten and Emil Brandon have both taken the opportunity to see a chaplain on several occasions. Braaten is somewhere in the middle of his spiritual journey, but he is searching for the truth. He has met with chaplain Randy Robinson for hours at a time to ask deep, existential questions. Brandon, on the other hand, is a professing Christian and meets regularly with the chaplain to be encouraged in his spiritual walk.

Wherever one is in their spiritual journey, whether searching for answers like Braaten, or growing in faith like Brandon, clients at Crossroads have access to spiritual care if they want it.

“Some of them don’t, but some of them do—the choice is there,” says Andreen.

A Lifelong Journey Upon discharge from the remand program at Crossroads, The Salvation Army provides a suitable aftercare plan to ensure the transition to the community is not only successful but sustainable.

Sometimes this looks like being connected to services such as an addictions counsellor. Other times, clients will be helped with finding a suitable place to live.

At times, Bunton has connected clients with a mental-health-approved home with a community mental-health nurse.

Some clients will also call back to have 14 August 2020 Salvationist

medication prescriptions refilled, or to get a referral for additional care. “I will help them even if it’s been a couple months since they’ve been out, just to maintain their stability in the community,” says Bunton.

COVID-19 During the COVID-19 crisis, the Crossroads centre has taken extra precautions to ensure physical distancing measures are in place so the men stay healthy. This has meant transferring some of the clients, including Brandon and Braaten, to Mumford House, another Salvation Army shelter in the nearby vicinity.

For Brandon, the biggest challenge was the overwhelming stillness that came with everything going on hold, especially court dates.

“It’s just a lot of waiting for the pandemic to slow down or quit so we can get on with our lives,” he says.

Regular activities that clients might (below) “I have no idea where I’d be if it wasn’t for this place” says Matthew Braaten (right) Emil Brandon’s time at Crossroads has given him hope for a better future

participate in were also temporarily suspended due to the virus. This meant Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, counselling appointments, self-help courses and the like were all put on hold.

However, Brandon says he and the other men found innovative ways to continue supporting each other during the hiatus.

“I’d talk to the other guys, we’d all have heart-to-hearts and it was good,” he says.

Thankful Hearts While Braaten and Brandon are at two different stages of their journeys, they are both filled with hope and gratitude from their time in the remand program at Crossroads.

“I have no idea where I’d be if it wasn’t for this place,” says Braaten. “They give you hope. That is the key thing I’ve gotten out of everything, that there’s someone there who cares, even when you don’t think anyone should.”

Brandon shares a similar sentiment.

“The CAR program has helped me to see how bad my life was getting and it encouraged me to take care of my core and carry on with life, to not chase addiction but work on myself,” he says. “The Salvation Army has always been there in my life, and a positive thing in many people lives, and I’m so thankful for that.”

PERSPECTIVES

Porn-Proof Your Kids Immunizing a generation against online dangers.

BY LT-COLONEL LYNN ARMSTRONG

I

n these COVID-19 pandemic days, we’ve learned a great deal about preparation and prevention: hand-washing hygiene and respiratory etiquette, social distancing and self-isolation. All these things aim at prevention and staying healthy and safe.

The closure of workplaces and schools means families are finding themselves bunkered at home together, with a much different rhythm of life and loads of time on their hands. And with this comes the opportunity for a lot more screen time— not just for online schooling and social connecting, but also more exposure to unwanted and harmful content.

Availability and access to pornography is overwhelming. My grandchildren are growing up in a different world than I did. As a young parent, technology and the internet were on the upswing, and I was vigilant about what did and didn’t enter our home. Since then, the pornography industry has become more predatory than ever, attempting to “hook” curious and vulnerable young children through whatever mobile device or social media platform they are using.

So how is porn harmful to children and what can we do about it?

Porn is used to normalize the sexualization of children and youth. It can deeply disrupt normal childhood development, distorting sexual behaviours and attitudes.

Porn is also used to groom children for sexual abuse. More and more children and youth are seeking help to kick their pornography habits. It’s important that parents are aware of and part of their children’s screen lives, given that porn is often introduced and spread by peers, and more children are being sexually abused by other children and youth.

A child’s first exposure to porn is rarely disclosed to parents, and shame and secrecy can lead to habit-forming use and behaviour if there is no intervention. It’s crucial that parents take the initiative in these conversations with calm confidence.

Parents and caregivers, how do we be proactive in talking about pornography and teaching young children to be internet safe? It’s not easy to know when to begin these conversations, but they need to begin sooner rather than later. That means we need to get educated ourselves, because

we don’t want children facing this alone.

Understanding why children get pulled in and the many ways pornography affects children is a starting place. There are several terrific websites that provide solid tools to equip parents for conversations and protect kids from pornography.

Protectyoungminds.org and parentsaware. info are two.

Plan a time to talk with your child about online safety. Define the word pornography; they need to know what it means and be able to recognize it when they see it. Explain why it is so harmful.

Teach them the name of their body parts and their purpose. Teach them healthy sexuality, with the foundational biblical truth that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

The brain is another body part that’s important in this fight. The ability to stop, think and say no to porn is a gamechanger: “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). These steps are the beginning of teaching children how to reject and refuse porn. We want to porn-proof this generation.

Through proactive prevention we can immunize the current generation from porn, giving them a strong biblical foundation of sexual integrity, emotional strength and healthy use of technology, which in turn protects their brains, bodies, souls and relationships from the ravages of porn.

Photo: ClarkandCompany/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Lt-Colonel Lynn Armstrong is the secretary for program in the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Protecting Young Minds The mission of Protect Young Minds, founded by Kristen Jensen, is to empower parents, professionals and community leaders to protect young kids from pornography and promote healing from any sexual exploitation.

Jensen is also the bestselling author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures: PornProofing Today’s Young Kids and Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds. Visit protectyoungminds.org for other great resources and curriculum.

Salvationist August 2020 15

From left, Gord Wilson and Caitlyn Cumbers volunteer five days a week during the COVID-19 pandemic

Volunteering During a Pandemic Salvationists embody what it means to give hope today.

BY LEIGHA VEGH

W

hen COVID-19 took the world by storm, the more than 130,000 Salvation Army volunteers continued serving on the front lines to bring necessities and hope to the most vulnerable across the Canada and Bermuda Territory. Amongst the cacophony of voices organizing and executing volunteer efforts across Canada—one offering a warm meal out on the east coast, another serving a hot cup of coffee and words of kindness over on the west coast—we tune in to listen to a few of those voices which represent the many hearts of service within the Army.

Just an Ordinary Soldier Salvationist received a letter from Gord Wilson. I’m nobody special, just an ordinary soldier at The Salvation Army Haven of Hope Community Church in Regina. I am 72 years old and was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Last month, Captain Kristen Gray sent an email asking for emergency disaster services (EDS) volunteers to make and serve bagged lunches to the schools we normally provide school lunches for. I immediately volunteered; it didn’t take any thinking at all.

But Wilson is incredibly special. At a time when the entire world is locked down because of a deadly virus, he is risking it all to bring hope and help to others.

Wilson left behind his self-proclaimed comfortable retired life to volunteer five days a week, driving a community response unit to serve bagged lunches and grocery hampers to the community.

16 August 2020 Salvationist

To Wilson, the ministry is far beyond just meeting the basic needs of those in need. It’s a spiritual mission.

“My constant prayer is that the people I meet on a regular basis will see beyond the food, and catch a glimpse of Jesus,” he says. “It is hard, and indeed sometimes uncomfortable work, but it is also a blessing to me.”

But Wilson isn’t volunteering alone. His 19-year-old granddaughter, Caitlyn Cumbers, followed suit and signed up as well.

Cumbers has been a part of The Salvation Army since birth, and at the young age of 14 enrolled in her first EDS course. After seeing many of her fellow corps members doing EDS work, she was inspired to follow in their footsteps. In the middle of a gap year before pursuing a university education, she jumped at the opportunity to serve alongside her grandfather on the front lines at a time when help was most needed.

“At first it was kind of scary due to the virus,” she says, “but it is rewarding to help so many people.”

Cumbers helps her corps make the lunches and pack them, then she joins her grandfather in the mobile unit to deliver them each Friday.

Like her grandfather, Cumbers has a wish for the recipients of her generosity.

“I hope that they will see the love that God has for them through our work because that is our ultimate purpose; that we minister not only to the physical needs, but to the spiritual needs as well.”

Caitlyn Cumbers has been a part of The Salvation Army her entire life

A Feeling of Community

P

BY LINDA LEIGH

aige Sharp was in the final semester of her degree when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing schools to close to prevent the spread of the virus. Struggling with anxiety, she found herself grappling with how to respond to the unexpected roadblock.

“There was a lot of fear and confusion when I saw an email to say the school was closed,” says Sharp. “I was in class and just stood up and left. I couldn’t even clean out my locker. I called my mom and said, ‘You need to pick me up—today.’ ” As one who thrives on routine and schedules, the uncertainty about her education and future drove her to look for ways to stay connected. That’s when she found an opportunity to volunteer with The Salvation Army.

“Volunteering at The Salvation Army’s food bank in Oshawa, Ont., keeps me active and gives me structure,” Sharp says. “The experience is good for my mental health. I miss my university community and in-person classes. When I see who I am helping, some of that anxiety goes away. And it’s a good feeling.”

Sharp’s volunteer duties include sorting and packing food and practical items and ensuring that they get to the mobile feeding unit for distribution. As with all staff and volunteers, she is taking extra precautions to protect herself and clients.

“People are so grateful,” she says. “It’s like Christmas morning when they see a bar of soap and a roll of toilet paper. If we weren’t here, I don’t know what they would do.”

Chris Pugh plays his flugelhorn for shut-in seniors during the COVID-19 crisis

O Canada

H

ashtag #CanadaTogether was an initiative launched by the media company Corus Entertainment to help inspire unity across the nation during the coronavirus pandemic in April. Every Sunday at noon, Canadians were invited to sing O Canada on their front lawns to express gratitude to front-line workers. When Ann Pugh, who attends Mississauga Temple Community Church, Ont., where she works in community and family services and runs the Forever Young Inside seniors’ group, caught wind of the initiative, she urged her husband, Chris Pugh, to “go out on the front lawn and play!” As a member of the Mississauga Temple Band, he grabbed his flugelhorn and did just that.

With many isolated because of the virus, the Pughs made it a weekly occurrence to travel to the homes of seniors who were shut in to play music. Often, neighbours would hear the music and come out on their front lawns to listen and clap when the music was over.

“People are enjoying it, immensely,” he says. “We’re just trying to cheer people up who’ve been stuck in their rooms since the beginning of COVID-19.”

Paige Sharp started volunteering with The Salvation Army when her university locked down

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What’s the volunteer engagement like in the Canada and Bermuda Territory?

Alice Johansson is the territorial manager for volunteer services and an active volunteer in her local neighbourhood and at North Toronto CC, her home corps

T

he Salvation Army is grateful for the volunteers who continue to give so generously of their time. For more than 100 years, the Army has counted on volunteers to be the driving force behind its mission. The more than 130,000 volunteers working in over 400 communities across the territory are truly the army behind the Army.

During the pandemic, there has not been a significant decline in applications from people wanting to volunteer.

In fact, in some places the Army has been contacted by more individuals expressing an interest in volunteering than before COVID-19.

How are volunteers overcoming the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic?

Alice Johansson: In times of crisis, Canadians want to reach

out and help others. It’s been inspiring to see so many people looking to lend a hand, however they can. At the same time, this isn’t like any other crisis we’ve ever encountered, so it’s a learning experience for us all. The pandemic has brought new challenges to volunteering, such as maintaining physical distancing and being mindful of your surroundings in a whole different way.

Our volunteers have been working hard to overcome those challenges and come up with innovative ways to help people. We all know how hard social isolation can be, especially for the elderly, people living alone or those facing physical or mental challenges. Our volunteers have been doing a great job of finding ways to reach out to people in their communities, including by phone, through emails or by checking in on elderly neighbours to make sure they have enough supplies.

If someone is wondering how to make a difference right now, they just need to remember that there are many ways to be there for people, even while socially and physically distancing and keeping safe.

Any tips for someone who is considering volunteering with The Salvation Army?

AJ: Take a moment to consider what they might like to do,

and then determine how much time they can realistically commit to volunteering. To apply as a volunteer, they should go to SalvationArmy.ca to fill in a short form and then someone from The Salvation Army will contact them as soon as opportunities become available in their area.

To find out more about volunteering with The Salvation Army, visit salvationarmy.ca/volunteer.

18 August 2020 Salvationist

Benny Ogwuegbu helps sort food hampers at The Salvation Army’s Lighthouse Emergency Shelter in Salmon Arm, B.C.

A Heart of Service

W

hen Benny Ogwuegbu set out on a trip for Salmon Arm, B.C., from The Gambia, where he works full time as a social worker, he was unaware of the looming COVID-19 pandemic that would prevent him from returning home.

While grounded, he was walking through his neighbourhood when he came across The Salvation Army’s New Hope Community Church. Passing by regularly, Ogwuegbu often stopped to talk with David Byers, the community services director at The Salvation Army’s Lighthouse Emergency Shelter in Salmon Arm. During one of those conversations, Byers asked Ogwuegbu if he was interested in volunteering at the shelter. Having been asked if he needed food or shelter from The Salvation Army in the past, although never accepting the offer, he gladly took the opportunity to help others in need.

Weeks after being asked to volunteer, Ogwuegbu continues to serve faithfully every day. He helps wherever he is needed, from buying groceries at the supermarket to sorting food hampers to give out to the vulnerable in the community.

“I am sure that the little contribution I am making here is affecting people’s lives on a daily basis, by the special grace of God,” says Ogwuegbu. “I’ve always liked to give back to the community.”

Ogwuegbu says volunteering is life-changing. “It’s an experience I want every person to go through so they can stand up and say ‘I have contributed my quota.’ It is something someone will always remember all his life,” he says.

CORPS VALUES

Living Out Christ’s Mission Majors Herbert and Kathie Sharp share their thoughts on the important role of the corps officer.

Major Kathie Sharp: When I was 12 years

KS: So much administration has been

What has been your biggest joy in serving as corps officers?

HS: The biggest joy comes in knowing

What is your fondest memory of ministry?

KS: I have loved seeing people welcomed

old, I felt the call for officership. I watched how my corps officers loved, taught and lived out Christ’s mission in their lives, and I knew that was what I wanted to do full time.

you’ve had a small part to play in the spiritual development of others, when you see young people and adults you have pastored take up the mantle of Christian leadership.

KS: For me, it is seeing God working

in the lives of others, as well as working with people who want to minister with us.

Mjrs Herbert and Kathie Sharp are the corps officers at Peterborough Temple

F

ollowing more than 43 years of faithful service as Salvation Army officers, all of which have been spent serving as corps officers in the Canada and Bermuda Territory, Majors Herbert and Kathie Sharp, corps officers at Peterborough Temple, Ont., will enter honourable retirement on September 1, 2020.

News editor Pamela Richardson asked them to share their thoughts on the important role of the corps officer and some of their fondest memories of ministry.

When did you recognize the call to officership?

Major Herbert Sharp: At a very young age,

the seeds of God’s calling to officership were being planted. My parents were Salvation Army officers, and when my grandmother came to visit, we often played church. I had to be the officer and speak about loving Jesus. I was even allowed to keep the offering! It was during my teenage years that I responded to God’s call.

What has been your biggest challenge?

HS: The biggest challenge has been the

personal cost of serving, which requires a willingness to become vulnerable, wounded and acquire the scars that come as a result of ministry. Kathie and I journeyed alongside families experiencing the impact of a brutal killing of an individual. Ministering to the families of the victim and the perpetrator of the crime, both of whom attended our inner-city corps, came with a cost. The prolonged journey through the justice system exposed us to the intense pain of the families, our corps folk and the community at large.

How has the role of a corps officer changed?

HS: The church used to have a

significant place within families and communities. As our nation has become more secularized, the church has become marginalized. Today the challenge is not in the proclamation of the gospel, but in earning the right to be heard.

On a more practical note, a decrease in officers and the merging of corps with social services into a single ministry unit has led to an increased demand on corps officers to possess professional skills and expertise in so many areas.

added to the role of a pastor that having time for “pastoring” has been made much more difficult. I also miss the personal contact with our leaders, who used to have time to call us to just talk and pray with us.

into the church, no matter how they look or where they have come from and watching as they were mentored in the ways of Jesus by more “seasoned” Christians. Seeing the excitement on the faces of people who have led their friends into a relationship with Christ will always remain with me.

HS: My fondest memories are similar—

observing Salvationists reaching out to people in the love of Christ, seeing leaders in the corps investing in the lives of young people and witnessing the compassionate prayers of followers of Christ for one another.

I also have fond memories from my deployments as part of the Army’s emergency disaster response, including at Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11, and from my time serving as a police chaplain.

What advice would you give to newly commissioned officers?

HS: Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Prioritize and protect a personal time of Sabbath rest, not simply a day off.

For several years now, Kathie and I have made it a priority to attend an annual pastors’ retreat beyond the Army’s annual leaders’ retreat. These times have spiritually enriched us, introduced us to new friendships with pastors beyond our own denomination and surrounded us with committed Christians who invest and pray for pastors.

KS: Follow your Christ-heart. Walk the

talk. Preach the Word, and if you have to, use words.

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Illustration: elenabs/iStock via Getty Images Plus

ETHICALLY SPEAKING

Good Fruit We live what we believe. Do we believe the earth is the Lord’s?

BY JAMES READ

W

e say, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1), but do we believe it? I know some people act to save the earth, not just talk about it. Unfortunately, their efforts are frequently forgotten or tokenized.

For instance, Sunbury Court, famous in Salvation Army history as the place where the first High Council was held, needed major renovations in 2013. A new accommodations building was constructed with LEED environmental standards, including a green roof to absorb CO2, and bat houses in the walls to protect the local habitat. But last year, when I wanted to find out more about the rationale for adopting these standards, the staff I asked unfortunately knew nothing of this history.

In Norway, the territorial leadership has encouraged corps to join the Green Church movement. I was told the corps sergeant-major who had been tapped to lead a working group was an “ecorestauranteur.” He is an agronomist with international experience, whose years in Namibia made him aware of the fragility of the environment. Now back in Norway, he wrote to say, “We were involved in a national Green Church 20 August 2020 Salvationist

focus some years back, but only a few of our corps became involved and none of them have this on the agenda today.

This has been taken more seriously and to a much higher level in other churches.

We are lagging behind.”

My home corps in Winnipeg may not be a lot better. Thanks to the initiative of a few, we now use fully recyclable, compostable plates, cups and cutlery, and the cups are filled with fair trade tea or coffee.

People seem to agree that although this may cost a little more, it’s the right thing to do. But we have stopped there. Debbie Clarke, one of the determined spirits who led the way at our corps, also heads the Prairie East emergency disaster services (EDS) ministry. About five years ago, she wanted to make the EDS community response unit “green” (and has done so since), but at the time was only able to get coffee cups with the Red Shield logo in Styrofoam.

I know there are individuals who translate the sentiment of Psalm 24:1 into action, but they seem too rare a breed.

We turn them into superheroes to admire rather than exemplars to follow. Why is that, I wonder?

Perhaps we tell ourselves that ecological problems are so large and com-

plex that whatever we do (or don’t do) can’t make much of a difference. That’s probably true. On my own I can’t heal the earth. That is why policy, regulation and laws—carrots and sticks that apply to everyone—are so important. When gas at the pump dropped 40 cents a litre because of COVID-19, it made me happy rather than sad. Suppose government regulations incentivized electric vehicles instead (e.g., by making them cheaper to buy than cars fuelled by gas). The behaviour of whole nations would change.

Perhaps it’s our trouble with thinking long term. Sometimes news of the latest superstorm seems apocalyptic and I despair of any efforts to salvage things.

Other times, the things scientists advocate (e.g., keeping climate change under a 2 C increase) seems so small and slow moving that I relax, knowing I’ll be dead before the limit is hit. If only I could hear Scripture as more than poetic hyperbole when it says that God cares to the thousandth generation (see Deuteronomy 7:9), perhaps my attitude would change.

I may not be able to imagine the thousandth generation, but surely I can imagine the world of my grandchildren.

Perhaps it’s that I figure God will take care of it because it’s his, and that I don’t have to worry because not one sparrow “will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care” (Matthew 10:29).

Some Christians seem to count on the scriptural promise God will sovereignly create a renewed heaven and earth overflowing with abundance for all (see Revelation 21). I am reminded, however, that Scripture also says God assigned people the job of taking care of the first garden he planted (see Genesis 2), and that God expected people to care about the welfare of plants and animals even after the Fall (see Exodus 23:10-11; Luke 14:5). Caring for creation is part of what being made in God’s image means. And if I don’t know how to take care of the earth now, how will I know how to do it in the New Jerusalem?

Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16 NRSV). By that measure, don’t I have to wonder whether I really believe the earth is the Lord’s?

Dr. James Read is the director of The Salvation Army Ethics Centre in Winnipeg.

Photo: Mjr Jamie Locke

“As I look at my life today and compare it to the expectations I penned so many years ago, I sincerely pray that I have represented well the gift of influence,” says Mjr Elaine Locke

Now and Then I rediscovered an essay I wrote for training college 20 years ago. What would I find?

H

BY MAJOR ELAINE LOCKE

as it really been 20 years since I applied for training college? It feels like only yesterday I was sitting at the kitchen table, pen and paper in hand, writing entrance assignments. I was 17 years old, young and inexperienced, but ready and willing to take on the world of ministry with eyes wide open and a heart dedicated to God. It was during those days of study and preparation that I was asked to write a paper on the theme, “The officer I want to be in 2020.” The year 2020 seemed so far beyond the horizon back then, but as I gathered my thoughts and crafted a vision, dreams and ideals became marks of ink on paper. I can still recall that welling sense of passion, determination and excitement about the future God had in store for my life.

Little did I know that my mom tucked this gem away for two decades. In January, as I unfolded the still-crisp white paper and stared at those words, “The officer I want to be in 2020,” it was hard to hold back

the tears. I was overwhelmed by Mom’s thoughtfulness in keeping this for me, but then it became a little nerve wracking.

Would I live up to the expectations I had 20 years ago?

As I scanned the pages, I discovered I still had many hopes and dreams to live up to, but the thing that caught my attention was the simple phrase, written in bold letters: “A woman of influence.” When I surrendered my life to God’s calling so many years ago, the sincere prayer of my heart was to be a woman of influence, a woman of faith who would make a difference in the lives of others. It’s clear I wanted to be an officer who was deeply rooted in Christ, someone whose actions and words would bless others and influence their lives positively. It’s also quite clear that I was excited, anticipating future blessings. In my idealism, I had painted a picture of officership as the means by which I would lead others to Christ and create change in the world. Yes, I knew it would involve significant responsibility, and that chal-

lenging moments would come, but I was confident in my ability to trust God and the knowledge that he would guide me.

Officership has given me many positive experiences, and God has used these experiences to solidify my passion to influence others with the gospel message and live out acts of kindness. But there have also been not-so-great times, moments when sorrow and hurt overwhelmed me and could have caused significant damage, had God not found a way to use people to nudge me, my husband and family in the right direction.

The 17-year-old me was perhaps naive not to realize that challenges along the journey would be required to help me grow and mature as a leader within The Salvation Army. It can’t always be butterflies and rainbows, even though I do love butterflies and rainbows and happy moments. As I look back, I can see now that the dark moments when I questioned God and myself are also when I became totally reliant upon him. It was when I was brought to my knees, pleading with God for clarity, wisdom and peace, that I found it.

I’ve also learned that God always comes through; he never disappoints. It just takes perseverance and patience on our end, which is probably why we named our third child “Patience,” to remind my husband and me, a dynamic-duo ministry team, to practise the art of patience.

As I look at my life today and compare it to the expectations I penned so many years ago, I sincerely pray that I have represented well the gift of influence. I pray that God, through his greatness, in every situation, the good times and the not-so-good times, has used me as a vessel to speak into the lives of others with hope and grace.

I’m thankful for the reality check and reflection opportunity my “The officer I want to be in 2020” paper has given me.

I can see how far I’ve come, and that the goals and priorities I set for myself so long ago are still evident in my life today and remain consistent with my aspirations for tomorrow.

Major Elaine Locke is the special events co-ordinator for the public relations department in the Maritime Division.

Salvationist August 2020 21

The Bible Jesus Read We need the Old Testament to understand the mission of God and the identity of the church.

Illustration: Kevin Carden/stock.Adobe.com

BY DONALD E. BURKE

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any Christians are uncertain about what to make of the Old Testament. It is frequently difficult to understand. Some of the stories offend our sensitivities. Some of the legal material is far removed from our circumstances in the 21st century. And Christians have the New Testament to guide them. Wouldn’t it just be simpler to ignore the Old Testament, or to unhitch it from Christianity entirely?

In the previous article, we discussed two of the most common objections 22 August 2020 Salvationist

raised against the Old Testament and discovered that they are based on misrepresentations. In this article, we will explore several reasons for the continued inclusion of the Old Testament in the canon of Scripture.

For the early church and the writers of the New Testament, the Old Testament was the only Scripture they had.

It is important for us to remember that the first Christians and the early church

lived with the Old Testament as their only Scriptures. They obviously believed that the Old Testament, far from being outdated or superseded by the events of Jesus’s life, death and Resurrection, were, in fact, essential for Christian faith and practice. We can see this in several ways.

First, the earliest church turned to the Old Testament to understand the character of God. They did not believe they were worshipping a God revealed in Jesus Christ who was different to the God revealed in the Old Testament. Instead, they understood that the God of Israel was also the God and Father of Jesus Christ—that Jesus was this God’s Son. They recognized an underlying continuity between the Old Testament and what they had come to believe and experience through Jesus.

Second, New Testament writers continually referred to the Old Testament to interpret the significance of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew is especially relevant here. Over and over again, Matthew connects events in the life of Jesus with texts from the Old Testament prophets. Matthew sees a continuity in the work of God in the world, from the Old Testament through the life of Jesus and to the life of the early church. In addition, Paul’s letters only make sense when we acknowledge their indebtedness to the Old Testament as the Scriptures of Israel and the church. For example, one of Paul’s most compelling arguments was that the way to salvation through faith was consistent from the time of Abraham onward (see Romans 4). Paul maintained that the gospel rests upon the foundation of the Old Testament.

Third, in the thinking of the earliest church, there was a fundamental continuity between the Israel of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament. Christians could describe themselves as a “new Israel” or a “renewed Israel” (see 1 Peter 2:9-10). The importance of this conviction is not that Israel and its Scriptures were somehow dispensable or superseded, but rather that there was a continuity of mission and purpose from Israel to the church.

The church can live out its mission and identity only when it is formed fully by this knowledge. The Old Testament provides the clearest witness to this mission and identity.

Without the Old Testament, our understanding of the mission of God in the world is partial and impoverished.

Without the Old Testament, we are left with only a partial understanding—and perhaps even a misunderstanding—of the mission of God for the salvation of the world. The wisdom of the church, in its decision to hold the Old and New Testaments together as sacred Scripture, is seen in the fact that the breadth and depth of the mission of God is revealed in the structure of the canon of Christian Scripture in its entirety.

This is evident in the opening chapters of Genesis, which begin with the glorious descriptions of a world created by a generous and gracious Creator; continues through the degradation of creation and humanity through human sinfulness; recounts the first efforts by God to forge a faithful human community through the call of Abraham and Sarah and the subsequent history of Israel; reached its climax in the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus; continues in the mission of the church in the world; and concludes with the vision of God’s creation of a new heaven and a new earth (see Revelation 21).

The Christian Scriptures—Old and New Testaments together—reveal the grand mission of God in the world, from creation to new creation. Without the Old Testament in its full and proper place within the Christian canon, we lose sight of the expansive mission of God to save all of creation. Christianity itself is truncated and vulnerable to an other-worldly obsession that loses sight of the incarnational nature of our faith.

Far from being irrelevant for Christian faith, the Old Testament provides the essential foundation for understanding the breadth of the work of God through Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament provides a powerful antidote to the Christian tendency to focus on individual salvation alone.

In the Old Testament, God calls Israel to be a people who live in ways that are distinct from the dominant cultures around it. That is, Israel was to be the people of God as a witness to the world, to demonstrate the good news of God’s enduring efforts to embrace the world

and return it to its first harmony. The promises made to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12 included the promise that through them, all the families of the earth would be blessed (see Genesis 12:3).

The emphasis in the Old Testament is upon Israel as a people—as a faithful human community—with a mission to all of humanity and all of creation. The church inherits that expansive mission (see Matthew 28:19-20).

If we read only the New Testament, we frequently fall into the trap of thinking that God’s work in the world is primarily—if not exclusively—for the salvation of individual souls. This emphasis on individual salvation can reinforce a rabid individualism that values only the work of God in individual lives and that views salvation as focused on saving individual souls.

human life. They remind us that human communities in which such injustice runs rampant are doomed to destruction.

The prophets utter a clarion call to commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice, with the goal of establishing communities in which human flourishing in its fullest sense is cultivated. With the Old Testament in the canon of Scripture, we hear this call as a Christian responsibility.

In addition, we learn from the Book of Deuteronomy that an alternative is possible to a debt-based, dehumanizing economic system that strips people of their dignity and consigns vast numbers to the scrapheap of below-the-povertyline employment. We also learn that provision for the contemporary equivalents of ancient Israel’s “widow, orphan and resident alien” is foundational to the kind of community the church is called to be.

The Christian Scriptures—Old and New Testaments together—reveal the grand mission of God in the world, from creation to new creation.

The wisdom that comes with hearing the full witness of the Scriptures is that it balances concern for the salvation of individual humans with the need to recognize that just as sin is both individual and social, so, too, God’s salvation also reaches beyond individual souls to transform communities. God’s mission in the world moves beyond individuals to create a faithful human community.

The Old Testament provides a primary witness to this.

Without the Old Testament, we would easily lose sight of the tragedy, cruelty and consequences of injustice, as well as God’s desire for all of creation to flourish through justice.

The Old Testament—especially in the prophets—provides an incisive analysis of the sources and consequences of injustice, as economic, social and political oppression strip whole populations of the basic necessities for a flourishing

In other words, the entire canon of the Christian Scriptures, considered in its entirety without neglecting any of its parts, provides us with a more complete vision of the mission and identity of the church in the world. When we truncate the canon, we distort our mission and impoverish our experience of God and the salvation that Jesus came to bring to the world.

The Old Testament does present challenges as we try to read it in the 21st century. But the prospect of “unhitching” Christianity from the Old Testament, either through neglect or through its intentional removal from the Christian Bible, endangers our ability to hear the full witness of God’s Word to the church and to understand the full mission of the church. That is a price too high to pay.

Dr. Donald E. Burke is the interim president of The Salvation Army’s Booth University College in Winnipeg.

Salvationist August 2020 23

GRACE NOTES

Cpts Laura and Stefan Van Schaick and their children, Vanessa and Shawn, during an impromptu physically distanced visit with a friend in April

Pandemic Privilege We need to stay home, but home is not a safe place for everyone.

BY CAPTAIN LAURA VAN SCHAICK

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“

tay home, stay safe.” My children quote this slogan by Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, like any other commercial jingle.

Their home is a safe space and they have no reason to question this truth. While they are missing their friends, their isolation experience has been a positive one, as has mine.

Porch photos, popular in the early days of the pandemic, portrayed households as safe havens in a world of COVID-19. And for many they are. For the most part, it’s been smooth sailing through the pandemic storm for me and my family. In fact, many aspects of this experience have been wonderful and full of familial bliss.

I can work from home with a flexible schedule. I am educated, speak English and have access to a computer, so I can home-school my children with ease. I have a husband who is likewise available to assist around the house. We have craft supplies, board games and a large yard to keep ourselves occupied. We’ve bought bags of flour and sugar and put our cooking skills to the test—and I’ve gained 10 24 August 2020 24 2020 Salvationist

pounds in the process! And while I know of people who have contracted COVID-19, and even some who have died, no one in my family has contracted the disease. I am incredibly privileged.

I am painfully aware that this has not been everyone’s reality. I’ve heard it said that while we may all be facing the same storm, many are riding this out in vastly different boats—our homes. For some, those homes are not safe spaces.

The United Nations Population Fund suggests that three months of quarantine will result in a 20 percent rise in intimate partner violence, resulting in at least 15 million cases of domestic violence worldwide, with most victims being women.

Children are at risk as well. World Vision is reporting a 42 percent spike in physical, sexual and emotional violence against children in areas where they serve. And if you think this is only a concern in other parts of the world, think again. Many municipal jurisdictions in Canada are already reporting spikes in reports of family violence.

Some families are struggling more than others with juggling childcare, lineups at

grocery stores, work and home-schooling due to single parent arrangements, job loss or other added stressors. In these homes there isn’t time or energy for family bonding over board games and baking cookies.

Instead, home has become a place of stress rather than a place of refuge.

Food bank usage has increased since the pandemic started as families whose children relied on school feeding programs are now experiencing hunger. For them, bare cupboards at home are a stark reminder of their financial need.

Other homes are just too crowded to be safe. The outbreak at the Cargill meatpacking plant in Alberta stemmed primarily from a lack of physical distancing, not only in the workplace, but also in the home, where multiple immigrant families live together in a single dwelling. This problem is magnified in countries such as India and Haiti, where many people live in slum housing where quarantine and isolation are nearly impossible.

For others, home is a lonesome place.

This is especially true for those in longterm care facilities where residents have faced mental-health challenges and chronic isolation due to the pandemic. Virus outbreaks at care homes have also put a spotlight on deficiencies in funding and support for the elderly that originated long before the pandemic erupted.

And what of those without a home?

How do you isolate when you live in a shelter, couch surf or sleep on the street?

Stay home and stay safe, if you can, but remember that not everyone is in as privileged a position. And they may never be, pandemic or not. That’s something we could all be a bit more mindful of.

I’m thankful to be a part of The Salvation Army, which addresses these concerns head-on and reaches out helping hands to provide practical assistance and hope to those who may not count themselves among the privileged. Let’s all do our part to prayerfully consider how we can help bridge the gap between privilege and disadvantage as we pray, “God, may your kingdom come.”

Captain Laura Van Schaick is the women’s ministries program and resource officer.

Illustration: di/stock.Adobe.com

VIEWPOINT

Race, Gospel and Justice Protest movements around the world are calling us to do better.

BY DARRYN OLDFORD

W

e only grow to know ourselves through our relationships with others. It starts at birth, when we require not only food and warmth, but love from caregivers to survive. As we grow, we start to classify ourselves based on what we see around us and what we’re taught. “Your skin tone is like mine, so we’re the same ethnicity.” “Your skin tone is different, so you’re something else.” “You like playing sports? You’re an athlete.” “You also speak Klingon? We must be the coolest people here.” These categories of “like us” and “not like us” help everyone make sense of the world. In our desire to classify the world, however, history and culture have created artificial barriers between us and others that shouldn’t exist.

Margaret Mead, the famous cultural anthropologist, was once asked when civilization began. You might have expected her to mention the discovery of walls, pottery shards or saddles, but instead, she said it was a broken—and healed—femur found at an archeological site. Animals do not have the time or resources to care for a wounded member of their social group; if an animal can’t hunt, it doesn’t eat. A broken femur takes a long time to mend, so a healed femur is evidence that a group continued to care for a wounded member. This act of loyalty shows when we moved from a collection of individuals to a society.

Right now, the Black community in

North America is hurting. The gauntlet has been thrown down—what are we willing to do to fix things? These are not new struggles, although recent stories have highlighted specific horrifying incidents.

The rallying cry of “Black lives matter” is a simple statement, but so many of my fellow white people choke on it. Some respond with “all lives matter” which, despite being true, is a slap in the face of those who are currently suffering.

The needless and violent deaths of African-Americans must stop.

Saying “all lives matter” ignores widespread societal issues affecting the Black community and avoids the responsibility to change anything in a positive way.

If it were left to these folks, the injured members of our society would starve, and we would no longer be a civilization.

Injustice anywhere is offensive to God as he is sovereign over all.

Human life is both sacred and priceless. This must be at the forefront of your mind when discussing the plight of Black men and women in our society.

Regardless of your personal opinions about looting, rioting or protesting, we

must all agree that the needless and violent deaths of African-Americans must stop. It is also perfectly acceptable to focus on Black people, not everyone, because they are the ones whose lives are most at risk. Any attempts to stifle or ignore the pain and grief that Black people are feeling is to deny their humanity. Empathy means feeling pain alongside your neighbour, while justice is working toward a world where this pain no longer exists. Both are required for vibrant Christian faith.

The best parts of each and every one of us are a reflection of the divine. By blurring the lines between “me” and “we,” we grow closer to who God is. Genesis 1:26 states, “Let us make mankind in our image” (emphasis mine). Even God, in all his splendour, is meant to be understood as part of a community. Similarly, Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.”

Institutional racism did not end with slavery. Progress has been made to improve the lives of Black individuals, but we are far away from the kind of just and equitable world God wants to call his kingdom on earth. We need to care for one another, to feel each other’s pain and to work toward justice. Otherwise, we expect our Black brothers and sisters to hobble around on a broken femur.

Darryn Oldford is a senior soldier in Toronto.

Salvationist August 2020 25

PEOPLE & PLACES

HAMILTON, ONT.—Thanks to a partnership between the Army’s Ellen Osler Home in Hamilton and the Dundas Rotary Club, the food bank at community and family services in Dundas received $1,700 to help meet community needs. Residents at Ellen Osler, who are on conditional community release from prison, raised the first $100 as part of a friendly competition to minimize travel during the pandemic.

When Col Marguerite Ward, former director of Ellen Osler and now president of the Dundas Rotary Club, shared the story with club members, they wanted to help.

Donations from the Rotary Club and personal contributions from its members and an Ellen Osler resident brought the grand total to $1,700. Cassandra Pollard (front, left), director of operations and residential services, Ellen Osler Home, and Jennifer MacPherson, Dundas Rotary Club, present the donation to Karen Sobierajski, program manager, and Scott Gross, front-line worker and overseer of warehouse operations, at Dundas CFS.

MOUNT PEARL, N.L.—When George Dyke recently celebrated his third birthday, his family and friends were asked to give money instead of gifts to raise funds for the Army’s food bank in Mount Pearl. Thanks to George’s unselfish gesture and the generosity of his family and friends, Linda Vincent (left), food bank coordinator, receives a cheque in the amount of $1,215 from George, his parents, Jordan and Rebecca, and infant brother, Roman.

TORONTO—On Mother’s Day, women from Toronto’s Yorkminster Citadel decorated the grounds surrounding Meighen Health Centre with posters and paper flowers to brighten the spirits of the residents who were confined to their rooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cheeriness of the flowers and the caring thoughts behind them warmed the hearts of the seniors who stood on their balconies to ensure physical distancing guidelines were being followed. A couple of days later, the residents were blessed when a quartet of Salvationist musicians played familiar hymns on their brass instruments as people once again took to their balconies to enjoy the music.

26 August 2020 Salvationist

SASKATOON—The Midget AA Blue Jays baseball team stopped by community and family services in Saskatoon to help prepare lunches and emergency food hampers. The team also donated their winnings from the Quinn Stevenson Memorial Tournament to support the Army’s ongoing ministry. The tournament is hosted by the family of Quinn Stevenson, who was tragically killed at the age of 17 by a drunk driver in 2013. To honour the legacy of their son, Craig and Bonny Stevenson created the tournament to spread awareness and kindness to the community and encourage the winners to “pay it forward” by helping their community.

GAZETTE INTERNATIONAL Appointments: Oct 1—Mjrs Mario/Celeste Nhacumba, CS/TSWM, Mozambique Tty, with rank of lt-col; Mjrs Sérgio/Ana Nsumbu, GS/CSWM, Angola Cmd; Nov 1—Cols Suresh/Martha Pawar, IS for South Asia/ZSWM, IHQ, with rank of comr; Cols Nihal/Rohini Hettiarachchi, TC/TPWM, Sri Lanka Tty TERRITORIAL Appointments: Mjr Nancy Virtue, community and family services officer, Cambridge Family Services, Ont. GL Div; Cpt Jodi Dunstan, divisional youth secretary and divisional secretary for candidates, Ont. Div (designation change); Cpt Mark Dunstan, divisional youth secretary, Ont. Div (designation change) Promoted to major: Cpts Neil/Delores Abbott, Cpts Andy Albert/Sonia Gutierrez Albert, Cpts Timothy/Krista Andrews, Cpts Ed/Charlotte Dean, Cpt Kathleen Ingram, Cpts Hannu/Geraldine Lindholm, Cpts Jamie/Elaine Locke, Cpt Heather Matondo, Cpts Jamie/Shelly Rands, Cpt Sandra Ross, Cpts Ray/Denise Saunders Promoted to captain: Lts Keith/Charlene Barrett, Lts Yves Bolduc/Vivian Mag-aso, Lt Michelle Cale, Lts David/Lorenda Dale, Lt Donna Downey, Lt Lorrie-Anne Mitchell, Lt Samuel Tim, Lts Stephen/Rosalyn Toynton Long service: 25 years—Mjrs Robin/Yvonne Borrows, Mjrs Owen/Sandra Budden, Mjr Carolyn Hale, Mjr Dena Hepditch, Mjr Cynthia Oliver, Mjr Austin Randell; 30 years—Lt-Cols Brian/Lynn Armstrong, Lt-Cols David/Marsha-Jean Bowles, Mjrs Brian/Glenda Bishop, Mjr Danny Broome, Mjrs Leslie/Catherine Burrows, Mjrs David/Wavey Chaulk, Mjr Darlene Colbourne, Mjrs Shawn/Brenda Critch, Mjr Karen Feltham, Mjr Marilyn Furey, Mjr Pauline Gruer-Caulfield, Mjr Rosena Halvorsen, Mjr Michael Hoeft, Mjr Dana Reid, Mjr Cathyann Simms, Mjr Valerie Wheeler; 35 years—Mjrs Neil/Merrilee Evenden, Mjrs Norman/ Lois Garcia, Mjr Beulah LeBlanc, Mjr Glenda Roode, Mjr Gail Winsor; 40 years—Lt-Col Sandra Rice, Mjrs Bill/Donna Barthau, Mjrs Raymond/Caroline Braddock, Mjr Wade Budgell, Mjr Wendy Johnstone, Mjr Judy Regamey Retirement: Aug 1—Mjr Bill Barthau Promoted to glory: Mjr Lillian Horton, Jun 17 CALENDAR Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd: Aug 9 retirement of Mjrs Herbert/ Kathie Sharp, Peterborough Temple, Ont.

SALVATION STORIES

On This Mountain Three moments that changed my life.

BY MIKE FORSEY Mike Forsey hikes the East End of Rundle Mountain near Canmore, Alta.

Photo: Gil Molina

our four children. She exudes compassion, understanding, patience, grace and, most importantly for me, home. God knew exactly what I needed when he brought us together.

G

rowing up in a small Newfoundland

town, I did everything a typical boy did—explored the woods behind my house with my three-wheeler, pellet gun and fishing gear; built forts with my friends; and played street and pond hockey for a tinfoil “Stanley Cup.” As I grew older, I didn’t know what I was truly interested in, so I did everything: hockey, soccer, tennis, math club, speech competitions, sea cadets, youth group and corps cadets. I was a successful student and athlete and got along with everyone, yet as I look back at those days, I almost always felt alone.

As a fifth-generation Salvationist, my

parents introduced me to Jesus, but never forced a certain lifestyle on me. Every night, my dad knelt at the foot of my bed and prayed for me and my future. I searched everywhere as I struggled to know who I wanted to be and how to get there. I read every book in my father’s library, from Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew to My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I spent hours at the seniors’ home visiting elders from my church, fascinated with their stories, wisdom and faith.

By the time I finished high school, I

still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Eventually, I moved to Halifax to study commerce at Dalhousie University.

It was during this time that I began to seek God for my identity and ask what he wanted for my life. As I turned toward him, he started to change my view of success and what mattered in his eyes.

Majors Wayne and Cavell Loveless ran

the Centre of Hope in Halifax, and they encouraged us young adults to invest in the men at the centre. I remember a pivotal conversation with one man, once worth millions, who gambled most of his life away and ended up living underneath the Macdonald Bridge.

“Mike,” he told me, “there isn’t one person in this world who is not three choices away from where I was under that bridge, and they do not necessarily have to be their own choices.” This conversation changed the trajectory of my life. I believed God wanted to use me to help restore men like Rick to their families and communities.

Two other events have had far-reaching

impact on my life. The second was meeting Deanne, my wife and the mother of

And the third was a morning on a mountain top. Two years after moving to Alberta to work for The Salvation Army’s community services in Calgary, old feelings of not belonging, not fitting in, started to return. I thought about quitting, believing I had nothing to offer.

Then I took part in the 4th Musketeer’s Xtreme Character Challenge (XCC), a 72-hour mountain-climbing adventure with other Christian men. It’s a time when you are forced to face yourself, explore your heart and listen to God. That weekend has stayed with me to this day, as God broke through the noise and spoke to me through a friend who, coming into the event, had not decided what he believed about Jesus.

On the third morning, after we finally crested a mountain, he came and sat next to me. “This is how I see things right now,” he said. “Five years ago, I took a job in Yellowknife, so I would meet you—so that this morning, on this mountain, I would meet God.” Jesus brings restoration, love and truth

to the world and tells me who I am in him.

When I read in Luke 4 of Jesus in the temple, reading from Isaiah 61, “ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor,” and then saying, “ ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ ” (Luke 4:21), it captures my heart and gives me the courage to partner with him on this mission.

It has been more than 20 years since I first felt God ask me to invest in men and their communities. It has been a journey with many diversions, doubts and obstacles, especially within me. Yet God has been faithful, my life has been fruitful and I am excited to see what he does in the next 20 years.

Salvationist August 2020 27

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To receive a FREE no obligation quote on your CAR and HOME or TENANT Insurance through our partnership, please get in touch with one of our friendly customer service advisors.

Find the right insurance for you:

CAR HOME SMALL BUSINESS COMMERICAL 1-800-240-5283 www.deeksinsurance.ca

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D.L. Deeks Insurance Services Inc. (“Deeks Insurance”) is a licensed insurance intermediary. Home and car insurance policies are primarily underwritten, and claims handled, by Unifund Assurance Company (“UAC”). Deeks Insurance and UAC share common ownership. Eligibility requirements, limitations, exclusions or additional costs may apply, and/or may vary by province. D.L Deeks Insurance Services Inc. and logo is a registered trademark of Deeks Insurance. Car insurance not available in BC or SK. Home and car insurance not available in MB, QC, NWT, NU, or YK.

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Joy Rediscovered

GOD’S WAY P.5

Matchbox Love

ONE OF A KIND P.8

From History to Hip Hop

HAMILTON MOVIE P.10

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

AUGUST 2020

COVID-19

Front-Line Chaplain JULIANE MARTIN SEES FAITH WITH NEW EYES. P.12

Into the Storm

There are few things as terrifying as being caught out in the open during a thunderstorm. The howling winds, driving rain and blinding flashes of lightning can leave you cold, drenched and frightened.

While a thunderstorm can wreak havoc, life’s storms— illness, death, divorce, job loss, addiction, infidelity, compounded all now by COVID-19—are infinitely more troubling. They can deaden your soul and wither your heart.

When life’s storms threaten all you hold dear, it’s important to remember you’re not alone. The assurance that there is a God who loves you will give you peace and new-found strength to battle the storm.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper.”—Psalm 107:28-29 If you need shelter from life’s storms, visit our website (www.faithandfriends.ca) or contact us at The Salvation Army Editorial Department, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto ON M4H 1P4.

August 2020

VOLUME 23 NUMBER 8

COMMON GROUND 5 Joy Rediscovered

When COVID-19’s social distancing sent Jeanette Levellie into a depressive tailspin, she fought back the only way she knew how.

GOD IN MY LIFE 8 One of a Kind

8

Her son’s Matchbox collection gave Diane Stark a timely reminder of God’s love.

FAITH BUILDERS 10 From History to Hip Hop

Hamilton brings history to movie screens and living rooms.

FEATURES Joy Rediscovered

GOD’S WAY P.5

Matchbox Love

ONE OF A KIND P.8

From History to Hip Hop

HAMILTON MOVIE P.10

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

AUGUST 2020

COVID-19

Front-Line Chaplain JULIANE MARTIN SEES FAITH WITH NEW EYES. P.12

COVER STORY

12 A Chaplain on the Front Line Juliane Martin uses COVID-19’s lens to see her faith with fresh eyes.

16 Piece by Piece Lorraine Blue knew The Salvation Army needed help during the COVID-19 pandemic. So she did something about it.

SOMEONE CARES 19 “So Everybody Can Eat”

Five-year-old gets “overwhelming” support for Salvation Army food bank.

LITE STUFF 20 Eating Healthy With Erin

Photo: Sharm

19

Sudoku, Quick Quiz, Word Search.

NIFTY THRIFTY 23 It’s Your Move!

A fun DIY the whole family can enjoy.

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Faith&Friends

FROM THE EDITOR

A Chaplain’s Heart

H

ow exactly does one become a chaplain?

The possibility had never entered Juliane Martin’s mind as a student at Tyndale University in Toronto until one day over lunch with her mentor, Reverend Harry Nigh.

“I will never forget what he said to me in that diner on Parliament Street,” she smiles. “I was sharing with him some of the theological matters I was struggling with.”

He smiled at her and said, “Juliane ... that sounds like a calling. You have a chaplain’s heart.”

“I had no idea what he meant at the time,” she says, “but looking back on it, I realized he was on to something!”

Now, Juliane is the chaplain at Bunton Lodge/ WP Archibald Centre, a Salvation Army facility for ex-offenders located in Toronto.

“I started as a social-worker student there in 2011,” she says. “At that time, Bunton Lodge did not have a full-time chaplain. But God is always up to something and years later, here I am, serving in a place I never want to leave, journeying with folks, and being able to celebrate wins and navigate losses.”

Chaplain Juliane’s story is on page 12.

Elsewhere in this issue of Faith & Friends, we spotlight Lorraine Blue, who saw a Salvation Army commercial on television one evening requesting help and decided to do just that. You’ll also see our take on the new Hamilton movie and you’ll read how one woman rediscovered joy in the midst of COVID-19.

Happy reading!

Ken Ramstead

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Mission Statement To show Christ at work in the lives of real people, and to provide spiritual resources for those who are new to the Christian faith.

Faith & Friends is published monthly by: The Salvation Army 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M4H 1P4 International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4P 4EP, England William and Catherine Booth FOUNDERS

Brian Peddle, GENERAL Commissioner Floyd Tidd TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Lt-Colonel John P. Murray SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS Geoff Moulton, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ken Ramstead, EDITOR

Brandon Laird SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Hannah Saley DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST Pamela Richardson, COPY EDITOR, PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR

Ada Leung CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR

Leigha Vegh STAFF WRITER, PROOFREADER

Giselle Randall STAFF WRITER Scripture Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from New International Version Contact Us P. (416) 467-3188, F. (416) 422-6217 Websites faithandfriends.ca, salvationist.ca, salvationarmy.ca Email faithandfriends@can.salvationarmy.org Subscription for one year: Canada $17 (includes GST/HST); U.S. $22; foreign $24 P. (416) 422-6119 circulation@can.salvationarmy.org All articles are copyright The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064794 ISSN 1702-0131

Faith&Friends

COMMON GROUND

Joy Rediscovered When COVID-19 ’s social distancing sent me into a depressive tailspin, I fought back the only way I knew how.

by Jeanette Levellie

Photos: Kevin Levellie

Making Conversation During COVID-19, Jeanette Levellie craved face-to-face interactions

I

“

f you’re up before 5:30, can you please wake me?” I asked my husband, Kevin. I didn’t want to miss the highlight of my week the next morning. Every Tuesday during the COVID-19 crisis, our local market allowed seniors to shop an hour before the store opened to the public. I knew the following day I’d

see lots of faces, even though they’d be smiling from behind masks two metres away.

Social networking online was fun. But I craved face-to-face conversations.

Too Close for Comfort When my boss first told me a month

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Faith&Friends

COMMON GROUND

Shopping for Company Depression threatened to steal Jeanette’s joie de vivre

before that I’d need to work from home, I smiled and replied, “Sure, I understand.” Not having to commute would give me all that extra time to write, finish home projects and spend more time with Kevin.

I was elated. Besides, the medical experts predicted it would only take 15 days before we could return to work and our normal lives.

By the fifth week of the pandemic, I’d written 20 stories and cleaned out 10 messy drawers. As to spending more time with my husband … well, I discovered that too much togetherness—even in a healthy marriage like ours—can lead to unhealthy attitudes. I found myself apologizing to Kevin every day for snapping at him over minor irritations. The opera music he played all day grated on my nerves. He left the kitchen a mess when he cooked. He didn’t comb his hair often enough to suit me.

“Hi!” Even after I apologized for my lack of kindness and Kevin forgave me, I still felt like crying.

Gregarious by nature, I often told people, “I can talk to anyone on any subject, whether I know anything

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about it or not.” Now, I had one person—well, four if you count the cats—to talk to. I felt like I was being punished.

The sense of isolation and loneliness created a huge hole in my heart.

I missed my friends, co-workers and fellow church members. Depression threatened to steal my joie de vivre.

Those weekly sunrise trips to the market helped me cope.

I said, “Hi!” to everyone I came across, friends and strangers alike. I made eye contact with each one. You can tell a lot about someone’s heart from the mirror of their eyes. Most said, “I’m scared” or “I’m unsure about the future.” A few said, “Thanks for noticing me. I’ve felt so invisible

during this strange, scary time.” I could relate.

People sometimes looked at me funny when I raised my voice to greet a friend halfway down the candy aisle, but I didn’t care. I was having too much fun.

And afterward, I felt less sullen. I even treated Kevin with more patience, since my emotional gas tank was now brimming over.

employee helped me scan a box of cat litter. “You’re always so kind,” I said.

“Thanks for your help!”

Each time I gave someone a compliment or thanked them for a kindness, the dark feelings lifted some more. By the time I walked out the door to the parking lot, I was in my usual sunny mood. I’d forgotten about my problems and was focused on giving others a serving of encouragement. By giving

By giving away what I thought I’d lost—joy —my own sadness vanished. JEANETTE LEVELLIE Doing It God’s Way It was during those trips to purchase groceries that I rediscovered my joy—bubbling over, barely contained joy—almost by accident.

One morning as I passed a lady in the produce aisle, I said, “I like your purple purse. It’s perfect for you.”

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled and gave me a muffled, “Thank you.”

Immediately, my murky mood brightened a little. As I turned a corner and a man allowed me to pass in front of his cart, I said, “How wonderful to meet a true gentleman!”

His friendly nod eased a bit of my loneliness.

When I had trouble at the self-checkout lane, a cheerful

away what I thought I’d lost—joy—my own feelings of sadness vanished.

We’re all in this together, I thought.

I’m not the only one suffering. Everyone here—everyone in the world—is fighting the same insecurity I’m experiencing. This isn’t about me. It’s about helping my neighbours stay healthy. Both physically and mentally.

Without being conscious of it, I was obeying God when He told His followers, “Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

No wonder my step bounced and my heart was lighter. I’d grown up a little. I’d learned to cope by doing life God’s way.

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Faith&Friends

GOD IN MY LIFE

One of a Kind My son’s Matchbox collection gave me a timely reminder of God’s love.

by Diane Stark

M

“

om, can I choose a Matchbox car?” my eightyear-old son, Nathan, asked at the grocery store one day.

I looked at the less-than-a-dollar price tag and nodded. “Sure. Pick one out.”

Fifteen minutes later, Nathan was still standing in front of the cars, trying to decide.

In an effort to speed things along, I pointed to a cool-looking car and said, “How about this one?”

He shook his head. “I already have that one.”

I pictured the giant container of Matchbox cars in his bedroom. “How could you possibly know?”

“I know all of my cars.” He began pointing at the cars in the display. “I

8 • AUGUST 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

have that blue truck, and that red car, and that black van with the flames on the side.”

“And you know it’s that exact one?

Because I’m sure the company makes lots of red cars and blue trucks.”

Nathan nodded. “They do, but I know which ones are mine.”

I still couldn’t quite believe it. I pulled out my cellphone and took pictures of the cars he had pointed to.

Finally, Nathan chose a car to buy and we headed to the checkout.

“I Love My Cars” When we got home, I started putting away our groceries. Nathan went upstairs to his room, and when he came back to the kitchen, he was carrying a few of his toy cars. He held them out to show me and said, “I told you I already had these.”

I compared the cars to the photos on my phone. They matched exactly.

“No matter how many cars I get, each one is still special.” NATHAN STARK “You’re eight years old and you must have a hundred cars,” I said.

“How can you keep track of them all?”

He shrugged. “I love my cars.

They’re important to me. No matter how many I get, each one is still special.”

I patted his shoulder. “Your memory is amazing, Nate.”

The Good and the Bad That night at bedtime, Nathan drove his new car across the pillow as I read to him from his children’s Bible.

“God loves you and He knows you,” I read. “God created you to be unique, and no one else on earth is just like you.”

Nathan grinned. “It’s just like my Matchbox cars! No matter how many I get, each one is still special.

No matter how many kids God has, we’re all special to Him.” “That’s right, bud. God loves you and He knows everything about you.”

And just as I was aware of that, I also realized that God knows everything about us— the good and the bad—and He loves us the way my son loves his Matchbox cars.

In His opinion, each of us is one of a kind.

Automotive Enthusiast (opposite) Nathan Stark shows off his car collection Wheeled Bliss (left) “God loves us the way my son, Nathan, loves his Matchbox cars,” says Diane Stark

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FAITH BUILDERS

Photo: Courtesy Walt Disney Pictures

Faith&Friends

From History to Hip Hop Hamilton brings history to movie screens and living rooms.

by Jeanette Levellie

I

n a surprise move that delighted fans, Disney Studios released the movie version of Hamilton to Disney+ on July 3, 15 months ahead of its scheduled release date.

“In this very difficult time, this story of tenacity, hope and the power of people to unite against adversity is both relevant and inspiring,” Disney executive chairman Robert Iger said on Twitter.

Stealing the Brag Lin-Manuel Miranda, author of the original play and music score, told Variety.com, “You all have that friend that is like, ‘I saw it with the original cast.’ We’re stealing that

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brag because you’re all going to see it with the original cast.”

That cast includes Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Christopher Jackson as George Washington and Daveed Diggs in the dual role of the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.

All the lead characters are played by people of colour, a purposeful decision by Miranda to focus on diversity and inclusion.

Making a Difference With very little dialogue, Hamilton takes viewers on a modern musical journey sharing the fascinating

story of one of the United States’ founding fathers. The soundtrack of catchy lyrics and energetic tunes became the bestselling cast album in Nielsen history. According to an interview in The New York Times, Miranda estimates the musical score as “one-third rapped to twothirds sung.”

“Hamilton was born a penniless orphan in Saint Croix, of illegitimate birth, became George Washington’s right-hand man and treasury secretary, and all on the strength of his writing. I think he embodies the word’s ability to make a difference,” Miranda told an audience at an evening of music at the White House in 2009, before Hamilton was completed.

No Exclusion Jessica Wong of CBC News tells the stories of how Hamilton changed the lives of two students at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont. “Matthew Joseph had performed in school musicals, but his plan was to study math in university,” writes Wong. When a friend shared the cast recording of Hamilton, Matthew’s love for musical theatre was reborn. “At that point, I decided I had to pursue this,” says the thirdyear theatre student at Sheridan.

During his first year at the college, he joined a group of two other students to form the singing trio CZN.

Germaine Konji, in her fourth year at Sheridan, also attributes her pursuit of a degree in theatre to Hamilton. Germaine applauds how Miranda took long-held ideas about musical theatre and created a melting-pot culture of hip hop, jazz, rap and R&B. Before seeing the show, Germaine says that as a person of colour, she might not have seen herself in a history textbook on the founding of the United States. But Hamilton changed her thinking. Now she “sees no reason to be excluded.”

Something to Sing About Since its creation in 1776, the United States has welcomed people of every race to its shores. It’s grown into a diverse family founded on the truth that all people are equally valuable and born with the same rights.

Current race relations south of the border and here in Canada remind us that deep fissures still exist, but there are signs of hope.

When Jesus started His family— the church—anyone could join. The Apostle Paul said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Inclusion is the heart of God’s family. He offers the same hope of overcoming sin and eternal life to every person. He doesn’t simply accept us as His children. He delights in our diversity.

And that’s something to sing about!

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Photos: Sharm

Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

One to One Chaplain Juliane Martin chats with a client at Bunton Lodge/WP Archibald Centre in Toronto, a Salvation Army facility for ex-offenders

A Chaplain on the Front Line I AM USING COVID-19’S LENS TO SEE MY FAITH WITH FRESH EYES.

by Juliane Martin

T

he reality of COVID-19 hit me on March 13 at 9:30 p.m.

Armed with my coffee, I pulled into Walmart and rolled my eyes at the full parking lot. Great!

I thought, a peaceful Friday-night shopping trip ruined. But when I 12 • AUGUST 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

saw the empty shelves, I stopped in my tracks. It was at that moment I realized things were serious.

Thankfully, the food shortage was short-lived, but the changes in my routine are something I continue to wrestle with.

Sense of Peace I am a chaplain with The Salvation Army at Bunton Lodge/WP Archibald Centre in Toronto, a halfway facility for ex-offenders. My job has been deemed an essential service, so work has continued on without the boredom many of my friends are lamenting. Nevertheless, we are constantly adjusting to new protocols and diligently striving to keep our residents and staff safe.

If one good thing has come out of the chaos of this pandemic, it has been the softening of hearts and opening of eyes to the things that actually matter. People seem to have a new-found willingness to discuss things and, more than ever, I have been questioned about the sense of peace I seem to have as a Christian.

“Attending” Church One conversation occurred with

If one good thing has come out of the chaos of this pandemic, it has been the softening of hearts and opening of eyes to the things that actually matter. JULIANE MARTIN I have been incredibly fortunate to have a flexible schedule that has allowed me to balance my family obligations while still ministering to the men who reside at our facilities.

Weekly Zoom meetings, program planning and letter writing to inmates can be done from home, but the moments that I have felt most useful have been on-site, providing a ministry of presence.

During these past weeks, I have been blessed with deep conversations with a number of residents and staff that I had not previously ventured into the spiritual realm with.

a co-worker about the restrictions on group gatherings. Eventually, the discussion came to churches closing their doors on Sundays.

My colleague shared that she had stopped going to church years ago.

She wanted to return but didn’t know where to go or what to do.

I shared that I have been “church hopping” via livestream and was enjoying the ability to check out a variety of churches around the world that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do otherwise. As a result of our discussion, I sent her some links to local Salvation Army faithandfriends.ca I AUGUST 2020

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Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

Talking It Over “People are feeling stressed and struggling to get through the days, but there are also tremendous acts of kindness happening,” says Juliane

churches and was delighted to hear that she had decided to “attend” church again!

While I am certain many people are viewing sermons from their living rooms who would not be attending brick-and-mortar services, it was a reminder to me that church is not just a place we go to.

It’s really about the people who make up the church, and the relationships we have with one another and with God. Answer to Prayer I remember in the early days of the pandemic feeling frustrated that I had to cancel some of the events I had planned for the days ahead. But I am thankful for the creativity God has gifted me with.

When doing things as they have always been done is no longer an option, each day is an opportunity to live out Isaiah 43:19: “I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?”

(New Living Translation). Now is the time to reach out in ways I had not considered before.

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I work with a network that provides safe and welcoming places where ex-offenders and friends can experience Christian community, and members of our halfway house attend. Like many organizations, they have switched over to virtual meetings in response to COVID-19.

Video-conferencing can bring people together without cumbersome travel logistics. People who normally cannot attend events are able to “Zoom in” and feel connected to the other participants in ways that surpass a phone call.

I was blessed to witness a Zoom

meeting where a brother and sister were able to see each other for the first time in almost three years! All the way from Newfoundland and Labrador, a sister was finally able to see the people her brother had been talking about for years. This was an innovative answer to prayer.

Tired Feet, Worn Ears, Full Heart The way God has enabled me to share His love for people has had a profound impact on my own understanding of who He is. I’ve sent more than 100 letters with puzzles, trivia sheets and colouring

pages to inmates and I am pleased to know they are bringing hope behind prison walls.

It is not lost on me that people are feeling stressed and struggling to get through the days, but there are also tremendous acts of kindness happening.

Picking up the phone, dropping off groceries, mailing a card, cooking a meal—these are just a few examples of things we can do to show our neighbours we care. My four children have been painting rocks with messages of hope to be scattered around the neighbourhood and they love looking for ones that other people have placed along the sidewalks.

Although it may be true that every family is experiencing this pandemic in unique ways, there is a common thread that binds us all: we are suddenly aware that how we treat each other matters.

I recently spoke to a dear friend of mine, a retired Salvation Army prison chaplain, about the hope we have that things will not go back to normal. If we fall back into our old way of doing things, we will have missed a monumental opportunity to grow closer to God. It is said that to be a chaplain is to have tired feet and worn ears. This is certainly true, but I’d add that having a full heart makes it all worth it. faithandfriends.ca I AUGUST 2020

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Packed to the Brim Sandy Blackwell with her car full of donations

Piece by Piece

LORRAINE BLUE KNEW THE SALVATION ARMY NEEDED HELP DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, SO SHE DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

by Ken Ramstead

T

his past spring, Lorraine Blue was watching a Salvation Army commercial appealing for help with COVID-19. Sitting there in her living room, she thought, In the middle of this crazy world, what can I do right now, as one person, to help?

It was simplicity itself to pick up her phone and make a donation, which she did.

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Team Effort But the next day, the thought persisted. Lorraine knew that there must be more she could do to help.

But what?

That afternoon, as she was passing Bailey’s Home Hardware store in Toronto, it hit her: “I’m sure that the Army is feeding a lot more people now thanks to COVID-19. They must need more food.”

On a whim, she entered the store and found out that they had 400 packages of low-fat bran muffin mix (each package makes 24 muffins) plus 280 large cans of vanilla icing that were nearing their expiration dates in a month, though the manager assured her that they would keep for much longer. Lorraine promptly purchased the lot, and when the Home Hardware manager found out why she was buying them, he gave her a steep discount. Home Hardware staff even helped her place the boxes in her car.

Lorraine’s next step was to contact The Salvation Army’s divisional headquarters in Toronto to find out how she could donate all this food. The automated answering service frustrated her efforts, as she knew no one there, but after randomly pressing buttons in hopes of connecting to a “live” person, she managed to reach Vivienne So, a manager in employee relations.

“I was moved by her story,” Vivienne says, “and I wanted to see this donation put to good use.”

But she had only been on the job for six months and wasn’t sure what the protocol was.

“I didn’t feel right to just say ‘wrong number’ or pass her along,” Vivienne says, “so I decided to take care of this myself.”

After a number of inquiries, Vivienne was directed to the Army’s Railside distribution centre and passed on their contact information

to a happy Lorraine.

She, in turn, loaded her car up and drove to the Railside facility with the purchased and donated supplies.

“The staff at The Salvation Army were so amazing,” says Lorraine.

“Between Home Hardware and Railside, it was a team effort.”

Kindred Souls Lorraine’s vision grew. “I realized I was not just helping those who were out of work due to COVID-19,” she says. “I was assisting others that the Army was looking out for: the homeless, the seniors, the disabled.”

When she returned to purchase

Happy Work A Bailey’s Home Hardware worker helps unpack a donated skid faithandfriends.ca I AUGUST 2020

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

A friend of Sandy’s donated $200 from her own pocket to supply medical gloves, even though she had been recently laid off from her job. more food, Bailey’s Home Hardware donated items free of charge, including masks and hand sanitizer. Soon, friends and acquaintances were dropping off purchases at Lorraine’s home, having heard of her efforts.

Now Lorraine had more items than she could fit in her car, so her friend, Sandy Blackwell, drove over to help bring everything to Railside.

Lorraine’s project also received support from her local Costco, which donated a skid of bananas, and a local liquidation store contributed foodstuffs. A friend of Sandy’s, Tammy Wilkins, donated $200 from her own pocket to supply medical gloves, even though she had been

recently laid off from her job.

“She wanted to contribute to the cause in any way she could,” says Lorraine.

Other local companies have given skids of deodorant, cases of cookies, individual bags of caramel cashew mix and toothpaste, either for free or at drastically reduced rates.

“It’s a feeling that keeps spreading and growing larger and larger every day,” smiles Lorraine. “We have become a team of kindred souls, one generous act at a time.”

“A Better Place” “We often take for granted small acts of kindness, but God’s plan is so clear: He wants us to love others,” says Lisa Baker, Vivienne’s supervisor and head of employee relations at the Army’s divisional headquarters. “Lorraine’s efforts are so appreciated.”

“Piece by piece, if everyone did a little something, the world would be a better place,” Lorraine concludes.

Hopping to It Lorraine Blue (left) and Tammy Wilkins continue to receive donations

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Faith&Friends

SOMEONE CARES

“So Everybody Can Eat” Five-year-old gets “overwhelming” support for Salvation Army food bank.

by Tyler Evans

Fully Stocked Packing Up Five-year-old Kennedy Hill asked residents in her neighbourhood for food donations for the Salvation Army food bank. She collected three minivans worth of food and supplies

T

he shelves at The Salvation Army’s food bank in Orillia, Ont., are now full thanks to the efforts of five-year-old Kennedy Hill.

Kennedy would frequently hear her mother, Angie Green-Hill, who works in the family services department at The Salvation Army, talk about the struggles of trying to keep the food bank shelves stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The little girl just wanted to help.

“She said, ‘Well, do you need me to get food for you?’ which I giggled about,” Angie recalls when her daughter offered her initiative.

“I’ll just go around and ask the neighbours,” Kennedy continued.

Angie laughed and said, “No! You can’t just go ask random people.”

But the more Angie thought about it, the more Kennedy’s idea made sense.

So the little girl and her family started putting out flyers around their neighbourhood to let people know that they would be coming by to collect donations for the food bank.

When the family went out to collect the food, they were shocked to see that more than 70 homes participated by leaving food and other essential supplies on their porches or at the end of their driveways.

“It was overwhelming. We ended up with three minivans full of food. I was so impressed with Kennedy,” Angie says.

When Angie brought the food to the food bank, her co-workers couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw three long tables full of food.

“It was probably one of the best food drives I’ve ever seen,” Angie admits.

Because of Kennedy’s efforts, the shelves at the Salvation Army food bank have gone from in need of dire help to fully stocked.

When Kennedy was asked why she thought it was important to create a food drive, she replied, “So everybody can eat.”

Reprinted from Orillia Matters

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Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Eating Healthy With Erin FRENCH POTATO SALAD WITH HERBS

Recipe photos: Erin Stanley

TIME 30 min MAKES 5 servings SERVE WITH barbecued chicken or fish

1 kg (2 lbs) baby yellow potatoes, unpeeled 3 eggs 60 ml (¼ cup) frozen peas 60 ml (¼ cup) celery, diced 60 ml (¼ cup) dill pickles, diced Dressing:

2 rosemary sprigs, stems removed 60 ml (¼ cup) flat leaf parsley, chopped 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil 30 ml (2 tbsp) Dijon mustard 15 ml (1 tbsp) balsamic vinegar 15 ml (1 tbsp) mayonnaise salt and pepper to taste paprika for garnish

1. Boil potatoes until fork soft.

Allow to cool so that the skin can be peeled. Quarter and place potatoes in large salad bowl.

2. While potatoes are boiling, hard boil eggs (about 10 minutes), then cool in water and peel. Quarter and place in bowl with potatoes.

3. Boil frozen peas until fork soft. Drain and add to salad bowl.

4. Add celery and pickles.

5. Add remaining ingredients and stir for a minute.

6. Add dressing to salad bowl and mix well. Can be served warm or cold.

BERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE BOWL TIME 10 min MAKES 1 serving SERVE WITH granola

1 banana 60 ml (¼ cup) berries of choice 250 ml (1 cup) milk of choice 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla 2 ml (½ tsp) honey 3 ice cubes Topping:

15 ml (1 tbsp) chia seeds 30 ml (2 tbsp) shredded coconut (optional) banana and berries of choice (optional)

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1. Wash berries, then place all ingredients in blender and mix until very smooth.

2. Place in bowl and garnish with chia seeds. Allow to sit in fridge for 7 minutes.

The chia seeds will bind to the top layer.

3. Top with shredded coconut and fruit if desired.

“Thanks for Helping Me”

SALVATION SUPPORT P.8

Warrior Woman

MULAN MOVIE P.18

Caring During COVID-19

A HELPING ARMY P.5

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

SUMMER 2020

The Kick Off

TOM SCOTT IS GOING FOR GOLD AT THE 2021 OLYMPICS IN TOKYO. P.16

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Sudoku Puzzle

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 × 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

1

2

9 4

5

6

QUICK QUIZ 1. In what country is the Geiranger Fjord?

2. What NFL team won its first Super Bowl in 50 years in February?

3. What rap star founded Toronto-based record label OVO Sound?

2

7

5

3 4

6

6

2

8

4

8

7

7

2

8

9

7

9

3 1

3

7

© www.kevinfrank.net

HEAVEN’S LOVE THRIFT SHOP by Kevin Frank

Answers on next page.

9

6

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Faith&Friends

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RALPH WOLF ROAD RUNNER SAM SHEEPDOG SPEEDY GONZALES SPIKE SYLVESTER TASMANIAN DEVIL TOSH TWEETY WILE E COYOTE WITCH HAZEL YOSEMITE SAM

22 • AUGUST 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

Quiz Answers: 1. Norway; 2. Kansas City Chiefs; 3. Drake.

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Faith&Friends

NIFTY THRIFTY

It’s Your Move!

A fun DIY the whole family can enjoy.

Summer is here, a perfect time for evenings spent playing tic-tac-toe with your family.

Supplies Needed: thrifted placemats, coloured duct tape, scissors, rocks, bottle caps.

Step 1 Drop by your local Salvation Army thrift store and pick up a game board base. Placemats work well but feel free to improvise.

Step 2 Cover the front of the placemat with duct tape. You can find duct tape of all colours and patterns at any local dollar store.

Step 3 Trim the edges of the tape.

Add two horizontal and two vertical lines for the tic-tac-toe outline.

Step 4 Once the board is complete, make the game pieces. I used bottle caps, then added magnetic letters to the top. You can reuse corks or old toys—you don’t even need Xs and Os! Step 5 Once you’ve refashioned one game board, it’s easy to repurpose a whole set of placemats. Get funky with the colours or go rogue with your game pieces.

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(left) Denise Corcoran (aka Thrifty By Design) is an author, upcycler, community builder and workshop facilitator based in North Vancouver. She shares her enthusiasm for crafting and upcycling by facilitating “Crafternoons” throughout Vancouver.

The Salvation Army continues to provide its essential services to the vulnerable, but to ensure the safety of clients and staff, some thrift stores remain temporarily closed due to COVID-19.

faithandfriends.ca I AUGUST 2020

• 23

PM 40064794

For address changes or subscription information contact (416) 422-6119 or circulation@can.salvationarmy.org. Allow 4-6 weeks for changes.