W
hen Caitlyn Gillingham finished high school last June, she knew she wanted to spend a year developing a closer relationship with God. So when she heard about the Army’s Revolution Hawaii (RevHI) program, a year-long discipleship program in Honolulu, she found the place she needed to be. “Going into this program, I was motivated to get spiritually disciplined,” she explains. “I want to be prepared for wherever I’m going next.”
“At territorial congress, I dedicated my life to The Salvation Army” At RevHI, Caitlyn spends her mornings reading and praying, and her afternoons at a shelter for homeless women in downtown Honolulu. “It’s a lot of community work and working with the poor,” she says. Before going to Hawaii, Caitlyn was involved with many ministries at Yellowknife Corps, where her parents are the corps officers. She has worked at Pine Lake Camp in the Alberta and Northern Territories Division for the
Taylor Burton
Age: 21 Home Corps: Sydney Community Church, N.S.
T
aylor Burton’s love for camping ministry goes back to a pivotal summer evening at the Maritime Division’s Scotian Glen Camp almost 10 years ago. “On the last night of music camp, they gave an altar call,” he remembers. “I knew that I needed something more and that week, through the Bible teaching and worship times, I came to understand what that was—a personal relationship with Jesus. “Ever since that first camping experience, camp has been very important to me—especially Scotian Glen,” he adds. “It’s become my passion.” Taylor has worked at Scotian Glen in the kitchen and as a counsellor, and for the past two summers has been Bible director. “I look forward to it every year,” he says, “because it’s the chance to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to a
Caitlyn Gillingham
Age: 18 Home Corps: Yellowknife
past three summers, taught Sunday school, played with the worship team and worked at the soup kitchen at the Army’s Bailey House. “One of my passions is working with people in poverty,” she says. “I’ve seen a lot in Canada, from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to Yellowknife, where so much of the population suffers from alcoholism. But I don’t want to be oblivious to the poverty of third-world countries because I know that’s monumental compared to what we have here.” When Caitlyn finishes her year at RevHI, she hopes to go to university to complete a degree in social work. But ultimately, she feels that she is called to full-time ministry. “I spent a few years running away from it, as any officers’ kid might do, but at territorial congress last summer, I just knew that was where I was supposed to be,” she says. “I dedicated my life to The Salvation Army.”
bunch of kids who may not have heard it before, or may not have given it a chance before. I see camping ministry as extremely important because I know the effect it’s had on my life and many other kids’ lives as well.” When Taylor isn’t at camp, he can be found at Sydney Community Church where he leads worship on Sundays and co-leads the youth group with his wife. “Our divisional youth leaders, Captains Morgan and Lisa Hillier, have been really good to my wife and me, helping us grow by giving us opportunities to be leaders,” he says. “And they’ve helped me grow by talking to me, not dismissing me as a younger person, but being interested
“Young people have a desire for Christ, for deeper things; you just have to lead them to it” and involved in what I’m doing.” As Taylor and his wife consider where God may be leading them, in terms of future ministry, they are grateful for the support of leaders and Salvationists in their division: “They take young people seriously and understand that young people have a desire for Christ, for deeper things; you just have to lead them to it.”
Salvationist • March 2015 • 11