“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
– Corrie ten Boom
What is The Salvation Army?
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.
Vision Statement
Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight alongside others to transform Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus.
Mission Statement
The Salvation Army is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus by:
• Caring for people
• Creating faith pathways
• Building healthy communities
• Working for justice
The Salvation Army Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet and work and pay our respect to Elders, past, present, and future. We value and include people of all cultures, languages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and intersex status. We are committed to providing programs that are fully inclusive. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of people of all ages, particularly children.
Church unboxed
Paddleboarding, pubs and pets – these are not the first things that come to mind when people think about church with the Salvos. It’s more likely to be traditional brass bands, and sermons –and many Aussies don’t know that The Salvation Army is a worldwide Christian church, active in 134 countries.
In Australia, the Salvos are more widely known for their work in homelessness and substance abuse; thrift shops; emergency relief, and emergency response during natural disasters.
In Australia, the Salvos have more than 280 congregations (called ‘corps’), and around 496,000 church attendances each week.
Scan here to connect with The Salvation Army services
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Founders: William and Catherine Booth
Salvation Army World Leaders: General Lyndon and Commissioner Bronwyn
Buckingham
Territorial Leader: Commissioner Miriam Gluyas
Secretary for Communications and Editor-In-Chief: Colonel Rodney Walters
Printed and published for The Salvation Army by Commissioner Miriam Gluyas at Focus Print Group, Chester Hill, NSW, Darug Nation lands.
But, as this edition explores, church with the Salvos isn’t always traditional. Salvation Army officers (pastors) focus on living and sharing the love and values of Jesus and reflecting these values locally – which means church could be on a paddleboard, around the kitchen table, in a café, a walking group, patchwork group, remote property, community breakfast and more.
The Salvos know God’s love is for all, and they want to see each of us experience that love in all areas of our lives.
Simone Worthing Editor
No one paddles alone
Building hope and community on Hobart’s waterways
“Paddlers Against Poverty is a ‘Community of Hope’ (an open, inclusive group) based around kayaking and standup paddle boarding and being on the water,” said Major Joel Clifford, a Salvation Army officer (pastor), who leads the group in Hobart, Tasmania.
The paddlers meet for a monthly paddle, canoe or kayak together, often followed by afternoon tea. The event is a place for connection and support within the community.
“Paddle boarding is a passion of mine,” shares Joel. “I really love it. And I’m like, what if I use that and turn that into something that other people could join with, and we could create a community based on that, on the water? It could be a place where people could [also] find a place to give back, find service, find faith and develop their faith, that doesn’t look like church on a Sunday morning.”
Breaking down walls
For group member Dee, the whole Paddlers’ journey has been transformational. “Everybody has been so welcoming,” she said, “and also really accepting of where I’m at.”
Joel has seen the positive impact of the group on its members. “It has been really amazing to see how God has moved in and through our group,” he said. “Slowly [people’s] walls have been broken down just because they have somebody to talk to, people who validate their feelings, people who care about them, people
who show the practical love of God to them no matter what.
“We paddle to anybody’s ability and you can go as far or as fast as you like. When we are paddling together, nobody gets left behind. Nobody is left to paddle on their own.
“But also, nobody paddles alone in life. And so, when people are struggling, we get around each other and we care for and support each other.”
This has been Dee’s experience of the group. “The paddler’s ethos is, no one paddles alone, on the water or off the water, and I have found that to be absolutely 100 per cent true,” she says.
“I had a twin sister, and she passed away in 2022. She was diagnosed with cancer in March of that year, and she passed away six months later.
“Paddlers and the Salvos were amazing. They supported me through that time. They would bring food around to my house when I came home after my sister passed. They would pray with me. I don’t know how I would have gotten through that time without them.”
Seeing God differently
For Joel, and for Paddlers Against Poverty, “creating faith pathways and creating community and caring for people is really important for us.
“We have this pathway where people can come and find a sense of belonging, and then as we go paddling, we encourage people to look and see where God is at work around them.
“Being out in a place like this is just an incredible opportunity to see God in a different way.”
Scan here to watch the Paddlers Against Poverty video.
More than a meal
Where church meets the kitchen table
Tucked within the heart of Melbourne’s Ashwood precinct is a thriving church community, where belonging and connection are the focus. Salvos Magazine journalist LERISSE SMITH
spent an evening with the Ashy Salvos House Church to witness how genuine friendship and heartfelt fellowship can truly be transformative.
What started about 15 years ago as an open-air gathering eventually evolved into a home church for residents from nearby Markham Ave Housing Commission flats. Over time and across several locations, Ashy Salvos House Church took shape, and now, with a longtime commitment from Camberwell Development worker Norman Gale, it is thriving.
“Caring for people and helping them through is what we do,” said Major Cilla Bone, Program Leader.
“This is connecting with people who are struggling with faith and life – and I love
that. This is our community, this is the neighbourhood. They know each other and they support each other. It is a good place and a safe space.”
Kitchen connection
Today, the church meets not in a chapel but around a kitchen table in rented premises at Ashwood’s Power Neighbourhood House.
There is no expectation to impress, no pressure to donate. Just a warm meal, good company, and space to be your true, authentic self.
“I think this is a place where people feel comfortable who are similar to each other,” reflected Cilla. “There is no expectation of expensive outings or donations. They all share the fact that they live on a pension, apart from one person who is working. We all wait for our pension next week, and we are all glad of a free meal.”
Drop in on a Tuesday night, and the friendly ambience is immediate. Warm welcomes,
hugs and big hellos set the tone. Then comes dinner and a conversation about all things God- and life-related, plus an inspirational worship song. The top priority is acceptance, friendship and inclusion. No judgment or condemnation.
Love in action
“Ashy House is a beautiful expression of The Salvation Army’s mission,” said Salvos pastor Kate Baudinette.
“We see that happening in really simple ways around the table. In really quiet ways, we are fulfilling that justice mission in being here for each other, just hearing what people are going through and loving them. We love Jesus – and we love each other.”
About 25 people attend the house church each week – as many as they can fit around the dinner table.
At the heart of Ashy House Church are leaders Cilla, Norman and Kate, with Meredith Daniels, a youth worker at Camberwell, running the youth group, while parents and caregivers join the main session. The Salvos can also assist with subsidised holiday camps.
Even though the Markham flats have been rebuilt, the mission remains unchanged: build connection, keep the kettle on, and open the Bible.
And the leaders don’t just focus on who turns up, but also look for signs of grace, signs of growth, and what God is doing in this special place.
“You just have to be philosophical about what God is doing here,” Cilla said.
“Are they ready to even believe that God can do something? On a good day, they (the church members) do want something different. On a bad day, they just want some food. But that’s completely okay because at the end of the day, we know Jesus is so powerfully in our midst and at work in everyone’s lives. We simply want to wait and see what new thing God wants to bring about in Ashy.”
Scan here to watch the Ashy House Salvos video.
A caffeinated cup of kindness
Members of the Shire Salvos team with Phil Gough, Director of The Mobile Coffee Group (third from right), in front of the new missional coffee van that is about to hit the streets.
Over the past year, several workers and community members connected with Shire Salvos in southern Sydney have had visions for new ministries involving driving a coffee van to marginalised local areas and forming relationships over a cuppa.
Shire Salvos had received a significant donation, with the benefactor supportive of using the gift to fund the van. However, despite searching online for second-hand coffee vans within his budget, Mark Soper, who leads Shire Salvos, couldn’t find anything suitable.
When Phil Gough, director of The Mobile Coffee Group, heard about how Shire Salvos wanted to use the van to connect with people in need, as a means of starting a journey towards positive transformation in their lives, he jumped
on board to assist. He generously offered Shire Salvos a significant discount on a brand-new top-of-the-line van and provided training for Shire Salvos team members on how to use the van.
Another prayed-for donation enabled the purchase.
Shire Salvos Heathcote plans to start visiting the local caravan park with the van to connect and foster community. Further south, in Helensburgh, a Salvation Army community member has a vision to bless the kids and families in her street with hot chocolates and coffees after school, starting once a month.
Mark said the van will be hitting the streets before the end of the year.
– Lauren Martin
Service in the sky for 80 years
The Salvation Army Australia will soon celebrate 80 years of the Flying Padre Service, which has provided aerial assistance and pastoral care to those living in remote and isolated parts of the country since its beginnings in 1945.
The Salvation Army Flying Padre Service has been a steadfast source of support and care for remote communities across South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
This remarkable milestone is a testament to the dedication of the many chaplains who have taken to the skies to ensure that even the most isolated individuals receive wraparound care during some of the most challenging and important moments of their lives.
To mark the occasion, The Salvation Army is hosting a series of events in Darwin and Katherine, Northern Territory, this month.
Captain Victor Pedersen pioneered The Salvation Army Flying Padre Service over the wide spaces of northern Australia.
Chaplains Majors Michelle and Niall Gibson visit remote communities in Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Captains Simon (pictured) and Natalie Steele served as flying padres for The Salvation Army Outback Flying Service based in Mount Isa, Queensland, from 2008-2023.
Major Mark Bulow, left, Rural and Remote Chaplain, South Queensland, Flying Service and Rural Chaplaincy, based in Dalby, with fellow pilot Captain Simon Steele.
God’s Sports Arena still going strong
Bill Hunter, left, receives a pioneering award for his work from General Lyndon Buckingham.
Bill leads a debrief for a faith and fitness program for young nationals from Papua New Guinea.
Bill, centre back, is head coach for the Papua New Guinea nationals who run a marathon.
Bill leads the church as a volunteer.
Fourteen years ago, Salvation Army
Envoy (lay pastor) Bill Hunter had the vision to start a church that would be a safe place where those who felt they didn’t fit with the traditional church would be welcomed and accepted.
Having been the Brisbane Broncos NRL chaplain for 20 years, Bill designed the service with a sports theme and called it ‘God’s Sports Arena’.
Today, the church in Brisbane is still going strong, with a second expression thriving on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
With the mantra of God’s Sports Arena being a place where people are loved, encouraged, and not judged, it has been a safe place where thousands of people, many of whom are on a recovery journey, and come from a range of different backgrounds, discover and experience God in a way they can relate to.
“God’s Sports Arena is a beautiful place,” says one member. “We have open and honest conversations, lots of free-flowing connections, opportunities to heal, and it’s where I find peace.”
God is real to me because…
by Nicole Viles
One of my favourite places to go is Point Danger. It’s a headland that demarcates where NSW meets Queensland and it has a boardwalk laced around its cliff edge. Visitors can gaze out across the turquoise waters of the Pacific and watch the waves roll in or the whales frolic, depending on the season, while the ocean winds whip through your hair. The cliffs below display layers of deep, rich ochre, testifying to the power of the wind that has lashed its stony face over centuries. Wind that cannot be seen, but whose presence is undeniable.
As I stand there on the top of those cliffs time and again, feeling the breeze on my face, clutching at my hat as the wind lifts it off my head and hearing nothing other than what the wind carries, I am reminded how I know God is real. For his presence –his Spirit, which incidentally is translated from Hebrew ‘ruach’ as ‘wind’ – I feel and see and hear its effects.
I feel him like a deep calm in my soul even when my world is in chaos.
I feel him as a prickling sensation that spreads from the tip of my head to the bottom of my toes and lingers, reminding me I am not alone.
I feel him as a fire welling in my gut, urging me to be his hands and feet.
I see his effects in lives transformed from death to life by simply an encounter with him, and I hear his voice, as external words
or internal thoughts, become his mouthpiece connecting with his Spirit in me and igniting a ‘knowing’ that this was carrying God’s voice.
And over time, my life and many others reveal the layers of his life’s effect on us; layers that leak the deep rich, red ochre of his blood spilt for us in love and mercy and grace that we now reflect to others.
Major Nicole Viles is a Salvation Army officer (pastor) in Northern NSW.
A place to reconnect
Salvos group a lifeline for Lauren and her best friend, Honey
by Lerisse Smith
Lauren Barns never imagined that one horrible rainy night a twist of fate would dramatically change the course of her life forever.
Almost 12 years ago, for reasons still unknown, Lauren’s car crashed into the side of a house in Melbourne, causing the wall to collapse onto her vehicle – and her head. She was airlifted from the scene by helicopter in a race against time.
Lauren survived. However, her long recovery would involve multiple surgeries, rehabilitation and countless therapy sessions. The accident also left her legally blind. And with survival also came heartbreak.
“I lost all my friends after the accident, which is really sad,” Lauren said. “So many people came to visit me while I was unconscious at the time ... Mum said they all came to say goodbye as they thought I was going to pass away. But nobody
wanted to catch up after I got out.”
In that void, her occupational therapists looked for meaningful ways to help Lauren reconnect with friendship and community – and one life-changing suggestion set her on a new path.
They discovered Ashy Salvos House Church (see story page 6).
Family church
Walking into the building on the first night marked a significant step forward for Lauren. It was a place that felt completely different from any church she had known growing up.
“Everyone at Ashy House Church was so welcoming. It was amazing,” Lauren reflected.
“I grew up going to church and never liked church. It was always a chore. You had to get dressed in nice clothes, and because I never really fitted in, I never made friends. But coming here (to Ashy House), everyone is a
friend. It’s like a big family. Ashy House Church gives me something to look forward to each week.”
In the years since she joined Ashy House, the church has become more than a place of worship. It has become her anchor.
“This is my church now,” she says. “Everyone supports and encourages each other. It truly is lovely.”
The sense of belonging has also helped her blossom in ways she never expected.
New outlook
Lauren shared how she had always been shy and introverted. But thanks to the “chatty and lovely” church members, she has come out of her shell and become more social.
And her Christian faith, once obligatory, is now freely expressed and shared in the Tuesday night gatherings and in tender, personal moments with God.
Love has also taken on a new meaning and grown deeper since the accident.
Lauren Barns and her guide dog Honey are precious members of the Ashy House Church that meets each Tuesday evening.
Honey on duty at Ashy House.
Lauren with Major Cilla Bone, who started Ashy House Church.
Speaking of her family with gratitude, Lauren highlighted how they supported her constantly through her life-changing ordeal.
“My love for my family has certainly grown,” she said. “Love is so much more important to me now ...”
Best friend
But it’s not just people who have helped reclaim her independence and joy – there is also a new best friend, Honey.
Honey, her Guide Dog, came into her life in November last year, and with the Golden Labrador came a new and profound sense of freedom.
“Honey is my best friend
and my everything!” Lauren said. “She really is my whole world, and I will do anything to make sure she is happy.”
Honey did not just help Lauren navigate the physical world – she opened doors, literally and metaphorically. And, with driving now no longer an option, Lauren is navigating public transport with Honey by her side.
Outside of church and Honey, Lauren also finds solace in creativity, especially the arts.
She hopes to return to study in the future and, ideally, she would like to work with animals and incorporate her love of the arts, too.
And Ashy House Church remains a steady and vital presence in her journey, not just as a place of faith, but as a living community where fellowship isn’t formal but lived out in hugs, shared meals, exploring God’s Word, and interwoven life experiences.
“Ashy House is a highlight and essential date in my weekly calendar,” Lauren concluded. “It has helped turn my life around, given me hope for the future – and may it continue to change lives for a long time to come.”
For the full version of this story, go to Salvosonline. org.au
Guacamole
Ingredients
2 avocados; 1 onion; 1 tomato; 1 clove garlic; 1 lime; salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 chili, chopped and seeded; fresh coriander, chopped
Method
Mash avocado (peeled and pitted) in a medium bowl. Add finely chopped onion, chopped tomato and minced garlic. Mix well.
Season with juice from the lime, salt and pepper.
Cover and keep in refrigerator until serving.
Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or fresh vegetables for dipping. Can be used on toast, sandwiches or baked potatoes.
☺ Believe in Good: Tips
13 September – Positive Thinking Day
“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 chapter 4, verse 8
New International Version
This week, think positive thoughts about yourself and others.
Quiz
Name the hat:
1. A three-cornered design with upturned brim, originating in the 17th century.
2. Originating in Mexico, designed for protection from the sun and heat.
3. A small, structured headpiece with flat crown and straight sides, originating in the 1930s.
4. Typically made of soft fabric with a snug fit. Dating back to the early 20th century and worn for warmth and comfort by factory employees and miners.
��Who am I?
I once lived across 70 per cent of Australia. I like to have many burrows, digging a new one every month.
I keep my burrows at a constant 23°C.
I have great hearing. My hearing and strong sense of smell are important for finding food and detecting predators.
Have a laugh
How do geologists like to relax?
Why did the rock shower every morning?
In rocking chairs. He wanted to start the day with a clean slate.
What is a geologist’s favourite type of music?
Hard rock.
Which band is a geologist’s favourite?
The Rolling Stones
Which rock group is made up of four men who can’t sing?
Mount Rushmore
Tum-Tum
On which page of this week’s Salvos Magazine is Tum-Tum hiding?
Answers
Tum-Tum: is hiding in the rocks on page 11.
Beanie. I am: I am a bilby.
Sombrero. 3.
Quiz: 1. A tricorne.
�� Word search
Words are hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, forwards and backwards. Enjoy!
Bees
Beginnings
Bloom
Blossom
Budding
Bulbs
Butterflies
Chicks
Colours
Ducklings
Flowers
Fragrant
Grass
Green
Growth
Lively
Magpies
Nature
Bible byte
Nests
Offspring
Plants
Renewal
Seasons
Sprouting
Sun
Swooping
Warm
“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
