Others Newsletter - March 2022

LIVING OUR MISSION » PAGES 4 & 5

EASTER REFLECTION » PAGE 6

EVERYDAY SALVOS » PAGES 8 & 9

THE ART OF GENEROSITY » PAGE 10

SALVATION STORY » PAGE 16

MARCH 2022 CONNECTING SALVOS IN MISSION

God forgave us of that debt

He took it away and nailed it to the cross

Colossians chapter 2, verse 14

others.org.au

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FROM OUR LEADERS

Empowering women to be an

n o i t a r i p s in

By Commissioner Janine Donaldson

International Women’s Day, 8 March, allows us to consider the progress made on issues that celebrate the social, political, cultural, and economic achievements of women.

The day draws attention to the need for accelerating action around women’s equality.

Recently, while with my eight-month-old granddaughter, I affirmed her, “You are beautiful, you are kind, you are strong, you are clever, you are created in the image of God.” This little life inspires me to be the best I can be.

International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the women who have inspired us. I read a quote recently that made me question: “What have I achieved in my ministry as a woman? What have I contributed that has made a difference?”

Rather disappointingly, and to my frustration, my answer to those questions was not what I would have liked them to be. Despite all that I see that has changed for women, there is still so much more to do. While we celebrate all women who have inspired us, incredible women who have forged the way by their example and dedication, we acknowledge there will always be so much more in front of us.

When I reflect on my own story and life experience, I hope that having the confidence to be me has empowered others to do the same and be themselves. When you know who you are, you can make a difference. It’s important to write your story and make it the best it can be.

International Women’s Day is the day to reach out to those who have inspired, encouraged, and supported us. Use who you have been created to be to empower, inspire, and encourage someone else in your life. Maybe today is a great day to recommit to this.

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”

– Hillary Rodham Clinton Janine Donaldson (Commissioner) The Salvation Army Australia

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March 2022

FROM THE CHIEF SECRETARY

The

s e g n e chall s t n e m e achiev e g n a h c and of

As we enter our fourth year since becoming one Australia Territory, I reflect on what we have achieved, even with the challenges of a global pandemic and the sense of change fatigue among our personnel. Thank you for your ongoing resilience in what has been a mammoth few years. As we’ve moved to one national territory, we’ve had a necessary period of putting in place supporting structures, systems, and national processes to ensure the effective delivery of our mission.

I appreciate that it has probably felt at times like it has been all about new processes, policies, and procedures. Please be assured that these are put in place to ensure we can effectively support the delivery of the mission and vision of ‘transforming Australia, one life at a time with the love of Jesus’. This will always be our priority.

I recognise that for many the increasing demands on your time and energy to learn new systems and ways of working have been significant. My hope is that increasing familiarity with these new systems and processes will begin to give you back more time to devote to specific mission activities.

As a Christian movement, united by faith, we work in cities, country towns, and remote communities across Australia to ensure no one is left in need. This is demonstrated through the stories of hope and transformation. Some of these are highlighted in our 2021 Annual Report, which was recently published. (www.salvationarmy.org.au/about-us/newsand-stories/publications-and-resources/the-salvationarmy-annual-report-2021) The report specifically covers the Social Fund of The Salvation Army but the work and stories throughout the report are underpinned by our 278 corps and officers, and the deep connections they have within their communities. See how Fairfield City Corps provide spiritual and physical fruit to the community and read more about how Morley Corps youth ministry team engages with more than 300 kids every month. others.org.au

Here’s a snapshot from this report.

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More than 1.8 million sessions of care were provided across all our social programs. A significant increase to just over one million sessions provided the year before.

Over 309,000 of these sessions were provided to people who were at risk of, or experienced homelessness.

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We continue to be the largest provider of homelessness services across Australia. Last financial year, more than 37,000 people experiencing homelessness received support through our homelessness service. One life transformed was that of Margaret, who became homeless after fleeing her home in fear of her life. Once connected with the Salvos, Margaret was reunited with her daughter and is now no longer homeless or alone.

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We are continuing to help rebuild lives from the Black Summer bushfires. In 2021, more than 7000 households were assisted, 6575 grants distributed and 2747 financial counselling sessions provided.

Read The Salvation Army’s second 12-month Disaster Appeal Report for full details. (www.salvationarmy. org.au/about-us/news-and-stories/publications-andresources/salvos-publish-second-12-month-bushfiredisaster-appeal-report)

For me, it is the humble words of Daniel, a client from our Recovery Services in Townsville, that continue to encourage and motivate me to keep focus on realising our vision. “I’ve never been judged or looked down upon by The Salvation Army. They’ve always greeted me with open arms. They’re caring to the needs of other people here.”

I hope they also serve as a powerful reminder for you, that lives are continuing to be transformed and God is at work in all that we do. Thank you for your contribution to ensuring the mission is effectively delivered.

God bless you each,

Colonel Winsome Merrett Chief Secretary

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MISSION IN ACTION

n o i miss

Living our

By Rod Yule

Collaboration is not rocket science. It is much harder!

We are regularly encouraged to collaborate with others – including people in different teams and people that are very different from us. Even people we don’t like! A key to Local Mission Delivery is our ability to collaborate in holistic mission.

However, it is not easy, and part of the difficulty is not being clear about what it means. What is the difference between cooperation, coordination, and collaboration? The first two are not too challenging – collaboration is much harder.

What is collaboration?

Collaboration refers to any joint activity by two or more parties for the purpose of linking or sharing information, resources, activities, and capabilities to achieve aims that no single party could have achieved separately. (Butcher, John R. and Gilchrist, David J. Collaboration for Impact: Lessons from the field. Canberra: ANU Press, 2020.)

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Language of collaboration For Local Mission Delivery and Area Leadership Teams (ALT), it is useful to distinguish between three categories of relationships: 1. Cooperation: sharing of information and/or expertise, and in which each mission expression remains independent and interacts only when necessary to harmonise their efforts.

For example, when a Moneycare financial counsellor or Doorways case worker share information with a corps officer about the services they provide and make warm, appropriate referrals.

2. Coordination: mission expressions interact and plan with each other to better align what they are already doing but remain independent and operate in their usual manner.

For example, when mission expressions learn they were all planning to have a presence at a local NAIDOC Week event and agree to share the same marquee.

3. Collaboration: a recognition of interdependence and a mutual commitment to working in new ways with the other members of the ALT to effect system changes in an area.

For example, when the mission expressions in an ALT agree to work together to develop an art exhibition for Anti-Poverty Week. In 2021, six corps in Perth worked collaboratively with the Doorways and Moneycare

March 2022

MISSION IN ACTION

teams to provide art materials and canvases for community members to express their understanding of poverty. They worked together with the Perth Mint to hold an art exhibition – something ‘that no single party could have achieved separately’.

ALTs that are ‘collaborative’ involve active participation and engagement. Different opinions and conflicts will naturally arise as expressions work together to address an issue in the area.

It is helpful to acknowledge these differences and recognise that, depending on geography and other factors, there are times when it is appropriate to engage in all these types of relationships.

Why collaborate?

Collaboration is not an easy answer to hard problems but a hard answer to hard problems. It allows the capacities of multiple stakeholders to be brought to bear on complex problems and has transformative potential. It is the way God has designed the body of Christ with different parts and different gifts working together.

The collaboration challenge Although it is easy to talk about collaboration, it is hard to do. We can call people to ‘go forth and collaborate’ and pay little attention to the collaborative capacity in their mission expressions. Some mission expressions have greater capacity for collaboration than others.

Collaboration means placing greater priority on understanding and improving relationships across mission expressions and taking more participatory approaches. For many, this represents a departure from past practice. The diverse geographical spread of our ALTs also impacts how teams can collaborate in a geographical area.

Success factors in collaboration Research on collaboration indicates it is successful when healthy relationships exist between our mission expression leaders. When different leaders feel valued and appreciated, we have a supportive environment for people to work together and collaborate.

The role of the Area Officer as the missional leader is key to encouraging and intentionally promoting effective collaboration. They use their skills to facilitate supportive relationships, promote collaborative plans, and encourage implementation and evaluation.

Another success factor is when collaboration is valued and celebrated in an organisation. With Local Mission Delivery, The Salvation Army has set up a model that seeks to do that.

Stories of missional collaboration are shared and celebrated.

At the same time, intentional collaboration is for mission and is not an end in itself. As Territorial Commander Robert Donaldson has said, “Collaboration is for a purpose; that is, serving the community better and strengthening connection with faith pathways. These are the end game.”

Rod Yule is The Salvation Army General Manager, Local Mission Delivery and Resources

others.org.au

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EASTER REFLECTION

h t y m k ee r G d e l i a n s u Jes ss o r c e to th

By Major Phil Inglis PHOTO: STOCK / GETTY IMAGES

I have been reading Stephen Fry’s Mythos, a ‘modern collection of Greek myths’ retold by the British writer, actor, and comedian.

I enjoyed this retelling of ancient stories from centuries before Christ was born. They are fabulous mashups of the best of marvel superhero movies and the worst of the daytime soap operas.

For the ancient Greeks and Romans, these stories of titans, gods, monsters, and men were the backdrop of life. They gave form to the spiritual life of people and the physical world they inhabited. In the world Jesus grew up in, these stories were woven into the cultural fabric of life.

According to one ancient Greek myth (as retold by Mr Fry), human beings were created because Zeus was bored. Zeus felt that the earth was depressingly empty. So, he went to his friend Prometheus and convinced him to make some statues out of mud. His idea was to create a new species that looked like miniature versions of the gods. These little things would be given the ability to act and move and to think for themselves so that they would behave like pets or playthings to amuse Zeus.

Prometheus searched for the best mud, added some of Zeus’s spit, and formed the first men. When the statues were complete, Zeus had his daughter, Athena, breathe life into the men. When the little men started to move and talk, the gods were overjoyed!

Now, of course, we know that these stories are fantasy, but I wonder how many of us, at times, feel as though we are simply just ‘playthings of the gods’, or even God. I wonder how many of us, at times, feel as though we are being played with, strung along like puppets, suffering disease, conflict, famine, and war as if we are merely pawns in some great game. I know all too well that when we suffer and struggle, it is easy to believe that God is perhaps “careless of our loneliness and pain” (Someone Cares, Gowans).

Two thousand years ago, we, humanity, actually met God face-to-face (or God met us, depending on your point

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of view). Jesus of Nazareth gave us a radically different understanding of God’s attitude toward human beings.

One of the more disgusting stories of Jesus occurs when a bunch of people bring a blind guy to him to be healed.

Jesus leads the blind guy by the hand out of the town where Jesus then spits on his hands, makes some mud, then spreads the mud on the man’s eyes. This results in the restoration of sight (an interesting and powerful miracle, particularly if performed in front of a non-Jewish believer in the Zeus and Prometheus story).

Having proved his identity as God, Jesus willingly went to his death, a death of unimaginable suffering and humiliation, for us to be restored into the family of God. Clearly, we are not mere playthings of God. Jesus’s birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven is undeniable proof that, even though we suffer and struggle in life, even though we may feel like pawns or playthings of cosmic forces, nothing could be further from the truth.

God created humankind in his image, but far from being mere playthings for his amusement, we are invited, through what Jesus Christ did, to become like adopted children of the Living God – forgiven, restored, accepted, affirmed, and loved.

Major Phil Inglis is the Online Faith Communities Development Officer for The Salvation Army March 2022

ARMY ARCHIVES

c a M g Fightin

and his ‘Sunshine Song’

By Cecil Woodward Scan QR code to see more Army Archives articles on Others.org.au

William ‘Fighting Mac’ McKenzie in full uniform as a World War One military chaplain.

William ‘Fighting Mac’ McKenzie distinguished himself in every role as a Salvation Army officer. His time as chaplain to the 4th Battalion AIF during World War One was no exception.

One aspect of this service that became permanently identified with him was his use of the ‘Sunshine Song’. In concerts that he organised, in chapel services, and even on the march, Fighting Mac, as he was affectionately known, would have the troops heartily singing these words.

The impact of his down-to-earth personality and the singing remained strong in the lives of those he served alongside. So, when in 1933 Commissioner William McKenzie was welcomed in Sydney as the newly appointed territorial commander, his former military commander, Brigadier General Iven Mackay, introduced him by reading the words of the padre’s song, ‘Sunshine’, which the audience immediately joined in singing, led by Commissioner McKenzie.

The paper recently streamed online by the Brisbane Chapter of The Salvation Army Historical Society considered the question, “What was the origin of Mac’s ‘Sunshine Song’?”

The music sheet of the ‘Sunshine Song’, often incorrectly attributed to William McKenzie.

Many referred to it as ‘the padre’s song’, so it has been assumed that it was his composition. But to trace its origins required delving into the developments in evangelical Christianity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This was the era of such notable evangelists as Charles Finney, Dwight L. Moody, and Salvation Army co-founder William Booth. Alongside these powerful proclaimers of the gospel were prolific hymn writers and soloists such as Fanny Crosby, Philip P. Bliss, Alfred H. Ackley, and Ira D. Sankey. Their predominant style followed a pattern of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, etc. Sankey said this style offered two contributions to the message of the evangelist: an emotional connection and memorability.

The sheer volume of hymns being written resulted in a publishing boom of new volumes and revised editions.

For example, Sankey's well-known ‘Sacred Songs and Solos’ was updated in seven editions between 1873 and 1907. Charles Austin Miles edited or co-edited 37 volumes others.org.au

between 1900 and 1939. Often such volumes would include new compositions by the editor.

In 1908, C. A. Miles edited a volume entitled ‘The Voice of Praise’. Number 32 in that volume was a four-verse hymn with chorus – its title, ‘Sunshine’. This is the chorus that Fighting Mac made his own and used to bring hope to ‘his boys’ as they faced the horrors of battle on the Western Front.

For the full article, see Cec Woodward, ‘Fighting Mac’s Sunshine Song: Facts and Myths’, The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Vol 7, Iss 1, 2022.

Cecil Woodward is a retired Salvation Army officer residing in Queensland and is a member at large of the Historical Society committee.

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g n i n n u r e ll e h Mic e f i l f o the race EVERYDAY SALVOS

By Jessica Morris When Michelle Wheatley dropped into the Menai Salvos Coffee Spot in Sydney with her three-year-old son in 2006, she received more than a hot beverage.

Over a cuppa, she shared how she had started a playgroup but was searching for a new venue. She was told she could rent the Army hall, and so began a journey that has led to more than 15 years of active involvement with the Menai Corps (now part of Shire Salvos).

Holding faith in God since she was a teenager, Michelle was no stranger to church life, but she says “something was different” at Menai Salvos. And over the next decade, she witnessed God do something incredible in her life.

“I was attending another church over the bridge, and as time went on and my son [Jonah] started kindergarten at Bangor Primary school, it felt like a natural progression to worship in the community in which our family lived and went to school in,” she says.

“It was important for me that my children could invite friends from their school and community to their church and the activities. Sunbeams was the first organised group my daughter Casey attended and absolutely loved it. Next, there were Christmas and Easter performances, and Menai Salvos welcomed our family.”

Michelle says she also began a journey of exploring deeper faith.

“I made my first commitment to be a Christian through youth groups as a teenager ... but never publicly, rather in private.

So, a public declaration was very special for me,” she explains.

“In August 2016, I undertook Covenant Classes at the Salvos and was blown away learning the history and DNA of The Salvation Army, their beliefs, theology, discipleship, purpose, and promise. I identified with Catherine Booth in particular, the ’Army Mother’, who raised a family whilst supporting her downtrodden community – no judgement ... she just got stuck into the work.

“So, in August 2016, I publicly stood up and declared myself an adherent of The Salvation Army, a believer in the

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Michelle shows off her medal after completing the Sydney Marathon.

Lord Jesus Christ, a follower, a participant in the worship, fellowship, service, and support of the Menai Corps.

“I believe that actions speak louder than words, and I love supporting our community.”

Part of her community involvement is running. When she is not running around children or running an active career as an Executive Assistant, Michelle is seen in her running shoes. She has competed in several half-marathons and completed one full marathon. This year, her goal is to run a 50km ultra-marathon.

Today, Michelle and her family call Shire Salvos home.

And after experiencing the depths of God’s love through community, she loves nothing more than seeing the stranger welcomed home.

“Watching people walk through the doors of the corps still fills me with pride, and it honestly feels like welcoming people into my home,” she says. “It is my pleasure to create that sense of warmth, love, and acceptance to everyone that walks towards us, be it physically or remotely.”

March 2022

y r t s i n i m m r o f t a l p s ’ y r t Ter n e m e r i t e r n i k c a r t n still o

EVERYDAY SALVOS

By Darryl Whitecross

Major Terry Smith has a broad, infectious smile, and nothing brings that smile to his face more than greeting Friday morning commuters at Petrie railway station in Brisbane – except maybe his daughters and grandchildren.

Terry, 81, officially retired from officership more than 20 years ago but didn’t hang up his maroon epaulettes and black cap.

After his last active appointment at Narrabri in northern NSW, Terry moved to Brisbane and settled into “a nice twostorey house at Petrie” – within easy walking distance to the local railway station in the city’s north.

“Once I retired, I had time on my hands, and I was looking around to see what I could do,” he said.

The first opportunity was a three-month role driving “a group of American evangelists” around Australia as they followed the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games torch relay and led outreach activities in each of the towns visited.

“We travelled 10,000 miles and gave out 10,000 gospels,” Terry said. “The Army, wherever it was, gave us a bed for the night and a meal before we set off again in the morning.

I was a volunteer at the Olympic Games, too. I had to do eight hours a day for 10 days. When that finished, I went looking for something else.”

The then Pine Rivers Shire Council introduced a program where volunteer drivers provided senior citizens with transport to and from appointments or the shops. Terry said he was a driver for 10 years, three days a week.

Terry began his railway platform ministry around the same time he started with the council.

“I went on Wednesday mornings from 6am to 8am to the Strathpine station, and then, on Friday, I would do the Petrie station 6am to 8am – that’s most Fridays from 2001 … until today,” he said.

“I understand the Army needs money, but I take it as a mission in greeting the people and saying, ‘Good morning, have a good day’. I don’t ask for donations. I let the uniform ask that question.” He also hands out Salvation Army publications, with Kidzone popular with children. others.org.au

Major Terry Smith on the platform at Petrie station.

Terry said he had seen many commuters grow from school students to career workers, and even some “pairing up”. He labelled Strathpine as “Cupid Station”.

He has also seen technology grow, with the Army eventually persuading him to carry a $5 ‘tap and go’ machine for donations – but the old wooden collection box still comes along too.

One of the highlights over the years has been his relationship with station staff, particularly the station master, who has been at the facility for as long as Terry. His name: Terry Smith! Major Terry cherishes the invitation to make a cuppa in the station office “any time”.

Terry retired last year as a Red Shield Appeal area coordinator, which included regular visits to high schools to address students and call for doorknock volunteers. “Many of the students, now grown up, come up to me on the station and say they remember me coming to the school at Red Shield Appeal time,” he said.

Then there’s his 20-year hotel ministry – going armed with Warcry/Salvos magazines, a collection box, and his joke of the week “to put a smile on the faces of patrons”. He has also visited Woodford Correctional Facility most Thursdays for 16 years, on top of being on the roster to run Sunday services.

But the railway platform ministry remains close to Terry’s heart, and despite his advancing years, he has no plans to ‘retire’ from this ministry.

“While I’ve got the strength and the Lord gives me the strength, I’m happy to continue,” he says. “I enjoy meeting the people and seeing a smile on their face. They look forward to seeing me, too. I know that because when I’ve not been there for one reason or another, they ask: ‘Terry, where have you been?’”

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s e l a W h t New Soandu n a i l a r t s Au al Capit y r o i t r r e T DIVISIONAL NEWS

Open Award winner

Jayne Wilson Spirit Award winner

Exhibition highlights the art of generosity

The theme of ‘Generous Spirit’ was on full display at the eighth annual Jayne Wilson Memorial Arts Competition and Exhibition at Wollongong Corps in January.

Child Award winner

The exhibition is the largest of its kind in the Australia Territory, honouring the legacy of the late Jayne Wilson, who established The Salvation Army First Floor Program counselling and support service in the NSW city in 1996.

The exhibition this year received more than 80 entries, ranging from paintings and drawings to sculptures and photographic work. A different theme is chosen each year, and anyone is invited to submit a creation reflecting that theme.

“Every year, we are inspired and humbled by the amount and quality of work that we receive in the exhibition,” said organiser Maris Depers, a counsellor with the First Floor Program.

“One of the best bits for me personally is welcoming and meeting new people and hearing the stories behind their work, what the theme meant to them and also being able to share with them a little bit about Jayne’s legacy and the work of the First Floor Program.”

The Jesus-centred First Floor Program is a holistic and family-inclusive counselling and support service for those impacted by alcohol and drug misuse, mental health issues, trauma, grief and loss. Jayne, who passed away on Christmas Day 2013, often used artwork activities in the support and counselling groups she ran and was an artist herself.

“This year, we had work from professional artists, hobbyists and art groups from all over the place,” Maris added. “One of the things that really came across was how important making art was to people and how creating was helping them to cope with lockdown or helping them to heal or express themselves.”

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People's Choice Award winner

Youth Award winner

Wollongong Corps Officer Lieut-Colonel Lyn Edge announced the award winners during the Sunday morning service on 30 January.

Wilson Family Award winners: Open: Martina Fanning for a stained-glass work, ‘Life Giver, unconditional’.

Youth: Brittany Ruiz for a body of three artworks called ‘Generous spirits’.

Child: Ezekiel and Maria Bubb for a sculpture called ‘Generous with money and deeds’.

Jayne Wilson Spirit Award: Candice Nicholls for her work called ‘Betty’.

People’s Choice Award: Lorena Chivu for her painting called ‘Harmonious Summer’.

March 2022

d n a l s n ee Qu

DIVISIONAL NEWS

A gem of a partnership in Emerald

By Darryl Whitecross Offenders on court-directed community service hours are benefitting from a partnership between The Salvation Army and Emerald Community Corrections in Queensland.

Captain Jisook Wunderlich, Central Highlands Corps Officer, said the partnership began mid last year when the first of several offenders was given the opportunity to work off the 200 hours of their supervision order.

Under the supervision of Captain Marcus Wunderlich, the offender, Ben*, performed various tasks, including sorting and bagging donations for the Emerald Family Store, tidying the corps library, gardening, and helping in the store.

“He really came at the right time for us. We were changing our carpet after 20-odd years, so he came when it was just Marcus and me. We had to move everything out of the [building], so he joined us at the right time,” Jisook said.

She said the corps had wanted to set up a functioning library and resource centre of Bibles and Christian titles, “and he set it all up”. Having finished the library, he asked to borrow some books.

Along with having worked at the Emerald Family Store, he also worked at the Sapphire Family Store, about 50km west

of Emerald at The Gemfields: “The [staff] at The Gemfields Family Store really appreciated him.”

After finishing his required ‘hours’, Ben offered to make himself available to help out at the corps and its other mission expressions when not involved on the orchard where he worked.

Jisook said the corps recently needed to move a piano from Blackwater to Emerald and called Ben, who was happy to help. “We just treated him as one of our volunteers,” Jisook said. “We accepted him for who he is. He is a hard worker.”

Since Ben completed his supervision order, Jisook said other offenders had been part of the program and had worked at the corps.

Larissa Stewart, Emerald Community Corrections District Manager, said the initiative enabled offenders to give back to the most vulnerable in the community, with the partnership with the Army being one of several in the town.

Larissa said the initiative allowed the person to develop a routine, gain positive work habits, and improve their selfesteem. *Name has been changed

Ben delivers donations to the Sapphire Family Store on The Gemfields as part of the Salvos’ partnership with Emerald Community Corrections.

others.org.au

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DIVISIONAL NEWS

V ictoria

Fruit of God’s faithfulness in Sunraysia

By Jessica Morris Sunraysia Corps Officers Majors Debbie and Rod Serojales consider themselves at home in the north-west Victorian city of Mildura, where they serve a diverse community. But just over a year ago, life looked quite different for them.

Their previous home was in the Philippines capital of Manila where they lived in a small apartment above Territorial Headquarters. Debbie served as the Territorial Public Relations Secretary and Literary Secretary, while Rod was the Territorial Corps Program Secretary and Territorial Generous Life Coordinator. All up, Rod had served in his homeland of the Philippines for 12 of his 20 years in officership. Debbie had served in the Philippines for eight of her 24 years.

They were both enjoying the lifestyle and ministry opportunities in the Philippines when life changed dramatically. They were unable to leave their home, due to COVID-19, without a permit, which only Rod could receive so he could purchase food. The young family grappled with the decision to return to Debbie’s country of birth, Australia, as they considered their safety due to the intense situation in the Philippines, where health care was becoming impossible to access.

“Leaving was not an easy decision because that was our home, our family are there, and we worked with and lived near people that we greatly cared for. Yet, we felt God directing us and opening up the path for us to be back in Australia,” they shared.

Initially, the move to Australia was a whirlwind. With barely any time to pack, the couple and daughters Shaella, 11, and Amaya, 9, boarded a repatriation flight, organised by the Australian Embassy, with only their suitcases and no opportunity to say goodbye. After working remotely for the Philippines Territory for eight months in Melbourne, they were reappointed to Mildura.

One year on, they are happily engaged in the community and have plans to use their experiences to add to the programs offered by the corps. Meanwhile, their girls have adjusted to their third school in 10 months. But God soon gave the whole family the opportunity to connect with others, including their local Filipino community.

“Our youngest had a new student start in her class late

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Majors Rod and Debbie Serojales with daughters Shaella and Amaya.

After moving from Manila in the Philippines, they now feel at home in Mildura.

last year; she told us that she knew how hard it was to begin in a new place, so she was going to help her as much as she could,” the Serojales said. “[Meanwhile] we are so excited that even in this past year, we have had a number of Filipino families start attending our Sunday worship and now have a Filipino Life Group, which is growing!”

The Serojales’ passion for different cultures makes them a good fit for ministry in the Sunraysia region. All too familiar with the isolation and culture shock that comes with moving across the globe, Debbie and Rod are members of the Pacific Australian Labour Mobility program (PALM) committee, which is committed to intentionally connecting with seasonal workers who come from the Pacific Islands.

And, given that so many members of the Sunraysia community are also struggling with the economic fallout of COVID-19, the local Salvation Army has also expanded its programs in 2022. They will be adding a ‘Community Connection’ meal program and starting a community dinner and drop-in centre for the region.

It has been a chaotic year, yet God has made a way. So, what advice would the Serojales give themselves the day before they left the Philippines?

“You will be ok. It will be a challenge, but you will find joy and fulfilment where God will place you,” reflected Rod. “We understand what it is like to start afresh somewhere new; our goal is to connect with people to help them feel welcome and to meet the needs they may have.”

March 2022

a i n a m s a T

Employment opportunity brews across the south-east

By Jessica Morris

DIVISIONAL NEWS

In a single 45-minute session, the barista-in-training learns how to make a great coffee, fix any mistakes, and most importantly, grow in confidence. And if they enjoy it, they have the option of attending another course with a barista who specialises in latte art and presentation.

“We want to build a connection with people. This is about the conversations we are having with people. For young trainees, it’s about mentoring. For mature-aged participants, we are talking about life,” Craig said.

Give someone a cup of coffee and they are energised for the day. But teach them to make coffee and they gain confidence and skills for a lifetime of employment. That’s the premise of Coffee-tunity, the new mobile barista training program run by The Salvation Army in southeastern Tasmania and its partners.

Coffee-tunity is in its early days, and after a successful pilot in 2021, they have already seen nine participants come through the program. They have even brewed coffees and hot chocolates at the Sorell Cricket Club. Now, off and running (or brewing) for 2022, they are excited about how God is using this to transform lives.

Corps Officers Lieutenants Craig Boyd and Jess Ffrost-Boyd came up with the idea of Coffee-tunity in 2020 after hearing about a rarely used coffee van being stored at Divisional Headquarters.

“We’ve already had one person come through training who has secured a 20-hour-a-week traineeship. She got over the line because she was proactive in doing the training,” Jess said. “[Ultimately], we are giving the participants a safe space to be who they are.”

“Between us and our Divisional Support and Project Officer Bridget van de Kamp, the idea we had floating around was of it being used at a high school [for ministry], but we couldn’t get it off the ground, so we turned the table. Our goal is now to use it to help people gain long-term paid employment in the future,” Craig said.

After approaching the South East Regional Development Association (SERDA), the South East Employment Hub and CVGT (a disability employment service provider), the Salvos crafted Coffee-tunity into a community program, with backing from 2021 Red Shield Appeal funds.

The first participant in the Coffee-tunity program, Tamara, is proud as punch after making her first coffee.

The program is now up and running. The Salvos provide the van and coffee-making skills, while the South East Employment Hub supplies the trainees and other organisations donate the coffee cups.

Emma (South East Employment Hub), Lieutenant Jessica Ffrost-Boyd, Andrew, Oliver, Martin (SERDA) and Craig doing the training with participant Kayla. Photo courtesy SERDA Facebook.

others.org.au

Lieutenant Craig Boyd trains participant Leanne.

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a i l a r t s u A hern Territory South and Nort

DIVISIONAL NEWS

Brekky & Chat on the menu at Noarlunga

By Darryl Whitecross Ann Gregory was inspired to begin the Brekky & Chat outreach at Noarlunga Corps, south of Adelaide, last year after completing the popular Alpha course.

The course is well known worldwide for introducing people to the Christian faith. “[I] felt the corps needed to start a ministry that reached out to and provided a faith pathway for the people arriving at the corps facility who were availing themselves of the various Doorways community support programs,” Ann said.

Corps Officer Major Robert Casburn said Ann gathered a group of volunteers and launched her idea for Brekky & Chat. Held on Tuesday mornings from 9.30, a basic breakfast is served, and the opportunity is provided for intentional faith conversations.

Robert said two people completed the first 11-week Alpha Course late last year and continue to attend small groups attached to the corps program. Several people from the Alcoholics Anonymous group, which hires the corps facilities for meetings, also completed the course.

“Ann is a great witness and encouragement to this program that has had a huge impact on many of our community members, and the love in return is obvious, too,” Rob said.

Ann said she loved being able to serve: “I desire them to have a positive experience and [for me] to have the opportunity, when appropriate, to share my faith through whatever faith conversations may come up.”

Rob said Noarlunga Corps plans to run a follow-up to the Alpha Course – American Pastor Rick Warren’s course, “What on Earth am I Here For?” – a 5 to 6-week program covering discipling and discipleship.

He said Brekky & Chat was one of the few group programs the corps could continue to run while adhering to COVID-19 protocols.

Karen O’Neill, Doorways Team Leader at Noarlunga and Victor Harbor, said the “engagement rate” of Doorways clients with Brekky & Chat was “extremely high” as it provided valuable social connections while at the corps facility.

“It would be awesome if we could expand the program over more mornings,” Karen said.

Ann Gregory on the job during a Brekky & Chat morning at Noarlunga Corps.

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March 2022

Westesrtnralia Au

DIVISIONAL NEWS

The Shed gives youth a place to belong

By Jessica Morris

Eighteen months ago, the youth space at KalgoorlieBoulder Corps, better known as ‘The Shed’, was a vast, empty warehouse on the corps site. But youth leader Cameron Mallory saw its potential. He had a vision to convert the space into a hub for young people across the Western Australia Goldfields community.

the gaming area, others prefer the quiet of the library or puzzle table, and some play basketball on the AstroTurf outside. A few teens will access the craft cupboard and create art for the walls. Irrespective of their hobbies, the teens come together for a chat and a meal at dinner time.

“Church isn’t just Sundays – it’s every day. It’s what we do, how we speak, and how we interact,” explains Cameron.

“For a lot of the kids who come to The Shed, this is their only connection with church. [This is how] they are fed spiritually.”

Pizza was on the menu at a recent gathering at The Shed.

Bringing the idea to then corps officers Lieutenants Gavin and Jodie Jones, Cameron pioneered a collaborative program involving other churches in the area that The Salvation Army would manage. After all, the KalgoorlieBoulder Corps didn’t have a youth group at the time, but some nearby churches did!

Cameron got the green light, and work started on fitting out the shed, including a lounge, PlayStation, library, puzzle and games area, and more. Cameron proposed a 12-month pilot program in October 2020, and soon after, Lieutenants Bethany and BJ Baillie arrived as the new corps officers and immediately came on board with the initiative.

“It’s become more of a success story than we ever anticipated,” shares Cameron. “What we do at The Shed varies from week to week; there is literally something for everybody.

One of the things we found was that when young people feel ownership of a space they have more of a sense of belonging.

And it’s huge in the Salvos that we make sure young people know they belong, that they are loved and cherished.”

Every Saturday from 3pm to 9pm, Cameron and a team of mentors from local churches and other youth agencies open The Shed to young people. Some gravitate towards others.org.au

Since The Shed youth space opened, Cameron and his team have seen substantial personal growth in the teens. One example is Peter*, who Cameron says was almost forced by his parents to come along due to being so reclusive at home. Yet, after some time at The Shed, he opened up and is now empowering other teens to socialise.

“For the first hour and a half, Peter was tucked away in the corner [of The Shed] and didn’t socialise. We persisted and invited him to come and shoot air hockey. We tried different activities until we found something he wanted to do. Now he is there every single week just after The Shed opens,” says Cameron.

“When we had our Summer Party, we paired him with another person, and he went out of his way to make that person’s day. [This work] is not just transforming his life; it’s him transforming the lives of others! It’s more than empowering young people to belong; it’s enabling them to bravely develop skill sets and build relationships.”

After seeing The Shed youth space flourish in KalgoorlieBoulder, Cameron’s encouragement for other Salvos is clear.

“If you feel something is lacking, listen to that. If there is nothing for young people, just do something. We didn’t have anything like this for young people, and I simply presented the idea to our corps officers at the time,” he shares.

“We built this from a storage shed that was run down with cobwebs everywhere. If we can do it, you can too!” *Name changed for privacy

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SALVATION STORY

A true disciple of Christ

By Darryl Whitecross Retired officer Major Don Hill has several loves in his life – Eva, his wife of 46 years, the Australian bush, horses, and windmills – but the most important is his Saviour and Lord.

This month, Don celebrates 50 years as a Christ-follower: “...

75-year-old as a person; 50-year-old as a Christian,” he quips.

“God finding me and me finding Christ happened in the February of 1972, so I’m a 50-year-old disciple this month!

Mostly everything in my life has gone into the mix of turning me into something like being a disciple for Christ.

“As a family, we had a pretty rough upbringing, yet, without

Territorial Commander Commissioner Robert Donaldson National Secretary for Communications / Editor-in-Chief Lieut-Colonel Neil Venables Publications Manager Cheryl Tinker

Staff writers Darryl Whitecross Jessica Morris Contributors Phil Inglis Cecil Woodward Rod Yule Janine Donaldson Winsome Merrett Graphic designer Ryan Harrison

Assistant Editor Faye Michelson Others is a quarterly publication of The Salvation Army in Australia. Others is printed by Focus Print Group, 25 Arctic Court, Keysborough, Vic 3173, Australia.

Print post approved PP236902/00023 Member, Australasian Religious Press Association.

All Bible references are quoted from the New International Version unless otherwise stated.

General enquiries others@salvationarmy.org.au

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Don in his ‘prayer chair’.

Don says he has had a lot to learn and made many mistakes over his 50 years as a believer, but God has been “wonderful” through it all.

“I have included prayer in a big way; a devotional life that was made to fit and prosper me spiritually,” he says. “My ways towards him are lined with weakness, failings, and slackness, yet he persists. Grace upon grace in heaps.”

Don regularly uses a “prayer chair” in his office to “scratch the ear” of God on various matters – even in the early hours of the morning when he struggles to sleep.

While having attended Sunday school as a child – “we wagged it most of the time” – Don says he did not really meet God until a “Damascus Road experience” on the highway between Taroom (Qld) and Tumut (NSW).

March 2022 others.org.au General Brian Peddle

that, I wouldn’t have ended up seeking Jesus in the first place. Schooling for me was a trauma, yet, without that, I wouldn’t have sought a better way or even hoped that there might be one.”

He says he left his cattle property job, telling everyone he was going to find God: “But where does one go to find God?” On the road, Don says. God came to him as “a fire in my heart that didn’t consume me; akin to a ‘burning bush’”, but it took another 12 months before his search ended and his journey of faith began – just before Christmas 1971.

Don was at a party with his head “clouded with an overdose of rum” when the words from Matthew 6:33 came to him: “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you.” He says he came alive from that moment “for the first time in my life” – in body, mind, and soul. Two vices also vanished – his habit of swearing and his “overuse” of alcohol.

He eventually gave his life publicly to Christ at an Easter Tent Meeting in Sydney, married Eva Fitness, the corps officer from Gladstone where he had been sworn-in as a soldier in 1974, and joined her as a commissioned officer in The Salvation Army. They ministered together until they retired – Eva in 2007 and Don in 2011.

“How I thank him and praise him and acknowledge him, in worship, to this very day,” Don says.

Scan QR code for more transformation stories on Others.org.au.

March 2022