Harvest Festival 2013
Cadet Samantha Nolan
Increasing the Harvest “Now he who supplies seed to the sower…will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)
Harvest Festival Sunday is your opportunity to assist men and women in your division who’ve been called by God to serve as officers. Your financial gift will make an eternal difference for God’s Kingdom by helping candidates attend The Salvation Army College for Officer Training. Please consider how your gift will increase the harvest. And, if you believe God is calling you to serve in His fields, please see your corps officer. Meet three cadets from the “Disciples of the Cross” session.
Cadet Cristian Lopez Cristian accepted Christ at a Minnesota church in 2008. The next year he volunteered at the Albert Lea Corps to help provide assistance to tornado survivors. As he got to know the corps officers and other Salvationists, Cristian began attending worship services at the Army. His life soon changed in astonishing ways; he began a Hispanic outreach at the corps and then felt called to officership. God’s calling was confirmed during the 2010 commissioning weekend, as it was for his wife, Brook. They entered the training college with their two young children, Gracelynn and Cristian. “Every day I thank God for bringing me here,” said Cristian. “The teachers also have been my pastors, and I’ve learned many things for my future as an officer. And, relationships within my family have grown closer day by day.”
God used the Army in St. Louis, Mo., to minister to 10-year-old Samantha when her world fell apart after her mother died. Her father worked long hours to support Samantha and her siblings. When authorities learned the children often were home by themselves, they arranged for The Salvation Army to pick up and care for them after school. The time invested in Samantha by youth and music leaders led to her salvation and calling. After working for a year as an adult at the Milwaukee Citadel, Wis., Corps, she entered training with the desire to bring God’s truth to hurting people like others did for her. “I’m truly blessed to have this opportunity to better prepare myself for ministry,” she said. “I’ve been stretched and grown. Learning, serving and laughing with my sessionmates has created a truly special bond.”
Cadet Michael Metzler Michael got a valuable taste of what life would be like as an officer when he and his wife, Erin, served as ministry interns at the Independence, Mo., Corps. Raised in a church, he met the Army—and started his relationship with Christ—in 2009 when Michael worked at Camp Wonderland. That fall he began attending the Waukegan, Ill., Corps and became a soldier. His call to officership came at a divisional prayer and praise night. “God set things in motion and provided opportunities one right after another,” said Michael, who entered training with Erin a week after their first child, Eli, was born! “Training has been an amazing experience,” Michael continued. “Although struggles do arise, they’re minor in the big picture and often lead to stronger relationships, not only with fellow cadets and officers, but with God as well.” The College for Officer Training’s two-year program combines academics with hands-on training in corps and institutions. The attractive Chicago campus offers state-of-the-art educational and residential facilities for cadets and their families. If interested in officership, please talk to your corps officer.
www.centralusa.salvationarmy.org