FAITH IN THE FOG TOUR

The will of God will not take you, where the grace of God cannot keep you.

Major Graham Mizon, CO, Rehent Hall Corps, London shares with us;

36 years ago this week, I was commissioned as a Salvation Army Officer and received my first Marching Orders. This all happened in a packed Royal Albert Hall.


It didn't only happen to me. It also happened to 107 other folk - a real mixed-bag group of ordinary people who for two years collectively called themselves "Disciples of Jesus".


We had no idea then what would happen to us all. At least one of our number would become a TC. One of our number would become a Baroness and serve in the House of Lords. One of our number would be promoted to Glory just 8 weeks later. One of them would end up marrying me! One on that day would receive the same appointment as me .... before returning to serve in his homeland in India. This talented officer went on to serve the Lord with honour, before his untimely early death.


Some of us are still serving as officers. Some of us have gone on to serve the Lord in other ways. Some have lost their faith. Some have now completed their heavenly journey.


Today, I am looking forward to meeting up with a number of those Disciples of Jesus at the place where were are all met almost 38 years ago - the William Booth College (known then as the ITC). That Disciple who took the joint challenge of marrying me will also still be by my side. Looking forward to a weekend of fellowship and sharing. But also of ministry to each other.


We are no longer young men and women. We no longer wear stand up collared uniforms and the ladies don't wear bonnets. It is highly unlikely that there will be a big take up for a lunchtime game of football in Ruskin Park. And no one will tell us off if we are not in our bedrooms by 10pm (although I doubt any of us will still be awake by then anyway!). No one will end up having an interview the next day because they climbed over the college wall, as that will physically not be possible.


But we are now older and wiser. We have been shaped and designed by the same God who called us and who has been with us through those 36 years. I can still recall many helpful words that I received as a Cadet back then in my early 20's. Some of those words come flooding back to me now:


The will of God will not take you,

where the grace of God cannot keep you.


I can now testify to that. And I am sure that those words will form the testimony of many of my sessional friends as we share our experiences this weekend.

_____________________

The above post will also be featured in the FSAOF blog -- Note, the band and songsters lead the corps' members twice each Sunday on a March of Witness and Open-Air meeting in central London.

The Regent Hall Band - THE "RINK" BAND

"We need to be a clear voice in culture and society"

Why Officership?

We need to develop a culture of growth in Army leadership, says the territorial commander.

Interview with Commissioner Brian Peddle

Commissioner Brian Peddle, territorial commander, speaks with John McAlister, web editor, about the importance of officers, the challenges of recruitment and retention and why he remains hopeful for the future.

Why do we still need Salvation Army officers?
The Salvation Army is first and foremost a spiritual movement. We need ordained individuals who are available to be appointed to ministry units across the territory. If we can’t access a reasonable number of officers through our appointment system, then we will have all kinds of inequities as to how we serve our communities and lead the Army. When people offer themselves for ordination and become covenanted individuals, and in turn make themselves available for appointments, they become a great gift to the Army in the territory as kingdom workers.
We also carry a responsibility to support the international Salvation Army by making officers available for overseas service.

How do we ensure that we have enough officers for the future?
We need to pray and ask God to give us more. One of the evidences of God’s blessing on the Army in this territory is that we continue to welcome cadets to our College for Officer Training. This year, 16 cadets have started training as part of the Disciples of the Cross Session. These are excellent people whom God has called to ministry. In each of their stories there is a divine dimension that they have responded to with obedient faith.

The question I sometimes ask is, Why not a few more to meet our needs? In that context, we need to continue unpacking this divine partnership we have with God. We need to take our understanding of God’s prerogative to specifically lay his hand on individuals in calling them to officership and balance that with our responsibility to keep the leadership needs of the Army in front of our people. We need to recruit and directly ask people to consider serving God through the Army as a Salvation Army officer. We need every Salvationist to offer themselves as recruiters. Strategies will be helpful but engaging in a holy conversation is also appropriate and necessary.

What characteristics do you think an ideal candidate for officership should have?
Let me start by noting the need for obedient faith in God which leads to listening to his voice and following through with what he commands. You need to be delivered from being judgmental so that you can love people without condition. You need humility and the ability to express yourself well. These are some characteristics but beyond these come a set of competencies that we try to unpack in each officer’s journey. How are they doing with their personal relationship with Christ? How do they manage their servant role with people? How are they developing spiritually with disciplines? How do they relate to being a minister of the gospel? How are they progressing at being a leader of God’s people? Do they invest in others? In the lifelong journey of an officer, it is important that the Army nurtures and develops these competencies.

Why do you think it’s so hard to recruit officer candidates?
I’m not sure that it is harder than in the past. I think that many things, such as demographics, have changed significantly. In many families, there were several children, so it wasn’t unusual for one or more in a family to offer themselves to officership. I don’t think there are as many young people coming into families, or into the Army, who are available for future leadership.

When people are deciding what to do with their lives or going through a life transition and trying to figure out the next chapter, we need to encourage them to be open to the reality that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. We need to be willing to talk about this openly in the Army and in our congregations. This doesn’t have to be a conversation left for a specific weekend when we bring people together to talk about vocation. We need to refresh our initiatives as far as our willingness to have the hard conversations about how God is unfolding his plan for all of us.

There is a huge need for new officers. At present, we have 830 officers as a resource. If all of the trends continue—taking our retirements and other losses and put them alongside those new recruits who are entering training college—in another decade we will only have 630 officers. Unless things change dramatically, then the availability of officers in the territory will be limited. This should be a concern, not just for territorial leadership, but for all Salvationists. I ask for all Salvationists to do their part and pray earnestly for this critical issue of candidate recruitment. We all need to play a role as recruiters.

While some officers are retiring, others have quit or been terminated. Why are we losing officers? 
The retirement numbers are an important part of honouring those who have served. We can project those down to the day. We’re trying to foster a culture in which officers who are well in body and spirit can extend their years of service. I want to honour those who engage in ministry post-retirement and stress our renewed efforts to make this continuation of covenanted service worth pursuing.

Officers are called and covenanted to serve God through The Salvation Army. In some ways, we’ve set them apart. It should be noted, however, that they face the same challenges and stresses as everyone else living in the world today. So, there are outcomes when difficulties arise with family or marriage or when there are serious issues in regard to ministry. I wish I could point to a specific cause or pattern that leads to officers quitting or being terminated so that we could respond to it, but the situations of each individual or couple are unique so it’s difficult to establish a response mechanism that could turn this around. That’s why the Bible calls us to pray for those in spiritual authority over us. I call upon Salvationists to pray for the protection and well-being of their officers and to support them where possible. The Army has a huge responsibility to nurture our officers and ensure that their spiritual lives are strong.

With our leadership needs, what are some strategies that we should be looking at? 
First of all, our leadership needs exist at every level of the Army and require almost every capacity that you can imagine. In just a second appointment, an officer can receive a significant responsibility with a congregation that is modest but yet a program with 20-25 employees and perhaps a budget of $2 million. Our leadership needs will continue to challenge us and we will have to keep responding to build the capacity of the people we already have—and add to their numbers.

I look to our leadership development team for the creation of personal development plans for our officers and employees. This isn’t simply an officers’ Army, but a partnership shared between our officers, employees and volunteers.

I commend Booth University College for developing programs that are helping us with our capacity issue, such as their chaplaincy and management programs. At present, we’re exploring a program designed to enhance the corps officer role. I would like to see Booth become our corporate learning centre, so that as we face emerging leadership needs and capacity issues, then Booth—with its resources and the Army’s commitment to it—becomes one of the means by which we respond as a territory.

We need to find ways to enable more Salvationists to serve as auxiliary-captains or in another service category and bring their life experiences to the Army. We also need to recognize the value of our 10,000 employees and find opportunities to maximize our investment in them.

As the numbers of officers decrease, does this open up new opportunities for lay leadership? If so, how is the Army moving to empower its lay leaders? 
Those strategies are being considered. I don’t think we have enough in place to counterbalance the reality of our leadership needs. These are priorities for the territory. We need to be more open to providing ministry opportunities for people. When we look at our employee component, we are trying to develop and invest in them.

I do have some concern for what we call our local officers. I think there’s significant responsibility for the Army to continue to ask, appoint and train local officers who are able to support existing officer models and also step into the gap in situations when an officer is not available. I am personally grateful for our local officers who take on various leadership roles in the territory, particularly at the corps level. A great deal of work needs to go into the strategies to support them and in turn help the Army to respond to any diminishment of officer numbers.

Are you hopeful for the future?
I’m more than hopeful. I don’t have any sense at all that God has taken his hand off the Army in this territory. There is too much visible evidence of his blessing upon us. As I travel the territory, it creates hope within me and I am inspired to believe for greater things. As the territorial commander, I can’t just manage what we have. I have a responsibility as a leader to create a culture of growth that challenges the status quo and says that we can be greater than what we are because God needs us to be greater. We need to grasp the opportunities that come to us both as a social service agency and a credible denomination. We need to be a clear voice in culture and society.

Commissioner Brian Peddle is the territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda

Territory. Click here to read his columns.

WHAT DOES A CADET SAY?

GRACE IN THE MIDDLE...

January 15, 2014 Grace in the Middle Alicia Bruxvoort

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

She is slumped on the couch all grumpy and mad, her lips pursed in a dramatic pout. "Why didn't you name ME Elizabeth Grace?" my little girl asks as she punctuates her big sister's name with a hiss of frustration.

I set down the laundry basket I'm lugging through the living room and turn my head toward my four-year-old.

Her blue eyes churn indignant like a thundercloud on a hot summer's day, and this girl of mine who is never satisfied with the name I chose crosses her arms in front of her chest with a big harrumph.

Trying not to laugh at the theatrics, I move to the couch where my daughter sits sulking. I push back the bangs hanging haphazard across her forehead and slump lower on the cushions so we can perch head to head.

"I didn't name you Elizabeth Grace," I murmur in her ear, "because when you were tucked in my tummy, God gave me the name Magdalene Hope."

I let my words dangle in the air, the sound of Maggie's sniffled breathing ticking off the silent seconds. I hold my little one's hand and say, "And once God whispered that name to my heart, I knew that's exactly who you were going to be. Our one and only Maggie Hope."

My dramatic girl raises an eyebrow and sighs, her vexation melting into sadness.

"But I just want Grace in my middle, Mom. Right between Maggie Moo and Bwuxfort..."

She adds her nickname to the mix and slaughters our fine Dutch surname, but her gaze is so earnest that now I'm not even tempted to giggle.

Instead, I pull my fifth-born onto my lap and rock her ever so slightly. And as I rest my chin on her tangle-haired-head, I understand her wish.

Grace in the middle. Who doesn't need that?

No matter where life on this earth begins or how it ends, we all need a little grace in the middle. We were made with purpose and our Savior promises joy in the end. But making it through the middle? That's a different story.

The middle is where hours creep long and the view wanes dim. It's where the starting block feels like a distant memory and the finish line looms like an impossible dream.

The middle can douse our dreams, derail our zeal, and diminish our faith. It can make us desperate. For mercy. For hope. For grace.

• When the baby's teething and the toddler's tantrum-ing.

• When the dishes pile high and the laundry's run wild.

• When our souls are empty and our calendars are filled, when our dinner

tables are noisy and our accolades are quiet.

• When the bread's burning and our patience has gone up in smoke, when our best isn't good enough and our worst is magnified.

Right in the middle of that darkness, right in the middle of that mess, we need grace.

Grace to take one more step, to utter one more prayer, to risk rejection one more time. Grace to trust in His promises and to cling to His hand.

We linger long there on the couch, me and my girl who wants a new name.

We just rock and cuddle and listen to the patter of rain on the window, the hum of the washing machine a floor below.

And instead of offering my mopey Maggie a lecture on the grandeur of her given name, I simply hold her. Hold her with compassion, right in that middle place of wishing for something different and trying to accept what really is.

And this mom, living somewhere between my beginning and my end, reminds her little girl of one simple truth (Because sometimes we just need to say it aloud for our own road-weary souls):

There is only one name worthy of our wishing, one name deserving of our dreams. And when we keep that name in the middle of our madness, He offers hope in our beginning, glory in our end, and grace for every moment in-between.

Jesus.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being here with me in the middle. May Your grace sustain me in the long days, giving me perspective, courage and hope. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Numbers 6:25-26, "... the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." (NIV)

Paying it forward...

One day a man was motoring down a country road and saw an elderly lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help- tire puncture!. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. 

        Even with the smile on his face, she looked worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you. 

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson. Let me see what needs to be done here!'  Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. 

                   

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from   St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid. 

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.  

Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. 

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.' 

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. 

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid by leaving a five dollar bill on top of the receipt, adding five one hundred dollar bills underneath it. The waitress quickly went to get change for her five-dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. 

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.

        Under the napkin were five crisp $100 notes. 

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be difficult to make ends meet.... 

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she slipped the hundred dollar notes into his slippers, gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'