Christmas Cheer

The absence of reports over the last few days reflects the business of the season. I am mindful of the need to be still enough, amid the chaos, to observe the way that Christ is still coming into our world this Christmas.

I am also mindful of the wonderful work being done by our Corps teams across this season.

The band have reached thousands of people with their music. Last Tuesday they provided a carol service for 75 residents at Charles Young Nursing Home. On Sunday they played in the middle of Westfield Marion as thousands of shoppers wandered past - and many stopped to listen. Sunday night they visited a local park and provided music for a community Christmas party in Oaklands Park.

The Community Services team are doing their utmost to break all of their previous service records. They have partnered with so many business and schools, most notably Westpac and Bunnings, and are serving hundreds of families in our area. Today alone 285 families will recieve toys for Christmas - that's around 900 children. Then tomorrow they pick up and serve more people.

Concurrent with this, each of the families is recieving a Salvation Army calendar, youth group syllabus and holiday programme invitation. Pray for a positive response to these invites.

Pray also for those visitors that attended our carol service on Sunday. Judith is busy today following up each of these people that have come to worship with us. Wouldn't it be great if they could all find a home as part of our Christian community?

Pray please for Colin and Mavis Wood. They have stepped into the breach to help organise the Christmas fundraising since Ross has been hospitalised. They are doing a brilliant job, and with their team of volunteers have raised over $25000 this Christmas to be shared among The Salvation Army centres in southern Adelaide.

This weekend the season reaches its apex. I'm looking foward to Christmas Day worship and our 'out of the box' service on Boxing Day.

If I don't get to the computer to send a message before then, I pray that you will sense God's hope, peace, forgiveness and love as sent in Christ this Christmas.

Musical offices

No, they don't play music. Well, not unless Paul has his computer speakers turned 'up'.

But just as in the game of musical chairs, we've played musical offices this week. Thankfully, no-one pulled a desk out and we all ended up with somewhere to sit!

When you visit the centre, expect to find that a lot of people are in new spaces. This is so that we could make room for Lt Kathleen Pearce who arrives in January. It is also so that we maximise our office and meeting spaces and create good spaces for our teams to work.

Paul, our children and families pastor, is now in the office behind reception with a space also allocated their for a new youth pastor. We hope to advertise this position before Christmas. Angela, Kathleen and I have moved in with Ross and Doris in the large space behind the prayer chapel. I'm enjoying the view of the playground as I speak.

Do drop in some time. While we're not all bound to desks, we spend a bit of time here and it's good to have visitors!

Unknown impact

You can never quite be sure of the impact of your ministry. Last night as the band played their latest carolling engagement, the impact went beyond the 75 people gathered at the Charles Young Carol Service.

The Christmas Cheer delivered extended to families who spoke to us afterward about their childhood memories and the blessing that we were able to bring to their loved ones in care. They'll go away and talk to others about the Salvos visit.

As was the case with RAAF chaplain Gary Whelband this week. He writes:

Yesterday I met at the RAH with a RAAF mbr whose spouse had a pretty horrific motor bike accident near Tindal NT. It was great to see so many family mbrs gathered to support the mbr, and moreso, her partner who had the accident.

What was very touching was that a Salvation Army Officer from Adelaide area, who had contact with this family a number of years ago, visited while I was there. This was very encouraging for the family.

This unnamed Salvation Army Officer was just going about his job, but has had a massive impact on a family. More than that - his story has been spread around to all chaplains in the defence force Central Region as a challenge and encouragement. Motivated by this... what will be the unknown impact as it flows out in their ministries?

Whatever it is that you are doing this week in Jesus' name, keep it up. You have no idea what great impact you will have or how it will be passed on.

The High Council

For the first time in The Salvation Army’s history its High Council will have more female members than males. A High Council comprises the national and territorial leaders of The Salvation Army, and comes together for the sole purpose of electing a new General, the international leader of the worldwide Army which currently serves in 122 countries.

The 17th High Council convenes on Friday, 21 January, 2011, at Sunbury Court, United Kingdom, to elect the 19th General of The Salvation Army in succession to General Shaw Clifton who will retire at midnight on 1 April, 2011. This will also be the largest-ever High Council with 109 members – 59 women and 50 men.

The Chief of the Staff, Commissioner Barry C. Swanson, issued summonses on Wednesday, 1 December, 2010 to those Salvation Army leaders who qualified for membership. All active commissioners, territorial commanders and territorial presidents for women’s ministries were summoned. There will be 83 Commissioners and 26 Colonels present. Commissioners Raymond and Aylene Finger, Commissioners Vic and Ros Poke and Commissioners James and Janet Condon are the Australians on the High Council.

Council members will also meet at Sunbury Court from Tuesday, 18 January until Thursday, 20 January for a plenary session of the General's Consultative Council led by General Clifton.
A public welcome to the High Council takes place on Saturday, 22 January at 4.00 p.m. in the Nine Kings Suite of the Lancaster London Hotel, Hyde Park. This gathering will incorporate a Retirement Salute to General Shaw Clifton and Commissioner Helen Clifton.
Individual photos of all the members of the 2011 High Council are located on flickr.com at: http://bit.ly/ihdPDq

Christmas Break ups

This week is the break up week for most of our activities. It is importantly an opportunity for us to thank all of the people that have contributed to such a great year in our programmes.

On Monday the Seacombe Gardens Playgroup had their break up and yesterday it was the Pioneer Companion Club and the Glenelg CAMEO group. You would be interested to know that 146 seniors enjoyed the Pioneer's break up. It was a great opportunity for me to share a Christmas message also, and directly invite them all to our services Christmas week.

Make sure that this week you take the opportunity to thank the people that have made your activities run. Bless your small group leader, pray with your team leader or shake the hand of the person that has prepared your morning tea. It takes around 130 volunteers to make our activities run. This is why we are also having an appreciation morning tea for them all next Thursday (16/12).

Salvos TV

Were you aware that the Salvos have a TV station in Australia. Well... it's a TV station on the internet.

Each week there is a morning programme on Wednesdays ("Good Morning Southern Territory"), a Just Salvos broadcast on topical issues and a church service.

This week's Just Salvso broadcast will be the last for 2010. The episode features Jarrod McKenna. They talk with Jarrod about the real meaning of Christmas and how we can apply the Christmas story - in it's real context - to current situations facing our nation and facing us as Christians: War, Refugees, Consumerism.

Jarrod has an amazing ability to show us how to apply a Biblical framework to these - and other - issues, particularly at this time of year.

Jarrod is the recent winner of the Australian Peace Award, current World Vision National Advisor for Youth, Faith and Activism, founder of the Pace e Bene Christian Community in WA.
Rev Tim Costello says of Jarrod: "Around the world there is an emerging generation of young leaders, Jarrod McKenna is one such leader Australia has to offer"

http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/sstv/justsalvos.htm (if that link doesn't work on your SA computer, try this one http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11285012 )

Gambling Initiatives

Around 150,000 Australians have gambling problems. The impact includes suicides, relationship breakdown, increased bankrupcies, lower job productivity, depression and crime.

The current federal government has introduced new initiatives that propose an universal system to allow gamblers to set loss and time limits at the pokies and to strengthen the existing ban on internet pokies and casinos.

More could be done.

A group, including The Salvation Army, Uniting Care, Catholic Charities Victoria, Anglicare Victoria, the Victorian Local Government Association, The South Australian Heads of Churches Gamibling Taskforce and the Victorian Interchurch Gambling Taskforce, are calling for more action.

We are asking that there be a maximum a gambler can lose on the pokies set at $1 per button push.
We are asking that pokie venues have their opening hours limited to 10am to midnight.
We are asking that ATMs be banned in pokie venues.
We are asking that online wagering and sports betting companies have their aggressive marketing reined in.

If you agree with these proposals, you can collect a postcard from our front reception desk, sign your name to it and send it to The Hon Julia Gillard, MP, Prime Minister. The card is already printed, ready for your name and all you'll need to do is fill it in, attach a stamp and help the campaign.

Apology to children in care

Today in Canberra, The Salvation Army is hosting an event for those that were in our children's homes between 1894 and the early 1990s when the last home closed. The purpose of this event is to reinforce previous gatherings and apologies offered for those times when the best of care was not afforded the children. General Shaw Clifton was due to address the gathering. As he has recently had heart surgery, he could not travel from London. However, the Cheif of the Staff (The Salvation Army's 2IC and CEO) Commissioner Barry Swanson is in Canberra. On behalf of the General, at 10.30 this morning, he made the following speech as written by the General and on his behalf:

I am grateful for this opportunity to speak on behalf of The Salvation Army to men and women who were children in the care of The Salvation Army in years past. I want to thank Jim Luthy for the courage to write to me and initiate the idea that has culminated in this gathering. I acknowledge the support of CLAN (Care Leavers Australia Network) in working toward this day. The territorial leaders of The Salvation Army in Australia: Commissioner Linda Bond and Commissioner Raymond Finger are also here to show their support on this significant occasion.

Between 1894 and the early 1990’s, The Salvation Army operated children's homes throughout Australia. During those years, over 30 thousand children were cared for in over 55 Salvation Army homes staffed by more than 3,000 Officers and employees. Some children were only infants, many were young teenagers. Some were with us briefly, others for their whole childhood. There were many and varied circumstances that led to these children being placed in our care.

To our great regret, some of these children did not benefit from their experience and were not well cared for by our staff. We acknowledge that at certain times in our history, the atmosphere in some homes was rigid, harsh, and authoritarian. Many children did not experience the gentleness of love that they needed. Some children suffered abuse and deprivation. As a result their stories are full of hurt, rejection, discouragement and a failure to realise potential.

As the International Leader of The Salvation Army, I express to all Australian care leavers, our deepest sorrow for these failures and hurts. The Salvation Army offers you our heartfelt apology. To you all, we say 'Sorry.'

That greater love was not given when you were so vulnerable - we are sorry.
For any harsh words, violent actions or abuse - we are sorry. These should never have happened.
For when you tried to speak out and you were not listened to or believed – we are sorry.
That the process of being placed in care meant for some that you lost family and extended family – we are sorry.
For those who did not find the support you needed as you grieved for your losses – we are sorry
To our Indigenous care leavers, for the loss of culture and connection to your land - we are sorry.
For those who could not navigate the pain of their life experience and are no longer with us – we are deeply sorry
To your families, your wives and husbands, your children, your partners, who have also suffered because the deprivations of childhood can impact on adulthood relationships – to you we say sorry.

The Salvation Army acknowledges that you were not to blame for what you experienced. We are now listening to your life stories.

I want to thank those Salvation Army Officers who did give compassionate care. Some of you objected to the harsh treatment given – I pay tribute to your courage and we thank you for the kindness you brought and the positive difference you were able to make to some of these precious children.

As General of The Salvation Army, I am glad that our two Australian Territories now have firm policies in place to protect children. I am grateful that both territories have previously issued apologies. In some cases, reunions have been held at the home sites, and apologies have been given there. I am also glad that both territories are able to assist former “children in care”, who contact The Salvation Army. Where care leavers make direct contact themselves with the Army, caring and just procedures are followed. Many care leavers have been helped, for example, by assistance with counselling costs, or by receiving a personal apology. We desire to support all our care leavers to find healing and hope for their future. I invite all care leavers who feel pain from their time in a Salvation Army home who have not yet contacted us, to do so.
Finally, as leader of this global Christian movement, I want to affirm the true values which underpin The Salvation Army and the Christian Church. We follow the one who said, 'Let the children come to me.’ He has called everyone to a pathway of love, respect, and compassion. While at times we failed him in the past, we do not want to now. We want all to know and experience his gracious love and healing. With that desire in our hearts, we say, God bless you.

Commissioning

Over the last weekend we were at The Salvation Army's commissioning celebrations in Melbourne. Thank you to Laurie and Rhona for covering our 10 am congregation while we were away. I trust everyone enjoyed their worship leadership.

The big news for our Corps is that Lieutenant Kathleen Pearce has been appointed to our Corps as an additional Corps Officer. Kathleen will join Angela and I from January 18 and will be installed during our 10 am service on January 23.

Kathleen is a WA girl, but was born in Adelaide and still has some family here. Ange and I had the opportunity to meet with her for an hour this morning at The Salvation Army's college in Melbourne, and we're looking forward to a good year with Kathleen next year.

Schools

We've posted about schools in the past, but this week there have been some good and sad things to report.

On the one had we are getting great support from schools. The Maths and Science school has brought in eight boxes of food for our Community Support Services. Westminster are sending six students for a service experience on Monday. They will help playgroup and CSS. Brighton High and St Lenard's Primary have both raised funds or provided food for CSS this Christmas. Tabor (HIgh School) are sending volunteers to help with Christmas Cheer distributions.

On Wednesday of this week our band were involved in a carols night at Marion Primary. This included traditional carol singing and was a high visibility event for our musicians. The Primary School also made a donation to the Corps. It was great to catch up with kids that are connected with both our children's and youth ministries and further the relationship with them - on their turf.

It is interesting to note, though that on the same day we were able to play traditional carols at a public primary school, another neighbouring school, Brighton Primary, made the decision that a song could not be sung at assembly because it mentioned God. This seems a strange decision, and I must admit that we don't have all the information (e.g. whether the CPSW checked first before rehearsing with the students etc).

Please pray for everyone that works in our public schools during this time of uncertainty and timidity in their leadership.

Christmas Bowl

This year, as always, Christians in Australia will be asked to support the Christmas Bowl Appeal. This is adminsitered through the National Council of Churches' Act for Peace group.

The Christmas Bowl appeal for many years has support development and aid across the world, including in parts of Australia where work is conducted with the indigenous community. It has been a valued ecumenical expression of Australian support to the world, and a means of unity and giving at Christmas time. It has assisted many Christians in recalling God's generosity to us, and called us to a generous lifestyle rather than a receiving lifestyle.

This year an anonymous (usually this means 'cowardly') individual has sent us articles denouncing the National Council of Churches work in through this appeal. Not one of their articles is less than 24 years old. All of them politicise this appeal from a non-Marxist perspective, rather irrelevant a quarter of a century later.

It should be admitted that The Salvation Army has in the last few had an uneasy history with the World Council of Churches because of the conflicts between this body and evangelicalism and because of links to armed groups, particularly in Africa in the late 1970s. This is the sort of thing these articles refer to, and also why The Salvation Army (a founding member of the World Council of Churches) ended its membership of that body in 1980. It is why The Salvation Army has been a key particpant in the Lausanne Conferences on Evangelisation, which is a counter body to the WCC (this is an oversimplification, admittedly).

The premise for teh break with the WCC was the murder of two expatriat Salvation Army officers in Zimbabwe, at the hands of militia supposedly funded through WCC appeals such as the Christmas Bowl. But there is always another side to the story. Many national Salvationists had already died in that conflict at the hands of both sides and we did not act - perhaps a greater tragedy. Moreover, our withdrawal of support from the national groups being funded by the WCC seemed to the nationals like The Salvation Army had turned their back on Zimbabwe and there were protests outside our Harare headquarters calling for the removal of our general over this issue.

It is never an easy matter to get the balance right. But withdrawing support is not the answer, especially when it can cost so many lives and is based on outdated and biased information.

Furthermore, the criticism levelled at the appeal comments fasely about "Developmental Education". As someone with a specialty in overseas development (including post graduate studies and practical experience) I cannot emphasise how important education is in development, including education about development. Development education opens the door for civic participation, self determination, empowerment of the poorest, employment and economic development. It is not synonymous with Marxism.

I will continue to support the Christmas Bowl. I will do so to teach my children about giving at Christmas. I will do so to continue to support a powerful expression of Christian unity at Christmas. I will do so because it matters that we act for peace and justice in our world. I will do so because it has an excellent, demonstrable track record in channeling funds to those who need it.

If you have any questions - do the research for yourself.

www.actforpeace.org.au
www.actforpeace/Be_Informed/Publications/Annual_Reports,aspx

Weekend Activities

This weekend was one of those weekends that demonstrates how busy and active our Corps is.

On Saturday the day started with preparations for the Glenelg Pageant (see below) and the sorting of donations that have already been recieved from the Wishing Tree and some food outlets. Thank you to Kerryn's family who came in especially to assist.

As the shop opened, our Men's Fellowship met with one of the recently un-elected (!) Marion Councillors who was able to bring us up to date on what is happening with the local wetlands.

Our youth then headed off to St Kilda for the day. The adventure playground was a great location for them to have fun together. Thanks especially to Mary and Bec who stepped in at the last minute to help me with this. We seem to have lost a number of our youth team volunteers in recent days, so it was great to get help from these guys.

Saturday night there was a great social night at the Wood's house. Those that came along all had fun - and too much good food. Thanks to Colin and Mavis for hosting so many of us.

On Sunday worship continued as usual at the Seacombe Gardens Centre, while out the front of the Glenelg Centre we put on a BBQ for the community as the pageant went by. During this time we gave out over 500 lollipops and 250 colouring competition sheets. Those that enter the colouring competition will all recieve an invitation to our Christmas activities and a chocolate prize!

I think the only 'downer' for the weekend was to recognise the continued demise of our 4pm congregation. Last week 4 people attended. This week 2. (Well, 1 if you don't count me). It seems that many are choosing not to return since Mark has resigned, but we must also recognise that prior to his leaving we were only getting 10 or 15 some weeks. Some are also taking advantage of the summer weather (I knew a few of our kids went to the beach instead of church yesterday).

Please pray about this. It is untenable to offer a service for so few, when we already have another worshipping opportunity on the same day. I will be discussing this with our DC this week also, as regardless of our decisions around Sundays@4, it is a Salvation Army practice that any discontinuations or changes in worship services need approval from HQ.

National Psychology Week

Last week was National Psychology Week. As a part of the 'celebrations' Marion hosted an afternoon tea for Psychologists and Social Service workers in this area.

A key part of the afternoon tea was to promote one of our great services, SalvoPsych. SalvoPsych is offered as a service connected to our Community Support Services. Visitors to our service can be referred to a clinical psychologist in our area who will assess and provide support to them free of charge. (We are using the Medicare bulk billing system to pay for this service).

This is a great initiative and has come about due to the hard work across the CSS network in partnership with the Australian Psychological Association (SA). One year after the pilot started we have already seen the great impact that this is having in the lives of our clients.

CSS Reference Group and QI

Quality Improvement is a term that buzzes around most industries. The Salvation Army is involved in a process that will accredit all of our social services against the industry benchmarks and also set up a system of ongoing quality improvment. This is a requirement for the sake of providing best practice service to our clients, but also so that we can continue to be considered for government funding.

This will directly impact our Community Support Services team. Already we have done file audits and have started the improvement processes. This will continue into 2011, especially in the lead up to accreditation in March. At the moment we are concentrating on services that are being offered out of our Seacombe Gardens centre. If we are to do anything in the future out of our Glenelg centre, it will also need to meet QI standards.

Another part of this process is the establishment of the CSS reference group. This is a group of HR, OHS, CSS, Social Service personnel and CO's that are meeting regularly up until accreditation is finalised to help with the aspects of this process that will require standardisation and also the aspects in which our network director, Margaret Davies, will require particular support. I am a representative CO on this group.

Please pray for our CSS teams through this process, particularly our own Margaret as she leads the process across the state.

Honoured Friends

On Thursday morning we hosted the "Honoured Friends" of The Salvation Army at our Seacombe Gardens centre.

Honoured Friends are those people that have already indicated that they will be leaving a bequest to The Salvation Army in their wills. Some already partner with The Salvation Army as monthly donors also.

Much of the money raised by our Honoured Friends funds critical services, particularly through assisting with capital projects. Through these means, monies otherwise spent on physical things can be diverted to assistance for those we serve. This year alone, a significant bequest has assisted our Corps to clear around 1/3 of our building debt, releasing more money for our mission in the Marion and Holdfast Bay communities.

Alan Sibbons

Last week I met with Alan Sibbons, the member for Mitchell - the state electorate within which our Seacombe Gardens centre exists.

Alan was very keen to talk about the activities of The Salvation Army in the area. He is also very keen to look into ways that home assistance for the elderly can be improved and young people at Seaview High can be assisted. Both projects were ones that we might be able to have some input into, so over the next few months we'll look at this with our Seniors team and also our youth.

We have had good contact in recent days with our local representatives. On Thursday at a Brighton High School assembly, where we were represented by Kerryn Morriss and Laurie Venables, Duncan McFetridge spoke very highly of The Salvation Army in this area. Duncan is the state member for Morphett, which includes our Glenelg centre.

The Wishing Tree

Today marked the launch of the Kmart Wishing Tree. It was a great occasion at Westfield with the Mayor of Marion (newly reelected) Felicity Lewis doing the honours. The band played well and the channel 7 news team seemed impressed. Brighton PS choir also participated.

The wishing tree appeal has been conducted in Australia by KMart for 23 years. During that time millions of toys have been donated to be redistributed to children and families finding Christmas hard. Here at Marion we collect around 4000 toys each year to distribute to around 400 families. Already the first 180 toys have been donated.

We are always grateful to our corporate sponsors who help us serve the community. Kmart, Bunnings and Westpac are among those that are helping us this Christmas.

Causes

This month is a month to raise awareness about efforts to stop violence against women. You may have heard the ads on the radio asking all Australian men to swear.

I would encourage all of our men to swear! To swear to never act violently against women, condone violence against women or stop speaking out against violence against women.

They can 'swear' at www.myoath.com.au

Also, this Sunday is abolitionist Sunday. We think often that slavery finished in the 1800s. Realistically, people are still trafficked around the world daily, usuall women and children to be used as sex slaves or children and men to be used in warfare. Join the awareness campaign and get more information at www. stopthetraffick.com.au

Debbie

It is with sadness that we let our church community know that this morning Debbie Hepworth resigned as our shop manager.

Deb has had a fair bit of family trouble in the last few weeks and needs to leave to be the main carer for her parents. She also has had a son in hospital.

We will be seeking advice from DHQ about the way forward for employing someone more premanently. With the proximity to Christmas this is a matter of urgency, but at the same time may not be possible until 2011.

At the same time it is worth letting you know that our proposal to replace Mark in the youth pastor's role should be presented to the DHQ board tomorrow. We have needed to go back to the Division for approval after revising the position description and having it reclassified. Please pray for this process also.

Issues... following on from yesterday

It is interesting that on the evening that we discussed changing our world, a great world event occured.

The release of Aung Sun Suu Kyi from house arrest in Burma is of significance similar to the release of Nelson Mandela a few decades back. Aung Sun Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy fighter in Burma/Myanmar, and Noble Peace Prize Laureate has been under house arrest for the last 20 years. This was following her election win in 1990.

Democracy for Burma is perhaps years away but we are able to continue to pray, stay informed, and promote awareness of the situation that the military junta has created in one of our neighbouring countries.

On the local front, it was mentioned yesterday that there are a lot of social justice issues within our state that require attention. As one example, you may wish to catch up on the media debate around the 'bikie' laws. These laws as currently promoted include the criminalisation of lawful assembly by groups of bikies.

Conviction by association is never a good thing. But let's take this thought to its potential extreme. If we isolate and discrimintate against one people group because of a few criminals in their midst, we may have to start outlawing all assemblies. Do we stop High School kids from getting together at the shops because a few shoplift or grafitti? Do we stop young adults from clubbing in the city because a few get into drunken fights? Do we stop churches from gathering for worship because a few clergy have been abusive or fraudulent?

This is a big justice issue... again it's important that we stay informed.

Citizen of the Year & Volunteer Day

It is important to recognise the great work done by people around us. We highly value our volunteers and understand that we don't say so often enough. We only operate because people get together and serve.

Marion City Council are recognising our volunteers and offering a free breakfast on Volunteer's Day, December 3. It will be held at the City Council offices in Sturt and looks like a great morning. Check out the ad near the sign in sheet and rsvp if you are interested.

Also, if you know someone who has made an extraordinary contribution to our community here in Marion, or to the state, nation, or world, consider nominating them for the Citizen of the Year award. This is a great means for our whole community to recognise citizens that make a difference. Nominations can be made at www.citizenoftheyear.com.au or www.marion.sa.gov.au

Team Leaders Meetings

Once a month our 'team leaders' get together. Our meetings aren't long or onerous, but they include updates so that everyone knows what is going on, the chance to share news, a prayer time and some leadership training.

Today was our November meeting.

It is important that you know who is among this group. For those that have been Salvationists for a while, these people constitute what would have previously been considered our Corps Council. I would encourage everyone to bring things to these folk that you might want to suggest, or things that you think need attention.

In the first place, speak directly to the leader concerned. If it is beyond their influence to address issues they can bring it to the rest of the team for input.

Our team leaders are:

Angela and I
Lynette Ritter - Corps Secretary and Office Manager
Kerryn Morriss - Community Support Services Manager
Judith Lear - Assimilation/ Recruiting
Paul McDonald - Children and Families Pastor
Deb Hepworth - Thrift Shop Manager
Ross & Doris Lewis - Seniors Ministries Pastors
Mark Flippance - Youth and Young Adults Pastor (until 12/11)

Our Corps Sergeant Major Neil Stokoe and Corps Administrator Iris Collins are also critical parts of this team but can't often attend due to work commitments etc. This is a dillema of having externally employed soldiers as well as internally employed soldiers and staff on the team.

Having said all of that - please make sure you support and pray for our team leaders.

Whooping Cough

One case of whooping cough has been reported in our English class child care. The child with the illness was in attendance on Friday November 5 and Monday November 8.

If any children that you are aware of were in the centre on these dates, please seek medical attention should any symptoms be present. Here is some information that you might find helpful:

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a serious, contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The disease begins like a cold and then the characteristic cough develops. This cough may last for months, even after antibiotic treatment is completed and the person is no longer infectious. The ‘whoop’ (which is not always obvious) is due to a deep breath at the end of a bout of coughing. Vomiting after coughing is common. Whooping cough is particularly dangerous for babies aged less than six months. They are affected more seriously by the disease than older children or adults and are more likely to develop complications. One in every 200 babies who contract whooping cough will die. Immunisation is the best way to prevent whooping cough. Whooping cough begins with symptoms similar to those of a cold. These can rapidly progress to include:
Severe cough, which occurs in bouts of coughing
Characteristic ‘whooping’ sound on inhalation
Vomiting at the end of a bout of coughing
Apnoea – the child stops breathing for periods of time and may go blue.These symptoms may be associated with poor appetite, fatigue and dehydration. The person may appear normal between bouts of coughing. During the convalescent phase, the cough gradually decreases but can take weeks to disappear.Babies are at increased riskWhooping cough is most serious in babies under 12 months of age. In young babies less than six months of age, the symptoms can be severe or life threatening. Seek urgent medical attention if your child’s lips or skin go blue (cyanosis) or if they are having breathing difficulties associated with the coughing. Some of the complications of whooping cough in young babies include:
Haemorrhage (bleeding)
Apnoea (stopping breathing for long periods of time)
Pneumonia
Inflammation of the brain
Convulsions and coma
Permanent brain damage
Death.
The Bordetella pertussis bacterium is spread by air-borne droplets from the upper respiratory tract (when the infected person coughs or sneezes) and is highly infectious. The time from infection to appearance of symptoms (incubation period) for whooping cough is between six and 20 days. A person is infectious for the first 21 days of their cough or until they have had five days of a 10-day course of antibiotics. In countries where immunisation rates are high, the risk of catching whooping cough is low. In Victoria, most reports of whooping cough currently occur in adults over 20 years of age. Recent research has shown that parents and family members are the main source of whooping cough infection in their baby. A mother does not pass any protection against whooping cough on to her baby while pregnant or breastfeeding. Whooping cough should be diagnosed and treated immediately if there is a typical history of the disease. There are a number of tests, but they are not always reliable and may take weeks to become positive. Treatment should not be withheld while waiting for these results.

Food Safety

As part of our overall safety compliance program we are looking over the next few months at food safety.

Food is a big part of what we do at Marion Salvation Army. We have morning teas, community meals, BBQ's, cake stalls, fundraisers, Community Support Services food parcels, bread runs, playgroups, kidzone, Habit@, and companion clubs that all use food as part of their program.

Both our centres are required to meet Australian food safety standards and also comply with the council regulations issued from time to time by Holdfast Bay and Marion City Councils.

To this end we need to improve a lot of our food safety operations. In the new year we will be offering training days for many of our teams. Part of these training days will be food safety training. It is important that anyone that is involved in any sort of food handling - whether it is as simple as pakcing bread in a fridge or as complex as feeding 150 souls at Pioneer Companion Club - gets to one of the training sessions. The dates are:

Saturday 22/1/11 - this is best for playgroups, children's ministries and youth ministries
Sunday 23/1/11 - this will be best for the morning tea people, companion clubs etc
Wednesday 2/2/11 - this will be best for CSS and for people that do BBQ's etc

While I've included as a guide which group would be best suited to which training, it is just important that everyone involved in food handling gets to one of the three sessions available. Times will be advised in the new year. Thanks for your cooperation.

Moving Groups

Today was a significant day. On the surface you wouldn't have known it, but there's a big deal in the changes we saw this morning.

Today was the first day that an activity from our Glenelg centre operated out of the Seacombe Gardens centre. This is not a permanent move, just something that happens while the renovations are occuring.

However, it is an occassion that reflects a number of things. Firstly, I need to thank everyone for their flexibility. Seeing the Glenelg Companion Club move to operate as a home group and moving the playgroup down to Seacombe Gardens means that people are being brave and are starting to move forward. And soon, the benefits of these moves, such as the refurbished and operational Glenelg centre will be visible.

So far the works have been without hiccup. The asbestos is coming out of most places and the floors are up. By the end of this week, the new slab under the old platform and some of the plumbing works for the disabled toilet will have commenced.

Thanks to everyone for their cooperation at this time.

Euthenasia Petition

Thank you to all those that signed the euthenasia petition that has been in the foyer for the last few weeks. These have been forwarded to Hon Dennis Hill MLC who is leading the opposition to the current bill before pariliament.

It is not too late to voice your concerns to your local member, if you choose.

Last year when the South Austrlian state parliament proposed the legalisation of euthenasia, the bill was only defeated by one vote. Our state came within one vote of legalising euthenasia with only a short cooling off period (3 days from memory) which could have been performed by any medical practioner, including a dentist! Given that we have a 7 day cooling off period when buying a car, this was rediculous.

The bill has thankfully been ammended, but is still dangerous. For example, our information is that the only life-threatening illness that could not be considered grounds toward voluntary euthenasia is mental illness. That leaves a door wide open for much abuse.

It may be of interest to you that the government member that introduced the bill stated in her speech that many in the Church circles supported this legislation. Perhaps this is a great example of when we shouldn't let others speak for us.

South Australian Council of Churches

The Salvation Army is a member church of The South Australian Council of Churches.

Each year the member churches take it in turns to host the AGM of this body. This includes a worship time as well as their annual deliberations.

This year The Salvation Army is the host church, and they are coming to our Corps this Saturday morning from 9am onward. We also have the opportunity to lead their morning worship, and I will be speaking to the group. Thanks to our ladies that are catering for their meeting, too.

Please pray for this occasion. Pray for the expression of Christian unity and for the fruitfulness of their discussions. Pray for the Council of Churches upcoming activities including the Christmas Bowl which assists churches in developing nations to aid their communities.

Oh... and remember that they will be in the main hall on Saturday, so regular centre users may wish to avoid the front spaces in the centre to help our guests as they meet. Thanks.

Caroling

Wash your mouth out, Brad! We can't be thinking of caroling yet!!

Well, we are...

Sort of.

This Saturday you may like to come out and support the band from 10am at Marion Westfield. They are playing in Santa as he arrives at the centre for the retail Christmas season. This is a great opportunity for our band as they get to "march" through the length of the shopping centre from Woolworths down to centre stage where they deliver Santa to his home for the next 7 weeks. This is a high visibility event for our Corps and it's good for us to be this involved in our community.

Even if it feels way too early...

Police Checks

Thank you to everyone that has helped us to update our police checks since our audit in September. You can imagine that with over 100 volunteers regularly working at our centres, and youth and children's activities running as well as visitation to senior's homes, this is quite a process.

The good news is that for this year, we are almost done. Through the good work of our team leaders there are only six current volunteers' checks outstanding, and hopefully we can mop them up this week.

Thank you everyone for your diligence in this matter.

Safety

Tomorrow is our monthly W-ORM meeting. For those that are new to our Corps, this is the Workplace Occupational and Risk Management Group. It is where a team of people look at the safety of our premises, programmes and functions for both centres.

This team includes:

Brad Watson

Angela Watson

Ken Howie

Kerryn Morriss

Lynette Ritter

Dot Hillman

Deb Hepworth

They are a great team, but they rely on everyone else to help by reporting hazards, managing risks and taking care for the activities that we lead and offer our community. We are also reliant on people reporting injuries and participating in solutions to remedy accidents and situations that are risky.

It is sad to report that we have had two injuries at our centre in the past week. One was a young lady at a youth activity that cut her foot in the foyer on Friday night. The other was a volunteer at Kidszone that hurt his wrist while cleaning some gear on the front lawn. We are also currently dealing with an insurance claim from a fall in the foyer at Glenelg.

Please make sure that you let the WORM members know if anything is not safe at our centres. Also let us know straight away if something needs repair, such as today when we had to get the disabled toilet at the Seacombe Gardens centre repaired in a hurry. Finally, make sure you let the activity leaders know as soon as something goes wrong, particularly an injury.

Ultimately, safety is everyone's responsibility.

Give, Live, Grow - week 4

Yesterday was a great day as we came forward to commit to God as a united Corps. I understand the grief this caused for some as it was another sign that an era had passed. But overall there was a great spirit as we recognised the way that God is bringing us together and the way that the future involves great things when we work together. There was also a sense of trepidation for the guys at Sundays @ 4. This was their first involvement in a planned giving programme. Teaching intentionality and giving for the first time has been a good opportunity with this congregation.

Giving to our Corps will benefit both centres. But most of all, we are responding to God and thanking him for what he has done for us.

Over the next week the envelopes will be available for those that have requested them, and there will be information available for those that have asked to direct deposit. There will also be a chance in the next week or two for others that missed yesterday's meetings to also participate. If you are one of those folk, look out for information that will be forwarded soon, with a card that will allow your personal response to be joined with everyone else's.

Thank you

This is a note to thank all of the people that helped with the preparations and removals at Glenelg over the past week, ready for the works to start tomorrow.

Thank you to Wendy, Tryntje, Arthur, John P, Margaret D, Kathleen, Gaylene, Daryl and Maureen who all gave time to help move things around and pack them away so that we have a clear space for the tradesmen. Also thanks to the community groups, including AA and AlAnon who have been so understanding.

Thanks to God that everyone has found alternatives so quickly, also.

Stage one, where the A/C were installed on the walls has obviously occurred. Tomorrow there is some works to remove carpet and start to move the platform. This will allow the asbestos tiles to be removed later in the week. We will keep you informed of works as they occur.

Congratulations

It seems to be wedding season at Marion!

Congratulations to Greg and Sally who celebrate their wedding tomorrow. We have loved seeing Greg and Sally when they've been able to join us, starting just a few months back. We pray God's blessing on them as they start this journey together, settle into their new home in Warradale and as Greg has started his new job as well!

Help Wanted

Well this last week has seen the first stages of the renovations at the Glenelg centre undertaken. The split system air conditioners are in, and the old gas heaters, with their antiquated piping are coming out today. The next step will be when the asbestos sheets are removed, hopefully later this coming week.

This has been necessary if our Corps is going to be able to use the centre in the future. Sadly, some disrepair has meant some dangerous occurrences at the centre where people have fallen over carpet and fan blades have flown off. Also, we lack simple amenities like decent change spaces for parents and disabled toilet access. The renovations will make the place look better, sure, but they're mostly about making it safe and usable.

Some conjecture has been about regarding the expenditure at the centre after the Corps have come together as one. It is sad that much of these works weren't done in the past. However, we now have an opportunity to make this great asset a viable venue for future outreaches from our Corps.

To this end we need some help. This Saturday, October 30, we are meeting at the Glenelg centre at 10am for a clean out. We need to move everything off the floor that will be ripped up by the asbestos tradesman. We also need to get rid of things that might be cluttering the building and have no future use. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The Billboard

Many of you would recall a hairbrain scheme that we were working on to raise some money for the Corps. The idea was, in a nutshell, that we would have a billboard (the advertising type) placed at the far end of our car park visible to motorists on Morphett Road. This plan was dependent on a number of things, such as our right to veto advertising that was incompatible with our values.

It also depended upon permission to erect the billboard from Marion Council. Their response, this week, was a resounding 'no'. So much so that when our advertising agent sent an email of protest, I had a councillor in my office within the hour to explain why 'no' was 'no'.

The good thing was that we had a relationship with this councillor, through our involvement in the Rajah St project and also through the Marion Community Forum, that she felt comfortable speaking to us and approaching us about the matter. While we may not reap the financial rewards in this instance (in fact this year alone it will leave a $10,000 hole in our budget), we certainly can see where our community engagement is paying off.

Let's continue to ensure that we are externally focussed - existing only for those that are yet to encounter Christ.

Morialta Trust

This morning our church was blessed by recognition from the Morialta Trust. The Trust has operated for the last 30 years supporting intervention projects that help children in South Australia. To date they have distributed over 7m to hundreds of organisations working with children.

This morning at the Maughan Church a certificate of recognition and a grant was presented to Paul McDonald for our children's programmes. (Well... the promise of a grant. The money will be sent in December). This money has been granted so that we can offer a parenting programme for parents connected with our children's programmes and CSS in the new year.

Some good stories

You know the health of a church by the good stories that crop up.

One of our volunteers 'volunteered' that they had bought their first Bible. This was because they had been listening to the way the stories had been told at some children's activities and wanted to read more for themselves. This would only be the case if they had seen some of what they were hearing taking affect in the lives of the CSS and children's teams that they work with.

Then today, a client returned to CSS to repay the voucher that he had obtained the other day. Turns out that through manipulation and cunning he had managed to exchange the voucher for cash (or sold it, more likely) and then buy tobacco (not permitted with the vouchers). Feeling guilty, he used his first pay day to repay the voucher. Our team showed great grace in allowing him to keep the groceries he tried to donate, thanking him for his honesty and then letting him know that we are still there to help. He left in tears of gratitude.

Grace does that to people. When you know that you don't really deserve something, but it's given anyway, that's when grace has an impact. It is the most humbling thing to experience.

Thank you God for signs of health at Marion Salvos.

Thrift Shop Manager

Today we welcome Debbie Hepworth as our new thrift shop manager. Make sure you make yourself known to her and extend the hand of welcome and friendship.

Debbie comes to us from a extensive background in retail, including six years with Vinnies stores. She will be a great asset to the team.

Visibility

Yesterday we were contacted by the association that assists migrants and refugees. They are putting together a directory of essential services for refugees and migrants. Part of the difficulty is that language can be a barrier to the publication of such a directory. Not all migrants or refugees speak English, and obviously, they don't all speak the same language as each other.

The solution is a pictorial directory so that they know which buildings to look for, by photo. The association contacted us because we are considered a key place for refugees and migrants to know. They want them to be able to find our English classes, our Community Support Services and the range of social groups (Pioneer CC, youth, kidzone etc).

Our light is shining in the south! We are known and people want to be able to find us. Let's continue to provide a welcome to people from all walks and all nations so that they join us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Hallett Cove

Another update on our Hallett Cove proposal...

The neighbouring property to ours had objections lodged against their development application with Marion City Council. This objection has been heard by the Development Assessment Panel, but has been deferred the a traffic consultant because part of the objection was that traffic would be diverted from Lonsdale Road, down a side street.

It is our belief that the objections to the developments at Hallett Cove are from the owners of neighbouring shops and shopping centres and won't stand up because they are simply anti-competitive, rather than in the interests of the community. However, the process needs to continue.

In the meantime, we have met yesterday with Marion City Council regarding their plans for the southern suburbs. They have some exciting ideas, especially for Trott Park. It is our hope to be a partner with them so that when we are established in the southern part of our city we are already working with the community.

It may also be that if our development plans fall over, we have a back stop in our partnership with the council and can redevelop our model based around the Trott Park Neighbourhood Centre. This remodelling would need some serious examination because the financial costs would not be covered by a thrift shop, as in our original plans.

Please keep the Hallett Cove dream in your prayers and let's see where God takes us.

Nehemiah's reforms

This morning in the devotional journey toward a generous life, we considered the pride that sometimes comes with wealth, and how that limits the way God can use people.

Nehemiah had to deal with the neglect of God's house even when people were becoming established in their new city, the rebuilt Jerusalem. Relative to their circumstances, these people were in a comfortable position again.

But no-one was supporting the work of the temple. The room where they kept the offerings had become so barren that the temple priest had leased the room out to one of his relatives! The workers from the temple could no longer be paid so they all left their jobs to go and become farmers again - out of the need for survival.

We can't neglect our role in supporting the work of God's house.

There are a number of documents related to our lives that could be termed theological documents. That is, they tell us what we worship.

A job performance review is one of them. Where we spend our time, what we honour and do not honour, our honesty and integrity at work all may reflect a piece of our standing in Christ.

As our devotional reading suggests (in the journey to a generous life we are taking together), our bank and credit card statements also tell us what we worship. Jesus said, "Your heart is where your treasure is" (Matthew 6:21). Where we spend our money suggests the things that are the most important in our lives.

Maybe next time we get a letter from the bank, it would be good to sit down with our families and discuss what we value.

Shop manager interviews

At this stage we can report that the interview process was quite successful and that we have made some decisions around who we will appoint as our new shop manager.

There are some personal circumstances that we need to further discuss with the applicants concerned, and this will delay the appointment for a short while. It will also mean that, in fairness to everyone, we won't be making any official announcements soon, either. Our goal is to get the best available person, so we are working toward that end.

Having said all of that, thank you for your prayers. They have been effective. God has brought good applicants to us and it is in his hands to help us work out the details. More information will follow as soon as possible.

God brings every good thing

Day two of our journey together.

The verse in our reading guide that stands out to me today is from Isaiah 26:12, "All that we have accomplished you (Oh LORD) have done for us".

Thinking back to yesterday when Angela launched this journey, you will recall her listing many of the great things that have happened over the last three years since our last dedicated planned giving programme period. In that time, with all the good that has happened around our Corps, we need to remember that all that we have accomplished as been done by God. It is God at work among us and we recognise what he is up to, not what we are up to.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Eph 1:3-4)

Give, Live, Grow

Today we launch "Give, Live, Grow", a spiritual journey toward the generous lifestyle that we are taking together as a church over the next few weeks. If you didn't grab your information pack and devotional book from the back of the hall this morning, make sure you pick it up - or wait by the mail box in a few days time when we will send out the remainder.

This is a great opportunity for our Corps to study the word together, pray together and seek God's will together. It is also a great time for us to recommit to his cause and invest in his mission. Please prioritise this journey. The devotional readings only take a few moments, but the challenges will probably take a bit more working through.

I'm sure some of you have already started. I have day 1 next to me at the moment "God is the owner of everything". That's actually quite a liberating thought. He is in charge. Everything is his - and it's up to him to look after it. We are merely his helpers or stewards in this regard.

I look forward to this journey with you.

Children's Ministries

Wasn't it good to see Alex at church this morning? For those that missed it, Alex is a life size character that will be with us for the next few weeks as we journey together. He and his sister Zoe are helping with the children's lessons at the moment.

What is also helping is the training that is available to our leaders. Yesterday a group of four of our children's ministry leaders went to a training day provided by DHQ. This meant they could experience some of the teaching that was provided at a territorial event recently, without the trip to Melbourne.

Let's thank God for the way in which our children's ministry continues to develop. Pray especially for the young lives that are committing to Christ, to Junior Soldiership and those that lead them.

Global Leadership Summit

Each year, for the past five years, our Corps has invested in leadership development. We do this through the Growing Healthy Corps program initially, which gives leaders in our Corps access to two training events per year for leaders. We also send a group each year to the "Global LEadership Summit".

This is a summit that is simulcast to 300 locations around the world from Chicago. The best church, business, academic and leadership speakers are recruited each year to teach at the summit. This year was no exception.

The best part of this year's teaching was almost universally acknowledged as the biblical teaching about desert experiences. Have a chat with one of the team that went and let them pass on some of their learning.

Thank you

Just a note to thank everyone for their support over the last week. It's been pretty harrowing, especially not knowing what is happening at some stages, and also just being out of energy and breath... feelings I'm not too acquainted with.

The value of friends shines through this, and I appreciate the support of people that have phoned or helped, especially. The best part of coming home from hospital was the messages from two close friends in Melbourne that had caught up with the news and phoned.

Thanks.

Good news

It is important that we continually share some of the good news stories. Our centres see thousands of people and serve our community well. Here are a few examples:

Jack (names changed) is a refugee whose family fell apart while trying to settle in Australia. He was left alone with a high rental bill for a unit in Brighton, and a student payment from Centrelink. Our CSS team helped him extensively and he was placed in our Doorways programme. After a while he vanished, and so was followed up by his case manager. We discovered that he had found work and was involved in a neighbouring church. He came in to our centre today to thank us for the help he recieved, for the love and the follow up and also to speak about finding faith. He has offered to be a speaker for The Salvation Army whenever we are promoting our CSS services.

Bill (name changed) has struggled with alcoholism for years. He has averaged 3L of wine a day for the last 15 years and is now battling liver disease. He has been attending one of our services intermittently and came to CSS today for a referral to rehabiliation. He asked if we could pray with him. He declared both his faith and his dependance on God for help. This in itself must be the first step to his recovery, but he felt confident that if he needed support our church was the first place he could turn.

Fred (name changed) was a member of the Australian Defence Force until he was discharged, in part, due to his addictions. At a low point only two years ago he was involved in a single motor vehicle accident, partially under the influence of alcohol, partially due to being suicidal. Due to the support of a number of services connected with our church and the greater Salvation Army, he has turned his life around. Today he came in with his new family and was not only sober, but in full time employment again.

God is doing amazing things through Marion Salvation Army. Keep praying for our team, and keep up the good work of shining God's light in Adelaide's south.

Prayers please

I am led to ask for your prayers for our leadership team at the moment.

There is an increased tempo around the place, despite school holidays, and there are many that are away for one reason or another.

Please pray as we seek to appoint a new manager in Lucy's place in the shop. Interviews are being conducted next Monday, October 11. We have four people that we have shortlisted for interview.

Please pray for Judy as she continues to recover from surgery. Pray for Mark as he is on holidays - pray that he will be refreshed and refocussed. Pray for Kerryn who is looking after kids with illness and on school holiday - during a QI audit week for CSS, no less. Pray for Ange who is down at the Glenelg centre this week dealing with tradesman and quotes while we prepare to renovate. Pray for Neil, Iris, Paul, Ross and Doris who continue to serve as well.

Our whole team could do with your prayers, all the time. These people carry great responsibility in serving you, our church, and our community.

Thank you for your support.

Celebrations

What a beautiful day on Saturday to celebrate the marriage of Nathan and Chrissy Wright. It was great that our church was able to support them, including the presence of the band for the ceremony, and they express their gratitude.

Pray for Nate and Chrissy as they build their family, and especially as they continue to look after little Tyson. Tyson will be back at the doctor this week, so remember them, please.

A generous spirit

At lunch time yesterday, our team leaders gathered to consider our stewarship programme, and where we may go from here. It was agreed that in a few weeks time we will recommence a planned giving programme, as we have run for the last few years. This relaunch will be under the theme, "Give, Live, Grow".

It is not a programme about money, although that is central to some of the teaching. It is a programme that encourages us to have a generous lifestyle and to consider all aspects of our lives as we grow in God.

We invite everyone to join us as we journey together through October with this theme.

Security

Security is a big deal with a site like we have at Sturt Road. While it's great to have such activity and such traffic, we also need to be aware of how we keep things safe and secure.

Over the weekend we had a few incidents that I need to make everyone aware of. A bit of vigilence and care will help us to maintain our premises as safe places for people to join in community and eventually join us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

On Saturday morning (between 8-9am) the front windows of our shop were damaged in an attempted break in. The back of the boy's office and the side of the Marion room were also found open. On Saturday afternoon (around 2pm) two young girls wandered into our shop setting off the alarms. This caused a bit of drama with the police and security companies trying to work out what was happening. In this case I think that it was caused by staff leaving through the front of the shop instead of the side door, leaving the shop unlocked.

Either way, let's take care of the little things, like locking up and setting alarms, t0 save our property, to save our money (it costs us every time the alarm goes and someone attends) and hopefully to save some sould through have a place of safety for them to come.

Praying for others

Continuing with the prayer focus, I received this from one of my online devotionals this morning...


Sunday, September 26, 2010
Pray for Others by Rick Warren
"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy." Philippians 1:4 (NIV)
"The more specific you are in prayer the more specifically you get an answer. "
Isn't it an encouragement when you know people are praying for you?
If you're struggling with a relationship today, let me tell you this: The quickest way to change a relationship from bad to good is to start thanking God in prayer for people.
Praying for them will do two things -- change your attitude and change them. Positive praying is much more powerful than positive thinking. People may resist our help, spurn our appeals, reject our suggestions and not listen to our suggestions, but they are powerless against our prayers.
When you say to somebody, "I'll pray for you" what do you say? What do you pray? Most of us are good at praying in a crisis but on a normal basis, what do you pray? God, bless them? That's so general. The more specific you are in prayer the more specifically you get an answer.
In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul spells out exactly what he's praying for people. "And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God." (NIV)
These verses give you four things you can pray for people today -
"Abound in love ..." Pray that they will grow in love.
"Discern what is best ..." Pray that they make wise choices.
"Be pure and blameless ..." Pray that they will do the right thing.
"Filled with the fruit of righteousness ..." Pray that they will live for God's glory.

Pakistan & Samaritans Purse

Even though the evelopes were late in coming, I am pleased to advise that so far our Corps has raised $1385.

It is also good to report some peripheral, but related activity. Brian Hunt, Doug Giddings and Len Sharp are volunteering one day a week at Samaritan's Purse to help them get ready for Operation Christmas Child. If you woul like to join in by donating a shoe box (with $9 for transportation etc) speak to one of the guys listed above, and send your box along to either Men's Fellowship or the Glenelg Companion Club.

Praying for leaders

In almost every letter that he wrote, Paul asked his friends in the churches to pray for him. Today we had the opportunity at our Team Leader's meeting to spend time praying for each other.

It is important to pray for people in church leadership. There are a whole range of reasons:

• They need health and energy to lead
• They need God's guidance for their work
• They are the most susceptible to temptation because of proximity to people and finances
• There are pagan and satanic influences that wage spiritual warfare directly against Christian leaders
• If a leader falls it has the most impact
• They have the most influence, and this must be godly
• They are the most susceptible to be the targets of criticism and gossip
• In Australia we culturally and habitually cut down leaders (the 'tall poppy' syndrome)
• Leaders carry greater responsibilities, and
• Leaders will be held more accountable (James 3:1)

Please pray for the leaders in our church. Pray for each of the teams of volunteers that they lead. Pray for sound succession planning and for sound leader recruitment. Pray for God's leading and protection. Even next time you feel like criticising a leader in our church - pray for them.

Types of prayer

This morning I was reading Luke 5. It's a chapter that has a couple of stories that many Christians would be familiar with. Given where my thoughts are at the moment, readers of this blog would not be surprised to hear that I was looking at the prayers in the chapter.

There were many ways that prayer occurred in this short passage of Scripture. First there was demanding prayer - "You can make me well". Then there was prayer in solitude, when Jesus went away to pray. Then there was prayer of faith in action when the friends brought the paralysed man to Jesus. Finally there was the prayer of submission and acceptance as Levi responded to Jesus and followed him.

No prayer type is right or wrong. It's just important we are praying to our God who loves us.

The power of prayer

Following on from Sunday's messages, I was reading this morning from Daniel. There are powerful images of prayer in this book. There's the commitment to prayer that gets Daniel thrown into the lion pit, and then there's the prayer that saves him.

But I was intrigued this morning by a visit of Gabriel to Daniel. Daniel had been praying and Gabriel, the angel, shows up with a message. (Daniel 9:22ff)

"The minute you started praying a command was given..."

The very minute that Daniel was praying, God was acting. The command included the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Prayer is a very powerful thing.

Prayer

Yesterday our services concentrated very heavily on prayer. The video message seen by the 10am congregation was inspired and powerful. Let this become a catalyst through which we are reaching our world. Let prayer be the dominant feature in our church so that God's light eminates from here. Jesus told us that if we lift him up, he will draw people to himself.

What an opportunity, also, in both services to join in prayer. Becuase of the different dynamics of each congregation, this was different. But to see people at 10am kneeling at the forms at the front of the hall, and after the 4pm service heading to the chapel to pray while the community meal was set up was inspiring.

Make time today to pray and let the momentum build.

Infantry Training

One of the unique roles that I have as a chaplain in the Army is that I am asked to participate in character and leadership training for soldiers. On Saturday I made the long drive out to Cultana (between Pt Augusta and Whyalla) to conduct sessions with a group of new infantrymen.

On Saturday we spoke about self respect, the importance of belief systems and how to make an ethical decision. Amid a broad spectrum of life stories and personal circumstances these soldiers come together, and it is amazing to be able to talk about 'deeper things' in such a setting.

This is another way that our Corps is bearing God's light to the world. It is among the many ways that we collectively touch our world for the Kingdom's sake.

What God teaches us in unlikely situations

Last night Mark and I made it to Memorial Drive to see Powderfinger and Jet. Most of you would be aware of Powderfinger - the biggest Australian band of the last twenty years. They are on their final tour and last night was their second to last show in Adelaide - after first performing here in 1994 at the Exeter Hotel, then moving up to the Thebarton Theatre and now playing stadiums.

The first thing I learnt last night was a new appreciation for Zaccheus. You get a different glimpse into the life of a biblical character when you are thrust into their circumstance. Being short - 171cm (5'7" or 5'8" ish) - has some advantages, but when I am placed among many tall people it isn't that good. I wished for a sycamore tree so that I could catch a glimpse of the few things I was missing. I learnt the excitement he would have had when he was noticed by Jesus - feeling small amid everyone else, but seen by God.

The second thing that I learnt was hope for our worship times in Australia. That may sound random and unconnected, but I have often lamented that we don't worship freely in Australia. We like to sit and listen and woe-betide anyone who would dance or speak or move around or get lost in the sound. Compared to the Caribbean reggae worship, people in PNG singing for hours before worship starts, Indians wailing and jumping and excitedly dancing, Africans joyfully bringing gifts and dance.. we can be so staid and even boring. It's as if we are scared to let loose.

But Australians can let loose. Last night thousands of people clapped, danced, allowed the music into their bodies and minds, celebrated, joined in community and did all this while being in circumstances that churches wouldn't stand for (about 7 or 8 degrees, outdoors, no chairs and little personal space). I hope we get that sort of abandonment in our worship.

Hallett Cove

Many would be wondering what has happened to our planned extension into Hallett Cove.

Simply put... we're still working on it.

Our identified property in Hutt Close is being constructed, however there are problems with getting permission to use the premises for welfare outreach, retail and church meetings. All of these things are outside the "local commercial" definition.

A hearing will be held at Council on October 6 to determine a similar neighbouring application. If this is recieved positively and approved, we will have the green light to go ahead with our own application and from their it is hoped the process will be much simpler.

Once we have approval, we can then work toward fitting the centre out and perhaps a move into this new area (for the Salvos) in early 2011. Please keep praying for this vision to become reality.

Schools

As The Salvation Army we are privileged to be invited occasionally to share in schools.

This morning I spoke to the year 10s at Tabor College. They are doing and assignment on poverty and homelessness. I was, of course, able to share about this from both a domestic and international perspective, and speak up about the role of The Salvation Army. In doing so I was able to speak of The Salvation Army as a part of the universal Christian Church and our motivation for working in the community.

The students were very receptive. We were able to use the opportunity to also promote immersion experiences and volunteering and fundraising opportunities. Thes experiences can bring the kids into better contact with their world, assist their community and introduce them to our churches.

Pray for Julie Davis. Next Wednesday she will be sharing with some of the primary aged students at Immanuel College in Novar Gardens.

Meals

One of the greatest graces we share is a meal. This week has been a blessing for me as I've been able to share a meal with friends a few times. Monday it was in our home. Last night it was with the team leaders from our church. This was our way of thanking them for their efforts while we were away. Friday I get to go and share a meal with the officers of my Army unit.

When Jesus shared meals with people from his community he was often criticised. He was told off for being a glutton and a drunkard. He associated with people that the relious and elite didn't like. But in sharing the meal he showed acceptance, grace, forgiveness, love, friendship, peace and community.

Lives were transformed by eating bread and having a laugh together. Pretty simple, hey.

Some bits and pieces

Today there is plenty of news to share, but it's like a news brief on the TV. Lots of little bits and pieces.

Following the Christchurch earthquake it has been good to hear that the families of our church members are safe. Continue to pray for the Russell family and the MacSween family as they assess property and decide on future plans. Also pray for teams from South Australia that are going to help. This week Major Lyn Jones from DHQ is assisting, and on the weekend Major Daryl Rawlings, known to everyone at Marion is heading to NZ to help.

The bus is a valuable asset for our Corps. It needs a little coordination as we've had booking conflicts in recent days. Please contact Lynette at the Seacombe office to book the bus. Note that any group or personal use will incur a minimum fuel charge of $20.

Our website is ready to relaunch. (Except the youth page... still working on that). Go to www.salvationarmy.org.au/marion for everything that's happening at either the Seacombe or Glenelg centres. As we get our information together we'll be doing further updates. Thanks to Lucas Kelly at THQ who helped us get the maps and menus fixed.

We are grateful to all of our volunteers who help keep the centres open each week. We are desperate at the moment for a volunteer or two who can help in our garden. If you have a green thumb and could assist for a few hours a week, you would be most welcome. Give us a call at the Seacombe centre and chat to Brad or Angela.

Please pray for the many folk that have been unwell lately. I feel like we are getting daily reports of hospitalisations. (This is no exaggeration - I found out about two this morning!). Please also call in our folk if you know which hospital is caring for them.

Finally, a reminder that this weekend, and next week, we will be taking up a free-will offering to support the emergency work in Pakistan. There are up to 20million people affected by this disaster, which is beyond our comprehension, but we can help. The Salvation Army already has people on the ground, and you can read about what they are doing through the IHQ website. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this work.

Community

This weekend we had a great sense of community around the place.

The youth enjoyed an 'in night' on Friday before many of us went down to witness the wedding ceremony of Myrtle Stibbe and Tim Freund at Murray Bridge. It was a beautiful day, a simple but meaningful ceremony, and Myrtle looked gorgeous. Check out the photos on the announcement slides on Sunday.

At the same time there were others working away at our centre looking after the shop. We are grateful for the ongoing work of the volunteers while we are in the long process of recruiting the right shop manager to replace Lucy. Advertising for this position should be out this week.

And at the same time, John, Margaret and Brian were collecting at the show. It is one of the easiest ways to raise money as people are so keen to support the work of The Salvation Army.

Yesterday was a good day also. The feel at both of our services was one of community. The meal last night was good fun. Thank you, as always, to everyone who makes our services run so well.

Some news worth sharing amid this:

Congratulations to Drew de la Fuente who has been accepted as a SUPA volunteer with Scripture Union. He did his first school activity this week at Edwardstown Primary. This is going to be great training for him and a great ministry experience.

If you get the chance, catch up with Paul who has spent the weekend at the Children First conference, and recently went to "Kidshaper" training. These opportunities to reflect and learn are going to make a big difference to our children's ministries.

Finally (today is a long post - sorry), on Sunday the annual City to Bay will be run. A group of us are running for Heartkids SA, a foundation devoted to supporting families whose child is suffering congenital heart diseases and also promoting childhood heart disease research. This has been driven by Nathan and Chrissy whose son Tyson, as we know, has had heart surgery this year and faces more surgery in the future. If you would like to support this cause and sponsor our run, log on to the everyday hero website and search for Nathan's page (called "Doing it for Tyson"). Thanks.

Getting back into things

One of the challenges this week has been from people that have missed my blog! Thanks. It's good to know that this method of communication has been helpful to people.

Now that we are finding our feet, I'll start blogging away again and letting people know what is happening around our church and in our community ministries.

Some of you will be interested in where we are up to with replacing Lucy in our shop. Lucy won't be easily replaced. Her retail background was helpful in bringing the shop to the level at which it currently operates. In the first week since she left, we certainly noticed lower sales.

We have reviewed the position in the shop and worked with Divisional Headquarters to reclassify the position under the new Fairwork/ Modern Awards system. Now we are able to advertise the position and hope that it will appear on our website and in the two southern suburbs Messengers (Guardian/ Southern Times) next week. We will give people a couple of weeks to put in their applications and then start the interview process.

I hope that we will be able to announce a new manager's appointment by the second week of October. In the meantime, please pray for the team, especially those in the shop, that are keeping things going.

Speaking of keeping things going, I need to pay tribute to the various Corps leaders that helped on Sundays and kept the mid week hustle going in our absence. This is a strong Corps that has very capable local leaders. Thank you for your ministries.

Finally, as you pray, please remember Tim and Myrtle as the final preparations occur for their wedding tomorrow. I'm sure we'll see many of you there.

A verse that has been with me all week:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritence; therefore, I will hope in him". (Lamentations 3:22-24)

Our church

I genuinely appreciate our church community. This morning was another one of those occasions when the diverse journeys of so many people come together with the common goal of seeking God and learning his ways.

I appreciate the young people, and it was good to see so many kids there today. Thank you to Paul and his team that looked after them today. I am excited by the love that's in the air, and it's good to see Spencer and Jane back from their honeymoon, while excitement builds for Dave and Kay, and Tim and Myrtle. I am encouraged by the service of so many, and thankful to those that have served for many years. I am honoured by the receptiveness to the Word as we open it together; I am always amazed that people will listen to the way the Holy Spirit uses this particular vessel to communicate his message.

All in all a good day, and a great place to be. Thanks everyone for what you contribute. Can't wait until the 4pm congregation gather this afternoon.

Back into it?

Back into it... well as much as I can in just two weeks before leave. And as much as I can with my head still somewhat in Haiti. And as much as I can when I don't think I've ever been this cold in my life!

(Save the culture shock - the weather shock is bad enough).

It's good to be back home. It's good also to be back at Marion. So far I've had great conversations both at the Corps and at the Army barracks, where many of our unit have also been deployed, in differing circumstances, before. It was also good to spend yesterday at Glenelg, where we continue God's work among that community, just in a different format to previously.

Getting back into isn't that easy, but I'm looking forward to getting back to sharing the Word with the morning congregation this Sunday at our Marion campus. See you then.

Is there ever a 'normal' day?

I left this morning, and said to my roommate, Henk, "It could be a quiet last day". He suggested that I take one of the drivers and go around town to see the sights.

Well, my colleague Heather was ill, so I was by myself in the camp most of the morning. Just when I got into the camp office, there were fireworks. As in... pyrotechnics - real sparks running down the walls. At first I thought I'd finally gone mad. Then it happened again. I ventured outside, mostly so that the sparks didn't fall on my head, to find that the electricians that were repairing our lighting were using no guards or screens and running generators and welders all around our office.

I managed to convince them to at least wait until we'd finished in the office, but then went inside to find fireworks. This time, metaphorically speaking. A security guard had been quite drunk last night while on duty and had pushed a woman. She retaliated by throwing glass and a rock at him. He retaliated by slashing her shelter. All of a sudden, in a concrete room that echoes horribly, I had ten men and about 4 women yelling about what should be done. Thankfully most of it was in Creole. We had a little court hearing and both sides told each other very differing events. I was placed in the horrible situation of trying to work out what had really happened and what to do, knowing full well that if I sacked him and sent him to the police (my first, gut, reaction) he'd probably come back and really hurt the woman.

I decided in the end that he wouldn't be paid until enough salary had gone to fix her shelter. He and his family will probably lose 1-2 weeks wages and she'll have somewhere dry to sleep. Not the best solution, but it was something. These cases are a bit like throwing a stone into the dark. You don't know if you'll hit the mark or if it will riccocete back into your face.

While this was going on, another NGO I'd agreed to meet showed up. Kinder Not Hilfe have funded one of our schools here for over 30 years. I met with them today to talk about putting a second child-friendly space and play area in the camp. I hope it happens.

After lunch things were a little more mundane until I got back to my car to find that the car port was filled with the camp committee, my staff and the security team who were throwing me a farewell party. Three cakes, a heap of food they can't afford and gifts that they can't afford either. Very embarrasing. Not only that, the engraved wooden gift from the committee is so large it doesn't fit into any bag. No idea how I get it home over the next two days/ four flights.

So on that note, with gratitude to the people of Haiti for their welcome, gratitude to The Salvation Army for the opportunity to serve and learn and gratitude to God for safety, guidance and nourishment, I take my leave.

Looking foward to seeing Ange and the kids on Saturday morning.

Wierd Day

It's the only way I think I can describe today. Yesterday and today were dominated by distributions to around 3500 families. We gave some rice, nutritional supplements and water purifier bottles. Lots of logistics involved. Moving four trucks of goods at a time (and doing it twice), arranging UN troops for security over two days, having 30 casual staff employed, ensuring that your scanners are charged, getting water delivered for the troops and the staff... and making sure it all happens simultaneously at 8am on both days.

Went pretty smoothly, all things considered.

Then from there it was off to the UN logbase. I've gotten use to this place, whether for cluster meetings with other camp managers or for meeting with civil and military liaison teams to plan cooperative efforts. Having said that, I missed my first meeting (about child protection) because I couldn't find the 'rooftop meeting area'. Noone in the logbase could tell me where it was either.

So I slipped into the airconditioned tent an hour before my Camp Manager's cluster and did some more work on the health project I've been writing. This is a proposal to ensure that the camp health is monitored, transmittable and communicable diseases are prevented, primary first aid is provided on site and then an inventory of all other services in the area is taken so that we can get ambulatory or vehicular access to the right services for people.

I couldn't believe that I got it mostly finished by dinner. It then went off to our technical advisors so that they can pick holes in it before we pass it up the chain for approval. Good to know this is something I'll be able to leave ready to start when I head home.

Other than that I met with our camp partners for the last time late this afternoon. A little frustrating as one didn't show up, but it was good to commend my colleague Heather and my replacement Wendy to them (not that I've met her - but she has a great rep).

Tomorrow's officially my last day before the two day journey home starts on Thursday. COuld be a long one... have to reconcile the cash books again.

Adventure

So, it's getting dark and the hairdresser doesn't have light. So you sit under the streetlight besides the basketball court. He asks by asking you if you speak Creole. No. Do you speak French. No. Espagnol? No. "Oh... I don't speak English".

Otherwise there's not much else to report. I wasn't very well yesterday, so stayed at the hotel and caught up on reports. Then today we went to church. I am still moved incredibly to worship with Haitians. This morning the overcrowded church sang,

Suffering children are safe in your arms
There is none like you

And they sang this as they celebrated because a young man, who was an amputee following the earthquake, recieved his prosthetic foot this week and walked up and down the aisle of the church as everyone applauded.

Petit Goave and Vialet

A change of pace as today I went with my team leader, Damaris, to check on projects in two country towns, Petit Goave and Vialet. Strange in some respects, as I spent part of the morning doing head counts on the the number of Cash for Work workers that were actually working (compared with those that were on the books... still 12 unaccounted for). The teams were clearing rubbish from the streets which is really helpful from a public health perspective, but a little frustrating given that they were supposed to be clearing rubble from house blocks! I did ask the local project officer whether he thought telling us about the change would be helpful... no response. I also asked if he thought taking over responsibilities that the city council should be performing was useful... no response. Damaris has a great plan for fixing the problem (thankfully).

We then spent a frustrating hour or two waiting for lunch before visiting a clinic that we didn't know existed until two days ago. Damaris went to work finding out what was happening there while I met the new Community Assessment Team that we have created for this area. This was a helpful discussion, although we had to break through a cultural barrier where they were reticent to talk to the strange white guy that kept asking strange and annoying questions.

Upon my return to Port-au-Prince we discovered that the water bladder at the camp that was damaged yesterday is totally beyond repair. Also Heather, my offsider in the camp, had spent a lot of today dealing with two particularly unhelpful committee members that were causing trouble for the rest and threatening to take security in the camp into their own hands.

A rest tonight, and then meeting the Dutch donors again in the morning. Oh... and I've convinced the electricians to come back to work again (I think).

Fete Dieu

"God Day"... or "Corpus Christi". A day of parades and people singing (think march of witness with Christian reggae music and lots of dancers). One of the processions went straight past our accommodation, and of course, I didn't have a camera with me.

We then went with the camp committee to the beach to celebrate the day in relaxing style. A game or two of soccer (TSA staff 6 df Camp Committee 2) in the sun, a swim in the sea (not the cleanest beach admittedly) followed by a traditional meal... what else but chicken, rice and beans.

Sadly it was straight back to work when we got home. We discovered that while we were out having fun, some vandals had upset the camp. The guys that were suspended while we investigated the sexual harrassment claims at one of the water delivery points had come back today, broken into the water cage and slashed the water bladder. Their actions have cost us 40,000L of water for the camp today. That's 2L less per person (in context, this is a quarter of our total water delivery).

Sadly, we were thinking of reinstating them in jobs away from people (e.g. cleaning toilets or removing camp rubbish) but this means that they won't get their work back.

We've had to go into pretty quick repair mode. Tomorrow some technicians will replace the bladder with tight security around them. (There have been further threats of physical violence by these guys). We have a policeman now stationed at the delivery point (not sure how much good this will do - they are glorified traffic cops). And the police are now interviewing the vandals. We have also arranged a meeting between the camp committee, security team, police and water staff tomorrow to try and find a long term solution. My offsider Heather will look after this as I already have appointments at another place.

Of course, the electricians have caught wind of this, and walked off the job again...

A day when a lot happened

I think I need an early night tonight. A lot happened today.

We were able to talk to the electricians that walked out of our camp on Monday because they felt unsafe working there. One of our committee members had pushed their driver and it went downhill from there. We've talked them back to work, arranged security for them, and hopefully will see them fixing the camp lighting on Friday. This is critical for overnight security.

We had some Dutch folk visit the camp today. Six of them are from the NGO "Church In Action" (Kirk in Actie) which coordinates church NGO's from the Netherlands, including The Salvation Army, in terms of fundraising and overseas support. They are looking for ways to help us in Haiti on and ongoing development basis. I will meet with them again on Saturday for further negotiations.

Unfortunately they brought with them some ignorant journalists. Before we entered the camp I provided a briefing, including an instruction on the appropriate use of their cameras (e.g. photo activities or objects - not individuals). The people here already feel like they live in a zoo. I couldn't get the photographer to put his camera away. Ironically and painfully he even took photos of a lady complaining to us about a photo that had been published of her in a local newspaper. I couldn't get him to quit - even though he spoke English. My dutch IES colleague almost physically removed him.

We mediated a meeting with our partners and committee who were frustrated over a poorly conducted distribution earlier in the week. Also started to organise security for next week. We ordered some extra security gear from the US, and another 67000 condoms from UN/IOM. (Our health people tell us that's a three month supply for a camp population our size).

In the end a tiring day. Disappointing though that my hairdressers appointment got cancelled... moved to Friday.

Meetings

One of the tasks of any humanitarian work is meetings. You feel somedays like it's all you do, which of course is a massive exaggeration.

Today was a meeting day. It started at HQ with our team, followed by a trip to the UN logistics base. This was for a camp cluster meeting. All of the NGO's that are acting as camp managers get together each week to talk about common interests and concerns and to plan for things like getting more toilets or the upcoming hurricanes (hurricane season officially commences on June 1 - today!). We are also working together to see if we can get broadcasts of the soccer world cup into camps.

Haiti is soccer mad. Every other caribbean country loves their cricket. Here it's soccer.

This afternoon we were at our camp facilitating our weekly partners meeting. This is a time when each of teh agencies that work in our camp get together to plan and also talk with the leaders of the camp resident's committee. Tempers were a little frayed today as we are in the middle of an investigation about sexual harrassment at one of the water delivery points and also dealing with one of the staff from another agency who wasn't very helpful to our committee yesterday.

The day finished with a meal out courtesy of our American friends.