Myrtle

Many of you would know our own resident Doctor in training, Myrtle. She is enjoying her remote paediatrics placement at the moment. Please pray for her as she prepares for her next exciting adventure... she has been accepted to work at The Salvation Army's Chikenkata hospital in Zambia from September to November this year. Great news. Another way that members of Marion Salvation Army are changing our world.

Staff and volunteer meetings

Every quarter we invite all of our staff and volunteers to come to a morning tea, or lunch. These are times when we can cast vision, give information, advertise events, promote church life and also meet our statutory OHS consultative commitments.

Today we met and shared a lot of information. If you are a member of any of our ministry teams, or a just plain interested, check out the meeting minutes that are on the two staff noticeboards (behind reception and in the shop sorting room).

Also be aware of the safety management folders that are also kept behind reception. This is where all of our safety related activity is recorded so that we can demonstrate the reasonable steps we are taking to create a safe activity space and working space for our community.

Growing Healthy Corps

Many of you know about this program and the benefits that it has had for our Corps over the last four and a bit years. Today Angela and I were in the city for the latest teaching time: around change and based on a book called "My Iceberg Is Melting". We also continued to support and pray with other Corps in the program - ACH, Norwood, Golden Grove and Ingle Farm.

Over the course of this year we will continue to pass on teaching to our team leaders. Already we have spoken to them this year about execution in our roles, instead of excuses, and about team work. Other topics we will try and cover this year include succession planning and strategic planning.

Pray for your leaders also in the coming weeks as we prepare for the next "Layered Learning Event" (combined leaders training) on March 26.

eTools for our church

Yesterday, before heading down to my Army Barracks, I spent most of the day at a training seminar. It was designed to help Salvation Army centres start to get their head around some of the e-tools that are available to us.

Email marketing, sms marketing and messaging, blogs, podcasting and vodcasting, websites and the like are all amid the mix.

There is also the current transfer of our web authoring to a new system which will enhance our capabilities even more, and the release of a new 'Notes' package for our staff that will allow more flexibility with their workplace communication.

This is great - so long as we keep focussed. All of these tools are helpful, but only if they help us shine God's light in Adelaide's south so that others join us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Invitations

Barna and associates are probably the most respected research agency in the world when it comes to Church life and data.

One of their most recent statistical discovery is worth noting.

73% of people that don't come to church - have never been invited!

I wonder how many would come and check church out if they were...

Yesterday...

It would be remiss of me not to comment on yesterday's great events, both as a recap for those of us lucky enough to share together and as a report for those that couldn't be with us.

Sunday morning was a great time considering God's grace. Thank you to all who participated - even learning the song especially written for the service at the last minute!

Following this the band continued their ministry to the community and headed down to Hallett Cove. We were able to play outside Joyce & Bruce McDonald's home and entertain the residents around Lorita Street.

At 4pm there was a great crowd for Mark's enrolment as our newest soldier. It was also amazing to hear the testimony's from Kylie and Kaye who both spoke so well. The community meal that followed was delicious - great cooking, Brendan!

Finally the day finished with the Commissioning Service for the local School Christian Pastoral Support Workers (the pc term for 'School Chaplains'... sadly this is the only state where we can't use the term "School Chaplain"!). In the south-west schools ministry area there are 13 schools and thanks to the support of the local churches we have CPSW's in all of them, except St Leonards PS. There is currenly a vacancy there that we are waiting to fill. If you think you might be interested, let us know.

A good day for all. Blessings.

Suicide

This sounds like a dark subject, and it is - but it's not one that we can ignore.

This year we have encountered a number of people through our centre, our community services or through our chaplaincy work that are on the edge and considering suicide. There has been one case where we needed an immediate intervention and hospitalisation for someone. Last night, even, I was counselling someone at the Army barracks who lost a workmate to suicide, and whose girlfriend has considered suicide.

In Australia there are around 2000 completed suicides each year. This is 2000 too many. Suicide is generally preventable.

Please consider: praying for people with mental illness or under stress, enrolling in a short course that helps identify people at risk and intervene (The Salvation Army offer "Hope for life" on line, or you could enrol in "ASIST" through a TAFE college or your employer), or just being friends to those you know and keeping an eye on them.

Schools

Schools are important parts of our community. While parents are always the first and foremost educator of children, our schools are an obviously critical part of the process.

It's good to be engaged in our local schools and to be able to promote healthy values to children. Have a chat at some stage with some of the people from our Corps that help with breakfast clubs, SUPA clubs (Scripture Union for Primary Age - see Paul), reading groups, volunteering at sports days or serve on the school boards. (This is a new experience for me this year at Stella Maris).

Each of these people are serving God through the schools, and are shining God's light in Adelaide's south in very practical ways. The witness that they give by being safe and encouraging adults to our children cannot be underestimated.

The Captain's Table

On a ship, the Captain's Table is a place of honour for those that are sailing.

While dining with Angela & I isn't anything special, once a quarter we invite new people to come and have a meal. The point is to give them the chance to talk with us one-on-one, ask any questions they have, provide information about our church and honour them for choosing to worship with us.

Yesterday, with the help of Judith, we had lunch with Joe, Harry, Clara, Shaun, Victor, Steve and Carolyn - and heaps of kids. We would also have had Rebecca, Rose, Jim and Val if they had all been well.

To have such a great group is a reflection on the welcoming nature of the Corps and the number of people that are interested in joining us as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Good news around the Corps

Hi all,

Firstly - this is the 100th post since we starting communicating by this medium late last year. Thank you to those that have commented, on-line and in person, and for the feedback around the Corps. To celebrate, here's some good news from one of our Corps folk, Margaret, about something she's been able to do with another from our Corps, Colin:

Last week I was contacted by FamiliesSA re a family with 9 children - the children have never had beds or mattresses. Mattresses + one bed base had been sourced - but despite contacting other agencies and 2 other CSS centres- they still needed 8 single bed bases.

I rang Colin Sampson as manager of the Adelaide Salvos Store even though it was not an Adelaide address - who organised the beds - kept them in storage - waited until Families SA was ready - then had them delivered today.

Families Sa just rang - they are so thrilled - they are including this story in their newsletter. They commented that Colin was extremely helpful

Margaret Davies

Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery is a Bible-based recovery program for people suffering with addictive behaviours. It was developed under the guidance and direction of the Saddleback Church in California and has spread to thousands of churches throughout the world.

Today we launched the first Celebrate Recovery group at Marion Salvation Army. It is, in our mind, a much more holistic and spiritual approach than other recovery groups we have hosted in the past and it is also intentional about including Christ and the church as part of the solution for people.

Please pray for the participants, and for Mark, Jade, Frank and Kym as they help lead the group.

Team Leaders

Once a month, our team leaders get together for prayer, reading the word, catching up on news and upcoming events, planning and training. Today we met over lunch to share together and spent time looking at ways of encouraging and mobilising others into service.

Please pray for our team leaders: Lynette, Lucy, Kerryn, Paul, Mark, Ross, Doris, Iris, Neil and Judith.

Grants

Throughout the year, governments and philanthropic trusts offer grants to community organisations to assist their work. We have been recipients of such grants over the years.

In the last week or two, the team have been preparing some grant submissions. These take quite a bit of work and involve getting quotes, references and support letters together, while also being able to provide reports on our services and the outcomes we are trying to achieve in our community.

Paul has spent time with DHQ preparing a submission to the Morialta Trust to assist our children's programs and perhaps expand them to include parenting sessions. Mark has some information on a capital grant for youth programs that may allow the construction of a new youth space. I have submitted a grant application to the Community Benefit SA council seeking to help us create a storage space and open up the Marion area where Kids Church is held so that we have more space.

We will keep you informed if any of these grant submissions are successful.

Adventure Camp follow up

Each year our Division runs two Adventure Camps for children, directed by the youth and children's ministries team at Divisional Headquarters. The children that attend the camps are referred by school chaplains, social workers or hospitals, and are children that could really do with a break (or their families need a break!).

When the children are referred, their parents are asked if they would like for a local church to send them information about some more local activities. From our experience, over two thirds of families agree to this.

This week Paul is visiting the families from our area that attended the January Adventure Camp. He is taking them a show bag from the Division and offering information about the children's and family activities offered here at Marion Salvation Army. Please pray for him as he contacts these families.

Donors

We have many 'donors' that support our ministries.

No, I am not talking about those who give on Sundays. That sort of giving is part of our everyday worship and gratitude to God for all he has given us. That's what Christians do, as a matter of course.

I am referring to those that go above and beyond, or contribute from beyond our community.

This week, for example, we thank someone who has donated a new water cooler for the foyer. This gift will mean that we can return the rented cooler and save $7 per bottle of water, while maintaining a high standard of hospitality.

Thank you to all our donors.

Youth Report

Some good things have been happening in the youth department of our church and it's worth mentioning...

Habit@ have been back for a few weeks - with 78 kids on their mailing list. 30 of them attended the first 'in house' night last Friday.

This was followed by Corps Cadets. Yes... it's back. A group stayed behind to start studying the Word together. Please pray for this discipleship venture.

Sunday night the 4pm congregation started their community meal program. This is a chance to offer a cheap ($2) meal for people after worship on a Sunday. 10 or 11 stayed behind to share the Spaghetti Bolognese yesterday.

This morning Mark continues the good work. He is at Aberfoyle Park helping to plan a camp for the youth of our Corps, Noarlunga and Aberfoyle. This will be in late April up at El Karim (Prayer Mountain, Ironbank). Stay tuned for details, and if you know any young people that might be interested - let Mark know.

On Thursday of this week, the youth dept are sponsoring our new "Celebrate Recovery" venture. This is a biblical 12 step style program designed for people who are looking to break from addictions and explore Christianity.

In the meantime, the basketballers are back out tonight. If you're at a loose end, perhaps you'd like to go and watch a game.

Heather

It's always a good day when you welcome a new soldier into the Corps. We thank God for the contribution that Heather is already making through her care for the disabled in our community, and through her visits to some of our African neighbours. Her soldiership demonstrates her commitment and provides a framework for her extant active Christianity.

Please pray for Heather this week as she affirms her commitment.

Please also pray for Mark as he prepares for his enrolment in the 4pm meeting on Feb 21.

On Fire

Check out the January 30 edition of "On Fire". There's a great article in there about our very own Colin Sampson.

On Fire is a good publication to subscribe to. For the measly sum of 65cents per fortnight, you can catch up on what is happening in other Salvation Army churches, get thoughts and challenging articles and find out where The Salvation Army is at work in our world. The current edition, for example, also includes articles on Haiti and the Black Saturday fires (1st anniversary).

If you are interested in subscribing, please speak to Bronwyn McDonald.

Program funding

That perenniel bugbear....

It is with sadness that we have discovered that the Southern Edge program we have partnered in, whereby school leavers can receive career coaching and training toward employment, will most likely not be funded beyond April this year.

This program has helped 50 young people from around Marion and Onkaparinga in the last twelve months and has made an incredible difference in so many lives.

While we still hold on to the slim hope that the program may be resurrected, we ask your prayers for Monica, who will be seeking new employment, and for the youth that she has worked so well with.

Students

As schools and universities return to their studies, the student placements begin again. Our Community Support Services team at Marion have a great reputation for the way they train and care for students.

This semester you may meet Anne-Marie who is studying to be a financial counsellor. She is doing her placement with Gail on a Tuesday. You may also meet Mini who is a final year social work student. She is doing her placement with Julie from Wed-Fri each week. Anne-Marie started work today, Mini starts later in the month. Please make them feel welcome.

Basketball

Last night our basketball club started their 2010 campaign quite successfully. The A grade men had a bye, but the C grade men defeated Ingle Farm by over 20 points. Our juniors defeated Ingle Farm by 1 point. I'm yet to hear how the women's team went.

It was good to see some new faces having a go. The club works by the young people inviting their friends who can enjoy the sport and the company as a first step into our faith community. An example of this was last night when Neil Flippance, Mark's big brother, joined us for the first time.

Haiti offering

Marion Corps has again shown its generosity. Our Sunday offering that we took up (without warning) for Haiti victims raised $435.65. Thank you everyone. This will be forwarded through our Headquarters to the teams that are working in the field in Port-au-Prince.

A big weekend

Thank you to everyone who helped Angela and Mark with the worship times at Marion yesterday.

I was with my 'other' congregation - the Australian Army. This weekend was our annual mandatory training weekend. That means we are all fitness tested, we meet our new staff and new Commanding Officer, and we are briefed on a range of topics ranging from OHS to alcohol to travel and even fraud.

I spent a lot of the weekend with new recruits and particularly counseling one or two that haven't had the most pleasant start to their Army experience. I was also responsible for briefing the unit about mental health and suicide awareness.

Again I thank the Corps for your patience in allowing me to undertake this important ministry.

Today there will be a tinge of sadness as we let a project from the Corps go. For a few months we have been working toward the New Dawn program which will house and employ people in partnership with BP. As the project has evolved a relocation of the project, physically and administratively, has become necessary. The project will now be based out of a house in Croydon and administered by Towards Independence.

While it is annoying to have put in such hard work to get this going and then see it managed elsewhere, we understand that this could have great outcomes for a number of people and it is good that The Salvation Army can partner with business in this way.