This Sunday evening we are privileged to host Ret Chief Inspector Garry Raymond, APM OAM, at our 5pm congregation at Glenelg, where he will speak. Garry will also be speaking at a Men's night at Adelaide Congress Hall this Thursday evening, and on Sunday morning at ACH.
CHIEF INSPECTOR GARY RAYMOND APM, OAM (Rtd.)
BIOGRAPHY
Chief Inspector Gary Raymond APM has just retired after being a member of the NSW Police for 33 years. Prior to his retirement in December 2005, Gary was performing duty at the Blacktown Police Station as a Duty Officer specialising in Emergency Management and Crime Scene Management.
Prior to joining the police, Gary performed 5 years service as an Ambulance Officer with the NSW Ambulance Service in the Sydney metropolitan area.
Gary joined the NSW Police in 1972 and performed general duties at Redfern Police Station as a Probationary Constable. He was then chosen to join the elite NSW Police Rescue Squad.
As a member of the Police Rescue Squad, Gary performed over 1,500 rescues including 1,000 motor vehicle collision rescues, 200 cliff rescues, and 200 suicide negotiations at heights such as cliffs, buildings, bridges, roofs and towers. He also performed industrial and domestic rescues. He conducted searches both on land, air and sea whilst working as crew on the police helicopter. Gary has also performed duty at numerous siege and barricade situations as well. Gary attended and dealt with many identified explosive devices.
Gary performed duty at the Granville Train Disaster, Thredbo Landslide Disaster, the Newcastle Earthquake, Luna Park Ghost Train Fire and Hilton Hotel Bombing. Gary has received a number of awards for his bravery displayed during rescue and suicide negotiation missions.
In 1983, Gary was transferred to plain clothes policing for training. He qualified a Designated Detective. As a Detective Sergeant at Blacktown, Gary was involved and in charge of many successful homicide and other criminal investigations including the tragic murder of Nursing Sister Anita Cobby at Blacktown and the murder of six year old Tess Debrincat at Quakers Hill.
He has also received commendations and notations on his Police Service Register for performing acts of bravery during encounters with armed offenders. Gary physically arrested an offender (who was holding a female with a knife at her throat) without harm to the hostage, offender or himself.
In 1991 Gary was appointed as a Senior Investigator to the State’s Royal Commission into Corruption in the Building Industry in New South Wales. Gary’s team successfully prosecuted a number of organised crime figures, trade union delegates and construction companies during their two-year investigation into criminal activity.
Whilst stationed at Cabramatta Police Station, Gary received a Commander’s Commendation for the single-handed arrest of an armed robber after the offender held up staff at a fast food restaurant with a gun and stole money. The arrest was executed after a lengthy foot pursuit resulting in Gary arresting the offender at gunpoint without harm to himself or the offender. All money and firearm was recovered.
Gary was also involved in the crime scene command and successful investigation into Australia’s first political assassination, the shooting murder of John Newman, the State Member of Parliament in Cabramatta. Gary also commanded the Manly area for 3 years and gave evidence in the successful Police Integrity Commission Inquiry and Prosecution into police corruption in that area.
During this command, he was the officer in charge of the successful rescue of 800 passengers from a Manly ferry which ran aground at Little Manly Cove. Gary has been awarded the Australian Police Medal (APM), the National Medal with Clasp and the New South Wales Police Medal for 30 years distinguished police service that included a large number of successful rescues and suicide negotiations. He also has the
Granville Train Disaster Medal.
Gary was a member of the NSW Police Peer Support Working Party and was a Senior Peer Support officer along with Police Psychologists and Police Chaplains involved in helping traumatised or suicidal police officers. Gary was a member of the Crisis Team who assisted police and family members after the homicide of Constable David Carty at Fairfield.
Gary is leader of the Christian Police Association (CPA) (NSW Branch). This organisation provides Christian ministry, help and fellowship for both sworn and unsworn police employees.
Gary is a member of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International and attends the Blacktown Chapter in Sydney. He is involved in FGBMFI outreach including meetings, Mayoral Prayer Breakfasts and conventions.
Gary is Vice-President and Senior State Chaplain to the Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) of New South Wales. This organisation has over 73 squads and 3,000 volunteers as members. The VRA provides land, sea and air patrol rescue capability. Gary conducts workshops to help people in the VRA become aware of Critical Incident Stress Management. He also defuses rescue squad operatives after high emotional impact rescue events referring them to professional help if needed. Gary has spoken both in Australia and overseas conferences including the Hendon Police Training College, London.
Gary is a member of the Rotary Club of Blacktown City and is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. He also received an Australia Day Achievement Award and Blacktown Citizen of the Year in 1993 for his commitment to Street Kid Programmes and Suicide Awareness Programs. Gary is a State member of the Drug Arm Board. The Drug Arm organisation facilitates street van teams and other street level drug prevention programs.
Gary conducts workshops helping people to defuse aggressive behaviour in the workplace. He also helps with the construction and rehearsing of risk management and emergency plans in the workplace.
Gary received the Police Commissioner’s Olympic Citation for his policing, planning and operational management during the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
In August 2002, at an International Conference in Melbourne, Gary was presented with a National Award of Excellence from the Critical Incident Stress Management Foundation of Australia for outstanding contributions to the field of Critical Incident Stress Management.
Gary was the Strategic Terrorism Risk Assessor for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He recently received a Commissioner’s Certificate of Merit for his risk management work during the Rugby World Cup security & safety planning. The Cup was the biggest public event in the southern hemisphere that year.
In November 2004, Gary was a keynote speaker at the Risk Management Institute of Australasia Conference in Hobart. He spoke on the Safety & Security Risk Management of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
In February 2005, Gary went to tsunami affected Ski Lanka to help in the recovery effort. He helped in tsunami affected areas on the south, west and east coasts of Ski Lanka. He visited the site where the “Queen of the Sea” train was washed off the tracks by the tsunami drowning around 1200 people. Gary advised the Government Medical Officers at the Galle Hospital mortuary in dealing with the Disaster Victim Identification of hundreds of tsunami victim’s bodies. He performed training and education workshops to community and church leaders in Critical Incident and Post Traumatic Stress management of tsunami survivors and their family. Gary counselled a large number of tsunami survivors in refugee camps as well during his visit to Ski Lanka.
In March 2005, Gary was nominated by the Blacktown community as one of Blacktown’s Police Officers of the Year.
In February 2006, at a Blacktown City Council meeting, Gary was presented with the keys to Blacktown City by Mayor Leo Kelly for services to the people of the Blacktown Local Government area. This was only the fifth time this honour has been handed out in Blacktown the last one hundred years.
In February 2006, Gary went to the USA to lecture the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LCSD) on Suicide Negotiation techniques. He also spoke in a number of churches and Christian Police groups in the Los Angeles area.
In April and June 2006, Gary was called by Chaplaincy Australia to North Queensland to conduct trauma and suicide prevention workshops to the victims and emergency managers of Cyclone Larry. He also went into the field to counsel devastated cane and banana farmers in the aftermath of the cyclone damage.
In May 2006, Gary spoke at a FGB convention in Alice Springs. He lectured in a number of Alice Springs Primary and Secondary schools on trauma in the indigenous community.
In June 2006, Gary was invited to lecture at the Royal Fijian Police Academy, Suva, Fiji. He also conducted negotiation training to their Tactical Response Group (TRG).
Gary was a keynote speaker at a NSW Governor’s Prayer Breakfast and six Mayoral Prayers Breakfasts both in NSW and Queensland in 2007.
This year Gary has visited Lightning Ridge, Wee Waa, Narromine, Gunnedah and many other country towns presenting Suicide Prevention workshops for the farmers and graziers affected by the drought.
On Australia Day 2007, it was announced that Gary has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the community on critical incident stress management and suicide prevention.
After retiring, Gary now presents workshops to the community and lectures at the NSW Police Rescue & Bomb Disposal Squad, NSW Ambulance Rescue Training School and NSW Volunteer Rescue Association Squads. Gary conducts Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Awareness, Evacuation and White Level Search education.
Gary presented at the recent Suicide Postvention Conference hosted by the Salvation Army in Sydney. Gary spoke on Suicide Negotiation in High Risk Situations and the Issues of Those Left Behind after Suicide.
Gary recently presented a paper on Suicide Negotiation for First Responders at a world conference conducted by the International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) at Killarney, Ireland in August 2007. He also lectured in London on the same tour.
Gary’s wife Michelle is a Primary School teacher at Caddies Creek Public School and they live at Glenwood, near Parklea Markets in Sydney. Gary and his wife are both uniformed members of The Salvation Army at Parramatta.
Monday 30 April 2012
Ugandan Update
Well it's been a few days since was online. A mixture of internet outage, and an inability to charge the laptop, has cost a few days of news.
The week concluded with visits to the field and reformation of story so that the group could harvest our joint knowledge as part of an informal assessment of the village we visited. The combined stories, knowledge and information were put together and it is hoped that future projects will evolve to help the communities concerned.
We visited Kyirandongo, in the north of Uganda (about 4 hours drive north of Kampala). This village includes four refugee camps. One is for those that have fled the DR Congo. One is for those that have fled from South Sudan. The third is for those that fled the Kenyan election conflict last year. The fourth is for internally displaced Ugandans that were the victim of the Kaabong landslides in 2010.
Each of these groups have been resettled in the area. The government have helped with some housing (about 100 homes so far for 600 families just in the Ugandan section) and the people have been encouraged to get on with farming. However there are many difficulties. The climate is different to their previous home. The soil isn't flash. Water harvesting is next to zero, and two of their four boreholes (for drinking, cooking, washing etc) aren't working. That leaves two wells, some distance from the camp, to serve so many people (around 15,000 perhaps in total between the four camps).
The Salvation Army helped with food when the families first relocated. We are now considering agricultural assistance to help them farm, water harvesting programs, advocacy with the government to get the rest of the houses built and continuing social services through the local Corps. (There is a neighbouring Corps that has already started an outpost in the village; there is also a Catholic church and an Adventist Church).
This situation brought home two truths to me.
Firstly, we do NOT have a refugee problem in Australia. Australia only recieves about 3500 applications for Asylum each year, less that 10% of countries like Canada, and a lot less than places like Uganda - and yet we in Australia have the resources to help. Further, the Ugandan government have actively helped resettle the people in Kyriandongo, and while they haven't followed through on all of their promises, or kept to a timeline, I think they could teach Australia a thing or two about 'welcome'.
Secondly, it is a privilege for me to be able to travel and see the world as it is. Better still I can be part of a process that may help. Please say a prayer this week for the people in Kyriandongo. Their lives are unimaginably difficult.
The week concluded with visits to the field and reformation of story so that the group could harvest our joint knowledge as part of an informal assessment of the village we visited. The combined stories, knowledge and information were put together and it is hoped that future projects will evolve to help the communities concerned.
We visited Kyirandongo, in the north of Uganda (about 4 hours drive north of Kampala). This village includes four refugee camps. One is for those that have fled the DR Congo. One is for those that have fled from South Sudan. The third is for those that fled the Kenyan election conflict last year. The fourth is for internally displaced Ugandans that were the victim of the Kaabong landslides in 2010.
Each of these groups have been resettled in the area. The government have helped with some housing (about 100 homes so far for 600 families just in the Ugandan section) and the people have been encouraged to get on with farming. However there are many difficulties. The climate is different to their previous home. The soil isn't flash. Water harvesting is next to zero, and two of their four boreholes (for drinking, cooking, washing etc) aren't working. That leaves two wells, some distance from the camp, to serve so many people (around 15,000 perhaps in total between the four camps).
The Salvation Army helped with food when the families first relocated. We are now considering agricultural assistance to help them farm, water harvesting programs, advocacy with the government to get the rest of the houses built and continuing social services through the local Corps. (There is a neighbouring Corps that has already started an outpost in the village; there is also a Catholic church and an Adventist Church).
This situation brought home two truths to me.
Firstly, we do NOT have a refugee problem in Australia. Australia only recieves about 3500 applications for Asylum each year, less that 10% of countries like Canada, and a lot less than places like Uganda - and yet we in Australia have the resources to help. Further, the Ugandan government have actively helped resettle the people in Kyriandongo, and while they haven't followed through on all of their promises, or kept to a timeline, I think they could teach Australia a thing or two about 'welcome'.
Secondly, it is a privilege for me to be able to travel and see the world as it is. Better still I can be part of a process that may help. Please say a prayer this week for the people in Kyriandongo. Their lives are unimaginably difficult.
Thursday 26 April 2012
Today's workshop was broken into two halves.
This morning constituted a conversation with the Ugandan Red Cross. Much of the morning was an introduction to Red Cross methodology, which was a little dry for most of us that have worked in the field before. However, importantly, there was opportunity to discuss inter-agency cooperation, dissemination of resources, sharing of statistical data and so on.
The afternoon sessions were more lively and serious. Security and safety are becoming major concerns for all humanitarian actors, definitely including The Salvation Army. For the first half of the afternoon we discussed the new inclusions of protection principles in the SPHERE handbook (minimum standards manual in humanitarian response). We worked through practical examples of how we protect project beneficiaries when we are at work.
The second part of the discussion was about protection of our own teams. Litigation is one concern, but more than that we need to ensure that we are aware of our duty of care to our teams in the field.
This evening we are preparing for our road trip into the Ugandan countryside.
This morning constituted a conversation with the Ugandan Red Cross. Much of the morning was an introduction to Red Cross methodology, which was a little dry for most of us that have worked in the field before. However, importantly, there was opportunity to discuss inter-agency cooperation, dissemination of resources, sharing of statistical data and so on.
The afternoon sessions were more lively and serious. Security and safety are becoming major concerns for all humanitarian actors, definitely including The Salvation Army. For the first half of the afternoon we discussed the new inclusions of protection principles in the SPHERE handbook (minimum standards manual in humanitarian response). We worked through practical examples of how we protect project beneficiaries when we are at work.
The second part of the discussion was about protection of our own teams. Litigation is one concern, but more than that we need to ensure that we are aware of our duty of care to our teams in the field.
This evening we are preparing for our road trip into the Ugandan countryside.
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Uganda Day 2/3
The workshop has moved up a gear, with quite a full day of discussions and training today. We've been looking at an international policy for The Salvation Army's reponse to emergencies. We've looked at safety and security in a range of environments, as well as transparency and accountability and even the writing of international news releases.
While we've been inside for most of the day, that hasn't been a bad thing as quite a bit of rain went through Kampala today. Even now, as I write, it is dry but ery humid and you can see a lot more rain in the sky.
More tomorrow.
While we've been inside for most of the day, that hasn't been a bad thing as quite a bit of rain went through Kampala today. Even now, as I write, it is dry but ery humid and you can see a lot more rain in the sky.
More tomorrow.
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Uganda, day 1
Our first day in Uganda (well, our first two days if you include the day we arrived) have been relatively relaxed, although not without unique experiences. Last night at our hotel there was a wedding that took over the facility (and our eardrums).
We have gathered from around the world, and it's fair to say that The Salvation Army's leaders in Emergency Response are a unique and hardy bunch, with their own sense of humour. Within the group are Australians, Americans, Canadians, English, a Nigerian, a German, a Swiss, a Czech, some Chinese, a Malaysian, one person from Bangladesh and a Kenyan. All have worked in the wildest of environments, but all seem to have quite a bond.
Today we spoke about disaster preparedness. What kind of activities our territories do to prepare for disasters, and how we do assessments of needs and concerns once disasters occur. In our analysis there is a keeness to engage with sustainable livelihood issues and look beyond the immediate disaster to longer term development wherever possible.
Tonight we are looking at the lessons that have been learned from the largest world disasters that The Salvation Army have been involved in over the past 5 (or so) years. These include earthquakes in Kashmir and Christchurch, Tsunami in Japan, Earthquakes in Haiti, droughts in East Africa and so on. It is hoped that learning from the past will obviously teach us much for future preparedness.
We have gathered from around the world, and it's fair to say that The Salvation Army's leaders in Emergency Response are a unique and hardy bunch, with their own sense of humour. Within the group are Australians, Americans, Canadians, English, a Nigerian, a German, a Swiss, a Czech, some Chinese, a Malaysian, one person from Bangladesh and a Kenyan. All have worked in the wildest of environments, but all seem to have quite a bond.
Today we spoke about disaster preparedness. What kind of activities our territories do to prepare for disasters, and how we do assessments of needs and concerns once disasters occur. In our analysis there is a keeness to engage with sustainable livelihood issues and look beyond the immediate disaster to longer term development wherever possible.
Tonight we are looking at the lessons that have been learned from the largest world disasters that The Salvation Army have been involved in over the past 5 (or so) years. These include earthquakes in Kashmir and Christchurch, Tsunami in Japan, Earthquakes in Haiti, droughts in East Africa and so on. It is hoped that learning from the past will obviously teach us much for future preparedness.
South Africa
My time in South Africa was short but a great experience.
I visited, firstly, the Ethembeni Children's Home. Ethembeni (Xhousa word meaning "place of hope") is a home catering to 60 children under the age of 5, all affected in some way by HIV/AIDS. Most are waiting for foster placements or adoption, many will end up 'graduating' to another Salvation Army children's home in Johannesburg. The logistics of such a place are mindblowing. Just think of the bottles and nappies involved in caring for so many children!
From there we went to Soweto. I was excited to put a place to a famous name and see many landmarks along the way (including Ellis Park Stadium for the rugby fans out there). Soweto is obviously a challenging town. While there we attended a Salvation Army service with all the trimmings - I mean "all" the trimmings including a march of witness, timbrels and even lots of women in their Salvation Army hats.
Johannesburg is a modern city and obviously a fast paced one. There are many challenges there. While it is impressive to see the vestiges of apartheid are gone, the challenge of integration continues. In some cases there is reverse discrimination, and I spoke with white officers who now fear for the continuation of The Salvation Army's english speaking work, but are afraid to speak out for fear of being labelled racist.
From there it was on to Uganda...
I visited, firstly, the Ethembeni Children's Home. Ethembeni (Xhousa word meaning "place of hope") is a home catering to 60 children under the age of 5, all affected in some way by HIV/AIDS. Most are waiting for foster placements or adoption, many will end up 'graduating' to another Salvation Army children's home in Johannesburg. The logistics of such a place are mindblowing. Just think of the bottles and nappies involved in caring for so many children!
From there we went to Soweto. I was excited to put a place to a famous name and see many landmarks along the way (including Ellis Park Stadium for the rugby fans out there). Soweto is obviously a challenging town. While there we attended a Salvation Army service with all the trimmings - I mean "all" the trimmings including a march of witness, timbrels and even lots of women in their Salvation Army hats.
Johannesburg is a modern city and obviously a fast paced one. There are many challenges there. While it is impressive to see the vestiges of apartheid are gone, the challenge of integration continues. In some cases there is reverse discrimination, and I spoke with white officers who now fear for the continuation of The Salvation Army's english speaking work, but are afraid to speak out for fear of being labelled racist.
From there it was on to Uganda...
Saturday 21 April 2012
Travelling
On the road again...
Some people have asked why I'm heading over to Africa.
First stop will be in Johannesburg. This is really just a stopover. Having said that, I'm using it as an opportunity to catch up with my friend Heather Russouw. Heather is a South African officer who is responsible for a children's home that caters to victims of HIV/AIDS. You should check out their website by googling Ethembeni Salvation Army Children's Home in Johannesburg.
After that i"m off to Kampala, Uganda. Here I will be joining the International Emergency Services Team Leaders' Workshop. Over 5-6 days we will be learning about training for emergency services, security for beneficiaries and staff, international finances for development work and other pertinent issues. We'll also visit the Ugandan Red Cross and some of The Salvation Army's field projects.
Assuming that I have internet access, which I don't always assume (!), I will keep everyone informed about how things are going.
Some people have asked why I'm heading over to Africa.
First stop will be in Johannesburg. This is really just a stopover. Having said that, I'm using it as an opportunity to catch up with my friend Heather Russouw. Heather is a South African officer who is responsible for a children's home that caters to victims of HIV/AIDS. You should check out their website by googling Ethembeni Salvation Army Children's Home in Johannesburg.
After that i"m off to Kampala, Uganda. Here I will be joining the International Emergency Services Team Leaders' Workshop. Over 5-6 days we will be learning about training for emergency services, security for beneficiaries and staff, international finances for development work and other pertinent issues. We'll also visit the Ugandan Red Cross and some of The Salvation Army's field projects.
Assuming that I have internet access, which I don't always assume (!), I will keep everyone informed about how things are going.
Wednesday 18 April 2012
The Arty Shed
The first thing worth noting is that this is the 500th blog posting! We hope that this continues to be a means via which we can communicate about what is happening in our Corps and some of the life transformations God allows us to see.
The Arty Shed is a project initiated after years of attempts to resolve a few concerns. Firstly - we are a prominent property at our Seacombe Centre, with public thoroughfares, which makes us a prime grafitti target. Also, we want to continue to think of ways to engage kids during school holidays in creative programmes.
Catherine, our youth and young adults pastor, was successful in obtaining a Marion Council grant last year for a project that enables us to bring in the kids during the holidays to paint a mural on our shed, hopefully discouraging grafitti, while also helping to communicate our message to the public. With the help of Morgan, our contracted artist, we have been able to paint three great images onto the shed.
On the front is a "blood and fire" slogan, representing our belief in the efficacy of the blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit. On the side is a great image of the lighthouse, reflecting our mission statement about shining God's light in Adelaide's south, and our heritage of salvation. You will see a cross on the side, and lots of Salvos fishing people out of the waters. On the front of the building is a big Red Shield.
Not only is the artwork good, and - three whole days in - still left alone by the vandals, there have been numerous instances where people have stopped to ask Catherine, Morgan and the kids about the meanings behind the images. People are hearing the gospel through creative means, the kids are enjoying their Easter holidays, we're beautifying the back of our property and we might even be preventing crime at the same time.
Congratulations to Catherine, Morgan, Greg, Kerryn, the youth group and all who have been in some way involved.
Please take the chance to come and have a look at our new artwork.
The Arty Shed is a project initiated after years of attempts to resolve a few concerns. Firstly - we are a prominent property at our Seacombe Centre, with public thoroughfares, which makes us a prime grafitti target. Also, we want to continue to think of ways to engage kids during school holidays in creative programmes.
Catherine, our youth and young adults pastor, was successful in obtaining a Marion Council grant last year for a project that enables us to bring in the kids during the holidays to paint a mural on our shed, hopefully discouraging grafitti, while also helping to communicate our message to the public. With the help of Morgan, our contracted artist, we have been able to paint three great images onto the shed.
On the front is a "blood and fire" slogan, representing our belief in the efficacy of the blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit. On the side is a great image of the lighthouse, reflecting our mission statement about shining God's light in Adelaide's south, and our heritage of salvation. You will see a cross on the side, and lots of Salvos fishing people out of the waters. On the front of the building is a big Red Shield.
Not only is the artwork good, and - three whole days in - still left alone by the vandals, there have been numerous instances where people have stopped to ask Catherine, Morgan and the kids about the meanings behind the images. People are hearing the gospel through creative means, the kids are enjoying their Easter holidays, we're beautifying the back of our property and we might even be preventing crime at the same time.
Congratulations to Catherine, Morgan, Greg, Kerryn, the youth group and all who have been in some way involved.
Please take the chance to come and have a look at our new artwork.
CAMEO
Come and Meet Each Other
This is a group of women that meet for fellowship each month. Next month they're heading to High Tea at the Stamford Plaza, if you don't mind!
Fellowship groups such as these meet as gateways to community, and in particular, our Corps community. It's great that we have such groups whereby people can meet, can encounter the Corps and its membership and become part of our church life.
Pray for groups like our CAMEO, and consider whether such a social group might be beneficial to you, or a means through which you can serve and witness.
This is a group of women that meet for fellowship each month. Next month they're heading to High Tea at the Stamford Plaza, if you don't mind!
Fellowship groups such as these meet as gateways to community, and in particular, our Corps community. It's great that we have such groups whereby people can meet, can encounter the Corps and its membership and become part of our church life.
Pray for groups like our CAMEO, and consider whether such a social group might be beneficial to you, or a means through which you can serve and witness.
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Playgroup toys
Yesterday our playgroups receieved a real blessing. Glenelg Church of Christ has, a year or two ago, ceased their playgroup. They had thousands of dollars worth of toys that were not being used, including climbing toys. Generously they have handed all of the toys over to our playgroups to reach the community. This spirit of generosity and ecumenism has meant quite a delivery of toys for both the Busy Bee Playgroup at Seacombe, and the First Steps Playgroup at Glenelg.
Thanks also to John, Barbara, Zoe, Dominic and Peter that helped us move them all!
Thanks also to John, Barbara, Zoe, Dominic and Peter that helped us move them all!
Easter Celebrations
A great Easter had by all at Marion Corps!
Friday morning at Seacombe Gardens we remembered Jesus' crucifixion and recalled that no matter which metaphor we use to explain its efficacy, it's a demonstration of God's love for us. The sharing of communion was a special time.
Friday afternoon in the city we joined with other Salvationists from around the city for a service with a difference. Similiar to our Messy Church services, it was a tactile, experiential service catering to the whole family. Worshippers journeyed to stations where they could paint tiles, hammer in the nails, leave a burden (rock) at the foot of the cross, taste the bitter and the sweet of Easter (sour lollies and chocolate) etc.
Sunday morning we enjoyed the sunrise at Seacliff Beach with the other churches from the Marion/ Brighton area. We appreciated the drama from the Catholic Evangelism Team and the worshippers enjoyed the contributions from our Corps band, as well as the breakfast afterward.
Sunday morning continued with the celebration at our Seacombe Centre. Video clips, music, kids messages and Bible readings all pointed to the invitation to write a resurrection story over our own lives. We celebrated with some of our guys that have been living in tents - they have a house starting this Tuesday!
Sunday night at Glenelg we met for a Passover meal. It was a few days late (Christians usually would have a Passover meal on Thursday night to remember Christ's last meal with his disciples, and our Jewish brothers start their passover celebrations on Friday evening).
A great weekend, where God continued his work among us.
Friday morning at Seacombe Gardens we remembered Jesus' crucifixion and recalled that no matter which metaphor we use to explain its efficacy, it's a demonstration of God's love for us. The sharing of communion was a special time.
Friday afternoon in the city we joined with other Salvationists from around the city for a service with a difference. Similiar to our Messy Church services, it was a tactile, experiential service catering to the whole family. Worshippers journeyed to stations where they could paint tiles, hammer in the nails, leave a burden (rock) at the foot of the cross, taste the bitter and the sweet of Easter (sour lollies and chocolate) etc.
Sunday morning we enjoyed the sunrise at Seacliff Beach with the other churches from the Marion/ Brighton area. We appreciated the drama from the Catholic Evangelism Team and the worshippers enjoyed the contributions from our Corps band, as well as the breakfast afterward.
Sunday morning continued with the celebration at our Seacombe Centre. Video clips, music, kids messages and Bible readings all pointed to the invitation to write a resurrection story over our own lives. We celebrated with some of our guys that have been living in tents - they have a house starting this Tuesday!
Sunday night at Glenelg we met for a Passover meal. It was a few days late (Christians usually would have a Passover meal on Thursday night to remember Christ's last meal with his disciples, and our Jewish brothers start their passover celebrations on Friday evening).
A great weekend, where God continued his work among us.
Thursday 5 April 2012
Prime Minister Gillard and The Red Shield Appeal
This morning I had the pleasure of hosting a group of businessmen at breakfast. We were gathered for the launch of the 2012 Red Shield Appeal for The Salvation Army. This year's appeal aims to raise $81.5m across Australia.
The appeal was launched by the Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, who spoke fondly of her memories as a child, when her mother was an employee of The Salvation Army here in Adelaide. She spoke about the care that she saw in the home where her mother worked (Sunset Lodge in Kingswood), the community that was created there, and even put in a good word for The Salvation Army as an employer.
It is hoped that this morning, and the subsequent events and ultimate doorknock and collection week, will be a catalyst for greater service in our nation. This appeal is a major means of support to the ministries of The Salvation Army that transform lives, care for people and reform society. Our local mission centres here also benefit. About 50% of our Community Support Services budget is funded through Red Shield Appeal funds, meaning that we are reliant on the appeal to maintain the good work we do as we shine God's light in Adelaide's south.
The appeal was launched by the Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, who spoke fondly of her memories as a child, when her mother was an employee of The Salvation Army here in Adelaide. She spoke about the care that she saw in the home where her mother worked (Sunset Lodge in Kingswood), the community that was created there, and even put in a good word for The Salvation Army as an employer.
It is hoped that this morning, and the subsequent events and ultimate doorknock and collection week, will be a catalyst for greater service in our nation. This appeal is a major means of support to the ministries of The Salvation Army that transform lives, care for people and reform society. Our local mission centres here also benefit. About 50% of our Community Support Services budget is funded through Red Shield Appeal funds, meaning that we are reliant on the appeal to maintain the good work we do as we shine God's light in Adelaide's south.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Cert 3 Community Services
We have a strong training and development culture at Marion, which we try and perpetuate.
It's been great, over the last year or two, for some of our Community Services team to be able to invest their time in some good training.
Last Thursday, three of our team graduated with a Certificate III in Community Services.
Congratulations to Kerryn Morriss, Bev Cairns and Carolynn Sellick.
It's been great, over the last year or two, for some of our Community Services team to be able to invest their time in some good training.
Last Thursday, three of our team graduated with a Certificate III in Community Services.
Congratulations to Kerryn Morriss, Bev Cairns and Carolynn Sellick.
Monday 2 April 2012
Self Denial Sunday
I really loved worship at both Seacombe and Glenelg yesterday.
I think the Seacombe worship time, especially, will stay with me for a long time. Hearing a call to worship in Filipino, prayers in Dutch, Tamil and Kiwi, and then more prayers in Sudanese, Korean and Yorkshire was amazing. Not to mention our scottish blessing at the end.
We truly are becoming that multi-cultural, multi-congregational church that serves all generations in Adelaide's south. We are seeing people joining us as disciples because we've shone God's light.
And the shining continues. We can report that our Sunday congregations have given over $18000 in this year's self denial offering. I believe that there will be more given by the Pioneer Companion Club also, and a few people yet to give.
Thank you to everyone for your generosity. This will be a means by which we shine God's light way beyond Adelaide's south!
I think the Seacombe worship time, especially, will stay with me for a long time. Hearing a call to worship in Filipino, prayers in Dutch, Tamil and Kiwi, and then more prayers in Sudanese, Korean and Yorkshire was amazing. Not to mention our scottish blessing at the end.
We truly are becoming that multi-cultural, multi-congregational church that serves all generations in Adelaide's south. We are seeing people joining us as disciples because we've shone God's light.
And the shining continues. We can report that our Sunday congregations have given over $18000 in this year's self denial offering. I believe that there will be more given by the Pioneer Companion Club also, and a few people yet to give.
Thank you to everyone for your generosity. This will be a means by which we shine God's light way beyond Adelaide's south!
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