Eric & Colin

An update for the Marionites:

Eric Williams was promoted to glory yesterday (Wednesday) at 7 am. He served through a number of Corps, including Marion (Seacombe), Fern Tree Gully, Ringwood and Canterbury. He was bandmaster at FTG during the early 1970s. Eric also served the community with distinction in his nursing career. He was the first male midwife in South Australia and also a nursing unit manager in Victoria. We will celebrate his life and say farewell at the Sensible Chapel, South Road, Ridleyton on Tuesday February 15 at 3pm.

Colin Wood is fighting well. After surgery yesterday he is back in ICCU at Flinders Medical Centre. Today, one of his nurses said to me the best we can do for him is pray. She was right. I'm not sure if she was speaking for my benefit, as helpless as you feel by someone's bedside, for Colin's benefit or for her own. She's still right. We can do no better and no less than to keep praying for Colin and Mavis and their family.

Marie Kovacs

Each year cadets from The Salvation Army training college in Melbourne are given an opportunity to work in 'out placements'. These are practical service opportunities where they can safely test their acquired skills and knowledge in a real setting.

Cadet Marie Kovacs has been appointed to come to South Australia for a few months of out training. She will spend time at Bramwell House domestic violence services and then join us at Marion for her Corps placement. You will start to see Marie around the place later this month, and she will join us full time from the start of April through to June 1.

3CO

You'll notice that the blog has taken on a slightly new look. This is so that the three of us (Ange, Kat and myself) can communicate jointly. Each of us will be posting news for people so that everyone can stay up to date with the events and news from around Marion Salvos. We hope that this increases the interaction with everyone and helps with our communication.

Role allocation

Kathleen, Angela and I have been working through the best ways for us to divide the work between us. We have each completed a profile and met together with a consultant from another church who helped us to work out our gifts and strengths. Out of this we are splitting the Corps Officer role so that we are operating in our best areas.

I will be the officer contact for leadership development, youth, seniors, sports, community outreach, CSS, the Thrift Shop and the Red Shield Appeal in Marion. I will also take the lead in any new ventures, including those at Glenelg or Trott Park.

Angela will be the officer contact for Administration, Finance, Children's Ministries, Volunteers and the Shopping Centre activities.

Kathleen will be the officer contact for Women's Ministries, Assimilation and Discipleship, Prayer ministries, Music and Worship, IT, the website, marketing and advertising and the Red Shield Appeal in Holdfast Bay.

We trust that the change to this approach will be one that is smooth and that we are finding ourselves best deployed to lead the mission of our Corps.

Good news

Today was the first day time for 2011 that our Team Leaders were able to meet together. We read from the Bible, we prayed together and we learned some principles about the essential qualities required of spiritual leaders.

I wanted to share with you some of the great things that are happening around our Corps, that were highlighted at the meeting today.

• A boy from last weeks School Holiday Program went home and told his mum about the cross and what it meant that Jesus died for him. This has opened the door for Paul to spend time with his mum and share the gospel.
• Kerryn and Brad were able to assist one of our former volunteers who was in serious need of medical attention and take her to the hospital, ensuring the right care.
• We had a report of 30 children from the Summer Adventure camp accepting Christ into their lives. Of those children 11 have been referred to our church for follow up. Paul has gifts that he is able to deliver to the families.
• Kerryn and Lynette have been this week to do a CSS outreach visit to a lady who is desperate for community and is asking about activities at our church.
• Judith reported 16 visitors in the month of January to our worship service - and more than half of them have made a return visit. We also had a report from Kathleen about the way in which her family were made to feel welcome by our church.
• We heard about a new small group and another small group that is so big it is splitting.
• We were able to talk about the care being offered for a number of our serious ill Salvationists, Ellie, Colin and Eric.
• We heard about some people that Greg had been able to assist in the shop today. He helped a young couple, for example, who are expecting their first child and needed equipment. He also helped a man this morning wandering through our carpark that was desperate for a blanket.

The news keeps coming. We are part of a great church. I am blessed and proud to lead this team.

Eric Williams

For the Marionites... please make sure you are in prayer for Margaret and Eric Williams. Eric has deteriorated over the last few days and is far from well. Margaret is offering paliative care from home.

General-Elect Linda Bond

A friend of mine, Quentin, said this morning "The name is Bond... General Bond".

And so it is.

At 2:45am this morning (CDST) the High Council announced that they had elected Commissioner Linda Bond to be the 19th General of The Salvation Army. She assumes leadership of the movement's work in 123 countries on April 2, 2011.

The General-Elect comes from St James, Winnipeg, Canada, originally. She has worked in many Salvation Army roles including as a Corps Officer in Canada, a Divisional Commander in the UK, a Territorial Commander in the US and Australia and also at International Headquarters. She is soon to be 64 years old, which means she is likely to serve a full five year term before reaching the mandatory retirement age for Generals (70).

Please pray for Commissioner Bond as she prepares to take on this new appontment. Please pray for outgoing General Shaw Clifton and his wife Helen, who is seriously ill at this time. Please also pray for the domino effect this appointment has, as new leadership is sought for the Australia Eastern Territory in succession to the General-elect.