Christchurch

First the good news - Betty MacSween is safe and well and back in Australia. She spent a harrowing time at her son's house, and was alone in the house when the earthquake struck. There was also a period of fear while they were looking for her daughter-in-law in the city, but thankfully all are safe and well.

The Salvation Army is releasing constant media releases about what they are doing in Christchurch. If you are interested, look at the New Zealand Salvation Army website or the international website. Our international emergency services team are in attendance also. There are hundreds of meals being provided from our Lynwood and Sydenham Corps buildings, and there are 40 teams that The Salvation Army have put together, each with a Salvationist within them, doing a needs analysis through the suburbs.

For more information you can also look at Major Daryl Crowden's blog, which provides the most up to date and insightful commentary - http://darylbc.blogspot.com/

Thrift Shop

Those that have worshipped at the Seacombe Centre of our Corps for a while know the value of a good thrift shop.

We have been seeking a way of establishing this sort of ministry to assist the finances at our Glenelg Centre. When we first started casting the vision for this part of our Corps, we knew that finances could hinder the new ministries and we thought about a shop up around Novar Gardens.

Just two weeks ago we found a vacant shop in Ascot Park. It has been a second hand clothes shop for the last 15 years, and before that it was a Salvation Army Family Store! The rent is good, it's air conditioned, has a small sorting area, and is on a main road with parking at the rear. We have approval from Salvos Stores to go ahead and are now at the stages of looking into a lease.

This project will obviously require some man power but will provide vital funds for any new ministries that we would like to commence, especially down by the Bay. It will hopefully also sure up our funding for things like our Corps bus.

If you want a drive by look, the address is 685 Marion Road, Ascot Park. You can't miss it. It's a green building on the corner of 6th Avenue.

Christchurch

It's sad that the 300th posting on our blog needs to be about something so tragic.

THE Salvation Army’s earthquake response programme in Canterbury, New Zealand, is under way. Salvation Army officers (ministers) and volunteers are feeding and caring for Canterbury residents displaced by the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the region around Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February.

With large loss of life reported and many people still missing, sorrow continues to engulf the South Pacific nation. Salvation Army teams from its three North Island divisions, along with teams from the South Island corps (churches) of Mosgiel and Queenstown, comprising 50 people, are on the way to Christchurch. Other teams across South Island are on standby.

Last night, the first since the earthquake struck, Salvation Army volunteers served 1,500 meals to those unable to go back to their homes and staff provided support at emergency welfare centres. Damage to The Salvation Army's Southern Divisional Headquarters, as well as to Christchurch City Community Ministries Centre and Christchurch City Corps, means a temporary operations centre to oversee recovery work has been set up at Sydenham Corps. Southern Division and territorial headquarters (THQ) staff are now assessing the situation across the affected area to determine the exact nature of the Army’s response. With mobile communications in the region patchy at present, communications equipment including radios, satellite phones and computers is being transported from THQ to Sydenham.

Linwood Corps and Community Ministries, which has shouldered a large part of The Salvation Army’s recovery work since the larger but less deadly September 2010 earthquake, suffered mainly superficial damage. Its officers, staff and volunteers are preparing for a steep increase in demand. Christchurch City Community Ministries Centre will not reopen in the immediate future due to quake damage and its staff are being redeployed to Linwood.

Major Campbell Roberts, who is coordinating The Salvation Army's emergency response, says the quake is a tragedy beyond description but that the Army’s experience since September and the high morale of officers and volunteers puts it in good stead to respond effectively. Salvation Army teams are at Wellington and Auckland airports to meet hundreds of people who have been evacuated from the quake zone and offer support and light refreshments.

The Salvation Army relaunched its Canterbury Earthquake Appeal yesterday. There has been a strong response from the public and from potential corporate donors. The Salvation Army's USA Western Territory is donating US$200,000 to assist with the Army's earthquake recovery efforts. The Australia Southern Territory is donating Aus$50,000. Large and small-scale fundraising is being organised around New Zealand. An international track meet scheduled for Christchurch this weekend was cancelled after the quake. Athletes now plan to stage a fundraising meet in Wellington to support The Salvation Army’s earthquake appeal.

The Salvation Army's international leader, General Shaw Clifton, was New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territorial Commander from 2002 to 2004. He informed current territorial commander Commissioner Don Bell that the prayers of International Headquarters were with the victims of the earthquake. ‘We are shocked, unhappy and downcast to hear overnight of a further quake in lovely Christchurch,' he said. 'We stand with you and your people in what you will do to offer relief.'Commissioner Bell will soon visit the earthquake zone to encourage Salvation Army personnel.

Please pray for Betty MacSween, one of our soldiers currently in Christchurch. Please also pray for Major Daryl Crowden, nephew of Ross & Doris Lewis, who is part of the team responding to the disaster on behalf of The Salvation Army.

Elly Herrmann

Elly was promoted to glory yesterday, February 21. She had been a soldier of our Corps since 1995 but her connections predate that.

We will keep all the Marionites posted about funeral details.

In the meantime, please pray for Herb and their children. Also remember her friends from the Corps and other places that are travelling to be here with the family.

One Mission Conference

To date there are only 40 registrations for this year's One Mission Conference, on April 2 at Seaton.

This is a great opportunity for our Corps to join with other Salvos from across South Australia, hear world class speakers, participate in great worship and grow together.

Please consider registering as soon as possible so that the organisers can confidently plan to proceed.

Christchurch

About three hours another tragic earthquake hit New Zealand (12:51 NZ Time).

This is how the NZ Herald reports it:

There have been "multiple fatalities" after a shallow 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch this afternoon caused buildings to collapse, police have confirmed. Police said fatalities had been reported at several locations and that two buses had been crushed by falling buildings.

Christchurch resident Jane Smith, who works in the central city, told the Herald a work colleague had just returned from helping rescue efforts after a building facade had collapsed on a bus on Colombo St. "There's people dead. He was pulling them out of a bus. Colombo St is completely munted."

TV3 reported that a person had died in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner. Police said there were reports of fires in buildings in the central city and of people being trapped.
Police said all available staff were helping with the rescue operation and the Defence Force had been called in to assist.

Triage centres have been established for the injured at Latimer Square in the central city, Spotlight Mall in Sydenham and Sanitarium in Papanui. A Herald reporter said that emergency services were struggling to enter the central city and were having to manoeuvre slowly around gridlocked traffic.

GNS Science said today's quake was centred at Lyttelton at a depth of 5km at 12.51pm.
GNS said the earthquake would have caused more damage than the original 7.1 earthquake on September 4 because of its shallow depth.

Its data centre manager Kevin Fenaughty said residents said the quake's epicentre was located in the "worst possible location" for the city. "It's a nightmare. A lot of people were just getting back on their feet after the original quake."

Another earthquake of 4.5 struck at 1.21pm (NZ Time), 10 km east of Diamond Harbour.

Please pray for the people of New Zealand.

Junior Soldiers

Wasn't it great yesterday to have two new Junior Soldiers enrolled, Matthew and Shikira. They looked great in their white red shield t-shirts and it is always moving to hear young people read their pledge. Pray for them in the coming days and take an active interest in them. There are more enrollments on the way!

Junior Soldiers is a great program; I insist that it is one of the best discipleship programs for primary aged children offered by any church. It has projects for the kids to work on, weekly lessons, Bible reading tasks and church involvement tasks.

I'm also a bit sentimental about Junior Soldiers. I remember my own enrollment at Bendigo Salvos in 1982 (?I think) quite clearly. I even remember that Captain Collins' after shave was really strong when he pinned my badge on! But most of all, I remember how sincere I was and how determined I was to follow Jesus. I haven't got it right all the time since then, but the stuff you learn as a young person doesn't leave you and I thank God for my Junior Soldier teachers May Price (Bendigo, Vic), Greg Morgan (Darwin, NT) and Shirley Fletcher (Canterbury, Vic) who helped me along the way. Marion Sampson and her helpers here at Marion have an awesome opportunity with our kids to impact them with the gospel!