God planting something new in Devonport
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Lieutenant Dave Bruford and his wife, Lydia, are the youngest people in their Sunday congregation at Devonport Salvation Army, in northern Tasmania. But God is doing a beautiful work amongst children and families at their corps throughout the week, and they are excited and expectant to see the Holy Spirit’s fruit.
“I do not believe that our model of church works in today’s society, particularly in our regional area,” says Dave – a Salvation Army officer who’s quick with a smile. “The people we connect with in small groups and our connect spaces, they don’t feel like they can come to church, but they can come to a small group or connect space. It’s almost like God is planting something new.
“We are seeing our Sunday faith community partner with what’s happening by joining in prayer for our Pathway of Hope pilot and as we explore where the Holy Spirit is leading us.”
Devonport Salvos is a bustling corps, with dozens of families connected through The Salvation Army Australia trial of Pathways of Hope, a program successful in the United States that supports families of children from newborn to 12 years old. Its Doorways parenting team works in the corps to provide personalised casework support, alongside corps-based programs, like the weekly ‘Smart Cookies’ club (see story here).
Families are also supported through the corps’ Salvo Connect space, which provides food relief and connection. A prayer wall in that space provides a faith pathway for community members to post prayer requests and take a prayer home with them.
“What does a discipleship pathway look like from that space?” Dave asks, “It’s a long journey, but we have been doing little bits and pieces ... I have had a few people from Salvo Connect journey through the Positive Lifestyle Program, and they’re still connected, but they’re not yet made a commitment. We also have people starting to read the Bible for the first time.”
A community garden on site is another opportunity for Dave and his team to walk alongside community members, do life together, and have chats.
“It’s a slow process, but God is at work.”
And, despite not having a kids program during Sunday’s gathered worship, this year Devonport Salvos has invited a number of children who have become connected to the corps through the Smart Cookies program to a Salvos Kids Holiday Program to be held during the school holidays.
“We have the opportunity to disciple these young kids from a perspective of not a ‘church’ situation but authentically being Jesus to these families [who are connected through Smart Cookies and Pathways of Hope]. We just don’t know what that looks like yet.”
There is optimism for the future at Devonport Salvos.
“What I am most excited about for this year is seeing families find a safe place to connect with us as The Salvation Army,” says Dave. “Sometimes we never see the fruit of our labour, and that’s ok, but we know and stand firm in the knowledge of knowing that God is at work, and that work in the harvest field is not in vain.”
Please keep Devonport Salvos in your prayers as they live, love and fight alongside their community.
