Holy Spirit ‘fanning into flame’ a passion for commitment at Noarlunga

Lindsay Ferguson, Julie Norton and Ann Gregory with their certificates after being enrolled as members of Noarlunga Corps.

BY ANTHONY CASTLE

A decision by Noarlunga Salvos leader Aux-Lieutenant Deb Strapp to “cast the net” earlier this year has led to three new members at the South Australian corps, with more to come!

One senior soldier, Julie Norton, and two adherents, Ann Gregory and Lindsay Ferguson, were enrolled during a Sunday morning service on 22 June.

Another senior soldier, Carol Dawes, will be enrolled on 3 August, after missing the June ceremony due to illness.

“How great is our God!” said Deb. “The Holy Spirit is fanning into flame a passion within his people to step into their God-anointed destiny. The church is rising up, the Spirit is calling us out of complacency and into commitment. Commitment to be the hands and feet of Jesus – no more sitting back and warming the pews!

“I really felt led earlier in the year to cast the net and invite people into the membership,” Deb continued. “For us, it was about understanding our roots, where we came from, and the heart of The Salvation Army as a unique faith expression.

Corps Officer Aux-Lieut Deb Strapp with new senior soldier Julie Norton.

“But we don’t realise how powerfully people yearn for that sense of belonging ... we tend to draw in such a wide diversity of people in our movement, and I love that about us. There are no exclusions.”

Deb is expecting more people to make a membership commitment – to become senior soldiers or adherents – in the near future.

“I’m going to put it out there again [when we] celebrate the 160-year anniversary of The Salvation Army and share a meal,” she said. “It’s not about worshipping The Salvation Army, but about understanding our past, knowing the heartbeat of our movement.

“The world needs to see a unified Church; it needs to see our churches on fire ... passionate believers living and breathing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, praise the Lord, the Spirit is moving!”

And a new fire pit ...

Ralph Jones oversees the construction of a new area for the youth group, from a chalk outline to a flaming fire pit.

Meanwhile, the Noarlunga Salvos junior youth group gathered for the first time around the corps’ newly created fire pit on 27 June.

“They toasted marshmallows, enjoyed baked potatoes, played celebrity heads, sang and prayed. It was a truly beautiful night!” Deb said.

“And I want to publicly acknowledge and give a heartfelt thanks to Ralph Jones, our bandmaster, who captured the vision God gave me and created such a beautiful space for community, youth, church … the whosoever to come and connect together.”

The fire-pit space will also become a Yarning Circle. “For our community to gather around, our church to gather around. A place to connect, care and create together,” Deb said.