Meet the Officer – Captain Joy Cassidy

1. What is your current appointment, and what do you find most satisfying about it? I am the Corps Officer at Northside – Geelong, Victoria. We are a community centre with co-located services. I love the many and varied opportunities to interact with staff, volunteers and community members. I love that we can help people to feel seen, heard and valued, providing care in even the simplest forms. For example, a block of chocolate and a chat, a game of checkers, a prayer after sharing a concern, a listening ear in the midst of struggles, or a compassionate response to a mental health challenge.

2. Away from the appointment – if that’s possible! – what do you do to relax or unwind?I love to run and go to the gym, plus hiking and walking. I also love to bake and sew, and I enjoy spending time with family and friends.

3. What’s a favourite Christian song and why do you like it?

I tend to swap and change my songs according to how I feel and what is going on. The song that resonates with me at the moment is the Mighty Name of Jesus by Hope Darst and the Belonging Co. It speaks of spiritual warfare, the powerful name of Jesus, and as someone who is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, I do not need to fear.

4. If you could have a good talk with a biblical character apart from Jesus, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I often wonder about the lives of those we read about in the Gospels following their encounter with Jesus, such as the woman caught in adultery, the woman with the blood issue, the Samaritan woman, the leper who was cleansed, the blind man etc. I would love to sit down with these folk and hear the testimony of their changed lives, what that meant to them, and what direction it took them.

5. If you were talking to a group of Salvationists and they asked if you recommended officership or not, what would you say?I love being an officer and all that God has done in me and through me. I would say that it is not for the faint-hearted or for one who would like a comfortable career. Officership is demanding and requires courage, dedication, perseverance and the humility to know that you can accomplish nothing of great value without an ever-growing faith in Jesus Christ and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Officership is not for everyone, but following Jesus is.