Meet the Officer – Major Julia Metcher

1. What is your current appointment, and what do you find most satisfying about it?

My current appointment is leading Tarrawanna Corps in the scenic Illawarra district of NSW, close to a beautiful array of beaches and a coastal lifestyle. Apart from coffee and chats at a beach café, I love the people God has given me to love and nurture. There is something so special about having a ‘flock to shepherd’ through all the joys and difficulties of life. Sharing the journey with them and giving them tools to connect more deeply with God along the way is both an honour and a joy.

2. Away from the appointment – if that’s possible! – what do you do to relax or unwind?

I love words … so reading a book, doing a crossword, writing poetry or a card to a friend.

I love a good murder mystery too! So, a crime novel or detective TV series like Vera, etc are right up my alley in my recliner! I love my grandkids (four under five years) … so spending time with them and being a part of their lives (and their parents’ lives) is very meaningful for me. I love a quiet space. So, a walk or seat at the beach allows the sound of the waves to refresh me – and collecting shells along the way is a bonus!

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

I think I have a new song every year, so I have lots of favourites! At the moment I keep coming back to ‘The Goodness of God’: ‘All my life You have been faithful, All my life You have been so, so good! With every breath that I am able, Oh I will sing of the goodness of God!’

At this season in my life, I tend to look back over my life, and even though there have been some painful moments of loss and grief, hurt and depression, I can see that God has never left me to journey alone, even if sometimes I couldn’t feel His presence. He has shaped me into a very different person than who I thought I was when I was younger. He has done so much ‘good’ in my heart and soul, and I have a very faithful God!

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 love Elijah! I really resonate with his life. I see myself in so many of his experiences. I would love to talk about the exhilaration he felt when he defeated the gods of Baal and how exciting and fulfilling it is to be used by God for His purposes! I would ask him why he ran away ... I would talk about how he felt when he was sitting under the broom tree, ready to give up in exhaustion and despair. I would want to ask him what the bread on the hot stones tasted like, and whether the water in the jar was as refreshing as it sounds.

I would want to talk about what he was going through in that cave. Did he sense God was trying to get his attention, to speak to him? How did he feel when God asked him: “What are you doing here Elijah?” What did he think of God’s plans to move on from there? Would he, too, sing with me that God had been good and all his life God had been  faithful?

5. If you were talking to a group of Salvationists and they asked if you recommended officership or not, what would you say?

I would say, don’t look for my words, listen to God’s! God called me to be an officer when I was 13. It was then, and still is after 41 years of officership, the strongest conviction of my soul. I didn’t know back then that I would minister beside an amazing builder of the Kingdom in my husband, Steve, that I would have the joy of investing in the spiritual formation of so many lives while having the privilege of journeying with them,  that I would raise a family amidst the busyness, or that I would have to travel the road of depression along the way … but God did! Let me tell you what I do know – God knows what He is doing! It’s our honour to serve with Him in the plan. God is good. God is faithful. And His grace will be all you need.

More information on Salvation Army officership can be found here.