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BY SIMONE WORTHING For the first time in almost five years, most officers from across the five nations of the Eastern Europe Territory (EET) gathered in north-eastern Romania for a three-day retreat. The theme of the retreat, held in the city of Iasi, was: ‘Be still and know that I am God’, from Psalm 46:10. “We worshipped, shared God’s Word, cried, laughed and celebrated each other – it can’t get much better than that, and we are blessed beyond measure,” said Australian officer Colonel Cheralynne Pethybridge, Eastern Europe Territorial Leader. There were many special moments throughout the three days. One of these came during the concluding time of worship and devotions when divisional leaders from Moldova and Bulgaria shared some words of thanks and farewell, on behalf of the EET, to Colonels Cheralynne and Kelvin Pethybridge, who have led the territory for over five years and will take up new appointments at International Headquarters in January 2024. “It was such a blessing to gather all the officers from Eastern Europe Territory together,” said Kelvin, Territorial Commander. “There is something very special when officers gather together in worship but these days have been filled with the Holy Spirit's presence. It was a time to ‘be still, and know’ that God is with us in every circumstance.” The presence of the Ukrainian male officers, who were able to leave the country for the first time since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, was a definite highlight. (Due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, men aged between 18 and 60 are unable to leave the country except under certain circumstances or with specific permissions in place.) Seeing the men worship, participate in the sessions and relax with their colleagues and families, brought joy to everyone. Kelvin also affirmed Majors Konstantin and Irina Shvab as the divisional leaders in Ukraine. Again, due to the war, Kelvin had been unable to travel to Ukraine to officially install the leaders. After the affirmation, all the officers surrounded the Shvabs and other Ukrainian officers in a moving time of prayer. Heartfelt prayer, in multiple languages with translations, was also a feature of the daily worship times. On one occasion, the delegates formed small groups with their EET officer training session mates to pray for the territory and for each other. It was a powerful time of connection. The morning sessions focused on scriptures around the theme, with activities and interactions to illustrate the teachings. Group work around the theme of resilience took up the late morning and early afternoon sessions. The final meeting was a general question and answer session around issues raised in the discussions. “It was wonderful to relax with our colleagues and leaders and discuss important topics,” said one Ukrainian officer. “It’s difficult for us, though, as we are still thinking about what is happening at home.” Another officer shared her thoughts on the retreat experience. “Just to be together, to learn from each other and have useful discussions was a great opportunity.” Cheralynne said the past few weeks had been full of joy and hope for The Salvation Army Eastern Europe Territory. “We’ve celebrated 30 years of Salvation Army ministry in Georgia, the official launch of The Salvation Army in Bulgaria and, whilst we were unable to celebrate publicly, 30 years ministering in The Salvation Army in Ukraine. “During these weeks, new senior and junior soldiers and adherent members have been enrolled in Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria and Moldova.” #TSAEET #FaithAndCourage

BY LERISSE SMITH A pioneering Women’s Shed program is breaking new ground at Bendigo Corps’ Community Services, causing much excitement amongst the local community. “If you’re a lady and you want to learn to swing a hammer, you are welcome to come along,” said Belinda Smith, Community Services Manager. “It really is come, taste it, try it, give it a go. And if you make it, you take it!” The program’s opening a few weeks ago – aimed at local women to enjoy the art of woodworking in a workshop group setting, plus be a focal point for social connection – has fulfilled a long-term vision for the community hub. Belinda said the local community had asked her to establish a women’s workshop group for quite some time, but funding or the capacity to cater for such a group had not been available. However, thanks to funding from The Salvation Army, the ‘Women’s Shed’ program has now come to fruition, with women meeting every Thursday morning to be part of the workshop group and learn woodworking skills. It’s based at the Services’ Community Shed premises, fondly known as ‘The Shed’, that offers an array of programs to the local community plus a large, fully equipped woodwork studio complete with machinery and tools. “We are thankful to the Salvos for allowing us to take this opportunity,” Belinda said. “Without the Salvos providing and opening up the money to provide the women’s workshop group through Red Shield Appeal funding, we would not be able to run it. It’s early days, and we hope to be in a position to build upon it and respond to the demand as it grows.” Walk into the shed every Thursday morning and you’ll find an array of amazing and creative woodwork pieces crafted by the women, from bird and planter boxes to chopping boards for the kitchen that have proven to be a hit among the attendees. Creating lots of ‘bibs and bobs’ is part of the fun, too. One local community member who has loved her time being part of the Women’s Shed is local community member Jenna Langlan. “I still have all my fingers!” Jenna said with a laugh. “I love it at the shed; it’s awesome.” Attending the program has also allowed Jenna the space to speak with her Speech Pathologist, as it was a “good and safe place” to talk about personal matters. Women can work at their own pace in the shed and need not have previous woodworking experience. There are no set time limits or an agenda. Belinda said some of the ladies she had spoken to wanted to learn how to use a tool, and the Women’s Shed enabled them to learn new skills. “They have got to the point where they are sick of relying on others to do something simple around the place,” Belinda said. “So, it’s that feeling of achievement that they have done something and created something.” Community Shed Supervisor Rick Price oversees the Women’s Shed and assists the ladies in showing them how to use the tools and equipment. One key element central to the success of the Community Shed’s service to locals, including the women’s workshop program, is fellowship among its attendees. Formally known as the ‘Men’s Shed’, the shed services several groups, including NDIS clients three sessions a week, with one day a week dedicated to men at risk of social isolation through the running of men’s workshop groups. They have run successfully for many years, with members often staying for hours beyond the shed’s allocated times to enjoy lunch together, chat about their woodwork creations, and fellowship among each other. “I think the fellowship stuff is really important,” Belinda said. “I know it is for the men who turn up every week. They look forward to that. I go into the shed on a Wednesday when they’re all there, and they are all chit-chatting and having their coffee break. They bounce ideas off each other. They’re helping each other out. It’s just a real nice little community.” Fellowship is a key element for the Women’s Shed program, especially for some ladies involved with the TDR group (Drug and Alcohol rehab group) who are now starting to get involved with the workshop group to learn new skills. “They get so much out of it,” Belinda said. “The shed has met a critical need in the community. We have seen this with the men and also from the TDR group who are on a journey. The feedback we’re getting from their counsellors is the workshop stuff is just such a release for them. They work on the serious stuff … then they come into the workshop for two or three hours in the afternoon, get their hands in there, make stuff, cut wood, hammer away, and are chit-chatting and so are giving to each other. They are an amazing group, and while the change-over (for the workshop group) is every eight weeks, some want to keep coming back and do the woodwork.” Plans are in place to run the Women’s Shed program at night once a week to cater to women who work during the day. Federal MP for Bendigo Lisa Chesters has given funding towards wood and other items for the Community Shed, while the Red Shield Appeal has funded a local volunteer to cover her attendance at the women’s group. A small fee of $8 for each male/female participant goes towards equipment and costs. For more details on the Women’s Shed program, phone the Community Services office on (03) 54408410 or email rick.price@salvationarmy.org.au

Canberra City Salvos have created Salvos Gardening, a social enterprise that empowers people who have completed the Salvation Army drug and alcohol program to get back into employment. Rachel and Russ share their story of how Salvos Gardening has changed the course of their lives, giving them hope for the future. For more info, visit salvationarmy.org.au/locations/australian-capital-territory/salvos-gardening

BY LAUREN MARTIN When it comes to volunteering with The Salvation Army, there are so many ways people can use their gifts and talents for good. Recently, a volunteer team from design software company Canva painted a mural at a Salvation Army homelessness services centre in Sydney. Elizabeta Chessum from The Salvation Army’s Corporate Partnerships team said Canva approached the Salvos looking for a volunteering opportunity as part of their ‘Force for Good’ initiative. “Given they employ lots of designers, they suggested they could create a mural for one of our centres. I knew that Foster House staff were keen to freshen up some of their spaces, and so a mural at Foster House was proposed.” Foster House is The Salvation Army’s men’s crisis accommodation service in the heart of Sydney. It provides accommodation and case management to assist men experiencing homelessness to secure longer-term, stable housing. The team from Canva came up with three different mural designs, and staff at Foster House chose ‘The Wavy Roads Landscape’ by Maria Izvestkina as the one to be painted in the games room. Then, the action began with 50 Canva staff volunteering over three days to paint it on the wall. Robyn King from the Canva Foundation said: “Our team of Canvanaut volunteers, alongside the amazing team at Foster House, loved using creativity and design to help local communities and make a tangible difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness and hardship.” Elizabeta said staff and residents at Foster House were blown away by the result. “It was amazing to watch the Canva designers develop unique, trauma-informed art and to see it transform the gaming room to create a truly welcoming space that encourages connection, community and collaboration for the residents at Foster House.”

BY ANTHONY CASTLE Perth’s Balga Corps hosted a variety concert on 14 October, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Balga Salvo Community Band and fundraising for the Just Brass program. The event featured music from popular films, media presentations, and musical guests, including Just Brass Founder John Collinson, Sofia Watts from The Voice and Alice Bollen, an emerging Perth brass musician. Just Brass Coordinator Phil Jennings and the team helped coordinate the event to celebrate those who’ve been playing for years and to raise funds for those young people in the community who are just starting to learn. “The event was a variety-style concert,” explains Jo Ineson, Director of Early Learning Centre and Children Family Health Services. “The community band are well known for putting on a big, impressive performance. The Community Band builds relationships with those who have played brass in the past or have been in corps bands. The Community Band then provides teachers and fundraising support for Just Brass, too.” Just Brass is a music program that develops young people and provides free brass music lessons to children from disadvantaged schools. Just Brass is run by The Salvation Army in partnership with schools and communities and has operated in Balga since 2017. Members of the Community Band provide much-needed instruction and mentoring. “Just Brass had 46 kids perform at the concert,” says Phil Jennings, Just Brass coordinator. “There are just over 50 young people in the program, with a handful learning only a few weeks. Just Brass uses funds for a teacher in the schools, resources, instruments, and the most important part for many of the kids: afternoon tea.” Research demonstrates that music education can improve a child’s overall academic performance and general wellbeing. Students can receive free weekly individual and or group music tuition in their schools through Just Brass and have ensemble rehearsals weekly at The Salvation Army. “Almost all of the kids in the program are from the local community suburbs,” Phil explains. “We have a relationship with the local primary school, and people hear about it through the different ministry expressions. It helps the whole person to master a musical skill, but also how they relate to one another.” Suburban challenges The Salvation Army’s Social Justice Stocktake reveals that Balga is situated in an electorate facing many challenges around mental health, housing affordability, alcohol and drug misuse, and homelessness. One of the common themes from respondents living in the area was a sense of disempowerment. “Balga and the surrounding suburbs are classed as lower-socioeconomic,” explains Jo. “There’s cost of living challenges, unemployment, addiction, homelessness, you name it. Getting music into the school has been a key thing.” The local primary school principal has spoken about the difference the program has made in the lives of young people in both school results and social development. Fifteen-year-olds who started with the Just Brass program at the beginning are still involved and make their way to Balga Corps each week. “It’s all about connecting,” Phil says. “We teach the kids music, but it’s not about the music. It’s about the child and their full potential, and we extend that into the families. The music is a way to expand their horizons as we input into their lives.” Balga Corps’ Just Brass program is looking to expand, to provide scholarships for students in high school to study music, for more of the Just Brass children to attend Creative Arts Camps, and to continue to grow its new junior youth group connections. The most important thing is that Just Brass continues as a space to learn and a place to be loved (and to serve afternoon tea, of course). “We love the children as Jesus would love them,” Jo says. “We create a safe place for them, to make sure they’re well, they’re healthy, seen and heard and valued. Their potential is increased when they’re supported. When a life crisis happens, they are more resilient. Our ministries do support transformation in their lives and the lives of the parents.”

The Salvation Army has received the Roy Morgan Most Trusted Brand Award in the charity sector for the second year running. Roy Morgan is Australia’s best-known and longest-established market research company. Colonel Rodney Walters, Secretary for Communications, attended the awards ceremony last week on behalf of The Salvation Army. The charity sector was introduced in 2022 and The Salvation Army has won both times, with 25,000 Australians being surveyed. “With so many not-for-profits doing great work in the community, we are very fortunate to hold this special position,” said Amity Cartwright, Head of Brand and Marketing for The Salvation Army in Australia. “Being trusted goes a long way when it comes to somebody building up the courage to reach out and ask for help, become part of one of our communities, to decide to financially support our work or partner with us in another way.” In recognising The Salvation Army, Roy Morgan acknowledged that the Salvos were widely known for supporting people in need, delivering frontline services – whether it be recovery from addiction, homelessness, disaster recovery or basic welfare – and less familiar services such as financial counselling, Red Shield defence services, youth services, chaplaincy and funerals. To read the full report on the 2023 awards, go to the Roy Morgan website here.

BY ANTHONY CASTLE Auxiliary-Lieutenant Steve Freind is a mission leader at Ellenbrook Salvos and a Youth and Young Adults Secretary in Western Australia. The invitation to support hundreds of young people in prayer started a year-long journey that has made all the difference to his spiritual life. “This prayer event came on the radar about 12 months ago for me, with some conversations with key leaders in Western Australia,” Steve explains. “Perth had got picked for the World Prayer Assembly, and I was asked to engage the youth and young adults at the event. There was a team of us that came together and journeyed together for nine months, praying into the space, asking how we engage young people in all this?” The World Prayer Assembly recently convened at the Perth Convention Centre from 3-6 October. The assembly drew a diverse crowd of over 5000 participants worldwide for prayer sessions, workshops and guest speakers. Steve has been a youth worker for 18 years, engaging young people and leaders at camps and through programs and conferences across Australia. “We wanted to hear the voices of young people,” Steve says. “We didn’t know how many were coming to the event, but across the week, we engaged with 500 young people. We always asked young people to lead, to speak, to set the agenda, to ask ‘what’s next?’ There can be such a spiritual passion in young people, who are way more engaged than people often think.” A spiritually hungry generation Research shows that a greater proportion of younger people attend religious services more frequently than older age groups. Data also reveals that while most Gen Z teens have little to do with church in their personal lives, a significant proportion are interested in different ways of being spiritual. “I think young people will lead the Church into new things,” says Steve. “They’re a hungry generation with strong faith, so how do we raise up young people in prayer? We asked young people, ‘What does it mean for you to pray? To pray for other young people? To be in mission spaces? What’s on your heart?’” Young adults may no longer have social or cultural ties to particular church denominations. They still rate the highest in terms of attending religious services and can be a spiritually-minded generation. Salvos Year of Prayer The Salvation Army is currently launching 12 months of prayer, uniting the states across four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), with invitations for all people of all ages to help build a rhythm of prayer. “Prayer makes all the difference,” Steve explains. “I’ve learnt that this can be done in many places, whether it’s quiet time while alone, driving in car, riding my bike, or even while running an activity in a school. I no longer run a program, assist with Doorways, or hang out with young people, hoping God will do something. I am now expectant that in all areas of ministry, God is at work. The Salvos are launching their year of prayer, and the experience of the last 12 months has led into it for me.” The Salvos Year of Prayer will focus on a different Scripture each week, and every Sunday afternoon there is an invitation to pray, either in person or online. Each week also features invitations for people to be creative and join community. “I have a whole new understanding of prayer in the last 12 months,” Steve says. “What I learned was that when you come along people through humility and unity, it’s not about your voices or theirs, it’s about what God’s doing. It’s surreal. We’re so used to working as a team, in structures, with obligations. If we can create prayer spaces, God will do something incredible.” More information about involvement with the Salvos Year of Prayer, which starts on 29 October, can be found here

BY COMMISSIONER MIRIAM GLUYAS To all who call The Salvation Army their home! Friends, I am calling all of us to prayer. To really pray. To spend time, to listen, to discern, to hear, to speak, and to speak out what God is saying to us. These are urgent and exciting days. Imagine if all of us were first on our knees and then rising up, having heard from the Lord, and going forward into a world that desperately needs Jesus. This week, we launched our Year of Prayer campaign. I have loved seeing what has been on Facebook and what corps and individuals are planning already. Aux-Lieutenant Rosy Keane, our Secretary for Spiritual Life Development, has provided us with prayer cards to use each week and a wonderful resource site. Sundays, there is the opportunity to join together and pray. Even if everyone gets a set of cards and participates in their corps experience, that would be wonderful ... and there is so much more to be involved in. To find out all you need to know about our Year of Prayer, just click on the following links or copy and paste into your browser: My Salvos - https://my.salvos.org.au/a-year-of-prayer/ Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/tsayearofprayer?mibextid=LQQJ4d Or contact Aux-Lieutenant Rosy Keane at rosy.keane@salvationarmy.org.au “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV) Bless you, friends. Let God speak, and may we respond. Believing big. Commissioner Miriam Gluyas Territorial Commander

BY LAUREN MARTIN Dozens of Australian Defence Force cadets recently reported for duty at Salvos Stores in Canberra and nearby Queanbeyan as part of the ‘Weary Dunlop’ initiative to serve local communities. The yearly event is named after Weary Dunlop, a doctor who served in the Medical Corps during World War Two and ministered to hundreds of prisoners in a Japanese Prisoner of War camp. After the war, philanthropy played a big part in his life, and as a result, first-year ADFA cadets hold a volunteer day once a year in recognition of him. This year, The Salvation Army was chosen as a beneficiary of the scheme, and 60 cadets from Charlie Company got to work sorting, tagging, serving and cleaning at Salvos Stores across the region. Salvos Stores Area Manager Bronwyn Vinen said it was great to see the ADF cadets get involved with Australia’s largest charity retailer of pre-loved goods: “Great conversations were had on the day, as they helped us to raise funds that assist Salvation Army programs that transform lives.” Major Joanne Delamore, The Salvation Army’s Senior Representative for Red Shield Defence Services, said there was a real buzz around the stores on the day, with so many Defence Force personnel on site. “They generated a lot of interest!” “It gave them great opportunities to interact with the community and to learn from Salvos Stores staff and volunteers about our mission.”

This video highlights the amazing work being done by The Salvation Army's Flagstaff accommodation service in Melbourne. Providing support to men experiencing homelessness over the age of 18, Amanda Stokes (Residential Services Manager) says that everyone is welcomed with “unconditional positive regard ... whatever their support needs”. It is the staff’s hope that with ongoing support, each person will be able to overcome life’s barriers to live independently.

In the past decade, Koorong Christian stores have closed in some areas. However, I’m very fortunate to have one in the same street as our corps, so it’s easy to wander down and pick up resources we might need. On purchasing some items there last week, the retail assistant – who was very pleasant – asked the question you often hear in stores these days: “Did you get everything you need today?” I thought, “Well, not really. I need world peace and an end to poverty, and homes for the homeless and for Christ to come again, and I didn’t get those today.” I also need people to be kinder to each other, and politicians to talk less and listen more, and employers to care more for their staff, and drug traffickers to be caught and imprisoned. While we’re talking about my needs, I could also do with some T-shirts that won’t lose shape after a few washings, and I need the price of petrol to come down and I need Wagon Wheels to go back to their original size (maybe wagons have got smaller over the years). While I’m not sure if it’s a need – maybe more a desire – I’d also like another premiership for my footy team, I’d like to hear more Cold Chisel on the car radio, I’d like McDonald’s soft-serve cones to go back to being 30 cents, and I’d like Humphrey to come back on TV. I also need teenagers to be more polite on public transport, and sporting associations to stop promoting sports betting, and singers to stop using autotune technology, and fish and chips to be cheaper. More seriously, I need people to know Christ, I need Christians to act like Christians are supposed to, I need churches to mobilise in their communities, I need the Bible to be read more broadly, and I need a Salvation Army that isn’t hesitant to talk about salvation. So that’s what I thought. Then I said, “Yes, thanks”, paid for my items and walked out. It’s an interesting question, “Did you get everything you need today?”. Maybe we should ask it of people as they’re walking out of church each Sunday after the meeting. – Major Mal Davies and his wife Major Tracey are the Corps Officers at Adelaide City Salvos

BY LAUREN MARTIN Salvation Army history books are overflowing with tales of hardship and heroic acts by its officers. A century ago, being a Salvation Army officer was often ‘hard yakka’, and despite today’s officers facing different challenges, their missional heart has stood the test of time. An excerpt from an 1893 War Cry report by two young Salvation Army officers – Captain E. A. Sincock and Lieutenant George Haycraft – seems to read right out of an old-fashioned adventure book. This duo were the hallowed ‘Salvation Riders’, their commission to go forth on horseback and carry salvation to the back-block settlers and farmers throughout Queensland: We passed through Landsborough on Thursday evening and camped about three miles out of town until the moon rose and then, saddling up again, pushed towards Caboolture, travelling from 10 o’clock on Thursday night until seven on Friday morning and having to wade through water in several places. I can assure you it was pretty cold. We passed close by Crooked Neck mountain and the Glasshouse. Crooked Neck looked as though it would come over top of us and grind us to powder, but it didn’t ... We had to walk up some of the ridges; it was like creeping up the steeple of a church ... Not all officers forged new territory, however. There were those who didn’t travel further than their own district, such as the officers of Taree, on the mid-north NSW coast, who filed this report to War Cry in 1891: ... despite the rain and the mud we are still marching on, and have had some good meetings, both at Taree and the outposts. We have also had some lively experiences while out on visits, bareback riding especially gave us cause to remember it, and on another occasion while we were crossing a creek on a log, the captain had the misfortune to make a slip and fall in, and then had to do the meeting at night in his wet clothes! Then there was The Salvation Army officer, possibly Captain David Southwell, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, who inspired the naming of the arduous ‘Golden Staircase’ (which climbs steeply up from the valley floor). It is said that the stairway got its name by way of the officer who would walk down the stairway to hold services for the shale miners in the Jamieson Valley in the 1890s. On the way back, the officer would sing the song, written by Emma Booth, O’ I’m Climbing up the Golden Stairs to Glory. Such was the mettle of those early Salvationists! (See Garth Hentzschel’s story on the Golden Stairs here). So, what of today’s Salvation Army officers? Surely life is easier nowadays with modern transport and the 21st-century comforts. “Yes, life is easier with 21st comforts, etc,” says Secretary for Personnel, Lieut-Colonel Chris Reid. “But today there are different expectations making officership just as hard. Everybody seems to want everything instantly and many of our officers are telling us that the email and administration responsibilities are drowning them, leaving little time for mission.” Chris says that part of the Australia Territory’s structure is to free up officers from the burdens of administration, property management and red tape so that mission is where energies are focused. Officers today are dealing with many complex people issues, which require high levels of training and skills. “The big difference is that Australia is no longer classed as a Christian country and we are now seeing third and fourth generations of the unchurched,” she says, referring to the challenges officers face in determining what “church” actually looks like in their unique appointments. “Back in the early days, nearly everyone went to church. Now, the ‘cookie-cutter’ approach to church no longer works, especially in our ever-changing multicultural society.”