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In the first devotional of a monthly series, General Lyndon Buckingham reflects on the biblical account of the woman at the well. There are some amazing stories in the Bible. I love the stories where people are having an encounter with Jesus. There’s one recorded of a Samaritan woman who meets Jesus sitting by a well. After what was a powerful encounter, she immediately returns to tell people in the village all about it. John’s Gospel records it like this: “Then leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.’ They came out of the town and made their way toward him” (John 4:28-30). The Bible tells us that many became believers because of her testimony. Never underestimate the power of your testimony, your story of what the Lord has done for you. I want to encourage us as Salvationists to continue to look for opportunities to share our testimony and to tell the story of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ. I leave you this morning with a verse from 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts set apart Christ Jesus as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.” This week I pray you will have lots of opportunities to share the good news. God bless you. To watch the video of this devotional, click .

BY ANTHONY CASTLE Major Catherine Spiller is the coursework coordinator at Eva Burrows College and a researcher specialising in worship and disability. While she was an associate corps officer at Mooroolbark Corps (Vic.) several years ago, Catherine started to build inclusive models of worship, searching for bigger ways to do church. “We started to see an increase in people with disability attending the corps,” Catherine explains. “I was asking, what’s going on here? I was also observing the more severe the disability, the harder it was for a person to engage. Mooroolbark Corps (in Melbourne’s east) is a beautiful place with an atmosphere of welcome, but there was still a sense that there was more we could do to offer greater inclusion of people.” Catherine’s Doctorate of Ministry has focused on how to better include people with intellectual disability in corporate worship. Inclusion is often thought to be about the design of facilities, such as bathrooms and entrance ramps. While accessibility is a key issue, the larger question is how people with intellectual disabilities are centred in what communities do. “We think of physical space as ticking the inclusion boxes, but it’s actually saying, how do we ask people to participate on a Sunday?” Catherine says. “If you can’t read or speak, suddenly the bulk of what we do becomes very difficult. Can we actually provide multiple ways for people to have access and foster greater participation? I am also a parent of an adult child with an intellectual disability so, for me, I was asking, ‘How can I include him in worship more?’” The initiative was part of a larger project of missional experimentation at Mooroolbark Corps, consulting with the corps and community. The corps spent a year reaching out to businesses and stakeholders and talking with people on the street to understand what the local needs and opportunities might be. “It was clear that the corps had a passion to look outside the 10am Sunday service,” explains Captain Ashley Proctor, Mooroolbark Corps Officer since 2017. “We started on a journey. We spoke to key personnel in the local area. We spent a long time in prayer about what God was calling us to do and where God was working. From that, we moved into the field of disability and inclusion.” The resulting decision was not to replace Sunday morning meetings at Mooroolbark Corps but to reimagine how those gatherings invited people to participate and to trial more inclusive models of worship across 12 weeks. “Both Catherine and I have kids with disability, and a number of other families have clear needs,” says Ashley. “We wanted to try and work with that and build a community around them. When we look at what we do on a Sunday, it’s very easy to have the same format. We can take it for granted that everyone can sit and do what we do.” The resources developed for Sundays restructured the points of participation in worship so as not to be so reliant on literacy and verbal communication skills and the core actions of reading and singing, sitting and listening. “One of the things we played around with was the call to worship,” Catherine says. “We would pick the Psalm from the lectionary reading and think about how we could invite people to participate. It was about creating multiple options for people. The congregation could read, speak, sign or even choose not to participate. I did not want to start a disability ministry but wanted to discover what it means to be the Body of Christ worshipping together.” The work at Mooroolbark Corps resulted in resources that were rolled out across the 12 weeks. These resources could be distributed more widely in future for those wanting to grow more inclusive faith communities. “My son is limited in his speech,” Catherine says. “One Sunday, he was invited to lead the final song. He got up, grabbed the microphone and gestured to everyone to join in with the song and actions. He had a blast doing that, there was a distinct shift in him after that experience. He started to welcome people, engaging people at the door, learning names. It was as if he felt ‘this is my place, this is where I belong’. It wasn’t evident before that moment. The impact shows that an inclusive model of worship isn’t just experimenting with bigger ways to do church but an experience that’s transformative, revealing a bigger understanding of the Body of Christ. “When we invite people to participate, it’s quite wonderful,” Catherine says. “We receive gifts from people that God has equipped people to give. It’s transformative for people to participate fully.”

By JAMES BURNS Are you an optimist or a pessimist? A worrier? That’s me! Anxious? Yes, sometimes. Philippians 4:5-6 tells us that “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything.” But perhaps you’ve read that many times before and even feel it doesn’t work. We often sing, ‘This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ But do we always feel like that or sometimes sing it through gritted teeth? You may have heard the song ‘Jesus is All I Need’ by Hans Knutzen that includes the words, ‘When I'm crying like a lost child in the dead of night, Feeling left behind, nowhere to go.’ And respond by saying, “I know that feeling.” But we’re not alone, for in Psalm 6:6-7 we find these words, “I am worn out by grief; every night my bed is damp from my weeping; my pillow is soaked with tears.” But are you really a lost child? No, for God knows exactly where you are and what you’re going through. He’s with you! Even if at our lowest, it seems otherwise. Thank God that the Bible is full of honest laments – particularly Psalms – when David and others complained to God about their lot. But God is not offended by that – he wants us to be honest with him. Whenever I’ve read the story of The Lost Sheep, I previously thought of it applying to someone else, perhaps someone who was no longer a believer. But what if it’s about me? What if I’m feeling lost because of various life concerns or because I have strayed away from God’s way? If that’s you, cry out, “Jesus, come for me!” In Genesis 1: 3-5, we read that in the beginning, God made a day. Not a week or a fortnight, but a day. And that reminds me of the song, ‘One Day at a Time’, sung by Lena Martell, which got to No.1 in 1979. In particular, the words of the chorus that say, ‘Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do.” In his book The Day is Yours, Ian Stackhouse wrote about a friend who, during a bad bout of depression, applied the discipline of living one day at a time. “He would wake up each morning and ask Jesus if we can do today – we being the operative word – and then, having received some kind of affirmation from the Lord that indeed it was possible to do today, proceeded to live that day. Then the next day, he would do exactly the same thing, and then the next day, and the next day. As he describes it, it was a one-day contract.” In the Lord’s prayer, we ask, “Give us this day our daily bread” – but these days, we generally know where our next meal is coming from, so how does that apply today? I’m reminded that when tempted by Devil, Jesus quoted the words of Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man must not live on bread alone but on everything that the Lord says.” But how do we know what that is? By reading our daily bread – the Bible. I recently read a devotional that stated, “Help me to arm myself with Scripture. Help me to learn it, live it and use it, especially when the heavy pull of temptation or testing drags me down.” If we break a leg or have physical problems, as Christians, we don’t feel guilty then, so there is no need to when we suffer anxiety or depression. Nor when we must take medication or engage in talking therapies. If Jesus was standing beside us, would we still be afraid? Matthew 28:20 reminds us that he said, “Surely I am with you always”, so cry out to him when we’re attacked by anxiety. In her book Glorious Weakness, Alia Joy wrote, “There are so many among us who hurt, and we may never know we’re sitting next to someone barely holding all the pieces together when we gather together on a Sunday to sing rickety hymns and hear God’s word cracked open for us.” Perhaps we need to be honest and share our anxiety with a trusted friend, hopefully in our corps. After all, if we can’t be honest there, where can we be? And if someone does confide in us, may we be willing to support them in their journey. *James Burns is a freelance writer from the Dunstable Corps in the United Kingdom.

Following the break-up of her marriage, Carly was in a dark place. She attended a community dinner at Caloundra Salvos (Qld), enjoying a free cooked meal and some company. That first contact with the Salvos blossomed into something a lot more. Carly now attends the Positive Lifestyle Program and has found a friendship circle and support network that she never expected.

To read Gloria’s tribute, click here

BY CLIFF WORTHING How did a First Nations man from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho, United States, end up as Queensland Youth Services Manager? Firstly, a mission trip to New Zealand. Troy Yancey loved it so much that he decided to stay. In the 20 years he lived in New Zealand, Troy married, TeKaari Reedy, a Māori from Ngati Porou/Ngati Wai, and they now have four children and one grandchild. He studied at Massey University and Idaho State University. He has worked a variety of jobs in the children’s and youth sectors. Five years ago, the family went on holiday to Australia. They loved it so much they decided to stay. The family moved to the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane just before COVID-19 arrived. Recently, Troy decided he wanted to return to a team environment, so he applied for his current role, which started in November 2022. “I like to develop staff to reach their capacity, draw upon their strengths so they better care for our clients and grow our services,” Troy said. “My job is to help them shine!” For most of his career, Troy’s psychology background has supported his work in schools, prisons, the mental health sector and early childhood. In addition to his professional roles, Troy and his wife have also fostered over 23 children. “I’ve always had a thing working with kids, especially those who are struggling or in trouble. I appreciate their personalities, problem-solving skills, and ability to think on their feet,” he said. “Every child needs to feel safe, be loved, and be given a chance. I love those kids because I was one of them.” Troy is enjoying working with the various youth services around Queensland and getting to understand how The Salvation Army works in this space. “I really believe strongly in the possibilities,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun building relationships with the corps.” One project Troy is working on with the local corps is a short to medium-term housing project for youth in Bundaberg. “There is some pretty cool stuff happening in the regions through the Salvos,” he said. “I’d have to say it’s one of the best organisations to work for because it is well-resourced to make an impact,” Troy said. “I’m finding that things either happen at the speed of light or take so long, but I see we can do so much stuff together as the corps and social mission streams work together.” Troy mentioned his faith journey began through his paternal grandparents. As he watched siblings and friends go to prison or join gangs, his grandparents introduced him to God and church life. “God has been life-saving for me personally,” Troy said. “My life’s work is to give back and help people choose a better path.”

MAJOR PETER McGUIGAN* writes personally about The Salvation Army Australia’s new message for the community: ‘Believe in good’. I’ve been a Salvationist most of my life – you could say the whole of my life, given I was born into a Salvation Army family. Not only that, but I’m a blueblood Salvo, sold out to the Army’s mission to transform the world by sharing God’s love in word and deed. I’ll give up lots to play my part in seeing the fulfilment of this great goal. During my lifetime, many phrases have been employed by the Salvos to engage the community in supporting their mission. Perhaps the most memorable was ‘Thank God for the Salvos’, a line we still sometimes hear from community members when they see us in action. Others have included ‘We’re all in this together’, taking its lead (with permission) from the number one hit song by Ben Lee. And ‘You can give hope where it’s needed most’, one of our more recent mottos using the Red Shield in place of the ‘o’ in hope. But last month, for the first time in a long time, I felt inspired by a message from The Salvation Army that is much more than a cry to support our work. Last month, my organisation, my church, released a statement of encouragement for humankind to believe in something that transcends everything that weighs us down, destroys people’s lives, and keeps humanity from thriving. Believe in good ‘Believe in good’ were the words that rang out from the Salvos like a church bell ringing across a valley on a Sunday morning, calling people to believe, experience and share the goodness of God amid uncertainty about humanity’s future. “Whatever happened to good” goes the ad that hit our TV screens late last month. “It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot … At the Salvos, we believe ‘good’ deserves better. Let’s reclaim its true meaning …” (to see the ad, go to https://youtu.be/7inBkslElCU). “If ever there was a time for the individuals, families and communities of Australia to draw a line in the sand and believe in good, it is now.” ‘Believe in good’ is a statement for our times, coming from the heart of The Salvation Army. Listening to the 5am news last week, and already aware of this new message, it was noticeable that the first five news items were about bad things happening in the world. I considered how easy it is for us to be personally stressed about our global and local state of affairs. It conjures a feeling of helplessness – not knowing what one can do about it. If ever there was a time for the individuals, families and communities of Australia to draw a line in the sand and believe in good, it is now. To believe in good is to lift our heads above the cultural gravity line and choose to be no longer pulled down by the negative, the bad, the gloom and the foreboding that seems to hang in the atmosphere. It is to create a culture of good in the world that resists all that destroys the human spirit and takes positive action towards ending the bad things – things like homelessness, racism, poverty, family violence and environmental decline. It’s about no longer giving way or accepting trends on social media that gravitate towards infamy, scandal and false premise. Believing in good, we choose to see through the eyes of God and give ourselves towards making the world a better place for all. It is going to a deeper place and recognizing and entering into the source of goodness – the unmitigated love of God – even if we don’t fully understand the goodness and the love of God or don’t think we deserve it. A multi-dimensional message The Salvos’ new message is multi-dimensional. Its first goal aims to raise the spirit of Australians amid challenging times and point them to the ultimate source of good. Introducing the Salvos’ new message last Sunday at Tuggeranong Corps in Canberra, Major Dean Clarke said that ‘Believe in good’ opened the door for conversations about belief and goodness. At Parramatta Corps, Major Kylie Collinson said she was “a little emotional” when she first saw the ‘Believe in good’ video produced especially for Salvos (go to Believe in Good - YouTube). “I love that The Salvation Army helps somebody every 17 seconds … We believe in this transforming good. We believe in the hope that comes from [good]. We believe in the hope that Jesus brings.” ‘Believe in good’ also encourages people from every corner of the community to join us in believing in good and making it happen, particularly in the dark places of the world where one too many people struggle with life in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. By believing in good and acting on it, together, we can make a difference. That’s what the Salvos are saying on this level. Then, ‘believe in good’ is also a message for the Salvos themselves – their internal public or stakeholders, public relations linguists might say. And I’m talking first about fully signed-up Salvos. These are people who, like me, have signed up to experience and share the goodness of God in both word and deed. It is about following the example of Jesus Christ, who introduced humanity to a new way of living, including how we think about ourselves and our actions. “... at the heart of ‘Believe in good’ is a strong call to renewal.” It was Jesus who gave us the example of the Good Samaritan. And to a question that was put to him about healing people on the Sabbath, he replied, counter-culturally, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (see Matthew 12). Like it has been for many charities and churches in the 21st century, things haven’t been easy for the church side of The Salvation Army. A confluence of changes in the world – including those brought about by the pandemic, the impact of social media, and people questioning the relevance of traditional church sub-culture – has resulted in significant challenges for The Salvation Army. But the Salvos are reimagining themselves in this vastly different world to the one where they first set out on their mission more than 150 years ago. ‘Believe in good’ captures the essence of this re-creation, both for themselves and the world. The source of the good we espouse remains the same, and at the heart of ‘Believe in good’ is a strong call to renewal. How we communicate and share goodness is under renovation. Our new catchcry is a call to transformative action for Salvos and the world at large. By the way, this past month, I’ve been personally challenged by Psalm 119:68, a heartfelt prayer given up by the ancient King David amid his own challenging circumstances: “You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness.” * Major Peter McGuigan is The Salvation Army’s Head of Government Relations for Australia, based in Canberra. Additionally, he is a writer for Salvos Online and Salvos Magazine. For more information, go to: https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/

Greetings friends, The Salvos are made of people who believe! Many of us believe in God. All of us believe in doing good that brings hope and transforms lives. At the formation of one national territory, a strategic initiative was set by Leadership and the Board to refresh and modernise the brand language and presentation of The Salvation Army. Over the past year or so, we have progressed well to this aim and are now ready to take the next exciting steps, which will see this work shared with you all and the Australian community. While we might be uncomfortable with thinking of ourselves as a ‘brand’, it is how many in the community view us. And as a movement, it is critical that we seek to refresh and modernise our presentation so that we can connect with new groups in the community who may not have been aware of us before. Very soon, you will see our new brand expression, Believe in Good, popping up around you and the community. Believe in Good has been created with the whole Army in mind; it’s something that everyone in the community can participate in, and it’s a platform to start to talk about who we are as a movement. Everyone has the capacity to believe in good. Belief for The Salvation Army is at our very core – our belief in Jesus and the transformational power of hope that comes through faith is seen and brought to life every day across Australia. As Psalm 27:13 (ISV) says, we believe we will see God’s kingdom on earth: “I believe that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 ISV). Unlike expressions like Thank God for the Salvos, which were embraced by many but created to support our fundraising appeals, Believe in Good speaks to us all. And right now, in a world where people are suffering and the escalating cost of living crisis continues, it’s important that we not only have something we stand by but something uplifting and positive for our community to connect with and participate in. This is new ground for The Salvation Army in Australia – never before have we had something to unite us all nationally and represented that consistently in the eyes of the community. All the Believe in Good resources you may need are available in the new mySalvos toolkit. Our new TV Commercial will be airing on Sunday 27 August and will be available for download in the toolkit the following week. I encourage you to embrace the Believe in Good resources in the toolkit in your day-to-day work and share them with your teams! Every blessing, Colonel Rodney S Walters Secretary for Communications Go to https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/ for more information.

BY LAUREN MARTIN For the first time since the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Melbourne and Sydney Staff Songsters are coming together for a celebration worship concert at Parramatta Corps in Sydney’s west. “It will be a worship and praise evening to celebrate all things choral,” said Sydney Staff Songsters Manager Ryan Howes. The groups have chosen four songs to sing together, with many other pieces to be performed separately. They will come together for a combined rehearsal before their performance on Saturday 23 September. “There’s a real excitement about singing together as one large choir,” said Ryan. “There’s the chance to have the two different styles of the groups together on the one stage.” On Sunday 24 September, the groups will separate, with Melbourne Staff Songsters taking part in worship at Hurstville Salvation Army and Sydney Staff Songsters joining with Rockdale. “We want to throw a spotlight on choral singing in the Army again. It’s no secret that corps songster brigades are fading or have disappeared entirely – COVID made for a tough time,” said Ryan. “But I think COVID also made us realise how much people naturally want to be together – and as Christians, we want to worship together. Choral singing is a natural expression of this, and the growth of choral music internationally in the wake of the pandemic reflects those desires. “I’m excited to see choirs coming together in Australia in events like this one – there’s a lot of contemporary choral music being published on the international stage, and it’s great to see that making its way into Australia. “I suppose people will have to come along to find out!” For those who can’t make the combined concert at Parramatta Salvation Army in person, they can watch online. A link will be made available closer to the concert date on the Sydney Staff Songsters and Melbourne Staff Songsters Facebook pages.

REVIEWED BY TANWIN TANOTO We can’t do it alone. But yet, it is hard to work together. Even in churches and ministry, we face those two dilemmas. We know we can’t reach our city and community alone. Yet working with other churches and para-church organisations seems to be more trouble than it’s worth. But if we take this ministry thing and spreading-the-good-news-of-Jesus thing seriously, we have to work together! In Impact Networks, David Ehrlichman explains a type of collaboration that “can be cultivated to accelerate learning, spark collaboration, and catalyse systematic change”. He calls it ‘Impact Networks’ – a special type of network that brings individuals and organisations together for learning and coordinated action based on a shared purpose. Ehrlichman divides this book into two parts: First, working through networks. In this part, the foundation of Impact Networks is outlined. Ehrlichman explains the mindset shift that we need to have to form Impact Networks – from a purely hierarchical mindset to an organic combination of networks and hierarchies together. This first section also explains how to make networks work, the difference between their primary forms and core activities, and the different leadership roles and their principles. I found this first section to be a big help in shaping and laying the foundation of what it is and how it differs from other kinds of networks. The second part is about cultivating impact networks. This is about making the networks work. This is where purpose and principles are clearly defined and gathering the people around that common purpose. Ehrlichman makes an interesting claim that trust is one of the ingredients to make this work. How can we cultivate trust among the gathered people and organisations? How can we weave through the many complex connections within a network? Finally, how can we deepen that trust that leads to actions? If you have tried to make connections (and failed, as I have) before, then I find this section to be very encouraging. Overall, I found this book to be practical and easy to read. Drawn from many experts and years of experience in building and making networks work, this is an encouraging book for those who are tired and exhausted from doing it alone. Impact Networks is available from amazon.com.au

To read the tribute report, click here

There’s an old joke about a father who asks his son what his favourite Christian song is, and the son replies, “The one that uses God’s real name.” The father asks curiously, “Which song is that?” and the son replies, “You know, the one that says, ‘Andy walks with me, Andy talks to me, Andy tells me I am his own’.” Misheard lyrics can play havoc with our theology and understanding of the Bible and matters of faith. Who hasn’t sung, at some stage in their life, “While shepherds washed their socks at night”? Speaking of Christmas carols, when I was a wee lad, I would sing a well-known Christmas carol and wonder why no one thought to reposition the cows in the stable at Bethlehem to protect our Lord and Saviour. After all: “The cattle are blowing the baby away.” Even one of my favourite carols can be problematic. ‘Silent Night’ is a beautiful carol, but – just as a warning to you – it’s best sung with the line, “Holy infant, so tender and mild”, not “Holy imbecile, tender and mild”. Singing the latter may cause a lightning bolt to descend on one’s head. A quick mention, also, of Kraft, who benefited from generations of Christian mischief makers singing, “What a friend we have in cheeses” – a great promo slogan but a twisted hymn. Kraft may also have liked the old harvest classic, “Bringing in the cheese”. Easter brings its own issues. A classic Easter hymn, ‘Up From the Grave He Arose’, is sung with great joy in churches across the globe on Easter Sunday. I used to wonder why Jesus was lying there at all when we sang in the first verse: “Low in the gravy lay Jesus my Saviour”. Why would you sink someone’s body in gravy, let alone Jesus? Is that any way to treat a Messiah? Perhaps a more modern confusion, given the popularity of shows like ‘The Walking Dead’, is over the scary lyrics of the old Sunday school classic, ‘Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam’. One little girl was heard singing it as “Jesus wants me for a zombie”. Sure, he raised Lazarus, but I don’t recall reading in Scripture that Lazarus walked out of the tomb singing that lyric. One old hymn, rarely sung these days, seemed to highlight a vision-impaired bear named Gladly, which may or may not have had something to do with wanting to carry Christ’s cross for him. In the age of Dumbo the elephant, Bambi the deer and Pluto the dog, generations of confused children learnt to sing, “Gladly, the cross-eyed bear”, before realising they had it all wrong. So, let’s pay attention to what we’re singing. Lyricists can toil for hours and hours over lyrics, seeking to help us draw closer to God and go deeper into faith. Let’s praise God for his amazing grace, not his superb vineyard that produces amazing grapes. – Major Mal Davies and his wife Major Tracey are the Corps Officers at Adelaide City Salvos