Recently, I attended a theatre show featuring a stand-up comic who was wonderfully funny. After he’d walked off stage to rapturous applause, the crowd began cheering and clapping even louder, willing him to come back. Some of the crowd called out, “Encore! Encore!”, and eventually, he returned to do another 10 minutes on stage. It all got me thinking: “Why don’t we call for encores at church?”   Imagine if someone preached a fantastic sermon that stirred your emotions, challenged your thinking, taught you something new, made you smile and allowed you to hear God himself speaking to you. After the sermon there were people praying together in their seats, seekers at the mercy seat and words of encouragement shared between members of the congregation.   Why not then call for an encore? It seems odd to hear a great sermon and be moved deeply, and then say, “No more; that’s enough from you.” Why not hear some more and receive further blessing?   When I was growing up, there was an elderly saint at our corps who gave the best testimonies. He quoted Scripture easily and often and spoke of how God was working in his life in real and unmistakable ways. Often, at the end of his testimonies, I felt like saying, “Keep speaking! More, more.” It was the same as thinking, “Encore! Encore!”   Perhaps you’ve heard a powerful vocal solo or a moving item from a musical group, and you’ve wanted to hear it performed again. Or maybe it was a funny and interactive children’s story that you wanted to go longer. There have even been times when a pianist has played during the offering, and I wanted them to take up the offering slower because I was enjoying the song being played!   I think the closest I’ve come to including an encore in a meeting is when, very occasionally, I’ve opened with a song that really fit the theme well and then closed with the same song. A few people in the congregation might have thought it odd to sing the same song twice but most saw the relevance and appropriateness of it.   Mind you, now that I think about it, if we’re going to adopt the theatre practice of calling for encores … what is the opposite? What should we do when the sermon is boring, the vocal solo is out of tune, the band piece is too long, and the children’s story is heretical?   Should we throw tomatoes or old cabbages? Should we storm out? Should we write bad reviews online? Should we boo? Perhaps we should start a slow handclap and chant ‘borrrrrrring’.   Hmm, maybe some grace is called for. Perhaps after enduring an out-of-tune vocal solo, we just need to say, “Well, I’m sure God appreciated that. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to work on my tolerance and patience; it’s character-building. Enduring that horribly discordant cacophony is helping me become holier. I can feel the holiness spreading through my body even as I sit here.”   Next Sunday, call for an encore after something in the meeting and see what happens. But not after the offering – they’ll send the offering bags around twice!   Major Mal Davies is the Assistant Divisional Commander for the Victoria Division.

Please keep in your thoughts and prayers the following officers who will reach the retirement milestone: Effective 31 December 2024 Major Lyn Cathcart Major Jo-Anne Chant Major Barry Fischle Major Russell McLeod Major Warren Lock Major Pamela Marshall Major Sherrie Nicol Major Elizabeth Walmsley Major Michael Wright   Effective 30 November 2024 Major Beth Twivey   Effective 30 September 2024 Majors Alison and Ian Platt Effective 30 June 2024 Auxiliary-Lieutenants Alan and Amy Wu Effective 30 April 2024 Major Julie Grant Effective 31 January 2024 Major Jennifer Anderson ‌ Effective 31 January 2024 Major Glenda Brown ‌Major Randall Brown ‌Captain Anne Hill ‌ Major Howard Smartt ‌Major Robyn Smartt Effective 28 February 2024 Major Catherine Rogerson Effective 31 March 2024 Major Peter Anderson Major Heather Craig

To read Noel’s Promoted to Glory notice, click here

To view the latest Appointment Bulletin, click here

Each week throughout this year, Salvationists around the world are uniting in prayer for a particular territory or region of The Salvation Army.   Prayer requests are shared by the focus territory/region to help us pray with precision and power for one another.  This week (18-24 November) we are praying for the Philippines Territory . This territory is made up of 8825 senior soldiers, 5503 adherents and 1018 junior soldiers. There are 88 corps, 25 outposts, 246 officers (151 active and 95 retired), 11 cadets and 67 employees.   Praise points For the third quarter of the year, the following programs were blessed and mightily used by God for the development of the personal spiritual lives of officers and members and The Salvation Army’s presence in the communities: Ministry workers training (14-25 August) Active single officers retreat (21-23 August) Holiness conference (24-28 September) Integrated community development program (evaluation of phase one). Prayer requests The change in leadership as our present Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries prepare to leave the territory. Construction of a new Bethany Children’s Home (BCH) building. The building, which has served for more than forty years, had to be demolished. BCH cares for girls who have been sexually abused. Please pray that we will be able to build a better shelter for the girls. NetSuite go-live on 2 December 2024. The second phase of the integrated community development program. The gospel arts camp in May 2025. The health of officers. For more information on The Philippines Territory, click here . For more information on the International Prayer Focus 2024 and to download the calendar, click here .

Over the past few years, Morley Salvos has embarked on an ambitious building project – converting a gymnasium into a Salvos Store and creating the Milk + Honey cafe, with the express aim of uniting their community in one hub. Corps Officer Major Pete Brookshaw says he loves “what God is doing through this community”. It is “bringing an outward focus amongst the congregation, a desire to reach others, understand and share our faith ...” and ultimately see people “encounter the person of Jesus Christ”.

I fidget. I’ve done it for decades. I don’t do it all the time, but I do it a lot. I tap my fingers on my desk; I twirl a pen in my fingers; I click my fingers. In the good old days when people carried coins (you remember them), I would fiddle with a coin in my fingers if I was out and about somewhere.   I’ve even organised my fidgeting. On my desk is a small tin (that used to hold some very nice lollies) that is home to nine fidgeting items, including a mini slinky, some magnets, a small spinning top, a mini cricket ball and, of course, a fidget spinner. Often, when I settle into a long online meeting, the tin is moved closer, and these items get a (below screen visibility) workout.   Working in editorial departments for 12 years meant I often had a pen in hand. It not only got used a lot but would give me something to fiddle with. I would even pick up my pen and take it with me when going to see someone at another desk. I knew I’d reached addiction level when I would walk to the bathroom and realise I’d picked up my pen to take with me!   I suspect William Booth fidgeted. From my reading, he strikes me as someone who was full of energy and constantly on the go, and I suspect sitting down and not moving was largely beyond him. He had a kind of ferocious energy that consumed everything in his path. I once read that his son, Bramwell – a far calmer man – described him by saying: “His normal condition was restless. He was always a kind of travelling earthquake.”   I have a photo of the Founder in my office: he’s sitting at a desk with papers spread out in front of him, and he’s holding an ink pen. I suspect the pen got quite a workout, and I even wonder – highly inappropriately, of course – if he absentmindedly took it to the bathroom with him. I bet you he did.   In the Bible, I suspect Peter was fidgety. He seemed to have a lot of energy and wasn’t one for sitting still. Peter fished (John 21:3); he walked on water (Matthew 14:29); he climbed mountains (Matthew 17:1); he ran (Luke 24:12); he swam (John 21:7); he laid hands on people (Acts 8:17), he even waved a sword around (John 18:10). Peter and verbs just go together naturally: “Watch Peter jump. Watch Peter run. Watch Peter swim. Watch Peter slice someone’s head open with a sharp bit of metal.”   He was a fisherman by trade, so I suspect he fidgeted with fishing lures or bits of rope to practise knots with. I’d like to think he also had a little wooden cross in his pocket (purchased from Koorong), but I may be getting ahead of things with that thought.   God bless fidgeters everywhere. While living a contemplative life full of calm, serene reflections on the life of faith is admirable, God also needs people who can’t sit still. Think of us as the fidgety part of the body of Christ – who, incidentally, probably walked around with a few nails and screws and old drill bits in his pocket ... just to fidget with.   Major Mal Davies is the Assistant Divisional Commander for the Victoria Division.

International Headquarters (IHQ) is encouraging Salvationists around the world to engage with each other and prepare their hearts for the Advent season this year (1-24 December).   The IHQ team is extending the invitation to spend time in the opening verses of John’s Gospel , exploring what these verses reveal to us about who Jesus is – the Word, Creator, Life, Light, Immanuel, God with us. “Our hope is that in this Advent season, in the midst of Christmas preparations, celebrations and busy schedules, you will encounter Jesus and the significance of his arrival for all of humanity,” the team writes.   The resources are available in Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili and Tamil. To download the resources, click here .   Follow @SalvArmySpiritualLife on Facebook and Instagram to receive prompts on your feed daily, connect with others who are reading, and be encouraged.

To read Warren’s promoted to glory notice, click here

Salvation Army officers who have concluded their service in 2024: Effective 14 November 2024 Captain Marcus Wunderlich  Effective 7 November 2024 Major Fouzia Mubarik                                         Effective 18 October 2024 Aux-Lieutenant Lisa Wynne Effective 27 August 2024 Major Andrew Walker Major Kathy Crombie Effective 2 April 2024 Major Deborah Robinson Effective 18 March 2024 Captain Lloyd Stanimirovic

Inspired by Luke 14:15-24 , this message highlights the importance of creating accessible faith pathways for people with disabilities within Christian communities. It emphasises that true inclusion goes beyond making physical adjustments – it’s about genuinely valuing people and inviting them into our lives. By ensuring that our communities are welcoming to all, we follow Jesus’ example and create opportunities for everyone to connect with faith and fellowship. Click here for MySalvos resources for International Day of People with Disabilities (3 December) Owen Middleton has a dream for The Salvation Army . Click here to read his story.

Each week throughout this year, Salvationists around the world are uniting in prayer for a particular territory or region of The Salvation Army.   The prayer calendar is an initiative of International Headquarters, with prayer requests being shared by the focus territory/region to help us pray with precision and power for one another.    This week (11-17 November), we are praying for the Middle East Region . Pray for the Middle East Region As a region, our foundations are firmly planted in faith; we are inspired by the living hope of Jesus Christ and endeavour to serve our neighbours in love. We thank God for the privilege of Christian worship and for faithful soldiers and officers from around the world who have come to the Middle East to live and work. We are grateful for the financial support our region receives, which allows us to continue God's mission through The Salvation Army. Prayer requests: We pray for reconciliation and peace in the Middle East. We ask for prayers of strength and guidance for believers living and working in the Middle East who seek to live in harmony with all people and to be peacemakers in an area of the world, which is often divided. We are praying for God to open a pathway to official registration and recognition of The Salvation Army within the countries of the Middle East Region. We pray specifically for God to raise up friends of The Salvation Army who are people of influence within the countries we work. We pray especially for the victims of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. We pray that God would open doors to freedom and that traffickers would repent. We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us to like-minded partners in this vital area of ministry. We are praying for others to feel the call to service and ministry in the Middle East Region. Bahrain We praise God that The Salvation Army soldiers here in Bahrain are united in their desire to be the light of God right where they are placed. We give thanks to God that we were able to receive some funding from the Newman feeding project, meaning that we can get desperately needed food to some of the most vulnerable. God has opened opportunities to outreach and link with many who have been tricked or trafficked and are now in a desperate situation in this country. We thank the Holy Spirit for leading us to like-minded people and organisations with whom we can network and partner as we provide relief to those suffering. Prayer requests: We pray that God will provide those that the corps supports with safe solutions to their circumstances, such as safe and rewarding employment, appropriate living arrangements and care for their families back home. We pray for more God-guided opportunities to reach out to the most vulnerable. We pray that the processes surrounding becoming a registered church and charity flow smoothly. Kuwait God has provided committed soldiers who continue to be an inspiration, strength, and light in this corps and country, even as they transition to having no corps officer at present. We praise God for all the opportunities to minister that he places before us in our workplaces, schools, homes and community. We are blessed that the children and young people continue to grow in their faith. We praise God for inspiring young people to step into the music team and participate in worship. Prayer requests: Spiritual growth for the members of our corps and that we would seek to know him more and more. Please pray for our C-Clinic program. This is a ministry where volunteer doctors, nurses and others in administrative roles hold a free clinic at the National Evangelical Church Kuwait (NECK) compound each Friday. The four Cs are Care, Counsel, Consultation, and Connections. Please pray for the ongoing health of all volunteers and for donations of basic resources and protection for all. The key things checked are blood pressure and blood sugar, which regularly pick up people who are seriously unwell and often don’t realise it. We pray that God will continue to draw these people in so that lifestyle changes and medical interventions can be made. Oman We thank God for raising up talented and committed corps leadership in Oman who faithfully serve in three locations. We continually praise God for them. The corps in Oman are fortunate to have faithful soldiers who love and serve God despite often living many miles from one another and worship centres. Thank you, Lord, for the bonds within the family of God. Prayer requests: Pray for corps leadership in Oman to be strengthened and encouraged. We pray especially for more Tamil resources to become available to support the ministry of the corps. We seek God’s protection and intervention as the country of Oman goes through many transitions and unrest. Join us in praying for additional resources and leadership for the ministry in Oman. United Arab Emirates (UAE) God has richly blessed UAE. We praise God for allowing Salvationists to come to this place and to benefit from the opportunities available to them. We are blessed to worship with people from many places around the world and get to glimpse of heaven when we worship together. We thank God for the blessing of technology, which has allowed us to worship, even when it is difficult to meet with each other. Prayer requests: We pray for official approvals which would allow The Salvation Army more opportunities to worship and serve in UAE. We pray for Salvationists in UAE to have the time and opportunity to worship with one another. Often, work times and worship times do not align. We pray for our many soldiers and friends who are transitioning to and from UAE in search of opportunities and employment. Lord, keep them safe on their travels and help them remain faithful. For more information on the Middle East Region, click here . For more information on the International Prayer Focus 2024 and to download the calendar, click here .