BY LAUREN MARTIN The Salvation Army’s Serenity House in Mount Isa, north-west Queensland, has received the ‘Excellence in Community Homelessness Services Delivery’ award at the city’s 2023 Community Services Ball. Serenity House Manager Melissa Warhurst says it is great recognition for the hard work that the small team is doing within the community. “We like to pride ourselves on going above and beyond and being quite flexible in service delivery, so it was great to be recognised.” Serenity House is a residential homelessness support service in Mt Isa, offering five units for women and children experiencing homelessness. This year, the service began mobile community support to assist more women in need who are unable to access accommodation at Serenity House due to the service being in such high demand. “We can provide women in the community with support in working towards a housing outcome, such as helping them with a housing application,” Melissa says. “We meet the women where they feel comfortable in the community and work towards ensuring they have somewhere safe to stay.” Life Matters group Recently, the service also gained a grant to continue running a successful pilot program of a weekly women’s group called ‘Life Matters’. The group is a joint project between Mt Isa Corps and Serenity House, which are co-located on one property. “The group aims to reduce social isolation for women in our remote community,” Melissa says. All women from the community are welcome, and the service strongly encourages women who are being supported by Serenity House, Mount Isa Recovery service and the local corps to attend. “We have a spiritual devotion provided by the corps members, then we have a morning tea and a craft activity or a cooking activity. At the moment, we are running a parenting course with the group.” Area Officer Major Michelle Oliver says the award is a beautiful community recognition of the team’s great work in partnering with others, like Mt Isa Corps, and reaching out to vulnerable women in the Mt Isa Community.

BY LERISSE SMITH A major birthday celebration like no other will take place next week when The Salvation Army celebrates its remarkable 140 years of Social Services in Australia with an international conference to be held in Melbourne. The five-day event at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and Project 614 venues from 8-12 November will shine a bright light on the significant milestone of Social Services, delivered by an Army raised to serve the world, with the theme ‘Everyone has a work to do’. The conference program will feature an array of local and international practitioners in the social services field to reflect, share and celebrate the rich history of helping Australians in need. A myriad of workshops will run throughout the event, plus presentations of research and discussion papers from community sector representatives, with a special celebration and thanksgiving service on the fifth and final day. And the overarching vision for the significant occasion has been simple for the organiser, Major Jenny Begent, Assistant Secretary for Mission. “I wanted everybody in the room,” said Jenny. “I’m a big-picture person. When I thought about the conference, it was not just about celebrating that we have come 140 years and that we’ve actually done some amazing stuff in there. I also wanted to see a Salvation Army that was a really vibrant part of its community, and that if we weren’t here, we just wouldn’t be missed, it would be catastrophic. That’s what I wanted to say.” Proud history The humble beginnings of the Army’s Social Services date back to 1883 when the ‘Prison Gate Brigade’ was established to provide an outreach service for men released from Melbourne Gaol. Major James Barker established the program that was the first Salvation Army social program anywhere in the world, and from that time onwards, it grew rapidly. Today, our Social Services support those in need in Australia and around the world as strongly and passionately as ever in four major streams – Homelessness, AOD (alcohol and other drug) Services, Youth Services, and Family Violence. Additional arms include Community Engagement Services, including emergency relief and chaplaincy, Aged Care, Moneycare, Strategic Disaster Management, and the Red Shield Defence Services within the Australia Defence Force. “It is incalculable to put a number to how many people have been supported by The Salvation Army’s Social Services over all the years,” Jenny said. “It started with a 500-pound grant from the government. That’s about $955. Today, we invest more than half a billion dollars into our services annually. “Our ability to provide vital support right across Australia is possible thanks to the support of government and the generosity of our donors, volunteers and corporate partners. The confidence these dedicated supporters have to invest in us is a testament to the trust the Australian community has in The Salvation Army to always be there and make a difference when it’s needed most.” Conference line-up The international conference celebration will showcase a huge line-up of 10 keynote speakers, 28 speakers and four moderators. The decision-making process behind how the event would be shaped and presented and determining the myriad of workshop topics has been a major project for Jenny and her team. “It has been a mammoth task,” Jenny explained. “We started off with the notion that both myself and our conference team wanted to ensure that people understood who The Salvation Army was and that we were faith-based, and that’s an important element of who we are. We also wanted people to understand our roots and where we came from. “I wanted to ensure The Salvation Army understood its place in the world, that we actually have an important place in the world, and from the get-go, we were about the poor and the marginalised, the people on the fringes.” Jenny added: “We want to say we are not just about the local community. We are actually also about a global context and working towards ensuring that we have a voice to say where systems don’t work for people and keep people poor. We are asking people like guest speaker Nick Bryant (a former BBC foreign correspondent and now columnist) and the politicians, how do we do that, and how do we partner with you to get that done?” “So, from that, we progressed from the start of the conference down to the last day, which is really intimate, which is about how do you and I, the social mission, and the church, actually do this well?” Making a difference The first two days of the international conference will look at the community and the world people live in and how The Salvation Army can continue to make a difference in the world. From a global perspective, the second day will be more intentional about an Australian context and what it means to be a faith-based agency in the world today. It will feature Cassandra Goldie (CEO ACOSS); the Honourable Bill Shorten; Michael Sukkar; Michael Lennon; Stephen Crittendon; Julie McCrossin; Andrew West (ABC religion report); Adam Bandt MP; Patricia Faulker (Jesuit Social Services); Bronwyn Pike (CEO Uniting Vic. Tas.). Jenny said there were many people who thought the time of faith-based agencies was long gone, so the first few days of the conference would look at how relevant The Salvation Army was and what the faith-based agency brought to local communities that others did not. “Is there something special about what we do?” said Jenny. “We are going to argue that yes, there is.” On the third and fourth days, the focus will be on being more intentional about how The Salvation Army connects internally with the church side of the organisation. “There’s a lot of work to do,” Jenny said. “We’re going to try and have conversations around how we can help each other and how people who might sit in the pew on Sunday could find a meaningful service space in one of our services. It might just be picking up kids from school twice a week or looking for ways in which we can engage and integrate. How we can be more of a matched set rather than separate entities?” A celebratory youth event will be held on Thursday night, with the conference’s last day being a celebration and thanksgiving service of the Salvos’ social and spiritual service to the community, incorporating music, worship, plus a time of lament. “There will be a time of reflection and lament because there are times when we got it badly wrong, such as the findings of the Royal Commission, the way we managed Indigenous people in the early days, and our treatment of the LGBTIQ community,” Jenny explained. “There are things we need to say such as look, we’re sorry we got it wrong, and we do pledge ourselves to do it better and to be totally inclusive, so what we heard on day one of the conference has a reverberating effect in the community. “And that one small act of kindness actually ripples – and can ripple globally.” Registrations are still open for the conference. Contact Major Jenny Begent at jenny.begent@salvationarmy.org.au or Linda Pollard: Linda.pollard@salvationarmy.org.au

The Salvation Army’s Moneycare service in Cairns, Far North Queensland, has delivered a financial literacy training program through an interpreter to assist members of the local African population. Moneycare Queensland Team Leader Amanda Rees said the Cairns Corps has an African congregation and its pastor identified that some financial literacy training would benefit members of the congregation. Local Moneycare Financial Counsellor Kevin van Kuijk jumped at the opportunity to reach more members of the local community and organised training with an interpreter. About 20 people attended the day, held during Anti-Poverty Week in October, which included a free sausage sizzle and stalls from other local organisations. “We had representatives there from Centrelink, the Women’s Legal Service, Moneycare, The Salvation Army’s Cairns Street Chaplains and Rent Connect,” said Amanda. “After the training, each service representative spoke through the interpreter about their service and how it can help.” “The community was really engaged.”

BY LAUREN MARTIN Summer has not yet hit Australia and The Salvation Army is already working in emergency and recovery operations for bushfires at the beginning of what is expected to be a busy fire season. At the Kempsey Recovery Centre in Willawarrin, north New South Wales, Major Bev Kingston and her team have been handing out recovery grants for people affected by a bushfire in the area. “The sad thing is that it’s a lot of the same people who were impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires,” she said. “People are better prepared this time around, but they are still traumatised.” She said her faith was strengthened when a Christian couple visited the recovery centre and talked about an answer to prayer that they had received as the bushfire raced towards their home. “When she saw the fire coming, she rang her church family and got them to pray,” remembered Bev. “It was the middle of the night. Afterwards, one couple said to her that between midnight and 2am, they were praying that the wind would change direction. “She showed us a photo of the fire heading straight for her house at that exact time. When it got to her fence line, it turned away. A true testimony to the power of prayer!” Bev said the recovery team is ready for what’s expected to be a busy fire season in the area, but she has encouraged more Salvos to get trained so they can assist in recovery and evacuation centres if needed. “I would encourage people to get involved. There is training, so get prepared now.” The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) is also ready and on standby to assist at evacuation centres or in feeding emergency services at bushfire locations. “All of the indicators and information says this will be a significant summer,” said Norm Archer, NSW/ACT SAES Response Coordinator. “Our teams are prepared and ready to escalate their involvement. We have been working alongside fire and emergency services as they prepare for the season.” The SAES recently brought online two new large emergency catering units that are based in Sydney and Canberra, ready to be deployed across the state as needed. “Our volunteer numbers have increased since the 2019-20 Black Summer season,” said Norm. “We are very aware that communities this season will still be sensitive to recent history, and that’s where The Salvation Army as a whole – both from emergency services and the local mission level – can provide support and assistance to those people in affected communities.”

Eva Burrows College has announced that the 2023 recipient of the Eva Burrows Australian Leadership Scholarship for Women is Robyn Bust. Robyn is the Program Manager of Oasis Youth Services across the NSW Central Coast and Hunter regions. As part of her scholarship, Robyn will be undertaking a Graduate Certificate of Leadership, where she plans to build on and deepen her leadership giftings and knowledge. She will embed the learnings and knowledge around the theories and concepts of leadership to be confident and equipped to provide valuable and tangible input within the state and national Youth Services teams, with both strategies and planning. Robyn says her goal is to “model, coach, influence and develop upcoming leaders within The Salvation Army.” Congratulations, Robyn and all the very best with your upcoming studies.

Salvation Army response teams were among the first on the scene after Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, as a Category 5 tropical cyclone last week (25 October), causing widespread destruction. The teams offered meals, emotional support and spiritual care. Salvation Army officers and volunteers also began cleaning up fallen trees and collecting debris at the Children’s Home in Acapulco. Thousands of people are still without shelter, safe drinking water, and no way to communicate. Close to 50 people have lost their lives, and another 47 people are missing. Salvation Army assistance to those impacted by the hurricane continues, with the assistance of the Salvation Army World Service Office. Slideshow of relief work:

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.