2010

2010 started in a wonderful way with our eldest son Ben getting married to Jaimee van Gaalen. Over 250 people gathered at the Ringwood Salvation Army Hall to witness the wedding conducted by the Ringwood CO Major Colin Corkery.

Due to the wedding Ben will not be entering the Training College this year and will be continuing teaching at Oxley College. Jaimee will continue as a Primary School Teacher.

Both Peter and Catherine were thrilled to be part of the wedding party.

God is good!

Connections 07

Please join in giving praise to God for a very special weekend held in Melbourne, Australia. Our Territorial Commander was given a vision from God of a very special set of commissioning/congress meetings which he termed Connections 07.Part of this weekend were two days of conference meetings which were attended by many people, including non-salvationist employees from our social centres. People from all over our territory gathered to learn and share together.Commissioners James and Carolyn Knaggs led God inspired and anointed Officers Councils. Most public meetings were marked by crowded Mercy Seats as people were saved and sactified. The Sunday afternoon meeting was marked by a sense of joy and excitement as 29 new captains received their first commissioned appointments. Included in this number were a significant number of Lieutenants along with the Cadets.Long term readers of the Forum will remember my Praise Reports from our days soldiering at the Ringwood Corps. Many of them contained comments about the Candidates within the corps. On Sunday 4 of these were commissioned. Sometimes I think that those years when Jennifer was the Recruiting Sergeant and I helped the Candidates prepare for the Training College were the most fruitful of our officership to date.On Saturday there was a giant march/parade/procession throughout the city followed by a Social Justice Rally in a public square, followed by both children's rallies and youth rallies. The people in the streets of Melbourne stopped to watch, listen and be involved in what the 3000 Salvos were doing. It was amazing to see children on the streets being given mini Army flags to wave and enjoying doing so. Salvo children ran from the parade to give these flags to their peers and then returned to join their parents in an act of witness. The streets of Melbourne have not seen this sort of thing from the Salvos for many years.Many bloggers from our territory have testified to their belief that God has started a significant work that will change our territory for the better.Here's the TC's blog for his view of Connections 07. http://tcspeak.blogspot.com
Praise God!

Peter

A day in the life of an australian corps officer

Today can't be described as an every week Tuesday but it has certainly been interesting. We are currently having a Planned Giving survey. Last night our corps council met to vote on whether we would ask the Public Relations Department to conduct a new program or not. Thank God they chose to vote yes. Otherwise , yours truly would have spent today planning months of extra work. Instead I only had to make one telephone call and sit in on a meeting with the great soldier who is going to chair the program. After the corps council meeting I was able to spend an encouraging 20 minutes with 2 of my local officers about Sunday School. God is bringing his plan about for this section. There are great opportunities opening up. Home to bed but I didn't sleep well and woke up way too early.

Off to the office to check the answering machine and emails and spend time with God. Then Jennifer arrived and we were able to do some administrative type work before the people for the Planned Giving meeting arrived. Made my phone call and received a positive response. God is good!!!

Then it was time to go to the local Primary school for our Kid's Hope mentoring session. This is a great program that a few of our corps folk are engaged in. Today I spent time with a grade 1 boy drawing pictures about the seasons. http://www.worldvision.com.au/getinvolved/kha/ will give you an idea of this great incarnational ministry.

Home for lunch and more admin. A quick trip to DHQ to arrange some financial business and then time to pick Catherine up from school. Home for a coffee and getting ready for Songster and Band Practice tonight.

Only God knows what He has in store for tonight.

The good news

Just in case there is anyone reading this blog who might want to know something about my life and that of my family , here's an update.

I've resigned from the Rotary Club of Forest Hill effective tomorrow. I am hoping to join the Rotary Club of Manningham, which will give me more networking opportunities and thus more witnessing opportunities in the area in which I live and minister. I've spent almost 6 years as a member of Forest Hill and served as president in 2005-06. It has been a difficult decision to make, but I believe it is a God directed one.

On Monday night I was presented with the regalia that goes with being named as a Paul Harris Fellow. This is recognition of my service as a rotarian and a salvationist. I am both honoured and humbled. I was even more humbled when a rotarian described me as having put a human face on religion. I hope that he means that he could see something of Jesus in me. That is always one of my aims in rotary; to let people see Jesus through me.

Both of our sons now have jobs although Ben's is only temporary. At least they will have some money and some activity during the day. Catherine will complete her secondary school career this year. Each of them are involved in the corps they attend, which is great for us to see. We have no desire to win the world and lose our children. So far God's grace has been sufficient.

And finally the air conditioner still isn't fixed, but at least it looks like we may be able to afford it now.

Adventurous living

Today we were privileged to have our Divisional Leaders Majors Ron and Robyn Clinch as our guest leaders. Robyn led worship with energy and enthusiasm and sensitivity as well. Ron used John 10:1-10 to urge us to live adventurously with and for Jesus. At the end of the address one of the newer members of the congregation knelt to pray with a salvationist at the Mercy Seat. Praise God!

It was an average size congregation. The significant factor was that a quarter of the congregation had only commenced attending since January 2006. The interesting factor for Major Ron was the spread of nationalities amongst these new people; Malaysian, Greek and Morroccan and Chinese with the Sudanese family absent.

Our previously very white anglo-saxon congregation has changed significantly and I don't even think we've noticed. God has brought these people to us and has helped them to fit in, despite our many failings.

Now if only people would stop aging and being sick and have other interests, the corps attendances might actually increase. I guess that's all in God's hands.

Yesterday I wrote a long catch up post that has completely disappeared. Hopefully this one survives!

Marriage

Today (Jan 15) we celebrated our 26th Wedding Anniversary. Some of the details of the ceremony and the day have become a little hazy. Others are very clear.
We made our vows before God, our family and friends in the hall that I had grown up in, on the platform that 2 years earlier I had been farewelled from to enter the Training College. These were serious vows. We were committed to each other for life and to share in winning the world for Jesus.
Lots of things have changed in those 26 years. That Salvation Army Hall is no longer owned by The Salvation Army. My home corps no longer exists.

But some things remain constant, God's grace, our love for each other and our commitment to winning the world for Jesus are three important constants.

I just don't understand how Christians can say that they no longer love each other. Don't promises mean anythig anymore.

VCAC

It was my pleasure and privilege to attend the annual Victorian Creative Arts Camp last night. Each of our children were participating, for the first time. Ben, our eldest , has been a regular every year. This year he was the assistant Brass Band leader. Peter has attended a few times and took a week off work so he could go. He is a drummer and played in the Contemporary band. Catherine participated in Drama and Video. It was her first time. They all had a good time.

What a joy it is to have each of our children serving God!