| Prayer and evangelism are steadily adding to the numbers of youth and seniors in the Hickory, N.C., Corps - and for different reasons. After serving well over half their career as youth leaders in two divisions, it is not surprising that upon their return to corps work, connecting to children and teens in Hickory is still important to Majors Kent and Melody Davis. Couple that with the simultaneous appointment of Captains David and Shirley Chapman to Hickory as associate officers, and suddenly a ministry among seniors also took on a positive dimension. The Chapmans soon started the "Golden Circle Club" for seniors 55 and over. That allows the Davises to concentrate on a burgeoning youth program designed for teens and young adults, some already in place and others added almost weekly. In addition, the spiritual welfare of the corps as a whole is paramount for all four officers. "Prayer is the main emphasis with our work among youth and seniors, with an emphasis on evangelism," said Major Kent Davis. "Hardly a day goes by that we do not see some form of evangelism bearing fruit for our corps. Take, for instance, our Golden Circle Club - that group is feeding other corps programs, while meeting a great need for older adults." The Chapmans describe the Golden Circle Club as "anything but elaborate." "We meet during the week and begin each gathering with prayer requests and intense prayer," Captain Shirley Chapman said. "We also do fun things and laugh a lot." The program is similar to a successful ministry they led in Charlotte. Meanwhile, the Davises unashamedly target the corps youth by drawing from the Boys & Girls Club and even nearby colleges - Western Carolina and Appalachian State universities, the latter of which their daughter, Meagan, attends. Continued »
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