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Volume 25, No.16

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The Salvation Army USA Southern Territory

October 21, 2008

The Dothan, Ala., corps family held a neighborhood barbecue as their first step to invite everyone to
‘Come Join Our Army.’

Dothan Corps joins national effort to increase the ranks

By Major Frank Duracher
SOUTHERN SPIRIT STAFF

One good way to meet your neighbors is to invite them for a meal. So the corps council in Dothan, Ala., cranked up the barbecue grills and put on a Sunday feast with the invitation: “All are welcome!”

The plan was eagerly adopted by the Dothan soldiers in an effort to reach out into a line oflow-income apartments right across the street from The Salvation Army’s facility on the corner of West
Selma and South Bell Streets. The effort is part of the corps strategy for their participation of the national campaign, Come Join Our Army.

The Come Join Our Army campaign is a national and territorial effort to expand the ranks through a concerted recruiting effort at the corps level. A special quarterly Come Join Our Army Sunday was held Sept. 28, 28, and these special events will continue quarterly over the coming year.

“To be more effective in the warfare, the Army must have more soldiers,” said Commissioner Israel L. Gaither, National Commander. “So we need to be more intentional about making new soldiers – both junior and senior. There will be a concerted effort in the four territories over the next three years to substantially increase our fighting force in the USA.

Who better to recruit new soldiers than soldiers themselves who are engaged in the battle against sin?”

Corps Sergeant-Major Jim Mooney has been attending the Dothan Corps for 12 years now, but he recalls only two efforts to evangelize the
neighborhood.

“This barbecue outreach is a way of re-introducing ourselves to our neighbors and inviting them to join us if they have no church home of their own,” Mooney said.

Calling the event “a Christian block party,” corps officers Lieutenants Jonathan and Anita Howell are already encouraged by the bonds forming between the soldiers and dozens of residents across the street.

“We want to go where the people are, to reach their need where they are,” Lieutenant Anita Howell said. “This is a great first step in doing just that.”

The menu included barbecued ribs, for which Lieutenant Jonathan Howell used a special recipe that seemed to be a hit with the crowd who ventured outside.

“The National Commander charged us during our commissioning last June to ‘own your neighborhood,’” Howell said. “The people in our neighborhood know The Salvation Army is here, but we haven’t been a part of their lives until now.”

An Investment
in HOPE

Intercultural
Window

Investing in hope Continued from above.
Many of us will remember the Boy Scout Motto from our time in the scouts: On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Today I met a young Boy Scout who wanted to fulfill his oath. Iain Furstenwerth's grandfather was from New Orleans, and when the young man saw the devastation Katrina brought to that area two years ago he decided he wanted to help. Iain helped his mother collect clothes and food that they sent to the survivors in New Orleans. Iain saw the work that The Salvation Army was doing to help Hurricane Katrina survivors and it was then that he got the idea to set aside money out of his allowance every week that he would one day donate to The Salvation Army to help us do our work. Today I met a young Boy Scout who wanted to fulfill his oath. Iain Furstenwerth’s grandfather was from New Orleans, and when the young man saw the devastation Katrina brought to that area two years ago he decided he wanted to help. Iain helped his mother collect clothes and food that they sent to the survivors in New Orleans. Iain saw the work that The Salvation Army was doing to help Hurricane Katrina survivors and it was then that he got the idea to set aside money out of his allowance every week that he would one day donate to The Salvation Army to help us do our work. Iain had no idea that just two years later Hurricane Ike would land in his back yard. Iain’s family was very fortunate and their home sustained very little damage; just a few downed trees. But Iain saw many others around his home who were not as fortunate: and again Iain saw The Salvation Army stepping in to help. So Iain decided it was time and he brought the money he had saved and presented it to Captain Edward Alonzo of the Pasadena Corps of The Salvation Army. Iain learned in the Boy Scouts to help others at all times. He has taken that teaching seriously and applied it to his life. I thought of my own son when I saw the pride on his mother’s face when Iain handed Captain Alonzo an envelope filled with $61. She was so proud of her son; Iain was so happy to give and The Salvation Army is very happy to be the recipients of this generous gift. Unfortunately, neither Iain nor his mother can truly understand the impact his gift will have and what The Salvation Army will be able to do because of his generosity. The Salvation Army will convert Iain’s $61 gift into hope, comfort, assurance and blessings for countless hurricane survivors in the Galveston area. Words cannot express the importance of the investment Iain has made in the work of The Salvation Army. All we can say is thanks. And that is what we do as Iain and his mother leave to return to their home and help clean up their neighborhood we say, “Thank you Iain. And God bless you.” Back to top

IIntercultural Windows My favorite holiday generally is Thanksgiving because it is time for family and friends to share a bit of themselves through food, fun and games. I love sharing that meal with someone I don’t know. But now I just might have a new favorite day, the Festival of Cultures held at the Gwinnett Center for Worship and Services (affectionately known as “The Loaf”). This year marked the third year of the event, and I must say it gets better each year. The first-year members of the corps shared their culture through food and music. Though opened to the community, this event was mostly attended by members of the corps, and we loved it. We learned much about each other and began relationships. Before, we just nodded to each other on Sunday mornings, but now our greetings have become more personal. The second year was even better – we had more food, more music, more cultural demonstrations and more people from the community, experiencing a better time than the fi rst year. As the festival approached, I wondered how it could possibly get better? Well, it did! This year was like going to home for Thanksgiving, anticipating those special treats that you don’t have the rest of the year and socializing with your corps family, which you might see only on Sundays, catching up with them and making some new friends. Once again there was food from around the world from Europe to Africa and Asia and from North and South America – and it was fabulous. The entertainment was wonderful, from the beautiful Korean and Latin dances to the sweet sounds of our youth singing the theme song for the evening “Love in Any Language.” But the best part was seeing how many faces I didn’t recognize and seeing these new friends enjoying themselves with my corps family. It was the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for us next year. It’s my new favorite day. Ruthe Kenyon is a soldier at the Lawrenceville, Ga., Corps
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