The Come Join Our Army 2009 campaign has made great strides in the South
with a total 758 new senior soldiers and 777 new junior soldiers enrolled from
Jan.1-Oct. 1. The Evangelism and Adult Ministries Department mailed posters to
every Southern Territory corps to advertise the quarterly emphasis Sundays as
part of the campaign. Dec. 27 is the next Come Join Our Army Sunday.
Several divisions included stories of some of their newest soldiers in a
recent report. The Georgia Division shared that the Knight family came to
the Army through the shelter program.
Not only has Cheryl Knight regained custody of her children, but she and her
family are faithful in their corps attendance. Her children have become junior
soldiers, and she is an adherent with her sights set on soldiership.
Marshall Conley, a newly enrolled soldier at the Weirton, W.Va., Corps, has
brought members of his family to the corps who relocated to the Weirton
area.
In the Texas Division, four corps - Arlington, Killeen, Lufkin and Tyler -
shared common stories of newly enrolled soldiers experiencing great personal
triumph and transformation. One such story belongs to Bob and Gwendolyn at the
Tyler Corps.
Through their newfound faith in Christ, they have both recovered from drugs
and alcohol and are staying committed to God. Transformations are also taking
place in the lives of junior soldiers.
In January, the South embarked on a year-long promotion targeting junior
soldiers, which included an advancement campaign, a rally during commissioning
weekend, and the final phase includes a newly released resource. Many more
children are coming to know Jesus and committing to junior soldiership. The
Jackson, Tenn., Corps recently enrolled eight junior soldiers under the
leadership of Sergeants Stan and Ginny Robison. A special service was
held with a campaign geared at children, a pep rally for Jesus and a balloon
launch wherein information about the corps was included inside each balloon.
With the young soldier rosters climbing, Sheila Livingston territorial
Christian education director - said the challenge now is to help corps
implement the junior program. "I received a good number of requests from
divisional, regional and corps leadership for some kind of training material
that could be used in a one-day event, rallies and camps," she said.
So a three-ring binder with promotional materials, lesson ideas and crafts
was assembled. The notebook, which comes with ready-made games and transparency
cut-outs, was provided to every divisional youth secretary. All corps officers
have access to the material at www. youthdownsouth.org.
"This material is going to make a big difference in the quality of the
classes for junior soldiers. We're nearing the end of the campaign, but it's
not the end of recruiting junior soldiers. Here's a resource to help you do
that," said Livingston.