THE SALVATION ARMY
MAIDSTONE CORPS
Autumn 2014
Dear All,
As I write, today is the day that Scotland decides if it should
become an independent nation. This is no small matter, as for
three hundred years our nations have been joined as one
greater kingdom. Such a momentous occasion arouses strong
opinions and feelings, and cannot be dismissed as insignificant.
So, by the time you read this article the answer will be known
to you – Yes or No will have triumphed in this polarising debate.
Decisions are also a daily occurrence – what shall we eat for
dinner tonight? What clothes do I wear today? How do I get
everything done that needs doing in a timely way? Who should
I speak with today? The list is endless and at times can be exhausting. Other decisions occur less regularly but are nevertheless very important, such as buying a house, changing job, getting married, having children, organising financial affairs. Do
you look forward to them or shy away from them?
Decisions also need careful weighing up. The pros and cons
have to be taken into account. Sometimes the answer is a ‘nobrainer’, while at others the answer depends on a few important details. Once made, the way forward becomes clearer
and very often the stress disappears like a morning mist.
An old chorus comes to mind –
2
‘I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, No turning back.’
Looking back to commitments made in the past is no bad thing.
In a world of loose commitments we are looked to for stability
and stickability, for what it means to be someone of your word,
to show how cultural trends do not have to dominate the way
we operate and behave. The apostle, Paul, wrote ‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12: 2 NIV) as
to his generation. Has that advice changed? No, in fact it is
needed more than ever! Decisions and commitments to follow
Jesus are sacred obligations which He took pains to emphasise
in the Sermon on the Mount when He said do not make any decision based on what the world does but ‘Simply let your ‘Yes’
be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ No’; anything beyond this comes from the
evil one.’ (Matthew 5: 37 NIV)
So, have you made that decision
to follow Jesus yet? Have you
said you will be a faithful Salvationist follower of Jesus with all
that entails? That was, and still is
a momentous decision that
doesn’t just affect you. It affects
the Kingdom! God bless you!
Yours in Christ,
Grayson & Janice Williams—
Majors
3
EDITORIAL COM M ENT
R
ecently, my hairdresser passed on to me, a number of
magazines. The thought was kindly meant for she
said, “work in the garden is not so heavy and the days
are getting shorter so maybe you’ll have a chance to
relax a bit more”. They were called, “The People’s Friend”.
Whilst I thanked her for her kindness, inwardly I groaned. More
to add to the already heavy paper re-cycling box. However, I
quickly flicked the pages and spotted a column, ’From the Manse
Window’. The article referred to the journeys of Jesus through
the countryside and the people who were attracted to him and
how he warned his disciples of the impending sacrifice. Many
left him, unable to be loyal in difficult circumstances. “Will you
also leave me?”, he asked of his apostles—this is recorded in
John Chapter 6.
I read the article at the time of the Scottish referendum and I
thought of how many prayers are offered when there is intense
pressure on our way of life, and what happens when things don’t
go our way. This is very much linked to the Prayer for Peace in
the Poet’s Corner. Back in February, Colonel Martha brought it
to the 24/7 Prayer Week Session organised by Audrey. We both
agreed that it would be appropriate for the Autumn issue of
Grapevine in view of the remembrance Day in November and also to the Centenary of the 1914-18 War. Little did we realise as
we prayed of the terrible pain and loss of life in both Gaza and
Iraq, not forgetting the Civil War in Syria. It is difficult to understand cruelty in its current form.
However, on a happier note, it is good to welcome Jonathan’s
article of the Candidate’s Farewell, for he gives such detail for
the benefit of those unable to be there.
4
Sometimes we may wonder how the money is used. Specifically when Special Appeals are made. Apart from the usual pattern of giving both Wesley’s article on the use of that the money
raised for the Dinsmore Trust and also Captain Lynne’s information re. The Children’s Holiday, helps us to share in the joy of
the service provided.
The sole purpose of Grapevine is to help us to understand and
share in one another’s efforts for the Kingdom, so a special thank
you to all who make the effort.
Finally, let me clarify one slight misunderstanding that may
have arisen. The email for Jeremy Davis that is printed in the
Weekly Bulletin is to enable the Corps Sergeant Major to prepare
for his contribution to the Sunday meetings, which is good organisation. The email for Grapevine submissions is
[email protected]—it helps us if you can also give
me a ’print out’ to save time in the preparation or if you do not use
email and wish to provide a hand-written copy, then definitely let
me have the copy.
Thank you for all your efforts and God bless you.
Violet E Clarke
EDITOR
5
SEASON of mists and mellow
fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.
Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
Extracts John Keats 1795 - 1821
6
"A PRAYER FOR PEACE"
Our Father up in heaven, hear this fervent prayer—
May the people of all nations be united in Thy care.
For earth's peace and man's salvation can come only by Thy grace
And not through bombs and missiles and our quest for outer
space ... For until all men recognise that the battle is the Lord's
And peace on earth cannot be won with strategy and swords,
We will go on vainly fighting as we have in ages past,
Finding only empty victories and a peace that cannot last.. . But
we've grown so rich and mighty and so arrogantly strong
We no longer ask in humbleness—
God, show us where we're wrong.
We have come to trust completely
in the power of manmade things,
Unmindful of God's mighty power and that He is King of kings.
We have turned our eyes away from Him to go our selfish way,
And money, power, and pleasure are the gods we serve today...
And the good green earth God gave us to peacefully enjoy,
Through greed and fear and hatred we are seeking to destroy.
Oh Father up in heaven, stir and wake our sleeping souls, Renew
our faith and lift us up and give us higher goals,
And grant us heavenly guidance as war threatens us again—
For, more than guided missiles, all the world needs guided men.
7
WORDS FROM THE WORD
THE BITTER SWEET OF LIFE
Exodus 15: 22 - 27
We all experience the bitter things of life, grief, disappointments, ill
health, let-downs, discouragement, and disappointments, but God
has ordained and provided that these bitter experiences may be
sanctified in such a way that we may rejoice in them and thank
Him for them.
It’s important to note that the people of Israel didn’t just
happen to come to Marah, but that God led them there. He actually led them there to that bitter water. Surely from this we must
gather that His way must always have a purpose. It was no haphazard thing, because God doesn’t work in that way. Three days
God had allowed them to wander in the wilderness without food or
water, they were anxious and fearful. When and how would their
needs be met? Then God led them to water and how they thanked
Him only to find the water was bitter, and how quickly their
hearts sank. Their joy turned to bitterness. In a flash they had descended from the heights of joy and gladness to depths of sorrow
and complaint. What did Moses do? He cried out to God. God
heard his cry and directed him to a log and on God’s instructions
he threw it into the water and God turned the bitter water in to
sweetness.
Though isn’t that true of life? Don’t we alternate between
bitter and sweet, mountain top and valley, between joy and sad8
ness, blessing and cursing? But for all that, we can live at all
times in the sunshine of God’s presence with His joy and peace
filling our hearts, if we call out to Him; if we invite Him into our
lives and into our bitter experiences, with no shadow of self-created
sin spoiling our fellowship with Him. However, we will all experience the shadow of adversity and trial which God permits in our
lives, which are for our own good and to His glory.
God never promised an easy ride in His service, so we must
accept the fact that the bitterness of a Marah experience comes to all
of us from time to time. In fact you might well be at that place
right now. Indeed there is a very real sense in which trouble only
begins when we come to Him and put our lives in His care. Jesus
Himself said, “In the world you will have tribulation.” We read
in Hebrews 12, “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.” Chapter
13 says, “that God led the people through the way of the wilderness.” Why? In Chapter 15 we are told, “there He proved them.”
Dueteronomy 8: 2 puts it in a finer way, “to humble thee and to
prove thee, to know what was in thine heart.”
God does not send us trials or allow trials in our lives to
distress us but to prove us, to humble us, and to see whether we really love Him enough and are prepared to trust and obey Him. It
has been said that peace isn’t the absence of trouble in our lives but
trouble with the presence of God.
But thank goodness, He not only allows us to drink of the bitter
waters, He leads us through to the sweetness of Elim Vs 27.
What trials these people faced, no bread, no water and attacks from their enemies. Imagine being in the wilderness without
water, or finding water too brackish to drink. How would you
feel? Having been led from their troubled lives in Egypt it must
9
have seemed to mock them, experiencing the bitterness of Marah.
Like the Israelites we must expect God’s testing, we must
be prepared to face the proving. The most important thing will be
our reaction to the testing; how we stand up to the proving; and
how we grow with each bitter experience.
The Israelites reaction was to complain and be angry with Moses,
but in fact they were complaining against God, which is fatal and
often a tendency of our human nature today. If we think about it,
it really amounts to unbelief, a lack of faith and trust that makes
us complain. We look at the circumstances, we look at the problem,
at ourselves and become filled with self-pity instead of looking to
Jesus. When we don’t look to Jesus, it is then that we feel helpless
and confused because we have taken our eyes off of HIM. We become like those Israelites, we stop trusting Him. Yet like then and
always, Jesus is very near to us waiting to help and bless.
If the peril we must avoid is complaining, what is the procedure we need to adopt to get the victory? What did Moses do?
“He cried out unto the Lord” Vs24, he prayed. He could have rebuked them. He could have refused to take them any further unless they trusted him. Instead he went into the presence of God.
He related the need, the problem to the Lord in whom he put his
trust.
James 5: 13 says “If any
among you be afflicted let him
pray”. He didn’t say send for a doctor, or send for a pastor, or a plumber. No, the Bible tells us and is full
of examples of men and women going to God in prayer just at the mo10
ment of testing and trial. Like all of those examples, when Moses
prayed the Lord showed him the remedy. You see prayer brings
revelation. The Lord revealed to Moses a branch from a tree. Gods
remedy for our bitter experiences is the tree.
The word PANACEA is a universal remedy for all ills.
The branch of the tree that was revealed to Moses is symbolic of the
universal remedy for all of our ills. In Jer. 23:5 our Lord Jesus is
spoken of as the “Righteous branch,” 1 Peter 2:24 says of the cross
where He, “bore our sins in His body on the tree.” The only remedy for our ills, the only thing that can sweeten life’s bitter experiences is found in the person and work of Christ. In what He is, in
what He has done, in His suffering and sacrifice and in what He
can and wants to do for us now as the great intercessor sitting at
the right hand of God.
What was the outcome of the bitter experience of Calvary?
Indescribable sweetness, and sweetness beyond measure for lost sinners. To change our bitter experiences into sweetness we must cast
ourselves into the bitter pool of life, we must constantly come low
to the foot of the cross and He will transform and transcend our
Mirahs. He will turn our water of bitterness into wine of rejoicing. Read 2 Cor. 4:16 - 5: 5
Take Jesus right into every bitter experience, He will transform it
and He will transform you. Let His Holy Spirit be your constant
companion through each and every day. We all have our Marahs,
but only He can lead us through to our personal Elim.
David Wakefield
11
T
he year of 2014 is rapidly going down as a year of real major significance for me. During the course of these few months, I have
become the Divisional Youth Band Leader and also now have the
privilege of becoming the CSM in succession to my dear friend
Paul Deacon. Working with Paul as his assistant was nothing but a joy, and
I want to publicly thank him for all his wonderful support both as my
“boss” and throughout the transition of taking over at the helm as CSM.
I am also blessed to have some greater support in the Corps. Major
George Scoot and Major Wesley Dinsmore both have been Corps Officers
at Corps where I have been a soldier and both have been so helpful in
keeping me on the straight and narrow! Jonathan Heward is now my Assistant, and I am keen that we are able to appoint a team of up to three assistants to ensure we get everything done for you.
Over the coming weeks and months you will hopefully see I will be working in three major areas. Each one is equally important, so please do not
read anything into the order!
An Efficient Corps
Running a centre which contains 26 different “sections” as well as
all the wok relating to the buildings, the finances and the external ministries, will always require a necessary amount of administration. However, I
do believe we can simplify this considerably. I have started to work with a
significant number of the Corps’ local officers to help ensure this administration runs more smoothly. It would be good for all of the sections, if
they had the ability to make good decisions rapidly and keep all their passion focussed on achieving the sectional purpose and not worrying about
the paperwork! This will allow the Officers to focus much more on the
pastoral and preaching activities within the Corps.
A Loving Corps
Strangely as I write this article, I have just listened to a sermon from our
own platform on this very subject. I asked a trusted friend what was the
role of CSM all about. He simply replied…”If you love everyone in the
12
congregation you will be a good CSM. If you don’t you will not be half as
good...” It is simple advice but I am utterly committed to making the
Corps a place where everyone is welcome, feels special and knows that
“everybody” knows their name! As I have got older my memory does not
find remembering names easy, but I assure you I am working so hard on all
the aspects of being a good CSM. I am here for you, not the other way
around! Mine is a role of service and if you need help, support, or just a
shoulder to cry on then please reach out to me. Even if I cannot help directly, I will know who can.
An Evangelical Corps
One of the few direct responsibilities I have is to make sure we
stay focused on external ministry. This always gets a groan from the Band,
as for too long and in too many Corps, the band bears the majority of this
work. However, I am committed to us trying a few new things. Smaller
groups, singers and players, people to talk to others one to one rather
than just the big Corps Open Air approach. With very little exception I
truly believe that every group we have within the Corps has a genuine external ministry. I want to understand what we in the “centre” can do to
help each group develop this aspect of our work within the Corps.
I know I have not gone into much detail. It is deliberate, but I felt
you might want to know a few things that are in my heart. No big changes
that effect lots of people, but some work in the background to make sure
we are making our Corps, our Church, as good as it possibly can be, with
the wonderful skills and talents the Lord has blessed to everyone in the
Corps.
In the future I would like to use the Grapevine to update you on
progress, and to let you know what might be coming up next. I do believe
that the future is an exciting time and we have nothing to fear. It is an
honour to be your CSM, and I look forward to 5 very active years working together!
JEREMY DAVIS
13
David and Anita Cripps
S
ome Corps are blessed with ‘specialist folk’, who bring their everyday
skills into service in the Corps and Maidstone is one such Corps, and
that very lady is Anita. As a trained and very experienced nurse, she spots
anyone having health problems and is immediately, by their side, dealing
appropriately with the matter. Such a blessing as that is difficult to quantify.
Anita is from Maidstone. Her parents are so well known to us,
Michael and Queenie Cousins – stalwarts of the Corps always ready to fit
in or fill in with anything asked of them.
At eighteen Anita began her Nursing Training at the Mildmay
Mission Hospital in London, (where to her surprise the Matron’s name was
also Queenie). Moving on to the Lewisham Hospital, she completed her
training in Midwifery, and then on to The William Booth College to train as
an Army Officer in the Heralds of Hope Session. During her years of
Officership she had some varied and interesting appointments. The one
she loved most was the Midnight Patrol, covering Kings Cross and Euston
Stations, looking for young girls who came to London as the pinnacle of all
their dreams, completely unaware of the dangers of the Pimps awaiting
them.
Other appointments were at the Approved School in East
Grinstead, caring for girls sent by the Courts; an Alcoholic Centre at
Swindon Hopetown, a Women’s Hostel in Whitechapel; and a Mother and
Baby home in Middlesborough. She left the work to marry David in 1986
and for the last 28 years has been the Theatre Nurse at Lincoln, and
Maidstone and Medway Hospitals.
David’s parents are Edna and Derek Cripps
who are friends of Michael and Queenie.
David’s Father was in the R.A.F. and so he
was born in Weston-Super-Mare. Most men
in the RAF eventually move to Lincolnshire
14
where there were (and still are)
airbases – not least of course of
Dambusters fame. So David spent
his Army childhood days at
Newark Corps. After schooling he
trained as a Carpenter, but the
1992 recession meant he was
made redundant and so he and
Anita came back to Maidstone
where he found work with K.C.C. teaching practical skills to those in Social
Care. After a period of time he became a Residential Care Worker with
the Medway Community Living Services.
At present he teaches
Construction at the Mid-Kent College.
David and Anita have two sons. Ryan who is married to Vanessa
and lives in Rochester. He is an Accountant with British Aerospace
Engineers at Rochester Airport. He is
the Young People’s Band Leader at
Chatham Corps. Nathan who is with us
here in the Corps at Maidstone is very
much involved in the Youth Activity.
Having graduated from University he is
at present training to be a Teacher.
Recently he got engaged to Francesca,
who comes from Worthing, but at present is at University. They hope to
marry in August 2016.
Both David and Anita have given very valuable service to the Army
in so many ways, but particularly in the Sunday School over the years, and
it is such faithfulness and dedication to the task (among other things as
Trombonist and Tenor Horn player) and their genuine Christian practical
service alongside others that makes the Army in Maidstone what it is and
why they are held in such high regard.
15
THIS month’s viewpoint from our Singing Co. Leader:
LISA DAVIS
What a task! Narrowing my favourite pieces of Army music down to
three is a nearly impossible job. When the children at school ask me
what my favourite song is, I usually reply that it depends on what day
of the week it is; what I had for breakfast; and what colour shoes I’m
wearing. Currently it is Monday, a bowl of porridge and bare feet…so
here goes!
BAND PIECE — ‘They Shall Come from the East’ –
Kevin Larsson
Two and a half years ago Josh attended the Territorial Youth Band Course
(TYB) for the first time. It doesn’t feel all that long ago that Jeremy and I were
involved in such events (although it is!!). We both loved the time we spent at
Music Schools and I love the way you can always feel the excitement in the
building as the students come out on to the platform to perform the pieces they
have been learning all week.
When I saw this piece on the programme I didn’t really know what to expect –
many of the Gowans and Larsson songs feel rather dated now and this one can
be a bit of a dirge! It started with a few drummers (including Alisdair Ashman)
playing the African Drums and then the band started singing (always an extra
bonus in a band piece!). The Flugel Horn then comes in with the tune and the
piece gradually builds up. Once or twice there is a snippet of the song ‘The Lion
Sleeps Tonight’, in order to give the song a multi-cultural flavour. As the melody
begins to soar and the rhythm builds in intensity the words come into my mind:
‘The black, the white, the dark, the fair, your colour will not matter there.’
We live in troubled times, and for me, this piece brings the song alive once
again as music of OUR time.
SONGSTER PIECE - ‘The Love of Christ’ by Len
Ballantine
16
You will not be surprised to learn that I love to sing! I have been privileged to sing under the leadership of many great choral conductors
both in the Army and secular world. I have sung many ‘World Premieres and have tackled some difficult music in many different languages. In 1996 I was appointed to the International Staff Songsters
(ISS) under Len Ballantine. Len’s music was different to any other music in the Army at that time and the style of singing he introduced has
influenced much Army vocal writing since. His music is often difficult
to sing. However, the song I have chosen is published in the regular
songster journal. This song is simple. It is not a ‘major work’, it is not
fast, high or loud, but a simple statement of faith. The words are directly from scripture (Ephesians 3):
‘How wide, how long, how deep, how high is the love of Christ?’
As I sing this song, I can feel God’s arms wrapped around me and His
love totally surrounds whatever I am doing and wherever I go. The final line says this:
‘Fill me Lord, to the measure of all the fullness, of God’ and it makes
me want to say, ‘Yes, I want to be full to the brim with God’s amazing
love’.
CONGREGATIONAL SONG - 'In Christ Alone’ –
Stuart Townend
When I was growing up I often used to play ‘Army’, where I led my teddies and anyone else who would listen in the meeting of my choice.
The opening song was usually ‘Praise my Soul the King of Heaven’
and that song remained my favourite for many years. However, in recent years ‘In Christ Alone’ has come along and taken over the No. 1
spot and whenever I get the opportunity to play ‘Army’ (although these
days I think it is called ‘leading a meeting’!) this song is usually in
there.
I am not ashamed to say that this song makes me feel emotional. I rejoice that ‘sin’s curse has lost its grip on me’. I KNOW the truths in this
song and I rejoice that: ‘From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of Hell, no scheme of man can ever
pluck me from His hands ‘til He returns or calls me home, here in the
power of Christ I stand’.
17
This Salvation Army Part Two
I
n the last edition we considered the manner in which the ‘Army’ is controlled and managed. In this edition we shall concentrate on the Symbols
and their meanings as used in the Army. However, perhaps the most important thing to mention is that every Salvation Army meeting or gathering
must include prayer and a reading from Holy Scripture.
This underlines the fact mentioned previously that the Salvation Army is first and foremost a Christian Church. Consequently the symbols used
within the Army reflect that fact as contained within the Doctrines of The
Salvation Army which can be found within the pages of the Salvation Army
Song Book. While not strictly a symbol, every Salvation Army place of worship must feature prominently, usually as a simple wooden form, the Mercy
Seat sometimes known as the Penitent Form. This latter term describes how
people would kneel at the form to pray and outwardly claim forgiveness for
their previous wrong doing. This is still the same today where people are encouraged to seek such restitution.
That said the form is nowadays more commonly used as a Mercy
Seat or place of prayer where people who already love the Lord are enabled
to seek forgiveness for an element of ‘backsliding’ or to seek not only help
and guidance for matters of spiritual concern but also offer prayers of thankfulness and joy for some evidence of God’s goodness towards them.
Perhaps one of the most prominent symbols which is evident not
only to Salvationists but the public at large is the Flag. To Salvationists the
Flag is an important and sacred symbol which highlights our war against sin
and evil. The red on the flag symbolises the blood shed by Jesus, the yellow
the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blue the purity of God the Father.
THE CREST [see front cover]
The crest is the oldest emblem of The Salvation Army.
The cross represents the cross of Jesus
The ‘S’ salvation from sin
The yellow sun rays around the edge the fire of the Holy Spirit
The dots the truth of the gospel
The swords spiritual warfare
18
Blood and Fire the blood shed by Jesus and the Fire of the Holy Spirit.
In the United Kingdom and some other parts of the world the crest is topped
with a crown whereas in the USA it is topped with an eagle.
THE RED SHIELD
The Red Shield logo has its origins as a definition of the
work carried out by the Salvation Army during wartime
and later in peacetime emergency service work. However in recent years it has become a more readily recognised symbol to the general public, such that it is now
official Army policy in the UK that any new building
will now have the Red Shield on the outside rather than
the crest as described above.
UNIFORM
The uniform identifies the wearer as a Salvationist and Christian and symbolises availability to those in need. Over time it has varied in design including the wearing of Victorian style bonnets for ladies ,which gradually
changed in size and shape, and high necked collared jackets with ‘lion tamer’
braiding for men. Originally only one style of uniform was worn year round,
but some forty years ago a ‘summer style’ was introduced, together with
logoed casual style shirts for non worship activities. However, whatever the
style, the meaning and message remains the same
The one remaining symbol not so often used, but none-the-less important is the salute, which is made by raising the right hand above shoulder
height with the index finger pointing upward. Apart from a sign of recognition among fellow Salvationists, it is often used by someone receiving applause as a recognition that the recipient wishes to give glory to god and not
themselves.
In the next edition of Grapevine we shall cover the activities and leadership
roles and personalities in our corps here at Maidstone.
Keith Thomas
19
KEITH THOMAS HOLIDAY 2015
CANADIAN SPLENDOUR
31 August – 12 September
T
ired of holidays alone or with groups of people
unsympathetic to Christian and Salvationist ideals? Then why not consider joining a group
which answers all these concerns.
Enjoy the highlights of Western Canada coupled
with a cruise to the magnificent glaciers, fjords and wildlife of Alaska.
Spend five days discovering Vancouver with its majestic trees, Brocktem totem poles and vibrant city atmosphere.
Whistler, which exudes with the charm of an Alpine
village.
Victoria, home of the renowned Butchard Gardens,
one of the world’s great floral displays, before embarking on a seven day Alaskan cruise.
All making a relaxing and enjoyable holiday with like
minded companions. However, please note that space on
the cruise is limited so that an early decision is advisable.
For further information contact Keith Thomas or
Queenie Cousins
20
Forty three Maidstone children who wouldn’t have otherwise have
had a holiday boarded a coach in August and headed off to Sussex for a week
of activities and fun at The Salvation Army Divisional Summer Camp. The
children who attended were referred to the Salvation Army by local schools
and social workers. Each of the families the children came from are currently
experiencing challenges of varying natures so they were delighted that their
children were able to get away for a break where they could relax and enjoy
activities such as crafts, games, sport, making dens and campfires. Highlights of the week for many children seem to have been swimming every day,
the day trip they took to Bedgebury Forest, and the opportunity they had to
make new friends.
The amazing opportunity that the children had to attend Divisional
Summer Camp 2014 was made possible by the incredible generosity of the
staff team, who sacrificially gave their time and energy to make the week so
special for all the children who attended. Many other people also gave financially towards the £6,450 that was required to send the Maidstone children.
People from within our Corps, local community and people from further
afield, all donated to make sure that the finances were in place to send these
local children away for a week of blessing.
I would like to thank everyone who supported the Summer camps in prayer,
financially and special thanks also go to Jaqui and Ron Hall, Arthur and Joan
Atkinson, Victoria Cole, Alison Lawrence, Lorraine Munn and Maureen Ross
for the very practical help given in ensuring that all the children were safely
checked in, with everything necessary, to go off to camp and then safely returned to their parents/carers at the end of the week.
Let’s continue to pray for the families who were blessed by the opportunity to be part of Summer
Camp 2014 and keep asking God to
direct us as to how we, as a Corps,
can continue to show them God’s
love as we serve them throughout
the coming year.
Capt. Lynne
21
D
uring my time as Salvation Army Chaplain in HMP Maidstone I
was invited by the then Governor, Mrs Jane Galbally, to investigate the possibility of locating a place where visitors to the prison could go prior to undertaking their visit to their men folk in the prison. It was planned to provide refreshment and relaxation prior to them
entering the prison. The Dinsmore Centre as it became known began in
a room in the United Reform Church in Week Street. It has since been
located in a portakabin within the perimeter wall. The next move was to
set up a fund which could be used to enhance the visiting experience of
the visitors by way of providing suitable play equipment for children,
funding family days and generally making life for the visitors a little less
tense in a situation which could often be fraught with tension. The trust
was duly set up and became known as the Dinsmore Trust.
Some of you may remember the Christmas Community Carol
Concert in 2008 when the proceeds of the concert were given to the
Dinsmore Trust. The support given was remarkable and we were able to
give a good amount to kick start the fund. A few months later the Junior
Soldiers raised more money and this too was given to the fund. I was
elated at this tremendous support.
It was important that adequate refreshment was available in the
visitors hall inside the prison and that the prison canteen provided excellent food. A small proportion of the money raised by the sale of the food
to prisoners’ families was given to the Dinsmore Trust. In a number of
ways the fund was used to make life a little better for both prisoners and
their families.
I am personally grateful to those of our own ladies who joined a
rota to man the prison tea bar. It was a service that was greatly appreciated. Vi Clarke, Margaret Rose, Christine Horton, Shirley O Leary and
Hazel Dinsmore made an invaluable contribution to that service. (I hope
22
I have not left anybody out). They formed part of a larger team made up
of other local volunteers. I cannot speak too highly of the service they
rendered. The appreciation of prisoners and their families as well as
prison staff was frequently expressed.
However, change comes and with the changes insurmountable
problems arose. Sufficient to say that ultimately at a recent meeting of
the Trustees of the Trust the decision was reluctantly taken that it was to
be wound up and the existing balance, some £4,000, be given to some
other charity. I need to say here that all of the money given by The Salvation Army was used for the purposes for which it was originally given.
The charity to which this money will go is ‘Help a Maidstone
Child’. At the point at which the Chairman made this suggestion, we in
the Corps had been made aware of the great work being done by Captain
Lynne Clifton and others, with children and families in our local community. I therefore supported that suggestion as it seemed to be a worthy
cause within which the money will be used.
The Dinsmore Centre continues but the Dinsmore Trust now
ceases to exist.
It is disappointing that the Trust has had to finish, however, the
money will not be wasted. In view of the support given by the Corps to
the ongoing work in the prison undertaken by David Blackman and especially, for that initial response in 2008 I can only express my heartfelt
thanks. We may be assured that the labour of love done in the Name of
Christ will not be forgotten.
Wesley Dinsmore
23
C
Candidates’ Farewell
andidates’ farewells tend to be joyous, celebratory
occasions and the night of August 31st was no different. A full hall gathered to send candidates Tim
Cook (Strood) and Lucy Neeve (Canterbury) to the William
Booth College, to take their places in the Messengers of
Light session. Pre-meeting music was provided by Canterbury band (under the leadership of Martin Neeve - Lucy’s
father) and the newly formed Divisional Youth Worship
Group (made up of the majority of the worship group from
this year’s London South East divisional summer school).
The candidates, along with their corps officers, were then
marched into the hall behind their respective corps flags to
the march ‘Danforth Citadel’.
As you may expect with a sessional name Messengers of Light, the theme of light was featured heavily
throughout the evening. The opening two songs, ‘Shine,
Jesus Shine’ and ‘Here I am to worship’ reflected this and
set the tone for the evening. They were followed by the
first contribution of the evening from guest soloist Lauren
Elliott (Bromley Temple). She brought to us the song
‘Worship the Lord’ which featured a chorus based on the
words of Proverbs 3:5-6:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your
own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he
will make your paths straight”.
These were also the verses that Tim chose to share when
24
giving his testimony. He told of how, growing up as the
son of officers, he went through the motions (junior soldier,
senior soldier) but didn’t accept Christ into his heart until
later in life. He went on to tell of how God persistently
called him to officership before he finally accepted the call
at Youth Councils 2013. He finished by testifying that his
confidence had grown considerably since accepting the call
to officership and that this was not confidence in himself,
but the fact that God was with him.
Before Lucy gave her testimony, Canterbury band
presented their contribution to the evening (chosen by Lucy). They played an arrangement of the songster song
‘Grace Alone’, the chorus of which finishes with the line
“We will go forth in grace alone”. Introducing the piece,
Bandmaster Martin Neeve said that this was the band’s
prayer for Tim and Lucy.
Lucy’s testimony echoed Tim’s, in that she spoke of
growing up in the army, but not letting God into her life until she got to university. After uni. she started focussing on
her faith more and, as she put it, “pushing doors”, exploring
her faith and God’s call on her life. However, at first she
didn’t consider officership, thinking “Surely not me”. So
instead she explored teaching and nursing but in the end accepted the call to officership. She ended her testimony by
sharing the words of Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s
handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do.”
After Lucy’s testimony there were a couple more congrega25
tional songs led by the worship group, before we entered a
time of dedication. The new Divisional Commander Lt.Col. Ray Irving endorsed Lucy and Tim’s testimonies about
the persistence of God’s call, saying “God does not give up.
So if he calls, say yes. It’s easier!”. He then thanked the
members of DHQ staff and other officers who had supported Lucy and Tim through their application process and invited them onto the platform to surround the candidates as
he prayed for them. At the end of his prayer Lucy and Tim
were presented to the congregation as cadets.
Lauren Elliott presented her second contribution - the
gospel standard ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow’ - before Captain Nicola Brooksbank (Divisional Youth Officer) gave the
message for the evening. The captain’s message was based
around two questions:
1) What does a messenger of light look like?
2) How do we live as a messenger of light?
The first question was answered with the example of Moses. He was an ordinary man who spent time with God. In
Exodus 34 we read that after Moses came down from
Mount Sinai his face shone because of the time he spent
with God. The challenge was made: people should know
that we have spent time with God, we should auto-shine.
Do we?
To answer the second question the Captain looked at
Isaiah 58:2-9. “If a messenger of light is an ordinary person, how is it we shine?” The Captain answered her own
question, saying that it comes down to one thing, the authenticity of our relationship with God. In those verses
26
from Isaiah, God is displeased with the Israelites as they
were trying to earn ‘brownie points’ with Him. This attitude suggests that the relationship was all about them, rather than being all about God. When our priorities are in
line with God’s, we will shine.
Captain Brooksbank finished her message by relating
a story about Robert Louis Stevenson. When he was young
and ill, he sat by his window watching a man light the gas
lamps in the street outside. Challenged by his nurse as to
what he was doing and why he wasn’t in bed, Stevenson replied: “I’m watching a man make holes in the darkness”.
This, the Captain remarked, is what Christians are called to
do, make holes in the darkness. She summarised by saying
that we are to be ordinary people filled to the top with God
and sent out to make holes in the darkness and left us with
the challenge to imagine what a difference would be made
if everyone in the meeting did just that.
There followed a time for response and prayer during
which there was one seeker at the mercy seat. The meeting
was then brought to a close with a song of corporate dedication, ’O Jesus, I have promised’, followed by the benediction from Canterbury band, ‘God be with you till we
meet again’. All in all it was a great, challenging, thoughtprovoking, celebratory meeting.
Jonathan Heward
27
Taxpayers are the only people who don’t have to pass an exam to
work for the Government.
Heredity is something you believe in if you have a bright child.
A clear conscience could be the sign of a bad memory.
The way some people find fault you would think there was a reward!
In an exam paper, the professor asked students to sign the form,
stating that they had not received help. One student wrote that
he had prayed for the assistance of God. The returned paper had
just one comment, “I’m sorry to say God did not assist you”.
Kid’s Truth -
28
I am convinced that neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor
the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8 v38:39
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of
Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!
Samuel Francis 1834 – 1925
Further picture of the ‘Roof’.
29
What do those words say to you? In church circles we
would normally think of a changed life, but I am happy to report another conversion which has the ‘Wow!’
factor.
Back in June work started on converting the large
amount of loft space in the hall into a room primarily,
though not exclusively, for the use
of our youth programme. For
many, the loft was an unknown
land, accessible as it was by loft
ladder only. However, funds became wonderfully available
through the Lord’s provision for us
to change wasted space into a
useful space, and now, 14 weeks
later we can see a bright room, fitted out with storage cupboard space, sink and cupboards, Velux roof lights, L.E.D. lighting, and points
for the connection of computers and projector. Take
a look at these before and after pictures to see the difference. You could also take a
trip upstairs if your legs allow!
Page 29 for another picture.
30
Our Weekly Services
Contact Information
You are welcome to join
with us for worship &
praise:
Maidstone Salvation Army
74-80 Union Street, Maidstone
ME14 1ED
Sunday Worship:
Family Service
(Sunday School)
Prayer Meeting
Evening Service
Youth Group
10.15
10.45
17.15
18.00
19.30
1st & 3rd Monday in month
(to be confirmed)
The Living Word Bible
Fellowship
19.30
Tuesday:
Ladies Meeting
(Home League)
13.30
Wednesday:
The Parkwood Fellowship Ladies
Meeting (held at the
Rosemary Graham Centre
Sommer Walk, Parkwood). 14.00
Wednesday:
Held Fortnightly, please contact
the office for the next date
Cameo & Crafts
10.00
3rd Wednesday:
Ladies Fellowship
20.00
Thursday:
The Over 60’s Club
13.30
Corps Officers:
Majors
Grayson & Janice Williams
Captain Lynne Clifton
Administrator:
Mrs Lorraine Munn
Address as above.
Telephone: 01622 681808
Email:
[email protected]
Weekly Community Events:
Monday & Friday
SAM’s Tots
(Salvation Army Maidstone)
Parent & Toddler Group
10.00
For information on other mid-week
activities please telephone the administrator on the above number.
Please telephone 01622 681808 for
further information and/or to check
31
Closing date for next issue is 21st Dec, 2014
to be sent to the Editor or Philip Hales at
email: [email protected]
32