Monday Spot (26 May 2008)
For the next few weeks your regular website editor will be enjoying a well earned break (well, he thinks it’s well earned anyway). However, whilst the main news items will be presented by others during this time he has prepared Monday Spots in advance and here is the first of them.
Major Drew McCombe
It hardly seems like two years since this site was launched but that will be the case on 1 June. In his first Officer’s Blog in June 2006 Major Drew McCombe spoke about community. Here is an extract from what he said:
Many churches have been criticized about their superficial idea (and experience) of community. Christian community is easily mistaken for mere cordiality, courtesy, or sociability. It easily becomes least-common-denominator “fellowship”, not much different from a neighbourhood potluck. Often so-called Christian community is marked by nothing that is specifically Christian and nothing that challenges the values of surrounding society. However, whilst we are not a perfect church, we do aspire to be authentic community.
Yes, we recognise that we are not a perfect church but we have tried hard, throughout our history and particularly in recent years, to be relevant to Chatham, our community. Not only are we available as a Christian Church, for worship each Sunday but we seek to provide many activities for all sorts of people on an almost daily basis. This will be self-evident to those who have navigated around this site (yes, it does take a long time, doesn’t it?). All our purpose groups, which define policy and action for the future, are busy and full of ideas. People care about each other and about our society and our church is growing, slowly but surely, not only in numbers but in its attitudes and its priorities too.
In the not too distant future we hope our building will be available to the general public every day as we are seeking to develop a facility where people can come and enjoy a chat over coffee and refreshments, children can play in safety and anyone can unburden to sympathetic ears if they feel the need to do so. Watch this space for more details of another way in which we can become more involved with our community.
Much to the surprise of Majors Drew and Beverley McCombe, their 25 years service as Salvation Army Officers was recognised at the beginning of the morning meeting by the presentation of long service badges and letters of recognition from DHQ and the Territorial Commander by Lt. Col. Joy Steadman-Allen. They were also presented with a bouquet of flowers from their friends at the Corps.