The Salvation Army Chatham

Majors Drew and Beverley McCombe were taking a well earned break this weekend.

Drew and Beverley

Having been sharing in Officers’ Councils at The Hayes Conference Centre at Swanwick in Derbyshire, they are spending a few days vacation and will return to work on Thursday 29 October. By the time they return the paint brushes and rollers will be well and truly in action in our new cafe area. Late last week the contractor was ensuring the premises were ready for decorating to start and the area is now looking very good indeed. Following on will be the final joinery works (the servery and bar counters), final electrical and plumbing connections, carpet laying and the hanging of the movable partitions. Arrangements have been made for furniture and equipment deliveries, beginning on 11 November, and curiosity is being tempered with enthusiasm in no small measure. Well, a bit of enthusiasm did nobody any harm, did it?

So, in the absence of Drew and Beverley, our Sunday morning meeting hosted our Young People in the form of the Annual Prize Giving and was led by KAOS Leader Tracy Wood. Tracy always leads a good meeting for the children and this was no exception.

Tracy

Songs used were 820, 371 and 892 from the Salvation Army Song Book and scripture was taken from Matthew 21:18-22. Songs of Fellowship 73 was also included. Musical contributions were brought by the Young People’s Band (Wonderful Love) and Singing Company (I Dare to Be) in addition to the adult groups of Band (Cornerstone) and Songsters (Sweet Jesus).

Small but played well

Prizes were presented to all the children for their past efforts, from the very youngest ‘Cradle Roll‘ members to those of the youth receiving their final awards.

Prizes received, KAOS children, the youngest

A special award, The Mike Woodhouse Attendance Prize, went this year to Helena.

Helena with the prize

Our ‘Puppet Friends’ answered the question ‘How do you get to Heaven?’ and Junior Soldier Awards were received by Chloe, Bethany, Mitchell, Stephanie and Gareth.

The Puppets

Award winners with leader Kate (back)

In her message Tracy said:

Let’s look again at the question asked by the puppets – ‘How do I get to Heaven?’. Is this the first time you’ve ever thought about it? Is there, in fact, a God at all? People often doubt but then something happens to convince them. There are many biblical examples of this. Today we can ask if great pictures are a result of an explosion in a paint factory or the work of a master artist. The world is such a marvellous place that it cannot be the result of an accident. it surely must have been planned. Of course there is a God! But who is He? Look in the Bible to find out: its all there. How do you get to know God? Do what He wants you to do. Don’t turn away from Him. Do not let your lifeline to Him be cut. Don’t let anything separate you from God. He sent Jesus as a gift to the world to be the bearer of our sins because He loved us. Believe in Jesus, that’s all you have to do. That’s how we get to Heaven!

In the evening our leader was Adrian Horwood who chose all his songs from The Salvation Army Song Book, 16, 12 and 156. Being a musical leader Adrian took the opportunity of including more musical ministry than normal with two contributions each from the Band and Songsters. The Band brought ‘God’s Love’ and ‘The Light of the World’ and the Songsters ‘Somebody Prayed for Me’ and ‘Praise His Holy Name’. A period of voluntary testimony was also included.

Adrian

Revd Brian Adams was the preacher and he spoke on scripture from 1 Kings 19:19-21 and 2 Kings 2:1-25. He said:

We are thinking tonight about handing on the baton. God assured Elijah that his work was valid and needed to be continued. Elijah felt that Elisha was the person he should choose as his successor but he was not sure. Elisha, on the other hand, was certain and committed himself by giving up his former occupation and becoming Elijah’s assistant, or if you like, his apprentice. Realizing that his work is coming to an end Elijah makes a sort of farewell tour and Elisha insists on accompanying him, even across the Jordan river. He was not easily put off and Elijah saw him as being reliable. In effect, the baton has been passed and Elisha becomes the new prophet in Israel. The successor has arrived and he demonstrates his position by solving a water contamination problem permanently. This was a sign that God would look after His people. But God is not only a god of pity, care and love but also a god of justice. This is the same God that we worship today and He will not be mocked or made fun of. Elisha was a man who was prepared to learn and was faithful to his calling. We must follow this example.

Personal testimony has proved a great blessing to people on many, many occasions. Recently we stumbled upon the following:

It was because of these newfound understandings—that reli­gious commitment did not require me to suspend critical think­ing, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized. It came about as a choice and not an epiphany; the questions I had did not magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.

This is a quotation from ‘The Audacity of Hope’, the second book written by US President Barack Obama, first published in Great Britain in 2007 whilst he was still a senator for the State of Illinois. In the light of political discussion in the UK this week, does this testimony give YOU hope? If so, then marry that hope to the encouragement gained from the children who were featured in the morning meeting and believe in Jesus. Perhaps then we can all introduce a little bit of Heaven just where we are.