The Salvation Army Chatham

This is the testimony of Sue Willard on the occasion of her recognition as an Adherent of The Salvation Army on 7 December 2008.

Peter & Sue Willard

When I took a leap of faith in the summer of 2007, I had no idea what was going to happen next. I only knew that my husband was hurt and needed to leave the church where we had worshipped for the past seventeen years, and that I wanted to support him. Thus began a time of soul searching and questioning, a time we fondly referred to as our “wanderings in the wilderness”. My journey back to God had begun.

I had a Christian upbringing. As a child I attended Sunday school with enthusiasm; later I was confirmed in the Church of England. I attended church every Sunday, and latterly had really enjoyed being part of the music group supporting the singing during services. I had never really questioned my faith.

Over the last eighteen months, we have worshipped at a variety of different churches, some uplifting, others quite ordinary, but all with something to offer. It was refreshing to sample different approaches to Christian worship, and we found that, although we didn’t officially “belong” anywhere, we were always made welcome and always came away with something to reflect on.

One morning we decided to attend the Emmaus church. The service was all about the coming Alpha course and it spoke to both of us independently. We had never done anything like Alpha before so decided to give it a go, although we were fairly sceptical, believing it to be for beginners on the Christian journey, not old-timers like ourselves!

This was a whole new experience for me. I had always kept my faith to myself. I had never joined Peter in his church home-group and didn’t really see the need to talk about my feelings or my beliefs. It was scary at first, but the Alpha course gave me much to think about, and an opportunity to share my thoughts with others, including Peter! By the time the course had finished we had made many new friends, and we were invited to join a new home-group. I found I enjoyed the fellowship and the opportunity to delve deeper into parts of the Bible. The seeds were being sown…

Meanwhile, we had discovered The Salvation Army in the course of our wanderings around different churches. We were immediately struck by the friendliness and acceptance offered by everyone here. When people shook hands with us and said how lovely it was to see us, they really meant it! We started to attend meetings monthly, and found we were frequently moved and humbled by what we heard and saw. But we still couldn’t decide where God wanted us to settle. We kept hoping that God would give us a sign. Maybe He had and we didn’t recognise it.

Eventually, one Sunday morning, we made the decision. If meetings at the Salvation Army citadel could make us feel so inspired, what were we waiting for? We started to come along every week, and we signed up for the Christianity for Life course. That too was inspirational. It rekindled my love of the Bible and I discovered new ways of praying. With the help of Jean and Ray, and the amazing selection of visiting speakers, I began to focus on God in a way I had not done for a long time.

I wanted, in some small way, to share my faith with others. We began wearing Salvation Army badges (thanks to Norma) as we went about our daily lives. I found I was able to talk about my experiences to people when they asked about the badge. At school I was also asked if I knew anyone who could lead our harvest assemblies. I invited Major Drew in; another opportunity for outreach.

We started to consider becoming Adherents, then one morning Major Jim asked us the same question. This made us think. Could we commit ourselves to the Army? Were we ready? Was this where God wanted us to be? After praying and talking with Majors Drew and Beverley, we decided that the answer was yes.

If we needed any further confirmation (and being us, we always need it in big flashing lights!), we found it at an evening meeting on 9th November. The theme was “Joy”. We sat down and glanced at the hymn list. The songs could have been handpicked for us. Music, for me, plays a big part in worship, which is one reason I enjoy the Salvation Army meetings so much. The music chosen that evening was brilliant! We sang and danced and clapped with sheer joy. Testimonies were given. Prayers were said. There was laughter and tears. You could feel the Holy Spirit at work that night. We wanted to be a part of this wonderful community. What a place! What a people! What a God!

Who knows what God has in store for us next? All we know is that He has brought us here and we feel blessed. In the words of the song: “Lord I want to thank you for the work you’ve done in my life”.