Camp changes lives

Sometimes camp is the only port in the storm of life.

By Ed Covert

From the moment Andy stepped off the bus at camp, we knew he would be one to test the boundaries. During his first few days, he quickly moved through the stages of our progressive discipline program. Calls home to his mother for support and trips to my office seemed to have little effect, and so with sad hearts we decided to send Andy home, and called his mother to pick him up.

This is where the story really begins.

That initial call was placed at 9:30 a.m. After numerous follow-up calls, his mother still had not arrived by dinner time.

I finally got her to answer her phone at about 7:30 p.m., only to learn that she was still at the casino and had called Andy’s sister—who was at the boardwalk—telling her that we would be dropping Andy off with her.

So we took Andy to the boardwalk to meet up with his sister. After completing all the necessary ID checks and paperwork, we left Andy in the care of his very unhappy sister.

The following day Andy was put on a plane—unaccompanied—and sent across the country to be picked up by his father…who did not show up. Arrangements were then made for him to be sent back across the country to be picked up by his extremely angry mother.

Upon discovering all this, I called the folks who had sent him to camp and told them that I wanted to have Andy come back to camp for the last session and that we would make it work.

It did work, and here is the second chapter of the story.

Andy was in Brett’s unit for the last session of camp, and Brett was struggling. Brett had been to camp twice already this summer, and he was clearly just too exhausted to cope with the level of activity and noise—he just wanted to fight his way out of camp and be home where he could rest. Brett and Andy had a couple of dust-ups. After some calls home, we decided that Brett had made it as far as he could for this camp session. We called his mother and arranged for her to pick him up while the other kids were at campfire.

While Brett—who by the way is a really good kid—and I waited for his mom at the gatehouse office, Andy’s counselor approached me and asked me if I could give him a minute. Out of Brett’s earshot, he told me that Andy would like to come say goodbye to Brett. Initially, I thought this was not a good idea, but the Lord had other plans. I said yes after the counselor’s persuasive argument, and he hurried back to the campfire pit to get Andy. When Andy arrived, he knelt down in front of a sad and distraught Brett, and lifted his head so that they would be eye to eye.

I will never forget the depth of compassion, grace and empathy these two boys shared that night. The words of comfort, caring, and courage that Andy offered to Brett where only possible because Andy had experienced the same authentic unconditional love here at camp when he faced a similar circumstance only a week earlier.

Camp makes a difference in kids’ lives. I saw it with my own eyes and felt it deep in my soul as these two boys embraced and said goodbye. God resides where children are free to love and live—that’s camp. That’s where you’ll find me.

Finding hope at camp

By Jeff Potts

Camp is about giving kids hope—a new perspective about who they are and what they can do in this world. I made up an acronym to clarify my vision: Helping Obscured Potential Emerge. With God’s help we encourage  kids to see that they have unlimited potential in this world.

A few years ago, an 8-year-old girl with a disfigured face came to camp. During my first chapel I told the kids, “God loves you” and “God thinks you’re beautiful.”

Afterward, the girl came up to me and said, “God doesn’t love me.”

“Why do you think that? I asked.

“Because I’m ugly,” she said. “Even my family says I’m ugly.”

My heart was sad, but I smiled and said, “You know what? I know God loves you. He says he does, and God never lies. God does think you’re beautiful. And so do I.”

She shrugged and walked away.

At the final chapel of the week, we told the kids they could come up and speak to God about becoming part of his family. This little girl was one of many who spent time talking to God and receiving Jesus in his or her heart. We asked the campers to tell someone right away about what they did, so I went outside to wait for them to share with me.

One of the last kids out was this girl. She came over to me and said, “You know what?”

“What?”

“God loves me,” she said.

“I know,” I said, and we high-fived.

She turned and started to go, then stopped and turned around.

“You know what else?”

“No, what?”

“God thinks I’m beautiful!” She gave me a hug, turned and ran off.

Hope? New perspective? Yep, we can do that.  Amen.

Territorial youth secretary prays for camp

Join in praying for 2013 campers and staff

By Roy Wild, Captain

I am excited for the upcoming summer camp season. Camp is a place where lives are changed—those of both staff and campers. It is a great opportunity to present the gospel to thousands of children from across the territory. I would ask that you join me in a prayer for the ministry of all our camps in the territory.

Lord, We thank you for the opportunity you have provided to minister to youth through summer camps across the territory. Please be with all the staff that will be working this summer and prepare them to be used to show your love to all the campers. Give them the words to say when talking one-on-one or in a group setting. Help them to be aware of their actions so that they will be the example of you and your love in all that they do. We pray that every child who comes to camp will know that they are in a safe place where they can have fun, create good memories, and—most importantly—see and feel your presence.

May you watch over the campers physically. We ask that they be safe.

We ask that campers who do not know you would come to know you in a personal way. We ask that sins be forgiven and souls be saved. May your blessing be on all that happens at the camps this summer.

Lord, thank you for hearing our prayer. We believe that you are going to do great things through the ministry of camp this summer. May you receive all the glory.

Amen.

Major Iveme Yanderave, secretary for personnel, and Major Rex Johnson, secretary for program, with some
recipients Photo by Serah Abraham

The Indian Association donates $2,300 to The Salvation Army to help disabled people.

A $2,300 donation from the Indian Association in Papua New Guinea (PNG) enabled The Salvation Army Settlement Ministries Team to purchase six wheelchairs for people who are disabled and living in the Port Moresby area.

Captain Michael Dengi, assistant secretary for Program/Mission, greeted guests at a presentation ceremony. Lt. Colonel Neil Webb, chief secretary, thanked the Indian Association, on behalf of The Salvation Army, for the donation.

Webb explained that Dengi researched the homeless population in the region with the donation in mind, and discovered that many people live on the streets in the national capital area.

A representative from the Indian Association responded.

“The people of India have been living here in PNG for the last 32 years and whatever we have received, we would like to give back to the community,” he said. “The Salvation Army would be better able to help these people through the funds that we give. … [We] look forward to working with The Salvation Army in the future.”

Salvation Army provides emotional and spiritual care in Oklahoma.

ARC beneficiaries are lending a hand in relief efforts.

The Salvation Army continues to provide relief in Oklahoma following the EF5 tornado that struck Moore, Okla., on May 20.

Since then, The Salvation Army has provided 48,201 meals, 70,675 drinks, 62,431 snacks, 3,794 clean-up kits and 5,496 hygiene kits, and prayed with 8,567 persons. Volunteers, employees and officers have logged more than 13,543 hours. These numbers are expected to grow over the next several months as families and individuals rebuild, and as others come together to help The Salvation Army meet the need.

Beneficiaries of The Salvation Army’s Oklahoma Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) have even joined in on the response, organizing food, bottled water and other goods to be distributed to survivors and first responders. There are currently 80 men in the Oklahoma ARC working toward recovery through life skill classes, counseling, spiritual development and work therapy.

“The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center is a place of recovery and healing,” said Major Steve Justice, administrator of the Oklahoma Adult Rehabilitation Center. “Our team will continue serving our neighbors until we are no longer needed.”

Many beneficiaries are relishing the opportunity to be of service to those affected by the disaster.

“Serving with the recovery effort gives us a chance to give back,” said one program beneficiary. “When we were struggling with addiction…with alcohol and drugs…we weren’t any good to anyone.  Now, we are making a difference and it feels great.”

The Salvation Army is partnering with local governments and other disaster assistance agencies to provide both financial assistance and clothing vouchers to Salvation Army Family Stores for tornado survivors in Carney, Shawnee, Norman and Moore, Okla.

The Salvation Army’s corporate partners have also played a pivotal role in the response. Polaris Industries Inc. donated 10 off-road vehicles to The Salvation Army for Oklahoma tornado relief. The vehicles, valued at nearly $250,000, will enhance The Salvation Army’s ability to transport food, water and other critical supplies to survivors.

“With debris on the ground from thousands of destroyed homes, these vehicles will allow us to serve in places our mobile kitchens cannot,” said Lt. Col. Robert Thomson, Salvation Army Northern Division commander. “This is the second time Polaris has come to our aid. They gave a similar gift during Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. They are amazing partners.”

Papa John’s is providing aid on the ground while also giving the American public an opportunity to get involved. In response to the storm, Papa John’s sent a mobile kitchen to Moore to supply hot pizzas to people who lost their homes. Through the mobile kitchen, the organization has made and delivered more than 1,200 pizzas. Papa John’s also facilitated a “Help Oklahoma” fundraiser on May 26. All day, $1 from every Papa John’s order was donated to The Salvation Army’s relief efforts in Oklahoma.

John Miller, a longtime Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) volunteer from the Kansas and Western Missouri Division, is in the area offering emotional and spiritual care.

“[We’re trying to] help people sort through what has happened, let them share their pain, and in turn, try to share hope.”

Help the recovery efforts with a financial donation by visiting salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

Camps, campers and corps are more connected than ever.

By Millie Bearchell

The Salvation Army Western Territory’s Information Technology (IT) department developed a new Camp Management software program that will be instituted in all 10 divisional camps in hopes of increasing the number of campers that attend corps once they arrive home.

The software—accessible to all camp directors—permits easier, quicker registration of campers as well as more open flow of data and information between camps and corps. A database within the program stores information from each camper, including spiritual decisions, prayer requests, participation in camp activities, and disciplinary action taken by the staff.

Corps officers, who typically visit campers soon after they arrive home from camp, can reference this information prior to visits. Ed Covert, camp director for Golden State Division’s Camp Redwood Glen in Scotts Valley, Calif., said the new software is a welcome upgrade from “needing two screens to register one child.”

“IT created a terrific resource,” Covert said. “We’ve had a need for software that not only allows us to get kids easily registered but also tracks their journey through our process. And it gives corps officers a lot of context when they go to visit with these kids.”

IT began developing the software program after corps officers, divisional youth secretaries and camp leaders gathered for the February 2012 Camp Caucus to discuss ideas for following up with campers once they return home. The caucus was inspired, in part, by a phenomenon that followed the 2011 camp season at Redwood Glen.

Twelve of the Redwood Glen campers attended Sunday school and church at the Los Banos outpost the day after they returned home. As a result of that camp experience, six parents are now senior soldiers and several children are studying to become junior soldiers.

Camp also played a major role in the lives of 60 percent of present-day cadets in the territory, according to data collected by Candidates’ Secretaries Majors John and Pam Brackenbury.

As each camp works to integrate the software, corps officers will be gradually equipped with this new toolset.

“There has forever been an expectation for corps to follow up with campers,” Covert said, “and now there’s a more intentional plan in place, we’ll do everything we can to assist corps.”

Cadet Michael Moore marches into the commencement service at the Western Territory College for Officer Training at Crestmont (Photo by Tim Schaal).

The 58 members of the Proclaimers of the Resurrection Session of cadets marched through the Crestmont College for Officer Training (CFOT) Rose Garden on June 14, ready to end 20 months of education and training for Salvation Army officership, and begin a new career in service to God and humanity.

Immediately, they launched into their session song, “Proclaimers of the Resurrection,” lyrics by Lt. Col. Diane O’Brien, music by Ralph Pearce.

Major Brian Jones, CFOT director of curriculum, offered a blessing before Dr. Steven Gray, vice chair of the Crestmont Council, offered words of greeting to guests and a challenge to the session.

“The way we do battle is by doing good wherever and whenever we can,” Gray said. “And that is the profession, the life calling that you have responded to. As a result the more hate and senseless destruction you see on the news, the more you will need to love and care for those God has entrusted to you.”

Major Cindy Foley led the congregation in a Fanny Crosby marching song: “We are marching on with shield and banner bright;” each verse ending: “And we’ll work till Jesus calls.”

Photo by Major Ron Toy

Chief Secretary Colonel Dave Hudson read John 14: 6-14, upon which Territorial President of Women’s Ministries Commissioner Carolyn Knaggs based the commencement address.

She began by quoting the first verse of Albert Orsborn’s song, “Greater Things.”

What a work the Lord has done by his saving grace

Let us praise him, every one, in his holy place.

He has saved us gloriously, led us onward faithfully

Yet he promised we should see even greater things.

Greater thing! Greater things!

Give us faith, O Lord we pray,

Faith for greater things.

“Just over 20 months ago these ladies and gentlemen behind me entered these hallowed grounds, expecting great things,” Knaggs said. “You can have confidence that from the beginning of their time here at Crestmont, there has been a greater influence on their lives.

“They have greater knowledge, experience and perspective; they have greater skill, confidence and resolve; and they have greater hope because they know Jesus more completely and have seen the work of the Spirit within their own lives,” she said.

Knaggs turned to the expectations we have for them. “You can expect that the Spirit will accompany these travelers to their appointments,” she said. “These committed Salvationists are determined to serve with integrity and purity of heart.”

She correlated the cadets’ experience with the growth of Christ’s disciples. “Through three years of Jesus’ ministry on earth, the disciples watched, listened and learned from him…He told them in John 14:12 to expect ‘even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.’”

“We can all expect greater things because our faith is in the Lord,” Knaggs said. “These who are before us believe along with 1 John 4:4: You, dear children, are from God and overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Following a choral presentation by the session, Territorial Commander Commissioner James Knaggs, supported by CFOT Principal Major Timothy Foley and Major Jones, presented the academic degrees and certificates.

Cadet Joy Gronleer spoke on behalf of her session. “We are ready and eager to take on this profession,” she said. “Our ministry as a Salvation Army officer, more than a profession, will be our passion. We will show up and do what we love doing.”

Captain Timothy Carr, CFOT curriculum officer, offered the benediction.

Bandmaster Neil Smith conducts the Western Territory Staff Band (Photo by Tim Schaal).

The Western Territorial Staff Band, led by Bandmaster Neil Smith, supported the ceremony.

On behalf of the Territorial Commander, we are very pleased to announce the following

appointments effective July 03, 2013 unless otherwise stated.

“Proclaimers of the Resurrection” Session Appointments

ADULT REHABILITATION CENTERS COMMAND

Lieutenants Troy & Felicia Cook Trainees – Portland ARC

Lieutenants Victor & Regina Verdugo Trainees – San Francisco ARC

COLLEGE FOR OFFICER TRAINING

FIELD TRAINING

Lieutenant Brenda E. Morthland Field Training Officer

ALASKA DIVISION

Lieutenants Michael & Cheri Evans Corps Officers – Kake Corps

Lieutenant Darla J. Malone Assistant Corps Officer – Anchorage Corps

Lieutenant Robbin Swales In-Charge – Cordova Outpost

Lieutenants Lance & Dana Walters Corps Officers – Juneau Corps

CASCADE DIVISION

Lieutenant Crystal Birks Assistant Corps Officer – Roseburg Corps

Lieutenants Ricky & Sylvia Scruggs Corps Officers – Pendleton Corps

Lieutenants Jeremy & Brittany Baker Assistant Corps Officers – Salem Ray & Joan Kroc

Corps

DEL ORO DIVISION

Lieutenants Justin & Aimee Docherty Corps Officers – Auburn Corps

Lieutenants Todd & Karen Lovelady Assistant Corps Officers – Reno Corps

Lieutenant Tersy Matto Assistant Corps Officer – Chico Corps

Lieutenant Michael Moore Associate Corps Officer – Oakland Chinatown Corps

Lieutenants Sidney & Reyna Salcido Corps Officers – Grass Valley Corps

GOLDEN STATE DIVISION

Lieutenant Luke Betti Assistant Corps Officer – San Francisco Ray & Joan

Kroc Corps

Effective:  August 21, 2013

Lieutenants Eun Chong & Hye Mi Lee Assistant Corps Officers – San Francisco All Nations

Corps

Lieutenants Judah & Megan Young Assistant Corps Officers – Santa Clara Citadel Corps

HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDS DIVISION

Lieutenants Micheal & Jessica Stack Corps Officers – Kona Corps

Captains Mioshi & Virginia Anwot Corps Officers – Laura Corps

Captain Herine Hampton Corps Officer – Jabor Corps

Captain Augustine John Social Service & Property Secretary –

Republic of Marshall Islands

Captain Tina John Pastoral Care Officer – Republic of Marshall Islands

Captains Katzuo & Rebecca Katjang Marshall Islands Assistant Coordinators and

Corps Officers – Arno Corps

Captains Benji & Rosebee Rakin Corps Officers – Inne Corps

Captains Hittai Maryrose Silk Corps Officers – Rita Corps

Captain Junior (Taylor) Santos Corps Officer – Kolonia Corps & Madolenihmw Corps

Captain Senelyn Santos Corps Officer – Kolonia Corps

INTERMOUNTAIN DIVISION

Lieutenant Nathan Darling Corps Officer – Denver Citadel Corps

Lieutenant Samuel LeMar Assistant Corps Officer – Ogden Corps

Lieutenants Jeffery & Regeina Williams Corps Officers – Fountain Valley Corps

Lieutenant Darrell Williamson Assistant Corps Officer – Grand Junction Corps ARP

Captains Mark & Kathy Merritt Corps Officers – Casper Corps

NORTHWEST DIVISION

Lieutenant Susan Cassin Assistant Corps Officer – Vancouver Corps

Lieutenants Joshua & Loreen Hamilton Corps Officers – Missoula Corps

SIERRA DEL MAR DIVISION

Lieutenant James Combs Assistant Corps Officer – Riverside Corps

Lieutenants James & Hilda Parks Corps Officers – Escondido Corps

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DIVISION

Lieutenants Gabriel & Daisy Gaytan Corps Officers – Oxnard/Port Hueneme Corps

Lieutenants Henry & Vanessa Gonzalez Corps Officers – San Luis Obispo Corps

Lieutenants David & Shanon Harth Assistant Corps Officers – Santa Barbara Corps

Lieutenants Joshua & Jessica Sneed Corps Officers – Glendale Corps

Lieutenant Juan Barriga Assistant Corps Officer – San Pedro Corps

SOUTHWEST DIVISION

Lieutenants Larry & Joy Groenleer Corps Officers – Las Vegas Citadel Corps

Lieutenant Celeste Guess Assistant Corps Officer – Mesa Corps

Lieutenant Elaine Mansoor Corps Officer – Prescott Corps

Lieutenant Mareah Morrow Assistant Corps Officer – Prescott Corps

Lieutenants Bill & Cathy Simon Corps Officers – Farmington Corps

Lieutenant Theresa Williams Assistant Corps Officer – Ray & Joan Kroc Corps –

Phoenix South Mountain

Lieutenants Jeffrey & Katie Breazeale Corps Officers – Tucson Amphi Corps

We express our gratitude to God for these new Lieutenants and Captains and our prayer for these officers as they prepare their hearts and minds for these new responsibilities.

Lt. Colonel Doug O’Brien

SECRETARY FOR PERSONNEL

* indicates additional responsibilities

The Chief of the Staff, Commissioner André Cox, writes:

‘FOLLOWING a period of personal reflection and prayer, General Linda Bond has decided that she should relinquish the Office of the General with effect from 13 June 2013. The General’s decision to step down comes after 44 years of ministry.’

As is required by The Salvation Army’s constitution, contained in the Salvation Army Act 1980, the Chief of the Staff will perform the functions of the General pending the election of a new international leader.

The Chief will also shortly be calling a High Council to elect the new General. A further announcement regarding that High Council will be made in due course.

General Bond, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Education and a Master’s degree in Theological Studies, entered the training college in Canada as a cadet in 1967 and was commissioned as an officer two years later. She spent the following nine years in corps appointments, before being appointed first as a member of the training staff at the College for Officer Training in Toronto and then as Territorial Candidates Secretary. She returned to corps ministry, becoming Commanding Officer of the Kitchener Corps, before serving at the College for Officer Training in St John’s, Newfoundland, as Assistant Training Principal, Divisional Secretary of the Maritime Division and Divisional Commander of the same division.

In 1995 she was appointed to International Headquarters in London as Under Secretary for Personnel. She remained in the United Kingdom, transferring to the UK Territory as Divisional Commander, Central North Division, in 1998. A return to Canada came just over a year later, when she was appointed as Chief Secretary, Canada and Bermuda Territory.

In July 2002 she was appointed to the USA Western Territory, where she served as Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women’s Ministries. She returned to International Headquarters in 2005, as Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and International External Relations.

In 2008 she became Territorial Commander of the Australia Eastern Territory. She was elected to The Salvation Army’s most senior office in January 2011.

The Chief concludes: ‘We pray God’s blessing upon General Linda Bond as she enters retirement.’

Serving lunch in Cleburne, Texas Photo courtesy of The Salvation Army Texas

Army is on hand to provide aid.

The Salvation Army went into urgent action May 15, after a devastating tornado ripped through North Texas. Officials said six people were killed as a result of the storm with as many as 100 injured. Approximately 20,000 homes and businesses lost electricity.

Three disaster canteens from the Dallas/Fort Worth area were deployed and provided refreshment, hydration and spiritual and emotional care to survivors and first responders. A mobile disaster kitchen from Dallas served first responders at the Incident Command Center in Granbury.

Residents remained evacuated while emergency crews worked to restore power and remove debris from the worst affected communities. Once residents return to their homes, it is anticipated that The Salvation Army will begin distributing household cleaning kits to help people with the process of cleanup and recovery.

4-year-old Logan Neco looks on as The Salvation Army in Camden hosts a home plate ceremony at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. Photo courtesy of the Courier-Post

Grant will help build new baseball fields at New Jersey Kroc.

The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) donated $64,574 to The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Camden, N.J., to fund the construction of two new youth baseball and softball fields that will serve an estimated 1,000 players from local communities.

“We are grateful for this generous gift from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund,” said Major Paul Cain, Kroc Center administrator. “This contribution will support local youth baseball and softball efforts in Camden, where the number of players and love of the game is growing every year.”

Construction for the new 120,000-square foot facility is currently underway, and its opening is scheduled for 2014. The center will provide athletic programming, personal development and community services. In addition, there will be facilities for baseball, softball, soccer, football and various indoor activities.

The creation of this Kroc Center was made possible in part by a lead grant from the estate of Joan Kroc, who left a generous $1.5 billion to The Salvation Army in 2004 for the construction, operation and endowment of centers like these across the nation.

The intent behind the centers is to bring communities together and help create a safe place for education, family support, recreational use, and spiritual guidance.

By Christin Davis

If  you’re Cuban, you turn to communism or to church.

This according to Teresa Matos, a soldier of The Salvation Army Havana Central Corps since 1993, who regularly attends services and volunteers. She was born in Cuba but lived in the United States for 19 years before returning to Cuba in the early 1980s to visit her grandmother. Due to complicated circumstances, she has not been able to leave since.

Teresa Matos_ Photos by Christin Davis

“It’s easy to take things for granted when you have everything,” Matos said. “When you have so many comforts, it weakens your faith. When you don’t, you have to ask God for help. That is what we do.”

One of few remaining socialist states espousing communism, Cuba’s turbulent history—from the 1898 Spanish-American War to establishment of the Communist Party of Cuba in 1965 and continued tension with the United States—has sidled the island’s lush beauty with decay.

“The problem here is economics…the ‘taxes,’ the lack of jobs, the lack of supplies and the overpricing of supplies…it is difficult to live in Cuba,” she said. Matos teaches under-the-table English lessons, and has no computer or TV. “When you look around, it looks like everybody is living normally. But it’s very hard. Practically everyone you deal with wants to leave the country.”

For Cuba’s 11 million people, the government still provides monthly food rations, free education and healthcare, yet the struggle to survive is real. For those who can get a job, average monthly earnings total roughly $20. The Wall Street Journal and Heritage Foundation’s 2012 Index of Economic Freedom ranked Cuba 177 out of 179 countries.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992, its subsidies to Cuba ended and the island country entered a rapid depression known as the Special Period. Ever since, supplies have become more difficult to find, and more expensive. Raul Castro,  acting president since 2006, has repeatedly lamented that Cuba imported around 80 percent of the food it consumed between 2007 and 2009, at a cost of over $1.7 billion a year.

Things are slowly improving under the second Castro president, who lifted bans on Cubans owning mobile phones and computers, and in 2011 allowed citizens to buy and sell houses and cars. Yet, like the 1950s cars Cubans manage to keep running, the people must scheme and dream in order to survive in this land of gritty street rumba.

Majors John and Brenda Murray, Lt. Col. Susan van Duinen (Ontario Central East), Lts. Jorge and Alina Contreras (Diezmero Corps), Lt. Cols. Josue and Ruth Cerezo (Latin America North), and Captain Julio Moreno

The blood and fire

The Salvation Army began work in Cuba in the early 1900s with missionary officers, was officially recognized in 1918 and operated until 1958 when the last overseas officer left the island upon signs of revolution, according to Captain Julio Moreno, divisional commander in Cuba and a former inspector for the government. For 10 years, Moreno said, Cuban people continued the Army’s work without the knowledge of International Headquarters.

“Cuba was without any link to The Salvation Army outside the country,” Moreno said, until a Cuban officer went to an event in Jamaica. It soon after joined the Caribbean Territory until the formation of the Latin America North Territory in 1999.

In the early years of rule by Fidel Castro, who claimed control of Cuba following the 26th of July Movement in 1959, religion was suppressed—including nationalizing church property, distributing anti-religious propaganda, and preventing believers from professions—for decades to seemingly avoid any ideological threat to the regime.

The Cuban Communist Party removed atheism as a prerequisite for membership in 1991 and permitted religious believers to join for the first time. A year later it amended the constitution to deem itself a secular state rather than an atheist state—“opening” religion, many believe, as a result of the end of Soviet Union supplies. Yet to each faith community, the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) assigns representatives to sporadically attend events and bring any concerns to government attention.

Today, The Salvation Army in Cuba operates 22 corps and two social service projects—a senior home and an addictions recovery program—with 24 officers. The Army is a member of the Cuban Council of Churches.

“According to the constitution we guarantee the freedom of religious expression as in any other part of the world,” said Maria Delos Angelas Perec, a senior ORA official representing the Christian churches, though not an attendee of any church. “Essentially, we work together—the church and the government—to better help people. We work with legality and love to build good for people, to love people as we love ourselves.”

Perec said the ORA approved 9,000 religious visas for foreigners coming to Cuba in 2012.

“As the government, we appreciate the church but we know the community appreciates it more,” she said. “The Salvation Army is a church for service to the people, the community. The best thing Cuba has is the people.”

For The Salvation Army, too, the people are key.

Commissioners William and Marilyn Francis, USA Eastern Territory officers who served as territorial leaders in Canada and Bermuda from 2007 until retirement in 2011, initiated support for a Canadian mission to Cuba.

“We’ve been hampered in our ability to help Cuba at all from the states, but Canada is well-positioned to do so,” said William Francis, who continues to serve in retirement as chairman of the International Doctrine Council. With his early support, Majors John and Brenda Murray of the Ontario Central East Division have for the past five years organized self-funded projects, in partnership with the Cuba Division, to improve facilities for the Army in the Caribbean.

“I was amazed at the strength of the Army there. Many have known nothing else but Fidel Castro and communist rule, but through all of that the people have kept the joy of the Lord,” said Francis, who attended the first four years of project dedications with his wife. “That’s a wonderful verse, but when you see it embodied in people it takes on new meaning.”

Mission:Cuba met its end May 2 in Havana, Cuba, with the dedication of two new corps—the last of 13 capital projects completed. Projects have included 150 Canadian team member volunteers, ranging in age from 14 to 81, including students, a farmer, a retired policeman, and contractors.

“After five years, the profile of The Salvation Army has increased dramatically here, and the government has a better understanding of the role and function of The Salvation Army and what it can do to assist in disaster and humanitarian projects,” John Murray said, noting the Cuban government’s request of assistance from The Salvation Army following hurricanes in recent years. “This is about more than building projects; it’s about building community, mission and building God’s church.”

team members Cory Frost and Mallory Jennings buy fruit in Paraga for the team lunch

Mission:Cuba began each August when a pre-team visited the island to meet with Salvation Army staff and survey areas of priority need with a contractor. An itemized, 12-page list of materials was sent to the Cuban government for approval, upon which every item was shipped in a 40-foot container. Members of this pre-team had to then be on-site when the container was approved for release, generally in January. The materials were stored with the Army in Cuba until the spring projects began.

This year, Mission:Cuba 5 included 25 team members who each paid his or her own way to volunteer there.

“We always leave behind a big, bright building and people come to look,” said Paul Robertson, one of the team’s contractors and a member of Mission:Cuba since the beginning, who oversaw a 50-foot roof installation this year. “We attract attention while we’re building, and people stop to ask what’s going on. You never know who’s being affected, but we know these places are beacons for the community.”

At the Paraga Corps, Mission:Cuba 5 completed a 33-foot roof and added two rooms to the officers’ quarters, which previously only had one room for the family. The team turned an unusable property at the Diezmero Corps—the officers had been holding services inside their home—into an expansive church. Both project sites were painted inside and out, and Mission:Cuba 5 also paid for a fence to be put in at The Salvation Army’s newly opened training college for officers in Cuba.

“These people have become almost family,” said Brenda Murray. “They said they had been praying for God to send someone, and I’d been praying that God would use me. What’s so strong about this is that it isn’t about Canadians showing Cubans how to do things, but partnering together so that everyone benefits out of it.”

The partnership may have ended in its current form as the Murrays move to appointments at International Headquarters, but for those who remain in Cuba the work continues.

“I imagine that Cuba is very beautiful place; tourists always say it is,” Matos said. “I’m just waiting, and I have a lot of faith. As long as Jesus is there everything is OK.”

For a deeper look at religion and The Salvation Army in Cuba, read the fall 2013 issue of Caring and follow caringmagazine.org.