Togetherness: with the Holy Spirit, with each other.

The whole pre-concept of Mission Scotland was that together we could achieve more, more saints grown, more souls saved, more of suffering humanity served in more ways.

There's pretty good evidence emerging that this is starting to happen.

More soldiers are being made, more spiritual and practical activities are being engaged in. 

Working together the three Scottish SA Divisions have identified areas of co-working and so have done so.

The are also areas where we maintain independent working - but share information and resources.

The understanding of the culture we work within is really important and this understanding is a crucial part of moving forward. The culture is what we need to invade is every nook and cranny, not working with the culture but in the culture so that, together with the Holy Spirit, God's plan can be worked out for the nation of Scotland through our part of the body of Christ.

A Sleeping Bag Gospel

In our cell group recently we have been using material which challenges us to identify our ‘frontline’ - to look at the people and opportunities God puts in front of us every day to show Jesus & to be Jesus to those we come in contact with. It is a great privilege to work for the Salvation Army at Aberdeen Citadel and I thank God for the ‘frontline’ he has given me, to be around our busy building where people come through the door for many different reasons. This is the place where we meet people where they are at and can start to build relationship with them. Some will come to share a coffee with their friends in our community café, others will be alone and are happy for one of our volunteers to sit & chat with them, possibly the only personal contact they may have that day. It might be Peter, just released from prison and who has been sleeping on the street – he doesn’t want a roof over his head but his shoes have holes and his socks are soaking wet, so we can meet his immediate need and give him dry socks & a new pair of shoes. And a nice clean sleeping bag makes him the happiest man around!
I thank God for the opportunities to make a difference in the little things of life - a smile or a laugh together, a kind word & a listening ear or even a clean pair of socks!

Personal Perspective

I work in Corps, and firmly support direction Mission Scotland is outlining for us.

We should be making disciples – which includes equipping and supporting our people in their weekday lives. Youth and children’s work is critical. And our discipleship should be expressing itself in serving our communities and making the Gospel real in practical ways: Jesus gave some pretty clear direction on this in Matthew 25:34-40.

The Corps Mission Development Plan is a great tool for helping us understand how to pursue the mission in our local setting. Recently I have been involved in preparing some of these plans. Being a great believer in efficiency and re-use, I wondered if Mission Scotland had generated anything we could use in these documents. The answer was “not really”: although it is helpful to be given ideas on headings and priorities, our local response to the mission has to be locally owned, not fed from above.

With God's guidance, we have to work out the way forward, in our own situations – both in the corporate efforts of the fellowship, and also “out there” in the day-to-day lives of Salvationists. So lets all pray for God’s guidance, and work out His mission where he has placed us.

Right people, right mission, right now!

Over the last few weeks this Blog has posted about making disciples, changing communities, social ministry that is transformational, planting Salvation Army Corps in areas where we have no current representation.

Over the next few weeks various people will be contributing to the blog - all of them are practitioners, they are involved in real ministry, in real settings, in real time.

None of them write regularly for a blog or other publication so style will change from post to post.

We hope you enjoy each post - feel free to comment here on the blog site, through Facebook or through Twitter. Just look for "Salvation Army Mission Scotland".

Forgotten Children...

How do we show Children they are not a forgotten people in The Salvation Army today?

The answer is really simple.....because the bible says so! In the gospels we hear Jesus saying that nobody should stop a child coming to him and that as adults we all need to have that childlike faith and trust. Then why do we in the Church always look at children as the 'army of the future'? If children are so important to Christ then we should be doing all we can create opportunities for them to have a relationship with him.

I don't believe that children need to best games equipment or the most up to date resources to make our ministry successful. For me, children require our Corps to be a place that love them and allow them to play their part. The best quality a children's worker can have is faithfulness in the work they do, as children so often don't get the commitment they deserve from society.

Can you play your part within this and be faithful to the children we are called to work with?

Through Mission Scotland, the Children and Youth group are seeking fresh ways to do this by making sure our children's ministry is intentional and relevant but also making sure children are included in all aspects of our worship. By doing this then surely we will become a more attractive place to be and help to show children that they are not forgotten about but instead people who we treasure and love.

Ian Midwinter

Pioneer Corps

In the earliest days of Salvation Army ministry Corps and mission stations were popping up all over the place! They were exciting days as newly saved people became our most effective evangelists - both for the gospel and for Booths new model army..

The battle lines have been redrawn as our country has moved into the late twentieth and then early twenty first century.

As community and society has shifted so must our pioneering be different to the early day.

Marching into the town centre with a brass band may bring a feeling of well being and nostalgic warmth but is it the most effective way of establishing Salvation Army Christian fellowship in 2013 and beyond?

What are the needs of your locality - not where your Corps fellowship meets but where you live? Is this the place for the next area we 'open fire' using not only the weapons of goodwill but the sword of the Spirit?

Life changing?

In recent years there have been several changes in the way we operate our Social Service provision.

We no longer have dormitory hostels, moving towards individual rooms in Lifehouses. A hand out has become a hand up with personal dignity ranking high in terms of how we deal with those who need our assistance. There are challenges that come with this - not least that of funding our ever increasingly costly programmes.

But what is the greater cost? The provision of roof and mattress or the risk of someone dying (and people still do) on the streets of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen?

Within The Salvation Army in Scotland an focus has been given in an aggressive way through providing high quality social ministry which is truly life changing. the work of the Floating Support Service based in Greenock, or the SHIELD project in Aberdeenshire are two great examples of mission and ministry as they enable people with chaotic and addicted lifestyles to remain in their own tenancy.

Our LifeHouses across Scotland provide food shelter and warmth - and spiritual challenge to those who need it.

The meeting Scotland Drug and Alcohol Strategy is ground breaking and life changing and is gaining respect far beyond The Salvation Army.

Add to this the raising of the spiritual bar in all of our social centres and we have a truly life changing social mission as defined in the Mission Scotland Mandate.

How are you and your corps / fellowship involved in serving stuffing humanity?