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God, what do you want to do in our neighborhood?
 MAJOR SUSAN JONES works with kids at day camp. |
BY MAJOR BARBARA BLIX –
The Coos Bay Corps in the Cascade Division, under the leadership of Majors Cliff and Susan Jones, is living out its vision in remarkable ways.
As the corps family met together to put their collective vision on paper, their prayer was “God, what do you want to do in our neighborhood? What do you want to do through the lives of the people with whom we come in contact?”
From that prayer, a vision statement was born: “To be a united community of believers encountering the living God and acknowledging him in every way…to value the celebration of worship, embrace Biblical principles in preaching and teaching…to build relationships of all ages and ethnicities…to practice spiritual disciplines and structure for servant leadership. In all of our pursuits we will seek to know God’s will as he invites us to become involved with him and his plan for humankind.”
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“To be a united community of believers encountering the living God and acknowledging him in every way…to value the celebration of worship, embrace Biblical principles in preaching and teaching…to build relationships of all ages and ethnicities…to practice spiritual disciplines and structure for servant leadership. In all of our pursuits we will seek to know God’s will as he invites us to become involved with him and his plan for humankind.” |
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Those objectives have been fleshed out in a variety of ways: New soldiers have been enrolled with recruits presently taking preparation classes; Sunday school membership has increased 70% over the previous year; the value of small group participation has been recognized and discipling groups have been formed with different focus points, including “Discipleship for Dummies.”
In addition to traditional corps activities, there is an extensive neighborhood after-school and summer program which includes a computer lab, homework help, tutoring and gymnasium and character-building programs. Families in the neighborhood and outreach areas of the corps know that each weekend begins with “Funky Friday,” incorporating a feeding program, music, Christian education and recreation, culminating with a preview of and invitation to a host of Sunday activities.
Major Susan Jones says “The bottom line is that God is sovereign and he chooses how and when to bless. We just have to be ready to receive and respond to him. What’s happening in Coos Bay is truly nothing we have purposely done except to trust and be faithful and constant in prayer.”
