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Youth activity booms.
Under the leadership of new Youth Director Misty Raup, youth activities at the Billings, Mont., Corps are thriving. Following a successful vacation Bible school this summer, Misty led the team with a fall Sunday school contest. The contest ended with the corps’ harvest party and an increased Sunday school attendance of 33 percent over the previous year.
Misty and a group of teens go door to door to recruit children for the weekly evangelistic SONday’sCOOL program. Teens also have a weekly program, the GAME (GOD and me eternally).
Junior soldiers have completed the “Totally His” preparation course with Junior Soldier Sergeant Carolyn Anest. A new corps cadet brigade has been formed with six teens delving deeper into the Bible and their relationship with God and accepting service and leadership roles in the corps. Cathie McCulley is the corps cadet leader.
Misty’s husband Karl is the newly commissioned Corps Sergeant Major and teaches the adult Sunday school class.
“We couldn’t do anything without God present and accounted for at every meeting, even the transportation time,” says Misty. “He also has called many soldiers to help us, either by volunteering to teach a class, drive, chaperone, cook, or set up and tear down.”
Twelve delegates attended the divisional youth councils, with three teens responding to the call to officership.
New programs serve homeless and hungry.
The Cornerstone Homeless Outreach, a new program recently started to serve homeless young adults 18-25 years old and teens 14-17, is taking off under the leadership of Director Ramona Bruckner. Currently three young adults are actively involved and working at the thrift store, and several have been helped in finding apartments. Ramona is mentoring the young people she assists in order to help them reach a self-sufficiency level.
Corps Treasurer Karl Johnson leads the new Cornerstone Feeding Program, with the help of his wife and other corps members. They feed an average of 27 hungry and hurting persons Monday through Friday. Several have attended the Sunday service and Bible studies.
Soldiers enrolled, veterans honored, commitments made.
On a recent Sunday, Corps Officer Major Keith Bottjen enrolled five new senior soldiers, while Major Linda Bottjen enrolled six junior soldiers. Four new corps cadets were also recognized.
Veterans were honored as well. John Reed, in full US Army uniform, and Karl Johnson marched with veteran David Long and posted the American and Salvation Army flags.
When Major Bottjen called for people to make a public statement of accepting Christ, nine came forward to answer the challenge.