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by Olivia Yates –
CAROL JAUDES WILL portray Evangeline Booth during the Heritage Conference. |
The Heritage Society of The Salvation Army Museum of the West moved into the spotlight last fall with an inaugural conference showcasing the Army through a non-traditional lens.
By popular demand, the conference returns with a new lineup this year on November 3-5, 2004 at Crestmont College in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., as a partnership between the Heritage Society and the college’s School for Continuing Education, to bring together speakers and events representing the best in academic study and education on the Army’s rich heritage.
“This conference is an important key to the further development of The Salvation Army in the American West,” says Museum Director Captain Kevin Jackson. “It offers anyone the opportunity to engage our past with a growing community of others who have similar interests.”
Some conference highlights include presenter Dr. Pamela J. Walker, Associate Professor of History at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, author of Pulling the Devil’s Kingdom Down: The Salvation Army in Victorian Britain, and co-editor of Women Preachers and Prophets through Two Millennia of Christianity, who will take attendees on a journey through the Army’s roots in Victorian England.
The deep and compelling history of music in The Salvation Army will be explored by noted music historian, writer, conductor and lecturer Dr. Ronald W. Holz, professor of music literature and instrumental music at Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky. Holz conducts the Asbury College Orchestra, the college’s Salvation Army Student Fellowship Brass Band and the Lexington Brass Band, and is the author of critically acclaimed books of band history, including Erik Leidzen: Band Arranger and Composer and a history of the New York Staff Band, Heralds of Victory.
A special “dinner theater evening” for this year’s conference attendees and members of the community will feature The World’s Greatest Romance, a sparkling dramatic and musical presentation of the lives of General Evangeline Booth, Susanna Wesley and Fanny Crosby presented by Broadway performing star Carol Jaudes. On Thursday evening, November 4, Jaudes, a five-year veteran of the hit musical CATS and current special events and arts ministries director for The Salvation Army Eastern Territory, will bring to life the stories of these great women of faith in a vibrant one-woman show. Well researched, fast-paced and entertaining, the show has inspired audiences throughout the U.S. and abroad. The Eastern Territory’s Good News wrote, “The sense of historical presence was stunning; this is artistry with insight and edge.” The event is included with conference registration; however tickets may be purchased separately for $25 to include only the Thursday evening program (dinner, reception and The World’s Greatest Romance).
For more information or to purchase tickets for the conference or the Thursday evening event, e-mail SOAR@crestmontcollege.edu or call (310) 265-6143.
The Heritage Society supports The Salvation Army Museum of the West through significant legacy gifts that further the Museum’s mission of preserving historical collections, disseminating information, and providing access for the public. For membership information, visit www.crestmontcollege.edu or call (310) 265-6241.