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By Beverly Ventriss –
Over 130 men gathered at the Glendale, Calif., Corps recently to sing, worship and enjoy fellowship with one another. The focus of the day was to commission 32 local officers as either Men’s Fellowship secretaries or as point leaders for Promise Keepers.
Divisional Commander Lt. Colonel Alfred R. Van Cleef delivered the keynote speech and remarked, “It is a great source of blessing and inspiration to see so many men from Southern California corps and Adult Rehabilitation Centers gathered to praise God and commit to making a spiritual impact upon the corps and ARCs they attend. I thank God for this high level of commitment to Christ. This proves once again that ‘People Count’ in the Southern California Division!”
Captain Victor Doughty, territorial legal secretary, later received a Certificate of Bonding from Van Cleef. This acknowledged Doughty’s enrollment as a leader in the Men’s Fellowship program in the division. “It is an exciting possibility for men, as a whole, to learn and to make a personal commitment by using the materials from Promise Keepers, which relate to men and their needs. It’s good to see men wanting to learn to take an active responsibility in their own personal commitment,” he stated.
Graeme Petterson, a soldier at the Santa Barbara Corps and originally from New Zealand, declared the event “a success except for one downfall: there weren’t enough men lining the aisles and hallways. Well, this year, anyway.”
Graeme spoke of the powerful messages delivered by the speakers which challenged the men to stand up and make a difference; to share with and care for one another; to talk about how they feel concerning everyday problems and spiritual matters; and the importance of men meeting together in small groups to help each other build their relationship with Christ, and in turn to build their relationship with their families by being positive role models.
Reflecting on the success of the day’s event, Van Cleef expressed “an enormous thank you to Major Russell Fritz for his follow through on this important plan.”
