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Group focuses on making the connection part of the territory’s culture.
By Christin Davis
The second caucus to explore the Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) and corps connection met in November to discuss steps for moving forward.
A year ago, Territorial Commander Commissioner James Knaggs put forth a hope for the majority of ARC graduates and families to be strongly connected to a Salvation Army corps. Much of the work that has been done in the past year is detailed in New Frontier Vol. 30 No. 17 (https://bit.ly/Umv0G1). The caucus looked at ways to now move forward.
“The main emphasis now is to move this hope of the Commissioner’s into a common reality,” said Derek Linsell, caucus organizer. “We want to move from an intentional change program, coming from the Territorial Commander’s office, into the culture of The Salvation Army in the Western Territory. In other words, how we make the connection between the ARC and the corps an example of the natural way we do things around here.”
Presentations from corps officers and ARC administrators who are already working on this goal included topics of education, including an “ARC 101” course for cadets and soldiers, tracking and a new website.
“We need to awaken a culture of acceptance in our corps,” said Major Rick Peacock, corps officer of the San Diego Kroc Corps Community Center, in his presentation. “They are we and we are one. These are our people.”
The caucus examined four specific areas to build this connection into the culture of the territory: Housing, employment and transportation, including a grant to rent bus transportation for beneficiaries to a corps location and transitional housing offered as part of the ARC program following graduation; education between the ARC and corps, including regional training; communication, including a targeted campaign to officers that their ministry is broader than their appointment; and accountability and measurement, including quarterly reports, standardized reporting, annual reviews and a biannual caucus.
In his response to the presentations, Knaggs thanked those present for providing structures to move the territory to guaranteed success in bridging the ARC and corps.
“This is transformational in our ministry,” he said. “We’re depending on the name of Jesus, not The Salvation Army, going forward to put specific things in place and reach success.”
The caucus finalized dates for an ARC convention to be held Oct. 10-12, 2014, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Focused around Ephesians 2:19, those planning the event hope for 5,000 attendees including current beneficiaries who are off restriction, ARC alumni, officers, staff and soldiers.
