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by Karen Gleason –
Striving to bring Salvationists together to share ideas and information, several ministry workshops were offered on Saturday morning. Three were conducted in Spanish, two in English, and one in Korean.
Territorial Children’s Outreach Ministries Director Marcela Tippol presented two workshops in Spanish. The first examined the Sunbeam (Rayitos de Sol) program: how it works and fits into the overall corps program, recognizing the leader’s role, and introducing the program into the Hispanic community. Sunbeam materials are now available in Spanish from the THQ youth department (562-491-8398).
Tippol’s HopeShare workshop showed how SONday’SCOOL can be an outreach tool to the Hispanic community through supper clubs; Home Base—taking church to a neighbor’s children; Club 316—mid-week Sunday school; SONshine Club—Christian education after school on the school site; Discovery Day—planting a new church with street kids; and Good Sports—attracting kids to church through sports.
Louie and Maria Salazar, youth workers who live on-site at the Lincoln Heights Corps in the Southern Calif. Division, also held a workshop in Spanish—Young Adults Involved in Ministry—in which they presented ways to challenge, inspire and motivate young adults to get involved in corps ministry.
Captains Peter and Ok Kim, San Francisco Korean Corps officers, conducted a workshop in Korean on Korean Ministries/Corps Growth. They stressed the importance of understanding cultural differences and the necessity of adopting creative ministry to bridge the gap of cultural difficulties and to promote harmony.
In his Integrated Ministry workshop, Territorial Program Secretary Lt. Colonel Ray Moulton tackled the question of why the Church is growing internationally, yet declining in the western world. “Adopting the non-western, yet Biblical, approach to mission, can revolutionize our ministry,” said Moulton.
Captain Ted Horwood, World Missions secretary, examined The Salvation Army’s role in international disaster relief in his workshop, Cast a Global Vision. He first discussed the Army’s tsunami relief work in Sri Lanka and the challenges of providing aid to a non-Christian country. While the Army occupies a relatively small place in the realm of disaster relief, its efforts are still greater than any other Christian church organization, and as a church planting organization it has something unique to offer in these situations. Horwood stressed the importance of the relationship with the people; it is this relational process—this expression of Christian faith—that will bring people to Christ through The Salvation Army.
In these six workshops, Salvationists from around the West found opportunities for learning and exchanging ideas on the various ministries of the Army.