I guess that most people's image of the Salvation Army is the traditional uniformed Officers serving in soup kitchens, helping in places of need (like the Doncaster floods!), selling War Cry on the street corner or in local pubs, and brass bands playing at Christmas in the town centre.
The image was so different after today's visit to the Doncaster Salvation Army Citadel. We had hardly locked the car in the car park before the welcomes and greetings began. Walking through the door we were greeted by Majors Stuart and Anne (now how many Methodist Ministers would be found doing this?). The greetings continued right up to the start of the meeting as one after another officer welcomed us and enquired who we were and why we were there!
The officers' choir led us into worship in song with the 1st congregational hymn being "Ye servants of God" "in honour of the Methodists here"! We were then led further into an awareness of the presence of God with songs, readings and meditations (including the use of a sea shell as a "focus" to the reading of John 1). The sermon was built around the story of Jesus' visit to the home of Mary and Martha, making the point that we need to be willing to invite God into the place where we are (home), to ensure that we don't get distracted from being with him, and a reminder that serving is also important but that the "service begins when the meeting ends"!
A final "altar call" offered the opportunity to show a renewed commitment to practising the presence of God in our lives and our service.
Aidan's comment "can we come again" probably says more than all my words, and although it was clear that there is still some tension between old and new, traditional and contemporary in the Citadel, these do not detract from Spirit of the God moving and working through these wonderful people. The experience only reinforced my often quoted comment about the Salvation Army being the place I would end up at if I was ever expelled from the Methodist Church, despite the absence of Holy Communion!
Today we experienced the presence of God in the welcome we received and the worship we joined with and were well reminded of the need to continue to seek his presence everyday and in everything we do.
