What’s New
by Guest
The world can be a noisy place. There’s always something going on, making the next sound, grabbing our attention. Street noise. Or the kids are talking, or the TV is on. How about those fancy rectangles in our pockets that help us make phone calls, surf the web, check social media, and play games? Noise happens all the time. Do you sleep at night with the TV on or music playing? We’ve gotten so used to the noise that we can’t even reach a restful state without it.
by Guest
One of the main expectations any charitable organization must live up to is transparency—to be an “open book” to the public to ensure that it’s worthy of being trusted. When that organization is also a religious movement modeled after the gospel of Jesus Christ, gaining and keeping the public’s trust becomes even more important.
by Hugo Bravo
Give people a chance to express themselves through the arts, and they can blossom—and even grow into something beyond their imagination. When The Salvation Army in Delaware saw an opportunity to encourage members of its Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP) to explore their talents, a new ministry of art and enterprise emerged.
by Hugo Bravo
Sometimes when I sit down to write about immigrants and their connection to The Salvation Army, my mind goes back to April 10, 1988. That was the day my mother and I boarded a plane from Lima, Peru, to Newark International Airport. I was 5 years old. My father, who’d arrived in the United States two years prior, had a rented rear-lot house ready for us in Paterson, N.J., a city that, its residents like to say, has more Peruvians than any other place in the world, minus Peru itself.
by Hugo Bravo
The Boston Celtics were in the middle of what would turn out to be their 18th championship season when the organization came together with Dunkin’ to unveil a renovated basketball court at The Salvation Army South End Corps in March. The two Boston-based entities, which have a history of working with The Salvation Army in Massachusetts, collaborated on the project.
by Guest
In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord encounters a man possessed by a legion of demons. The story left me with mixed emotions. This man’s inability to be free of such spirits filled me with sadness and regret.
by Hugo Bravo
Major Valerie Kahn, program secretary for The Salvation Army Massachusetts Divisional Headquarters, talks about how the Army’s work in Jamaica helped direct her future, being reminded of the first time she met her husband, and following God’s guidance.
by Hugo Bravo
Pornography is all too easy to access. Our cellphones, with apps and web browsers, slip into our pockets or purses, ever at hand, while our internet-connected tablets and personal computers wait for us at home. These devices can retrieve online pornography in seconds, creating powerful temptation and a dangerous outlet.
by Hugo Bravo
On Sunday mornings, as the corps officers work behind the scenes preparing for the service, the first Salvation Army representative to greet the congregation is often the welcome sergeant. It’s an appointment given to soldiers in corps both large and small. At The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Philadelphia, Alice Webb fills that role.
by Robert Mitchell
Walt Kehoe once struggled with drugs and alcohol, but now he keeps himself so busy serving, he doesn’t think about his past.
by Hugo Bravo
The Salvation Army’s LIGHT Project reminds people caught up in human trafficking that recovery is not something they have to face alone.
by Warren L. Maye
By becoming a foster parent, you can change a child’s life. By adopting that child, you can change your whole life too, like the author of Broken Pieces: Mending the Fragments Through Adoption, which gave me chills and provoked tears of pain and joy.
by Hugo Bravo
“We’ve thought about turning the Fabric Fair into a whole weekend event, or maybe charging a fee to have early access to our products,” says Deborah Kazar. “But that would require our volunteers to be here an extra day or two. These are women in their 70s and 80s, and they’re already working hard year-round to make that one day of the fair into a big success.”
by Guest
The world can be a noisy place. There’s always something going on, making the next sound, grabbing our attention. Street noise. Or the kids are talking, or the TV is on. How about those fancy rectangles in our pockets that help us make phone calls, surf the web, check social media, and play games? Noise happens all the time. Do you sleep at night with the TV on or music playing? We’ve gotten so used to the noise that we can’t even reach a restful state without it.
by Guest
One of the main expectations any charitable organization must live up to is transparency—to be an “open book” to the public to ensure that it’s worthy of being trusted. When that organization is also a religious movement modeled after the gospel of Jesus Christ, gaining and keeping the public’s trust becomes even more important.
by Hugo Bravo
Give people a chance to express themselves through the arts, and they can blossom—and even grow into something beyond their imagination. When The Salvation Army in Delaware saw an opportunity to encourage members of its Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP) to explore their talents, a new ministry of art and enterprise emerged.
by Hugo Bravo
Sometimes when I sit down to write about immigrants and their connection to The Salvation Army, my mind goes back to April 10, 1988. That was the day my mother and I boarded a plane from Lima, Peru, to Newark International Airport. I was 5 years old. My father, who’d arrived in the United States two years prior, had a rented rear-lot house ready for us in Paterson, N.J., a city that, its residents like to say, has more Peruvians than any other place in the world, minus Peru itself.
by Hugo Bravo
The Boston Celtics were in the middle of what would turn out to be their 18th championship season when the organization came together with Dunkin’ to unveil a renovated basketball court at The Salvation Army South End Corps in March. The two Boston-based entities, which have a history of working with The Salvation Army in Massachusetts, collaborated on the project.
by Guest
In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord encounters a man possessed by a legion of demons. The story left me with mixed emotions. This man’s inability to be free of such spirits filled me with sadness and regret.
by Hugo Bravo
Major Valerie Kahn, program secretary for The Salvation Army Massachusetts Divisional Headquarters, talks about how the Army’s work in Jamaica helped direct her future, being reminded of the first time she met her husband, and following God’s guidance.
by Hugo Bravo
Pornography is all too easy to access. Our cellphones, with apps and web browsers, slip into our pockets or purses, ever at hand, while our internet-connected tablets and personal computers wait for us at home. These devices can retrieve online pornography in seconds, creating powerful temptation and a dangerous outlet.
by Hugo Bravo
On Sunday mornings, as the corps officers work behind the scenes preparing for the service, the first Salvation Army representative to greet the congregation is often the welcome sergeant. It’s an appointment given to soldiers in corps both large and small. At The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Philadelphia, Alice Webb fills that role.
by Robert Mitchell
Walt Kehoe once struggled with drugs and alcohol, but now he keeps himself so busy serving, he doesn’t think about his past.
by Hugo Bravo
The Salvation Army’s LIGHT Project reminds people caught up in human trafficking that recovery is not something they have to face alone.
by Warren L. Maye
By becoming a foster parent, you can change a child’s life. By adopting that child, you can change your whole life too, like the author of Broken Pieces: Mending the Fragments Through Adoption, which gave me chills and provoked tears of pain and joy.
by Hugo Bravo
“We’ve thought about turning the Fabric Fair into a whole weekend event, or maybe charging a fee to have early access to our products,” says Deborah Kazar. “But that would require our volunteers to be here an extra day or two. These are women in their 70s and 80s, and they’re already working hard year-round to make that one day of the fair into a big success.”
by Robert Mitchell
The mere mention of artificial intelligence, or AI, conjures up images of a high-tech, dystopian time when machines mimic humanity and take over the world, but the truth is, many elements of AI have been around for a while.
by Warren L. Maye
In Pennsylvania alone, as many as 3,000 young people live in foster care holding centers designed for 48-hour stays. Now more than ever, families are needed nationwide to provide hundreds of thousands of children with loving foster homes, and maybe even adoption.
by Guest
A familiar feeling comes over me as I remember the sounds of a tinkling piano, the sight of sneakers and a cozy cardigan, and the familiar warm face of a friend singing, “What do you do with the mad that you feel?” My friendly neighbor on the TV, Mister Rogers, talks about how toys don’t have feelings, but people do.
by Robert Mitchell
“Christ is everything to me,” Mark says. “He’s my Siri, He’s my Google, and my GPS through life. I lived my life in [spiritual] darkness and in dark places. Now I choose to live my life in the light of God’s grace.
by Guest
Salvationists have served through wars and conflicts, and their stories are important to tell, particularly for those of us who’ve only known stability.
by Hugo Bravo
During the worst flooding disaster Vermont had seen in decades, pastors Keith and Katherine Jache led recovery efforts in the name of God and The Salvation Army. “When you arrive at your new assignment, there are certain people you should seek out and get to know immediately. Of course, people like the mayor are important but also town management workers like the local fire chief. In a disaster situation, that’s the person who is going to be in charge,” says Major Keith.
by Hugo Bravo
The men at Muskingum County Jail in Zanesville, Ohio, were at Bible study. Two participants whispered, as if each was trying to convince the other to speak up. They had just listened to Salvation Army Envoy George Bates and ministry assistant Seth Hall talk about the Book of Exodus, and how God told Moses that He would be with him as Moses set up his tent outside of the Israelite camp, where Moses could work and settle disputes.
by Hugo Bravo
Captain Kendall Stout, corps officer of The Salvation Army Lock Haven Corps in eastern Pennsylvania, talks about Bible sword drills, welcoming people who are homeless to the church, and how becoming a married partner in ministry will change the way she serves.
by Hugo Bravo
If someone’s heartbeat suddenly stops, it means they have gone into cardiac arrest. Their heart is unable to pump oxygen-rich blood to their body’s vital organs. Without oxygen, an organ like the brain can suffer irreversible damage, even in a matter of minutes. To prevent this from happening, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a hands-on procedure anyone can learn, helps the blood travel through the body until expert medical personnel can restore the heart’s ability to pump blood.
by Guest
At the beginning of 2023, my family had to say goodbye to our beloved dog, Chewie. We were filled with sadness and tears but also relief that she would be free of her painful illness. She had been suffering from oral cancer, and we knew the right thing to do was to end her suffering. But it was impossible to envision life without Chewie. She was more than just a dog—she was our four-legged family member.
VOL. 10 NO. 5, 2024
VOL. 10 NO. 5, 2024
This issue of SAconnects magazine will challenge you to take another look at immigration. Although it’s a label that is used politically, you’ll see the real people it represents—and gain a love for them. We’ll reveal how the rivers of culture that flow through their communities refresh our society each and every day.
