One Mission, One Body

(Photo/Lu Lu Rivera)

Cadets Sara and Wendell Perkins are grateful for the family-like atmosphere that develops among cadets at the College for Officer Training, where everyone comes together to love, support, and encourage each other as they work toward a single goal: to further the Kingdom of God.

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” —1 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV)

The cadets who live at The Salvation Army’s College for Officer Training (CFOT) in Suffern, New York, all describe it as a special place.

Everyone lives on campus together for two years as they train to become officers. They become a family of sorts, sharing in each other’s triumphs and disappointments. They grow close, encourage and pray for one another, and form a bond that lasts long after they are commissioned and go off to serve in various communities around the world.

Cadets Sara and Wendell Perkins, who come from The Salvation Army in Portland, Maine, and have lived at the CFOT with their three children the last two years, said they like that everyone is on the same mission to eventually serve Christ.

“We’re one big family,” Wendell said. “We’re there for each other. It’s been a life-changing experience to be part of this community. We’re all walking this journey together. We’re all united.”

The cadets develop a sense of closeness and unity at the CFOT, and “friends become family,” Sara said. The couple’s children, ages 15, 12, and 9, also feel it.

Cadets Sara and Wendell Perkins at the College for Officer Training with their three children (from left): Isabelle, 15, Sophia, 12, and Bradley, 9. (Photo/Eli Morgan)

“We’re all here for the same purpose,” Sara said. “It’s truly been a blessing living in such a community. There’s something special about serving side by side with other people so that we can grow together. We’re still learning. I don’t think you could really ask for a better lifestyle. Along that journey of growth are these meaningful relationships that are forming.”

Iron sharpening iron

The cadets develop relationships with each other and the CFOT faculty. Besides teaching the finer points of doctrine, the instructors also become mentors and build into the cadets’ lives.

Sara said Major Jin Lee has helped shape her journey and called her a mentor and genuine example of Salvation Army officership.

“At times I’ve felt discouraged, and she’s always been there to encourage me and pray for me,” she said. “She’s held me accountable in areas where I struggle, but at the same time has given me that extra push.”

For Wendell, both Commissioner Mark Tillsley and Major Josh Simpson have had a huge impact on his time at the CFOT, not just academically but spiritually.

“They both have a wealth of knowledge and experience and wisdom,” he said. “It shows in the way they teach their class. I think everyone loves them as teachers too.”

The cadets come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and countries. They get sent to corps assignments around the USA Eastern Territory, often outside their comfort zones and native communities.

A lesson from Scripture

One of Sara’s recent Bible studies focused on 1 Corinthians 12, where the Apostle Paul said, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” She has experienced different cultures and perspectives at the CFOT and witnessed how God gives everyone unique spiritual gifts.

“That’s true here because we’re so diverse and there’s so many of us,” she said. “It helps remind us that God has His reasons for placing us here together.

“We’re many parts, but together we’re one body in Christ. I think living here in this community has helped shape that even more.”

Wendell is grateful for his time at the CFOT because it has allowed him to grow and see other cultures.

“We may be different, but we’re all here for our love for God,” he said.

The couple is now trying to learn Spanish in case they get sent to a Spanish-speaking corps in their first appointment. They want to be able to spread the gospel with no barriers. Hispanic corps are the fastest growing in the USA Eastern Territory.

On-the-job training

Other cadets have tried to help them as they work on what Wendell calls “Spanish with a Maine accent.”

“I want to be able to serve anyone who comes to me,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned is we all have to adapt because we’re not the same. Being sent to other corps and other neighborhoods has helped me prepare by showing me what to expect. Every place is going to be unique. Ministry is not going to look the same everywhere we go. There will be different challenges and different needs.”

Sara agreed that serving in various corps has helped in their development as cadets and future officers.

“We go out and have the practical experience together in the diverse corps, but we’re doing that as classmates and fellow cadets, and that stretches us in new ways,” she said.

At first Sara and Wendell found the spiritual intensity at the CFOT intimidating, especially when their spiritual formation group changed between their first and second years. The groups emphasized accountability and growth.

“It drew us closer to each other and to God,” Wendell said.

The training soon ends

The spiritual is always front and center at the CFOT. Sara said, “We worship together so much as a group.”

While the group is united in mission, its members’ paths will soon diverge.

Sara and Wendell are part of the Keepers of the Covenant session of cadets, who will learn their appointments during a May 3 ceremony at the CFOT. The couple will move to a community somewhere in the territory and begin serving as full-fledged corps officers.

When asked if she had a message for her yet-to-be named new community, Sara said she is praying for the location and meditating on Jeremiah 29:11, which reminds her that God’s plans are filled with a hope and a future.

“I’m excited to serve together and seek God’s direction as one body in unity,” she said. “I’m praying that the people there would know more deeply the calling on their life. I trust God is already at work among them.”

Wendell said when he and his wife attended the Portland Citadel Corps, Major Armida Harper would remind everyone: “You’re welcomed, you’re wanted, and you’re loved.” That’s the kind of corps he wants to lead.

“We’re praying for you,” Wendell said. “We love you. God loves you. We can’t wait to serve you and your community with all our hearts and to meet you where you are and to share the love of Jesus. We want people to be welcomed and to know they’re loved and that they’re going to be cared for by us.”