CFOT.ca

Fred Reid

Cadet Fred Reid shares about his experiences in his field practicum, and how God is forming him as a leader.

“How has your field practicum and seminar work contributed to your understanding of Salvation Army Officership with particular attention to our work with the poor and marginalized?”

The Salvation Army has always had an outstanding reputation for working with the poor and marginalized.  As an officer in training, a deep understanding of this call to work with the poor is of utmost importance if I am to represent the Salvation Army and it’s mission.  This paper will focus on the ‘missional learning’ that I gained through two different experiences this semester – field practicum at Urban Youth Adventures After School Music Program, and a Mission trip to the College for Officer Training in Jamaica.

URBAN YOUTH ADVENTURES

My winter field practicum this semester was volunteering with Urban Youth Adventures.  The organization began offering free after school music lessons to elementary students several years ago in the East End of Winnipeg.  The children who attend this school are primarily from poor, underprivileged families, and as well, many have the added difficulty of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).  The role given to my wife, and me were to give leadership to the lessons.  This involved talking with the kids about a character trait that is important to healthy living.  Based on the Fruits of the Spirit, these ‘character talks’ were delivered to the kids each week over a snack.

As well, we instituted for the first time, theory lessons.  After this, the kids received one-on-one piano and guitar lessons.  The school was so impressed with the development of the children; they invested in the program, and supplied new guitars and equipment to the kids.  As well as the Wednesday lessons, Urban Youth Adventures also ran a ‘Jam Night’ program where the kids who attended music lessons could come together at the Vineyard Church for a night of music, fellowship, food, and fun.  My wife and I were given leadership of this program as well, and we planned ‘God Talks’ based on the character talk from the day before, but incorporating a biblical story.

As I reflect on my past experiences with the kids, my understanding of what it means to serve the poor has greatly changed.  For me, ‘poor people’ were the people living on the street begging for money, or food and living at the Booth Center.  As I interacted with the kids, the thought never came to me that they were ‘poor’… that is until I gave several of them a ride home from lessons one day.  The neighborhood where these kids have grown up, or moved into, is clearly ‘poor.’  They got out of the van, and went into houses that were dark, run down, and seemingly hopeless.  Then I thought about the Salvation Army phrase, “Giving Hope Today.”  That is exactly what I was doing as I worked with the kids.  I was showing interest in their lives, investing in their future, one lesson at a time.  The key to this however, was relationship building.  While I was looking to be a good influence, and to serve them, they just wanted a friend.  Lupton re-affirms that idea when he writes,

Here we are, a nation of professional servers, following Christ’s mandate to serve.  And here He [Christ] is, at the final moment, getting it backward once again.  The final message is not to serve.  Rather, He directs us to be friends.

The thought that I need not serve, but be a friend to those who I meet challenged me at first (mainly because the emphasis was always on serving), but it makes perfect sense to me now.  To really help these kids, to really be a light in their lives, I needed to be there for them, interacting with them, talking about their day, and showing that I loved them like a friend in Christ.  This program is something that I intend to develop and introduce in my corps as an officer. The Salvation Army has been using music programs for years now to reach countless children and their families.  God has blessed the Salvation Army distinctly with musical talent and He holds us accountable to what we do with it.  In her book Reflecting with God Abigail Johnson summarizes this idea.

…The reality is that God has a deep knowledge and interest in each of us, calling forth our unique and distinct gifts for ministry within the lives we lead.

MISSION TRIP TO JAMAICA CFOT

February 1, 2009 I, along with three of my fellow Cadets, and one Officer boarded a plane to Kingston Jamaica to join a mission team who were renovating the property of the Salvation Army Training College.  The opportunity to travel internationally, and support and serve my fellow session mates in Jamaica was something that I am grateful for.  I am also grateful for the learning that I obtained during my week there.  Not only the practical learning, like how to form and pour concrete, or how to trace engine parts in another country, but for the learning that has enhanced my understanding of mission, especially in the light of Salvation Army Officership.

Mission work, in my mind, has always been about ‘giving to others’ or in this case ‘doing for others.’  During the time I spent in Jamaica, I learned that the Salvation Army Officer need to remove the “for” in that phrase and replace it with “with.”  The Cadets who attended the College were poor.  The Salvation Army there was poor.  The facilities were sub standard and did not promote the learning that needed to take place for the Cadets.  However, instead of just doing things for the Cadets, the mission worked with the Cadets on their property.  While this wasn’t always the most efficient way of doing things, it was the most beneficial way.  The Cadets didn’t need charity.  They needed to engage in development; they needed to be part of refurbishing their building.  This gave them some ownership, of the property and hopefully will help to ensure the buildings aren’t neglected anymore.  The Cadets weren’t able to do the work that needed to be completed by themselves, but it wouldn’t have been beneficial to them for someone else to complete all the work either.  “We are equal neither in capacity nor potential.  We are only equal in responsibility.”

By sharing the responsibility of the work to the College, the Cadets weren’t ‘bettered,’ but developed.  This idea has been presented and discussed in class, but to witness it in person allowed me to gain a better understanding of the importance of such an idea.  Major Ron Miller, training principal, even spoke about this very thing.  Without quoting exactly he said how nice to see the Cadets taking some responsibility for the grounds.  He was proud to see them working so hard on something that they would eventually benefit from.  As an Officer, I hope that I am able to instill that same attitude that I witnessed in Jamaica amongst the Cadets into the ministry unit I’m assigned to.

submitted by Fred Reid