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My name is Josh  Howard, and  I attend Guelph Citadel with my  wife, Tina, and my two beautiful children, Abigail and Julian.  I have had the opportunity to serve as the Youth Pastor at Guelph Citadel for the last five years.

I would like to share with you a little about the  journey of my calling to Salvation Army Officership.

When we turn to Hebrews 11:1 (NLT), it says: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

As we read down through the remainder of Hebrews 11, we see how important faith is in our relationship with God, both for now, and for all eternity. Let me share a bit with you about my faith.

As a teenager, I spent many summers working at a camp run by the Salvation Army: Camp Glenhuron.  I spent many years there, and had various experiences that would shape my life.

On one occasion, I was having a late night conversation with another member of the male staff.  I don’t remember much about our conversation aside from one thing.  Moments before we both turned in for the night and parted ways, he said to me, “You know, I could see you as a Officer some day.”

With that, he went to bed, and I’m sure had a decent night’s sleep.  As for me, on the other hand, I laid awake for what seemed like hours and began to think about Officership for the first time.

Since then, I have had many people, including my family and friends, encourage and reaffirm God’s call for my life. When I’ve looked back at the verse from Hebrews over the years, it is the first part of it that has been encouraging to me:
“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.”

It has been my hope for many years to follow God’s calling for my life.  Along the way I have had the opportunity to attend university, have been fortunate enough to work within corps ministry as a Youth Pastor, and to fall in love with someone sharing the same calling in their life. When I look back over the last dozen years or so, I see how God was shaping and forming my life though the experiences and challenges, and the ups and downs.

My wife and I are ready and excited to seek and serve God through the many opportunities we will be presented with in the months and years ahead as members of the Proclaimers of the Resurrection session.

I thank you all for your prayers and support, and pray that your faith journey will be as enriched as mine has been.