An Introduction to

The Salvation Army

FELIXSTOWE CORPS ‘sharing the good news’

Greetings, friends! Within the next few pages we disclose information which we hope will be helpful to you, as you settle into the fellowship of our church. We would be delighted to discuss any queries or concerns that you may have face-to-face, so please feel free to call us on the number below.

Yours in His service Allister and Kathleen

CONTENTS

History of The Salvation Army Mission of The Salvation Army Distinctives of The Salvation Army Doctrine of The Salvation Army Membership of The Salvation Army The Soldier’s Covenant Local Leadership Weekly Programme Giving Did you know?

The Salvation Army Registered Charity No. 214779 and in Scotland SC009359

Cobbold Road IP11 7EL

� (01394) 284610 www.felixsa.org.uk

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We exist to - � save souls � grow saints � serve suffering humanity

“I must assert in the most unqualified way that it is primarily and mainly for the sake of saving the

soul that I seek the salvation of the body.” WB

History of The Salvation Army

In 1865 William Booth, founded the Christian Mission in the East End of London. “Go for souls and go for the worst!” WB

In 1878 William Booth changed the name to The Salvation Army -

� An ‘army’ of God 1. visible 2. available 3. disciplined

� fighting the good fight � with its own flag/colours, � uniform, � officers (ministers), � local officers (local leaders), � soldiers (members)

“While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight;

while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out,

as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets,

while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight to the very end.” WB

Mission of The Salvation Army

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∗ Church and charity - a recognised denomination of the Christian Church - at work in 124 countries ∗ Priesthood of all believers - “saved to save” “saved to serve” ∗ Females involved in leadership from the early days

“Some of my best men are women” WB ∗ Sacraments - an outward expression of an inward grace

- helpful but not necessary for salvation - Salvationists are called to live a sacramental lifestyle

“My life must be Christ’s broken bread, my love his outpoured wine.”

General A Orsborn

(We have a number of publications which explain our position in more detail, with reference to Bible text and other relevant material. Please

ask if you would find it helpful to read one of these).

∗ Music-making - brass bands - songsters - contemporary worship - junior musicians

“Why should the devil have all the good music?”

Distinctives of The Salvation Army

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We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God; and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practise.

We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead - the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost - undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness; and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has, by His suffering and death, made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.

We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.

We believe that we are justified by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself.

We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.

We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sancti-fied, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgement at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of the wicked.

Doctrine of The Salvation Army

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Children over the age of seven may become junior soldiers (members) of The Salvation Army. Junior Soldier’s Promise :

Having asked God for forgiveness, I will be his loving and obedient child. Because Jesus is my Saviour from sin, I will trust him to keep me good, and will try to help others to follow him. I promise to pray, to read my Bible and, by his help, to lead a life that is clean in thought, word and deed. I will not smoke, take harmful drugs or drink alcoholic drinks.

There are two forms of senior membership within The Salvation Army: Adherency and Soldiership. Anyone over the age of 14, who has come to faith in Jesus, may choose to be recognised as a member of our church, either as an Adherent or as a Senior Soldier. Declaration made by Adherent Members :

∗ I declare my faith in God as Heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, and in the Holy Spirit as Helper and Guide.

∗ I believe that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, died for the sins of the whole world.

∗ I give up that which I know to be wrong with a sincere heart, and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, trust in our Lord to help me live a life of love and service for others.

∗ I commit to pray regularly, learn what the Bible says, join with other Christians in worship and seek to grow in my understanding of the Christian faith.

Membership of The Salvation Army

I will be responsive to the Holy Spirit's work and obedient to His leading in my life, growing in grace through worship, prayer, service and the reading of the Bible.

I will make the values of the Kingdom of God and not the values of the world the standard for my life.

I will uphold Christian integrity in every area of my life, allowing nothing in thought, word or deed that is unworthy, unclean, untrue, profane, dishonest or immoral.

I will maintain Christian ideals in all my relationships with others; my family and neighbours, my colleagues and fellow Salvationists, those to whom and for whom I am responsible, and the wider com-munity.

I will uphold the sanctity of marriage and of family life.

I will be a faithful steward of my time and gifts, my money and pos-sessions, my body, my mind, and my spirit, knowing that I am ac-countable to God.

I will abstain from alcoholic drink, tobacco, the non-medical use of addictive drugs, gambling, pornography, the occult, and all else that could enslave the body or spirit.

I will be faithful to the purposes for which God raised up The Salva-tion Army, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, endeavouring to win others to Him, and in His name caring for the needy and the dis-advantaged.

I will be actively involved, as I am able, in the life, work, worship, and witness of the corps, giving as large a proportion of my income as possible to support its ministries and the worldwide work of the Army.

I will be true to the principles and practices of The Salvation Army, loyal to its leaders, and I will show the spirit of Salvationism whether in times of popularity or persecution.

The Soldier’s Covenant

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Local Leadership

Corps Officers (Ministers) Captain Allister Versfeld Captain Kathleen Versfeld

Allister and Kathleen have been commissioned Salvation Army officers since 2000. Prior to this, Allister was a pro-fessional musician & teacher, and Kathleen was a Chartered Accountant. They were appointed to Felixstowe in 2005 & have three daughters, Caitlin (15), Lauren (11) & Amy (8).

Corps Sergeant Major John Ellitson John oversees the smooth running of the corps programme, and is the first point of contact in the absence of the corps officers.

Key Local Officers (Lay Leaders) :

Corps Secretary

John Pilborough

John is responsible for the safe-guarding of all corps property, as well as the recording of all financial transactions.

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Recruiting Sergeant John Cates

John is responsible for the nurture of new believers, assisting in their preparation classes for church membership (as adherent mem-bers or as soldiers).

Local Leadership

Bandmaster John Ranner

John is responsible for the senior band and, together with a group of volunteers, teaches young members of the corps to play.

Songster (Choir) Leader Neil Winton

Neil is in charge of the adult church choir.

Small Groups Co-ordinator Anne Hall

Anne co-ordinates the network of small groups within the corps, resourcing leadership & communicating new studies as well as opportunities for involvement.

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Community Centre Manager

Barbara Mellor Barbara manages our Community Centre. For more details about the centre programme, services provided, volunteering opportunities or to hire the hall, call Barbara on 01394 276502.

Young People’s Sergeant Major (Acting) Lisa King

Lisa runs the children’s work at the corps, which includes amongst other responsibilities the supervision and preparation of the weekly Sunday school.

Community Care Ministries Secretary

Arthur Parker

Arthur Parker co-ordinates the visitation of individuals in their homes, local hospitals and retire-ment homes, and also sells the War Cry in local pubs. He is al-ways on the lookout for new vol-unteers, so beware!

Corps Organising Secretary

Jackie Fincham

Jackie organises special events in conjunction with the Corps Officers and other section leaders.

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SUNDAY Prayer Meeting @10.00am; Morning Worship and Sunday School @ 10.30 am; Evening Worship @ 5.30 pm: Tea and coffee are served after both worship services.

MONDAY Parents and Toddlers @ 10.00 to 11.30am: Parents/carers enjoy a chat whilst the children play together. There are organised activities for the children, drinks and biscuits. Sue Harrold runs this activity.

TUESDAY Look-Out! @ 9.00 to 10.00am: Morning prayer meeting at the hall (in the Lounge). All welcome. (If you’d like us to pray for you, call Allister on 01394 284610.)

Lunch’n’Munch from 10.00 til 2.00pm: Light refreshments and lunches served to members of the public by a team of supported volunteers. All welcome.

Ladies Fellowship @ 7.30 pm: This Christian-based fellowship meets under the leadership of Bev De’Asha on the second Tuesday of every month. Women of any age or faith are made welcome to the wide range of activities.

WEDNESDAY Friends Together @ 2.00 to 3.00pm: Friends Together meet weekly from 1.30 for tea and coffee, with guest speakers or other activities starting at 2 pm. We offer a varied pro-gramme, which includes Christian music and a Christian "thought" in every meeting. Men and women of any age are most welcome to attend.

THURSDAY Coffee Morning @ 10.00 to 11.30am: An opportunity to have a chat over coffee and cake. Christine Gage organises these sessions, and is always looking for volunteers to help serve or bake a cake.

Noah’s Ark @ 2.00 pm: The meetings, aimed at young children (babies up to school age) and their parents/carers, are held on the second Thursday of each month in the main hall and are a ‘mini’ version of the Sunday service. Please speak to Maggie Cheadle for more details.

Weekly Programme

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(Facts and stats from around the world) There are

· 1.4m Salvation Army soldiers · 1,500 Salvation Army charity shops · 309,000 prisoners visited annually · 1,242 Salvation Army schools · 1,333 Salvation Army emergency mobile units · 35 Salvation Army hospitals · 615 Salvation Army hostels for the homeless · 175 Salvation Army homes for the elderly … in the world.

In the UK, there are · 750 corps (church centres) · 1,500 fulltime officers (ministers) · 83 social work centres.

All members of The Salvation Army are encouraged to give on a regular basis to support the Army’s work locally. We believe the Bible points to the tithe (i.e. a tenth of one’s income) as one measure of how much to give, but we encourage each Christian to prayerfully decide this matter for themselves, based on personal circumstances and commitments to support the Lord’s work in other areas of need.

Locally, we believe accountability and good stewardship of financial re-sources are essential. Consequently, a statement of income and expendi-ture is prepared annually and made available to corps members.

For those who would like to regularly contribute to the work of the corps, envelopes are available from the Corps Secretary, John Pilborough.

Giving

Did you know?

Personal Notes

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12 Updated : 29 January 2012

Corps Website and Archive:

Details of upcoming events, and recordings of the Sunday morning ser-vices, can be found on the corps website (www.felixsa.org.uk). We also have an extensive and continually expanding archive of photos. Please speak to Jim Williams if you require any additional information.