Communiqué the Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory Fellowship Corps
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May/June 2015 http://www.sarmy.org.au/FellowshipCorps Communiqué The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory Fellowship Corps Photo CC BY 2.5 Pikiwiki Israel Banias Waterfall, Israel Dear Friends, Christian greetings from the Fellowship Corps. In this issue of the Communiqué we will look briefly at two women who played significant roles in preaching the good news about Jesus, and influencing their listeners in making personal decisions about Him. I am referring to the woman from Samaria and Catherine Booth, co-founder of The Salvation Army. Both women experienced life-changing encounters with the living Christ and then devoted themselves to telling others about Him. Even though these women lived 1,800 years apart in very different times, cultures and places, their responses to Jesus have been recorded for future generations. The gospel of John, chapter four, relates the meeting of the Samaritan woman and Jesus at Jacob’s well, near Sychar in Samaria. As for Catherine Booth, many books and papers have been written about her and how she lived her life fully surrendered to the will of God. Both women made an impact on those they met, and for generations afterwards. One woman who would have known their stories well was our own General Eva Burrows who also experienced the life-changing power of a life lived for Christ. On the next page is a summary of the tribute to General Burrows’ life from this territory. Enclosed with your Communiqué are two booklets that commemorate the life of General Eva Burrows: the Service of Thanksgiving and the Commemorative Tribute. My thanks go to the Editorial Department and the Territorial Executive Office for supplying copies for the members of the Fellowship Corps. God bless you, Donna Bryan (Major) Fellowship Corps Secretary Fellowship Corps Secretary Mission Resources Department The Salvation Army PO Box 479 BLACKBURN VIC 3130 Phone: (03) 8878 4745 [email protected] 2 Fellowship Corps Communiqué General Burrows eneral Eva Burrows was promoted to glory on 20 March 2015 from Melbourne. She Gwas 85 years old. “General Eva” was world leader of The Salvation Army from 1986 until 1993 and the second woman in history to act as General. The current General, Andre Cox, stated: “We give thanks to God for the life, inspiration and leadership of General Eva Burrows. Her life influenced the lives of countless people to shape The Salvation Army … across the world. I salute a true servant of God!” Eva Evelyn Burrows AC was born in Newcastle on the 15th of September 1929 as one of nine children. She completed High School at Brisbane State High and went on to study a Bachelor of Arts (with majors in English and History) at The University of Qld, graduating in 1950. A year later she began training as a Salvation Army Officer, which she continued for the rest of her life with appointments all around the world including Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Great Britain and Australia. General Eva was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) on Australia Day 1986 “In recognition of service to the temporal and spiritual welfare of the community and to social justice as the world leader of The Salvation Army”. In 1994 the AO was upgraded to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). On 1 January 2001 General Burrows received a Centenary Medal “for service to the Australian community”. In retirement, she was an active “hands on” worker at The Salvation Army 614 Project in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which caters specifically for the homeless and marginalised people of Melbourne city. Commanding Officer Major Brendan Nottle said of her: “General Eva Burrows was the absolute epitome of what it means to be a true Salvation Army Officer. She was deeply interested and passionate about every aspect of people’s being, no matter what level of society they were from. Anyone that met her always felt valued, respected and deeply appreciated. On meeting her, they were always filled with hope and reminded that they are never forgotten and always loved.” (Source: http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/News-and-Media/news-and-media1/Remembering-General-Eva- Burrows/#sthash.BBKF4IOh.dpuf) Many Thanks to those members who have generously sent in donations to cover printing and postage costs for the Fellowship Corps. Current printing and postage costs are $1.50 per booklet. Please note: Song numbers in this Communiqué are from The Salvation Army Song Book, 1986. Fellowship Corps Communiqué 3 Celebrating 150 years of The Salvation Army: ‘Will & Kate: The story of William and Catherine Booth’ A delightful picture-book biography of the Founders—tells how two ordinary children grew up to do extraordinary things for God. Author: Dawn Volz Illustrator: Chris Green Cost: $12 plus postage Available from Salvation Army Supplies NEW 95–99 Railway Road, Blackburn VIC 3130 Phone: (03) 8878 4700 www.salvationarmy.org.au/supplies 4 Fellowship Corps Communiqué Fellowship Corps Communiqué 5 ALL TO WORSHIP INVITATION TO THE THIRSTY ISAIAH 55 ‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendour.’ Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 6 Fellowship Corps Communiqué INVITATION TO THE THIRSTY ISAIAH 55 ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn-bush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure for ever.’ New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Fellowship Corps Communiqué 7 Songs of Praise In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.” Isaiah 12 (NIV -UK ) 8 Fellowship Corps Communiqué Fellowship Corps Communiqué 9 atherine CBooth ‘a powerful preacher/teacher’ 10 Fellowship Corps Communiqué ‘If we are to better the future, we must disturb the present.’ atherine Booth was a powerful preacher/ teacher and together Cwith William Booth, her husband, they gave themselves fully to proclaiming the Gospel message: that in Jesus Christ alone there is salvation for all who repent of their sins and believe that Jesus is the Son of God. ‘No influence was more helpful than the continually increasing part taken in the instruction of Salvationists by Mrs Booth. By word of mouth and in her writings she urged devotion to the principles on which the movement had been founded and counselled out–and–out aggressive action for the achievement of its purpose. While the General was more particularly–and fully–occupied with the ever-increasing demand for organization and direction of the forces, Mrs Booth, being less bound in this respect, was able to give more attention to addresses and writings.’ Source: Page 27, History of The Salvation Army Volume Two 1878–1886 by Robert Sandall, Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, 1950. Fellowship Corps Communiqué 11 Song 447 O Jesus, Saviour, Christ divine, O God of pentecostal fame, When shall I know and feel thee mine Can I not have that living flame Without a doubt or fear? Burning where’er I go? With anxious, longing thirst I come From sin and self and shame set free, To beg thee make my heart thy home, Can I not lead lost souls to thee, And keep me holy here.