Concord Chronicle

I am going to share this little conversation between my youngest, Evan, and me in the hopes that I don't sound vain or offensive in any way...

This year Gwyn and I will be recognized along with our sessionmates (classmates) for 25 and 30 years of service as Salvation Army officers. Part of the recognition includes walking down a long sloped aisle and across a large platform while a large screen displays our Cadet photo (when we first came out of the College for Officers Training and a current photo. Not that I'm already worried about tripping down the aisle, carefully walking up steps without rails, and awkwardly walking across the stage while everyone is watching, but I'm desperately worried about my "current" picture that will be showing! I need to take a current official one.

I asked Evan, "Should I wear my hair straight or curled in my picture?"

"Straight," he said.

"Really?! Why?"

"Not straight?" I'm thinking that it could camouflage my chubby cheeks!

"No, I like your hair curly," said as a matter of fact while giving my hand a squeeze.

"But why? What's your reasoning?" curious to hear his thoughts.

"Because it looks like a 'Karen' hairstyle when it is straight." WOW! That took me by surprise!

I feel sorry for all the "Karens" out there. It just isn't fair. But somehow, the name is associated with those [white] women who are perceived as angry, entitled, or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal, according to the Urban or Slang Dictionaries. Our society does not tolerate those that fit this description. And so it shouldn't. Truthfully, it doesn't matter what color or race a person is, male or female - no one should act this way. Unfortunately for "Karens", their names will have negative connotations until the next trend change. That is ... unless they show that they are not this way at all.

(I used to feel this way about my own name. There was a mean crotchety lady in my mom's women's group when I was a little girl. Her name was Ann.)

This made me think. We are all created by God to be unique individuals. Whether you are Gwyn, Bob, Ann, Dwayne, Sarah, Charlotte, Jim, or Evan, we are who we are. We should celebrate our different personalities, gifts, and skills. But I hope that the qualities and characteristics of being a Christ-follower supersede everything.

"12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14, NIV

Most importantly, I hope that when you are out and about, people will know that you are His.

AnnMarguerite Jones

I'm pressing on the upward way
New heights I'm gaining every day
Still praying as I onward bound
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on heaven's tableland
A higher plane than I have found
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay
Though some may dwell where those abound
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground

I grew up with an education system in which it was compulsory to learn two languages apart from the mother tongue. English and Scots were my first languages but I had to make a choice (as a ten-year-old!) between French and German as "modern" spoken languages and Latin and Greek as “classical” languages. For the record, I chose French and Latin. As schoolboys do, we had a little rhyme describing the experience:

“Latin is a language

as dead as dead can be,

It killed the ancient Romans,

and now it’s killing me!”

Apart from filling my head with useless facts from Caesar’s Gallic Wars, pithy proverbs: “festina lente!” (“hurry slowly!”), and a number of legal terms: “in loco parentis” (“taking the role of a parent”), the study of Latin did provide me some essential tools in understanding other Romance languages such as Italian and Spanish, since many of the same root words are borrowed from Latin into those, as well as our own English.

In my headline are two English words which are derived from a Latin stem beginning with “vic-“. “Vic-“ in Latin is at the root of words that describe the outcome of a struggle, either positive or negative depending on the disposition. As an aside, the equivalent word in Greek is “nike” which is why the shoe company chose it!

The Latin verb for offering a sacrifice is “victimo” (“I make an offering”) and the item which I struggle to relinquish is “victim” (“the object sacrificed”). The “victor” is the leader who prevails in a battle or struggle. “Victor” is often translated into English as “conqueror” or “overcomer”. I’ll leave it to you to crack open your dictionary (or Wikipedia) and just peruse all the words in English which start with “vic-“ and convey the idea of a “winner”. Once you’ve done that crack open your New Testament and look at how often Jesus and the other writers talk about winning and overcoming despite a struggle in doing so.

Jesus himself is the ultimate “victim”, the sacrificial lamb. He allowed himself to be overcome so that in turn we would be overcomes.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33, NIV

Paul instructs us: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21, NIV

And John the Apostle: “…In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:3-5 NIV

And as revealed to John: “The one who is victorious [an overcomer] I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” Revelation 3:12, NIV [emphasis mine]

In these times of turmoil and strife, it is easy to be lured by Satan into thinking that we are being defeated. This is, as always, a lie. We are certainly engaged in a struggle and may face difficulties, but in the end, we emerge as victors, victorious and not victims [three “vic-“ words in a row!].

Don’t be dis-couraged, but rather be en-couraged because Jesus forewarned us that this is how it would be and He has already assured our victory!

I am pleased to tell you that I have read the end of the Book - and we win! Hallelujah!

No need to feel like a victim when you are a victor!

Blessings on you and yours,

Jim Black

This Sunday we will place the sample tiles of paint colors in the courtyard. You will have an opportunity to vote on the base and trim by signing your name on the sheet of paper that correlates with your paint choices. You must be in person to give your vote. The painting of the facilities will start after Easter. How exciting!

Our food pantries could really use egg cartons. Sometimes the eggs we receive have cracked and leaked all over their containers. It is much easier to save the remaining good eggs if we have clean egg cartons to put them in. This is an ongoing need. Please feel free to bring them in on a Sunday and we will pass them on to the pantry. Thank you!

SUNDAY

• 9:00 AM - Jr. Praise Team Rehearsal - Chapel
• 10:00 AM - Sunday School - Classroom 3
• 10:00 AM - Corps Cadets - Library
• 10:00 AM - Senior Soldier Class - Courtyard Classroom
• 10:15 AM - Prayer Meeting - Prayer Room
  
• 11:00 AM - In-Person Worship Service - Streaming on Concord Corps Family FB Page
• 12:15 PM - Singing Company Rehearsal - Chapel
• 12:15 PM - Percussion Elective - Band Room
• 1:15 PM - Lunch Break - Fireside Room
• 1:30 PM - Jr. Band Rehearsal - Chapel

MONDAY

• 7:00 PM - Corps Council Meeting - Zoom

TUESDAY

• 6:00 PM - Youth Praise Band Rehearsal - Chapel
• 6:00 PM - Men's Bible Study - Fireside Room
• 6:00 PM - Women's Bible Study - Zoom
• 7:00 PM - Songster Practice - Chapel
• 8:00 PM - Musicians' Devotions & Prayer - Chapel
• 8:15 PM - Senior Band Practice - Chapel

WEDNESDAY

• 9:00 AM - CAMEO: Rosie the Riveter Field Trip
• NOTE: This is an hour earlier than usual. We want to get there when it opens. Bring a packed lunch for our picnic.

FRIDAY (Recovery Night hosted by the Oakland Garden Street Corps)

• 6:00 PM - BBQ
• 6:45 PM - LiVE Concert

SATURDAY

• 9:00 AM - Divisional Encore Music & Worship Arts Competition - It will be streamed. The link will be posted to the Concord Corps Family Facebook Page.
• NOTE: This will be hosted by us at the Concord Corps. If you are available to assist with the day's events, please let Major Ann know.

REMINDER: NEXT SUNDAY - Palm Sunday

• We will distribute door hangers in the neighborhood. If you would like to join us, please bring comfortable shoes to wear. (See sample "He is Risen" inserted below.)

AUSTRALIA TERRITORY

Territorial Leaders:

Commissioners Robert and Janine Donaldson

Prayer requests:

The Salvation Army Australia humbly asks our Salvationist friends around the world to pray for us for the following things:

• Increased faith: That Australian Salvos will recognize our need for Jesus, that we will be dependent on Him for all we need so we might bless the world around us and see God’s hand at work. That we would pray for miracles, change, innovation, and a sweep of the Holy Spirit and fully expect to have God happen where we are.
• Increased salvation: That the Australian people and her communities would cry out and find God, and ‘salvation’ will always be on our minds. That our mission and mission delivery would meet the needs of all, without discrimination – and that our community would see our good works and praise God, coming to faith in Jesus Christ at the same time.
• Increased disciples: That we will "make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples". That our people will be motivated and mobilized by the Spirit of God, to more boldly engage the people of our communities with the claims of Jesus and walk with people in the journey of discipling them. That our programs, resources, leaders, and spirit would be directed to helping them to go on to make other disciples of Jesus.
• Increased prayer: That our Salvationists will be a praying people, actively responsive to the Spirit’s work in their lives and engaging with God's mission in the world. We pray that all our prayer groups locally, missionally, and nationally would continue to grow and people would yearn to connect with one another and God. We pray that our faith and conversations with God, and our prayer request, would embolden and be emboldened. Enlarge our tent, Oh God!
• Increased purpose: For God's call on people's lives to become Jesus' followers and for workers for the spiritual harvest to be clearly heard and positively responded to, and we would have razor-sharp focus on stewardship. That our vision and mission will keep us nimble, our strategic focuses will help our direction and we will all put our hands to the plow in the same direction.
• Increased presence of God: That we would first and foremost be a people of His presence - that we will not be satisfied to operate by His principles without His presence. From strategy, redirection, mission delivery, corps and every expression that comes under the ‘Salvation Army’ banner, God’s presence would be felt. That those who feel loss or grief about the altering of church services, COVID trauma, tragedy, or changing times would be comforted that we worship the same God, who is good, and we will not be consumed.
• Increased love: That our people and our country would feel loved by God, each other, and us. That those who are felt left on the fringes are included in every aspect of life, community, and leadership. That the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (our indigenous First Nations people) would influence our decision-making and directions for the future. That love would be expressed in our meeting places, and that all cultures and nationalities would find a place to belong and a language of love to speak within our movement so people might know the transformative grace of God at work in and through us.

Dear Salvationist Friends:

I bring you an urgent message. We still do not have the number of Candidates for the upcoming Session in the Fall. We need to be even more persistent in our prayers to our Great and Faithful God.

I read something on Facebook the other day, that I would like to share.

"God is never blind to your tears, never deaf to your prayers, and never silent to your pain. He sees, He hears, and He will deliver."

That is why I come to you for this month of April in this unique way: By Session*: Praying this prayer, or your version of it:

Lord, You see our need, will You meet it? We need 50 Cadets in each of our four Training Colleges in order for us to maintain our service to You and the populace of this Nation and World. 'Fifty or more for '24' as my friend Rick put it last week. Lord lay a mighty calling on Your choices. We give you praise and we worship You today and all of our tomorrows. Amen and Amen!

April 1 Hold Fast, Crusader, Soldiers of the Cross

April 2 Steadfast, Valiant, Overcomers

April 3 Liberty, Companions of Christ, Heralds of Good News

April 4 Fearless, Visionaries, God's Fellow Workers

April 5 Challengers, Disciples of Jesus, Witnesses for Jesus

April 6 Warriors, Joyful Evangelist, Heralds of Good News

April 7 Kings Messengers, Proclaimers of Salvation, Prayer Warriors

April 8 Peacemakers, God's Soldiers, Ambassadors of Holiness

April 9 Standard Bearers, God's Messengers, Friends of Christ

April 10 Ambassadors, Heralds of Hope, Lightbringers

April 11 The Intercessors, Servants of God, Blood and Fire

April 12 The Shepherds, Proclaimers of the Resurrection

April 13 Soul Winners, Crusaders of the Truth, Followers of Christ

April 14 Sword Bearers, Proclaimers of the Gospel, Forward

April 15 Faithful, Messengers of Peace, Believers

April 16 Courageous, Disciples of Christ, Crossbearers

April 17 Pioneers, Messengers of Joy

April 18 Great Hearts, Heralds of Grace, Builders of the Kingdom

April 19 Soldiers of Christ, Guardians of the Truth

April 20 Servants of Christ, Messengers of hope, Bridgebuilders

April 21 Heroes of the Faith, Witnesses for Jesus

April 22 Proclaimers of the Faith, Ambassadors for Christ

April 23 Witnesses of the Faith, Joyful Intercessors

April 24 Defenders of the Faith, Messengers of the Gospel

April 25 Messengers of the Faith, Followers of Jesus

April 26 The Evangelist, Messengers of God's Love

April 27 Undaunted, Heralds of Jesus

April 28 Victorious, Messengers of Compassion

April 29 Crusaders for Christ, Messengers of the Kingdom, Preparers of the Way

April 30 Faithful Intercessors, Messengers of Light, Messengers of Grace

William Booth once said, "Work as if everything depended upon work and pray as if everything depends upon your prayer".

May God bless each of you abundantly.

Under the Blood and Fire, I am,
Major Ray Patrick
50@50

Note: A "session" is what each group of cadets is called. A cadet is a person in training to be an officer or pastor in The Salvation Army - similar to a seminary student. They receive their session name when they enter the College for Officers Training and they carry this name throughout their years of service.

Theme: Zest for Life

Dates: May 13-15, 2022

Location: William Jessup University

Cost: $75 which includes housing, food, materials, and a t-shirt

Workshops:

• Refreshing Zest (Psalm 51:10) - Renew your spiritual walk by exploring ways to reconnect with Christ through daily bible study, devotions, and prayer. Top it off with a little me-time treat by making your own body scrub to take home with you.
• Come Zest Your Life Up (2 Cor 5:17) - As women we never have time for ourselves so "It's time for YOU to come and relax!" Come pamper yourself and learn how to make facials, hand scrubs, and do your own manicure. It's ME TIME!
• Capture Your Zest (Luke 2:19) - Capture the zest in your Life in a Box! Learn how to create and personalize an exploding scrapbook box. It's perfect for capturing your memorable moments, photos of family, friends, or milestones.
• Easy Peasy Leon Squeezy (John 10:10b) - Lemon juice can change a food's texture and flavor to fit a variety of needs. Come learn what additives God provides that can change the flavor and texture of your life.
• Managing Grief of All Kinds with Hope (1 Thess 4:13) - Life includes loss of many kinds ... HELP! Because grief follows loss - and what help is there for that?! Knowing about grief is helpful. Knowing the good shepherd - the guide through the valley of shadows - who is the best help and our hope. Grief is the bridge we cross over from what was to what is now. What is needed to cross that bridge? Come to this workshop for ideas from a retired hospice nurse with 36 years of facilitating bereavement and a follower of a Good Shepherd.
• A Wooden Spoon Has No Rest When Stirring with a Little Zest (Romans 15:5) - Learn how to paint a lemon on a wooden spoon with acrylic paint layers. Add floral decorations and ribbons as embellishments.
• Living a Life of Zestful Joy (Romans 15:13) - Come! Be inspired! Discover your creative side! Experiences shared joy while creating a beautiful piece of jewelry.
• Cooking with Mony (Psalm 34:8) - If you want to try a Cambodian dish, I highly recommend this dish. It is earthy and flavorful! I use golden herb paste in this recipe. This golden paste consists of lemongrass, affair lime leaves, galangal root, garlic, turmeric, and chilis which is optional) grilled on a stick.
• Is God in Your Finances? (Proverbs 21:21) - Come take a journey through scripture that shows us how God views finances. We will examine ourselves through God's lens with the intent to finish with not only understanding God's perspective to being empowered through His word to take action.

Workshop choices are due by April 8th. Registration is due April 13th.

See Major AnnMarguerite Jones or Major Willdonna Rich if you would like to attend.

After being postponed for two years, we will be hosting our second Spring Craft Fair! If you would like to be a vendor or know of someone who would like to be one, please message me, Major AnnMarguerite Jones. I will forward you a Seller's Agreement and Application to look over.

Email: annmarguerite.jones@usw.salvationarmy.org
Website: https://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org
Location: 3950 Clayton Road, Concord, CA, USA
Phone: (925) 676-6180
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tsaconcord