Commissioning Weekend Encourages All to ‘Walk Like Jesus’
To Disciple And Be A Disciple
Following the Commencement celebration on Friday, May 31, Commissioning 2024 kicked into full gear with an opening evening session at Atlanta Temple Corps. The atmosphere was festive as friends and loved ones were reunited, embracing to the accompaniment of upbeat marches presented by the Southern Staff Band (SSB) and songs of worship from the Southern Staff Songsters (SSS).
The first and second-year cadets from the Evangeline Booth College (EBC) joined with the territorial music and creative arts groups for a “wild west” themed opening number that expertly showcased discipleship and calling in action in the early days of The Salvation Army in the United States.
Lt. Colonel Mark Israel, program secretary, welcomed everyone saying, “We have been anticipating these days together and we look forward to learning what it means to walk like Jesus.” He then introduced the focus on the Territorial Priorities – Love, Serve, and Disciple – as well as the theme verse, 1 Peter 2:21: “This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step” (MSG).
Focusing on “Love,” the Territorial Arts Ministry (TAM) team was joined by four children to present a heartwarming piece based on the “love passage” from 1 Corinthians 13. Moving on to “Serve,” those present prayed over the 15 young adults about to travel overseas through Salvationist Service Corps in the Norway, Iceland, and Faroe Islands Territory and in the Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand Territory. Concentrating on “Disciple,” attendees were invited to pray over discipleship, leadership development, and holiness in the Southern Territory.
Commissioners Kelly and Donna Igleheart, territorial leaders, then spoke about the history and purpose behind the Territorial Priorities, presenting a challenge for the Salvationists of the Southern Territory to disciple and to be disciples. Commissioner Donna emphasized, “A disciple is someone who is growing in their faith and skills to become better equipped to disciple ourselves and others.”
Preaching on Ezekiel 37, Commissioner Kelly entreated, “I want you as a Salvation Army, as Salvationists, to band all of us, to pray one prayer: that somehow from the four winds, that the breath of God would breathe into me and to you… That’s how an Army of God rises up.” He invited delegates to make the territorial mission statement personal, praying for the Holy Spirit to breathe life into our lives and into our Salvation Army.
The session was followed by a Territorial Priorities party, families enjoying food, games, and music, celebrating the territory’s goals of loving, serving, and discipling through fun and fellowship.
Spending Time With Jesus
Saturday morning began with delegates taking a walk with Jesus, invited to stroll on the Greenway behind the Atlanta Temple Corps while listening to a special auditory experience created by Soundcast in partnership with “The Chosen.” Participants enjoyed a beautiful spring morning walk while the voice of Jesus spoke wisdom and truth in their ears.
The Saturday morning session focused on different types of prayer: adoration, supplication, and thanksgiving. Major Lynda Thornhill, mission, evangelism, and cultural ministries secretary, introduced the focus declaring, “Thanks be to God, faith is not about feeling. Faith is trusting that God hears our prayers, even when we doubt that they’re being heard.” Delegates were invited to pray at the altar at any point during the service or to scan a QR code to interact with a prayer texting team. “Let’s pray powerful prayers knowing that God is faithful and He is near to those who call on Him.”
The meeting kicked off with songs of worship from transMission and the SSS, as well as a powerful presentation of everyday examples of prayer by TAM. Major Ray Cooper, mission, evangelism, and cultural ministries officer, then announced the amounts raised by each division for their partners in World Services with a territorial total of $12,531,202 given for overseas ministry.
Atlanta International Corps Officer Captain Ashish Pawar brought the morning’s message, encouraging delegates to tune into the presence of God. “When you tune into the heart of God, things start clearing up. Anxieties disappear, fear goes away. Addiction is gone… And when you tune into Him and your posture is one of surrender, you understand His will. You understand His presence. You understand His power. What an amazing thing that we have. This gift, the privilege to connect with God in prayer.”
In response to his message, the altar filled with individuals and small groups entering into a posture of prayer and fine tuning into the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The morning session was followed by a Family Feast, the many hundreds in attendance enjoying a meal and time together in fellowship. After lunch attendees were split up into small groups to experience “Life Groups,” a Wesleyan model of discipleship that can be practiced in every corps and community.
Let Me Tell You My Story
Saturday’s full slate of activities was rounded out with an evening general session focused on holiness. Powerful stories shone through during the service, headlined by the presence of four contributors to world-renowned television program “The Chosen,” with a continued emphasis on the weekend’s theme of “Walking Like Jesus.”
The SSS and SSB helped to lay the groundwork with stirring preliminary music, and Nick Simmons-Smith, territorial music and creative arts secretary, opened the session with a medley rendition of the familiar chorus “Walking in the Light” that featured a contemporary spin.
Majors Bobby and Anne Westmoreland, assistant territorial secretary for personnel and territorial ministries to women secretary, then welcomed the congregation, including references to Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle, The Salvation Army’s international ambassador of holiness. “God has called each one of us to walk on a path that He has set for us, and to walk in a way that is good and pleasing to the Lord,” Major Bobby said. “To walk in the light, to walk together, to walk in holiness, to walk like Jesus.”
“And we know that when you walk like Jesus, there will be adventure, and stories, and mysteries, and miracles to share,” Major Anne added.
Stories, and the power of storytelling, came to light during the body of the program, including interstitials from TAM and transMission. With the musical help of Commissioner Willis Howell on banjo and Nick Simmons- Smith on upright bass, the groups presented “Let Me Tell You My Story” in reference to Major Daisy Cecil Brown, the pioneer of the Mountain Mission in North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains.
Later, Sopheap Sun, born to his mother, Vanna Sun, in a concentration camp in Cambodia, shared his family’s journey while encountering tremendous obstacles but continuing to walk like Jesus. “When we become Christians, God doesn’t tell us that we will have trouble-free lives, but He does tell us that He will walk with us and bless us,” Sun said.
Now a soldier of the Hagerstown, Maryland corps, Sun’s impactful testimony moved all present. “I’m here with you because of God’s grace and God’s love,” he said. “I survived when millions of people died. God’s plan in my life did not end in Cambodia. My story is still being written, and I continue to walk with Jesus.”
Cadet Jason Houser then shared his testimony of healing and redemption. Houser, who was commissioned the next day as a member of the Defenders of Justice session, spoke on what he described as a “profound journey” of walking like Jesus. “In essence, walking with Jesus is a transformative journey,” he said. “A daily choice to follow Him, learn from Him, and experience His love and grace.” Following a recognition of both long-serving and retiring officers, Commissioners Igleheart prayed over three officer couples – Majors Tom and Julie Ann Louden, Majors Mark and Jan Harwell, and Captains Trey and Sheri Jones – who will soon begin serving outside the USA Southern Territory.
The centerpiece of the session was a panel interview conducted by Major Anne Westmoreland and Casey Bilbrey, director of operations for Camp Hoblitzelle in the Texas Division. Bilbrey helped to make the fruitful connection between The Salvation Army and “The Chosen” and continues to serve as a liaison between the two organizations. The panel included Chris Juen and Chad Gundersen, co-executive producers, as well as a pair of actors, Lara Silva (“Eden” in the series) and Jordan Walker Ross (“Little James”).
The panelists recounted the organic creation of the alliance between “The Chosen” and The Salvation Army, stemming from the use of Camp Hoblitzelle for filming and growing into a continued, mutually beneficial partnership. “Without Camp Hoblitzelle and The Salvation Army, ‘The Chosen’ would not be what it is today,” Gundersen said. Juen noted that “the purpose of this whole project is to point people back to their Bibles,” illustrating the clear focus on growing the Kingdom of God.
Within the panel discussion was perhaps the most poignant exchange of the evening, one that left a lasting impression. Jordan Walker Ross shared a powerful testimony, showing a series of clips, both from “The Chosen” and from personal home videos.
Ross spoke of the challenges of navigating a physical limp in previous acting jobs and the difficulty of securing work as a result. He referred to that physical challenge as a “huge insecurity” and said he was “given a gift and passion for acting but also given a curse” that could keep him from realizing his full potential as an actor. In addition, Ross indicated Little James was not originally a character with a physical disability. But that all changed in season two.
“I saw the feedback and the response from people in the disabled community… People saying how seen they felt,” he said. “People that had been told they weren’t praying hard enough. That they were broken. And I related to that so much. It meant so much to me to be able to portray that in a way that made those people feel seen and feel like they belong.” Ross’s words and testimony resonated in a profound way. Prompted to offer advice to the soon to be commissioned Defenders of Justice, he shared the message that “whatever your limp is, you can use that to inspire others.” Those words applied well beyond the 12-member session, encouraging all to walk like Jesus.