Southern Staff Band and Songsters Minister Through Music

Dec 6, 2024 | by Brad Rowland and Kristin Mudge

In mid-October, the Southern Staff Band (SSB) visited the Knoxville, Tennessee area for a weekend of fellowship, music-making, and ministry. Hosted by Majors Cam and Paula Henderson, area commanders, the band arrived on Wednesday, October 16, spent most of the next day in dedicated rehearsal, and played in varying settings during a busy but fruitful weekend schedule.

“I was very pleased with the volume of opportunities that the band had in and around the Knoxville area, and we thank Majors Henderson for that,” said Nick Simmons-Smith, territorial music and creative arts education secretary. “We played to different communities including school children, homeless ministry, outdoor shoppers and diners, churchgoers, and others. It was great to play to varied crowds and have that opportunity for ministry.”

In between scheduled rehearsals on Thursday, the band moved outdoors to minister to a large homeless population near the Knoxville corps building.

“There are so many in that community who are experiencing homelessness and/or the long-term effects of drug use,” said Terry Wood, a cornet player in the band and dedicated soldier and employee in the Florida Division. “As we played for many of them under a bridge next to the corps, I hope our music lifted them up in a supernatural way.”

“Having never been to Knoxville, I didn’t know what to expect,” he continued. “But the people there had a beautiful spirit.”

Friday’s schedule was jam-packed with events, and the band began its day at Vine Magnet Middle School. In addition to a pair of concerts, band members led sectional rehearsals for the students. Each concert also included educational material on the instrumentation of a traditional brass band.

Later in the day, the SSB took part in a pair of outdoor events. The first was a “pep rally” setting in advance of the University of Tennessee’s football game the next day, attracting a crowd with a special arrangement of the university’s fight song, “Rocky Top.” In the evening, the band also ministered at Kern’s Market Food Hall, a popular local venue with dozens gathered, and Major Cam Henderson shared the Gospel with attendees.

“The band played very well even with challenging repertoire and relatively limited rehearsal time,” Simmons-Smith said. “We included some fun music like Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ and ‘Rocky Top’ for this particular weekend, while also highlighting monumental works and Salvation Army classics like ‘Resurgam’ and ‘Sound of the Gospel.’”

Two formal concerts were included in the SSB schedule for the weekend, first at Maryville Church of the Nazarene on Friday followed by a visit to Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church on Saturday. The Fairfield Glade concert was a return trip for the band from a decade prior, and Commissioner Willis Howell offered stirring devotional thoughts in both concerts.

The weekend concluded with the support of worship at the Knoxville Corps on Sunday morning, with soldiers from the Sevierville and Maryville Corps also in attendance. Major Mike Harris, area commander for Greenville, South Carolina and the band’s chaplain, spoke movingly and delivered a memorable sermon illustration on forgiveness and showing grace to one another.

“Sunday morning is always the pinnacle for the band,” said Simmons-Smith. “Overall, it was a busy, productive, memorable, satisfying, and God-honoring weekend of staff band ministry.”

Over the same weekend, the Southern Staff Songsters (SSS) gathered at Atlanta Temple Corps for their own time of ministry. The bulk of the weekend was spent recording tracks for an album to be released in 2025. This album, which will be available on virtual platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, is intended to be a resource for corps as a music ministry and worship reinforcement tool.

“A recording has the power to reach so many people across the world,” Simmons-Smith said, “our supporters, our corps, our communities, The Salvation Army world, and beyond. I pray it will reach someone that does not know the Lord and that their life might be changed.”

After two and a half days of diligent recording, the SSS had the opportunity to participate in a joint concert of praise with the Georgia Worship Choir on Saturday evening. This time of worship was not only a musical delight, but a beautiful time of outpouring praise to God. Each choir sang many pieces from their own repertoire, and then concluded their time together jointly singing “Is He Worthy?” and “Thou, O Lord.”

Always the highlight of a ministry trip, the SSS was blessed to participate in Atlanta Temple’s Sunday morning worship service. Major Jim Shiels, corps officer of Atlanta Temple and member of the SSS, thanked the group for their ministry at the corps saying, “Your spirit was wonderful, and the Holy Spirit was even better – no surprise! The evidence was at the altar Sunday morning.”

 


Recent Stories

Related Content: Southern Spirit Online

Get Involved
Donate

A gift to The Salvation Army helps someone in your community.

Give Now

Or

Volunteer

Do Good in your community

Find Worship

Join us throughout the week for worship, fellowship, Bible study, meals, community service and fun.