Tulsa Triumph
From its corps and Boys & Girls Clubs to its vibrant advisory board and councils and through its vital social services, The Salvation Army in Tulsa has a long history of missional vision and outreach. But none is a stronger expression of how The Salvation Army operates at its best than the ministry and mission working in tandem between the Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) and the Tulsa Citadel Corps.
The cooperation between the Citadel Corps and the ARC stretches back many years. Soldiers from the Citadel have traditionally assisted with helping teach Bible and other classes, serving at ARC banquets, as well as many other ways. ARC beneficiaries have attended the Citadel as part of their program, and from that over the years, some have become adherents or soldiers.
Isaiah and Corina Stegall, soldiers at the Citadel and now cadets in the Keepers of the Covenant session, began to form a greater vision for what could be. Both struggled with substance abuse in their past, from which the Lord gloriously delivered them. With hearts for others facing these struggles, the Stegalls made an extra effort to befriend the men of the ARC. They volunteered at the center, invited men over to their home after meetings at the corps, or took them along with them when they went out to eat.
As time went on, the men were invited to join in even more of the activities at the Citadel and the Broken Arrow Corps.
Several of the men became soldiers. That arrangement was starting to take on greater traction until everything came to a screeching halt when the pandemic hit. “For a couple of years I took a break,” Isaiah remembers. “But in ’22 I saw they needed help again.” Then came the moment of truth.
“I came home one day and told Corina they needed an intake coordinator [at the ARC].”
Corina recalls saying, “That’s going to be less pay.” And Isaiah responded, “I know, I know. But you’ve got to think what’s going to happen.”
“I was just so excited.” Isaiah continues. “There’s something so much bigger here. So, [Corina] okayed me. They hired me and now I was really able to pour into these men. At devotions each morning, I’m the first person they see. The first person they see when they want to check into the ARC is a Salvationist. Because of what happened to me, I can tell them about the transformation that can take place.”
With this new involvement, the ties between the Citadel and the ARC grew even closer. Captain Erik Henry, administrator of the ARC, explains, “When our men come in, many have lost everything and feel useless. As they find Christ and find their purpose, they also begin to see they can make a difference in someone else’s life as well. They relate to the other men in the center, but through the corps, they find ways that they can relate to the wider world. They will leave here eventually, so if they can discover they can connect in their service through Christ, as they do through the corps, they have a greater chance of standing tall in the long run.”
Major Carlyle Gargis, who is the area commander and the corps officer for Citadel, echoes those sentiments. “The men have burned a lot of bridges, but now they want to be about Kingdom work, advancing the good news of Jesus and helping others get set free. So, what we want is not only building them up as great soldiers but folks really investing in their communities and getting their families involved. The ARC and the corps have the common goal of leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The relationship we have is the best of the best, and we take advantage of it.”
The men of the ARC have the program that addresses their needs for rehabilitation including spiritual needs, Bible classes, work, counseling, health care, and other classes. That alone is challenging for many of them, some of whom come into the center after many years of substance abuse and struggles. The involvement at the corps flows naturally from that, so each builds upon the other for the benefit of the man.
As the men mature in their faith and are ready for more involvement in the corps, the Battle School is an option many take. Partly a recruiting class for soldiership, partly a discipleship class, and partly a training for ministry, the Battle School’s goal is to equip the person desiring to be a soldier with what he or she needs to understand being a Salvation Army soldier is to be fully engaged in the mission of the Army to win souls and be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
In the past year, with the officer leadership, the ministry of the Stegalls, and the welcoming and commitment of the already existing soldiery of the Citadel Corps, the level of integration of the men of the ARC into all levels of Army activity has risen to new heights. Not content to go to just ARC Camp, Captain Henry encouraged the men to also attend the divisional Men’s Camp.
There have been bumps along the way. Some men have relapsed, and that can be heartbreaking. Sometimes people who have not experienced issues such as substance abuse in their families have trouble understanding how difficult the road to recovery can be. And there are no quick fixes or easy answers. The road downhill was a long, hard one; the road to recovery can be just as lengthy and much more challenging.
Communication is a key issue between all those involved in leadership. Sometimes priorities clash and allowances need to be made. Problems have to be ironed out. In the case of Tulsa, one of the major keys to success has been the excellent communication and shared priorities of the ARC and the Citadel Corps.
While doing the interviews for this story, it was interesting to note how the individuals shifted from talking about the ARC and the corps in a seamless fashion. Just like our two hands work together, in the minds and hearts of those involved there was little thought about who did exactly what—just that the work was done. And through it all, God gets the glory.