A Global View of Salvation Army Missions

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This is Friedrich and I'm sure Cheryl welcome back Bernie are you today I am great and we've got a visitor in the studio were launching a new series today on missions and throughout the series, you and I are going to be joined by Lieut. Col. Carol Siler how are you doing this is not your first time in the studio.

Not that I still feel awkward and it's not a visual medium so you know nobody's really watching to see the nerve business like another person. Right now I give more like energy back and forth. Okay Carol, we gotta tell our listeners, who you are. Who are you, Carol Siler grew up in the Salvation Army.

My parents were Salvation Army officers. So very familiar territory to me.

Should I first accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was seven years old and made a serious commitment. When I was 16 and at that time also felt called to be a Salvation Army officer. So now I've been an officer for almost 37 years give you a clue about my age very very young. That's right.

And throughout mastership. I've held a variety of roles as core officer at divisional headquarters, mostly in the women's ministries arena and now it is just my privilege and my pleasure to hold my current position, which is the director of international personnel services have had that position for three years were getting. I don't get too far ahead of ourselves but for the record, you're not in this alone. Is that right all that's correct, I work directly with our officers who are serving at an appointments around the world while she's very humble. I meant you're not in this alone. You're married going back to him. Yes, married for 40 years.

My husband Jim congratulations have two children and four wonderful grandchildren.

That's awesome and they are also season-ticket holders to a local amusement park that doesn't pay for advertising. So we unfortunate can plug them today grandson who said roller coaster at the scene and privilege to ride with him on any roller coaster so serious that were launching today is a seven-week deep dive in the missions and we want to be an encouragement to church leaders everywhere in the sense to reignite their passion for missions or even rethink how they're going about their missions ministry. That's right into to start off Carol you want to get your input on a global view of the Salvation Army's mission. So first of all I think some people may hear us speaking about some incredible work. The Salvation Army is doing worldwide and maybe discourage thinking that maybe there smaller congregation could never be so impactful. But as we now salvation army mission work is carried out by small congregations around the world and so can you speak into that little bit.

That's right, although we are is the Salvation Army a large worldwide organization. Most of our congregations are small under hundred well under hundred euros to them that each of our congregations is encouraged to preach and live out the Matthew 28 mandate to go and make disciples of all nations, and obviously not everyone can go. There are a lot of things that they can do they can raise money to support missions and actually they can sponsor missionaries monthly. They can pray especially they can pray for God to raise up missionaries from their own congregations and for the missionaries around the world and for the work that they do and for the people that they minister to. I'm one of the ways that we encouraged our congregations to be aware of missions is to set up a missionary prayer board in their church and highlight the missions that they are supporting so M and the Salvation Army. We have missionaries who are serving around the world and they can put up pictures of them information about the places that they're serving just to make people more aware of what is happening.

I can also partner with churches and other countries to highlight what they're doing.

They can exchange prayer requests I can sponsor sponsor projects they can go on short-term mission trips to those places and they can ask missionaries to come into their church and to talk about what they're doing when they're when they're back at home is a great way to kind of break down the mystery of what missionaries do or how can we help is a partnership. He said that several times right or partnering in mission right well with the Army. It's a little more natural because we have Salvation Army across the world that we can learn about and partner with. But if you're not part of the Salvation Army. You can still have a partnership with another church. Maybe somebody of your own denomination may be a friend of yours as somewhat an acquaintance that you know that is serving somewhere around the world. I'm just find out more about them and ask what you can do to be helpful basic question that maybe we can just continue with his wire mission so important now and what are they only something like building school in a small town in Africa or can it look differently and some of the things you talked about just kind of gave light to that. But if we can even speak into that little bit more. I think missionary work is important because missionaries are messengers of the gospel message and they bring the message of Jesus Christ around the world. So the work that they do whatever it is.

Sometimes missionaries go just as preachers and other times they go in other roles they might be teachers, they might just have another job and their job to spread the gospel is something that they do on the side, but whatever it is that they do whatever work that they do they can help build relationships with people who don't know Christ and through their friendship. Missionary can share the gospel message so omission might be gospel centered, with the goal of evangelism.

It could be taking the gospel or the good news to people or it could be service centered. So they go to meet a need a specific need building a house or building a church digging a well helping set up farming helping set up any kind of other industry but there may or may not be in that case, any sharing directly sharing of the gospel, but the goal is to spread the message of Jesus Christ and they go hand-in-hand right preaching the gospel, giving the gospel message communicating that and then also works of service, that's correct. And it could be that way in this country as well.

It doesn't have to be over slow is an essay in effect work all missionaries in that regard, we should see. We don't know a lot about what you're actually rule was.

I was at a dinner just last week with two people who are going overseas to serve as leaders of the Salvation Army territory in Japan and they were speaking very high praise about the kind of support that you give them the binder that they've already received all the information about how they will receive support from us or how they can do X, Y, and Z. Tell us more about your specific role.

So when someone in the Salvation Army, and in this territory feels called to to missionary service, and I work directly with them and help them be prepared for what they're going to be doing a given all the information that they need. I help them and filling out the forms that they need direct them and getting their visas, their passports and all of those kinds of things. There's not.

There are a lot of steps involved in preparing for this move, including just arranging for the movers to pick up all of their supplies.

It's very different from moving within the United States.

So all of those kinds of things.

There's just a lot of details and then once they get there there there are a lot of things that they might need support that they need just questions that they have about where they're serving so I just attempt to help them with all of that, that's pretty awesome lately already having not left yet are encouraged by the kind of information you've given them. So kudos to you ma'am and I know that a couple of people who served overseas under your ministry in that way and I think it's more than just practical help that you give them in that way are specific details about how the how-to's effort to make people say how much your encourager into this really is a great ministry that you poured into the lives of those who are serving overseas.

Having the opportunity to work directly with the people who are involved in missions has been very exciting for me and a real encouragement to me.

So to watch them and to especially those with children had seeing them adapt to new cultures and adjust blooms wherever they are, has been very exciting and encouraging to. It's not something that's this this is going to some being about jokester, but it's not foreign to you, you actually had family served overseas have our son and his family served overseas in Italy and that was that eye-opening for me. I learned a lot just working directly with them in and walking step-by-step with them.

So it's very personal for you in that sense but I want you to hear these words be encouraged because probably, whether you realize that people are impacted in a wonderful way by your ministry and in our case, even just Steve and Wendy are soon going to Japan to take over the leadership of the territory. Thank you for the next six weeks we are going to be discussing how the Salvation Army goes about entering new communities. How we preach mission mindedness from the pulpit and through worship and will even discuss the risks involved in how we prepare people to be in the field throughout the series will have some behind-the-scenes videos and will be sharing some additional resources on social media so to learn more, visit Salvation Army sound cast.org Carol once again thank you so much it's hard for me to see Carol but I officially for this radio program I will send Lieut. Col. Siler thank you for joining us today. Thank you God bless you. The Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Email us radio USS.Salvation Army.org or call 1-800-229-9965. Why does PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 tell us how we can help share prayer request or share your testimony. Would love to use your story here. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes store and surely give us a rating search for the Salvation Army's words of life follows on social media for the latest extended and if you don't have a church home. We invite you to visit your local sub worship center will be glad to see you next time for the life