A New Year Message - Colonel Gillian Downer

Called to be Intentional - In Holiness, Prayer, Discipleship, Mission

This year I want to encourage all of us to focus upon being all that Gog has called us to be as His Salvation Army in this territory. Not just to think about, not just to believe in, but to be intentional in living out our calling and commitment. This can only happen when together we make these priorities in our personal lives, in our corps and in our centres. I believe we must be 'Intentional' if we want to move forward and allow God, through His Holy Spirit to renew and refresh us.

In the August War Cry, I identified a number of priorities which I believed God had laid on my heart as I was entrusted with the leadership of the territory. Our theme for 2011 provides us with a focus for those priorities and seeks to make them personal.

Intentional in Holiness

God has called The Salvation Army to be a holiness movement and this is key to our identity. The International Spiritual Life Commission called all Salvationists to live out the doctrine of holiness in all its dimensions: personal, relational, social and political. We are called to be like Jesus in every aspect of our lives but holiness is not automatic, we need to purposefully seek it. May we each live our lives in such a way that we honour God and shine for Jesus.

Intentional in Prayer

This year I ask that we commit ourselves to pray specifically and consistently for our territory. I believe in the power of united prayer and would like to invite you to covenant with me to pray every Monday morning whenever we are at 6:30am. As we prioritize this time of prayer, individually yet united in spirit for our Army, God will strengthen us and leads us forward in His grace and power.

Intentional in Discipleship

The territorial theme for the last 2 years has been Go and Make Disciples - NOW! and we praise God for souls won and the commitment to discipleship. The territory has just reached significant milestones in our history: 75 years in Singapore and 72 years in Malaysia and 95 years in Myanmar. We praise God for His faithfulness but in some parts of the territory we are seeing decline and not growth. We rejoice in souls saved and soldiers enrolled, but if we are to grow and have the opportunity of moving into new areas, emphasis on discipleship and great commitment to soldership needs to be continued priority.

Intentional in Mission

In defining our mission, General John Gowans (retired) very succinctly called The Salvation Army to save souls, grow saints and server humanity. If we are to be all that God has called us to be we need to ensure there are our priorities in all aspect of Salvation Army ministry. Every Salvationists has a part to play in fulfilling our mission. It will involved personal sacrifice and stepping out of our comfort zones, but with out willingness, dedication and commitment we will have the privilege of sharing in building God's Kingdom.

Every blessing,

Colonel Gillian Downer
Territorial Commander (Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar)