by Lt. Colonel Jonathan Rich
The Salvation Army in the Central Territory has pioneered several initiatives in recent years and, because of the generosity of some anonymous donors, we are in a position to strengthen our Army on a number of fronts as we move the mission forward.
Social Justice
Two key staff positions have been filled at the territory’s Social Justice and Urban Mission Center. With these additions, the center, led by Major Katherine Clausell, is poised to help the territory advance initiatives targeting issues like modern slavery and human trafficking, gender justice, legal aid, immigration and racial justice across the territory.
A Social Justice/City Mission Internship program will be implemented and is expected to begin this fall.
“The internship is intended to be the vehicle by which we intentionally equip our emerging Salvationist young adults for urban ministry in The Salvation Army and leverage the education and developing skills of individuals who have a passion for justice,” said Major Clausell. “We hope to raise up a network of social justice champions who can be called to step up and speak out against injustice in their respective divisions, corps and communities.”
Pathway of Hope
A signature initiative of the Central Territory, Pathway of Hope (POH) is a proven model for bringing transformational strengths-based case management, infused with emotional support and opportunities for spiritual care, to thousands of families in the Midwest since 2012.
One of the biggest challenges in providing consistent individually customized case management has been the high turnover rate of qualified case managers. A contributing factor to the high turnover of skilled staff is that many Salvation Army units lack adequate financial resources to pay competitive professional wages. The recent infusion of donations will make it possible to better resource case management staff on the frontlines. The retention of qualified staff promises to improve POH family stability outcomes further and increase eligibility for additional funding streams that have not been available previously.
Racial diversity, equity and inclusion
Last fall the Central Territory inaugurated the office of Territorial Secretaries for Racial Diversity and Inclusion. Lt. Colonels Lonneal and Patty Richardson assumed these roles and now serve on the Territorial Cabinet. Since they are also Metropolitan divisional leaders, it is critical they have infrastructure to support this initiative. Again, through the generous donations of donors who want to see efforts in this, and other areas succeed, a lead professional will be hired in the area of racial diversity, equity and inclusion.
Grant money also is being set aside for each division to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in their settings and programs.
God is at work in the Central Territory. Please join us in prayer as we continue to move the mission forward, “preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting human needs in His Name without discrimination.”
