Greetings in the strong and sacred name of Jesus Christ!
You will understand me when I say that I write this final and farewell Pastoral Letter with something of a heavy heart. It has been a very great privilege to be free to reach out to you all through these letters in recent years. Many of you have written to me from time to time to express encouragement and appreciation for these simple but heartfelt communications. I have valued deeply your responses.
I want to record my profound sense of holy pride arising from the manner in which my fellow Salvationists remain loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ and faithful to the sacred calling he has placed upon us to grow the Kingdom, to witness, and to serve in his name. By the grace of God we are doing this now in 124 countries. I salute and thank you each one. So too does Commissioner Helen Clifton, who continues to be in need of your prayers.
How gracious God has been in these five demanding years in which he has called me to serve as the General. He has helped and guided unfailingly and in keeping with the holy promises we find in the Scriptures. I know that he will also bless and guard the General-Elect, Commissioner Linda Bond, as she succeeds me. Thank you for your prayers for her at this time.
Let me turn now to the Scriptures.
In the Acts of the Apostles in Chapter 20 we read of the Apostle Paul bidding farewell to the Christian believers in the city of Ephesus. In verse 20 he tells them, 'You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you.' I want to adopt this verse for my own use in this farewell letter. I thank God for the wonderful privilege of being called to preach as an officer of The Salvation Army.
In verse 22 Paul says to them, 'Now I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.' Let me also take this verse for myself. My 'Jerusalem' is in fact my retirement, for I do not know what will happen to me there! In many ways the future appears very uncertain. However, like Paul, we step into the unknown without fear because we know God is there too. He never fails.
Finally, in verse 32 Paul says to his hearers, 'Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified.' I take these words and offer them to you all on this occasion. I commit you to God. I commit you to God's word of grace and to the One who is the Word, the full incarnate expression of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ. I commit you to the One who alone can sanctify you. You and I are called to be pure for God, to be sacred vessels for him, sanctified and made holy by his blood poured out so freely at Calvary. The One who calls you can do it. He is able.
Thank you again for being my fellow Salvationists and my comrades. Thank you for your trust in Almighty God. Thank you for your holy obedience to Christ. Thank you for the sacred service that you give unstintingly for his cause.
Commissioner Helen and I will not cease to lift you up in prayer. We are bound together with you each one in our shared and sacred callings to witness and to serve in God's great Army of Salvation.
Hallelujah! God bless you all!
Yours in Christ,
Shaw Clifton
General
General Shaw Clifton is the international leader of The Salvation Army. It is his deep hope that each of his Pastoral Letters will be read wherever Salvationists are to be found, whether in private or in public settings. The chosen themes may prompt discussion, prayer and - as appropriate - action.
Comment
On Monday, April 4, 2011, Kevin Osborne said:
You have carried the torch of leadership well. Leading an international Salvation Army that is now in 124 countries is a difficult undertaking. It requires a great deal of stamina with the travel, the wide diversity of foods you eat in the various countries, and observing all the rules of a particular culture. It takes a sensitive soul, who leads by example, and engenders loyalty through the demonstration of their Christian character.
You have handled issues such as sex trafficking and poverty with grace, and an unswerving commitment to the God who called you so many years ago. Little did you know then that a fellow who had taken legal training was going to become a minister of the gospel. One of the wonderful mysteries of the working of God is the way He calls people into the ministry whether they are truck drivers, electricians, teachers or lawyers like you were.
Enjoy your well-deserved retirement. Yet, like all retired Generals, I think you'll be retired in name only. God is surely not finished with you yet. Many need to benefit from your continued leadership in the avenues of ministry God will call you into.
God bless you, your wife and family with an abundance of His amazing grace!
On Wednesday, March 30, 2011, Anny said:
My name is Anny .I m salvation army mumber.
On Monday, March 28, 2011, Carol Packer said:
May God bless you both in your retirement. May his grace go with you and may he always hold you both in his strong and safe hands. God bless now and always.
Every Thursday evening, families come together for Thursday Night Church, a program where children, from 5 to 17, participate in a variety of music ministries and share a meal together.
A Christmas message from General Lyndon Buckingham: As with the shepherds long ago, sharing our encounters with the Christ Child brings gladness and God’s transformative power to those around us.
This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of the Saviour, let’s ask God to empower us with Holy Spirit zeal to spread the word concerning Jesus, that still more might come to experience the love of God as revealed in the gift of his precious Son and our Saviour, Jesus, the Son of God.
We are truly partners in the gospel as we become the hands and feet of Christ and live out the mission and values of The Salvation Army in the communities where we serve.
General Shaw Clifton is the international leader of The Salvation Army. It is his deep hope that each of his Pastoral Letters will be read wherever Salvationists are to be found, whether in private or in public settings. The chosen themes may prompt discussion, prayer and - as appropriate - action.
General Shaw Clifton is the international leader of The Salvation Army. It is his deep hope that each of his Pastoral Letters will be read wherever Salvationists are to be found, whether in private or in public settings. The chosen themes may prompt discussion, prayer and - as appropriate - action.
You have handled issues such as sex trafficking and poverty with grace, and an unswerving commitment to the God who called you so many years ago. Little did you know then that a fellow who had taken legal training was going to become a minister of the gospel. One of the wonderful mysteries of the working of God is the way He calls people into the ministry whether they are truck drivers, electricians, teachers or lawyers like you were.
Enjoy your well-deserved retirement. Yet, like all retired Generals, I think you'll be retired in name only. God is surely not finished with you yet. Many need to benefit from your continued leadership in the avenues of ministry God will call you into.
God bless you, your wife and family with an abundance of His amazing grace!