Leading the Way

Meet the territory’s local officers forum.
A few months after I returned to Canada and Bermuda as territorial commander, I came across an item in the “pending” section of the agenda of one of our territorial headquarters (THQ) boards: “Local Officers Forum.” What was that? Who was on it? When did it meet? I decided to inquire.
Every summer, thousands of children and youth from across the territory board buses to go to Salvation Army holiday camps for a week of fun, friends and food, along with a strong spiritual component. Some are anxious, but most are filled with excitement as they look forward to activities such as swimming, sports, hiking, drama, and arts and crafts. For many, canoeing, archery and rock climbing are first-time experiences
The Lord’s Prayer includes the petition “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 NRSV). I have usually interpreted “daily bread” as our requirements for physical survival—food, shelter, drink. Our petition, then, is that God would be faithful in providing the basic necessities of life. But on further examination, I have found that this request has a rich background that casts it in a different light.