Following 22 months of intensive study and practical ministry experiences, 26 cadets in the Messengers of Grace Session were commissioned and ordained this past weekend in a special online service led by Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd, territorial leaders (scroll down to watch the service or view on our YouTube channel). With restrictions on social gatherings and travel still in effect due to the pandemic, the cadets and training college staff were divided into groups at four separate locations throughout Winnipeg—the College for Officer Training, Booth University College, Heritage Park Temple and Southlands Community Church—while Commissioners Tidd and Colonel Evie Diaz, chief secretary, joined them from territorial headquarters in Toronto. Also taking part in the online service were Colonels Hervé and Deborah Cachelin, territorial leaders in the Germany, Lithuania and Poland Territory.

Cdts Roger and Glenda Barrow are commissioned in Winnipeg by Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd from Toronto

“This is a significant time in the life of our territory and in the lives of these 26 cadets as they prepare themselves for sacred service,” said Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander, as he and Commissioner Tracey Tidd, territorial president of women’s ministries, offered words of welcome. “Today is a celebration of their faith and obedience to God’s call [as] they carry forward the Army’s mission of seeing souls saved, growing disciples and serving suffering humanity.”

“To all those who are watching this service, regardless of where you are joining us from, we pray that you will experience the excitement of this moment and be in prayer for our territory’s newest officers as they finish one stage of the journey and begin the next,” said Commissioner Tracey Tidd.

Commissioner Floyd Tidd took a moment to introduce and welcome Colonel Evie Diaz, new chief secretary, before she opened the service in prayer.

Following the call to worship by Cadets Rebecca Hewson, Tony DaSilva and John Burton, Major Andrew Morgan, training principal, commended the cadets to the territorial commander. “These cadets have given evidence of growth in character and competence and have gained knowledge and skills needed to undertake responsibilities that will be theirs as officers in The Salvation Army,” he said.

Showcasing the cultural diversity of the Messengers of Grace Session, the Officer’s Covenant, which had been signed by each cadet earlier in the week, was presented in three languages—in Spanish by Cadet Marco Herrera Lopizic, in German by Cadet Tina Jatzkowski and in English by Cadet Lester Ward.

Colonel Evie Diaz addresses the cadets

“I have signed my covenant because I am in complete agreement with its contents,” said Cadet April Barthau as she shared what the Officer’s Covenant means to her. “I have left behind everything to follow the call that God has placed on my life. I do not uphold this covenant in my own strength but in the strength of the Lord.”

The Messengers of Grace then recited the doctrines of The Salvation Army in their Affirmation of Faith.

“We rejoice that God has called you, has equipped you and gifted you for sacred service,” said the territorial leaders as they stood together to ordain each cadet as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, commissioned them as an officer with the rank of lieutenant and shared a portion of Scripture that had been selected for them by college staff. Recognition of the first appointments of the new officers, as well as the field-based training cadets and summer assignments of the Messengers of Reconciliation Session, took place later in the service.

It was a special moment for Cadet Tina Jatzkowski, a cadet from the Germany, Lithuania and Poland Territory who trained in Winnipeg, when her territorial leaders, Colonels Hervé and Deborah Cachelin, joined the online service to commission and ordain her as a Salvation Army officer.

Before recognizing the parents and spiritual mentors of the new officers who were admitted to the Fellowship of the Silver Star, Commissioner Tracey Tidd prayed for the new officers, asking that God would use them for his greater glory. “Father, give them passion and compassion to serve in your name, as you command, to make disciples.”

Lt Jory Hewson carries the sessional flag

Lieutenant Amy Patrick spoke on behalf of her session-mates, highlighting the story of Esther, whose bravery, surrender and trust in God allowed her to be used for his purposes “for such a time as this” (see Esther 4:14). “We are going into a world that does not necessarily want to receive the Word of God,” she said. “Our training—in all of its COVID glory—has begun to mould us as we enter into the work of the kingdom, as we receive and embody his grace. We are Messengers of Grace, ready to take up our appointments, and by God’s grace, prove ourselves worthy officers of The Salvation Army for such a time as this.”

In his message, Commissioner Floyd Tidd shared from John 1:1-18, drawing on the life and ministry of Jesus, who loved people unconditionally and came to bring grace and truth to the world. Referring to the new officers as “living examples of God’s grace,” he told them they were not being sent to a place, but “to people who need you as God’s holy people moving into their neighbourhood, creating communities of grace.”

Major Andrew Morgan brought the service to a close with a benediction from 2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (Berean Study Bible).

Photos: Symon Ptashnick, Cadet Jessica Hoeft, Captain Shawna Goulding

Watch the service: