When Leah Willis Taylor was facing darkness in her life last year, a Salvation Army women’s camp came at just the right time.

Her daughter was struggling with addiction, and Willis Taylor felt lost and filled with sorrow. As a Christian for more than 50 years and a member of the St. John’s West Corps, N.L., she was used to turning to the Lord for help. At women’s camp at Camp Starrigan, located between Bunyan’s Cove and Musgravetown, N.L., she looked up at the wooden cross and prayed for healing.

“I felt the need to lean on that cross,” says Willis Taylor. “I went forward to pray and cried my soul out to God.”

The camp was one of a series of women’s events held in the Atlantic Division last year, united by the theme, “Unwavering Faith, Wholehearted Surrender.”

“The only way to have unwavering faith is through wholehearted surrender,” explains Major Renée Dearing, divisional women’s ministries secretary, Atlantic Division. “We give it all to God, not knowing what the future holds, and not knowing how everything is going to work out, but trusting God and having unwavering faith in the midst of the deepest and darkest moments.”

THROUGH THE STORM

Hundreds of women across the Atlantic Division came together to worship, reflect and reignite their spirits through various women’s ministries events, from Corner Brook, N.L., to Moncton, N.B., to Bermuda. Participants experienced solidarity in prayer and the profound impact that women’s ministries can have on both spiritual well-being and the Army’s mission.

“When they arrive at women’s camp, a lot of them are tired and weary. They are facing their own hurdles in life and ministry,” explains Major Dearing. “These retreats provide participants with much needed rest and fellowship, allowing them to return to their communities revitalized and ready to serve.”

At Camp Starrigan, each woman came fighting her own battles, and they found strength in sharing their hardships and turning to the Lord together.

“To hear people’s testimonies, what they’re going through and how God has brought them through—it was just amazing,” says Willis Taylor. “I have been to many camps in my time, but at this one, I gained more strength than I ever have.”

One of the Bible teachings at the Camp Starrigan retreat focused on Matthew 14:22-33, when Peter, filled with doubt, began sinking in the storm and Jesus caught him. It resonated with Willis Taylor, who was reminded that just as God helped Peter, he has helped her through many storms in her own life.

“The tears just flowed,” she says. “At that time, I was ready to fall aside, but God brought me through. He sent many friends my way, and he showed me how good these people are—how friendly they are, and how prayerful they are. God has been good.”

TRANSFORMATION TOGETHER

The Newfoundland and Labrador region of the Atlantic Division hosted four key events in 2024. An overnight retreat at Corner Brook Temple kicked off the season’s events in May, with approximately 220 women gathering for a beach-themed worship retreat with special guest Major Barbara Pritchett. Women travelled from across the province, some driving for many hours to the west coast to take part.

According to Major Dearing, the atmosphere was electric. “From the moment we started to worship, there was an instant connection,” she says. “People were 100 percent tuned in and wholeheartedly ready to worship, and from the very first song, women were coming forward to kneel at the altar.”

The momentum continued the next weekend with a retreat at Camp Starrigan with guest Major Darlene Anderson, followed by two mom and kids’ camps featuring special guests Major Marlene George and Major Sandra Budden. The camp provided an outdoor oasis and uninterrupted time for spiritual renewal, fellowship and connection with God and one another.

“There is a hunger to connect, and it’s so exciting to meet up with people you haven’t seen in a while,” says Major Dearing, who notes that many of the women attending these retreats are officers, Sunday school teachers and program leaders who can return to their communities with a renewed spirit and commitment to their ministries. “I’ve seen first-hand the impact that it has on mission. When they go back, they bring a fresh vibrancy that benefits their communities.”

BLOOM AND FLOURISH

In June, 220 women from the Maritime region of the Atlantic Division gathered in Moncton for a retreat. Attracting participants from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, the event featured Colonel Janet Munn, a retired officer from the United States. In her message, Colonel Munn used the theme of “Bloom and Flourish” to remind attendees that they flourish for and because of God, and she emboldened them to bloom where they are planted.

Friday entertainment was provided by the dance team at Moncton Citadel Community Church, comprised of women ages 20 to 90, followed by worship, crafts and the spiritual practice of lectio divina (divine reading) led by Major Sandra Budden.

On Saturday evening, attendees gathered for a performance by the dance group at Light of Hope Family Church in Montreal and an auction raising money for the territorial project, Love Without Borders. Between the Newfoundland and Labrador and Maritime regions’ women’s ministries events, more than $32,000 was raised for the cause in 2024.

In October 2024, the festivities continued on Thanksgiving weekend in St. George’s, Bermuda, as women gathered for Rally Day, featuring Major Dearing as a special guest.

LIGHTING THE FIRE

Across the territory, women’s ministries events nurture the spiritual and emotional well-being of female Salvationists, as well as their friends and families. These ministries not only make an impact on an individual level, lighting a fire in their souls and in their personal relationships with God, but they help build community with other women—many of whom experience the same hardships and hope as each other.

“I can’t wait to go to women’s camp again,” says Willis Taylor. “I’m looking forward to another year of experiencing God and listening to other women talk about their experiences with him.”

The Atlantic Division’s women’s ministries anticipate another year of transformative events in 2025. The Newfoundland and Labrador region will focus on the theme, “At the Feet of Jesus for All Seasons of Life,” while the Maritime region asks, “Yes, But How?”

Ask your corps officer for more information about Atlantic divisional women’s ministries events in 2025.

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