When thinking about the circumstances that led Harold Reid to The Salvation Army, he recalls a memory from his teenage years that he believes sums up God’s will—and sense of humour.

“Some friends and I were in Toronto,” he says. “At the time, the Army’s College for Officer Training was located there, and the students would go around and hand out cop-ies of the Army newspaper, The War Cry (now Salvationist magazine). Two cadets wanted to give us a paper and I remember saying, ‘Not now. I’ll catch you later.’ God probably chuckled at that, saying, ‘Oh? I’ll catch you later.’ ”

The “later” took decades and a misdirected phone call. But catch Harold, God did!

Early Life

Harold recalls first “becoming fascinated with the stories of Jesus” in Grade 7, after hearing biblical tales from pastors who visited his classroom.

In high school, he felt that there must be more to life than “working, sleeping, eating and drinking.”

Though an unconscious search and longing for God may have begun, outside of these instances—and a Gideon Bible given out in grade school—faith was not present in Harold’s life.

While they were not churchgoers, his family had already encountered The Salvation Army, though not in any religious sense.

“Before I was born, our house caught fire,” recalls Harold, “and the Army helped our family. After this, my parents always spoke fondly of them.”

So, in 1973, when Harold and his wife, Judy, drove past the Salvation Army camp in Jackson’s Point, Ont., it caught his attention. 

Seeds Are Sown

Harold and Judy married in 1972. After renting an apartment in Mississauga, Ont., the couple decided they wanted to find a place to settle down somewhere between both their families, who lived in Toronto and Orillia, Ont. 

This led them to Willow Beach, Ont., a small hamlet a few minutes from Jackson’s Point. They drove around to get to know the area, and this is when they first saw the camp.

“I saw the leaders and kids and felt called to volunteer,” he says. “But I never did anything about it because I was too busy.”

A few years later, after the birth of their two children, Harold and Judy—who were nominal but not practising believers at the time—decided they wanted them to be baptized. 

“I remembered seeing the camp in Jackson’s Point and my parents’ fond words,” says Harold. “I thought the organization must do more than just charity work.”

When Harold saw a truck outside the camp, he inquired. The driver gave him the number of Salvation Army Envoys Andy and Daisy Rice, the founding pastors of Jackson’s Point Corps (now Georgina Community Church).

But Harold put off calling. In the meantime, the family TV broke, and a “wrong number” changed his life. 

Lifestyle Makeover

“I wanted to call a TV repair man but accidentally dialed a number I had jotted down weeks before,” smiles Harold.

That number was the Salvation Army church in Jackson’s Point.

After a chat, the pastors suggested the couple try out their upcoming Sunday church service, which happened to be a dedication service for one of the member’s children. In the Army, a dedication ceremony involves parents symbolically presenting their children back to God with thanksgiving as they promise to bring them up in His way.

“Judy and I went to the dedication service thinking it was just for the kids,” says Harold, “but when the pastors explained what it was, we realized it was really directed at the parents.”

The Reids’ first experience at a church service—not just in The Salvation Army but in general—planted a seed of faith that compelled them to throw away their alcohol when they returned home.

“We were convicted to change our lifestyle and be more Christlike,” Harold says.

“God knew I was looking for Him. He led me to live near the camp, to come to the Army, to call that ‘wrong number.’ " Harold Reid

Falling Into Place

“As we began going to church regularly,” Harold goes on to say, “we continued to hear God’s message through songs, Scripture and sermons. Our faith just grew.

“We saw a community of people that lived a lifestyle different than we had experienced,” Harold says of the congregation’s abstinence from drinking alcohol and smoking. “Being part of that community and building relationships in it helped keep Judy and me from going back to some of our old ways.”

By the end of 1976, Harold and Judy both decided to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. The next year, they enrolled as senior soldiers—official members of The Salvation Army—and in 1978, Harold took on the role of corps sergeant-major, the senior lay official of an Army church, a position he held for 26 years.

This year marks the Reids’ 47th year as members of the church, which has felt like “a second family” to them. The couple have taken an active part in the life of their church, from helping with the kettles at Christmastime to volunteering as church custodians.

Harold and Judy never went to church until they began attending The Salvation Army, but since then, Georgina Community Church has been their home.

Harold knows that his personal relationship with God has fulfilled his desire for something more to life.

“If you seek the Lord, He will reveal Himself,” Harold concludes. “God knew I was looking for Him. He led me to live near the camp, to come to the Army, to call that ‘wrong number.’ From there, everything fell into place."