Celebrate

Happy New Year everyone! I hope and pray that each of you and your families have a peace filled 2015.

Now that we are well into January with the holidays firmly in our rear view mirror, it is back to the daily rhythm of work and/or school for most of us by now. So as we settle into our new year, with our hopes, goals and dreams, I thought I’d introduce you to an initiative that The Salvation Army ethics center is carrying out for 2015.

Due to the fact that the Salvation Army in Canada has ten core values, they will be focusing on one of these values each and every month of 2015. I think it would be great if we in our shelters, in solidarity with this national initiative, did the same.

As a reminder, these 10 core values are as follows:

Core Faith Values
1. Salvation
2. Holiness
3. Intimacy with God

Core Operational Values
4. Compassion
5. Respect
6. Excellence
7. Integrity
8. Relevance
9. Cooperation
10. Celebration

Every month in 2015 they will be emailing a link nationwide to a web page that focuses on the featured core value of the month. This page will include a short video that focuses on that core value, and several stories, articles, and biblical reflections written by practitioners all across Canada (this month you’ll note that I wrote the celebration reflection). Here is the link to the site for your reference throughout January.

I’d encourage you in each of your ministry units to focus on the core value of ‘celebration’ this month. Talk about it in your meetings, celebrate successes and birthdays and whatever else you can think of together, and even write stories of celebration from your shelters to share with the rest of us. Send those stories to me and I’ll make sure they get shared somehow with all of Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports.

Have a blessed, hope and love filled, healthy 2015 in every way.

Celebration from Salvation Army Ethics Centre on Vimeo.