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Thirty-one new cadets marched smartly past the Army flags lining the center aisle of the Tustin Ranch Corps, and up onto the platform where they took their place as the 2002-2004 Bridgebuilders Session of cadets.
Territorial Youth and Candidates’ Secretary Major Brian Bearchell noted as he presented the cadets to Commissioner Linda Bond and to the capacity audience, “Twenty-one of the 31 are first generation Salvationists.”
After accepting the cadets (“as lifers for God and his glory,” Bond said) the session flag was presented and Bond stated: “The Salvation Army flag isn’t a piece of cloth with bright colors–it is the synthesis of our belief…in essence, the doctrine of The Salvation Army. Receive it with honor and follow it with dignity.”
Calling Crestmont leaders Lt. Colonels Raymond and Carolyn Peacock to the platform, Bond charged them with their solemn responsibilities. “You as leaders are to be held responsible for these people. They are the anointed of the Lord. At the end of two years, I want to commission these cadets and know they are blood and fire Salvation Army officers with ‘mission’ written on their brain, engraved on their heart, and oozing from their being.”
The cadets performed their session song, “Bridgebuilder,” by Lt. Colonel Diane O’Brien and Captain Stephen Smith. Music was provided by the Tustin Ranch Band, under the direction of Bandmaster Ed Freeman, and the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters, under the leadership of Martin Hunt.
Earlier that weekend, at a Crestmont private welcome banquet with parents, territorial leaders and sponsoring divisional leaders, Bond spoke in a warm yet direct manner in charging the Bridgebuilders to be “certain of their calling,” to be accepting of the “challenge confronting them,” and “committed to their choice.”
“Your call is rooted in intimacy with Jesus Christ,” she said. “Be certain of your calling and in peace with it.
“Jesus is the greatest bridge builder. The cross of Calvary communicates the love of God to a disconnected world,” Bond stated. “You can stand on an island and shout to those on the other side or you can send boats with supplies, but if you want to tell the love of God, you’ve got to be a bridge builder. That’s your challenge. You are the bridge.
“You have to make the choice to learn. Your teachers cannot make that happen. You have to choose. We need officers who are skilled and who recognize that we are in the relationship business. If you, this night, believe you don’t have relationship skills, then you must develop them and pray that God will move you from your comfort zone and help you use them in his will. Your intimacy with God will allow his love to be revealed in you.”
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