%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 19 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /XObject << /I1 15 0 R /I2 16 0 R /I3 23 0 R /I4 24 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 17 0 R /GS2 18 0 R /GS3 21 0 R /GS4 22 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text /ImageC ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 1.0.2 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20241219035224+00'00') /ModDate (D:20241219035224+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1988 >> stream xX]|ׯـ.3։aǻ!0"GHof(EzHi p{zQtivX.,_CED.K_lܒHN/3ZDIZd%(Y^E 팒7 \_*_&tG,F8ogI_(q(TQ28#g(ME漛,˨hS`Q"t81 ӻj5X} z]+v:h"mȝzICȰXG*!,i48QX3R8.¤i0NW4'Qw6{M HΣղ$A>jSI$;NG.tLՒH&;J4]O;lQzH]w2E#9`d4-(_?eu+]-V0(+ cA4H\B ':+krbmIwv5D;W=2LbXf#@[[i䜀>ZEuPVm0U(2Q$ʶHc爭dWY;6X77޴ 42Zj}Q7{rqJZzԪA:.Y%6CWQP(BzP-j@_$;t { #, T57=8θ! FuN`ΪJ&ކ8T =j Hd}?})ap*7R E#񙣂gQ`wHFb4 LO!*s-IlAM \Rd.>e86/,{EVrA* m;Iva=cX:)97c\=X)K miU[9Yosr\m#$)Ft;̬EhF|1k(Lyy7A X{q ڠju)O{+5z™wIJEZ8Rr!גhX($$z`aQH G+dv)D!=:Op֪ljh}0Q ;;˓r堡V[52CkYB $@AypM*.;;4ME2>zz:pkQA[ZU(hg{UС #Kv ohhEH( j־{p XAnK/܎*;/[ Sޤ}6@DE 1 x~8Q,ϽRYKmh[YR"M3LޥgG+3ʣu]2y\oޖl<_)LP-R㥤XG븠eWY>c*Wy~i=ǔˋ6$x endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 550 /Height 140 /Filter /FlateDecode /DecodeParms << /Predictor 15 /Colors 1 /Columns 550 /BitsPerComponent 8>> /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5329>> stream xqDǯ뺒$ILfff&I335Lf2\3I2L&_3$3I$d+$\W=9y9lLss99P`0 `0 `0 `0 !U_:~u = F~sZŻدns⃪Qg¢G(F[-s͓^ DZ>d>3Dr#\OΉ, ZFwjux<;4Ƀxز#_v?nO<|{7c(b{Oū}w[N e~Hs䎷wwOn<1B.k+%U=eԘ -mCj)t:}c'ϓ*n"-ovkZ?R"V%wʶ7s]eX&eǕq` 1-2e JYHCFOUam 7:(Ԙt_@ހN t{B~ :V@}o#7!z^&zFL:ʤn X<- %"bNWqF c` M'4?cH-V`ǵAF>=#Ěm75dB I&7E5<>-͏їFǿl3M6x]Y&)2 FoΌ N.<t i4wL\^=_|Fo؏IȄ ik$ɄL?{?|tmCޮ=~T&iTevϷ'奔s?EꋄLPY͹箵?@L:Aˤ3y_:9AtA*0qVe- e6g)%a}.qKcI V/xʤzM|\ HSql0;*%+Mذ-闛obebu2iU&lLbtIcxb5^B#8 ޮaʻ _ w>j+L:$"&O;bZ K1 jmU玫ݢ=S/J<WO2'_yUPvp=`"aL5 Nl7"rlQT޼==-I[Se* F'(\`󴯉'{:נnVZ TG6*r$Tyx^LJū.C<3` %ANrxUo"˄ 0&$tO F&bIcW3GG͈ y!{m,LkCI d,(2"@ dR%F1thUL8Rݒ^+v9^?sʯYעDl~Qd" N2sc|ov}=F,3K#vxIvG^,[OM&wI[#,Jޙ\ض;L^fv[LbyYvM#/EI#/Zס$(ڼ ," &LK/IF i-Zx彰픢]MKeR n(PhV'LҸ\f$w/ e]"mɷWO߻˱ KerSPe (ӼGMȈ}X?ʍto7ZKl+81_Y&ǡd uʤ1Vw!sQ"/$zNkw(t)2BWQW"˄OXLp:e‡# וzn2F}qlc5ؾ:WH xLz LP:d# Q>(MRېd2Qt$o~R$YR5,-nޜLr_βehd" 2k1lvO X= eC p+[R=jU!֖}_DޟY2 (*wkZQ>Fl̲soR#^u3hhyTԲt.LtD8sk4z4Rbl@zp4hy0Tn\=.fnő Y/:TC9<@fSI$:QR/bq7DfR/ֻn)Vqd"䳽˄GL;ϝRG顼n&%Sv eFv,L"t}I&N> D73]$e)( ;]XhL`kSzJlcC$<)깍h}dr,1ܝRM뭍eMa $?e3f8΍҈&P(x+JU5{I 3 M- ;7|#G9 !\œ&=xp2,L{-`?OW":4uܚEadv ~9q.VdV%UT@73$@W¯B!ݒaVLH:!opr;gAɀiήpfߙR E/IDO*Luf0}{7mfyDxT.g)w5RvHx#Z]&M$ gZUTt+lZqZ_;a&JaG,-JLJDFIcV|:I3nB&;N0Lna=Y_Gl,p5,,kc EKgd;2vt7selT9˸sX޲.6r<1!| L0lTMS1?Xsf cq )KSgBB&׭x. v c@^Yk΀v],E[ɾ QhYyXXC2)g/J@su1ScL, ?C[{V2i͛!סӠ&> 6lu>4Ƕʤ|=12鱧l{^:a/Y%~].26G: p^CZ V&Vedҟ?RrX7d#I]ՕuL1 ?_ /12IEh ̴b<ӯ^e _ϝ䰻^]vy> /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 873>> stream x1j08-K/)],) &gi+:U̲\"9H!@"9H!@"9H!@eY.Z[p_E{QHKV[/`j%ʒcP,SX4W{7urd5ɱPr:-ֆʇX$$zfZpClbw7z{[]qGlwlGlZiM,ߺ7x}w` L9=3zpWL9 j)ۓB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$e]k` B$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$/؋ endstream endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 20 0 R >> endobj 20 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 850 >> stream xU6+^o-%ْ!H4܂ȡ聒$钔3|@>C:{-^J"f8!WIH1}jӆۭo(co՛#meQӱ %iӱ&Q艄#ײ4ddk#: ]TDϝp6+ܲ"=[r 'z ?,<ڑ=Gؑᒕ&_}W4ghv,"*:A*#z) tlT>mMm4*aՂ=CVZ:30CW%tl~i'X?Hj<Ѻ#jд(mمXyI+c~-RUgqѲEwk,[7('%1uf(OT կ,z(U"@Š*1o]cch^C1k`6lmmlF};>yNM](F0}ghYmi.{mo"mk[q]XI+È@~_駥oRHlLАCfz262KB.n ?bGEK#}Ơ^BwazE'F0E>1BF(upusgr.h_RqMsKWfҋY>%!:9m>Tǫ#ueWy77uz#Tey endstream endobj 21 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 22 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 23 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 550 /Height 140 /Filter /FlateDecode /DecodeParms << /Predictor 15 /Colors 1 /Columns 550 /BitsPerComponent 8>> /ColorSpace /DeviceGray /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5329>> stream xqDǯ뺒$ILfff&I335Lf2\3I2L&_3$3I$d+$\W=9y9lLss99P`0 `0 `0 `0 !U_:~u = F~sZŻدns⃪Qg¢G(F[-s͓^ DZ>d>3Dr#\OΉ, ZFwjux<;4Ƀxز#_v?nO<|{7c(b{Oū}w[N e~Hs䎷wwOn<1B.k+%U=eԘ -mCj)t:}c'ϓ*n"-ovkZ?R"V%wʶ7s]eX&eǕq` 1-2e JYHCFOUam 7:(Ԙt_@ހN t{B~ :V@}o#7!z^&zFL:ʤn X<- %"bNWqF c` M'4?cH-V`ǵAF>=#Ěm75dB I&7E5<>-͏їFǿl3M6x]Y&)2 FoΌ N.<t i4wL\^=_|Fo؏IȄ ik$ɄL?{?|tmCޮ=~T&iTevϷ'奔s?EꋄLPY͹箵?@L:Aˤ3y_:9AtA*0qVe- e6g)%a}.qKcI V/xʤzM|\ HSql0;*%+Mذ-闛obebu2iU&lLbtIcxb5^B#8 ޮaʻ _ w>j+L:$"&O;bZ K1 jmU玫ݢ=S/J<WO2'_yUPvp=`"aL5 Nl7"rlQT޼==-I[Se* F'(\`󴯉'{:נnVZ TG6*r$Tyx^LJū.C<3` %ANrxUo"˄ 0&$tO F&bIcW3GG͈ y!{m,LkCI d,(2"@ dR%F1thUL8Rݒ^+v9^?sʯYעDl~Qd" N2sc|ov}=F,3K#vxIvG^,[OM&wI[#,Jޙ\ض;L^fv[LbyYvM#/EI#/Zס$(ڼ ," &LK/IF i-Zx彰픢]MKeR n(PhV'LҸ\f$w/ e]"mɷWO߻˱ KerSPe (ӼGMȈ}X?ʍto7ZKl+81_Y&ǡd uʤ1Vw!sQ"/$zNkw(t)2BWQW"˄OXLp:e‡# וzn2F}qlc5ؾ:WH xLz LP:d# Q>(MRېd2Qt$o~R$YR5,-nޜLr_βehd" 2k1lvO X= eC p+[R=jU!֖}_DޟY2 (*wkZQ>Fl̲soR#^u3hhyTԲt.LtD8sk4z4Rbl@zp4hy0Tn\=.fnő Y/:TC9<@fSI$:QR/bq7DfR/ֻn)Vqd"䳽˄GL;ϝRG顼n&%Sv eFv,L"t}I&N> D73]$e)( ;]XhL`kSzJlcC$<)깍h}dr,1ܝRM뭍eMa $?e3f8΍҈&P(x+JU5{I 3 M- ;7|#G9 !\œ&=xp2,L{-`?OW":4uܚEadv ~9q.VdV%UT@73$@W¯B!ݒaVLH:!opr;gAɀiήpfߙR E/IDO*Luf0}{7mfyDxT.g)w5RvHx#Z]&M$ gZUTt+lZqZ_;a&JaG,-JLJDFIcV|:I3nB&;N0Lna=Y_Gl,p5,,kc EKgd;2vt7selT9˸sX޲.6r<1!| L0lTMS1?Xsf cq )KSgBB&׭x. v c@^Yk΀v],E[ɾ QhYyXXC2)g/J@su1ScL, ?C[{V2i͛!סӠ&> 6lu>4Ƕʤ|=12鱧l{^:a/Y%~].26G: p^CZ V&Vedҟ?RrX7d#I]ՕuL1 ?_ /12IEh ̴b<ӯ^e _ϝ䰻^]vy> /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 873>> stream x1j08-K/)],) &gi+:U̲\"9H!@"9H!@"9H!@eY.Z[p_E{QHKV[/`j%ʒcP,SX4W{7urd5ɱPr:-ֆʇX$$zfZpClbw7z{[]qGlwlGlZiM,ߺ7x}w` L9=3zpWL9 j)ۓB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$e]k` B$ DrB$ DrB$ DrB$/؋ endstream endobj xref 0 25 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000461 00000 n 0000000498 00000 n 0000000647 00000 n 0000000750 00000 n 0000002811 00000 n 0000002918 00000 n 0000003026 00000 n 0000003136 00000 n 0000003249 00000 n 0000003365 00000 n 0000003394 00000 n 0000003504 00000 n 0000009079 00000 n 0000010210 00000 n 0000010269 00000 n 0000010328 00000 n 0000010433 00000 n 0000011356 00000 n 0000011413 00000 n 0000011470 00000 n 0000017045 00000 n trailer << /Size 25 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<9a20ed7f003f1d1f114431421c3d678f><9a20ed7f003f1d1f114431421c3d678f>] >> startxref 18176 %%EOF SharperFocus " Belief in action" | Caring Magazine

SharperFocus ” Belief in action”

Listen to this article
Yesterday was a great day!

By Kelly Pontsler, Major

Forgive me if I start by mentioning the weather. It was a gloriously sunny day in Salem, Ore., (something of a rarity since my arrival three months ago) and it got things off on the right foot. It only got better from there, as over 100 advisory board members, friends and supporters of the Army’s work in Marion and Polk Counties joined us for lunch.

This annual fundraiser is an opportunity to make new acquaintances and share the story of The Salvation Army at work, capturing the essence of our mission under the banner of “Belief in Action.” The conversation around the tables was lively, the stories of those impacted by our services and ministry were moving—and we left sensing that the door had been opened to new opportunities.

As I got back to other things—a few hallelujahs still being whispered under my breath—I couldn’t shake that phrase from my head: belief in action. I’m regularly asked what the Army is all about; what’s our purpose? Without hesitation I will say that we are the church with our sleeves rolled up—hands on, digging in, getting-the-job-done kind of people. We put our faith to work in practical action. And the stories we tell at our fundraisers always reflect that approach to humanitarian and community service. Available at the point of need, ready to intervene with social services and financial assistance, prompt to engage with those desperate for change—all of it flowing out of our Christian faith as we strive to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” Belief in action. Sure, that’s all good, I thought. And then I walked into the chapel just before heading home.

Our teen worship team was rehearsing: keyboard, guitars, vocalists, saxophone and drums praising the Lord. I stood at the back of the chapel amazed at how far they’ve come, some of them just picking up their instruments this year. The look of concentration on their faces spoke volumes about their serious intentions to get this right. As I stood there that phrase flicked through my mind again: belief in action. We describe our practical assistance as how we put our faith into action, but the dots suddenly connected and I thought, yes, this is also belief in action.

A youth worker invests her heart and soul into these kids—putting her faith into tangible action by coaching them, showing love and acceptance, encouraging them without ceasing and then beaming with joy at their success. That guy at the back of the platform? When it comes to conversation, he is soft spoken; yet recently he summoned up the courage to learn and present a dramatic monologue in front of a room full of his peers, and his natural sense of rhythm is beginning to flow out through a set of drums. He’s finding his voice and putting his belief into action.

I was awestruck, bursting at the seams proud, and so abundantly grateful that God has given us this group of teens. We often look at our youth and smile as we say, “there goes the Army of tomorrow.” I have to disagree. They are the Army of today! They have big hearts and boundless energy; they are striving to be all that God wants them to be;  they are making bold statements about their faith in everything they do. They get it: belief in action. And I can hardly wait for them to lead us in worship on Sunday.

Did I mention that yesterday was a really great day?

You May Also Like