Bobby and Anne Westmoreland know all about the research showing that most people make up their mind about spiritual issues and Jesus Christ when they are preteens.
The Westmorelands, Salvation Army pastors (corps officers) in Lawrenceville, Ga., also know that if kids aren’t reached by then, the chances they will accept Christ later in life are very low.
“That should be a wakeup call to the Church,” Bobby says. “That should be a wakeup call to The Salvation Army.”
Bobby was one of the lucky ones; someone reached him early. His parents divorced when he was 9, and he felt a lot of anger. He started worshiping at The Salvation Army when an officer approached his mother in a grocery store and invited the family to church.
The Salvation Army put a cornet in Bobby’s hands, and he later earned a music scholarship to Southern Mississippi University.
“In my teen years, I would have been very, very bitter and probably would have gone in a horrible direction, but The Salvation Army got me while I was still young and really kind of worked with me through all those years,” he says.
The ‘best hour’
That’s what the captains hope to do—reach kids early. The couple has seen tremendous success. Attendance at mid–week children’s programs tripled from 50 to 150 the first year they were in Lawrenceville, and they now average 200 on a Wednesday night.
The church uses traditional Salvation Army programs like Adventure Corps for boys and Girl Guards and Sunbeams for girls.
“We find that if you ‘do Army,’ it works,” Bobby says. “We want this to be the best hour of a child’s week.”
Bobby says the church has also enrolled 49 junior soldiers (young
members) in the last two years, many from a database of social services clients who were invited to church.
The church—with separate Korean and Hispanic congregations—calls itself “The Loaf,” to recall Jesus’ miracles in feeding thousands with just a few loaves and fishes.
Starting early
“The congregation likes to say that what God did with the loaves and fishes, He’s going to do with us,” Bobby says.
The Loaf offers children’s church in the gym each Sunday morning while parents attend services.
“We put a lot of energy and effort into this program,” Anne says. “The goal is that the children will get their parents out of bed on Sunday morning and say, ‘I don’t want to miss it.’ Once a month, we get together and have an all–age service.”
They also start reaching children at very young ages, even in the nursery with the BabySong program. (See Summer 2007 Priority!)
“We know that [children] learn very early,” Anne says. “We need to step up to the plate and teach them about God.”
Anne says one key to the church’s success has been staying connected to the children’s lives.
Showing love
“What is it that children want? What is it that makes them happy? It’s not things,” she says. “It’s about the one–on–one relationships. If they know that we love them and that we care about them, I believe that’s the key and we can make a difference. If we don’t love them or care about them, then we can do as much programming as we like [and we won’t reach them].”
Anne says she goes out of her way to find out about each child’s hobbies, home life, and favorite school subjects. She also sends birthday cards.
“We need to show we’re not just interested in them when they’re here,” she says.
Bobby agrees. “I think young people are craving relationships in this media–driven age and this game–driven culture,” he says. “We have to make Jesus real to them.”
Bobby says one little girl came to church with a hand–held game that allowed her to do virtual activities, such as going for a walk.
“I think that’s so scary,” he says. “I think we should say, ‘Would you like to go for a walk for real? Would you like to play a game of kickball for real?”
The Westmorelands haven’t gathered all these young people by themselves. When he was first an officer, Bobby tried to do everything himself, but he and Anne have learned to develop and rely on lay leaders and are quick to give them credit.
“It’s all about the leadership,” Bobby says.
The Three E’s
The Westmorelands, who have no children of their own, say their main job is to
equip,
empower, and
encourage.
Anne says, “That’s really been the secret of our youth ministries: those leaders, those soldiers, who have stepped up to the plate.”
The recruiting sergeant (outreach leader) is Commissioner Andy Miller, a former national commander of The Salvation Army; his wife, Joan, is also active.
Although Bobby and Anne try to keep up with what’s hot among kids by watching TV programs on channels like Nickelodeon, Bobby says they depend on their corps parents as their primary source for changing trends.
“They know a lot better than we do,” Anne says of the parents.
A safe haven
For example, one parent came up with the idea of starting a concert series that might appeal to hard–to–reach teens.
“The Gothic kid, the grunge scene, the kid that wears the makeup and earrings and dark hair and dark clothing,” Bobby says. “That’s who we targeted.”
The monthly concerts, called “At The Loaf,” began two years ago and have drawn as many as 700 kids to the corps gym, which is equipped with a top–quality sound and light system.
“Our whole goal was to build a safe place for them,” Bobby says. “It was the soldiers [members] who had a vision, who had the heart for this.”
Concert bands are both secular and Christian, Bobby says. The Christian band members regularly share their testimonies.
“We believe that the light is a lot stronger than the darkness,” he says. “We’ve certainly seen that.”
Anne says the kids often ask, “Why are you doing this?”
“That gives us a chance to tell them why and share the Gospel,” she says. “We’re building relationships with them. Then when they’re in trouble, they come to The Salvation Army. When they need to talk to someone, they come to The Salvation Army.”
The church has also established a telephone hotline for the kids who want to talk, as well as a website (www.attheloaf.com).
“It’s taken two years to break into that culture, but we’re beginning to have an inroad with them,” Bobby says.
While some pastors in town are not keen on the concerts, Bobby says the church has established a Sunday evening service just for those kids. The next goal is to build a café.
“It’s time to disciple,” Bobby says. “It’s time to take it to the next level. We don’t know where this road will take us, but it’s exciting.”
Email this article to a Friend