Releasing people into their purpose

Karl Foreman features in a new Salvation Army campaign encouraging more people to explore the option of becoming Salvation Army officers (ministers).

I’m based at Upper Hutt Salvation Army with my wife Christine. This is our third year in that appointment.

I spent most of my life trying to find who I am. It wasn’t until the age of 32 that I encountered the love of God in a way that just changed my life. From that moment on, I found a real sense of identity and my confidence just changed—so it was like day and night.

We’ve got six children, so life’s very busy in our home. I go down to the Hutt River at the start of the day, after the chaos of getting everyone off to school—I like to spend some time in the Word of God and prayer.

As an officer, there’s no day the same. Every day is so varied. Some days I’ll be at the local primary school, doing Bible in Schools for an hour. I go from there to a men’s group. From there, to a Probation meeting with a young man who may have just come out of Rimutaka Prison—trying to support him in his journey. From there, to mentoring a marriage.

To see a life come out of darkness or come out of bondage into a place of freedom and a knowledge of God’s love, to me that’s what officership is all about. I’m able to show grace. I’m able to bring hope to others.

Every day, you’re facing different challenges working with people.

For me, the journey of becoming an officer—the motivation behind it and why I said yes—is because I wanted to be in a place where I can actually influence other lives to live out their God-given destinies.

So officership, for me, is about influence. It’s about being an empowering leader. I love that opportunity to encourage others and release them into their purpose in life. Officership is full of those wonderful opportunities.

To be honest, it’s not been easy—but I like that, because it brings complete dependence on God.

It’s seeing God’s love touch people’s lives that makes it all worthwhile —that’s what officership is all about. We’re The Salvation Army! We’re about seeing lives transformed by the power of God. And for me, that’s the win.

Watch online | See Sammy, Karl, Peter, Kylie, Stu, and Joe share their stories | Go to www.salvationarmy.org.nz/SayYes

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By Karl Foreman (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 15 October 2016, pp 11
You can read 'War Cry' at your nearest Salvation Army church or centre, or subscribe through Salvationist Resources.