From September 12-15, 2023, Officers in their second year of ministry post commissioning gathered at the previous College for Officer Training premises. Under the guidance of Major Darren Huke, the Territorial Leadership Development Officer, the 2nd Year Officer Review programme was conducted as part of The Salvation Army’s commitment to nurturing passionate leaders who are grounded in their love for God, unafraid to be stirred by their faith and allowing it to lead them toward transformative action in their appointments.
Themed ‘Disturb us, Lord,’ the three-day programme welcomed the ten Lieutenants from the ‘Messengers of Grace Session. It was a time of profound inspiration, encouragement, and significant spiritual challenge. As these leaders shared in discussions and meaningful prayer, gained wisdom and enjoyed fellowship, they left better equipped to serve their communities and fulfil the mission of The Salvation Army.
The theme was inspired by the prayerful poem written by Sir Francis Drake that goes as follows:
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas where losing sight of land we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future in strength, courage, hope and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ!
