EVERYDAY SALVO: Jason's creative path to Christ
EVERYDAY SALVO: Jason's creative path to Christ
2 January 2023
As the new Community Engagement Coordinator for Mission Support, Jason Simmonds has found his passion for The Salvation Army, music and God’s inclusive Kingdom come together.
When Jason Simmonds stepped into his role as Community Engagement Coordinator for Mission Support in early 2022, there was a sense this day was inevitable. Not only is Jason a sixth-generation Salvo, but he is an accomplished musician and leads the Melbourne Contemporary Choir.
After years of serving at Moreland City Corps, he knows what it looks like to inspire, equip and resource a corps to utilise the arts and creative practice to reach the community. Now, he has been appointed to do this Australia-wide.
“The arts have tremendous potential to reach creatives in our communities on their ground, using the common language of music and the arts,” he shares. “It’s in this context of community engagement that we hope healthy communities and organic faith pathways are developed.”
Jason’s faith pathway began at a young age. Raised in a Christian home, his first memory of encountering Jesus personally happened on a ‘Decision Sunday’ when he was a junior soldier at Hawthorn Corps.
“My officer Major Trish Skelton called children forward who felt God tugging at their heart. With tears, I came forward as the only child and was enveloped in her arms as I stood there,” he recollects.
“Whilst I can’t pinpoint an exact moment that I crossed a line of faith, my spiritual journey has seen many milestones along the way where I have proved God’s faithfulness and experienced encounters with him that have confirmed my faith in a God who is interested in me personally.”
Much like music, Jason’s relationship with The Salvation Army has been a constant throughout his life. While he spent some years serving in a different denomination, he was drawn back to the Salvos six years ago when he met Captain Mel Cop at an event on inclusivity, after which she invited him to Moreland City Corps. This was a defining moment in his life, and he planted at the corps, soon joining as a volunteer.
“It was one of those moments when you know God’s fingerprints are all over the circumstances – drawing me back to my roots within The Salvation Army. Moreland City soon became for me not only a place of welcome but of belonging and inclusion,” he says.
Beginning piano lessons at age 12, music has always been a way that Jason connects with God. In his own words, “It’s an intrinsic part of my identity and who I am as a person.” He remembers coming home from school, playing the keys, and singing with gusto. Sprawled out on the piano stool, he would play the latest gospel tunes and worship songs.
“My music is an intimate place of encounter with God for me,” he says. “Music and singing for me is a very natural way to enter God’s presence and just love on him.”
Later on, when he studied biology at a post-graduate level, Jason’s connection to God through his music would be a plumbline. A confessed geek, he would enter his science classes and challenge his teacher on evolutionary theories. As he dove deeper into his study, he experienced a crisis of belief, leading him to reconcile his scientific study and belief in God.
“I discovered to my surprise, that my knowledge of biological systems reinforced my beliefs rather than challenging them. I discovered many scientific pioneers and contemporaries who were people of faith, which cemented my beliefs,” Jason says.
“Every time I gaze into the expanse of the night sky or the natural beauty and complexity of nature, I’m reminded of the familiar Scripture that says, “Who is man that you are mindful of him” (Psalm 8:4), and I’m forced to wonder at a creative God who is beyond understanding.”
It is that same creativity that Jason is excited to cultivate in Salvos across the territory, and he wants to empower people to help build the Kingdom of God using their creative passions. Reach out to Jason.simmonds@salvationarmy.org.au to collaborate.
SAVE THE DATE: A National Community Engagement Conference is slated for 21-23 July this year. Spearheaded by the National Creative Arts team, it will equip and empower creatives to build healthy communities and create faith pathways in their local context through the arts and creative practice.
Comments
Sorry, but we love the older Salvation Army from the songbook and the beautiful old Choruses. And the band. I hardly recognise the Army meetings now.
@Joan Wardley: so do I - Joan and there is a place for both. This article however does not reference corporate worship, rather it highlights the possibilities of building on our strong musical heritage to engage the broader community through arts practice. Examples are Just Brass, community choirs, art classes, dance classes, Just guitars ... all of these things can happen in addition to corporate worship meetings in order to connect with people and share the love of Jesus.