Australia Eastern officers appointed to Sri Lanka
Australia Eastern officers appointed to Sri Lanka
8 September 2016
Major Peter and Captain Tara McGuigan have just received an international appointment. Photo: Carolyn Hide
Major Peter and Captain Tara McGuigan will trade Sydney traffic for tuk-tuks when they take up an appointment in Sri Lanka next month.
Effective from October 21, Major Peter, currently serving as Public Relations and Fundraising Director in Sydney and Chair of The Salvation Army's Moral and Social Issues Council, will take up the role of Communications and Public Relations Secretary in the Sri Lanka Territory.
In his new appointment, one of Major Peter’s key roles will be to assist the Sri Lankan territory in educating the community about the vital work of The Salvation Army in its extensive provision of social services across the country. This will include liaising at all levels of the community from the government and non-government organisations, to the corporate and private sectors.
“We want to build an environment of goodwill towards The Salvation Army across the nation and raise significant financial resources to fund this work into the future, as well as new Salvation Army initiatives that will be just as vital to the life of the country,” he explained.
Captain Tara will move from her role in the Territorial Communications and Fundraising Department, where she is Development Manager Team Leader (NSW and ACT), to Territorial Youth and Candidates Secretary in Sri Lanka.
In her youth secretary role she will be focused on introducing young people to Jesus, building relationships with and supporting divisional youth secretaries with their programs and events, building future Christian leaders in the territory and developing social media channels for youth. “This is just the beginning!” she said.
In her candidates secretary role, Captain Tara’s will be identifying prospective officers and encouraging them to consider the call of God on their lives, helping applicants and candidates with studies and paperwork to enter the Training College, and supporting candidates as they go through the journey of pre-college studies and development.
Major Peter said that the challenge is formidable and they will need God to be at the centre of it all. “The work of God, including the resourcing of this work, must arise out of the heart of God; like God is showing us the way and placing divine blessing and anointing upon us because it is all about the flourishing of God’s Kingdom on earth. I am looking forward to seeing God’s Spirit move powerfully, renewing God’s people in The Salvation Army for mission that will see the lives and circumstances of thousands of people transformed. We will join a team of dedicated people in this quest.”
Captain Tara, who is from Sri Lanka, is looking forward to “the challenge of ministry with much less resources than we enjoy here in Australia; the beautiful, innocent faith of people who are poor, vulnerable and often with no family members or support systems, and sowing the seeds of Christlike leadership into the lives of young people.”
Other challenges she foresees will be learning art of evangelism in a primarily Buddhist country and sensing the nuances of a culture that is more timid and diffident about expressing itself openly. Reconnecting with family and friends will be a highlight for Captain Tara, as well as “the food and authentic Sri Lankan curries made with local spices and swimming in the Indian Ocean that is always warm and shark-free!”
Having spent several holidays in Sri Lanka, Major Peter is looking forward to enjoying “the people’s sense of humour, their appreciation of cultural subtleties, their sensitivity to the spiritual, and their taste in food, particularly chilli and curry. I will enjoy immensely working with my fellow Salvationists and the challenges in building a partnership with the Sri Lankan community that will result in the mission of The Salvation Army being secure for many years to come. Another challenge for me will be, as a Westerner, driving in Sri Lankan traffic surrounded by tuk tuks (motorised tri-shaws)! That's scary!”
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