Additional officers head for overseas appointments
Additional officers head for overseas appointments
14 January 2019
Australian Salvation Army officers and personnel are serving in a range of nations and capacities all around the world. Three more officers have just, or will soon, join them.
Four Salvation Army officers from the Australia Territory have been given the green light to begin their overseas service in 2019.
Major Peter Davey has recently arrived in the Brazil Territory, while Captain Kris Halliday leaves for the Sweden and Latvia Territory later this month. Majors Greg and Priya Morgan will soon be on their way to the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland.
Major Peter Davey
Major Peter Davey arrived in San Paulo, Brazil, on 19 December 2018, after waiting for his visa for just over two months. He will be serving as the Territorial Finance Secretary for the Brazil Territory.
“The country is as vast as Australia and the potential for the spread of the gospel within the Army is immense,” he said, reflecting on his first impressions of the country.
Major Peter Davey at Sé Cathedral, São Paulo, Brasil.
“The Salvationists are warm and friendly. I look forward to developing good communication with soldiers and staff as well as opportunities to speak for Christ, develop new friendships and do my part to support the business side of the work in this country. I’m also keen to see as much of the country and other Latin American countries as possible in the time that I am here.”
Peter sees learning the language (Portuguese) and culture, as well as understanding the nature of business within the country, as potential challenges of his appointment.
“Dear friends and retired colleagues, Major Doreen Campos and Majors Fred and Marie Shaw, were catalysts and inspiration for my move overseas,” he shared.
“They visited the training college about 36 years ago when I was a cadet and told of their work and experiences in Brazil. I have cherished their commitment, as well as that of other Australian officers who have served here since then, and only recently sensed a calling to fulfil a commitment to God about coming here. It is God’s timing and I am pleased to be where he wants me, with the right skills and at the right time.”
Captain Kris Halliday
Captain Kris Halliday, who has been a corps officer and emergency services director in Darwin for the past three years, is leaving Australia this month to take up an international appointment in the Scandinavian nation of Sweden.
Kris will be an assistant officer at the Haga/Molndal Corps, 470km south-west of the capital, Stockholm, in the centre of the major city of Gothenburg. He will be working with the corps officers, Captains Alejandro and Jennie Gallardo, who oversee two campuses, 10km apart in Gothenburg.
Captain Kris Halliday bound for the Sweden and Latvia Territory.
“I have always felt a strong call to overseas ministry and a pull to experience life and partner with God in context out of Australia, and now this year that calling comes to fruition, in Sweden,” Kris said.
“I’ve heard great stories so far of the team in the Gothenburg area, who see their role as to build relationships and reach people who are otherwise forgotten with the love of Jesus Christ.
“Their corps slogan is Jesus till Alla, (Jesus to All). This is something that excites me – Salvationists passionate about the idea that our mission is to take the restorative, inclusive, healing love of Jesus to absolutely everybody, to see lives and communities transformed.
“There is a pioneering spirit there right now, investing in new expressions in new communities and reaching out to people who are left on the margins in the city, and I’m excited thinking about how much it aligns with my own ministry passions.”
As Captains Gallardo explained, the ministry of The Salvation Army in Haga/Molndal includes a partnership with the city of Gothenburg working with European Union migrants, including women, who have come from Romania and are begging on the streets.
“To empower our team with an officer passionate about doing pioneering work [Kris] is an answer to prayers,” they said.
Kris began his journey with The Salvation Army as an employee for eight years at Melbourne Project 614, before becoming an officer. He has begun learning Swedish with the help of an app but looks forward to enrolling in language classes as soon as possible and fully immersing himself in the culture and traditions of the country.
He joins Captain Kathleen Johansson, originally from Perth, who serves as corps officer of the Skillingaryd Corps with her Swedish husband, Captain Erik Johansson.
Majors Greg and Priya Morgan
Majors Gregory and Priya Morgan are headed to the United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland Territory to begin new appointments in the Southern Division.
Gregory, who recently concluded his role as Head of Eva Burrows College (EBC), will serve as Divisional Commander. Priya, who was Assistant Training Principal at the Melbourne Campus of EBC, will take on the role of Divisional Leader for Leadership Development.
This will be the first international appointment for the Morgans, who have been Salvation Army officers for almost 30 years.
Majors Gregory and Priya Morgan.
“We have both spent time in the UK at the International College of Officers, and on holidays, but this will be our first time living in another part of the world,” said Gregory.
“We are looking forward to, and are excited about, the opportunity to serve in another territory, to experience another culture, and to see how The Salvation Army operates in different places.
“Exploring mission has always been a key part of our officership, and this focus will continue as we help the Southern Division engage with the Mission of God.
“We have been in education and training for a large part of our officership, so to connect with corps officers and support and work with them at a divisional level to help them pursue the mission of the Kingdom of God is a great opportunity.”
The Morgans leave behind their two adult children, both of whom are very supportive of their parents. Thea is the Youth and Children’s Pastor for Alice Springs Corps in the Northern Territory, and Zachary is a mental health social worker based in Melbourne.
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