Others Magazine

George Ellis is a Salvationist at Melbourne Project 614 Corps.

By Barry Gittins

Lifelong Salvationist George Ellis loves Christmas, which is an opportunity for him to celebrate Jesus’ birth and spend time with his family.

In particular, George knows that the most wonderful time of the year revolves around relationship, not receiving gifts. George and his wife Joy, who soldier at Melbourne Project 614 Corps, are encouraging people to take stock this Christmas, after a year that led us to question what ‘normal’ looks like.

“Jesus taught us that it is more blessed to give than to receive,” George says. It is a truth he has lived out through his life, serving others in many ways through The Salvation Army, including decades spent collecting at Christmas time and helping provide for people in need leading up to Christmas Day.

The ideas of building a personal fortune and consumerism’s allure never had any appeal for George, who worked in several jobs, including as a greengrocer, in the health sector, and as the founder of The Salvation Army’s archives and museum in Melbourne.

“We had enough,” he says. “I could have made much more money, but making money has never been my ambition. I have been very happy to help, to serve and to volunteer.

“Giving, rather than taking, is rare these days, but I encourage everyone to give, because you will be so happy helping others. The ‘seed’ for me was planted by the people who helped me and were kind to me as a boy growing up in a Salvation Army children’s home. They set a loving example that has stayed with me.”

George says when people give selflessly and sacrificially, he sees “changes in people’s attitudes, and they gain hope. By the grace of God, their lives are changed for the better.”

Barry Gittins is a Salvo who works as Marketplace Coordinator for The Salvation Army Project 614 Corps in Melbourne.