The articles recently featured in Salvationist has drawn a lot of interest and people really encouraged by what has been shared. The following is an email received from a former ‘member’ of the church many years ago, now a retired Salvation Army Officer
Dear Captains,
I was thrilled to read of the work being done at the corps in the latest Salvationist.
I was a very new soldier when I came to the corps in 1956. That was when the hall was in the main town of Ashford. I was a student at Wye agricultural college, a few miles north. I used to either cycle in or travel in on my motorcycle. I remember being invited to a band practice one evening by bandmaster Stanley. I was put on the drum but couldn't seem to beat it at the right moment. At the end of the practice I remember he came to me and said "I think your talents lie elsewhere". We used to have an open air meeting every Sunday morning and I shall never forget the songster leader singing "Would you know why I love Jesus ?". He put his heart into the singing and it was very moving to hear him. I'm sure God used his singing to bless many folk even though we couldn't see them. Corps folk were very good to me and one family or another always used to invite me to their home for lunch and tea. After the holiness meeting we would have a Sunday school with crowds of children and then before the Salvation meeting an open air meeting on the High St. I used to sell the War Cry in the pubs and I remember having some of the people who eventually became the Joy Strings come to the corps and taking them round the pubs to sing. They were very happy days and, as I was new to the Army, the corps helped me learn what the Army was about in a very practical way. My wife and I are now retired, having served most of our lives in Africa in agricultural development work but I thank God for the witness of Ashford Salvationists those years ago.
Please remember me to the corps folk, though I rather doubt whether there will be any there who will remember me.
Paul Latham (Major)
Dear Captains,
I was thrilled to read of the work being done at the corps in the latest Salvationist.
I was a very new soldier when I came to the corps in 1956. That was when the hall was in the main town of Ashford. I was a student at Wye agricultural college, a few miles north. I used to either cycle in or travel in on my motorcycle. I remember being invited to a band practice one evening by bandmaster Stanley. I was put on the drum but couldn't seem to beat it at the right moment. At the end of the practice I remember he came to me and said "I think your talents lie elsewhere". We used to have an open air meeting every Sunday morning and I shall never forget the songster leader singing "Would you know why I love Jesus ?". He put his heart into the singing and it was very moving to hear him. I'm sure God used his singing to bless many folk even though we couldn't see them. Corps folk were very good to me and one family or another always used to invite me to their home for lunch and tea. After the holiness meeting we would have a Sunday school with crowds of children and then before the Salvation meeting an open air meeting on the High St. I used to sell the War Cry in the pubs and I remember having some of the people who eventually became the Joy Strings come to the corps and taking them round the pubs to sing. They were very happy days and, as I was new to the Army, the corps helped me learn what the Army was about in a very practical way. My wife and I are now retired, having served most of our lives in Africa in agricultural development work but I thank God for the witness of Ashford Salvationists those years ago.
Please remember me to the corps folk, though I rather doubt whether there will be any there who will remember me.
Paul Latham (Major)
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