ONE of the most significant moments at The Salvation Army's 'Raised Up' World Youth Convention, in Stockholm, Sweden, took place during the final meeting when more than 200 of the 1,100 delegates moved to the platform in response to General Shaw Clifton's call to officership.
As well as those who went to the platform signifying that they had a definite call to officership – including 80 who had not applied for full-time ministry before the convention – at least 60 delegates stood where they were in the auditorium, indicating that they had not yet made a decision but were prayerfully considering if officership was for them.
In the days and hours leading to the final meeting of the convention 129 delegates filled in the preliminary 'Hands Up For Officership' form in the candidates information tent. Captains Craig and Donna Todd (Australia Eastern) coordinated the ministry within the tent, where hundreds of delegates visited and discussed the possibility of officership being for them.
One of the questions asked on the 'Hands Up for Officership' form was: 'How has your calling to officership been confirmed at Raised Up?' Following are some of the answers provided by delegates:
'I made the commitment to God that I definitely will become an officer and trust in him. I received peace and God made me sure my husband will make the same decision as me.'
'Before I came here, I already heard a call but I tried to hide. But today God's calling me again deep in my heart. I know that he wants me to be a Christian and to serve like the Good Samaritan. I made my decision and have decided to serve the Lord as an officer. "Here I am, Lord."'
'The messages I received, especially the talk on sacrifice, really touched me and convinced me of my calling to officership.'
'During this convention I have had experiences with people and the teaching from our leaders that have helped me decide. In the past I have hesitated because I never committed to serving the Lord. But now I want to sacrifice my time to serve as an officer.'
'I have been thinking about becoming an officer but I wasn't sure that it was God's calling for me. I prayed in a couple of meetings to make God absolutely number one in my life and then, during the interview with the General, I felt a burning fire in me and I knew that I want to become an officer. I feel that God is calling me to that future.'
Photos of the World Youth Convention are at Flickr.com
