Evening with the Matears

Soldiers and friends at Ayr Citadel recently enjoyed a truly inspiring weekend under the leadership of the Territorial Commander and his wife, Commissioner John Matear and Commissioner Elizabeth Matear. It was a weekend that had been anticipated for a long number of months and we certainly were not disappointed – their leadership was masterful, their speaking inspirational and the personal interest they took in the members of the congregation was welcomed and commented upon by all who attended the weekend’s activities.

The first major event of the weekend was "An Evening with the Matears", an informal gathering giving the opportunity for the members of the Corps to meet the Commissioners over dinner and listen with enthusiasm to their after dinner speeches.

Dinner consisted of quite the most amazing serving of turkey with, of course, the seasonal trimmings; or for those who preferred, winter stew. Certainly we were blessed by the quantity of food piled onto our plates and were not disappointed by the quality of the fayre – cooked to perfection by a team of willing volunteers from the ranks of the Corps.

The soloist for the evening was our own Bandmaster, Bobby Irvine,
who brought great blessing with his singing of various Christmas favourites from the hauntingly beautiful "O Holy Night", to the ever popular "Have yourself a merry little Christmas" and, accompanied by our own Robert Dibden on the piano, presented a truly unique and playful version of "God rest ye merry gentlemen", a la Dave Brubeck, the American jazz artist.

Commissioner Betty Matear spoke of her own experiences in ministry, thrilling the congregation with her personal insight of the difference that Christ has made in her life – from an enforced visit to the Salvation Army in Greenock due to her finding herself without her Sunday-go-to-meeting hat! (Praise God that all can attend the Salvation Army, with or without hat!) to her experiences at the training college and subsequent officer service, culminating in her present role as Territorial President of Women’s Ministries. She also gave insight into her role as Moderator of the Free Churches Group.

The Territorial Commander spoke on an aspect of the Army’s work that was growing in strength and making a practical difference in the lives of those we seek to serve in Christ’s name. The Employment Plus programme has been helping young men and women enter the workforce and gain the relevant support to help them to life lives closer to the John 10:10 maxim of “life in all its fullness”.

Our own Commanding Officer, Captain Graeme Parkhill guided the gathered congregation through the evening with a lightness of touch that complemented the whole evening.

Overall, a great evening, enjoyed by all who attended.