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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 22, 2008 - 3 Tis the season for the Salvation Army Majors led to calling with Salvation Army By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF "A lot of people in Oakville see us as the shelter, food bank and family services, but they don't always see us as the church. We do these things because we are a church." Major Wendy Broome, pastor Oakville Salvation Army Community Church The Salvation Army worked for them when they needed it and now they work for it. Both Majors Dan and Wendy Broome, the new pastors at the Oakville Salvation Army Community Church -- and the heads of the local Salvation Army's varied social programs -- were led to the Salvation Army by a different circumstance. For Wendy, 46, the Salvation Army came into her life at age eight, when her dad, Bob Manlow left her life. He died of emphysema. "We didn't belong to a church and the Salvation Army will marry and bury anyone. My mom called them and they buried my dad," recalls Wendy, a Picton, Ontario native. The family then began to worship at the local Salvation Army church and by age 24, Wendy, who was working as a registered nursing assistant in Peterborough, was heading toward a career with the Army. Dan didn't become acquainted with the Salvation Army until he was 17 and his mom married a Salvationist and he began attending the church. By 1993, Dan had tried several things including attending business college to study accounting. "Nothing I ever tried fit," admitted Dan, who was born in Toronto and grew up in Belleville, Ontario. The Salvation Army, meanwhile had always intrigued him -- and eventually he found it fit. "It still does," he said. Dan also has a special interest in corrections work, a field in which he has spent quite a number of years. "My brother had a difficult time with alcohol and drugs and spent many, many years behind bars," he said, admitting it was often dis- NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER AT THE PULPIT: Majors Wendy and Dan Broome are pastors of the Oakville Salvation Army Community Church. heartening to see that little was connecting with his brother to effect change. In working in the corrections field, as a jail chaplain, Dan admitted there is a good feeling that comes when a positive connection for change is made every once in a while with an inmate. The Broomes met while Wendy was working as a camp nurse and Dan as a camp cook. They married four years later, after Dan had attended college and Wendy had wrapped up her first commissioned assignment as an officer with the Salvation Army in Bermuda. Their first married assignment saw them go to Paris, Ontario. They were also pastors of the Salvation Army church in Milton and chaplains at Maplehurst and Vanier correctional centres for men and women. Wendy also worked in Brampton's Salvation Army family services program. Dan said he liked working in corrections as he's not one to sit behind a desk. "I believe in hands-on work," he said. "It's the opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone." And though now he can be found at a desk in Oakville, what Wendy agrees is a small, but mighty church in Oakville keeps the couple m busy not only behind the desk and at the pulpit, but in a variety of programs including the Lighthouse shelter. That allows the mix of leading a congregation and still having practical, hands-on work. "We had been in pastoral work before and we missed that part of it, having a congregation, taking care of the flock and all that. We both missed the pulpit, the teaching and preaching," said Wendy. "We asked for a small to medium sized church and we were willing to go anywhere. We were led to Oakville," said Wendy. The practical side of assisting people locally through the Salvation Army Oakville's social programs is akin to the practical work Dan felt he was doing when he was not only trying to reach an inmate in a bid to turn a life around, but helping those trying to re-establish themselves upon release, through finding shelter and support programs. Likewise, Oakville's shelter is not just a transient shelter, explained Dan. Rather, those who stay there must be approved by the Region of Halton and can stay for a longer period than just overnight. They are also provided with supportive programs and assistance to help them get on their feet again. The Salvation Army Oakville operates a community church on Rebecca Street. It also operates the Lighthouse shelter, a family shelter program and family community services. "Right from the start, we felt this fit us, it fits like a glove," said Wendy. The couple arrived in early July and has committed to stay at least five years. Growing the small Oakville church is important to them -- and the future of the church. Key to getting that job done is letting the community know the church exists, as well as the local social programs, and that you don't have to be experiencing tough times to join the church, which also offers a Sunday school, a kids' club and has a brass band that makes the Broomes proud. "A lot of people in Oakville see us as the shelter, food bank and family services, but they don't always see us as the church," said Wendy. "We do these things because we are a church," she said. However all public funds collected for the Salvation Army's social programs go to the programs, not the church, said Dan. 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