The Chilliwack Salvation Army Church was just 30 years old when Joe Bailey first walked in the doors.
He was a small boy of just six or seven, and his family was "coming to grips with the tragedy" of losing his younger sister.
"The people were so kind, and they've always made me feel like I was welcome here," he said, over the phone from his home in Harrison Hot Springs, where he lives with his wife, Margaret.
"As far back as I can remember, the church has had a great reputation of just serving the needs of the people here," he said.
From his early days in Sunday school, he stayed with the church through his teenage years. In those days, the activities for youth were a-plenty, he said. He was even able to attend the long-running Camp Sunrise in Gibsons.
"That was the first holiday I ever had," he said, and kicked off a lifetime of travelling around Canada to serve with the Salvation Army. In fact, he was travelling on a train as an officer in the 1960s when he met Margaret, a fellow Salvation Army officer. He lived in Chilliwack and she lived in Kelowna, so they struck up a relationship writing letters to each other.
"My brother says I was struck right from the get-go," he said, of his love for her.
It took some time for the rest of the Bailey family to start going to church with the two boys.
"Other people picked us up and took us there," he said, even though the family lived about 10 kilometres from the church.
He felt a calling to the church and to God from very early on, he explains, and his lifelong work with the Salvation Army has been the perfect way to serve.
"I always felt that God wanted me and he wanted me to do this," he said. "And I wouldn't be happy doing it in any other place, in any other way.
He and Margaret have been doing the work together for the last 40 years. Now that he's retired, he will sometimes preach at church. But he sees his role now as providing support to the people doing the front-line work, and encouraging them. He also likes supporting young people as they come into the church, as he felt so cared for as a child and teenager himself.
As a Christian, he adds, that the "chuch is the genesis of all that we do."
"I certainly do feel hopeful," he adds. "I believe that with the right support, the future should look even better. I think young people are better and more spiritually equipped than I was at that age."
His sentiments are echoed by other long-time volunteers that have served Chilliwack through the decades, including Joan Friesen.
She was "born into" the church, with her family having a long history of service that goes back to the 1920s. Her grandfather, Wesly Cartmell, heard the Salvation Army band playing during an outside meeting. That was all he needed to join the Salvation Army. Her parents followed suit, with her dad playing trombone in the band. Her mother, Doris Cartmell, was part of the League of Mercy, visiting people in nursing homes.
Joan was dedicated as an infant in 1960 in the Salvation Army.
"As a child, I remember standing beside my dad at Remembrance Day services as well as Christmas carolling on street corners," she said. "My favourite times were going with my dad and brother, Ron to the Easter Sunrise services at Chilliwack Cemeteries when the sun was just starting to rise over Mt. Cheam."
She has worked in nearly every ministry within the church, including as a Young People Sargent Major, as leader of the Worship Team, and even on the Emergency Disasters Service food truck.
"Whether we are at the Burns Bog near Delta feeding firefighters, or in Kamloops serving fire disaster refugees or at Merritt, feeding the flood victims, it is a joy for me to serve on behalf of the Salvation Army," she said. "I see tears, smiles and appreciation of the recipients. I trust that people will see my Christian faith in action as well as a person who genuinely cares for them."
And most people in the community will have heard the names Don and Brenda Armstrong. The couple has been heavily involved in the Chilliwack Salvation Army, with Don often serving as the spokesperson for the organization.
He was "born and raised in the Salvation Army" Don said, and the same goes for Brenda. They moved here in 1984 and he started as a truck driver for the church, and she started working in the thrift store.
"The focus of The Salvation Army is to show the love of Christ to others, especially those in need," Don said. "Soup, Soap and Salvation was one of the older mottos and I believe we still meet that need."
He is currently the Food Bank and Emergency Disaster Services Co-Ordinator, while Brenda, who has been the Family Service Co-Ordinator, is now in the beginning of retirement.
"We both feel that working for The Salvation Army is a ministry and an honour where we can show the love of Christ through actively meeting the needs of others in our community," he added.
"One of my best memories is getting calls at two or three in the morning from the fire department to feed the fireman working either a home fire or forest fire," he added. "Being able to bring a warm meal and a cup of coffee to first responders and feeling I'm making a small difference in the community. Working behind the scenes, hopefully showing you care, warms my heart and soul."
