On Canada Day weekend, a group of committed Salvationists of all ages came together at Jackson's Point Conference Centre north of Toronto for the fourth Canadian SAROOTS event. SAROOTS aims to bring together like-minded people to focus on mission and renewal, and those who attended this year were certainly renewed and encouraged to engage God's world with the gospel.This year's theme was Metamorphosis—From Glory to Glory. Throughout the weekend, delegates were challenged to consider how the resurrection of Christ can result in a radical transformation of ourselves, our congregations and our communities.

As with previous SAROOTS experiences, this one brought together some of The Salvation Army's most dynamic leaders to deliver challenging and inspiring messages. Many mentioned that the highlight of the weekend was a series of morning Bible studies on John 20-21 led by Majors Richard and Janet Munn, U.S.A. Eastern Territory. Russell Rook, director of Alove, the U.K. Territory's youth ministries unit, and Major Sandra Ryan of Corps 614, Toronto, led the evening sessions, using their unique and engaging speaking abilities to connect delegates with God's transforming power. Powerful and creatively conceived times of worship were led by Phil Laeger and Marty Mikles, U.S.A. Southern Territory.

SAROOTS is designed to be an event for people of all ages. At this year's youth venue, young people 13-18 showed great enthusiasm for Bible study and prayer, engaging with God through various creative expressions of worship. Testimonies during the final session showed great evidence of sincere faith and growth among Salvationist youth. A separate program for younger children also ran throughout the weekend.

While it retained many of the great characteristics of previous SAROOTS gatherings, this year also brought with it a number of changes. Dubbed "Roots Unplugged" by event leader Major Geoff Ryan, SAROOTS 2006 was designed with simpler packaging in order to reduce costs and encourage interaction and participation for all in attendance. The subtitle for the weekend was "The conversation starts here"—and in many ways the whole gathering was designed to engage participants in conversations with one another around the theme of metamorphosis.

Workshops on both Saturday and Sunday focused on the Changing Society, Changing Church, Changing Theology, Changing Experiences and Changing Army. On Saturday afternoon a "Storytelling" session was organized, during which a number of Salvationists testified of radical changes they had seen in their various frontline ministries. For example, Major Gordon Armstrong, corps officer, St. Catharines, Ont., shared how his congregation had been changed by embracing new members of different cultures.

On Sunday morning, time was allotted for "Open Spaces" discussions, during which delegates were free to visit one of four areas and participate in conversations about topics such as Salvation Army ecclesiology and officership. Also on Sunday morning, delegates of all ages gathered outside for prayer, with dozens participating by sharing their favourite biblical stories about Jesus. Apart from these structured times for interaction, an SAROOTS Café area was set up at various times throughout the weekend, which facilitated many informal conversations around the same topics.

SAROOTS 2006 challenged delegates to consider how the Biblical vision of metamorphosis—the new creation which is rooted in the resurrection of Christ, and which will culminate in the renewal of all things when he returns—can bring us hope and direction for the future. This particular hope and direction must be the impetus that drives us forward during this time of significant and rapid change.