After a particularly wet summer, the warm sunshine of southern Ontario greeted 163 students who gathered for this year’s Territorial School of Music and Gospel Arts at Jackson’s Point Conference Centre in August. It was the highest enrolment in recent years and for the first time included four francophone delegates from Quebec, as well as international students from the England, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands and Mexico.

For me, it was both a step back in time and a glimpse into the future. The last time I had attended the National School of Music, as it was then called, was as a student in 1977. The week-long camp was in its 10th year and was under the direction of then Captains Robert and Gwenyth Redhead.

The invitation to come back this year on faculty bridged a gap of 31 years and brought many new insights and perspectives as I engaged with today’s generation of young Salvationists. What particularly struck me was the intense hunger and thirsting after God that was much more prominent that I recalled from my own student days. In a trend that has taken place in more recent years, participants came as much for the spiritual learning and growth opportunities as they did to be challenged musically and in other artistic areas.

For those who enjoy good Army music, the camp had plenty of it. Led by guests William and Linda Himes from the U.S.A. Central Territory, students entered in wholeheartedly to the week’s multifaceted program. Whether through brass bands or vocal, drama or contemporary praise and worship, delegates were stretched to their full capacity. Evening programs throughout the week highlighted the progress being made, culminating in a final festival that enabled students to demonstrate their skills and abilities before a packed audience at Scarborough Citadel, Toronto.

Bible teaching throughout the week was led by Captains Curtis Cartmell and Rachele Lamont, divisional youth leaders from Quebec. Through an exploration of some of the minor prophets—Obadiah, Nahum and Joel—faculty and delegates were challenged to renew their covenant with God as they drew closer to him. During the Thursday night spiritual meeting, Major Floyd Tidd, divisional commander, Ontario Central-East Division, led a time of sharing in which students freely spoke of what God was doing in their lives. In the moments that followed, many responded at the altar as they knelt in dedication and renewal, with a large group stepping forward in response to a call to Salvation Army officership.

Throughout the week students listened with rapt attention as William Himes shared moments from his own life, including the tragedy of losing his first wife that led to the writing of the chorus All That I Am. He also told of events that led to the writing of some of his other significant works, as well as how he and his present wife, Linda, were drawn together. At the end of both the midweek and Saturday night program, he led the congregation in singing a new arrangement of Richard Smallwood’s Total Praise, a fitting expression of worship that summarized the sentiments of all present:

Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills,
Knowing my help is coming from you.
Your peace you give me in time of the storm.
You are the source of my strength,
You are the strength of my life;
I lift my hands in total praise to you.

As a new generation of leaders arises throughout the territory, it is good to know that their hearts are in tune with God and their lives are dedicated to serving him.