ESTEVAN - The Estevan Salvation Army has started hosting church services in Estevan once again.
Services started happening at the ministry’s Cornerstone Church on a trial basis last October. Capt. Jaclyn Wynne said they have a Sunday morning service at 10:30 a.m., and the same service happens on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. for those who aren’t able to make it on Sundays.
“We had a couple of services in late October, and then we really started with advent, having services before Christmas, and we’ve continued on since,” said Wynne.
The Salvation Army closed its church in Estevan in 2019 because the officers of the day retired and they didn’t have someone to take their place. Then the pandemic hit and complicated the situation.
The family services program, thrift store, food bank and more have continued in the community since 2019, with Ronza Reynard serving as the director of ministry.
Wynne arrived in Estevan in July 2021 with the intent of resuming a church service in the city.
Services at the Cornerstone Church are quite different. Rather than having live worship music, they have a video so people can sing along. Wynne said if someone had the musical talent to lead worship, the Salvation Army would look at a switch.
Then they have a coffee break and fellowship, followed by a question-and-answer session about the Bible and other topics to get people talking. They have had Bible trivia and questions about the subject of the day. One week had questions about January in general.
Wynne will deliver a 10-minute talk about a subject, followed by further discussion. This past weekend, they started on a series of short talks on some ancient practices of the Christian church, beginning with the Sabbath.
“The main part for me is discussing with each other what we think and what we have learned,” said Wynne.
Wynne noted that before she arrived, the Salvation Army decided to resurrect the church in Estevan, thanks to interest in the community.
“The Salvation called me up and said ‘we want you to move to Estevan and we’re going to try to start up the church.’ They didn’t want it to just be the same thing,” said Wynne. “There are a lot of churches in town, so we want to offer something different. It’s pretty laid back.”
After she arrived in Estevan, it became a 15-month planning process.
“I needed to get to know the community and get to know people within the community. We did that, and we’ve done a few other things as well,” said Wynne.
Also, the sanctuary at the Salvation Army’s building at the intersection of Fourth Street and 11th Avenue is open for people to have a cup of coffee and visit on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Sometimes they get a lot of people who will come out and other times she is the only person present.
This past fall, they hosted an Alpha program which is for those to want to ask questions and talk about the Christian faith in a non-threatening atmosphere. Supper would be served.
“Questions aren’t judged and you’re not pressured or forced or anything. We play a video and then we just have a discussion,” she said.
They might run it again in the near future.
There was also a grief-sharing, faith-based support group for those who have lost a loved one. They also hope to resume it in the next few weeks if there is sufficient interest.
Anybody can attend a service and enjoy the music and the fellowship.
Wynne said she has enjoyed the discussions and the relationships that have been built since the church resumed. One person was thinking of starting to go to church again when the services began.
“We have a lovely community of people,” said Wynne.
