2018 Congress Reaffirms His Importance
People stand in prayer during the 2018 Congress in Hoonah, Alaska. (Robert DeBerry/The Salvation Army)
The phrase ‘History repeats itself’ rang true April 5-8 in the southeast village of Hoonah, Alaska when more than 100 Soldiers, Officers, and community members gathered for the 100th year of holding Congress. The theme, ‘Christ and Him Crucified,’ put the focus on Jesus Christ, and rightly so because the history of Congress points to our relationship with God.
For many, like Klawock Corps Officer Stephen Hartt, this was their first Congress but stories handed down set the stage for what was to come. “I heard quite a few things from our Corps,” said Lt. Hartt as he sat on the Ferry M/V LeConte looking out of the large windows as he made his way back from Hoonah. “One neat thing about our Corps is we have this long hallway with a bunch of the group photos of Congress and that has resulted in conversations of what past Congresses had been like.”
Lt. Hartt had heard of things like the singspiration and fellowship from others that had attended past Congresses and said there was no disappointment there. But for Lt. Hartt the thing that stands out was the praying. “Getting to pray with people, getting to pray for my Corps. Having my hands over them. I think seeing those culminating moments at the end of the services. It is stuff like that I am grateful for.”
Territorial Commander Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder also experienced Congress for the first time. “This is my first time at Congress and I will never forget it. The opportunity to meet with so many people from so many different parts of the Southeast is a very special one for me.”
But whether it was a first time at Congress or a tenth time at Congress the message remained the same. Congress is an important part of the Southeast and an important part of the Army. Not only does the event bring people together it provides an opportunity to build a stronger Corps, a stronger Army and spread the word of God.
Flags are carried through the streets of Hoonah, Alaska during the March of Witness at the 2018 Congress April 5-8. (Robert DeBerry/The Salvation Army)
The first Congress was in 1918 and has changed vastly over the last 100 years. According to Hoonah Corps Sergeant Major and village elder Harold Dick Sr., today’s Congress is different from Congresses just 15 years ago. CSM Dick said Congress was what brought him into The Salvation Army. “My first Congress was in Juneau and I fell in love with it. That was in the 70’s and I wanted to join the Army. It was a big turn in my life.”
CSM Dick said when he was a young man he never missed any of the Congresses but as time went on he started to notice a change happening. He said he could see Congress losing its meaning. “A long time ago we went to places like Angoon or Kake. We would go to these places when they were having trouble. The town would be having trouble so we would go have Congress and pray for that town. Have meetings and open air and just pray for the town and the people.”
A bible is held in the air during the 2018 Congress in Hoonah, Alaska April 5-8. (Robert DeBerry/The Salvation Army)
According to CSM Dick, two and three Elders or Soldiers would go door to door and pray for the people. “That was the goal,” he said. “It kind of lost its meaning along the way”
Congress is a time of worship, fellowship and testimony. A time for building. CSM Dick said the old timers used to have a lot of testimony about working with God. He said that has kind of drifted away and the younger generation doesn’t seem to be as interested. “We used to have hundreds of young people fill the ANB (Alaska Native Brotherhood) hall. Now they have stopped coming. The young people want something different. In this day and age, it is hard. People have their games and their Gameboys and telephones.”
For Commissioner Hodder that history and its connection to the Army is significant. “Very often history can be understood as the past and it is divorced from any relevance of the present. We live in an age that is very conscience of what is happening now and is not so conscience of what has gone before. But this event tells us that the history that we have in the Army is a motivating factor to what we are doing now and indeed an inspiration for the future. History is an enlivening element to this event.”
Klawock's Tyson Dunn poses for a picture with Territorial Commander Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder during the 2018 Congress April 5-8 in Hoonah, Alaska. (Robert DeBerry/The Salvation Army)
Commissioner Hodder also recognizes the symbiotic relation between the Army and many of the southeast villages. “The fact that The Salvation Army makes such a big showing in a village helps the people to know that we are here and that we are here for the long term. That we have a desire to invest in our communities, desire to be present, desire to support our communities. And in the southeast of Alaska that is a very important thing.”
Commissioner Hodder said he thinks it also demonstrates that the Army is conscience of culture and tradition. “The Army is woven into what has taken place over the years in Southeast Alaska. So, by virtue of the events we reaffirm that commitment.”
That history, that commitment, the people and the holy spirit is the fabric that makes Congress so powerful. The catalyst that moves people to God reaffirms his importance. The importance to speak Christ at every opportunity.
For CSM Dick this could not be more true today. “The more we put God back on the pedestal the more it is going to work. Not humans taking over anymore but God. Let Him run it. We need to get back to the spirit. Let It work it again.”
He said he can see change happening again. He can see things coming back. History repeating itself in the way it needs to. “This congress is pretty mighty. A lot of people got saved and lots of people renewed their lives. We must keep praying and working together. We have to communicate. God wants us to tell Him what we need.”
A Tlingit dancer performs during the 2018 Congress in Hoonah, Alaska. (Robert DeBerry/The Salvation Army)