13 July 2024
Live updates: Saturday at Together 2024
Live updates from Newport, south Wales, on the first day of Together 2024.
9pm
Tonight’s worship was jam-packed full of praise, testimony and prayer.
Alongside the international staff sections, it was special to have Salvationist musicians from across Wales, including the 130-strong Welsh Chorus and Wrexham Community Brass.
There were plenty of opportunities for the congregation to sing worship songs old and new.
Territorial Leader Commissioner Jenine Main shared a Bible thought and challenged everyone present to go public with God’s story.
The evening also featured the premiere of John Allen – The Salvationist Navvy, a new musical by Stephanie Lamplough and Paul Sharman from Music and Creative Arts, which chronicles the Army’s early days in Wales.
That’s it for today! For video snippets from tonight’s programme, view our stories on Facebook.
You can also keep an eye on salvationist.org.uk in the coming days or pick up next week’s Salvationist magazine for a report on the evening.
Be sure to come back tomorrow at 10.30am for the livestream of Commissioning at youtube.com/salvationarmyvideo.
Nos da! Good night!
- Download the Commissioning brochure at salvationist.org.uk/together-home.
6pm
The Engagement Space is the place to be!
From 2pm to 4pm, Major Mark Sawyer (William Booth College) and Major Kerry Coke (THQ) hosted Café Church, featuring music from vocalists Karl Westwood, Anais Spencer, Hazel Launn and Naar M’fundisi-Holloway, MACA Dance and the International Staff Band and International Staff Songsters. There was also storytelling and sharing good news, with junior soldiers Olivia and Owen from Newport Citadel interviewing Territorial Leaders Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main on the Together 2024 sofa.
We are celebrating 150 years of The Salvation Army in Wales, and the division has put together an incredible exhibition on the theme God's Story, Our Story, Your Story. Central to the display is an artwork knitted and crafted by members of Cardiff Canton Corps, with help from people across the Wales Division. It brings to life Bible stories and key moments in The Salvation Army's history in Wales and invites people to reflect on their walk with God.
The exhibition will travel to the Royal Welsh Show later this month and the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd next month.
To find out more about the anniversary celebrations and to join the bilingual 150 days of prayer, visit salvationist.org.uk/wales150.
Behind the scenes, there is an amazing team of volunteers making the weekend possible. This includes the Here to Help team, who have been welcoming everyone to ICC Wales and showing people where to go.
Next up: our evening celebration!
3.30pm
Ahead of tonight's celebration, the programme is full of activities for all ages.
So far, we've enjoyed an atrium concert by the South and Mid Wales Fellowship Band, a MACA Dance workshop, Defenders of Justice-inspired inflatables and the Together 2024 art gallery!
View the digital brochure for the art gallery or read about one of the artworks in this week's Salvationist magazine.
Teams from Territorial Headquarters, William Booth College and beyond are busy connecting with people in the Engagement Space, sharing the mission resources and support on offer for corps and individuals across the territory.
Browse the Resource Centre and Territorial Directory on salvationist.org.uk to find out more about what's on offer.
12.30pm
Ministers from other churches joined Salvationists on the prayer walk this morning, which paused to stop and pray for specific people and situations on their route. This included Brian, a herald who sells War Cry from Wednesday to Saturday in Newport city centre, and Ronan, a child the group met as he was about to take his first communion at St Mary's Catholic church.
Get involved with prayer ministry:
- Download Prayer Matters, the territorial prayer diary
- Read this week's Salvationist for an interview with Territorial Prayer Co-ordinator Major Gary Lacey for tips about organising a prayer walk
Meanwhile the ICC Wales, the venue for the weekend, is buzzing with excitement as people arrive, set up and wait for the programme to kick off at 1pm.
Preview what's happening today at Saturday at Together 2024.
10.30am
Bore da! Good morning!
I'm Beth and, with the help of my Salvationist colleagues, I’ll be bringing you updates from Together 2024.
It's a beautiful day here in south Wales and The Salvation Army is already out and about!
Over at Newport Citadel, people have gathered to pray over the community, while at the riverfront, a group of Salvationists have joined the local Parkrun.
If you're off for a run this weekend, or looking for some new audio content, check out podcasts and playlists from Salvationist Radio:
- The new Faith in Sport podcast – join host Rob Moye as he chats to Charlotte Tanner about how coaching football became church.
- The Big Stride Spotify playlist, featuring a sports devotional and upbeat worship tracks.
- Together 2024 Spotify playlist, featuring some of the worship songs that will be used over this weekend.
Stay tuned for more updates or follow Salvationist on Facebook. You can also read featured articles from this week's Salvationist magazine online.
Articles from this week's Salvationist magazine
Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main invite us to share God’s story where we are.
As the new lieutenants are commissioned, four of them share their stories.
Stephanie Lamplough talks to Salvationist about a new musical chronicling the Army’s early days in Wales.
Lieut-Colonel Jayne Roberts considers Micah 6:6–8, a key passage for the cadets being commissioned at Together 2024.
