Army presence at Mind, Body, Spirit Festival
Roll up! Roll up! Get your faith here! The annual Mind, Body, Spirit Festival in Sydney sells everything from healing to mapping people’s destiny. But at The Salvation Army stall, seekers discover that the best thing in life is free.
In November, more than 10,000 people will flood into the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre to find the meaning of life. The Mind, Body, Spirit Festival offers herbal supplements, psychic readings, spiritual teachers and body detoxification. Its website promises visitors that they will “discover new ways to strengthen your body, mind and spirit”.
And in amongst it all is The Salvation Army.
The Army’s stall has been running for the past five years and features some comfortable couches, a water cooler, and free lollies and toys for the kids.
“People ask, ‘what are you selling?’ and we say, ‘absolutely nothing’,” says the Army’s Mind, Body, Spirit Festival mission organiser Lauren Howes. “We invite people to take a seat and have a rest and they think that’s fantastic.
“Some people want to know about a particular Salvation Army social service, others want to just talk about how The Salvation Army has helped them in the past. Some say, ‘I want to go to a church, is there somewhere where I can go?’”
Last year, 20 people who visited The Salvation Army stall became Christians and were followed up by the Mind, Body, Spirit mission team. Some of them now attend Hurstville and Auburn corps’.
“We have got this absolutely massive opportunity of people that are seeking … they’ve got this hole inside and they’re saying, I want to go to this Mind, Body, Spirit Festival to try and fill the hole,” says Lauren. “We need volunteers to help and we need prayer warriors – it’s so important.”
The Mind, Body, Spirit mission team is looking for volunteers to spend four hours at The Salvation Army stall during the second weekend of the festival. To find out more, contact Lauren Howes.
Photos supplied by Lauren Howes.
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