The Salvation Army – BY LAUREN MARTIN
PHOTO: (From left): Aux-Lieut Bryan Bartlett, then Area Officer, Major Dean Clarke, Snowy Monaro Regional Council mayor, Councillor Chris Hanna and Aux-Lieut Debbie Bartlett in front of the new Cooma Community of Hope.
When Auxiliary-Lieutenants Bryan and Debbie Bartlett were appointed to the NSW Snowy Mountains town of Cooma in January 2024, they arrived at a location without a building. Since then, God has been directing their hearts towards an unmet need.
When the Bartletts moved to town, the Salvation Army was celebrating its 70th anniversary since Major and Mrs. Gordon Fletcher arrived in Cooma to begin operations in the district with the Snowy Mountains Field Unit.
The Army did have an earlier flurry of ministry way back in 1887 when Captain H.B. Steven rolled The Salvation Army Cavalry Fort ‘Aggressive’ into town, with ‘converts rapidly increasing in number’, according to the then Salvation Army publication Full Salvation. But the fire didn’t last, and the Bartletts took on a ministry that really got underway in the 1950s, with the first corps building opening in 1959.
Over the past five years, it has been identified that the physical distance between the Cooma Corps building and the main areas of Salvation Army mission and ministry was creating a barrier to effective ministry.
The former corps leaders, Auxiliary-Lieutenants Anthony Barford and Sandra Mortimer, took on the project of relocating The Salvation Army’s presence from an outer suburban property into the heart of Cooma township – in a building right next door to the newly relocated Salvos Store.
PHOTO: The Cooma Community of Hope is located right next door to the town’s Salvos Store.
COVID-19 lockdowns and building delays meant that the new Cooma Community of Hope wasn’t yet complete when they received farewell orders to Katherine in the Northern Territory.
Enter the Bartletts.
“The fact that the building wasn’t yet open gave us time to build some really good foundational contacts within the community,” said Bryan. “Which I don’t think we would have had if we were running programs straight up.”
We want Cooma Salvos to be a safe space, no matter your background, beliefs or life journey – if you are in crisis, then this is a safe place for you and a listening ear.”
It also gave them space to pray, dream and ask God to give them a vision for what he was planning for Cooma Salvation Army.
“Debbie and I believe that we are called to the marginalised,” said Bryan. “If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us.” But what did that calling look like in Cooma?
During a strategy day, the Bartletts’ then-Area Officer, Major Dean Clarke, mentioned ‘Empowered Faith Communities’ – an organisation passionate about assisting churches in developing faith communities with people on the margins. The Empowered Faith Communities website says these communities are centred on “community gatherings in and amongst people living in poverty. Empowerment is central to the model, underpinned by proven principles for sustainable, long-term human flourishing.”
This spoke directly to Bryan and Debbie’s hearts, and they contacted the organisation and attended an information session. They have since had an opportunity to visit a practising Empowered Faith Community at Rosebud in Victoria, which runs in partnership with the local Baptist Church.
“We want Cooma Salvos to be a safe space, no matter your background, beliefs or life journey – if you are in crisis, then this is a safe place for you and a listening ear.”
Fast-forward a few months, and Bryan and Debbie are in full swing with their Empowered Faith Community Training, and the new Cooma Salvos Community of Hope building has opened its doors.
The opening, in December 2024, was attended by community members, people from other local services, staff and volunteers from Salvos Stores and Employment Plus. The Cooma Community of Hope is now open four days per week, offering financial assistance through SAL Connect, referrals, and a welcoming place where people can chat, relax, play games and have a cuppa.
PHOTO: Auxiliary-Lieutenant Debbie Bartlett speaks at the opening of the Cooma Community of Hope.
“We have a lot of community support workers here in Cooma and there are not a lot of places to take their clients. We have one worker coming in regularly with his client just for coffee and a chat,” says Bryan. “Other people are just walking in off the street wanting to know what we’re doing. We are having some great conversations.”
At this stage, Bryan and Debbie believe the Empowered Faith Community, to be launched next year, will be held on a weeknight and centre around a meal and what Bryan calls “couch church”.
Several people within the community and members of other churches have expressed a desire to be involved. The Bartletts’ would love to see members from all of the different churches in the town of 7500 people come together to support the Empowered Faith Community.
This will be held on a day different to the traditional Sunday worship and positioned towards people in the community who don’t feel comfortable in a traditional church setting.
PHOTO: Former Cooma Corps Officer, retired Major Louise Nicholson, attended the official opening of the new Cooma Community of Hope in December 2024.
“We are wanting to create a safe, healthy place for people to belong,” said Bryan. “Everyone can be part of that.”