Hope Marches On !
NYSB Visit to Western Pennsylvania Division
By Major Jodi Lloyd , Program Secretary , Western Pennsylvania Division
NOVEMBER 19-21 , 2021 – It was a joy to host the NYSB and welcome them to the Western Pennsylvania Division .
On Friday evening , we hosted a concert at the Pittsburgh Temple Corps to celebrate the kick-off of this year ’ s kettle campaign : Hope Marches On . After a beautiful reception welcoming Advisory Board members , donors and friends of The Salvation Army , the NYSB treated a full chapel to a beautiful concert . Many of the concertgoers had never heard the NYSB before . Their response to the band was overwhelming and even a couple of weeks later people are sharing with us their appreciation and love of the band ’ s ministry from this special evening .
On Saturday , the band hosted a workshop for young people from around the division , many of the children joining in from the weekly Greater Pittsburgh Music School
program . A favorite moment was when all the young people joined the band for chorus time and together , they sang a song the music school participants had been working on , “ He Knows My Name .” The song is a beautiful prayer for these children to sing and , alongside the NYSB , it will be a lasting memory .
It was thrilling to have the NYSB participate in downtown holiday kickoff activities that same evening . To begin the evening , the band played in front of the Pittsburgh Creche , the only authorized replica of the Nativity scene that Saint John Paul II commissioned for the Vatican . This is the 23rd year it ’ s been displayed in the city ; it was a beautiful scene , hearing and seeing the band play in front of this city ’ s annual landmark . The band then traveled in groups of small ensembles to play throughout the
city to support local corps ’ kettle stands . As hundreds of people turned the corner or crossed the street and began to hear the band ’ s music , their faces lit up and bodies swayed back and forth – Christmas is here !
The weekend ended with the staff band leading the Pittsburgh Temple worship service , another beautiful ministry opportunity to listen and be encouraged by their music and the sharing of the word by Lt . Colonel Kathleen Steele .
WPA will long remember this weekend and is so thankful for the connections that were made and the joy the NYSB shared with so many throughout these days together .
8 ‡ NYSB BULLETIN WINTER 2022
WWW . NYSB . ORG