The Ironbound Soccer Club is an official club provided by The Salvation Army Ironbound Corps Community Center and Boys & Girls Club with an academy league supported by the United Soccer League (USL), the second largest league in the United States after Major League Soccer (MLS). Nemin Jaya, director of administration at the Ironbound Corps, calls it “one of the largest, most successful inner-city soccer programs in the country.” The club has over 1,200 members organized into 80 teams that play on six different fields. Players that climb the ranks of the organization’s structure can go to the New York Red Bulls Club, which is in the MLS.

The program started 30 years ago and was used as ministry outreach to Brazilian and Portuguese families in the Newark community. What originally were two separate clubs, Ironbound Strikers/Sports Club and Ironbound Crusaders, eventually combined in 2006 to create the Ironbound Soccer Club, which has since grown exponentially. 

Some might not expect a club operated by a church to be so respected and professional, but many don’t even realize Ironbound Soccer is associated with The Salvation Army. “A lot of people, even within The Salvation Army, don’t know that we have one of the largest, most successful inner-city soccer programs in the country,” Jaya said.

The club prides itself on its professional approach. Their official philosophy reads: “Ironbound SC was established for the specific purpose of developing a competitive youth soccer program whose goals are to achieve state, regional and national soccer championship titles, as well as developing players capable of receiving college scholarships based on their playing ability and academic achievement. However, the realization of these goals must be accomplished within the proper framework by instilling character, self-esteem, confidence and sportsmanship within the young athlete.”

Despite such professionalism, Ironbound SC is always sure to be accessible to their local community. The price of membership is more affordable than most similar clubs, costing half as much, and the Army still provides scholarships when needed. Membership in the club is also an avenue to introduce families to the other services and ministries The Salvation Army offers, which they may need.

The Ironbound Soccer Club is continuing strongly into 2023, with a Spring Warm-Up Tournament being hosted this spring. Report by David Reardon 

 Originally printed in The War Cry March 2023 issue, edited for length. 

Everyone Needs An Army

From feeding programs in Newfoundland and Labrador to warm clothes for children in Igloolik, The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory gave hope to thousands of people in the territory when the world shut down in March 2020. A new documentary, put together by The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory, is a compilation of a few of the thousands of stories of kindness and generosity during the pandemic. Programs and services were adjusted to meet the needs of the country. 

The documentary was presented between January 12-24 at an exhibit at the Café 101 gallery at The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters in London to spotlight the Canada and Bermuda Territory’s ministry during the COVID pandemic.

To watch the documentary, visit salvationarmy.ca/documentary.

Doing The Most Good With A Cup of Coffee 

Kally Behen has served with Echelon in multiple roles since 2019, starting as president of San Diego’s Echelon board. She then moved to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair on the Echelon Leadership Council and is currently president of the Echelon board in Seattle. 

Throughout her work, Kally is motivated by advocating for human rights, linking young corporate professionals to nonprofit work and giving back to the community. “The corporate section of Echelon is crucial to expanding its members. I’m in a unique position to bridge that gap,” she said. 

One of the ways Kally helped bridge that gap was through a holiday collaboration between Seattle’s Anchorhead Coffee and The Salvation Army. With the help of Lisa Borders, Corporate Engagement Director at The Salvation Army Northwest Division, and Jake Paulson, co-founder of Anchorhead Coffee, a limited-edition coffee blend called “Red Shield Roast” was created. The blend was a mix of beans from Ethiopia and Brazil, and each bag that sold meant a donation to The Salvation Army to help Northwest families in need. 

In the corporate world, it’s important to fearlessly lean on your network, values, and skills. “Nothing gets done if you’re too scared to do it,” Kally said.

By Bianca Bakonyi, Social Media Coordinator 

IHQ Visits The Netherlands

The Chief of the Staff, Commissioner Lyndon Buckingham and World Secretary for Spiritual Life Development Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham visited The Netherlands in January for the welcome and installation of the new territorial commander of The Netherlands, Czech Republic and Slovakia Territory, Commissioner Bente Gundersen. 

The visit began on Saturday morning at the corps (church) in Almere with a meeting for active and retired officers. Reflecting on her role in spiritual life development, Commissioner Buckingham stressed the importance of prayer, urging, “We need a constant growth of our ‘prayer muscle.’ We have to keep on developing that.”

On Sunday morning, the Chief, Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham, Commissioner Gundersen and Colonels Donna and Stuart Evans visited the corps in Harderwijk. After the service in Harderwijk, the commissioners visited several Salvation Army locations in Amsterdam, including the “Major Bosshardthuis.” The Chief expressed his admiration for the work of Lt.-Colonel Alida Bosshardt (in The Netherlands known as “The Major”). 

HOPE: Stories of Survival

“Hope” is the first Eastern Territory Salvation Army-produced full-length documentary focusing on stories of survival in the face of adversity. “Hope” is about survivors of human trafficking sharing their day-to-day lives after their trauma recovery to show how they’re taking back control of their destinies through empowerment, love, trust and hope. 

“We want to bring awareness to the public about human trafficking, bring support to those who are being trafficked along with family and friends and we want to bring empowerment to the victims and survivors,” says the film’s description on the website. “Most of all we want to share a message of ‘Hope’ through the recovery process and let victims and survivors know that they are not alone.” 

To read more about the “Hope” film, visit hopefilm.org.