After only a few short years, Lester and Almeta Ward will bid a bittersweet farewell to their Salvation Army in Moose Jaw family to take up new positions with the Salvation Army on the mid-Atlantic island nation of Bermuda.
[Editorial note: the Wards' last church service will be June 18, rather than July 18 as originally reported.]
Lt. Lester Ward will be the executive director for community and family services, with additional duties as the area business manager for the organization in Bermuda. Lt. Almeta Ward will be the corps officer, or pastor, for the Salvation Army Church in St. George’s, Bermuda.
“It was a surprise,” Almeta told MooseJawToday.com. “We thought we would be here for another while, but the Salvation Army has decided now is the time for us to take up leadership somewhere else.
“Our feelings are twofold; we received the news with heavy hearts and with excitement as well. Our people here have become our family, you know, Moose Jaw has accepted us and become our home … so when we leave here, it will be like leaving family.”
“Our final Sunday, our farewell Sunday here in Moose Jaw, is going to be the 18th of June,” Lester said. “All are welcome to that service … For now, we still have work to do, and we’re going to continue doing that work that we’ve been called to do until the transition occurs.
“Yes, it’s exciting to take on new opportunities, it’s exciting to see what the future has in store on this journey, but … it’s heavy on our hearts, because we have a love for this city and for the people here.”
The Wards are originally from St. John’s, NFLD. They began their careers with the Salvation Army in August 2019, when they travelled to Winnipeg for two years of officer training at Booth University College. They were only one year into training, however, when they were called to fill vacant positions in Moose Jaw.
They were Salvation Army cadets when they started here, in other words. The Wards completed their training and were ordained as full pastors while working in Moose Jaw, so the city will always be a special place for them.
Bermuda might seem like a leap for their second assignment, but Lester Ward explained that the island is part of the same Salvation Army territory as Canada.
“When you accept to go into ministry with the Salvation Army in Canada, you are considered to be part of the Canada and Bermuda Territory,” he said. “So, yes, it’s well-known that Canadian officers can go into Bermuda. We have four Salvation Army churches on the island, and we do a lot of social work.”
Some of the highlights the Wards will remember from their time in Moose Jaw include the brown bag breakfast the church serves five days a week to support people struggling with food insecurity, the Christmas toy shops they helped initiate that have brightened the holidays of many families in the area, and the cake decorating classes Almeta has been part of teaching, which have proven a popular and fun way to connect with the community.
The Wards have also co-ordinated and networked closely with other charitable organizations in the city, helping to further establish the Salvation Army’s reputation as a refuge and comfort for the less fortunate.
After the Wards' last service on June 18, the Moose Jaw pastor positions will be officially filled on June 30 by Majors Don and Elizabeth Grad out of Swift Current. Lester and Almeta said they plan to work on making that transition as smooth as possible.
