This profile is based on information in the program for the Norridge Citadel Band's visit to Montclair, New Jersey in October, 2004.
In the heart of America, the Norridge Citadel Band (formerly Mont Clare) has come to represent the best in the Corps banding traditions of the Salvation Army. The band has been blessed with dedicated and visionary leadership over the years, including Arthur Shoults, Ed Lowcock, John B. Jones, and the present bandmaster, Peggy Thomas.
Within the band's membership are people of diverse age, background and vocation: doctors, teachers, social workers, nurses, salesmen, engineers, architects and students. Approximately one-third of the of band serve on the staff of the Salvation Army's Central Territorial and Metropolitan Divisional Headquarters.
All bandsmen volunteer their hours of service that has a singleness of purpose: to honor God through the ministry of the Salvation Army. A little over a year ago Norridge Citadel Corps, at the suggestion of Corps Sergeant-Major emeritus Harry McBride, adopted the following as a corps mission statement: "To bring Christ to the people and the people to Christ."
|
This vision is fulfilled in several ways, first and foremost through worship services.In recent years, the band has taken the initiativein merging contemporary music, drama and media with traditional aspects of meaningful worship. The band functions as a unifying element within this updated worship style by providing traditional and contemporary selections and congregational song accompaniments which are frequently synchronized with video presentations. A by-product of this vision was the Norridge Band's inauguration of the Hallelujah Choruses series. This collection of contemporary song and chorus accompaniments is designed to combine the styles and sounds of the brass band and the rhythm section. This has evolved into a territorial publication now in use throughout the Salvation Army world. |
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard and seen with our eyes, which our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ." — 1 John 1:1-3 |
Every December the entire Norridge Citadel Corps goes to work on a community outreach event called Come to Bethlehem. Over a weekend, the corps building is transformed into a Mideast palace, market and stable, complete with live camels, donkeys and sheep. Visitors are transported back in time to the place of Christ's birth. The program includes drama and a stirring worship celebration led by the band and songsters. During the 2003 Christmas season, more than 1500 people attended this event.
The biggest challenge at Norridge Citadel has been implementing the second phrase of the mission statement, to "bring the people to Christ." They have succeeded with bug promotions and program, but have sometimes struggled in one-on-one personal interaction. To provide an opportunity for faith-sharing, the band has produced several recordings intended as "gospel give-aways."
These recordings include The Beatles Theology?, Christmas Card, and Thinking of You. They have been given away to non-Christians to provoke thought and questions about God, faith and the corps. Many bandsmen and corps members have found these recordings to be helpful catalysts for deeper conversations with others.
Beyond the internal corps ministry, the Norridge Citadel Band has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada. The band made its first overseas tour to London, England as the representative U.S. corps band on the occasion of the Salvation Army's International Congress in 1978. In 1989, the band marched in the 100th anniversary Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. The band again toured in Great Britain in 1999.
