Barbara and Albert Bain took an odd path to Flin Flon. The two new Salvation Army majors were happily retired near Malibu, Calif., when they got a call. It was their old boss from Winnipeg who told them Flin Flon was in need.
“We did a lot of praying and talking about it,” Barbara said.
“We decided that this is what God wants us to do right now at this point in our lives.”
The duo arrived in Flin Flon and started working in late August and said they have been embraced by the community.
“We've fallen in love with the community,” Albert said.
“The people are fantastic. When we’re walking down the street, people drive by and they're waving.”
The Salvation Army church will celebrate 90 years in Flin Flon Oct. 19.
“It's a great church,” Albert said.
“The members are so motivated and there’s so much passion. It’s great having so much participation, not only with our own members, but other members within the community.”
The Bains spent a lot of their time previously working with the Salvation Army in justice and correctional services. They’ve helped people make bail and serve out sentences inside a supportive community, rather than in a jail cell.
“People who didn't have a place to stay or just didn't have the resources to pay their bail, they could be assigned to us,” Albert said.
“We'd actually meet with them every week.”
The Bains’ role as majors is similar to other church leaders. Their roles include performing pastoral services on Sundays, leading youth groups and organizing Bible studies.
“We see our role as just to affirm with what people are doing and to be there for them and try to encourage them to keep on keeping on,” Albert said.
“They're showing a lot of appreciation to us.”
