Speaking on Sunday 14 September, during a celebration service marking the 140th anniversary of Dunstable Corps (church) in the movement’s United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, the General acknowledged the faithful service of the corps and turned the congregation’s focus to its critical role in the present.
General Buckingham urged: ‘We are now the witnesses here in 2025 in Dunstable. Amidst the backdrop of increasing uncertainty, violence, hatred and people becoming increasingly vocal and unkind, Christ calls us to be in the world and be different: counter-cultural, radical.’
The General’s message, drawn from Hebrews 12, served as both a celebration and a rallying cry. He implored the congregation not to withdraw in the face of societal challenges, but to step into them as agents of hope.
‘The world, though it might not want to admit it, needs us right now. This is not the time for us to shrink back, to hide, to circle the wagons and just look after ourselves. We are witnesses in the world that grace matters, that forgiveness and long-suffering and perseverance count, that mercy and grace shift the world.’
He emphasised that this mission is expressed through practical action and compassionate living, not just words.
‘It is the practising of these principles and not the reciting of them that turns communities around. It’s the giving of ourselves fully to it that brings transformation.’
