Meet the Officer – Lieut. Peter Hardy
1. What is your current appointment, and what do you find most satisfying about it?
I am the Corps Officer at Fassifern Corps in Queensland. It’s a small country region situated a little over an hour south-west of Brisbane.
It’s such a beautiful area with stunning mountain views and farmland. We often have kangaroos bouncing around just outside our back fence. (They also confront me when I’m out on my run, which can be a little interesting as they can be fairly unpredictable creatures.)
In the appointment itself, I enjoy the connections I am able to make with many of the community folk. It’s such a close-knit town, and people are so generous and caring. The corps is active in running many programs, including Kids in the Kitchen, ladies and men’s groups, and crafting groups. We also take part in local community events that see a lot of people drawn to the area. It’s satisfying to know that within these opportunities, we are able to share the love of Jesus and have conversations about who we are and why we do what we do.
2. Away from the appointment – if that’s possible! – what do you do to relax or unwind?
I feel that it is important in officership to have a space where you can focus on yourself and your family in order to ‘fill your cup’, so to speak. I have a wife, an 18-month-old son, and another child on the way, as well as a three-year-old Border Collie. I do my best to prioritise time with them, which always helps to put a smile on my face. They mean the absolute world to me. In recent years, I have taken up running. It helps me to get out and explore the local area as well as look after my own physical and mental health. I also love my sport. I play touch football once a week, love my cricket and follow the mighty Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL pretty closely.
3. What’s a favourite Christian song, and why do you like it?
My all-time top two favourites that I can’t split are ‘Be Still (for the Presence of the Lord)’, and ‘How Great Thou Art’.Beautiful songs, beautiful words with wonderful meaning that never fail to help me centre myself again on God’s love and care for me.
Currently, I’m really enjoying the song, ‘Holy Forever’. Chris Tomlin has a wonderful way of creating and writing that enables you to connect with God and just sit in His presence and worship. The song is just powerful in that it helps me to acknowledge the Holiness and Majesty of God, how He wants me to live my life, and that I have so much to be thankful for. I was recently able to play Sam Creamer’s brass arrangement of this chart, too, which was wonderfully done and perfectly captures the reverence and power of the song that keeps you wanting to praise. (There are so many more worship songs, I could go on forever!).
4. If you could have a good talk with a biblical character apart from Jesus, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Generally, my go-to would be the Apostle Paul. Such an incredible story and life and grateful for his transformation and his God-inspired writings that we have today. But for now, I’m going to go with someone a little different. In preaching recently, I have come across a lot of the story of the Israelites. I feel I would love to sit and pick Moses’ brain about that whole ‘ordeal’ and his role in it – how he felt in that leadership position with so much riding on it and the responsibilities he was given. How he managed so many people and dealt with all that would have come his way. And then amidst it all, what it was like to have those divine moments of connection hearing from God and being face to face with Him.
5. If you were talking to a group of Salvationists and they asked if you recommended officership or not, what would you say?
Officership is certainly not for the faint-hearted. It can take an emotional, physical and mental toll on you if you are not careful. However, I only start with this to highlight that it is a role that draws deep on your calling. The benefits of answering this call on your life from God are incredibly rewarding. It is such an amazing privilege to journey with someone on their walk with the Lord. To be able to meet people at so many differing stages of life and provide encouragement and support is an opportunity like no other. It fills me with so much joy and happiness to see God at work in someone’s life and the positive changes that that elicits. You also get to become part of a unique group of people who also share in similar circumstances. There is plenty of support around, and it’s great to be able to share your highs and lows, your joys and your struggles with other officers and ministry workers who face similar situations each day.
READ MORE: My testimony, by Cadet Peter Hardy
