Table of Contents
Joe Noland
Commissioner Joe Noland joined/started Hope Productions after retiring from the Salvation Army.
| Commissioner Joe Noland | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Commissioner |
| Session | Proclaimers of the Faith |
| Relations | Commissioner Doris Noland (wife) |
Appointments
| Appointment | Rank | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadet - College for Officers Training - Western Territory | Cadet | (1963) | 1965 |
| Corps Officer - Santa Ana, California | |||
| General Secretary - Southern California Division | Major | (1988) | (1988) |
| Divisional Commander - Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division | (1992) | (1992) | |
| Territorial Commander - Eastern Territory | Commissioner | September 1998 | July 2002 |
Salvation Army Quartet Swings
The hottest folk singing group in San Francisco's bawdy enter tamment center of North Beach is a swinging Salvation Army quartet.
On street corners, in a bar and in an Upper Grant Avenue coffee house home of the Beatnik, Bohemian and topless dancer crazes swells forth the rollicking rhythms and close-knit harmony of the Salvation singers.
The melodies and harmonies are familiar to everyone who has ever heard a jukebox or watched a folk singing act on television, but eh words are slightly foreign to this Bohemian jungle:
“Christ died on Calvary, hallelujah.
“Brought redemption for you and me, hallelujah”
Not Really New
“It's really not new, the Salvation Army has been substituting religious lyrics to popular music since its inception 100 years ago,” said the group's supervisor, Capt. Janice Burr.
“What they've done is to eliminate the traditional Salvation Army brass and tambourine which so many people are used to associating with our street corner groups,” she said.
“People really seem to accept us,” said Joe Noland, who plays the bass. Doris Tobin, plays the guitar, Ron Bawden is another guitar player and Cliff Lloyd, whistles and handles many solo parts.
Joe's point was quickly proved when the proprietor of the Condor, a bar recently raided by police for featuring dancers in topless bathing suits, invited the singers inside for several numbers before the regular show started.
“Oh, Moses went out one day,
“Doing the work of the Lord.”
Patrons Shocked
The patrons of this crowded bistro looked shocked at first, but slowly joined in with the singing and clapping.
“They've got guts, all right, real guts,” said a waitress in tight-fitting leotards who nearly spilled a tray of drinks when she heard the lyrics. Before the number was over she was tapping her long legs to the steady beat of “Doing the work of the Lord.”
The scene was much the same at a smoky center for cynies called “Coffee and Confusion.” The “new wave” gathers regularly in this dimly lit den for beat lecture and hootenames.
The Salvation singers campered up to the tiny elevated stage, surrounded by abstract and pop art murals, and began singing to the tune of “Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore”. “Do You Ever Need a Friend?” The applause far exceeded that for the entertainers who preceded them.
“Customers usually think I'm putting them on when I tell them the Salvation Army is singing here tonight,” said Coffee and Confusion's manager, Ivan Yulz, who himself sings “risque ditties.” “But after they heard it, they really dig it.”
Discard Customary Attire
The Salvation singers perform in the coffee house without their customary heavy tunies and military-style hats and wear, instead, the crimson red “blood and fire” jerseys of the Army. “It helps to produce an atmosphere of informality where we are most likely to be accepted.” Noland said.
The group started singing together about two years ago, while in training at the Salvation Army school for officers in San Francisco. They will break up in June, when all four will be ordained ministers in the Army and go to separate posts.
All four Salvation singers expressed hope that this new look for traditional Salvation Army methods will continue. Inquiries from Army groups across the nation have been received.
“It's hard to know exactly what good we've accomplished,” Capt. Burr said, “but I know the Lord approves.”
The Washington Reporter, May 5, 1965, Washington, USA, Paul R. Jeschke
Noland Recalls Events of 9/11
The date of 9/11 has been twice imprinted indelibly on my psyche. First, as the divisional commander in Hawaii when Hurricane Iniki devastated the island of Kauai on September 11, 1992, and second, as the territorial commander in the U.S.A. Eastern Territory when the twin trade towers were attacked on September 11, 2001.
My experiences during the aftermath of Iniki prepared me for what was to become an extraoridnary response to a modern-day disaster unprecedented on American soil.
In both instances, there was great concern, both within and without The Salvation Army, that our public relations and fundraising machine were failing us. “Why isn't 'The Salvation Army' up there in the headlines with other relief organizations?” was the hue and cry echoing across my desk day after day. Our experiences in Iniki had taught me convincingly that “blowing our own horn” would “become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” Our priority, even before the second plane slammed into the tower, was to find our way into the trenches and serve others quietly, unobtrusively, compassionately and unconditionally without concern with who gets the credit.
One example out of thousands: When I took General John Gowans down into the pit a fireman put his arms around him and whispered into his ear, “You are the unsung heroes down here.” Two months later I saw that same gentleman being interviewed on the television program “20/20” and learned the rest of the story. His son, a fireman, had been lost as one of the buildings came tumbling down and he had vowed to stay at ground zero until they found him. His remains were discovered shortly before Christmas and thus the reason for the interview.
What struck me most was this man's impression that we were the unsung heroes down there. Why? Because of our well-designed public relations campaign? Or was it because “Love never fails”? How many others will hear that “unsung hero” phrase uttered from his lips? Will it be passed down through succeeding generations?
The Salvation Army was the first in and the last to leave during both 9/11s (we are still in NY) and his kingdom is profiting beyond our greatest expectations - “And though I feed the workers and wash their feet, and though I work long hours sacrificially, but have not love it profits me nothing.”
The genius of the Army can be summed up in this paraphrased final verse from 1 Corinthians 13: “And now abide public relations, hard work, love, these three; but the greatest is love.”