Captain Tracey gets new role in Ballymena area

Captain Tracey Godfrey, who is the new Salvation Army Officer in Ballymena INBT-31F-TRACEY GODFREY.

Originally from Dundonald, Tracey has been a Minister in the Army for 11 years.

Her last four-and-a-half-years have been spent at the Church in Coleraine. Prior to that, she worked in the Social Services side of the Salvation Army in a Men’s Hostel as a Chaplain and in a Centre for Adults with Learning Disabilities. Tracey’s first ministry posting was in the Shotts region of Scotland. Going back further, Tracey revealed that she first went to the Salvation Army at the age of 13.

Recounting her testimony, she said: “My mum was engaged and she went to the Salvation Army to get married. I found that I was welcome there and was loved and for who I was so I continued to go.”

“One night as the Minister spoke, he asked the question: “If you went outside tonight and got hit by a bus, where would you be going?” I realised that I would be going to Hell. So I went home, knelt by my bed and opened up my heart and my life to Jesus.”

Tracey added: “I made mistakes along the way and strayed a little bit but God never left me. He was calling me to something bigger and I had to be obedient to that in the end. After trying to run away I had to come back and say yes to Him.”

Understandably, Tracey is apprehensive about moving to a new place but she knows that she has been called by God to Ballymena for such a time as this.

She said: “First and foremost I believe that my role in Ballymena will be as a shepherd to the flock there.”

“My job is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and reach out to those in our community that are lost and need help. To those who have lost hope, the Salvation Army needs to be a beacon and to be approachable in every aspect of its life. Put simply, we need to beJesus in this town”, insisted Tracey. The new Officer preached to her Church for the first time on Sunday morning. Already she has also got to know a lot about the Salvation Army’s excellent charity shop on Broughshane Street.

She concluded: “Now it is a case of working together to show God’s love to Ballymena as well as building the profile of the Salvation Army in the town.”