TAMC26: Wonder at the Edge of Tomorrow 

by Warren L. Maye

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” —Romans 12:1–2 (MSG)

Families arrived for the finale of the 2026 Territorial Arts Ministries Conservatory (TAMC) expecting a performance. Instead, they embarked on an immersive journey through classrooms, hallways, and worship spaces where art, faith, and creativity came alive. Even severe weather alerts and pounding rain could not keep attendees away.

Wonder: TAM Conservatory 2026 (Romans 12:1–2) reflected a deeper goal far beyond simply producing performers. It was about forming Christian artists whose creativity becomes an act of worship.

“Welcome!” said Kathryn Higgins, Territorial Arts Ministries Bureau director. With microphone in hand, she unfolded the vision for a special evening that would captivate everyone. The format would shift attention away from a polished production and toward the learning journey itself. “The audience will begin in the lecture hall,” she said.

An immersive experience 

This year, the conservatory, held at the College for Officer Training (CFOT) in Suffern, New York, shattered the fourth wall. The audience did not merely watch a story; they walked and worshiped through it. As Higgins explained, the goal was to pull the audience directly into the classrooms where the work happens.

The journey wound its way through the building. Instead of sitting in chairs, members of the audience became travelers, navigating a schedule of experiences like a divisional Star Search.

In the tech track, the audience faced a technical disaster escape room, solving real-time problems alongside the students. In the hallways, ballet dancers performed their barre work, exposing the early, disciplined stages of their craft. Visual arts installations dotted the building. Students taking the new musical theater major presented creative pieces born from their week of study.

The array of options was dazzling. From Shakespeare and comedy ensembles to hip-hop, contemporary scene study, and Jesus Theatre, every track offered a window into a discipline. There was no single script, no livestream, and no pressure of a perfect, recorded outcome. By removing the need for complex and expensive music rights and professional recording, the conservatory focused entirely on the process. It equipped artists with tools rather than just a show. And the audience could witness the heartbeat of the conservatory in motion.

A home, a holy space

“This place is a home for young artists,” said Higgins, adding that the reason so much is happening in the arts in The Salvation Army is because of TAMC.

The year’s theme drew participants toward a realization that wonder is discovered when everyday acts of living and creating become offerings to God. It is found when an artist suddenly understands something previously beyond their grasp, when talent becomes part of worship, and when creativity becomes communion with the Creator.

One evening during the week, worship erupted with such intensity that no one wanted it to end. Delegates pressed forward, singing freely, immersed in a shared experience of God’s presence.

“The kids wouldn’t stop,” remembers Higgins. “They would not stop and we had to keep going. It was just free worship, and they just kept going, and we had to keep playing music because this became a holy space.”

Courage to go beyond

During the finale, delegates exuded courage. One actor, Ashly Marte-Mora, rolled up her sleeves and transformed the small CFOT windowsill near the Watson Lounge into a performance center.

Even though her heart language is Spanish, she spoke boldly, not in everyday English, but in Hippolyta’s speech from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act V, Scene 1. Hippolyta’s reflection on how the lovers’ shared story seems too consistent to be mere imagination, as rendered by Marte-Mora, felt like a metaphor for the finale.

“But all the story of the night told over, and all their minds transfigured so together, more witnesseth than fancy’s images and grows to something of great constancy; but, howsoever, strange and admirable,” she recited passionately.

Marte-Mora’s performance was just one example of the finale’s range and scope.

Worshiping in the chapel

Wonder culminated in the CFOT Chapel, where everyone was charged up with worship and excited energy. Delegates who had dedicated themselves to learning, creating, and growing stood before their peers as Commissioner Ralph Bukiewicz, Territorial Commander, recognized their accomplishments and the deeper significance of their spiritual journey. This had been more than training. More than performance. It was a transformative experience.

“There’s something that happens in our spirit where we say, ‘I didn’t understand it before, but now I get it,’” said Bukiewicz. “And when that happens in our spirit, there’s something wonderful because not only do we connect with God, but He connects with us at a deeper level. And we will be forever changed because of what we remember in those moments.”

He turned to the staff and instructors, the often-unseen architects of the experience. Their long hours, encouragement, and commitment had shaped countless moments throughout the week. Bukiewicz reminded them that, while names may eventually fade from memory, the impact left on a student’s life can endure for decades.

“They’ll remember how they’ve been drawn closer to God,” he said.

Honoring a legacy

It was time to present the highly anticipated awards named for two women whose contributions to TAMC will never be forgotten.

The Carol Jaudes Award, honoring a legacy of faithful service in arts ministry and recognizing a delegate who exemplifies being “prompt, present, and prepared,” was presented to Selah Swiers of the Port Jervis Corps in the Greater New York Division.

Moments later, the Major Hollie Ruthberg Scholarship, celebrating artistic ministry and dedication in costume and dance, was announced, and applause filled the room for Tajna Mann of the Montclair Citadel Corps in New Jersey.

As the evening ended, the gathering focused on Jesus. Bukiewicz offered a final prayer, entrusting both the week’s accomplishments and the future to God.

“Thank you again Father for what we’ve seen, what we’ve heard, and what we’ve experienced,” Bukiewicz prayed. “Thank you for the memories that will continue to bear fruit, not only as people will remember this week but what they will take from this week into the weeks, months, and years to come.

“So, Father, we pray again that you would multiply that effect; that You would impact our corps, our divisions, and our territory. And that we will continue to lift You up in as many creative ways as we possibly can. Father, again we pray that we will always point toward You; we will give You glory. We will lift Your name, for it’s in that name I ask this blessing upon all who have gathered here.”

No one knows what next year will bring. But perhaps that uncertainty is fitting.

After all, wonder has never been about having all the answers. It is about standing at the edge of the unknown, seeing only a glimpse of what lies ahead, and believing that God is still writing the story.

An evening that began with a thunderstorm and rain was transformed when a bright sunset and rainbow appeared in the sky even as delegates took to the lecture hall stage.

For 26 years, TAM Conservatory has taught young artists how to create. This summer, it might have taught them something even more important: how to hope.