- Jarl Wahlström
Jarl Holger Wahlström (
July 9 ,1918 -December 3 ,1999 ) was the 12th General ofThe Salvation Army (1981 - 1986).Born to Colonel and Mrs.
Rafael Wahlström , he was the youngest of five children. He grew up at the Training College inFinland , as his father was the Training Principal. He became a Christian when he was seven years old. In 1937, he entered the International Training College as a cadet in the Enthusiasts session, becoming an Officer in 1938.His first appointment was assistant officer at the
Oulu Corps. WhenWorld War II began, he was conscripted into the military for four years. The last two years of his military service were spent as battalion chaplain. Upon his return in 1944, he married Lt.Maire Nyberg . He was appointed Finland's Territorial Scout Organiser when the war ended. Seven years later, he was moved to theHelsinki Division as the Youth Secretary. In 1963, he was appointed the position of Training Principal for Finland. A year later, he became a Knight of theOrder of the Finnish Lion because of his work in the Scout Movement.Jarl Wahlström's first overseas appointment came in 1972, when he took up the position of Chief Secretary for the
Canada andBermuda Territory. He went on to become a Territorial Commander, first in Finland in 1976, then inSweden in 1981. He was elected to be the General later that year.General Wahlström led the International Youth Congress in 1985 in the USA. It was the first worldwide Salvation Army youth gathering since 1950 and the first international Salvation Army conference to be held outside the
United Kingdom .In 1996, General Wahlström retired from active service, moving back to Helsinki. After a lengthy sickness, he was
promoted to Glory in 1999.He wrote Song No. 857 in the Salvation Army song book (1986 version), "Great Joy Is Found in Serving Jesus". He was honoured with the Order of Civil Merit of
Korea in 1983. He gained an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters fromWestern Illinois University in 1985. TheOrder of the White Rose was bestowed upon him in Finland in 1989. [All information http://www.salvationist.org/intnews.nsf/vw_web_articles/64F4830987D7A20D80256C0000316091?opendocument]References
General
Predecessor=Arnold Brown
Successor=Eva Burrows |Dates=1981–1986
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