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James Gingrich
Major James Allen Gingrich left the Salvation Army in 2017.
| Major James Gingrich | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Major |
| Birth Date | November 11, 1961 |
| Relations | Major Deborah Gingrich (wife) |
Appointments
| Appointment | Rank | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadet - College for Officers Training - Eastern Territory | Cadet | 1982 | 1984 |
| Associate Officer - Old Orchard Beach, Maine | Lieutenant | 1984 | 1984 |
| Corps Officer - Sanford, Maine | Lieutenant | 1984 | 1989 |
| Corps Officer - Portland, Maine | Captain | 1989 | 1993 |
| Corps Officer - Springfield, Ohio | Captain, Major | 1993 | 2009 |
| Corps Officer - East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania | Major | 2009 | 2017 |
Husband-wife leaders stress Salvation Army is Church First
While the Salvation Army may be known to most as a social service agency, the new husband-and-wife team heading the local unit of the organization stresses that it is primarily a church.
Capts. Deborah and James Gingrich add that as its pastors their duties center around the church.
They said they joined the team of 26 employees at the Cumberland Avenue facility to fulfill their religious goals and to lend support to the Portland area community.
“We felt this is what the Lord wanted us to do with the rest of our lives,” said James Gingrich.
The Gingrichs first met in 1982 at the Salvation Army School for Officers Training in Suffern, N.Y., after both “growing up in the Salvation Army,” where they attended Sunday school and took part in recreation programs.
James Gingrich went off to serve as assistant officer in Old Orchard Beach after completing his training and Deborah was stationed in Bath.
They both moved to Sanford to serve as corps commanding officers and married six months later. They've been married 3 1/2 years.
James, 27, a former York, Pa., resident and Deborah, 29, a native of Los Angeles, are the only officers at Portland's Salvation Army.
James Gingrich notes that the church they head is an evangelical church and “welcomes all walks of life. The poorest people to the richest people are welcome.”
He adds that he sees it “as part of my job to make sure the people know the Salvation Army is part of the evangelical church.”
The Gingrichs were ordained as officers - the equivalent of ministers - on June 10, 1984, and five years later were sworn in as captains. It will be another 15 years before the next promotion to major.
Some of their responsibilities include Sunday church services, Bible studies and hospital and nursing home visits while planning programs and upgrading services.
James Gingrich says they are looking forward to helping the church grow and will “evaluate and continue to expand community services”.
The Salvation Army serves as a social services mission by providing programs such as Meals on Wheels, senior citizen programs, soup kitchens, travelers' aid, adolescents' shelters and family services, James Gingrich said.