Table of Contents
Thomas Babbitt
Major Thomas S. Babbitt entered training in 1992.
| Major Thomas Babbitt | |
|---|---|
| Rank | Major |
| Session | Crusaders for Christ |
| Relations | Major Bessie Babbitt (wife) |
Appointments
| Appointment | Rank | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corps Officer - Wilmington, Delaware | |||
| Corps Officer - Hazleton, PA | Captain | 2003 | |
| Corps Officer - East Stroudsburg, PA | Captain | 2003 | |
| Corps Officer - Worcester, Massachusetts | Major | (2009) | (2013) |
| Corps Officer - Cambridge, Massachusetts | Major | (2015) | (2016) |
| Corps Officer - York Pennsylvania | Major | (2020) | (2022) |
| General Secretary - Empire State Division | Major | (2023) |
On A Mission
The new captains of the East Stroudsburg Salvation Army hope to maintain the two-fold mission of the church: preaching and providing social services.
“That's what's unique about the Salvation Army. We minister not only to spiritual needs but also to social needs,” Capt. Thomas Babbitt said.
The three new captains serving in East Stroudsburg started on July 9, the same date that the former leaders of the citadel, Majs. Mark and Susan Mackneer, took over their new post in Schenectady, N.Y.
Capts. Thomas and Bessie Babbitt moved here from Hazelton. This is Capt. Ernesto Portillo's first placement.
“There was no interruption in service here,” Thomas said. “The congregation and the community have been very welcoming.”
Bessie added that there is a lot of lay leadership in the congregation, something that she isn't used to.
“It's refreshing and encouraging,” Bessie said.
While she was young, her mother was a soldier in the Salvation Army. Thomas became a member of the church through a summer job.
Both are from New England. This is their third placement, with the first in Wilmington, Del., and the second in Hazelton.
They have four children between the ages 12 and 20. Their oldest, Crystal, stayed behind in Hazelton.
“It was harder on mom than it was on dad,” Bessie said of having her first child leave home. Their other children, Thomas, Bethany and Daniel, came with them.
“The children had mixed feelings about leaving their friends and their sister,” she said.
As the Babbitts came to their new placement, Bessie admitted to praying quite a bit.
“I always do a lot of praying before a move,” she said. “There are always a lot of challenges, but I know that He'll equip us for them.”
She said that, when they go to a new placement, she can usually see where the church needs some work soon after they are settled.
“I haven't seen anything specifically here yet,” she said.
The East Stroudsburg Salvation Army recently built new shelters. The only place where the Babbitts could see a need for some maintenance is in the corps building.
“It needs a new roof and, currently, there are inadequate classroom facilities,” Thomas said.
“This placement is much larger than our last,” Thomas said. “The budget here is more than two times the size. This is one of the larger ones.”
The three captains take turns preaching.
“We try to alternate so that the same person doesn't speak twice in one day,” Thomas said.
The church has services on Sundays at 11 a.m., 6 p.m. and Sunday school for all ages at 9:30 a.m. They are averaging a congregation of 80 to 120.
Capt. Portillo was born in Nicaragura and moved to Miami, where he was first introduced to the Salvation Army.
When the pastor of his church in Miami came to Bethlehem, Pa., to start a Spanish-speaking church in 1999, Portillo came with him.
“And I never left,” he said.
He recently completed his two-year training for the ministry. He said he was attracted to the Salvation Army because of the balance the church has between ministry and social services.
“Capt. Portillo has a real evangelist's heart,” Thomas said.
Portillo will be very involved in the social aspect of the church.
“But we're all involved in everything,” Thomas said.
Portillo said that he's working on learning the administrative side of the job.
The captains are still finalizing the church's fall activity schedule, but they plan to continue many of the activities that the church had previously.
“All of the services are necessary, or we wouldn't be doing them,” Thomas said. “We just want to continue the programs that are going on and continue to see growth.”
The Pocono Record, September 2, 2003