Salvation Army says goodbye to officers

Capts. John and Erin Brand will move from the Ashland Corps.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
SALEM -- The Salvation Army Salem Corps will bid farewell June 25 to corps officers Capts. Chip and Gala Johnson and their son, Braden.
"Salem is our home and we love how the community has been supportive," Capt. Gala said. "It's bittersweet because the new appointment is exciting, but Salem is a special place."
The Johnsons were told in May of their impending move to positions at Northeast Ohio divisional (NEOSA) headquarters in Cleveland. They will live in Strongsville and commute to headquarters, where they will be youth and candidates secretary and Corps Cadet counselor for the NEOSA Division. The division includes northern Ohio from Toledo east, northeastern Ohio and portions of central Ohio from Toledo southeast to Newark.
Capt. Chip said about seven months of the year in their new assignments will be devoted to Camp NEOSA at Carrollton, either as camp directors while camps are in session, or in planning and administrative work related to the camp. The other part of their appointment is a human-resources administrative position, handling applications of candidates for the officer training school.
Most of the appointment changes in the Army are posted each year in May, giving moving officers six weeks' notice.
News of their move
In a letter to Salem Corps members, Capt. Chip wrote they were "completely and utterly shocked" at the news of their move.
"We are heartbroken to be leaving Salem," he wrote. But "I assure you that God's will is at play in the moves that come each summer, and that as we submit to our Heavenly Father, we will see His plan manifested in the life of our Corps and all of its soldiers."
Capt. Chip said they had no hint or warning they were being considered for a move.
"Officers move as needs change," he said. "Moving is part of Army life, so we knew this day would come, eventually."
Background
The Johnsons arrived in Salem in June 2004 just a few weeks after graduating from the Salvation Army's School for Officer Training in Suffern, N.Y. Now the weeks are busy with packing their personal belongings, planning a few more worship services, writing a few more sermons, and completing administrative tasks to "finish well."
"This appointment has been a very unique experience," Capt. Chip said. "Salem is different than any place we've ever lived, small enough that people knew right away we were new in town. They'd say, 'Oh you're the new officers!'"
Capt. Chip said one of his first experiences in Salem was riding on top of the Corps' giant red kettle in the Jubilee parade in 2004. One of his last was doing the same in the recent Memorial Day parade.
"It doesn't seem like that long ago we were 'the new officers,'" he said. "Now all of a sudden, we're 'the old officers.'"
In with the new
Succeeding the Johnsons are Capts. John and Erin Brand, who are coming from the Salvation Army Ashland Corps. The Brands were at officer training school the same time as the Johnsons, and Ashland was also their first appointment. The Brands have two daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.
"We are blessed here with an exceptional corps and an advisory board [of community leaders] deeply committed to the community," Capt. Chip said. "We are happy to have been a part of meeting the needs of the people in difficult economic times for this area. The work here will continue. This was our first appointment, but whether it was our first, 10th or 50th, it has been great appointment, and we learned a lot."
The farewell service for the Johnsons will be at 11 a.m. June 25. The welcome service for the Brands will be the following Sunday, 11 a.m. July 2.
tullis@vindy.com