Salvation Army captains settle into new roles

Two weeks ago, the telephone voice mail system at the Salvation Army made it clear the Grand Island organization is in transition.

The menu of recorded options told the caller to press a certain number to reach Capt. Jeff Richardson and a different number for Capt. Debbie Richardson.

But when the next recorded message came on, the caller was advised to leave a number for Capt. Dave Mowers on one line or Capt. Marcie Mowers on the other line.

"I finally had somebody from the phone company come out and change that," Dave Mowers said.

"Jeff Richardson had been here so long, he'd forgotten how to change the message and I couldn't figure it out, either," Mowers said.

The delay in getting the recorded telephone mailbox messages changed is understandable. The Mowerses -- the Richardsons' replacements -- have been in Grand Island only since June 25.

"We've spent time learning about the operations here and getting to know the staff and people here," Mowers said.

He noted board members, people from Project Hunger and business people who support the Salvation Army also have been dropping by to meet him and his wife. Consequently, getting the phone message system immediately updated was not a priority.

Mowers said poring over blueprints is more important.

"The Grand Island Salvation Army is on the verge of some major renovations and changes in our facility," he said.

Plans for renovating the Grimminger Service Center were well under way before he and his wife arrived in Grand Island.

Mowers said no proposals exist for a major building expansion, although a small expansion of the men's shelter is possible.

The project will consist primarily of renovation to improve "the flow of the building," Mowers said.

He noted the donations drop-off location is not near the Thrift Store. As a result, people must wheel donations a long way to reach the store on a route that takes them past the Salvation Army offices.

As a result, current thinking is that the Thrift Store should be relocated farther east, moving it closer to the area where donations are collected and sorted. Offices will be moved to the front part of the building.

Mowers said present plans also call for creating a Third Street entrance to the Thrift Store. With the current configuration of the building, Thrift Store shoppers use the same door as the people who go the Salvation Army to take advantage of the meal program.

The congestion would be relieved by creating separate doors for the Thrift Store and the meal program.

The Salvation Army also has begun conducting its Sunday worship services in the Grimminger Service Center instead of the church at 705 N. Sycamore.

However, the center was never designed to host church services and Mowers said renovation would create a designated area for worship.

He said the North Sycamore church is for sale because the Salvation Army would save money if it owned and operated just one building. Reducing facility costs would help ensure enough money is available for the Salvation Army's social service programs.

Additional review must be done before building plans are finalized and construction can begin, Mower said. He hopes the project will be completed without any special fundraising.

"A lot of people have legacies and many have left money to the Salvation Army in their wills," Mowers said.

Money designated for the building can't be used for operations, he said. It is essentially a savings account that is left untouched until it is used for building needs.

The Mowerses come to Grand Island from the Salvation Army in Aberdeen, S.D. Before serving in Aberdeen, they headed the Salvation Army operations in Mitchell, S.D.

Each came to the Salvation Army careers in different ways.

"I grew up in a small town in Missouri -- O'Fallon, which is a suburb of St. Louis," Marcie Mowers said.

She said she attended the Salvation Army Church while growing up. After high school, Marcie attended college for two years until a "persistent corps officer" convinced her to join the Salvation Army training program in Chicago.

Dave Mowers said his parents were Salvation Army officers. The family lived all over the Midwest: Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan.

After high school, Mowers also attended college, then labored at several jobs, including being a retail manager. Despite his family connection, Mowers never thought he would serve in the Salvation Army.

"I wasn't listening to God," he said.

Even so, God was being good to him by giving him experiences that now help him be a good Salvation Army captain, Mowers said.

Eventually, Mowers worked a youth pastor before entering the two-year training program in Chicago.

That's where Dave and Marcie met. They married after their training was completed and now have two sons, ages 3 and 7 months.

In the Salvation Army, all assignment changes are made in June. Mowers likened the movement of officers to a giant game of "musical chairs." Everybody leaves on a Monday and arrives in their new town later that same week.

Officers typically learn about new assignments four to six weeks ahead of time. Although the Mowerses knew the Richardsons, they didn't know Grand Island at all.

"We Googled our house," said Marcie Mowers, who said she also immediately wanted to know about Grand Island's shopping.

But their main interest was talking to the Richardsons to discover what was happening with the Salvation Army in Grand Island.

As it turns out, a lot was and is happening.