Photo by Eric Ayres Lieutenants Candace and John Lawrence will be concluding their appointments at The Salvation Army in Wheeling next month after serving the area for the past three years. They will continue their work with The Salvation Army at a new location in Annapolis, Maryland, after completing their ministry in the Ohio Valley at the end of June.

WHEELING – Lieutenants John and Candace Lawrence have forged many friendships and lead meaningful accomplishments during their ministry with The Salvation Army in Wheeling, but their service in the Ohio Valley will soon be coming to an end.

The Lawrences announced Sunday night that their appointment as Corps Officers of The Salvation Army in the Friendly City will be concluding near the end of June as they prepare to continue their service in Annapolis, Maryland.

“In The Salvation Army, you get appointed to an area, and my wife and I were appointed here in June 2023 – so we’ve been here now for three years,” Lt. John Lawrence said on Monday. “It’s just normal move time. Usually three to five years is a normal move for our territory. So we’ve been here for three years, and we’re just in that normal move cycle.”

The couple actually came to the area from Maryland, albeit a different part of the state.

“We came here from the Salvation Army Training College in Atlanta, but my wife and I originally are from Cumberland, Maryland,” Lt. John Lawrence said. “We’re part of the southern territory of the Salvation Army, which goes from Maryland down to Florida and over to Texas.”

During their service at the Wheeling-based location, the Lawrences served the people of Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler counties. They said they were honored to be able to serve the Ohio Valley and help families and individuals through “challenges, growth and hope.”

Throughout their appointment, they have provided pastoral leadership, helped strengthen community partnerships and guided essential ministries that support food assistance, family services, emergency aid and community outreach across the region. Many agree that the Lawrences can look back with pride on some significant accomplishments over the past three years ministering in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.

“We were able to open the service center in Moundsville and have it up and running five days a week,” Lt. John Lawrence said. “We were able, through God’s help, to renovate our thrift store and our shelter, and we now have the partnership with The Life Hub housing women here in our shelter. We’ve been able to increase the programming for youth at the corps building on Eoff Street, including the music program.”

The Lawrences extended heartfelt gratitude to the Soldiers of The Salvation Army’s Wheeling Corps, which they said provided faithfulness, dedication and service that has been a “constant source of strength and encouragement” during their ministry in the valley.

“It has been a true privilege to serve these communities,” Lt. Candace Lawrence said. “We will deeply miss the people, the relationships and the opportunity to witness God’s faithfulness through the generosity and compassion shown throughout this region.”

Their last day at the Wheeling location will be on June 21.

“We’ll have a morning service, a farewell and then we will hit the road,” Lt. John Lawrence said. “We are taking over as corps officers for Annapolis, Maryland.”

Until then, work continues over the next several weeks, he added.

“Right now, we’re waiting for our final results of our mission planning study that looks at the needs of our community, along with what The Salvation Army is currently doing,” he said. “Interviews have been done with local officials, other agencies and internal members of The Salvation Army. That mission planning study will help bridge the gap and springboard the Salvation Army into the future service here in our community, and we should be receiving that within the next couple of weeks.”

An official farewell service will take place during the morning worship service at 10:50 a.m. on Sunday, June 21. All soldiers, volunteers, partners and members of the community are invited to attend and share in this special moment of gratitude and blessing, the agency announced on Monday.

As the Lawrences depart, The Salvation Army will welcome Captain Kevin Justice and Captain Wendy Justice as the incoming Corps Officers for the Wheeling area at the end of June.

“They’re coming from Kentucky, and they will be here,” Lt. John Lawrence noted. “We have what we call transition week, where the officers move in and get set up and everything.”

That transition will take place over the course of that following week beginning on June 22.

“On June 28, they will have welcome service, and the next day, they’ll be in the office starting on June 29,” Lt. John Lawrence said. “We’re going to definitely miss this area. We know that the Justices will be more than capable of taking it even further.”