Teen Volunteers Spend Week Serving at Temple Corps: “It feeds the soul”

The faith-based volunteer organization World Changers sent 130 high school students to various non-profits in Philadelphia this June, with 30 serving at The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia’s Temple Corps Community Center.

The World Changers youth began their work on Monday, June 25 and spent three days working on site at The Salvation Army. They painted the entire outside of the Temple Corps on North Broad Street, as well as its food pantry.

Pendel Mission to Cuba: Part Two

The Salvation Army of Eastern PA and DE (Pendel) recently returned from Cuba on a special mission – to renovate the Salvation Army of Cuba’s current headquarters facility into a guest house. The guest house will provide income for the Cuba division and fund the construction of a new divisional headquarters. Additionally the group is engaging Cubans with music and arts ministries, as well as conducting the Sunday Services at the Central Corps.

The Pendel division has given tremendous support financially to this effort, including:  donated linens for the guest house, laptops, instruments, uniform shirts/ties/socks, toiletries and assorted items which were stuffed in the luggage and horn cases!

This is part two of their journey:

Pendel Mission to Cuba – part one

The Salvation Army of Eastern PA and DE (Pendel) is in Cuba this week on a special mission – to renovate the Salvation Army of Cuba’s current headquarters facility into a guest house. The guest house will provide income for the Cuba division and fund the construction of a new divisional headquarters. Additionally the group is engaging Cubans with music and arts ministries, as well as conducting the Sunday Services at the Central Corps.

The Pendel division has given tremendous support financially to this effort, including:  donated linens for the guest house, laptops, instruments, uniform shirts/ties/socks, toiletries and assorted items which were stuffed in the luggage and horn cases!

Here are details of their journey so far:

Teen volunteers on a mission to serve The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia’s headquarters on Conshohocken Avenue was a flurry of activity the week of June 27, with the sound of power equipment echoing through the hallways.  Teens with the faith-based group, World Changers, traveled from across the country on a mission trip to perform community service. The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia was one of the local agencies blessed with their help for four days.

“They are amazing,” said Major Susan Ferreira, Associate Director of Operations, The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia.  “I’ve wanted to work on cleaning and organizing the basement since last year, but never had the manpower until now.” 

Medical Mission Trip to Honduras: Providing Hope & Changing Lives

The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia’s Captain Omar Rolon and Major Migdalia Lavenbein went to Honduras on a medical mission trip to change thousands of lives. They returned a week later with their lives changed too.

Major Migdalia Lavenbein

“My mind cannot erase all that I have seen and experienced in Honduras. Quite frankly I don’t want to forget, because I have grown as a person,” said Major Lavenbein. “I suppose it’s impossible to witness suffering and heartache and walk away unaffected by it.”

Major Lavenbein, co-commanding officer of The Citadel Corps Community Center in Northeast Philadelphia, and Captain Rolon, co-commanding officer of The Tabernacle Corps Community Center in the Fairhill section of the city, were called upon by The Salvation Army’s Eastern Territorial Headquarters in West Nyack, New York, to serve as interpreters on the February 2016 trip. The Honduras Medical Brigade, comprised of Salvation Army officers in the U.S. and Honduras, as well as U.S. doctors, nurses, counselors and translators, spent a week there providing much-needed health services, medical supplies and messages of hope.