Kalamazoo Corps welcomes new officers

Keith & Sherrie Welch, Corps Officers

On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, The Salvation Army, Kalamazoo greeted and welcomed our new Corps Officer, Majors Keith & Sherrie Welch.   We are pleased and blessed to have them join us.   Keith and Sherrie are grateful to be here in our community and look forward to their service in Kalamazoo and Allegan counties.

Major Keith J. Welch is the son of Salvation Army officers who served several appointments in Michigan and Indiana.  Major Sherrie Welch was raised in Indianapolis and began attending The Salvation Army Shack at age four with her family on the west side of Indianapolis.

Prior to joining The Salvation Army Keith served in the USAF from 1971 to 1975 as an Intelligence Operations Specialist in Omaha, Okinawa and the St. Louis area.  He also worked at United Parcel Service for six years while attending college where he and Sherrie met.  Keith and Sherrie were married in August of 1981.

The Welch’s entered The Salvation Army School for Officers Training in 1986 and were commissioned as Lieutenants in 1988.  They have been Salvation Army officers for 24 years.  Their appointments include: Wichita, Arkansas City and Hutchinson, Kansas and Holland, MI where they served for 10 years.

Most recently Keith and Sherrie served for five years as the Indiana Divisional Secretary and Divisional Women’s Ministry Secretary respectively.   Keith, a proficient writer, has written over 200 articles for Salvation Army publications and, while in Holland, he also freelanced as a weekly columnist for the Holland Sentinel for two years.

Sherrie has an Associates Degree in Practical Ministries and Keith has a  Bachelors Degree in Practical Ministries and a Masters in Creative Writing.

Their son, Keith, daughter-in law, Jill, and twin granddaughters live in Zeeland, Michigan. Their daughter, Kayla, lives in Grand Rapids now finishing her last year at Cornerstone University.

The Welch’s look forward to the opportunities ahead of them here in Kalamazoo.  Keith and Sherrie believe that we are all co-laborers in the ministry and they believe in empowering others to take on responsibilities, whether it be staff or volunteers.

“We look forward to supporting the soldiers, employees, volunteers and friends of The Salvation Army here in the Southwest Michigan.  We have always had a desire to come to Kalamazoo and appreciate the opportunity to be part of this community”. Keith & Sherrie Welch

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