THE SALVATION ARMY WELCOMES NEW DIVISIONAL LEADERS TO OMAHA
After nearly 9 years of being headed up by Majors Greg and Lee Ann Thompson, The Salvation Army Western Division has new leadership in place.
Salvation Army Majors Scott and Jolinda Shelbourn arrived in Omaha in June and assumed leadership responsibilities for the three-state Western Division (a region covering Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota) as of July 1. The Majors Thompson were recently promoted to a new leadership assignment at Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters in Chicago; they’d previously served as Western Division leaders since January 2015.
The Majors Shelbourn arrive in Omaha fresh from a three-year posting in leadership roles at The Salvation Army Northern Divisional Headquarters in the Twin Cities. It’s a homecoming for them, as they’re both Omaha natives and have immediate family who live in the metro area; plus, they’re returning to Western Divisional Headquarters for a second term after having previously worked there in the 2010s. The Shelbourns have each served the organization for nearly 20 years—starting with assignments in Peoria and Bloomington, Illinois, as Corps officers; and then moving on to their first rotation to Omaha, during which they served as Divisional Youth Secretary and Assistant Candidates Secretary and Camp Administrator; followed by work in the Quad Cities in Corps and City Office leadership roles; and, finally, followed by appointments to Northern Division as General Secretary/Twin Cities Commander and Divisional Secretary for Program. The Shelbourns have four children (two of whom live in Omaha) and will soon welcome their tenth grandchild.
Now, in their new roles as top leadership of the Western Division, the Majors Shelbourn will be responsible for leading the operations of The Salvation Army in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota—a region that’s home to nearly three dozen Corps Community Centers (operating units) that provide a wide variety of social services to local communities, ranging from food and shelter to behavioral health and disaster-relief services.
“This new appointment is both an extraordinary opportunity and a tremendous blessing,” said Major Scott Shelbourn. “It’s not just a wonderful homecoming for us to be able to return to Omaha and resume working alongside so many longtime friends—it’s also a chance to heighten our commitment to share the Gospel both in word and in deed as we serve those in need while striving to make all Salvation Army locations in our division places of welcome, grace, and hope for everyone. This division is well-positioned to continue the extraordinary progress it’s made in recent years. We look forward to helping to write the next chapter in the Western Division’s storied history of service.”