Uniontown Salvation Army welcomes new officers
?Lts. John and Kate Esker are still settling in as officers in charge of the Uniontown Corps of the Salvation Army. But the couple is very happy to accept their first assignment.
鈥淲e are very excited. We can鈥檛 stop sometimes,鈥� said John Esker. 鈥淲e get something to eat, put our daughter to bed and then come back and continue working. We are trying to use some of the skills God has given us to improve the corps.鈥�
The Eskers are replacing Capts. Christopher and Jennifer Blessing, who left Uniontown at the end of June for a new assignment in Franklin. The Blessings had served the Uniontown community for five years.
The Eskers recently graduated from The School for Officer Training in Suffern, N.Y., and were commissioned as officers and ordained into the Salvation Army.
John Esker is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, while Kate Esker grew up in Philadelphia. They met at Valley Forge Christian College in Phoenixville, where John earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in pastoral ministries and Kate studied music education. The couple married in 2007 and have a 2-year-old daughter named Cadence.
Kate Esker joined the Salvation Army as a small girl.
鈥淢y family went to their soup kitchen and the officer told my mom about the kids鈥� program,鈥� she remembered.
Today, Kate Esker鈥檚 sister and brother-in-law, Monica and Andy Seiler, are officers with the Salvation Army in Atlanta while her brother Luke Barney and his wife, Sara, are preparing to enter officer鈥檚 training in the Salvation Army next year.
John Esker grew up in the Assemblies of God.
鈥淎fter we married, we decided to make the Salvation Army our church,鈥� he said.
The couple attended a Salvation Army church in Norristown, where they volunteered in the Sunday school program and also did some preaching, while still attending college and working.
John Esker noted he had also enjoyed a good experience as he worked at Salvation Army鈥檚 Camp Lador in Waymart.
鈥淭hat was my first taste of the Salvation Army and I liked what I saw. They provide an incredible service to children who would never have these opportunities. They made it all possible,鈥� he said.
The Eskers finished Valley Forge in May 2009 and started officer鈥檚 training with the Salvation Army in New York that August.
鈥淕od was good to us in allowing us to make the transition as smooth as possible,鈥� said John Esker.
They鈥檝e made another smooth transition to Uniontown, where they are getting a feel for the corps and the community.
鈥淭he beauty of the army moving different officers is that the corps is fully operational on its own. The officers are unique because they are not just a pastor/preacher/counselor but also do business. In some ways, that鈥檚 a challenge but in many ways, it鈥檚 rewarding,鈥� John Esker said.
In their first days, the Eskers already have ideas for the Uniontown corps. John Esker wants to provide help to the corps鈥� part-time caseworker to increase the number of people being processed.
People can be seen by appointment only but the Eskers want to set up a waiting room and have John Esker lend assistance so that people can walk in and be served.
The Eskers also want to increase the days of the food pantry distribution from one to two a month. Food is given out from 11?a.m. to 3?p.m. on the first Friday of each month. Walk-ins are welcome. There is no pre-registration, but the pantry shuts down that day when the food runs out.
The couple noted the soup kitchen is doing well. Open from 11?a.m. to 12:30?p.m. Mondays through Fridays, the soup kitchen serves anywhere from 60 to 200 people daily. Summer attendance seems higher because children are not in school and join their parents in the meal. In addition, many people come to the soup kitchen because the building has air-conditioning.
鈥淚n the summer, we hope to make the lunch area a cooling station throughout the day so that people can come in and enjoy the air-conditioning and have water,鈥� said John Esker.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to start a Salvation meeting 鈥� a service Sunday nights with a meal that鈥檚 open to the soup kitchen clientele. We want to start it as soon as we can,鈥� said Kate Esker, noting the corps offered a similar program several years ago.
John Esker said they plan to move the youth group to the Emergency Disaster Services lounge, where they will have more room and hope to inspire more youths to participate.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping our youth program will grow,鈥� Kate Esker said.
Of course, these changes mean a need for more volunteers and probably more fundraising.
But John Esker noted, 鈥淏y improving the quality and capacity of the corps, we improve the quality of the community.鈥�
The Eskers are already pleased with the volunteers who currently serve the Uniontown corps, talking about their expertise and dedication.
Uniontown also provided a good first impression for the couple, who were taken by the amount of businesses, both local and those that are part of chains.
鈥淲e thought it was cool there are so many churches in this area,鈥� John Esker said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hopeful because churches are community driven to help. Hopefully, we can band together and have a similar vision.鈥�
But while the Salvation Army does provide service to the community, including the Emergency Disaster Service canteen, the Eskers noted they also have a strong commitment to their congregation.
鈥淲e know it鈥檚 important to take care of the church here,鈥� John Esker said.
He also commented, 鈥淲e want people to understand that while we provide food, clothing and services, it鈥檚 under Jesus Christ that you can change your life for the better. Sometimes that inner transformation is necessary for a more permanent solution.鈥�
The Uniontown Corps of the Salvation Army offers Sunday school at 9:45?a.m. and a holiness service at 11?a.m. on Sundays. There are also provide programs for people of all ages. For more information on the Salvation Army or to volunteer, call the office at 724-437-2031 or stop by the corps building, located at 32 W. Fayette St.