Tom Merrill has worked with many leaders in the Salvation Army, all of whom have been good, but he says the current Birmingham area commander, Major Mark Brown, is really extraordinary.
“He brings an additional dimension to the job,” said Merrill, who serves as the chairman of the Salvation Army board of directors. “He’s very creative and does a tremendous job with a flair. He not only does great things for people in need, but he is also interested in playing a role in the community.”
Brown, who has been an officer with the Salvation Army for 25 years, has served as area commander since June 2001.
“It’s like a breath of fresh air having him here,” said Merrill, a member of Mountain Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham Association. “Even the way he runs meetings is good — he makes them interesting and enjoyable.”
Brown said he sees his career with the Salvation Army as a calling from God. “I’m not in it for the money or advancement,” he said. “It’s purely to serve the people around us.”
The Salvation Army, founded in London in 1865, has been serving the Birmingham area since 1899. Worldwide, the Salvation Army offers housing, shelters, drug and alcohol treatment centers, schools and medical facilities to 110 countries.
Some 9,600 centers, staffed by 5,500 officers and 38,000 employees, are in operation in the United States. Brown described the organization as a Christian church with a strong social welfare component.
“The Salvation Army is a denomination in its own right,” Brown said. “It is mainstream, Christian, has articles of doctrine and is a church with services.”
Drug and alcohol abuse treatment, thrift stores, counseling and disaster and emergency services are also available through the Birmingham Salvation Army.
“In Birmingham alone we help more than 100,000 people each year,” Brown said.
The social services center in Birmingham includes a women’s and children’s center, a men’s center, a women’s shelter, transitional housing, life skills and financial assistance, and Christmas Assistance. A youth services center provides family and adolescent therapy and services.
Brown said the goal is to build a new social services facility to be the flagship for the Salvation Army and the city of Birmingham.
“I’m hoping the Salvation Army will let me stay here to enjoy it,” Brown said, noting officers are sometimes transferred to other sites.
Brown made the decision to join the Salvation Army at a youth convention after hearing from the then General of the Salvation Army Frederick Coutts.
“He said every young person should consider if they could see themselves serving the hurting and needy,” Brown said.
“If they could, then it’s their calling. He said it’s the longest, hardest, most satisfying job — ‘Can you be a Salvation Army officer?’”
Brown accepted the challenge, and 25 years later he’s still serving the hurting and needy.
“Coutts was absolutely right,” Brown said. “There are a lot of long days and challenges but it’s satisfying and rewarding. I’ve had so many opportunities I couldn’t have had in any other occupation.”
Brown and his wife, Susan, have both been officers in the Salvation Army for 25 years.
Originally from England, the couple and their three children came to the United States in 1992 to head up the international media center for the organization.
About five years ago Brown and his wife felt like they needed to return to the mainstream part of the Salvation Army rather than continue working with the media division.
“We really felt it was time for us to get back to what we originally signed up for,” Brown said.
In June 2001 the Salvation Army appointed Brown to Birmingham as area commander to oversee its 120 employees in the metro area.
Operational duties
“My primary responsibilities are to supervise the operations of the Salvation Army in Birmingham,” he said.
“I also do fund raising and public relations and make sure the programs go according to internal standards and requirements.”
In Birmingham, there are three Salvation Army churches: one downtown on 8th Avenue North, one in Bessemer and one in Alabaster.
“Anyone can attend and a lot of the people we help worship at our churches,” Brown said. “We have … worship, prayers and a message.”
Brown said the Salvation Army is about to launch a capital campaign to build the new social welfare center called the Center of Hope. “It’s a challenge now with our economy being tough,” he said. “The income has gone down but requests for assistance have gone up. We’re trying to help more people with fewer resources.”
Rose Myrick, the Salvation Army business manager, said Brown is a pleasure to work for.
“He has such an incredible knowledge of the Salvation Army,” she said. “I learn something new every day working with him.”
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