Meet the Boone Salvation Army's new leader, Mark Litherland

Major Mark Litherland takes the helm as leader of the Boone Salvation Army with nearly 40 years of experience.

He said he hopes to bring some stability to the position after a string of short-term appointments in the past year in Boone.

This is Litherland’s 17th appointment in 38 years. Previously, he served the Salvation Army in Muncie, Indiana, as well as other congregations in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. He worked three years in the camp kitchen and one year as a counselor at Camp Mihaska in Bourbon, Mo. He also led the Salvation Army’s Golden Dinners Nutrition Program, the organization’s only Meals on Wheels program in Chicago, serving 2,000 seniors a day in three countries.

He also has experience offering spiritual and emotional counseling after tragedies, including being on the ground after 9/11.

“I spent 10 days in New York after the 9/11 attacks. I was in charge of a feeding program — meal service for those searching through the rubble. I was in Staten Island at the world’s largest dump where rubble was sorted and searched for remains,” he said. “We had 300 undercover agents we served. They were particular. No photos, limited speaking to us because of their work as police, fire and FBI.”

In addition to meal distribution and setting up water stations, he offered counseling as needed.

Previously, he helped respond to a fatal plane crash in Evansville, Indiana in 1992 when a U.S. military plane went down. In 1994, he responded to a commuter plane crash near Roselawn, Indiana that had been traveling between Indianapolis and Chicago.

All 64 passengers and four crew members died.

“I worked four days in the morgue itself, helped out workers getting overwhelmed, and dealing with the death of a child,” he said.

He said his ability to pick up and move whenever the church reassigns him has its roots in his childhood. His parents, Harry and Shirley, are both ordained Salvation Army ministers too.

“I was born in Minnesota and grew up in Missouri,” he said. “I fought the call to ministry early on, but then the Lord finally got into me. My parents always had small Salvation Army corps and usually they were struggling financially, so that’s where I get my talent, if you will, to work on financial issues in the Salvation Army.”

At age 19, he enrolled in the Salvation Army College for Officer Training in Chicago and earned an Associate of Arts degree. His first appointment was as an assisting officer in Columbia, Mo.

He noted that prior to 2000, the Salvation Army didn’t set parameters in terms of how long officers should serve a particular location.

“In the last several years they made it a minimum four years, maximum seven to eight,” he said. “I’ve had six-month appointments to five-year ones.”

Short stints can make it hard to form relationships in a community.

“Trying to get to know people can be a challenge, but I usually get sent in with a specific task to be done and I can hit it, get it done, and be reassigned,” he said.

His sisters Julie McDowell and Cathy Himes are also ordained Salvation Army ministers. His sister Emilee Litherland is employed by the organization and works at an adult rehab center. Litherland also has a brother, Timothy, who does not work for the church.

Currently, the Boone Salvation Army, 509 Benton St., offers limited heating and rent assistance, as well as a food pantry. The pantry is stocked with non-perishable goods with some fresh produce. It’s open by appointment Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Contact the office at 515-432-5770 to set up your appointment.

Its weekly worship service is at 11 a.m. Sundays with Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.

Litherland said staff is looking into forming after school programs.

To learn more about the Boone Salvation Army, he may be reached at: mark.litherland@usc.salvationarmy.org.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Boone, Iowa Salvation Army gets a new leader: Major Mark Litherland