Captain Michelle Robbins, left, and Captain John Robbins are seen in the chapel of The Salvation Army on Mission 66 Monday. (Jon Giffin The Vicksburg Post)

[10/5/04]Vicksburg has a new husband-and-wife team of Salvation Army leaders, both of whose families have long histories of involvement with the ministry.

Capt. John Robbins and his wife, Michelle, each have at least three generations of ancestors who have been “Salvationists,” Michelle Robbins said.

“We both grew up in the Army,” she said. “I learned to play the horn through the Salvation Army; through that, I pursued music. And both of us benefited from summer camps.”

The new team took over in Vicksburg about three-and-a-half weeks ago, John Robbins said.

John, 39, completed the Salvation Army’s two-year school for officers in Atlanta and Michelle, 37, is resuming her service. Previously, she served five years as an officer in North Carolina, Shreveport, La., and at the Salvation Army’s regional headquarters for Oklahoma and Texas.

The Salvation Army, which has a long history in Vicksburg, places husband-and-wife teams in communities. Usually, both are ordained ministers and each team typically stays in a location about two-and-a-half to three years. Michelle Robbins said she hopes the two will be able to stay here longer.

“At least until our kids are in college,” she said of the couple’s two daughters, ages 2 and 4.

Michelle grew up in the Carolinas, mainly near Greenville, S.C. John’s family made several moves with his father’s job as a Salvation Army captain but he said he considers Minnesota home.

The new officers said they faced a challenging assignment in their first week-and-a-half on the job, taking on the coordination of feeding of what turned out to be 800 people in three days as Hurricane Ivan evacuees took shelter here from coastal areas.

The Salvation Army’s annual fundraising soup-and-sandwich lunch and auction is set for 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Oct. 19 at Crawford Street United Methodist Church. The event is put on by the Army’s women’s auxiliary, about 48 strong, said Michelle.

The lunch is open to the public, with tickets available from advisory-board members, at the Salvation Army’s office, 530 Mission 66 and at the door.

The cost is a $6 donation, John Robbins said.

The Army is also preparing for its annual Christmas operations, which include providing food baskets and toys for the needy. Money collected in the Army’s famous Christmas kettles helps pay for those services and others.

Throughout the year the Army operates a church, a thrift store and a soup kitchen at its headquarters location. Up to about a third of the local organization’s $291,562 budget for its current fiscal year comes from the thrift store. Of that amount, $41,500 was contributed by the United Way, local Salvation Army treasurer Jim Boyd said.

And the organization helps people in a variety of other ways, including recovery efforts for those who have lost their homes to fires or other disasters.

Michelle Robbins said she and her husband were “very impressed with Vicksburg.”

“The people have been wonderful,” she said. “We hope to be here for a very long time.”

Volunteers for the organization’s various activities are always needed. The officers may be reached at 636-2706.