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Morning meeting takes place Aug. 5 in the Oval Office.
National leaders of The Salvation Army in the U.S. met with President Barack Obama Aug. 5. Commissioners David and Barbara Jeffrey, national commander and national president of women’s ministries, respectively, along with Lt. Colonels Ron and Carol Busroe, national community relations and development secretary and national director for public policy, respectively, joined the President for a morning meeting in the Oval Office.
“The President was very cordial and expressed gracious comments about the nonpartisan service of The Salvation Army across America,” Jeffrey said. “We also spoke to him concerning our work around the world, in particular in Mexico, Central and South America.”
Other subjects covered in the 20-minute meeting included the Pathway of Hope, the Kroc Centers, the adult rehabilitation programs, and corps programming in general.
“We shared in some detail the economic impact of the Philadelphia Kroc Center, Jeffrey said. “We also suggested that he might wish to visit the center in Chicago and/or Hawaii.”
Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and spent many years living and working in Chicago.
When the President asked if there was anything he could do for The Salvation Army, the visitors spoke to him about the importance of the charitable deduction, since most Army funding comes from private donations. They also suggested greater visibility from the White House by including the Army’s work in speeches like the State of the Union.
The Jeffreys and Busroes also met with several key staff members for over an hour, discussing Salvation Army programs and how the Army might better serve the needs of others in America and around the world.
“To conclude our meeting [with the President],” Jeffrey said, “I asked if we could pray with him and his family, and he readily and eagerly agreed.”
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Have been a part of this church for 12yrs now. So proud to be a Salvationist and proud to be part of this organization!
Wonderful! Only question, the date on the photo above story is in Oct. 2011. ???
Hi Jerry,
We couldn’t wait to share the news with everyone so we’ve used a placeholder photo from Oct. 2011. We are currently waiting for approved White House photos which usually take a few weeks. We’ll make sure to post an update announcement on our Facebook so you can check out the new photos.
New Frontier
Good catch…the picture also has the former Nc, Commissioner Roberts who is now the Chief of Staff in London!
It us an old picture but the names in the article are correct. They could have used an updated photo.
Hi Joanna,
We are currently waiting for approved White House photos which usually take a few weeks. We’ll make sure to post an update announcement on our Facebook so you can check out the new photos.
New Frontier
Have been a retired officer for 29 years (since retirement) and still loving the Lord and the Salvation Army.