Kevin and Lori Schoch named majors of New Kensington Salvation Army
The New Kensington Salvation Army has new leadership.
Kevin and Lori Schoch took over as majors of the New Kensington Salvation Army, 255 Third St., last week.
The Schochs, married 40 years, said they look forward to learning more about the New Kensington community.
“We’ll spend a lot of time listening to people and asking questions over the next weeks, months and years,” Kevin Schoch said. “A corps officer’s primary responsibility is to be the pastor — the shepherd, if you will — of the flock, the local congregation.”
Learning the communities’ needs, strengths and struggles will help guide and continue programming and offerings at the Salvation Army. The New Kensington center serves 15 ZIP codes, he said.
“The shape and size is formed by the needs of the community and what we can adequately provide,” Schoch said. “We take on the things we can and strive to have a successful impact with these programs.”
Some programming the New Kensington Salvation Army offers already includes a farmers market, food pantry, women’s ministry, church services, Bible study and Bridging the Gap, a life skills program for at-risk youths.
While the Schochs are new to the Alle-Kiski Valley, they’re not new to the Salvation Army. The couple have been corps officers for 37 years, at locations including Philadelphia, Ohio, New York and Rhode Island. Their most recent assignment was in Coshocton, Ohio, for 21⁄2 years.
“We had a really strong volunteer base there,” Lori Schoch said.
The Schochs spent 22 years working in adult rehabilitation center administration, she said. They’ve enjoyed seeing people who are struggling transform their lives.
“When you have that moment where someone really gets it and has that life-changing moment, I’d say that’s probably the most rewarding,” she said.
“It’s powerful,” Kevin Schoch said. “Sometimes it’s a roller coaster, and you see people more than once in a program. It may take more than one opportunity to start over. When they are getting it and making progress, it’s an incredible thing.”
The Schochs hope they can continue those positive impacts in New Kensington and look forward to connecting with the community.
“They’re welcome to stop by and meet us and join us for worship Sunday morning at 11 a.m.,” Kevin Schoch said.
Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.