Majors Pedro and Maria Yepez

Majors Pedro and Maria Yepez

Majors Pedro and Maria Yepez recently retired after many years of service to The Salvation Army.
Pedro entered officer training in Mexico City out of the Tijuana, Baja, California, Mexico corps, and was commissioned in 1963 with the Servants of Christ Session.

As a young lieutenant and then captain, he served for over five years in several appointments in Mexico. While stationed in San Luis Potosi he met his future wife, Maria. They wed in 1968.

After their marriage, the Yepezes stayed with The Salvation Army as soldiers. They moved to Mexico City where they were very active in the corps. Soon the corps officer in Tijuana invited Pedro to help him in his ministry. Pedro accepted, and both he and Maria excelled in their service there.

After a while they had the opportunity to move to the U.S., where they served in lay ministry at corps in Los Angeles, Belvedere Gardens and Hollywood.

In 1988, the Yepezes became auxiliary captains. Pedro was appointed director of Hispanic Ministries in the Golden State Division and soon thereafter the couple became corps officers of the San Francisco Mission Corps. They moved to the Northwest Division in 1992, as the Hispanic Ministries director and assistant, and in 1993 they took command at the Hispanic Outpost in Yakima, Washington. Later that year, now full captains, they were named corps officers of the Yakima Temple Corps.

Future appointments were as assistants, responsible for the Hispanic Outpost, at the Monterey Peninsula Corps, and as corps officers at the Fresno Temple Corps, their last assignment before retirement. During their time there they achieved the rank of major.

At their retirement ceremony, Major Moses Reyes spoke, emphasizing God’s purpose for the Yepezes’ lives and noting their 22 years of faithfulness to God and The Salvation Army.

In retirement, Major Maria continues to serve as corps officer of the Fresno Temple Corps.
They are residing at 1712 East Warner, Fresno, CA 93710.