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Soldier Connie Pickering
After more than 25 years of faithful service, Salvation Army soldier Connie Pickering recently retired from her position as the Pomona (California) Corps’ secretary, social service director and statistician.
Pickering, a long-time soldier in Army, began working at the Pomona Corps in 1979 under then Captains Billy and Linda Campbell and retired this March under current officers Captains Ken and Jenni Perine. Altogether, she worked for 10 corps officers in Pomona.
Her employment—or “ministry,” as she calls it—was just one aspect of her involvement in The Salvation Army. She has worshipped at the Army since childhood, first in Whittier, California, and then Pomona. She has been a member of the Home League and the League of Mercy for 40-plus years. Additionally, she was the Girl Guard leader in Pomona for 23 years, and served many years as a bus driver for the Pomona Corps and as a Sunday school teacher in Whittier and Pomona.
In honor of her service, a retirement party was held for her, where several people spoke on how she had touched their lives, both professionally and personally. Speakers included Captain Jenni Perine, former corps officers Major Moses Reyes and Majors Jack and Anna Phillips, and Pomona Corps advisory board chairperson Mike Faull.
In retirement, Pickering will continue to serve the Lord at the Pomona Corps as an office volunteer and as the pending League of Mercy secretary.