A CHURCH has welcomed its new corps officers at a service as the leadership roles changed hands.

The Salvation Army in Clacton welcomed almost 70 people to a special service on Sunday, July 24.

It saw Majors David and Katerina Lennox welcomed as the new officers to lead the church in Old Road.

They were previously stationed at the corps in Felixstowe and were installed as the new church leaders by divisional commander Major Howard Russell

A spokesman for the Salvation Army said: “David and Katerina originally hail from the North East of England, though Katerina grew up in Cheshire.

“They have more than 25 years of experience as Salvation Army officers and are looking forward to joining us and sharing our journey through ministry in Clacton and the surrounding district.”

David and Katerina took up their roles to replace former officers Barry and Marie Samson, who have now retired.

As members enter the Salvation Army covenant they swear an oath to be available for the church wherever and whenever.

David said: “I entered as an officer in the covenant 40 years ago. We were asked at the end of last year if we could move to Clacton.

“Our children have left home so it was a simple choice to put our names forward, eventually we received a notification in February notifying us we would be coming to Clacton.”

David did not know a lot about Clacton other than it was a seaside holiday destination.

He added: “We’ve just been reading up on the town in the past few months and getting to know the people.

“We are pleased to arrive and will join residents wherever they are on their journey, hopefully we will make a positive contribution to the life of the town.”

David and Katerina will start off by getting to know the members of the church and supporting the community manager and volunteers who work in the charity shop.

They will also identify any gaps in services and discuss these with church members.

David said: “I see us fitting into the town and we will work together in the coming years to develop further.”