Gaining Strength in Ironbound
by Warren L. Maye
In April this year, The Salvation Army’s ministry in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, N.J., enrolled seven junior soldiers and 22 senior soldiers. Ironbound Corps Community Center leaders are hosting many classes to explain what the Army is all about and invite people to get involved in the church.
Major Sally Warren, divisional program secretary for the New Jersey Division, is excited about the progress being made.
“After not having a corps officer appointed at the Ironbound location for a stretch of time, Eduardo Bermudez, ministry director, came on board,” Warren says. “Eight months later, after a few startup months of connecting with the community and outreach efforts, the corps had 17 meetings conducted with 375 people in attendance. Nineteen Sundays later, the number of attendees doubled to 795. In April, the congregation enrolled 29 new soldiers.”
The ministry is successfully integrating new members through a structured program while addressing community-specific challenges. Bermudez starts people off with the basics: an introduction to the organization and its mission.
“After that, people would come back for a second session, focused on how God wired them to serve Him in a greater capacity,” says Bermudez. “The third class was designed to connect them to volunteer opportunities. We approached this process a little differently, and as a result, many became interested in learning more about soldiership.”
Prayer and care
“One of the biggest challenges we faced in implementing our programs and encouraging soldier enrollment was commitment, which is always a challenge in everything we do when it concerns our people,” Bermudez says. “In our area, many individuals are working two or three jobs.”
Bermudez, who was hired by the Newark Area Services Command (NAS) in 2024, says that prayer and real care are key to tackling these issues.
“I have faith that God can help us through. We’ve also focused on following up and genuinely caring for our community members. We maintain a list of people who are part of our gatherings and pray for them constantly.”
Community support
Bermudez is thankful for the backing they’ve received at the corps from his family and divisional leaders, saying, “I feel blessed to have enough support, first and foremost from my wife and kids, as well as the soldiers who are actively involved in corps ministries. Also, I cannot overlook the tremendous support we receive from NAS and our leaders in Newark, especially Captain Darell Houseton and his wife, who are consistently there for us.”
Captains Darell and Willow Houseton, the divisional secretary for Newark Area Services and divisional Candidates’ secretary, respectively, have worked closely with the Ironbound Corps. Captain Darell Houseton shared a quick story as an example of the corps’ community spirit.
“It was at Christmastime,” Houseton says. “We had a donation that someone was going to give us — a full truckload of toys to distribute to the community. I’m talking about pallets of toys. And the only time they were able to get them to us was at a time when I had no help.”
Then the most amazing thing happened. “Within a matter of minutes, that entire Ironbound Corps showed up, and we offloaded that truck in about 15 minutes! That’s just who that ministry has become.”
The congregation of Ironbound came out and stood up for one another. “No less than 20 people just appeared as our hands and feet,” says Houseton. “They weren’t people looking for something. They were people who wanted to help. And that’s just who they are.”
Houseton pointed out another thing that draws people to Ironbound. “I think they’ve managed to make people feel safe when they’re at the corps,” he says. “And that safety makes them want to do more in the community.”
What the future holds
Bermudez has several goals in mind. He hopes to develop a youth program and expand community services, as well as:
- Aim for growth not only in numbers but also in spiritual maturity.
- Develop programs that address community needs.
- Partner with foundations for robotics and coding classes.
- Create a program for students aged 13 to 17.
- Engage with 20–25 high school students.
Ironbound has ESL classes for adults and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and music programs for the kids — all on the same night, which really brings families together. All in all, this ministry is about creating a safe and welcoming vibe that helps the community grow and get more involved.
