by Robert Mitchell 

Joe DeGroate was done with church before his mother, Gloria, got invited to The Salvation Army in Waterbury, Connecticut, where he would find his unique calling 48 years ago.

“She kind of threw me up the stairs at the age of 12, and I’ve been there ever since,” Joe said. “The Salvation Army was a perfect fit for me.”

The corps had a band, and Joe, who was interested in music from a young age, fit right in. He played the violin but soon transitioned to woodwind and brass instruments like the clarinet and trombone as his Salvation Army music career took off.

Joe said the only goal he ever had was to be the corps bandmaster, which he attained at age 18. He’s also filled in occasionally as the divisional music director in the Southern New England Division.

But over the years, Joe would take spiritual gifts tests, and he learned that his God-given talents went beyond leading and teaching. The tests revealed his gifts were administration, helps, and encouragement.

“God kind of changes you and gives you a different focus sometimes,” he said.

God was calling

Joe, now 60, had never thought about being a corps sergeant-major (CSM), the top lay leader position in a Salvation Army church. Like elders in other denominations, the CSM works closely with and supports the ordained officers assigned to a community.

Joe moved 26 years ago to The Salvation Army in New Haven, Connecticut. Major Charles Adams, who was the corps officer there until recently, saw something in him.

“I never really thought about being the corps sergeant-major,” Joe said, “but Major Adams brought it up to me, and I guess I didn’t resist.”

Joe has been acting in the role for the last three or four years and was commissioned on Father’s Day.

Adams called Joe a “faithful volunteer” who gives his time and talents during special corps activities and programs such as Vacation Bible School, community outreach events, feeding programs, and driving the van. He also is active in divisional music events and has served on the Divisional Soldiers Express Council.

“Whenever needed, Joe readily and willingly makes himself available, providing service and an example to our corps,” Adams said. “Joe DeGroate is a fine example of a faithful soldier of Christ and The Salvation Army.”

Backbone of the corps

Joe also teaches the adult Sunday school class and handles most of the music at the corps, including playing the piano for worship, organizing choirs, and teaching how to play instruments. That comes easy to Joe, who has been a music teacher at Bridgepoint Central High School for the last 34 years.

As a CSM, Joe is now more involved in praying for people and being a part of their lives. What he likes most, he said, is helping them walk the Christian life. He’s a very down-to-earth kind of person, and it shows in how he interacts with people.

“If somebody needs something, it’s theirs,” he said. “I just try to take what God has given me — my talents and my treasures and all that kind of stuff — and diversify them and give them back as best I can.”

He learned such empathy from his father, Clarence, a Salvation Army adherent and the corps custodian. Joe said he was called to be an officer years ago, but then saw how his sister, now-retired Major Darlene DeGroate, was frequently moved.

“I started running the other way and became a music teacher,” he said.

A heart for the broken

While he didn’t pursue officership, Joe has watched officers come and go and knows how important a CSM can be in a corps. The most recent officers in New Haven, Majors Charles and Kathy Adams, were there for 10 years.

“We don’t really get that in The Salvation Army that often,” Joe said. “Maybe it’s five years at the most. If the officers change and a new officer comes in with a different skill set, then you have to reinvent the corps again.

“I think local officers, including the CSM and the corps treasurer and secretary and welcome sergeant, those people are the church. I think local officers are very important because of the fact the officers change so much. I think the stability of the corps lies within the local officers.”

Joe believes God uses local leaders in “whatever situation we’re in” to share their faith and be an example of Christ.

“These people are coming to you looking for answers. I don’t always have all the answers, but God does, and He supplies all of our needs,” he said.

Joe’s partners in ministry are his two daughters, Alison and Jodi, and his wife, Elizabeth, a guidance counselor in the public schools.

“We’re really good at taking care of kids’ needs and seeing kids who are distressed and troubled,” he said.

A shining light

Joe said he has had an influence in the public schools as a music teacher. He once made it known The Salvation Army was short on funds around Christmas, and one of his teaching colleagues made a significant donation. On Father’s Day, Joe received several texts from former students, some of whom went on to be music teachers because of his influence. They thanked him for being the father figure they never had.

“I was crying the whole day,” Joe said. “Being an influence in this job to these students and an example of what a Christian is makes this the best job ever.

“Sometimes being that mother or father figure they don’t have as an example … I think that’s been the best part of my years in teaching. That’s why I’m still here. A lot of the teachers I taught with are now administrators or superintendents or curriculum specialists, but I’m still here with the kids.”