While working as a dental hygienist, Marie Lewis could always tell when one of her patients was troubled.
“You’re there with someone for 45 minutes to an hour. I would have a sense that something was wrong. I would try and problem solve and help with situations. My sister used to say I was a ‘therapist’ with my hand in people’s mouths,” Marie said through laughter.
But a calling to ministry had always been in the back of Marie’s mind, even after 29 years as a hygienist.
And with God’s guidance, her life has changed completely. She is now a captain in The Salvation Army.
“You start on one path, and suddenly what you thought was impossible opens up,” the captain said. “God’s hand, His provision has always been there. He has walked me through all of this.”
Captain Marie, who grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, has been a Christian since age 6.
“My walk with God has always been there; like most people sometimes stronger at times than other times,” she said.
“I went through a lot of hardships,” she said, recalling her days as a divorced mom with two young children to support. “But it drew me closer to God.”
At one point, Marie’s older brother, Dale, was at the College for Officer Training (CFOT) for a class he was taking at Indiana Wesleyan University. He called his sister to tell her he thought The Salvation Army might be the place for her.
“He said, ‘You need to check these people out. Your heart and their hearts align,’” the captain recalled.
She decided to look into the nearby corps in Waukesha, Wis. The corps officer, Major Carol Lemirand, came to Marie’s house to answer a few questions, and they talked for three hours! Marie began attending worship at the corps and volunteering with the meal program. Soon, she was involved in other programs and activities. In May 2015 she became a soldier.
Not long after that, Marie was asked to be an administrator at the corps in Kenosha. She was thrilled.
“I knew I had been called for some kind of mission. My kids were grown and gone. My mom had passed away. There was nothing stopping me,” Captain Marie said.
After serving as an administrator for two and a half years, she became an auxiliary captain and entered the Distance Learning Program with the CFOT. She then served in Marquette, Mich., before being appointed as associate officer at the Albert Lea, Minn., Corps in 2022, then as corps officer in 2023.
“I truly believe God puts us in various situations and circumstances to learn and grow and also to be there as a compassionate, understanding person,” Captain Marie said.
Her days at the Albert Lea Corps are not only filled with managing the business side of things but preparing and giving sermons and devotionals, conducting programs like youth group and women’s ministries, and helping clients in the food pantry and other things as needed.
All of her ministry is personal. Helping people to know God is always her main mission.
She concluded, “My hope is that I can continue to be an encouragement to people, a source of comfort and wisdom, leading them to God and showing them God’s love in a tangible way.”
