New leaders travel 4,000 miles to take up post at The Salvation Army in the East Midlands

Majors Wayne and Deborah Bungay - The new leaders of The Salvation Army in East Midlands   The new leaders of The Salvation Army in East Midlands have travelled nearly 4,000 miles to take up their new post where they aim to support local communities and make a difference.   Majors Wayne and Deborah Bungay arrived in Nottingham from Winnipeg in Canada this summer and have been on a mission to get to know the area ahead of officially taking up the post at a recent special induction ceremony in Nottingham.   

Major Wayne Bungay said: “We are excited about our new role as Divisional Leaders in the East Midlands and will invest ourselves in supporting The Army's mission in local communities across the region. The Salvation Army is a Church and charity dedicated to providing care for vulnerable individuals and families who struggle with varied and complex issues.  We are confident that, along with our gifted personnel on the field, we will continue to make a positive and transformational impact to the children, youth and adults in the East Midlands.   

“The commanding officers at Salvation Army churches (corps) across our region have been delivering meaningful change in recent years and we will continue to support them in their mission of offering compassionate support and practical help to those in need.  We are deeply touched and encouraged by the warm welcome we’ve received from our local people.  This same wonderful welcome also extends from each of our friendly churches and we certainly encourage anyone to pay us a visit.  All our church locations can be found online here.

The ceremony officially welcoming the couple to the East Midlands was conducted by the head of The United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland, Territorial Commander, Commissioner Clive Adams.   Throughout the years The Salvation Army has made a real difference to the people of the East Midlands and Nottingham through its homelessness programmes, food banks and new Employment Plus scheme which takes an innovative approach to helping people find a job.  

The married couple completed their officer training at The Salvation Army in 1984 and have since served The Army in various posts in Canada, the Caribbean and now in the UK.    

In their previous posting in Canada, Major Wayne Bungay was the Divisional Commander for the Prairie Division, while Major Deborah Bungay fulfilled the role of Area Commander and Divisional Director for Women’s Ministries. They plan to continue the work of the former Divisional Leaders, Lieutenant-Colonels Mike and Wendy Cafful and will lead The Salvation Army to the next level in the East Midlands. Their strategy for achieving this will be revealed in the New Year.