MS Gulf Coast Area Commander
& Senior Kroc Officer
Major Jerry Friday
Area Commander
Major Jerry Friday
Major Jerry Friday comes to the Mississippi Gulf Coast after serving 15 years at The Salvation Army Southern Territorial Headquarters in Atlanta as the Territorial Conference Director and the Territorial Mission and Cultural Ministries Secretary.
Originally from Midland, Texas Jerry graduated from The Salvation Army School for Officers’ Training in 1983 and served for almost 10 years in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Georgia before being assigned to the army’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida and then Atlanta, Georgia. For almost 10 years Jerry worked for an international event production company and as marketing director for a national software company.
As an event producer, Jerry worked with such artists as Amy Grant, T Graham Brown, Reba McIntyre, Usher and Gladys Knight, to name a few, and is excited to bring to the coast his experience in special events.
Jerry has been recognized for outstanding volunteerism and community service with numerous community organizations, including Pets Are Loving Support, Big Brothers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, The Rosalynn Carter Institute, and several local and state scholarship pageants.
Jerry is passionate about mentoring young people and looks forward to the opportunity to work with the staff and volunteers of the Mississippi Gulf Coast building on the tremendous work The Salvation Army has provided here for almost 115 years.
Kroc Congregational Life Officers
Majors Young and Heeran Lim
Congregational Life Officers
Major’s Young & Heeran Lim
Majors Young and Heeran Lim are the Congregational Life Officers of the Gulfcoast Kroc Center. They are originally from Korea and immigrated in the mid ’90s. God called them to serve people through The Salvation Army, where they joined the “Believers” session and graduated from the now Evangeline Booth College in 2003. They were commissioned to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. During their time in North Carolina, they established what is now known as the Kernersville Corps. They ministered there for 15 years. They have also had an appointment as corps officers at the Louisville South Corps in Louisville, KY.
After a short time away, they were re-commissioned to be the Congregational Life Officers of the Gulfcoast Kroc Center. While this area is new to them, they have fallen in love with the charms of Mississippi. Majors Young and Heeran love to interact with people and share the love of God. If you see them around the Kroc Center, please say hello!! While there may be small language barriers, the love they have for people and for God knows no barriers. They have two wonderful children: Jiwon, who is a dentist in North Carolina, and Jihoon, who has just completed his first year of medical school in Florida.
Pascagoula Corps Officer
Lt. Carla Lawson
Pascagoula Corps Officer
Lt. Carla Lawson
Lt. Carla Lawson is a first-generation Salvationist who has a passion for leadership and youth ministry. After graduating High School in Northern Virginia, Carla attended Bridgewater College to pursue a career in Art Education. While there, Carla felt God leading her in another direction—as an officer in The Salvation Army.
After working in Public Safety and on to Youth Ministry, Carla moved to Mississippi to further her ministry with youth as a Christian Education Director with The Salvation Army. Unable to escape God’s calling on her life, Carla was accepted in the Messengers of Compassion session attending The Salvation Army’s Evangeline Booth College in Atlanta, GA. Carla was Commissioned and Ordained in June 2019 and has been appointed by The Salvation Army to Pascagoula, MS as the Corps Officer for her first appointment. Her favorite pastimes include painting, outdoor activities, and learning more about our Creator. Encouraged by the culture and community of Jackson County, Lt. Lawson is thrilled to be a part of all that God is doing on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and looks forward to all she can do to preach the gospel and meet human needs in Jackson County.