Serving with Compassion
Born in Manila, Philippines, I was raised in a devout Catholic family of five children. However, it was through The Salvation Army that I truly understood what it meant to be a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I accepted Him as the Lord and Savior of my life as a 17-year-old teenager. In 1973, I entered The Salvation Army School for Officer Training (seminary) in response to God’s calling to become a Salvation Army officer/minister. I was commissioned/ordained in June 1975.
I married a fellow Salvation Army officer, Larry, in 1976. Our first appointment together was in Honolulu, Hawaii as pastors of a Salvation Army church. During our second appointment in Seattle, Washington, God blessed us with a beautiful baby daughter, Kim, and I am proud to say that she is now a Lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard. We are also blessed with one precocious and gorgeous granddaughter, Kaylee.
We were in Seattle for five years (1981-1986) ministering to recovering addicts at The Salvation Army Harbor Light Center. In 1986, we were assigned as Directors of the San Francisco Harbor Light Center. We were extremely blessed to serve and minister there for nearly 15 years. This Christ-centered social service program included not only ministering to alcoholics and drug addicts but also homeless families living in a Salvation Army transitional institution. During this period, I completed a Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management. I would have to say that this is one of my favorite appointments. We had the opportunity and blessing to integrate both social services and corps/church ministries.
We were transferred to Anchorage, Alaska in July 2000. I was appointed to oversee the women’s ministries programs for the state of Alaska. From 2004 through June 2007, we pastored at the Anchorage Corps/Church before transferring to The Salvation Army College for Officer Training in July 2007. For four years, we had the privilege of training and teaching future Salvation Army officers/ministers before entering our final appointment at The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters in Long Beach, California, which oversees Salvation Army work and ministries in the western U.S. states including Alaska, Hawaii, Marshall Islands, and Guam. Between all these appointments, I managed to acquire a Master’s in Higher Education. My husband and I “retired” in 2015 to Colorado Springs, Colorado after 40 years of official ministry work as officers. Currently, we attend the local Salvation Army Corps/Church where we have the opportunity to offer our time and skills to further the work of the Lord Jesus in the community.
This is my third year as an adjunct faculty member of Nazarene Bible College. It has been a privilege, a joy, and an honor to share in NBC’s mission to prepare men and women of God to fulfill the Great Commission. I look forward to many more years of academic ministry.
Dr. Victoria Shiroma, Major in The Salvation Army, NBC Adjunct Professor
Published: 09/08/2020
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