There’s new leadership at the Salvation Army in Southern Nevada. Captains Anthony and Lisa Barnes arrived in Las Vegas in July, after serving in Seattle for four years.
Both currently lead the Salvation Army’s work in Clark County and throughout parts of Southern Nevada, which encompasses the Pahrump Valley, which both recently visited.
As an officer, pastor, author and international speaker, Lisa Barnes, according to her bio, is passionate about social justice, loving those in societal margins, and fully being herself, while living and sharing Jesus.
She has also ministered in Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; and Salinas, California.
Barnes said she earned her bachelor’s degree in counseling for Christian Ministries, and is a graduate of the Arrow Leadership Program.
“I love art, both in creating it and enjoying other’s creations,” she said. “I also love playing the bass and acoustic guitar, and drinking way too much coffee while visiting with friends.”
As an author, Barnes wrote a book entitled “Love to a Whore’s Daughter: Life and Faith Through the Lens of Grace and Redemption”, which is available for free e-download from NewFrontierPress.org.
She also wrote a guided journal called “BRAVE: Thoughts and Acts”, which is part of an empowerment program for girls in foster care.
“That was a preventative effort to combat the correlation between girls in foster care and girls who are trafficked into the domestic sex industry,” she noted.
Captain Anthony Barnes meanwhile, was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.
As a teenager, Barnes decided that he was going to break the family cycle of drug and alcohol addiction.
He has now dedicated his life to showing kids, teens, and adults that they can break the cycle of any addiction they face.
Prior to becoming ordained as a pastor, Barnes said he had a career in law enforcement, ranging from corrections to investigations and interrogations.
He ended his former career serving as a divisional commander overseeing two operations.
“In that role, I served, simultaneously, as director of 9-1-1 and director of Emergency Disaster Services for the county,” he said. “Having felt the call to full-time ministry in my life, I decided to change career paths and join in partnership with Lisa to meet human needs in Jesus’ name.”
Notably, Barnes was the first in his community to go to college, where he now holds a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University, along with a master’s degree from Regent University.
“My desire to develop academically is matched by my desire to lead by example,” he said. “I believe that others will be inspired to develop themselves if they see that it is achievable.”
The Barnes have been married for roughly 16 years, enjoying life with their two children, Little Anthony, 15, Hurricane Leilah, 8, and their 3 year-old German shepherd.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes