Tucker named “runner up” for Salvation Army’s prestigious Man of the Year Award
June 27, 2016
Salvation Army chaplain recognized for service to the organization and broader community
COLUMBIA, SC – Salvation Army chaplain Melvin Tucker was recognized as “runner up” for the Salvation Army’s internationally prestigious Southern Territory Man of the Year Award during ceremonies at the Southern Territory Men’s Conference in Atlanta, June 3-4. He was named Man of the Year for the Salvation Army’s North and South Carolina Division earlier this year at Camp Walter Johnson in Denton, N.C.
The Southern Territory award – which recognizes selfless service, community outreach, and ministry goals achieved – was presented to Billy Spalding of Tyler, Texas, who was named Man of the Year for the Southern Territory, one of four regions nationwide which also includes the Eastern, Central, and Western territories.
Tucker, a corps sergeant major in the Salvation Army, earned second place in the running; an honor far-removed from what he concedes were marginal life-beginnings at best.
“Like so many others I see all the time on the street, you get to a point where you think you’ll never amount to anything,” says Tucker [pictured here in the center]. “My father left when I was 12. I never finished high school. I was living on the street. Drugs and alcohol were dominating my life.”
But, he adds, “It’s interesting how God works things out for the good when we choose to trust Him.”
Tucker’s life today is one of service to others. A soldier in the Salvation Army since 2006, Tucker is a Salvation Army truck-driver hauling vital food items and other supplies during regional disasters and emergency response exercises. On Sunday mornings, he picks up church-goers and drives them to worship services. He leads men’s Bible study groups. He regularly reaches out to the elderly and infirm in nursing homes. As a food service specialist at the Salvation Army kitchen at Transitions (Columbia, S.C.’s largest homeless shelter and transitional housing facility) a position he’s held since 2008; Tucker helps direct kitchen teams in all food-prep, planning, and serving operations feeding hundreds daily, as well as driving-to and collecting food from warehouses like the Harvest Hope Food Bank. And during the winter months, he’s also helping prepare food for the City Winter Shelter.
All this, yet he is never too busy to speak to anyone at any time about the things of God.
“I see Melvin regularly, and no matter how busy he is, he always has a moment for a quick prayer, a word of Scriptural wisdom and a bit of encouragement,” says W. Thomas Smith Jr., a writer and editor who also directs Always Faithful Outreach, a homeless-feeding ministry. “You simply cannot spend an appreciable amount of time with the man without him becoming a trusted friend. There’s nothing pretentious about him. He simply and enthusiastically loves God and cares about people.”
Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions, says, “These awards – both the divisional Man of the Year Award and runner-up for the territorial Man of the Year – are well-deserved and not at all surprising. Melvin Tucker is always, always there [at work]. He is committed to his work. He is committed to helping our clients. And he is committed to the service of the Lord.”
Tucker is married and has two children.
Established in 1865 by evangelist William Booth in London, the Salvation Army expanded into North America and “has been supporting those in need in God’s name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States.” Approximately 30-million Americans receive assistance from the Salvation Army, annually, and the organization’s services range from feeding the hungry, disaster relief, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children.
Based in Atlanta, the Salvation Army’s 16-state Southern Territory includes Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina and South Carolina.
Active throughout the Midlands of S.C., the command office for the Salvation Army of Columbia (The Salvation Army Center for Worship and Service) is located at 3024 Farrow Road. There are 14 other Salvation Army command offices located throughout S.C.
Visit the Salvation Army online at http://www.salvationarmyusa.org.
