Morrices happy to be back where it all started
Morrices happy to be back where it all started
8 February 2023
Familiar faces at the Central Highlands Corps warmly welcomed Majors Paul and Kaylene Morrice back to their home church to serve as officers.
A spiritual journey to Jesus that started in Emerald, Queensland, has come full circle for Majors Paul and Kaylene Morrice.
The Morrices came to faith in the mid-1990s in Emerald. They were called to officership from there several years later and left for officer training college in December 2000. After 22 years of full-time ministry, they returned this year as Central Highlands Corps Officers, quartered in Emerald and overseeing Blackwater and Gemfields Family Stores.
Majors Paul and Kaylene Morrice at their recent installation at the Central Highlands Corps.
“We are so excited about what can happen here,” Paul said. “It has been especially emotional for us as we reconnect with old faces and close friends, and we want to build on that.”
Kaylene and Paul believe that their God-given experiences in community engagement, ministering in rural and remote communities, building partnerships, and their reignited local connections will help them address the many pressing issues challenging Central Queensland communities.
Paul has already been asked to open the next local council meeting with prayer and intends to meet the local mayor. He sees that as an opportunity to discuss what the community believes is needed and mobilise the corps, and like-minded locals, to respond to those needs.
“Our divisional motto is ‘Jesus-Centred, Community-Focused,’” Paul said. “We are not here to play church necessarily, but to grow spiritually inside and be the hands and feet of Jesus outside.”
Both officers have extensive experience and a desire to work with people recovering from alcohol and drug issues. They commented on how motivational it is to see the incredible transformations of all people, but especially in the lives of people in recovery.
“We are different people to those who left 22 years ago,” Paul reflected. “God has done a lot of work in our lives, and as a result, we are more mature as people and as Christians.”
With five years until retirement, their journey may even end in Emerald, which would round off a truly remarkable journey in service to God’s kingdom through The Salvation Army.
“Not many officers get the opportunity to return to their home corps and community to serve,” Paul said. “But we jumped at it because we see so much potential here and can’t wait to do what we can to be a positive influence in a community we love.”
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