In Clackamas County, Oregon, leadership doesn’t begin with a title.
It begins with gratitude.
Lieutenant Sarah Culley serves as a core officer and minister with The Salvation Army in Happy Valley, now known as the Clackamas Corps. But long before she was leading, she was receiving.
And that made all the difference.
Listen to the full conversation with Crystal Thornton and Lt. Sarah Culley in the podcast below
Music in the Parks and a Lesson for Life
Sarah grew up in neighborhoods where music classes weren’t easily accessible. But the Salvation Army offered free music lessons. She learned to play the alto horn, similar to a French horn and discovered that music was more than a skill.
It was a calling.
She remembers those early days vividly:
“We learned our instruments and we learned how to play music there. But then our leader, our band master, would take us and we would go play in the parks and we would put on a concert for those who were just sleeping out in the parks before we handed out sandwiches and we’d go to shelters. And so not just the music, but in everything we were taught that it wasn’t just about receiving, but that we were called to give back, pour out what had been poured into us.”
That rhythm, receiving and giving, became the rhythm of her life.
Today, she is helping establish music academies and creative programs of her own, understanding firsthand how music bridges gaps.
As she says:
“God has made us with such rhythms, our heartbeat and our breathing. And so when we come to music, sometimes just a melody will stir our soul… when we just can’t find the words.”
For children who struggle to communicate…
For families walking through hardship…
For hearts guarded by pain…
Music reaches where words sometimes cannot.
Raising Leaders at 10 Years Old
One of Sarah’s greatest passions is leadership development starting young.
During Vacation Bible School, she trains junior counselors as young as 10 to lead songs, speak Scripture and pray publicly over other children.
Not just encouragement.
Practical training.
And something powerful happens.
“I feel like I’ve seen chains breaking… and it first comes from chains breaking amongst the adults when they see these youth take a voice and share something vulnerable and honest and powerful.”
When young people realize their voices matter, courage rises.
Sarah believes leadership isn’t something you wait for. People are always watching. You are leading now whether you realize it or not.
In a culture that fights against identity and confidence, she stands in the gap, helping the next generation discover both.
Meeting Needs and Watching Cycles of Hope Form
Her ministry extends far beyond youth programs.
Weekly meals.
Food distributions.
Backpack drives.
Seasonal outreach.
Support for seniors and young adults.
The Salvation Army has a phrase: “Need knows no season.”
But Sarah has witnessed something equally powerful, cycles of hope replacing cycles of brokenness.
She recalls serving at a backpack distribution alongside a mother and daughter who had once received supplies themselves.
Two years later?
They were buying backpacks.
Handing them out.
Serving others.
She has seen it again and again, former recipients becoming volunteers.
She smiles when she explains that the Salvation Army’s “S” stands for more than just the name.
It means Saved to Serve.
And she sees that truth unfolding every day.
A Courtroom Filled with Song
Sarah and her husband David recently walked their own journey of faith through adoption.
Their son, Nathaniel whose name means “gift of God, ” was one and a half years old when they adopted him.
The journey was beautiful. And emotionally complex.
But on adoption day, the courtroom was jam-packed with friends in person and family joining virtually. And in one unforgettable moment, they began singing:
“God is so good.”
“I looked around the room… and I really saw God’s fingerprints and faithfulness.”
That day deepened her understanding of leadership in a new way.
Leadership is not control.
It’s surrender.
It’s trusting God through heartbreak and hope.
It’s allowing community to carry you when you can’t carry yourself.
When Recognition Comes
Recently nominated for a Regional Women in Leadership and Management Award, Sarah views the recognition not as personal achievement, but shared mission.
She is quick to say she doesn’t feel especially qualified.
And that’s exactly her point.
“Don’t wait until you feel like you’re a hundred percent qualified or a hundred percent ready… when we focus on that, we kind of get in the way of joining God to what He’s inviting us to.”
Leadership, she says, is a process.
You will make mistakes.
You will grow.
You will need grace and give it.
For anyone listening who feels unready, unsure, or unqualified:
Say yes anyway.
God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
Looking Ahead
When asked what she senses God stirring next, her answer is simple:
Discipleship.
Growing deeper in her own walk with Christ.
Helping others follow Him.
Creating spaces where walls come down and hope rises.
From music in the parks…
To young leaders finding their voice…
To families discovering cycles of hope…
Lieutenant Sarah Culley’s life tells a consistent story:
What was poured into her, she continues to pour out.
And that is leadership.
If you or someone you know needs support or if you’d like to serve alongside Lieutenant Sarah and her team, visit portlandtabernacle.salvationarmy.org to find help, hope and opportunities to make a difference in Clackamas County.
