Couple pleased to lead Salvation Army in Everett

EVERETT — The Salvation Army operates a food bank, after-school services, free community meals, holiday programs and offers counseling and help to people who are homeless.

Everett has one of the busiest Salvation Army social service programs in the state.

The new directors of these programs, which serve more than 2,000 individuals a month, are Maj. Jonathan and Lt. Dawn Apuan. The couple also serve as the new pastors at the Everett Salvation Army Church.

The Apuans, married earlier this summer, are in their first post together, though Jonathan Apuan has served with the Salvation Army for much of his life.

Salvation Army’s Northwest Division moved Everett’s previous leadership, Capts. Jack and Dawn Smith, to the Salvation Army Corps in Yakima.

Salvation Army officers expect to be reassigned throughout their careers. The commitment of being an officer includes moving frequently and accepting reassignments based on career development and filling the needs of the various Salvation Army locations, said Lori Marini Baker, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit organization.

The Apuans said they are pleased to be assigned to Everett.

Dawn Apuan calls herself a “denominational mutt,” having grown up attending a variety of Christian churches including Assembly of God, Methodist, Nazarene and Baptist.

At Biola University, the Puyallup native majored in intercultural studies with a focus in serving the urban poor. Her first job was working in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, B.C., where her neighbors were drug addicts and prostitutes.

It was there that she learned about the work of the Salvation Army, which had its start in the 1860s on the streets of London where it helped the homeless, the hungry and the destitute.

“I felt called by the Lord to become an officer in the Salvation Army,” she said. “Jonathan and I have committed our lives to the Lord’s service, using the vehicle of the Salvation Army.”

Jonathan Apuan, 40, was born in Texas. His paternal grandparents joined the Salvation Army in the 1940s in the Philippines.

“Salvation Army has been my church from birth,” he said. “Right out of high school, I pursued a degree in engineering because I wanted to make some money. But I felt God leading me into full-time ministry and I headed to the Salvation Army College for Officer Training instead.”

Jonathan Apuan has served 18 years with the Salvation Army, primarily in Oregon and Idaho. In 2005, he also earned a degree in organizational leadership from George Fox University.

Snohomish County is different than any of his previous appointments, Apuan said.

“Everett is very much a homeless recovery corps,” he said. “We serve up to 150 people at our evening fellowship meals, including veterans, families and elderly people.”

The work is about relationships, Dawn Apuan said. It could be a smile or a chance to make eye contact and show respect.

“People make assumptions about disadvantaged people. Sure, some people have made poor choices, but not always. These folks are somebody’s little girl or boy,” she said. “I am trying to learn all the back stories of the people we serve because I want them to know we care. We do what we can day to day.”

The Apuans said one of their initial goals is to build up the number of people who attended Sunday services at Salvation Army.

“We share the preaching duties, but with everything else, it is a challenge to find the time to write the sermons and focus on that part of the ministry,” Dawn Apuan said.

The Everett Corps is among the largest in the Salvation Army Northwest Division, which includes Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

How to help

For more information about how to donate, volunteer to ring bells for collection kettles at Christmas time or receive services, go to www.everettsarmy.org or call 425-259-8129.

The Salvation Army is located at 2525 Rucker Ave. in Everett. Sunday services are at 11 a.m.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Everett
Everett police: Man sold drugs to woman prior to fatal overdose

In May, the man sold drugs to an Everett woman in her 40s who later died from an overdose, police said.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Missing Marysville boy, 10, found safe and sound

Police said the boy was last seen Sunday morning before leaving to go for a run at a nearby middle school.

Red tape hangs in the front of the entrance to a burned down Center for Human Services building along 204th Street on Monday, July 7, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood fire destroys behavioral health nonprofit building

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The building housed an intensive mental health support program for youth and families.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Gold Bar in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Lynnwood man dies in fatal crash on US 2 near Gold Bar

The Washington State Patrol said the driver was street racing prior to the crash on Friday afternoon.

Thousands gather to watch fireworks over Lake Ballinger from Nile Shrine Golf Course and Lake Ballinger Park on Thursday, July 3, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Thousands ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at Mountlake Terrace fireworks show

The city hosts its Independence Day celebrations the day before the July 4 holiday.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.