In June, the community received four more helping hands when Captains Nathaniel and Raquel Revaula were assigned to the Salvation Army (SA) in Frankfort.
The Revaulas are originally from the Philippines. Nathaniel grew up attending church and other programs at the Salvation Army with his mother in the Philippines.
“We always went to the SA since I was 7 years old,” he said. “I was a youth pastor.”
He also led creative arts at his local corp office, teaching dance classes and playing the tambourine.
“We love creative arts,” Raquel said. “I don’t play instruments but I love dancing.”
Nathaniel and Raquel met while in college in the Philippines obtaining degrees in secondary math education.
The couple eventually married, and Nathaniel moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in February 2008 to be an elementary school math teacher and earn money to send back to his immediate and extended family in the Philippines. Raquel joined him in the U.S. in September 2009 with their two small children at the time. They now have four children, Nicole, 22, Nigel, 20, Naaman, 14, and Nehemiah, 11.
While in Baton Rouge, Raquel was a stay-at-home mom and volunteer at the local SA. She worked for the Angel Tree and Red Kettle Campaign departments.
“I was counting the money every day,” she said. “I also volunteered in the children’s school.”
Nathaniel also volunteered at the SA in Baton Rouge. He established a Filipino Bible study group, which grew to include 16 Filipino families who became members of the SA.
“Then, it became clear to me during prayer time that we had choices,” Nathaniel said. “I could teach and earn money and help my family in the Philippines or go to training college to become pastor for the SA. It was a hard decision, but God directed us and we said, ‘Lord, we will go and answer our call.’”
Raquel said that it is important in the SA for not only the husband, but also the wife, to have the calling to serve the SA.
“I think God prepared us to respond to our call when we moved here to America,” Raquel said.
The Revaulas packed up their family and headed to Atlanta, where in 2014, Raquel and Nathaniel were ordained and commissioned to be SA officers. Their first assignment was in Mobile, Alabama, where they served as captains at an SA until 2017 when they were sent to Nashville — where they were until moving to Frankfort in June 2024.
“When we came here, we were welcomed and accepted,” Nathaniel said. “We feel loved already by the people. Even our neighbors were so kind to us.”
Raquel said the move was a big change for her, because it meant leaving her eldest son, Nigel, in Nashville where he was attending college.
“The people here helped me in my grief,” she said. “The people in the corps and neighborhood, our staff and the people around the community.”
Raquel also loves Frankfort for its location.
“For me, I love nature,” she said. “I always think the Lord brought us here to see the beautiful sunsets and sunrises and trees and the mountains.”
Since being at the SA in Frankfort, the Revaulas have almost doubled the congregation at the corps. On average, 30-40 people attend the 11 a.m. Sunday services, which are open to the community. Sunday School begins at 10 a.m. on Sundays. A light breakfast is served. Youth nights are offered from 5:30-7 p.m. on Mondays; Bible study, a prayer meeting and women’s ministries are from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesdays; and youth music classes are from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursdays. All of the services are open to the public. The music classes are also free and open to all children.
The SA, which serves Franklin and Anderson counties, also offers an infant supply pantry; monthly food boxes; and food distribution on Tuesdays.
For those needing infant supplies, call the SA at 502-227-2638. Food box orders are only for Franklin County residents and can be placed by also calling 502-227-2638 on Monday and Wednesday mornings between 8:30-10:30 a.m.
The Tuesday food distribution service takes place for Franklin County residents on the first and third Tuesday of each month from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the SA, 517 Greenup Ave. The service takes place for Anderson County residents on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Anderson County Park. The service is first come first serve, while supplies last.
The SA also offers an emergency assistance program through which applicants may be eligible to receive emergency funding for rent/mortgage (one time only), utilities, fuel for transportation, prescription medication, or other needs which may be discussed with the SA case manager. Applications can be requested by calling the SA at 502-227-2638.
In 2023, the SA provided 2,547 food boxes — 1,822 boxes have been distributed as of early last month.
As of last month, $9,607 has been distributed through the emergency assistance program.
“The needs of the community don’t stop,” Nathaniel said, “and, with our donors and partners, our hope is that they will see that the needs of the community are met.”
One way the community can help the SA meet those needs is to participate in the SA’s Red Kettle Campaign this holiday season, which is the organization’s largest fundraiser. Community members are asked to donate to the campaign and to help volunteer as bell ringers.
The concept of the Red Kettle Campaign was developed in 1891 when Salvation Army Cpt. Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry, according to the SA’s website.
“During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He only had one major hurdle to overcome — funding the project,” as stated on the website.
“’Where would the money come from,’ he wondered. He lay awake at night, worrying, thinking, and praying about how he could find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city’s poorest individuals on Christmas Day. As he pondered the issue, his thoughts drifted back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called ‘Simpson’s Pot,’ into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.
“The next day, McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, ‘Keep the Pot Boiling.’ He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.”
All proceeds collected in the iconic red kettles will benefit the local SA. The Revaulas urge local businesses, organizations and individuals to volunteer to be bell ringers, maybe even make a tradition out of it.
“We have a tradition with bell ringing,” Raquel said. “We go to a location where music is allowed and the kids play their instruments. Bell ringing is a happy thing to do and a family thing to do. The kids will see they are participating and helping the community.”
To register to be a bell ringer this holiday season, visit www.registertoring.com.
The SA will also provide the Angel Tree program this year. Trees filled with Angels (local children in need of Christmas gifts) will be at Wal-Mart, Kroger and Fit-Time for Women.
In 2023, Raquel said 450 children and 100 senior citizens were provided with gifts — she expects those numbers to increase this year.
“We are praying this year that the Lord will provide everything we need for the kids to have gifts for Christmas,” Raquel said.
In addition to the SA’s Red Kettle Campaign and Angel Tree program, the SA will also provide a community Thanksgiving meal, a Thanksgiving Kroger food distribution for seniors and a Christmas community meal. Follow the SA’s Facebook page and website, southernusa.salvationarmy.org/Frankfort, for more information.
“Me and my husband, we take it to the Lord in prayer,” Raquel said. “Because we couldn’t do it alone. We are very thankful for our donors and our supporters and the people who help us here in Frankfort. Because of their generosity, we can provide services.”
Nathaniel said he and his wife follow the SA’s mission statement, which is to “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet the human needs in his name without discrimination.”
“Love for God is the heart of our calling,” Nathaniel said. “We are called to serve, and we will continue to serve. Our goal is to be a safe place for every individual who comes to us. We hope to build a strong and lasting relationship with people who trust us and partner with us in helping our community.
“We would like the community of Frankfort to see us as a place of worship, hope and belongingness. We would like to see families in our community enjoying life in all its fullness through transformative relationships with God, self, others and all creation.
“This will be done by resourcing the hope of individuals and families by protecting their access to basic needs ensuring sustainability, and encouraging the growth, of their quality of life.”
