SALISBURY — The Salvation Army of Rowan County has new leadership.

Capts. Karl and Janice Dahlin have been appointed to lead the agency by the Salvation Army North and South Carolina Division.

Before coming to Salisbury, the Dahlins managed the Salvation Army chapter in Montgomery County, Maryland.

In Salisbury, the succeed Capts. Bobby and Nakisha Carr, who are now assigned to the Solomon G. Brown Corps in Washington, D.C.

Salvation Army officers serve with chapters from one to five years, although the average is four.

Originally from Chesterfield, Virginia, Karl Dahlin has been a Salvation Army officer for 14 years.

The Dahlins served as officers in Norfolk, Virginia, for two years; Covington, Virginia, for five years; Danville, Virginia, for five years; and Montgomery County, Maryland, for two years.

Janice Dahlin is originally from Florida and has had additional appointments in McColmb, Mississippi, and the National & Capital Division Headquarters in Washington.

“We are falling in love with Salisbury. It’s just a great place,” Karl Dahlin said this week. “The people have been very welcoming.”

Dahlin said he and his wife are surveying Salvation Army resources and facilities and will rely on the local advisory board for insight and direction as they work to make a difference in the lives of residents.

“We’ve seen a couple of things that we think are possibilities. We want to work with the local board, leaders in the community and people who know the community and know what needs to be done,” Dahlin said. “That’s why we rely on them — to translate the local needs so we can lead Salvation Army programs that benefit our community as much as possible.”

With music as one of his great loves, Dahlin has been instrumental in helping facilitate music camps and conservatories for at-risk children. The Dahlins met while working at one of the camps.

Several children from the Salisbury area are attending a four-week Salvation Army music camp.

“It really is one of those things that gives you a real blessing … when you see a kid learn how to play and go on to play and maybe get a scholarship,” said Dahlin, who plays the euphonium, otherwise known as a baritone horn.

The Dahlins both attended Salvation Army summer camps in their youth.

“God placed a calling in our lives to serve in his name through the Salvation Army that served a vital role in making us responsible and productive adults,” said Janice Dahlin.

The Dahlins have two children, Abigail, 14, and Nathan, 10.