BANGOR – Josh Lyle’s grandfather grew up in the city, with five siblings in a family struggling to make ends meet. He had little on his plate and even fewer opportunities, until one day when his aunt brought him to The Salvation Army.

“They came for services and became connected,” Josh Lyle said of his grandfather Leroy Lyle.

Leroy Lyle became an active officer with The Salvation Army, his five boys became active officers, and three of his grandchildren are active officers.

“Now we’re coming back to the town where it all began,” Josh Lyle said.

Lyle, 29, and his wife, Catherine or “Cat,” 36, of Derry, N.H., are the new captains for the local Salvation Army Community Worship Center at 65 South Park St.

Both grew up in Salvation Army families, and each felt drawn to the ministry.

“It becomes a lifestyle when you’re helping other people,” Cat Lyle said. “I felt God wanted me to become more active and step up to the plate and take action serving others.”

The couple married nine years ago, have two young children and spent the last seven years in New Hampshire setting up a new branch of The Salvation Army in Derry.

“It’s not a handout. It’s a hand up,” Josh Lyle said. “You never know what you’re going to become. It’s interesting to be a product of what we’re trying to give.”

The first goal of the duo, who took their posts at the end of June, is to get to know the city and assess its unmet needs. And there are needs, Josh Lyle said.

“There were 210,000 served through The Salvation Army last year, and that’s just here in Bangor,” he said. “There is a lot of people who have worked and preceded us. Our challenge is to continue that and to build – to go deeper into the community.”

Every time people give to The Salvation Army by volunteering time or by making donations, they are partnering with the organization to help their neighbors, Josh Lyle said.

Donors “can give with confidence knowing that when they put that dollar into the red bucket … we’re going to put it to the best use,” he said. “Everything raised in Bangor stays in Bangor.”

Most people know The Salvation Army runs a thrift store on Broadway in Bangor, but many are unaware of the 11 a.m. Sunday worship and monthly youth groups, both of which are Christian-based, and the daily soup kitchen, all at the worship center. The soup kitchen serves an average 100 people daily and is supported by several organizations, other churches and individuals who purchase the food and volunteer their time to cook and serve it.

While the ministry is a big part of The Salvation Army, “there are no conditions with our services,” Cat Lyle stressed.

Other programs include the Kid’s Club, a free after-school program the couple started that provides character-building, homework help and snacks, and the teen PowerHouse activity center, which opens Fridays to give teenagers a safe place to hang out.

“Oftentimes people think The Salvation Army is only for the poor,” Cat Lyle said. “[However,] wherever there is a need is where we want to be.”

And the work doesn’t stop at the city line. The Bangor facility manages 11 core branches and 96 service units, which means that 15 percent of the state’s Salvation Army programs are run out of their office.

“In Derry, we were the founding fathers,” Cat Lyle said. “In Bangor, we’re building upon what the founding fathers, including the Burrs, have done,” referring to the couple’s predecessors, Douglas and Deborah Burr.

Bangor’s program is well-run, and “that’s a credit to them,” she said.

The more partners The Salvation Army has, the more services the ministry can provide, Cat Lyle said, adding: “We do what we do because of the love of God.”