History of The Salvation Army

Many people have donated time, items or money to The Salvation Army enabling it to help many people. The Salvation Army has grown rapidly over the years and assists people in more than one hundred nations, but the type of organization it is today was not the original goal of founder William Booth.

Founder William Booth's Background

William Booth worked in a pawnbroker’s shop at the youthful age of thirteen and became brutally aware of the poverty around him. He became a Christian and eventually a Methodist minister, but felt that he was not reaching the people that needed to find faith the most.

Minister Booth was anxious to spread the word of Christ and convert impoverished people to his faith. He hoped to increase his congregation while he helped the poor. Few vagrants came to his church and those that did were not welcome by the general congregation who did not feel comfortable rubbing shoulders with the riffraff or being in the company of poorly dressed people who often smelled pretty bad!

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Moving Out of His Church

Eventually Booth decided that if the poor could not come to his church so opened a church especially for them. In the beginning, he preached in a tent. He opened the East London Christian Mission, whichhis son originally called a volunteer army, but Booth felt he was not a volunteer, but rather a man doing what God destined. Thus, he called his following The Salvation Army in 1878. The Salvation Army grew and developed into an organization with officers spreading God’s word and performing helpful acts for the needy. The Salvation Army provided social services, ran units during World War II, and supplied food and other services needed by the poor and injured. The Salvation Army provided support for women and youth as it helped people of all sexes and ages battle sin and become better people.

The Salvation Army Today

Currently, The Salvation Army exists in more than one hundred nations and continues to spread the word of God and promote Christian ideals. Although The Salvation Army attains many worthwhile accomplishments, recently it is helping with aid in Haiti by providing physicians, food, and other much needed services. Traditionally, it has provided help for a wide variety of disasters. The Army is also responsible for helping to create the Kroc Facility in Augusta, Georgia which will be a community based activity center in a poor area and also create many jobs. Additionally, The Salvation Army constantly raises funds by itself and with corporate sponsors so that it can benefit those who need help.

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