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The Salvation Army is a church!
If you do not have a regular church - give us a try.
Majors Bob & Audrey McClintock welcome you to join us!
You are welcome to worship with us each Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
Bible Class each Sunday at 10:00 A.M.
Join us for coffee, donuts, fellowship and THE WORD !
May God Bless You
I 'll bet there's more you didn't know . . . . .
I didn?t know that!
A Salvation Army Fact Sheet
There are 25,526 Salvation Army officers and 1,028,691 soldiers in the world today. They work in 107 countries, speak 175 languages and -- in the most basic, pragmatic ways -- offer practical support, spiritual comfort and a critical safety net to people in crisis.
A Church with its Sleeves Rolled Up
An itinerant preacher, William Booth discovered his ministry in the streets of London in 1865 during the Industrial Revolution. The Salvation Army is a Christian denomination, similar in creed to Methodism. It?s dedicated to practical as well as spiritual outreach. Some people have called it a church with its sleeves rolled up.
In the Poorest Neighborhoods
Booth?s early followers included alcoholics, reprobates and what some people in those days referred to as the ?wretched underclass,? many of whom lived in the degradation of extreme poverty. They were the ?poorest of the poor? in a time of workhouses, white slavery, child labor and deplorable squalor. So Booth built his congregation where he saw the greatest need -- in the slums of London?s East End. The Salvation Army has traditionally begun its ministry in the poorest neighborhoods.
The General
Booth?s title of ?general? originally referred to his title, General Superintendent. Militancy for social reform was strong among churches in the 1870?s. The song, ?Onward, Christian soldiers,? had been written. Booth?s Army -- always somewhat theatrical -- started wearing military surplus uniforms and developed a quasi-military command structure . There is one General of the International Salvation Army -- currently General John Larsson. General Evangeline Booth, the Founders? fourth daughter, led the organization from 1934 to 1939. General Eva Burrows was in charge from 1986 to 1993.
Early Women?s Lib
If William Booth was the Army?s father, his wife Catherine was its mother. Long before it was fashionable for a woman?s place to be anywhere but at home, she was a full partner and co-administrator of Army activities.
Falling Off the Wagon
The phrase ?fall off the wagon? has Salvation Army roots. Early in the 20th century, a Salvation Army wagon traveled through the streets picking up drunks. It was assumed anybody who ?fell off? on the way to detox was going back to the bottle. The Salvation Army has more beds for alcoholics than any other agency in the country.
Recycling
Seeing the misery of homeless alcoholics sleeping under London Bridge, Booth implored his son Bramwell to ?do something!? And Bramwell did. He opened a highly structured work therapy prototype of today?s Adult Rehabilitation Centers, which are ?spiritual programs with a recovery emphasis.? The Army has been in the recycling business ever since. These self-supporting programs are the basis of the Army?s well-known thrift store operations. Today there are 160 Adult Rehabilitation Centers in the United States and 1,629 thrift stores.
Pioneers
The Salvation Army helped promote the world?s first safety matches. Young women in London?s match factories developed an alarming rate of face cancer. ?Phossy Jaw? was caused by phosphorus in the match heads. Booth opened his own factory with a safer product. The Army has pioneered many programs.
Sharing Christmas
Early in his ministry, after a sumptuous Christmas family dinner, Booth went into the streets of London and was appalled by the poverty he saw. He vowed never again to spend a holiday without sharing it.
?Soup, Soap and Salvation?--
This was a commonly used Salvation Army motto in the early days. Salvationists have always believed people can?t deal with long-range problems until they have food and a clean place to sleep.
An International Organization
Salvation Army officers and soldiers today are working with the poor in over 107 countries, including victims of the earthquakes in El Salvador and India, and HIV+ babies abandoned in a government hospital in St. Petersburg.
Worldwide Statistics
The Salvation Army operates 2,203 feeding centers throughout the world, 274 addiction rehabilitation centers, 140 emergency lodges, 47 homes for the disabled, 202 homes for the elderly, 596 nurseries, 622 kindergartens, 963 primary and middle schools, 183 secondary and high schools, 7,060 vocational training schools, 43 generalist and specialist hospitals, 300 mobile clinics?
The Largest Kitchen
San Francisco has the largest Salvation Army kitchen in the country. From here, more than 120,000 meals are prepared for seniors annually including a Meals That Heal home delivery food service to elderly and disabled people unable to leave their rooms. In a disaster, officials estimate the kitchen could serve up to 30,000 meals in 24 hours.
Doughnut Girls
Salvation Army Doughnut Girls served on the front lines in France during World War I. They wrote letters home, darned socks, served doughnuts, sewed on buttons, provided counseling and companionship to American soldiers -- many of them away from home for the first time. Doughnuts were made with improvised tin can cutters. All doughnuts were free.
Today, the Army still receives donations saying ?You helped my husband during the war, you served coffee and sandwiches to our firefighters in a disaster, you gave our family groceries and financial assistance when we were in trouble. Thank you for helping.?
Emergency Relief
The Salvation Army turned over its entire national resources of $4 million dollars to help survivors of San Francisco?s 1906 fire and earthquake. Thanks to the Bay Area generosity after the 1985 earthquake, a Salvation Army clinic now stands in one of Mexico City?s poorest barrios. After the Loma Prieta earthquake, the Army built Silvercrest housing for displaced seniors in Santa Cruz and Harbor House transitional housing for homeless families in San Francisco. In 2001 The Salvation Army provided an open-air medical clinic for victims of the earthquake in El Salvador and distributed thousands of food packages and hot meals to displaced persons and women from the church cooked approximately 500 meals a day. The Salvation Army?s Emery Hospital from Anand, India, provided assistance to earthquake victims with medical relief efforts in cooperation with other medical staff in the city.
Being Prepared
The Army?s disaster services fall into three categories -- immediate relief, recovery and restoration. The Salvation Army?s PrepGuide is a comprehensive emergency package, which can be held by magnets on a refrigerator door. Originally designed for low-income seniors, it is now available to households and businesses throughout the country.
In the Middle of the Forest in the Middle of the Night
Quite often the only vehicles allowed near the fire lines, The Salvation Army?s mobile kitchen canteens and vans make regular runs to take sandwiches, soft drinks, fruit and sundries to firefighters who may have been working long hours without a break. There are more than 662 Salvation Army canteens and mobile units in the world today.
The First Christmas Kettle
The first time the Army used a kettle
to collect funds for Christmas was in
San Francisco. In December, 1891,
Captain Joseph McFee had no money
to give a Christmas dinner for the poor.
Desperate, he put a huge empty soup kettle
on the street in front of the Ferry Building
at the foot of Market. ?Keep the kettle boiling,? said the sign. The coins he collected
bought groceries for dinner and started a tradition that continues throughout the world.