2. What do you know about The Salvation Army?2

3. This slide shows the results of some research conducted by a company called nfp Synergy which carries out research for charities and not-for-profit organisations. This research was to find out what members of the general public knew about The Salvation Army. They were asked to choose three words which came to mind when they thought about The Salvation Army. The largest words were the ones people said most often, whilst the smallest words were mentioned least often. Ask the group what they think about the words people chose. Are they surprised about any of them? What three words would they have chosen?
*Research by nfpSynergy, May 2009 3

4. ‘The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love
‘The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.’
The Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:13
People may know lots of different things about The Salvation Army, but at the heart of all that the organisation is and does are faith, hope and love. These three words can sum up what The Salvation Army is all about. One of the first Christians, Paul, who wrote letters to the first Christian churches, said that the most important things to have in life were faith, hope and love. This presentation shows how The Salvation Army is expressing faith hope and love in practical ways. 4

5. The Salvation Army is…
a Christian church which strongly believes in putting its beliefs into action.
a registered charity.
one of the largest and most diverse provider of social care in the UK and Ireland (after the government).

6. The Salvation Army’s Mission Statement
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.
Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination.
This is The Salvation Army’s International Mission Statement. 6

7. Faith and The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Christian Church which strongly believes in putting faith into action. Everything The Salvation Army does is motivated by faith in God, and inspired by the message and example of Jesus. 7

8. Churches More than 700 Salvation Army churches in the UK and Ireland.
More than 15,000 in the world.
Protestant denomination.
Similar to Methodist Church but with some unique military-style features. 8

9. Churches Most Salvation Army churches are also community centres.
Support and activities include lunch clubs for older people, parent-and-toddler groups and kids and youth clubs. 9

10. Worship Worship services take place on Sundays. Everyone is welcome.
Services can include singing, listening to music, Bible readings and teaching, prayers, dance and drama.
There is no set liturgy - worship can vary from church to church.
Worship services take place on Sundays. They are open to anyone and usually include songs and music, Bible readings and prayers, and sometimes dance, art and drama. There is no set weekly liturgy so worship is quite free and can vary a lot from church to church. Freedom of expression and participation from the congregation is encouraged. The variety of styles of worship you would find in Salvation Army churches is growing all the time. 10

11. Beliefs
Similar to other mainstream Christian Churches –doctrines (statements of faith) are based on the Methodist ones.
Strong focus on putting faith into action and on the Bible as the basis of faith.
Belief that everyone is valuable because they are created and loved by God. 11

12. Hope and The Salvation Army
Part of The Salvation Army’s mission is to try to bring hope to people and to communities. Members of The Salvation Army believe in working to make this world a better place and giving everyone a chance to live life to the full. 12

13. Support for children and families
Parent-and-toddler groups, nurseries, parenting classes.
Breakfast clubs and after-school clubs.
Family rehabilitation centres.
Safe houses.
Family Tracing Service.

14. Work with young people
Street work - reaching young people at risk of falling into prostitution, drugs and crime.
Youth clubs, drop-in centres and holiday schemes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families.

15. Tackling homelessness
One of the biggest providers of services to homeless people in UK & Ireland.
More than just food and shelter.
Purpose and relationships are key.
Provide training in life skills, and support with gaining qualifications and finding work. 15

16. Tackling homelessness
More than 80 Homeless Projects including:
62 Single Homeless Residential centres.
11 Families and Young People centres.
16 Day/Outreach services.
More than 3000 people stay with The Salvation Army each night.
The centres (called Lifehouses) and programmes help people to deal with any problems they have such as addictions or health issues. They also provide training in life skills such as cooking, as well as support with learning new skills, gaining qualifications and finding work. Most importantly, The Salvation Army tries to help people find purpose, meaning, and good relationships. They believe this is the key to helping people who have no hope in life to feel that they are worth something, to rebuild their confidence and self-esteem, and have a positive future to look forward to. 16

17. Hope in communities
Living and working in poor areas and helping to transform communities.
Running youth clubs and mentoring programmes for young people.
The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland has a whole range of different programmes to help people in difficult situations find hope in life. Its work includes:
deliberately living and working in poor communities in order to understand and respond to people’s needs and help people find ways out of poverty (614s and many other Salvation Army churches)
running youth clubs which provide safe places for young people to go, engaging activities and support and mentoring. The Salvation Army also runs some programmes in school which mentor and support young people. 17

18. International work
The Salvation Army works in more than 125 countries.
Helping people to find ways out of poverty.
Disaster relief and rehabilitation.
Fighting against human trafficking
and other forms of injustice.
See for information about some of The Salvation Army’s international development projects, or for more about The Salvation Army’s international work. 18

19. Love and The Salvation Army
Members of The Salvation Army believe the most important thing they should do is to love God and love others, especially the least important people in society and those who have been forgotten by others. 19

20. Love in action Simple, practical actions and social care programmes.
Caring for people who are on the margins of society.
Providing places where everyone feels welcome and can belong.
Caring for people who are on the margins of society – rough sleepers, asylum seekers and refugees, and many others.
Street teams who offer a listening ear and practical help and advice to anyone who needs it. 20

21. Caring for people in need
Emergency work – providing hot drinks, food and comfort to emergency workers and victims.
Providing food parcels and toys at Christmas to families in need.
Visiting prisoners and supporting their families.
Giving practical support in emergencies. The Salvation Army has special emergency vans which give out food and hot drinks and teams who provide support and care for victims and emergency workers. They often offer their churches and centres as emergency shelters after a fire or flood.
Visiting prisoners to offer a listening ear, running prayer and Alpha groups in prisons. Supporting families of prisoners.
Providing meals and toys and gifts to families who need extra support at Christmas, and food parcels throughout the year. 21

22. Care for older people
Lunch clubs providing meals and friendship for those who find it difficult to cook for themselves
Residential care homes for those who can no longer live on their own
Christmas Day meals for people who may not have family 22

23. How did The Salvation Army begin?
The Salvation Army was founded in the East End of London almost 150 years ago by William and Catherine Booth.
William was a Methodist minister who felt strongly that he should do something to help the poor and needy.

24. How did The Salvation Army begin?
William Booth began by preaching to people on the streets of London, but soon realised that he needed to address their physical as well as their spiritual needs. Booth and his wife, Catherine, set up soup kitchens, cheap breakfasts for children, and shelters for the homeless. Later, he developed a whole programme of social reform.

25. How did The Salvation Army begin?
People were inspired by Booth’s preaching and social action, and by the idea of an Army ‘fighting’ against poverty and injustice.
The Salvation Army grew rapidly, as both a church and a charity, and now works in more than 125 countries.

26. In 1912, just a few months before he died, William Booth is reported to have included these words in a speech in the Royal Albert Hall.
Find out more about the history of The Salvation Army by visiting 26

27. Find out more
Visit to find out more about The Salvation Army’s work and motivation.
Contact or visit your local Salvation Army to see what they do in the community.
and request an information pack. 27

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