This week we needed to donate as we could not fit in any volunteering, and we noticed that it was also the week when Salvation Army bell ringers were appearing all over town. We usually make a donation to the Salvation Army around this time of year, and we decided to do so again.
I have given to this organization for years, both in monetary donations and in donations of clothing and other good to their thrift stores, but I always just kind of assumed they were doing good work. I never really looked into it until now. I guess it is not surprising to find that this giant organization has a hand in almost every area of giving aid and succor to those who need it.
The Salvation Army was the brain child of a minister named William Booth in London starting around 1852. Booth saw that the conventional methods of church and pulpit were failing the desperately poor population of London's East End and instead decided to take his message to the streets. He set up a tent in a Quaker grave yard and began preaching sermons which were instantly successful. Thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, drunkards and paupers were converted to Christianity through Booth's message of hope and salvation. Unfortunately, these converts, because of their activities before conversion, were not readily accepted in the traditional church. Booth's response to this problem was to give his followers a different spiritual direction - to go out and save other like themselves. Soon, Booth's followers were also singing and preaching in the streets.
Booth's group grew very quickly. In 1867, he had only ten full time workers, but by 1874, that number had grown to over 1000 volunteers and 42 evangelists all serving under the name "The Christian Mission". Booth assumed the title of General Superintendent, but his followers just called him "General". They then took on the colloquial name "Hallelujah Army" as they spread though London and then into other cities. In 1878, booth was reading a printer's proof of an annual report when he noticed the phrase, "The Christian Mission is a volunteer army". He crossed out the word volunteer and wrote "Salvation Army" instead. The name stuck and the Booth's followers were known as soldiers of Christ or "Salvationists" from them on.
From 1878 to 1885, the Salvation Army grew by leaps and bounds, expanding throughout the U.K. to Ireland and Scotland, as well as into America, beginning in Philadelphia and quickly expanding to New York City. Sometimes these soldiers of Christ faced real battles as organized gangs mocked and attacked them, but they prevailed, eventually spreading to virtually every corner of the globe. Booth died in 1912 after seeing his venture succeed beyond his dreams and 17 more Generals have followed since, including the current one, Shaw Clifton, who runs the organization from the international headquarters in London.
Here in Chicago, the Salvation Army works diligently to help those in need. They sponsor food programs for young and old and those in between. They run housing programs. They run programs to assist convicts transition back to normal life after serving time. They offer a myriad of substance abuse recovery programs and are a loud, local voice in opposition to sex trafficking, including direct outreach to its victims. They offer many, many programs to foster community development including sessions to help develop character and leadership among young people. They run day camps and provide fellowship and worship opportunities. They run food pantries and offer other forms of emergency financial assistance. They run early childhood education programs and provide assistance and counseling to expectant mothers. In short, they address nearly every aspect of need, in body, mind, and spirit, that people in Chicago may have.
One particularly moving service that the Salvation Army provides is a prayer request service. The idea is that you tell them what you are praying for, and then many more people pray for the same thing. While I am undecided for myself about the power and effectiveness of prayer, it is still incredibly moving to visit the prayer website and see what people are asking for and to witness the power of their need. The webpage has a feed of texts that have been received and Facebook prayer requests, and it is a humbling experience to sit in the quiet of my secure, warm, well-stocked home on a Sunday morning and read entry after entry from people who are suffering, worried, insecure and fearful. It reminds me to be thankful for the many blessings I have been given and to keep at least a portion of my mind thinking about those who have not been given as much. It reminds me to be humble and not to take my safety and security for granted. If you are interested, you can see the prayer request page HERE.
Given the wide range of work that they do here in Chicago and around the world, Jen and I were proud to give them a donation, and we will probably continue to do so in the future. One note, however... I did look up the Chicago chapter of the Salvation Army on the Better Business Bureau website (they rate charities as well as businesses...), and found that the BBB could not report on them because the Salvation Army did not respond to requests for information. I usually like to check to see how well the charities we give to manage their money, and it is slightly unsettling that the SA would not provide that kind of information. Regardless, they still do a lot of good work, and we happy to support them.
To check out more about the Salvation Army, click HERE.
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