The Work of Thieves and Prostitutes

The Salvation Army is up to great things! Recently, the Sal lent many hands to help sort out the disarray caused by the March 11^th earthquake in Japan.  Further, the Salvation Army aids in programs aimed to make the world we live in a better place.

This betterment started around 1852 when William Booth left the traditional pulpit and set forth as a traveling evangelist in England. Preaching and converting willing ears to Christianity were Booth’s first priorities, and by 1874 he had about 1,000 volunteers under his guidance. His pursuits were not without strife. Many congregations were unwilling to accept Booth’s efforts because great sums of his converts were “thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards”.

Regardless, the Hallelujah Army (a name given to “General” Booth and his followers) spread the message across London. During the years of 1881 and 1885, 250,000 people converted to the cause and Christ under the new namesake The Salvation Army.

Overseas in America, the Sal didn’t gain a foothold until 1880 when Lieutenant Eliza Shirley stressed a call to action, sending word to Booth back in England. That same year, Commissioner George Scott Raiton and company held a meeting in New York. Lo! The mockery didn’t end in England! The Salvationists were met with bitter reluctance upon arriving in America, yet they overcame adversity and arrests, eventually expanding operations to a handful of states.

Credit is not properly given without mentioning Booth’s wife and co-founder of the Salvation Army, Catherine. Today, The Salvation Army is active and participating in charitable work in 124 countries. The organization pays it forward tenfold by helping the less fortunate and making meaningful contributions to communities all over the globe.

So do like Kevin Spacey and pay it forward! Volunteering in the smallest ventures is better than not volunteering at all! A little help can go along way and putting a smile on another’s face is better than any form of material compensation.

**Historical information is credited to The Salvation Army website. For more information check it out!