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The
Salvation Army
Mediaman director, Greg Tingle and Savlation
Army - Bondi Beach 2008
The
Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church
that is internally organised like a military service.
Its founders William and Catherine Booth sought
to bring Christian salvation to the poor, destitute
and hungry by meeting both their physical and
spiritual needs.
The
Salvation Army was founded in London's East End
in the year 1865 by one-time Methodist minister
William Booth. Originally, Booth named the organization
the Christian Mission, but in 1878 Booth reorganized
the mission along military lines when his son
Bramwell objected to being called a volunteer
and stated that he was a regular or nothing. The
name then became The Salvation Army.
The
Salvation Army is both a charity and social services
organization; and a part of the Christian church.
One of its stated objectives is:
The advancement of the Christian religion as promulgated
in the religious doctrines . . . which are professed,
believed and taught by the Army and, pursuant
there to, the advancement of education, the relief
of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial
to society or the community of mankind as a whole.
The
international headquarters is at 101 Queen Victoria
Street, London, England, with branches around
the world. It is sometimes colloquially referred
to as the "Sally Ann" in Canada and
the "Sally Army" in the United Kingdom
New Zealand and "Salvo's" in Australia.
The
Salvation Army operates in 111 countries and provides
services in 175 different languages.. For administrative
purposes, the organization divides itself geographically
into Territories, which are then sub-divided into
Divisions. Each Territory has an administrative
hub known as Territorial Headquarters (THQ). Likewise,
each Division has a Divisional Headquarters (DHQ).
For example, Japan is one territory, the United
States is divided into four Territories: Eastern,
Southern, Central, and Western while Germany &
Lithuania together are one territory. Each of
these Territories is led by a Territorial Commander
who receives orders from the Salvation Army's
International Headquarters in London.
The
Salvation Army is one of the world's largest providers
of social aid, with expenditures including operating
costs of $2.6 billion in 2004, helping more than
32 million people in the US alone. In addition
to community centers and disaster relief, the
organization does work in refugee camps, especially
among displaced people in Africa. The Salvation
Army has received an A- rating from the American
Institute of Philanthropy.
Its
claimed membership includes more than 17,000 active
and more than 8,700 retired officers, 1 041 461
soldiers, around 100,000 other employees and more
than 4.5 million volunteers. Members of the Salvation
Army are also the so-called adherents, who do
not sign the document to become soldier but who
do see the Salvation Army as their church and
who do not wear uniform. The truth is that the
membership is much smaller, since inactive soldiers
are rarely removed from the rolls. It is led by
General Shaw Clifton, who has held this position
since April 2, 2006 after the 2006 High Council
elected him as the next General January 28, 2006.
According to the 2006 Salvation Army Year Book,
in the United States there are 85,148 Senior Soldiers
and 28,377 Junior Soldiers, 17,396 Adherents and
around 60,000 employees.
In
2004, the Army in the United States received a
$1.6 billion donation in the will of Joan B. Kroc,
third wife of former McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc.
This donation was among the largest individual
philanthropic gifts ever given to a single organization.
The donation came with certain restrictions that
were met with some controversy.
Disaster
Relief
The
Salvation Army's first major forays into Disaster
Relief resulted from the tragedies of the Galveston
Hurricane of 1900 and the San Francisco earthquake
of 1906. The Salvationists' nationwide appeals
for financial and material donations yielded tremendous
support, enabling the Army to provide assistance
to thousands. General Evangeline Booth, when she
offered the services of Salvationists to President
Wilson during the First World War thrust Salvation
Army social and relief work to newer heights.
Today the Salvation Army is best known for its
charitable efforts.
The
Salvation Army is a prominent non-governmental
relief agency and is usually among the first to
arrive with help after natural or man-made disasters.
They have worked to alleviate suffering and help
people rebuild their lives. After the Indian Ocean
tsunami in 2004, they arrived immediately at some
of the worst disaster sites to help retrieve and
bury the dead. Since then they have helped rebuild
homes and construct new boats for people to recover
their livelihood. Members were prominent among
relief organizations after Hurricane Hugo and
Hurricane Andrew and other such natural disasters
in the United States. In August 2005 they supplied
drinking water to poor people affected by the
heat wave in the United States. Later in 2005
they responded to hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Most recently they have helped the victims of
the May 2006 Indonesian Earthquake.
In
the year since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf
Coast, The Salvation Army has allocated donations
of more than $365 million to serve more than 1.7
million people in nearly every state. The Army’s
immediate response to Hurricane Katrina included
the mobilization of more than 178 canteen feeding
units and 11 field kitchens which together have
served more than 5.7 million hot meals, 8.3 million
sandwiches, snacks & drinks. Its SATERN network
of amateur ham-radio operators picked up where
modern communications left off to help locate
more than 25,000 survivors. And, Salvation Army
pastoral care counselors were on hand to comfort
the emotional and spiritual needs of 277,000 individuals.
As part of the overall effort, Salvation Army
officers, employees and volunteers have contributed
more than 900,000 hours of service.
The
Salvation Army was one of the first relief agencies
on the scene of the 9/11 attacks in New York.
They also provided prayer support for families
of missing people.
The
Salvation Army, along with the American National
Red Cross, Southern Baptist Convention, and other
disaster relief organizations, are national members
of the National Voluntary Organizations Active
in Disaster (NVOAD).
Also
among the disaster relief capabilities is the
Red Shield Defence Services, often called the
SallyMan for short. The effort that they put in
is similar to that of a chaplain, and reaches
many more, offering cold drinks, hot drinks, and
some biscuits and lollies for the soldiers of
the military to have, though, if a SallyMan is
on deployment, the locals are offered a share
in the produce. Despite this generousity, the
RSDS is generally unnoticed because it only works
in disaster relief and military actions, not general
welfare opportunities.
Red
Shield Appeal
The
Red Shield Appeal is The Salvation Army's ways
of raising money. Each year, hundreds of thousands
of people take to the streets worldwide to participate
in the doorknock weekend. Each year, several million
dollars are raised in each territory alone.
(Credit:
Wikipedia).
Websites
The
Salvation Army (Australia)
The
Salvation Army (international)
Profiles
Charity
Social
and Community Entrepreneurs
Mediaman does not represent The Salvation
Army, however has participated in a number of
Salvation Army initiatives and is a pro active
supporter
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