Salvation Army Founder’s Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Salvation Army

William Booth was born in Nottingham, England, on April 10, 1829. Booth's father apprenticed him to a pawnbroker when he was 13 years old due to his family's dire financial circumstances.

The Salvation Army celebrates its Founder’s Day on April 10 at all of its outposts around the world. The Salvation Army is a worldwide charitable organisation affiliated with the Christian Church. The Salvation Army provides numerous services throughout the globe, including emergency response and social work. It is one of its missions to meet human requirements without bias. The Salvation Army, which was founded by William Booth in 1865 and is now active in 132 countries with millions of members, has spread from London to many parts of the globe.

The background of Salvation Army Founder’s Day

William Booth was born in Nottingham, England, on April 10, 1829. Booth’s father apprenticed him to a pawnbroker when he was 13 years old due to his family’s dire financial circumstances. Booth experienced a religious conversion two years later. He began to read extensively and educate himself in writing and speaking before becoming a local Methodist preacher.

Booth was unemployed when his apprenticeship ended in 1848, and he moved to London and found employment as a pawnbroker the following year. Booth joined the Methodist Reform Church in 1851, and on his 23rd birthday, he left his job as a pawnbroker to become a full-time preacher at the church’s headquarters. Booth married Catherine Mumford, a Methodist Reform Church member, in 1855. Booth and Catherine founded The Christian Revival Society in London’s East End in 1865; it was later renamed the Christian Mission. The focus of their meetings was to teach people about the message of Jesus Christ in a manner they could understand, while also addressing their material needs. They desired to reach those who were rejected by traditional congregations, such as the poor and disadvantaged.

The Christian Mission changed its name to The Salvation Army in 1878. A year later, Amos Shirley laboured unofficially for The Salvation Army and travelled to Philadelphia in the United States. Booth decided to send a small party, including George Scott Railton and seven others, to New York in 1880 to officially launch The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army expanded to Australia in the same year. In 1881, Booth’s eldest daughter Catherine Booth-Clibborn, also known as la Maréchale, convened the first meetings in Paris. International expansion was rapid and proceeded into additional nations. Booth’s strategy was to attempt to work alongside people in a manner that was culturally appropriate, combining service and evangelism.

5 Interesting Salvation Army Facts

Booth was persuaded to preach in 1865 and given a plot of land on which to preach. The fact that it was located in a cemetery did not deter him.

The Salvation Army adopted a structure resembling the military. Booth was the organisation’s first ‘General,’ his ministers were ‘officers,’ and the remaining members were’soldiers.’

Between 1892 and 1910, the Limelight Department of the Salvation Army was one of Australia’s first film production units, playing a prominent role in the country’s film industry’s pioneering and development.

The Salvation Army assists individuals 365 days per year.

Since 1885, they have offered a ‘Family Tracing Service’ to assist reunite family members who have lost contact.