What is The Salvation Army?
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.
What is the War Cry?
The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.
EVERY day of the year, The Salvation Army helps and supports people right round the world.
The church and charity was first established in 1865 in the East End of London, but within 20 years, it had started work in mainland Europe, America, Australia and India, living out its particular brand of practical Christianity.
Abdon Ercolani encountered a Salvation Army church in Italy in the 1890s. Described as having been ‘a bit of a bandit’, Abdon was drawn to the service by the singing he heard. While in the service he ‘received the assurance’ that God had forgiven him and he decided to become a member of The Salvation Army. However, Abdon’s new zeal for his faith was not widely welcomed within his community, and he needed the help of the organisation to move to England to start a new life with his family.
As we report in this week’s War Cry, The Salvation Army continued to support the Ercolani family, providing employment for Abdon’s son Lucian as a messenger boy and as a worker in a joinery department. With the skills Lucian developed there while also studying design, he went on to establish the furniture-making company Ercol, which has sold its products in the UK and worldwide for more than 100 years.
‘The Salvation Army is a very significant part of our evolution,’ Edward Tadros – Lucian’s grandson and, until recently, chairman of Ercol – tells us.
When The Salvation Army helped Lucian and his family all those years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine what the outcome would be, just as today there is no knowing what impact the support provided by the Christian organisation will have. Sometimes that help will result in dramatic positive change, while at other times the results may be harder to see.
But every day, The Salvation Army will continue to help those it can –because it knows that every individual is loved and valued by God, who wants to see them living a full, rewarding and purpose-filled life.