The Salvation Army in Canada (nicknamed "Sally Ann"; French: Armée du salut) is the administrative division of The Salvation Army, a Christian church, serving Canada and Bermuda. The Salvation Army was formed in 1865 in London, England, and it began working in Canada in 1882. Today, it operates in 400 communities across Canada and Bermuda.[2] The Salvation Army Archives are in Toronto, and the Salvation Army's Training College (formerly in Toronto) is in Winnipeg.
The Territorial Commander (TC) and Chief Secretary are appointed by the General. Their role is to oversee and administer the work of The Salvation Army within their territory. They are assisted by various other Secretaries (departmental heads) who are, in turn, responsible for overseeing their various branches of Army activity.
The Territorial Commander is responsible for the territory's overall operation and mission, and the Chief Secretary is responsible for the territory's administration and daily operations. Senior executive officers are, on the recommendation of the Territorial Commander, also appointed by the General. All other officer appointments within a territory are the responsibility of the Territorial Commander and the Cabinet.
The Salvation Army in Canada is a non-governmental direct provider of social services in the areas of homelessness, poverty and addiction, and a continuing support for programs in developing countries. In addition to mobile programs such as disaster relief, and homeless soup lines, the Salvation Army in Canada currently operates permanent facilities including corps community centers (churches), Social Services Centers, summer camps, Adult Rehabilitation Centers, and thrift stores.
History
1st Salvation Army meeting in Canada Plaque, Stayner's Wharf, Halifax, Nova Scotia
En route to England, George Scott Railton stopped at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and held the first Salvation Army meeting in Canada on March 24, 1881. He was so engaged in his sermon that he missed his boat to England. He preached in Halifax for the following week at various Halifax churches, and a year later, the Salvation Army was officially established in Canada.
The Salvation Army began operating in Canada in 1882. Brigadier Gideon Miller (1866-1949), Staff Architect for the Salvation Army in Canada from April 1906 until 1931, designed meeting halls (often called 'citadels'), hospitals and hostels in cities and towns across Canada.[3]
In 1886, only four years after it had come to Canada from England, the Salvation Army built its Territorial Headquarters for Canada and Bermuda. It also housed the Toronto Temple, built in 1886 and demolished in 1954.
Arnold Brown (December 13, 1913 – June 26, 2002), the 11th General of The Salvation Army (1977–1981), served as Territorial Commander in 1974. Brown compiled a history of the first 50 years of Salvation Army ministry in Canada, entitled What Hath God Wrought?.
Canadian Staff Band
The massed bands of the Salvation Army, Canada performed at Massey Hall in Toronto in 1910 In Memoriam King Edward VIICanadian Sailors serving HMCS Toronto sort Hurricane Katrina disaster relief supplies at a Salvation Army warehouse
Beginning in the 1880s, Salvation Army brass bands began to be established in Canada, copying similar trends in the United Kingdom at the time. In 1888, Territorial Commander Thomas Coombs issued an advertisement for Salvation Army bandsmen to form a "Household Troops" band, which would eventually become the first Canadian Staff Band.[4]: 4–6
In May of 1914, the Canadian Staff Band departed Toronto for an International Congress of The Salvation Army in London, England. The band was travelling on the RMS Empress of Ireland when it sank in the Saint Lawrence River shortly after its departure from Quebec City.[4]: 28 While a group of survivors briefly attempted to reform the band in 1917, the band eventually ceased to exist.[4]: 35
In 1969, the Canadian Staff Band was revived under the leadership of bandmaster Major Norman Bearcroft.[4]: 40-41 The band participates in most major territorial events, has recorded many albums, and frequently visits local Salvation Army churches across Canada and Bermuda, and abroad.[4]: 105
Canadian members
Evangeline Booth served as the Territorial Commander of Canada from 1901 to 1904
Clarence Wiseman (June 19, 1907 – May 4, 1985) was the 10th General of The Salvation Army from 1974 to 1977
Arnold Brown (December 13, 1913 – June 26, 2002) was the 11th General of The Salvation Army from 1977 to 1981
Salvation Army buildings
Alberta
Salvation Army Citadel in Calgary, Alberta, 1st Street East near 7th Avenue, c. 1920
British Columbia
Salvation Army in Kelowna
Cascade Community Church in Abbotsford
The Center of Hope in Abbotsford
Chilliwack Community Church in Chilliwack
Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre in Victoria
Sunset Lodge in Victoria
High Point Community Church in Victoria
Connections Point Church and Resource Centre in Langford
Salvation Army Citadels in Toronto, Ontario: Davenport Road, 1907 Dovercourt Road, 1910; Lisgar Street, 1911; Parliament Street at Coatsworth Street, 1912; Dufferin Street near St. Clair Avenue West, 1921
Salvation Army Men's Hostel, Victoria Street at Dundas Street East, Toronto, Ontario 1909
lodging house for the Salvation Army, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario 1913
Booth Memorial Training College & Home, Davisville Avenue, Toronto, Ontario 1915
Brown, Arnold What Hath God Wrought?: a history of the first 50 years of Salvation Army ministry in Canada. Toronto, Ontario, 1997
Eason, Andrew M. Women in God's Army: Gender and Equality in the Early Salvation Army. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2003. ISBN0-88920-418-7
Moyles, R. G. Blood And Fire in Canada: A History of the Salvation Army in the Dominion 1882-1976 (Ottawa, Ontario) Call Number Peake 361.M.11.0
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