The Salvation Army - In the Beginning

The Salvation Army was founded by William Booth.  As a young "methodist preacher", he focused not on the church going people, but on the people who were not yet Christians.  He also focused on the people who lived in suburbs, which caused the Church on Sundays to be full of vagrants and poor workers. 
Because the "decent" people were not happy with this, Booth was questioned.
In the end, Booth had no other choice than to form his own movement.
In 1864, Booth together with his wife, began a mission called: "The Christion Misson" in London's East End.  Later in 1878, they renamed this to "The Salvation Army".  In 1887 the Salvation Army arrived in the Netherlands.  There was much hostility towards the first Salvation soldiers.  The unorthodox methods (open-air gatherings, uniforms, christian songs adapted with worldly melodies) en radical
preachings often was the reason behind small riots.

During the winter of 1890, the opinion of the Dutch people had changed.
During that awful winter, many homeless and poor people greatly suffered due to the extreme cold.  The Salvation Army offered food and shelter in their buildings during their Sunday services. 
In 1897, the Salvation Army followed their calling to Hilversum.  Many residents found it unnecessary at the time that the Salvation Army wanted to be locally active.  The Corps Soldiers naturally disagreed, as pointed out in older documents:
"Drugs, brutality, misschief and disbelief are found here just as much as in any big city."  "The evenings gatherings, are night after night, immensely visited by many out of curiosity, but also by many out of pure interest in the gospel.
(.......) Soon the first initiation of soldiers will take place."

The scepticism of the locals, however, won over the enthusiasm of the soldiers.
"All the efforts seemed to be making absolutely no headway."  Thats what the documents show. "There was a horrible friction and a Godless mess. The soldiers were not sure for their lives"

Page 1  -  Next