Next weekend is Founders’ Day in The Salvation Army—a day when we commemorate the contribution of our early mission pioneers and consider how their example can inspire us today.
I’ve been re-reading Fight the Good Fight, a history of the first 100 years of The Salvation Army in New Zealand, by Cyril Bradwell. One of the chapters looks at the development of Salvation Army social work after World War II. Bradwell describes innovative practices in the fields of aged care, addiction services, emergency and longer-term accommodation, support for young mothers, help for families in crisis, and the provision of employment and training schemes. All of these activities continue in various incarnations today, as the Army continues to adapt its services to the needs and opportunities of the 21st century.
Bradwell reminds his readers that every Salvationist is ‘saved to serve’ and points out how far The Salvation Army has come from its early social work, first carried out voluntarily in New Zealand by Mrs Rudman and Mrs Hawker of Wellington and the Brownlie sisters of Dunedin in the early 1880s. He pays tribute to the many dedicated souls willing to pay the price of caring throughout our history.
When I was younger, there was a time when I looked at other churches not so heavily involved in social service provision and thought ‘how nice’ it would be to ‘just be a church’—fully focused on telling people about Jesus and helping people grow in their devotion to him. But over the years, I’ve come to see what an insipid and thoroughly unbiblical church this would be, for the biblical mandate is clearly that faith and practical works of service go together. As James wrote: ‘… faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead’ (2:17).
I pray that today’s Salvation Army will continue to breathe life into its bones through a continued commitment to a ministry of care. That we won’t see this as a distraction from our mission, but as the very heart of Christ’s work.
Christina Tyson
Editor
1 Corinthians 15:58
‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’
1 Koriniti 15:58
‘Heoi, e oku teina aroha, kia u, kei taea te whakakorikori, kia hira te mahi ki te Ariki i nga wa katoa, e matau ana hoki koutou, ehara i te maumau to koutou mauiui i roto i te Ariki.'