William and Catherine Booth
OUR HISTORY
The Salvation Army is an international Christian organization whose work began in London, England in 1865 when William Booth, a minister, abandoned the conventional concept of a church and a pulpit and took his message of hope to the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. By 1867 The Salvation Army had developed into a ministry offering basic schooling, reading rooms, penny banks, soup kitchens and relief aid to the destitute.
The Salvation Army started its work in Canada in 1882 and quickly began giving hope to those in need throughout the country. It serves over 1.85 million people each year in over 400 communities in Canada and is now the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in the country.
To accommodate the changing times, The Salvation Army in Canada continues to evolve and has undertaken Mobilize 2.0 which is a transformation program that included the creation of a vision for The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory so that we know where we are heading, and the development of a strategic plan that will help our movement get there. While the same values and aspirations still exist, our primary goal is always to advance and find innovative solutions to better address rising community needs.
OUR STORY
Through a broad range of Community and Family Services programs we support the ability of people to empower themselves at all stages of life to break the cycle of poverty and reduce isolation. We work every day to be a transforming influence in the community. We have been providing this practical, spiritual and emotional support to individuals and families in London, Ontario for over 40 years.
As part of Mobilize 2.0, in 2021 The Salvation Army undertook a review of the structure in place at several of its social services ministry units in Ontario. The review was done in order to ensure that The Salvation Army would reach its strategic objectives and initiatives to:
- Develop and implement tools that support us in more meaningfully permeating and serving communities
- Review and implement changes to our social services profile across the territory; ensuring the focusing of ministry efforts places us where we are most needed and can be most effective
- Ensure our mission delivery and support models strengthen our ministry expressions’ ability to focus on effective, holistic mission impact
- Enhance mission effectiveness by implementing coordinated changes to delivery and support processes
The conclusion of this review led to the decision to move Community and Family Services in London, Ontario away from the administrative structure of the London Centre of Hope in downtown London where we had been providing programming since 2004 and make London Community and Family Services its own ministry unit.
On April 1, 2022, London Community and Family Services moved its administrative offices to The Salvation Army Hillcrest Community Church at 310 Vesta Road. At the same time, in an effort to enhance our presence in the community and provide individuals and families with better access to our programs and services, it was decided to run our programs in four different neighbourhoods across the City of London. This change allowed us to integrate with other Salvation Army ministry units and offer transformational, multi-faceted programming throughout the city, including Hillcrest Community Church, London Centre of Hope, London Citadel Corps and Westminster Park Community Church.
The goal for London Community and Family Services is to ensure our program model is holistic and aims to educate, empower, give hope and transform the lives of people in our communities!
While the first point of contact for many people may be our basic needs program (emergency assistance such as groceries, clothing, household needs, etc.); our goal will be to engage these individuals/families in more transformational activities or programs like Pathway of Hope, Outreach/Life Skills, and Integrated Mission programs.
We will use a community-based approach when reviewing/developing a broad range of creative and innovative programming, designed to meet the unique needs of the different communities we are part of. We will ensure community involvement (neighbourhood organizations and people) in program development, design and delivery; thereby building ownership and inclusion.
To quote one of our team members when they learned of the change taking place on April 1, 2022 – “this is the beginning of something…and become anything”!
The possibilities are endless, and we look forward to working with our various community partners, donors, staff and volunteers while we bring to fruition what God has in store for this new ministry unit!
More details about the organization can be found on our national website:
https://salvationarmy.ca/about-us/our-organization/
Our Mission
Our Vision
The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ,
meet human needs,
and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.
We are an innovative partner,
mobilized to share hope wherever there is hardship,
building communities that are just and know the love of Jesus.
Our Values
Hope
We give hope through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Service
We reach out to support others without discrimination.
Dignity
We respect and value each other, recognizing everyone’s worth.
Stewardship
We responsibly manage the resources entrusted to us
Land Acknowledgement
The Salvation Army London Community and Family Services is situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenausaune, Lenaapeewak, and Attawandaron peoples. This territory also covers lands connected to the London Township Treaty and Sombra Treaties of 1796, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. We value and honour the significant historical and contemporary contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples and support the 94 agreements.