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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good

Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!

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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good

Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good

Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!

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Doing the most good in Fort Smith, Arkansas Image

Doing the most good in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Meeting needs, in the name of Jesus, without discrimination.

The History of The Salvation Army 

Soon after beginning his ministerial career in England in 1852, William Booth abandoned the concept of the traditional church pulpit in favor of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ directly to the people. Walking the streets of London, he preached to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute. 

When fellow clergymen disagreed with Booth’s unconventional approach, he and his wife Catherine withdrew from the church to train evangelists throughout England. The couple returned to the East End of London in 1865, where many followers joined their fight for the souls of lost men and women. Within 10 years, their organization, operating under the name The Christian Mission, had over 1,000 volunteers and evangelists. 

Thieves, prostitutes, gamblers, and drunkards were among their first converts to Christianity. And soon, those converts were also preaching and singing in the streets as living testimonies to the power of God. 

When Booth read a printer's proof of the 1878 Christian Mission annual report, he noticed the statement, "The Christian Mission is a volunteer army." Crossing out the words "volunteer army," he penned in "Salvation Army." From those words came the basis of the foundation deed of The Salvation Army. 

From that point onward, converts became soldiers of Christ and were known then, as now, as Salvationists. They launched an offensive throughout the British Isles that, in spite of violence and persecution, converted 250,000 Christians between 1881 and 1885. Their message spread rapidly, gaining a foothold in America and soon after Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Iceland, and Germany. 

Today, The Salvation Army is active in virtually every corner of the world and serves in 133 countries, offering the message of God’s healing and hope to all those in need. 

OUR MISSION

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

What Do We Do?

We have one agenda: to meet
human need without discrimination.

 We assist approximately 25 million
Americans annually.

We serve in 133 countries around the globe.

We have over 1.5 million members
consisting of officers, soldiers, and adherents.

We’ve been pursuing our mission since 1865.

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Where We Serve

We are The Salvation Army of Fort Smith, Arkansas, serving the counties of Crawford, Sebastian, Franklin, Logan, Scott, and Sequoyah (Oklahoma). We are one of many locations operating within The Salvation Army's Arkansas & Oklahoma Division. Divisions consist of centers for worship and service. These are the hubs where service to members of the community actually occurs. Our doors are open to all.

 

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