In the late 19th century, life in London was characterized by poverty, disease and alcoholism. Workers were poorly paid and lived in poorly maintained houses. Many people roamed the streets and were addicted to alcohol. Around 1878 something special happens: an army of soldiers is created that fights poverty, prostitution, exploitation and alcoholism. Their weapon consists of three things: soup, soap and salvation.
The start of the Salvation Army
William Booth was born in 1829 in a suburb of Notthingham in England. His parents were not educated and worked hard as laborers. They were not religious. Because there was not enough money to support the family, William had to start working at an early age. As a 15-year-old teenager he came to believe in God. Soon he and a group of friends and fellow believers formed an evangelistic group that traveled around London preaching the gospel to the workers who lived in deep poverty. Booth saw clear links between poverty, disease and alcoholism and also recognized the interdependence of human emotional, material and spiritual needs. If you wanted people to listen to the gospel of the Bible, you had to ensure a full stomach, the opportunity to freshen up and a roof over your head. So he became more and more involved in providing food and shelter for the hungry and homeless and helping alcoholics. He brought hope to the people and preached salvation. Booth’s intention was for converts to join local churches, but things turned out differently. The churches did not like these poor people and ex-alcoholics and did not want to let them in.
Catherine Booth
Unlike William Booth, Catherine Mumford was raised as a Christian. She was born in 1829 in Ashbourne. She is a sensitive and serious girl. Very early on she believed what she was taught and read the Bible for herself. Around the age of 14, she became seriously ill and had to spend a lot of time in bed. She read a lot and was seriously concerned about the consequences of too much alcohol consumption and the problems in these families. She started writing articles for a magazine that warned against alcohol abuse. and encouraged people not to drink.
In 1852, Catherine and William met at a church service. Catherine was greatly impressed by William’s preaching style, as well as his work among the poor. They fell in love. Soon Catherine began to support him in his work. They married in 1855.
From that day on, she helped fight poverty and spread the gospel. She started with children and youth work. It was unheard of at that time for a woman to speak in public, and certainly not in church.
But Catherine was convinced that women had the same rights as men and when one day she had the opportunity to give her testimony, she took advantage of it immediately . Although they had a large family, both continued to work hard.
Moving forward together
Cooperation with the Methodist church deteriorated and although he tried to get the church to join in his work among the poor, he was unable to do so. William and Catherine left the church and started their evangelistic group in 1878 under the name Salvation Army. They were given a military structure and the volunteers also received military clothing. William was soon known as the General, Catherine more as the army mother. She designed the flag and the women’s clothing, including the hat. She also contributed a lot to thinking through important religious issues.
Catherine died in 1890. William’s health continued to deteriorate and his eyesight also deteriorated. When he died in 1912, 7 of their 8 children had a leadership position within the Salvation Army. Thus the work of William and Catherine Booth continues. And to this day, the Salvation Army is committed to helping their fellow man in need.