At 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, a handful of people were straggling into the small Salvation Army chapel on Salina Street. It was 20 degrees, and city streets bore the icy mess of the season’s first real snowfall. It was a good morning to stay home, where it was warm and dry. But by the time the service began–about a half-hour late–more than 60 people, many with infants or young children, were on hand for music, worship and witness. The crowd had grown to more than 75 by the time the high-energy worship ended more than 90 minutes later.
Later that afternoon, worshippers and Salvation Army clients shared a Thanksgiving meal. But first came worship, much of it focusing on thankfulness. During the service, one woman sang of her gratitude that Jesus had saved her from addiction and suicide; another thanked Jesus in song for reuniting her with her children. Later, a minister preached on St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians and, in practically the same breath, shared a series of blunt “yo mama” jokes.
It’s just another Sunday morning at Syracuse Citadel Corps, said Major John Stewart. He and his wife, Major Anita Stewart, lead the spiritual community that focuses on substance abuse and recovery issues. Another married couple ministers to Latinos; a third couple focuses on families.
The Salvation Army describes its missions as meeting “human needs without discrimination and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The Army sees its social services as ministry.
“It’s difficult to preach the gospel or good news to a person in the grip of addiction, pain, panic, disease mental or physical,” Luby said. “Unless you get through the body, you can’t get to the heart and soul.”
That was the philosophy of William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army in London in 1865. He envisioned an army of believers–Christian soldiers–who would feed the hungry, house the poor and attempt to convert people to Christ. By the 1880s, the Salvation Army had moved to the United States, and the organization’s first activities in Syracuse took place in 1883. It now operates in 122 countries and territories.
As a denomination, the Salvation Army is tiny. Worldwide, the Army includes about 1.7 million people, with about 125,000 in the United States and about 300 locally. By comparison, the Roman Catholic Church includes 1.2 billion people worldwide, represents about 25 percent of the U.S. population and about 285,000 in the Syracuse Diocese.
The Salvation Army’s theology has roots in Methodism. It is a church of evangelical Christianity, based on a tradition of actively professing the gospel and beliefs that include redemption and salvation by grace. But, said Luby, the Army does not proselytize as a requirement to receive services.
For the past decade or so, the holiday appearance of the red kettles has coincided with accusations of anti-gay bias in the Salvation Army. Bill Browning, a gay rights activist, has written on an LGBT blog that 20 years ago, he and his homeless boyfriend were turned away from a Salvation Army shelter. He encourages people not to donate to the Salvation Army.
In June 2012, a Salvation Army official in Australia said the group’s doctrine includes the belief that gays must die. He cited Romans 1:18-32, a New Testament passage often used to defend anti-gay views. (Others say the passage refers to prostitution, not homosexuality.) The Salvation Army quickly apologized for the officer’s remarks.
Michael Davis Photo
Michael Davis Photo
“I’ve been changed,” three women with powerful voices sang at the beginning of the service. “I wanna be ready when Jesus comes.”
The singers stood on a bare altar; a simple wooden cross covered with a white and purple cloth hung on the wall behind them. Nearby, a drummer, keyboardist and electric guitar player enthusiastically accompanied the singers. “It’s a wonderful day of thanksgiving, a day of thanks for what he {God} has given us,” John Stewart said. “Thank God he has not given us what we deserved. Speaking only for myself, if he had given us what we deserved, I would not be here.” Later, Stewart invited everyone present, including visitors, to the Thanksgiving meal. One caveat, though: No one could take the meal home. “It’s a time to sit down and reflect on how effective you are,” he said. “It’s a time for fellowship.” In other words, Stewart seemed to be reminding the group, we’re a church. That fact often gets overshadowed by the Salvation Army’s vast social service programs. The local agency provides 40 programs to more than 41,000 people a year in Onondaga County. Services include adult day care; children’s day care and camp; services for runaway youth; counseling, transitional housing; and emergency disaster services.“Everyone knows the thrift stores and the red kettles,” said Captain John Luby. “We do a lot more.”
Salvation Army Bell and Kettle (Michael Davis Photo)
December 25th, 1904
Children, 1940’s
“It’s not, ‘Well, here’s a delicious plate of food if you listen to my message,’” he said. “If you want to hear my message, fine. If you don’t, fine.”
In recent years, the Salvation Army has faced criticism for the gray line between its social service programs and its church activities. Locally, the organization has taken heat for its policy of supplying tax-exempt housing to its executives. Salvation Army executives–all of whom are ordained ministers–live in six homes in Onondaga County, and all are exempt from property taxes because the Salvation Army is a church. The organization has had unconditional exempt status since 1933, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Religious exemptions are increasingly under fire, so it’s unclear if this status will continue. A federal judge earlier this month ruled unconstitutional an IRS exemption that allows clergy to shield a portion of their salary from federal income taxes. In another high-profile case, American Atheists are challenging IRS religious exemptions in a federal court in Kentucky. The group argues that church-related groups should file IRS Form 990, an annual reporting statement that provides information about a group’s mission, programs and finances.
(Michael Davis Photo)
