The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian organization William and Catherine Booth founded it in the East End of London, England in 1865. It was called the Christian Mission to start with, but in 1878, the name was changed. The Booths came from a Methodist tradition, but today the teachings of the movement are mainstream Protestant. They focus on preaching, and on helping those in need. They also actively help in disaster relief.

Overview 
The Salvation Army operates in over 100 countries today. Its members devote themselves to teaching Christian morals, helping those in need, like the homeless, the sick, the poor, and others. It operates facilities like shelters, , orphanages, , and a , and offers Sunday church services. It is one of the largest charitable organisations in the world, which means that it relies on people to give it money to use.

Worldwide outreach 

 1865 - England
 1874 - Wales
 1879 - Jersey, Scotland
 1880 - Australia, Ireland, United States of America
 1881 - France
 1882 - Alderney, Canada, Guernsey, India, Sweden, Switzerland
 1883 - Isle of Man, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka
 1884 - St Helena
 1886 - Germany, Newfoundland
 1887 - Denmark, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands
 1888 - Norway
 1889 - Belgium, Finland
 1890 - Argentina, Uruguay
 1891 - Zimbabwe, Zululand
 1894 - Åland (until 1950), Hawaii, Indonesia
 1895 - Gibraltar (until 1968), Guyana, Iceland, Japan
 1896 - Bermuda, Malta (until 1972)
 1898 - Alaska, Barbados
 1901 - Trinidad & Tobago
 1902 - Grenada, Saint Lucia
 1903 - Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent & the Grenadines
 1904 - Panamá
 1907 - Costa Rica
 1908 - Korea
 1909 - Chile
 1910 - Paraguay, Perú
 1913 - Russia (until 1923)
 1915 - Belize, Myanmar
 1916 - China (until 1951), Mozambique, St Kitts
 1917 - U.S. Virgin Islands
 1918 - Cuba
 1919 - Czechoslovakia (until 1950)
 1920 - Bolivia, Nigeria
 1921 - Kenya
 1922 - Brazil, Ghana, Zambia
 1923 - Latvia (until 1939)
 1924 - Faroe Islands, Hungary (until 1949)
 1926 - Suriname
 1927 - Austria, Estonia (until 1940), Curaçao (until 1980)

 1930 - Hong Kong
 1931 - Bahamas, Uganda
 1933 - French Guiana (until 1952), Tanzania, Yugoslavia (until 1948)
 1934 - Algeria (until 1970), Congo (Kinshasa), Manchukuo (until 1945)
 1935 - Singapore
 1936 - Egypt (until 1949)
 1937 - Congo (Brazzaville), Mexico, Philippines
 1938 - Malaysia
 1950 - Haïti
 1956 - Papua New Guinea
 1960 - Swaziland
 1962 - Puerto Rico
 1965 - Taiwan
 1967 - Malaŵi
 1969 - Lesotho
 1970 - Bangladesh
 1971 - Portugal, Spain
 1972 - Venezuela
 1973 - Fiji
 1976 - Guatemala
 1978 - Canary Islands
 1980 - French Guiana (recommenced)
 1985 - Angola, Colombia, Ecuador, Marshall Islands
 1986 - Tonga
 1988 - Liberia
 1989 - El Salvador, Thailand (until 1993)
 1990 - Czech Republic (recommenced), Hungary (recommenced), Latvia (recommenced)
 1991 - Russia (recommenced)
 1992 - Belarus (until 1996), Somalia (until 1995)
 1993 - Georgia, Ukraine
 1994 - Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova
 1995 - Dominican Republic, Estonia (recommenced)
 1996 - Rwanda
 1997 - Botswana
 1999 - St Maarten
 2000 - Macau
 2004 - Lithuania, Romania
 2005 - Falkland Islands, Poland
 2007 - Burundi, Greece

Eurovision Song Contest 
People from the Swiss branch of the Salvation army qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest, 2013 in Malmö. At first, they were refused at the ESC. They could participate, but they had to change their name (to Takasa), and they also had to agree not to wear the typical uniforms on stage. They didn't qualify for the final round, though.

Other similar organizations 

 The Church of England has operated the Church Army, since 1882
 Legio Mariae was founded in 1921, and has a Roman Catholic background.

References 

1865 establishments
1860s establishments in England
Protestantism
Organisations based in London

Charities of the United Kingdom