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Captains Chris and Nichole Maxwell – loving life and ministry in Canada. Moving to Canada during the COVID -19 pandemic was a leap of faith for Aussie officers Captains Chris and Nichole Maxwell. They had never visited the country before moving there with their three young children.  But trusting in God’s call to overseas service has been an immense blessing for the Maxwell family and for their church, Kingston Citadel in Ontario, where they have served as corps officers since January 2022.  And, after four years, they still love living in Canada – even the snow.  In this Canada  Salvationist Magazine  podcast, the hosts speak with the Maxwells about some of the most surprising differences between The Salvation Army in Australia and Canada, how their corps is growing, how they’re charting a new course post-pandemic, and more.  Listen to the podcast here . If you’d prefer to read the transcript, click here . This podcast is courtesy Salvationist Magazine, Canada READ MORE:   Officers serving overseas – Captains Nichole and Chris Maxwell

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History and The Salvation Army Historical Society - Brisbane Chapter have put out a call for papers for The Salvation Army History Symposium 2026. The theme for the upcoming symposium will be ‘History: A Narrative of Many Lives’. Presentations will be 30 minutes in length, and can constitute a verbal reading of a research paper, a poster presentation, multimedia presentation, a paper intended to raise questions, or an historical narrative or biography. Questions and submissions can be directed to Garth Hentzschel at ajsahistory@gmail.com .

Manager Major Emma McIntyre (right) and the team from the AOD Services Morisset. BY LAUREN MARTIN   The Salvation Army has announced the opening of three new Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) treatment services on the NSW Central Coast, relocating operations from its former Dooralong Transformation Centre site.   AOD Services says the relocation to Berkeley Vale and Morisset creates new opportunities to deliver the organisation’s highly successful, accredited and Deakin University-evaluated rehabilitation program in more accessible, community-integrated settings.   It has also begun operating a new community-based service at The Salvation Army Gosford, providing additional flexible options for people seeking support to overcome drug and alcohol challenges.   “While we celebrate the incredible work and history of the Dooralong site, we are excited about what this relocation means for participants, families, the community and the extraordinary impact to people’s lives, that’s to come,” said Andy Biddle, NSW/ACT State Manager – AOD.   “This expansion reinforces our long-term commitment to delivering the highest quality care and ensuring people in our community can access the help they need, when they need it.” Program/Operations Manager Julian Docherty (left) and the team at the AOD Services Berkeley Vale. The new site at Berkeley Vale is near Long Jetty Corps, and the Morisset site is near Bonnells Bay Corps. Both services offer residential drug and alcohol treatment programs using The Salvation Army’s accredited program.   “These new locations are closer to urban centres than our Dooralong site, which enables participants to engage in things that are happening in the local community, such as going to meetings, taking on volunteering work, looking for jobs or meeting with family on the weekend,” said Andy.   “The new locations also make it easier for our participants to engage with corps-based activities.”   The relocation and expansion are part of a major investment by The Salvation Army in its Alcohol and Other Drug services in the NSW/ACT Division, with redevelopment of its Sydney-based William Booth House also currently underway. (Read that story here ).

State Manager for Salvos Housing Bethany Critchley. Image: ABC News BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE The Salvation Army has been announced as the community housing provider for a West Australian Government housing and homelessness initiative. The news comes as the Regional Supportive Landlord Model project, promised two years ago, gets underway in WA. Under the plan, rolled out as a partnership between the Department of Housing and Works and the Department of Communities – Office of Homelessness, 100 new social houses are being built or purchased between the cities of Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie. The Salvation Army is undertaking the tenancy management of the planned 40 properties in Geraldton, which will allow for greater wraparound support for those facing unstable or inconsistent housing. Salvos Housing State Manager Bethany Critchley said the program, which currently totals $53 million in government funding for housing purchases and management, was a great fit for how The Salvation Army already works across the country. She said the team had already connected in with the Geraldton Corps Officers, Captains Tim and Di Size, and were planning ways to collaborate. “We are a supportive landlord anyway in that we do connect people [into] services,” she said. “This will just be a little bit more concentrated in linking them to services, creating community space for them, bringing in living skills, in how to sustain a tenancy so that we can actually help them in maintaining long-term housing.” Bethany said in practice, this would look like ensuring the tenants were able to connect with chaplaincy, Doorways and Moneycare services as well as corps officers, but that Salvos Housing was also very aware of maintaining clear boundaries in tenancy management. She said the engagement with the client could be more “targeted and concentrated” through the Salvos’ involvement. Two of the recently-purchased properties to be handed over to The Salvation Army. Images: Bethany Critchley “We still want to make sure [tenancy managers] don’t cross the line into supports, because that’s very important to keep that separate,” she said. “But they will be encouraging more and having more to do with connecting them than just doing a referral. There will be a lot more engagement with the tenant.” The new and refurbished properties will be officially handed over to The Salvation Army for management on 4 March. The Salvation Army is contracted to the role for a three-year period, with a review at the close of that time. “[The WA Government’s] commitment’s pretty strong, and I know we'll do a good job,” Bethany said.

A depiction of a Salvation Army ‘Rescue’ lass speaking with some of the ‘lost jewels in the mire’ of London in the 1880s, who were supposed targets of Jack the Ripper.  BY BARRY GITTINS   “The dark catalogue of heinous crimes that have been committed in London by ‘Jack the Ripper’ has caused a sensation throughout the civilised world,” thundered the Australian War Cry in 1889. The article, entitled ‘The Whitechapel Atrocities’, was published in the wake of the murder of Mary Nichols (aged 43), Annie Chapman (47), Elizabeth Stride (44), Catherine Eddowes (46) and Mary Jane Kelly (25), dating from August to November 1888. (The Ripper may well have killed an additional six women, but the forensics and investigative techniques of the day did not allow for police to state that possibility with certainty.)   While Fleet Street’s reporters (from the relative safety of their offices in central London) had sensationally dubbed one of the world’s first serial killers as ‘Jack the Ripper’, it was The Salvation Army – which commenced in London’s East End, decades before the killing spree on those self-same streets – that was busy working with the Ripper’s potential victims. In fact, the War Cry points out, in “the very streets where the hellish murders have been committed, our Rescue lasses can go about with safety, being respected by all for their godly and self-denying lives”. An excerpt of the War Cry article in 1889.   The cruel murders were huge news, even for those almost obsessed with seeing that “things above” were being copied down below. Of Jack’s cruelty, War Cry correspondent Captain E. Bartlett said that for “cold-blooded barbarism it has surpassed almost anything yet heard of ... The Salvation Army officers, and others who make it their business to seek the lost jewels in the mire of the blackest iniquity, know only too well the terrible hold the demons of drink, lust and other sins have upon the very vitals of the vast majority of people!” Comparing Melbourne and Sydney, etc., with London, he cites “drinking, fighting, swearing, and sins more abominable still” as the background for the crimes occurring in these “cesspools of sin”. What Captain Bartlett was intimating in his lurid prose (“sins more abominable still”) was the fact that the Ripper, so named because of the treatment of the victims’ bodies, which included the removal of organs from some victims, was believed to be targeting sex workers. Moreover, all but one of the victims were assumed to be soliciting for business when ‘Jack’ ended their lives.   One more recent volume by British historian Hallie Rubenhold ( The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper , 2019) suggests that the portrayal of the slain women as prostitutes reflected the misogyny and class prejudices of the Victorian era. Regardless of why those women were targeted, no victim deserved to be slain. The Salvation Army, as said, saw the victims as “lost jewels ... deluded ones” crying out to be rescued. For what it’s worth, last year the London Economic reported that DNA evidence may have revealed the Ripper’s identity [ click here ].  A bloodstained shawl said to belong to a victim was purchased at auction and subjected to forensic tests, showing DNA belonging to the woman and to a Ripper suspect, Polish barber Aaron Kosminski. The Salvation Army often exercised its rights to the streets and public ministry and mission; the women murdered were “theirs” to reclaim from misery.   Jack the Ripper, for Salvationists, was almost an exemplar of “the most depraved ... of the wretched, despairing, almost infernal” creatures that needed to be saved, if possible, and guarded against to protect others.

The Salvation Army urges people around the world to pray for peace in Ukraine. On the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, The Salvation Army is still working to help all those affected.   Territorial Commander in Eastern Europe, Colonel Joao-Paulo Ramos said: “We continue to pray for everyone involved, including Salvation Army colleagues, volunteers, refugees, and all families and communities who have been directly impacted. And we lift our prayers to ask the Lord to bring a peaceful end to this conflict.”   Yesterday (24 February 2026) marked four years since the war in Ukraine began, with millions still displaced and in need as humanitarian support continues across Europe.   Today, in his live, televised address to the world, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the spirit of the Ukrainian people and that the nation “will do everything to secure peace and justice”.   Four years on, fighting endures across many regions of Ukraine. Shelling and missile and drone strikes are still a daily reality for civilians. Humanitarian organisations report that needs remain extremely high. Around 10.8 million people across Ukraine are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Communities near front lines and in occupied territories continue to face limited access to electricity, heating, clean water and medical care. VIEW MORE: The Salvation Army responding in Ukraine    Displacement remains widespread. More than six million Ukrainians are living abroad as refugees, while approximately 3.7 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine. Millions of homes and essential buildings have been damaged or destroyed, creating ongoing housing shortages and recovery challenges.   The prolonged conflict has also had a deep psychological impact. Many adults and children are experiencing anxiety, trauma and post-traumatic stress linked to years of instability and displacement. European response Since the war began, The Salvation Army has been responding to the crisis not only in Ukraine but also across Europe.   In Ukraine and neighbouring countries, teams have distributed food, hygiene kits, water, blankets, clothing and other essential supplies. Support has also extended to countries hosting refugees, including Poland, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and the United Kingdom.   In several countries, including Scotland, Latvia and Bulgaria, food and grocery vouchers have been provided to help families purchase essential items according to their needs. Across the UK, Salvation Army centres have become community hubs for Ukrainian refugees. At centres in Sunderland Monkwearmouth and Ramsgate, practical and emotional support is offered through coffee mornings, job-search assistance, housing advice, bilingual worship, children’s holiday activities and social events.   Beyond meeting physical needs, The Salvation Army is focusing on providing emotional and spiritual care for those experiencing prolonged displacement and trauma.   Ongoing commitment As the conflict continues, The Salvation Army emphasises long-term support, moving beyond emergency aid towards community integration, stability and rebuilding lives. Four years into the war, cities may be broken, but resilience remains strong among those affected and among those who stand alongside them.   Territorial Commander, Colonel Joao-Paulo Ramos said: ‘We continue to pray for everyone involved, including Salvation Army colleagues, volunteers, refugees, and all families and communities who have been directly impacted. We also lift our prayers to ask the Lord to bring a peaceful end to this conflict’.    This story first appeared on The Salvation Army international website here .

The Garden of Hope in south-west Perth is a place where people gather to connect, experience nature and find faith. Dedicated volunteers Graham and Cheryl, who are passionate about this mission, believe that the garden is a haven where the Holy Spirit is present, bringing peace and calmness to all who visit. Offering faith communities, cultural workshops, and church in the garden on Sundays, the Garden of Hope is a thriving place where lives are being transformed.

In regional Victoria, Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) is escalating at an alarming rate. The Salvation Army Alexis program is spearheading transformational change. Image: Supplied BY LERISSE SMITH   No community escapes family violence.   In regional areas, however, the crisis is escalating at an alarming pace.   Morwell and Wonthaggi are among the worst-affected areas in regional Victoria. The Inner Gippsland Area (IGA) is consistently recording some of the highest Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) rates in the state when adjusted for population.   Yet transformational change is happening – powered by the award-winning Salvos Alexis program.   The specialist family violence response, embedded directly within Victoria Police Family Violence Investigation Units, is closing a critical service gap and ensuring those most at risk don’t fall through the cracks.   “Postcode should never determine safety,” said Lani Kahn, Practice Leader of the Alexis Family Violence Response Program. Lani Kahn, Practice Leader of the Alexis Family Violence Response Program. “Family violence is not just a metropolitan issue – it’s a regional reality, and in places like Gippsland, the impact is often more severe. Specialist, timely and coordinated intervention works – especially for the families facing the highest risk. Programs like Alexis exist to help make sure those who need support the most don’t fall through the system gaps and cracks.”   Regional rates are alarmingly high.   The most recent Crime Statistics Agency data reveals around 2157 family violence incidents per 100,000 people in regional Victoria (2023-24) compared with 1172 per 100,000 in metropolitan Melbourne. In Gippsland, rates regularly exceed 3000-4600 per 100,000 – far above the state average of 1500 per 100,000.   Yet statistics cannot capture the full picture.    They reflect Victoria Police call-outs – not presentations to hospitals, GPs, schools, child protection services, or community organisations directly.    “We know that some family violence is not reported for various reasons,” Lani emphasised. “So, what we are actually seeing in the data is likely to be only a proportion of actual incidences occurring.”   And what sets the Alexis team apart is its remarkable results.   Independent RMIT evaluations reveal Alexis significantly reduces violence and risk, with up to an 85 per cent reduction in recidivism in early evaluations, a 66 per cent decrease in risk at case closure, an 83 per cent engagement rate with people using violence (compared to around 10 per cent in mainstream intake), and zero victim-survivors reporting worsening violence due to Alexis involvement.   READ MORE: Lani Khan dispels myths surrounding Family and Domestic Violence Alexis was born in 2014 as a partnership between The Salvation Army and Victoria Police in response to the need for a more coordinated, timely and specialist response to family violence between police and social services, particularly in instances of high risk and recidivism.   “We work with the highest risk, most complex families,” Lani said. “Often repeat police callouts, chronic risk and people who haven’t been able to engage with traditional services. We can work with victim-survivors, people using violence, or both – depending on what will best reduce risk.”   Its rollout into Morwell (Latrobe City) and Wonthaggi (Bass Coast Shire) was deliberate and data-driven.   These areas consistently record some of the highest family violence rates in Victoria when adjusted for population. The Salvation Army already had a strong footprint in Gippsland, which meant the Alexis program could roll out quickly, safely and in partnership with the community. Site selection was conducted collaboratively with Victoria Police, local councils, regional family violence networks and community organisations – focusing on high-risk areas, service gaps and readiness for partnership.   Crucially, the Alexis team is filling a critical service gap in places such as IGA.   The Salvation Army’s Senior Manager of Integrated Men’s Services, Lauren Chisholm (right), celebrates the Alexis FVRM Award with (from left) Peta Young, Officer in Charge Detective Snr Sgt of Prahran Family Violence Unit, Louise Rodgers, Detective Snr Constable of the Prahran Family Violence Unit and Lani Kahn, Practice Lead with the Alexis Program. Mainstream services have a greater focus on working with clients towards separation or once it has already occurred; however, Alexis has the capacity to work with people who are not ready or able to leave.   “We work to ensure clients are as safe as possible in whatever current circumstances they are in,” Lani explained. “We prioritise engagement before change, safety within context, and stabilisation before long-term planning – that’s particularly important in regional areas where options are limited, and risk escalates quickly.”   Regional communities also face compounding risks.    Distance and isolation make access to support and safety planning harder, while limited specialist services and long waitlists delay early intervention, resulting in repeated crises and risk situations. Furthermore, housing shortages and cost-of-living pressures increase stress and reduce coping capacity, reduced anonymity in small towns can deter disclosure, and delayed emergency responses due to geography compound risk.   “These factors don’t cause violence – violence is a choice – but they compound the situations of victim-survivors and people using violence,” remarked Lani. “leading to higher recorded incidents and more severe presentations.”   Patterns of violence in regional areas are distinct.    Violence in regional areas differs from metropolitan areas not just in frequency, but in pattern and persistence.   “We see higher rates of repeat offending, breaches of intervention orders, and serious assault in regional areas,” Lani added.   “Why? Limited access to services to help break the cycle, longer police response times due to distance and resourcing, and reduced anonymity in small communities serving as a deterrent from disclosures. Perpetrators are remaining in close proximity to victims due to housing shortages and isolation, and orders are harder to enforce across larger geographic areas, which means perpetrators may feel less surveillance and enforceable accountability.”   Women and children remain disproportionately affected. READ MORE: Life on the frontline of Family and Domestic Violence  The harsh reality is that children are present in a large proportion of incidents, too. This is driven by higher levels of entrenched family violence rather than situational conflict, the impact of intergenerational trauma, and more barriers to escaping or leaving – for example, geographical isolation means that perpetrators have greater ability to monitor and control.   Practitioners, too, face unique challenges in small towns.    They are more identifiable, confidentiality is harder to protect, and risk can extend beyond office hours. Caseloads are often high-risk and complex, with fewer services to refer into, making specialist, embedded models even more important.   “Family violence work sits at the intersection of safety, dignity, and human rights – and it’s one of the few areas where skilled, early intervention can genuinely change life trajectories for women, children, and whole families,” reflected Lani.   So, what keeps her motivated?   “I became a social worker because I wanted to work directly with people experiencing harm, inequality and injustice,” she said. “I’m particularly motivated by work that doesn’t just respond to crisis but has the possibility of reducing risk and preventing harm from repeating across generations.” If you or someone you know needs help call: Triple Zero (000) 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732): The national 24/7 telephone and online counselling service for domestic, family, and sexual violence. Lifeline (13 11 14): 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention

Each week through 2026, Salvationists around the world are uniting in prayer for the same territory or region of The Salvation Army. Prayer requests are shared by the territory/region to help us pray with precision and power for one another. This week ( 23 February-1 March )   we pray for the Sri Lanka Territory.   Did you know that The Salvation Army in Sri Lanka is active in safe water, mango cultivation and bee keeping projects as part of the development of livelihood schemes?   This territory has 134 officers (79 active, 55 retired); 22 cadets; 47 corps; 24 outposts; 4775 senior soldiers; 1127 adherents; 899 junior soldiers; 77 employees.   Colonels Colonel Nihal and Rohini Hettiarachchi lead the Sri Lanka Territory. The work of the territory includes: ·  Emergency support ·  Social enterprise ·  Community development ·  Modern slavery and human trafficking response. Pray for Sri Lanka Almost the entire country has been badly affected by the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. Severe flooding and landslides across the island have washed away hundreds of innocent lives. Many are still buried under mud, huge rocks, and rubble. ·       Pray for travel (road and rail), communication services, electricity, and water supplies which have been disrupted across almost the entire island. ·       Pray for the number of displaced people totalling to over one million.  ·       For the Sri Lankan government and the many individuals including local organisations and The Salvation Army Sri Lanka Territory, who are doing their best to support the restoration work.  ·       Many countries have responded with rescue workers, reconstruction experts, sniffer dogs, medicines, and many other items to be distributed among displaced people and people housed in temples, churches and other safe houses identified by the government. ·       Pray for the Sri Lankan government – for wisdom, guidance and safety of the President, Prime Minister, and other members of the governing party and the opposition. ·       Pray for the territorial leadership – the Territorial Leaders, Colonels Nihal and Rohini Hettiarachchi; the Chief Secretary and the TSWM, Lt-Colonels Prakash and Annamani Boddu. ·       Pray for officers and their families who have received Marching Orders from end of December 2025. Pray for their children who must find schools in the new areas their parents will continue to serve. ·       Pray for newly commissioned cadets (six lieutenants) and their new appointments. ·       Pray for the spiritual development of officers and soldiers. ·       Pray for the Sri Lanka territory as it celebrated its 143rd Anniversary on 26 January 2026. ·       Pray for the eight new candidates who will join the next training session in April 2026. ·       Pray for the Sunday school and youth activities in corps around the country. ·       Pray for the new mission points and those in charge – that they may be given the wisdom and boldness needed to reach lost souls and bring them to God. ·       For the financial stability of the territory – that wisdom and guidance may be given to overcome the challenges ahead. ·       Pray for all children and elders under the care of The Salvation Army, and also for the administrators who are working 24/7. ·       Pray for all officers of the Sri Lanka Territory who have received overseas appointments. ·       Pray for expat officers from other nations serving in Sri Lanka in various appointments, and for the families they have left behind.   Find out more about the Sri Lanka Territory here .   Find out more about The Salvation Army’s prayer focus here . Download the 2026 prayer schedule here .

Alexis works with the highest risk, most complex families.  Image: Supplied The realities of Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) are often obscured by myths. Here, Lani Kahn, Practice Leader of the Alexis Family Violence Response Program, dispels some of the most common ones. Across the board, there’s a perception that people don’t have the capacity to change. I think that’s a huge myth because obviously we wouldn’t be doing the work that we do with people who use violence if we didn’t believe that that could happen. It’s about people seeing behaviours and actions – but they don’t see necessarily see the history. Nobody wakes up when they’re born saying, ‘You know, I’m going to grow up to aspire to be a family violence perpetrator’. It comes based on experiences and exposures, and all of these sorts of contributing factors.   If you don’t view the person as a human before seeing their behaviour, then you’re setting yourself up to assume that the person who’s perpetrating the violence doesn’t deserve a better life, and the person experiencing doesn’t deserve a better life.   I also think that, still, whilst it is changing a lot in terms of how we view family violence, we do have a greater acknowledgement around how aspects of family violence, like coercive control and all of those complicating factors, can be just as harmful. I think that the traditional notion of family violence is that it’s worst when it’s physical and sexual in nature – those are the injuries you could see. Those are the ones that are actually easier to prosecute. Those are the ones that are easier to quantify with evidence. But it’s not the ones that necessarily have their lasting scars, or the ones that have that overall insidious impact on every aspect of their life. So, I think shifting that focus from feeling as though family violence is defined primarily through physical risk and physical harm is key in that aspect.

Violence in regional areas differs from metropolitan areas not just in frequency, but in pattern and persistence. The Alexis team sees higher rates of repeat offending, breaches of intervention orders, and serious assault in regional areas.  Image: Supplied Every day, the highly skilled Salvation Army Alexis team works on the frontline, prioritising engagement before change, safety within context, and stabilisation before long-term planning. The work can be tough, challenging, and emotionally taxing. So, what drives them to take it on and find meaning and resilience in such demanding roles? Lani Kahn, Practice Leader of the Alexis Family Violence Response Program, shared some insights.   Staff stay resilient in their demanding roles because they are driven by purpose – they know their work matters.   We are a service that helps those most in need avoid falling through persistent gaps and cracks. Being part of a specialist, evolving program is highly motivating for staff – one that will continue to grow and develop. The role offers room to develop, adapt practices, and ensure trauma-informed responses.     If somebody works in the family violence sector, you want to be part of that change. You want to be part of reducing harm for people, working on injustice and inequality – all of those sorts of things that come out day to day. It’s not just the immediate risk; you want to work towards breaking those intergenerational cycles.   Vicarious trauma is managed through layered supervision and support, making staff wellbeing a core safety priority. Staff receive ongoing external clinical supervision to process trauma exposure, manage risk, and reflect on practice.    Fortnightly or monthly supervision with team leaders ensures complex cases are discussed and accountability is shared, ensuring no one carries risk alone. Daily debriefing, case consultation, and reflective practice help staff navigate challenges, moral distress, and ongoing exposure to family violence.    Strong connections between embedded practitioners and policing teams are central, with shared case responsibility preventing isolation in decision-making. Structured wellbeing support encourages work-life boundaries, regular leave, and rest. Managing stress is essential for skilled practitioners, allowing them to go home confident that their work prevents harm and changes trajectories for high-risk individuals.

The international community is today marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.   The Salvation Army’s Eastern Europe Territory , of which Ukraine is a division, invites you to join them in praying for peace. The prayer request also covers comfort and protection for Ukrainians – for those both within the country who daily face the dangers and challenges of life in a warzone,  and those who had to flee the horror of war and found their safety abroad. This map shows the location of Ukrainian corps and divisional headquarters. During the past four years, the international Salvation Army community has offered substantial support to Ukraine and its people by donating money, various goods, providing accommodation outside of Ukraine, and ensuring many other forms of assistance. The Salvation Army in Eastern Europe expresses its gratitude to everyone who has helped Ukraine and its people. There is still no clear indication when the war will end. We ask that you remain by our side, supporting Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” ( Romans 8:31. )