At the start of a new year, many people think about their finances in light of Christmas spending and the school year dawning. Moneycare Week (18–24 January) offers a timely opportunity to share practical tips and resources that help people feel capable and supported. In this video, Kristen Hartnett ( National Moneycare Manager) talks about how Moneycare can help individuals navigate financial challenges with practical advice and compassionate support. Learn how Moneycare can empower you to take control of your financial future here Corps and Mission Expression resources can be found here

Local residents enjoy a cuppa and chat at the Portland Corps drop-in space, including Michael (right). At Portland Corps’ Community Connect Space, life pulses with energy at every turn. Phones ring, laughter mingles with conversation, and the hum of activity creates a symphony of connection. Since opening its doors in early 2025, the Salvos space has blossomed into exactly what it promised to be: a warm refuge on chilly days, a comforting antidote to loneliness, and a welcoming haven where everyone – from longtime locals to first-time visitors – feels at home. It’s a place where friendship isn’t just encouraged, it’s lived, and where community isn’t just a word – it’s a way of being as Salvos Online journalist LERISSE SMITH discovered.   The humble Aussie toastie has become a hit symbol of connection at Portland Corps.   Just ask Captains Peter and Heather Stamp, Corps Officers of the Victorian regional corps.   Alongside coffee, hot chocolate, and chicken soup – all thanks to an automated coffee machine – the popular Aussie toasty delights and drinks at The Salvation Army’s Community Connect Space have been a big drawcard for people from all walks of life walking through its doors since it officially opened on May 1 last year.   “People come in for a coffee or a hot chocolate – and we get to share life with them,” Peter remarked.   “It (the coffee machine) dispenses chicken soup as well, which is what we really wanted, and so, people come in, grab a hot drink in the morning, sit down and have a break. We get to be there, to have a chat with them, and share life with them.” Captains Peter and Heather Stamp have been serving in the Portland area for the past eight years. The idea for the Community Connect Space didn’t appear overnight; it emerged slowly, shaped by observing people in the township with nowhere appropriate to land or a safe place to be.   “We have people who are rough-sleeping and don’t have anywhere to go during the day,” Peter explained. “A lot of people were just hanging out the front of Woolworths or places like the library, which were not appropriate for a lot of people to go to.”   Alternatives, he said, were limited… “and then you’ve got the pokies. People are accepted at the pokies; their money is accepted as well. That’s not the best environment for people, so there just wasn’t a safe space for people to be.”   And Portland’s cold climate doesn’t help – it’s wet nine months of the year.   “It’s wet, windy, cold, and there’s just nowhere to go,” Peter reflected. “If you have people staying in tents, in their cars and in the open, there’s no shelter for them. So, we had been wanting to do something for quite a long time as far as creating a community centre.”   That vision had been on the table since Peter and his wife, Heather, arrived as corps officers eight years ago.   “We’ve been on a lot of different journeys over the years,” he reflected. “Looking through relocations for our property, building projects, and out of all those ideas, we had the idea of a drop-in community centre at the forefront of all those plans. So, it had been in our thinking.”   Before the COVID pandemic in 2019, some trials opened up, including refiguring part of the corps hall and front section as a “bit of a drop-in space.”   When the doors opened, they had two people visit; the second week brought four, the third eight, and by the fourth week, 16 people. It literally doubled every week just by word of mouth and having the doors open.   The experiment revealed a clear need in the community for a space to enjoy and connect with others – but then COVID hit, and the plans went “out the window” for a while.   But the idea never disappeared.   When restrictions eased, the corps returned to the vision with renewed determination.   The team applied for a grant through the Foundation of Rural and Regional Renewal, which focused on social inclus ion, community formation, and community connection by proposing a Community Connect Space and building works, including dividing their hall and opening the foyer. The Portland community space is a welcoming haven where everyone feels at home, especially with a good old Aussie toastie and cuppa as community member, Angela, discovered. “We had the idea we were going to create this space as everything we dreamed of,” he said. “A place where people could be more connected with each other, connected to services, and a place where people can come and just sit and be in shelter, have a heater, a hot drink etc.”   Then came great news – the grant was approved.   “It was really, really exciting to be able to get that grant,” Peter recalled. “It allowed us to do the property works, and we started that last year, and then early last year we were able to open up our space.”   The physical changes were simple but transformative.   A dividing wall with large double doors allows flexible use of the space. The hall and foyer serve as a venue for community meals on Monday nights and other events, while the front section provides a welcoming environment during the day.   And the corps officer often spends time in the space himself.   “I just take my laptop in, sit on the couch, and just do work on the couch,” Peter explained. “As people come in, I’ll just have a chat to them while I’m working on the couch. “It has made a huge difference for people who just want to come in and have a chat to somebody without having to make appointments or feel like it’s an official type of thing.”   The Community Connect Space has also changed how emergency relief is delivered. When the corps’ Salvos Doorways program concluded due to a restructure, the team had to rethink support.   Opening the connect space became central to delivering emergency relief.   Using the space for appointments allowed the team to assist people more easily, and through regular conversations and engagement, they found that many needs lessened as they gained a clearer understanding of what people truly required.   The space has also reshaped the identity of the corps.   “We always had a dream around just being The Salvation Army,” Peter remarked. “Not being corps, not being social, not being housing or homelessness or Doorways – that was our dream right from the very beginning. With the opening of the drop-in space, we don’t refer to ourselves as anything in particular, because we all work together to achieve the same thing.”   Partnerships and volunteers – plenty of them! – underpin almost everything happening in the space.   From toasties on Fridays and Mealshare on Monday nights to food runs, multiple organisations, groups, churches and volunteers help make it all possible.   And at Christmas, around 250 hampers are packed with the support of Portland Aluminium and the Port of Portland.   “We’re able to achieve so much because of those partnerships,” he said. “It flows into everything we do, including the Community Connect Space … having partnered with other organisations and volunteers makes things happen. We’re doing this all together.” Kellie Smith, Community Engagement Worker, sees its impact up close at the corps.   “It’s open to anyone in the community, especially people who might be feeling isolated or doing it tough,” she said. “Portland is a close, caring town – people look out for each other. But some still face challenges like housing issues, poor mental health or loneliness. The best part is seeing people support each other and finding strength through connection.” Community connection is at the heart of the Community Connect Space’s success. Kellie Smith, Community Engagement Worker, sees its impact up close at the corps. Here she chats with Serray who popped into the Community Connect Space for a chat. ​​ Kellie recalled a woman with severe social anxiety who rarely left home. Being able to come into the connect space and sit down and just have a normal conversation and then be able to show herself for who she is and be accepted has been hugely impactful.   “It has made a massive difference in her life,” Kellie remarked. “It’s her safe space. I see her come in, and she’ll give me a hug, and she’ll say, thank you. Just being able to watch her come out of her shell is really amazing - that happens with a lot of people.”   Also, at the heart of the space is ‘Conversations of Hope’ that accompanies Friday toasties.   It’s an exciting new way – and approach – of doing ‘church.’   Peter explained they had to stop Sunday services, like most other people, during COVID, but ended up making the decision to explore different ways of doing church, rather than just having church on a Sunday. A hot cuppa, hot chocolate and chicken soup are favourites amongst the community who visit the Portland Salvos - and it’s all thanks to their automated coffee machine. He added that during COVID, they had to stop Sunday services like many others, but instead of simply pausing, they explored new ways of doing church. “We focused on one-on-ones, connecting with couples, and building relationships,” he said.   Earlier this year, they launched Conversations of Hope, an informal way to explore life, faith and questions, utilising Pass the Salt  cards.   Rather than delivering sermons, the approach values everyone’s personal experiences with life and God.   Peter emphasised that everyone had their own beliefs and understandings, and the goal was to share stories and insights collectively, learning from one another.   “We finish off praying for the people in the group, and it’s just been really, really great,” he commented.   “We have got people that come up on a Friday morning and say, ‘Are we doing the group today?’ Some of them have loose connections to church before. Others have never been interested. Some people that say they don’t believe in God and will come along and explore all this because people own their stories – and you can’t argue with people’s stories.” * Peter and Heather Stamp are taking up new appointments at Casey-Cardinia Salvos (Vic.) later this month after eight years at Portland. Peter said they would really miss what had become their home in Portland. Michael (centre) has become a regular attendee at the Portland Community Connect Space. From toasties on Fridays and Mealshare on Monday nights to food runs, multiple organisations, groups, churches and volunteers help make it all possible.   ​​ ​​

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 (19-15 January)   we pray for the Pakistan Territory.   This territory has 485 officers (257 active, 228 retired); 15 cadets; 135 corps; 384 outposts and societies; 41,606 senior soldiers; 3221 adherents; 9417 junior soldiers; 127 employees.   Colonel Diana MacDonald leads the Pakistan Territory. The work of the territory includes: ·  Community health programs ·  Schools and education ·  Community development ·  Modern slavery and human trafficking response.   Prayers for the territory: Praise points: ·     We give thanks for the successful visit of General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn in April 2025. ·     We give thanks for the successful commissioning of 15 Cadets of Session ‘Champions of the Mission’ in April 2025 ·     We give thanks for the 32 cadets who entered the Training College for the ‘Proclaimers of Transformation’ session in August 2025. ·     We also give thanks for the 28 officers who graduated from the five-year Certificate in Leadership training program in November 2025.   Prayer requests : ·     Pray for the wellbeing of our officers. ·     Pray for the officers and their families as they embark on their new appointments in early March 2026, keeping them in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare for their respective ministries. ·     Pray for the spiritual growth of the soldiers, that they may embody the qualities of true soldiers by continually learning, developing, and setting a commendable example in their lives. ·     Pray for a spiritual revival in the territory, with people committed to and engaged in the mission. ·     Pray for the sustainability initiatives to provide needed resources. ·     Pray for God’s intervention so that the growth of the territory will not be hindered. ·     Pray for the numerical growth of our soldiers and the spiritual growth of our children, adolescents and young people.   To find out more about the Pakistan Territory, click here . To find out more about The Salvation Army’s prayer focus, click here .   To download the 2026 prayer schedule, click here .

CFS personnel take a moment for a toastie from the SAES van. Image: Facebook BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE With a bushfire burning out of control in a township an hour south of Adelaide, Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) crews have deployed overnight to assist first responders. The fire, located at Tooperang, near Mt Compass on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula, remains uncontrolled despite the efforts of 120 on-ground volunteer firefighters with 25 trucks, more than 120 water drops and the assistance of multiple service providers to attempt to contain the blaze. The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) has confirmed that three structures have so far been lost. The Salvation Army’s Response Coordinator for South Australia, Major Reno Elms, said the SAES team were working tirelessly – providing dinner to 130 personnel, then toasties and coffee throughout the night, followed by a full cooked breakfast this morning. The team then delivered lunches direct to the fire crews, and are now preparing a salad bar, burgers and chips for dinner. He said there was a great deal of uncertainty on the ground. “From moment to moment, we don’t know what’s happening,” Reno said. “They don’t seem to be able to contain the fire presently.” He said despite the concerns, there was a great atmosphere of appreciation for the efforts of SAES personnel. “People are just so, so grateful that we’re here,” Reno said. That’s been wonderful. When people have turned up in the dark and they’ve been greeted by hot coffee and toasties by the crew here, I think they’ve been a bit astounded.” As well as The Salvation Army and CFS crews, CFS has confirmed the fire efforts are also being supported by SA Ambulance Service, St John Ambulance, Forestry SA, SA Metropolitan Fire Service, the Department for Environment and Water, Farm Fire Units and private contractors. Images: Facebook In recent days and weeks, SAES personnel across Western Australia and Victoria have also been serving fire crews and evacuees, as well as those stranded by flooding on the Great Ocean Road. Would you like to become a Salvation Army Emergency Services volunteer? Click here for more information.

Commissioner Miriam Gluyas (Territorial Commander) and Colonel John Chamness (Chief Secretary) have issued a prayer for the people of Iran and those being impacted by the civil unrest in that country. Commissioner Miriam Gluyas and Colonel John Chamness invite our territory to stand with them in prayer for the people of Iran, lifting before God all who are hurting, fearful, or separated from loved ones during this time of deep uncertainty.   Hi friends,   In recent days, we have been deeply moved by the heartbreak and uncertainty being felt by many connected to Iran, including members of our own faith communities.   Families are anxious for loved ones, communication is limited, and the weight of grief and fear is heavy.   In moments like this, we return to who we are as The Salvation Army, people who believe in the power of prayer and the hope of Christ that reaches into every corner of the world.   We invite Salvationists and friends across our territory to join us in a united prayer for the people of Iran.   A Prayer for Iran God of comfort and peace, We lift before You the people of Iran. We pray for an end to the violence and for Your protection over all who are in danger. Be close to those who are fearful, grieving, or cut off from loved ones. Bring safety to those who seek justice and dignity and guide leaders to act with wisdom and compassion. Strengthen our Salvation Army people who walk alongside Iranian communities here. May their presence reflect Your love and bring hope to those who are struggling. Lord, bring peace. Bring justice. Bring light. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This week (18-24 January) is The Salvation Army’s Moneycare Week. BY LAUREN MARTIN   The Salvation Army is using its 2026 Moneycare Week to encourage Australians to do a financial health check and seek help with their finances if they’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed.   The results of a nationwide survey being released by The Salvation Army this week revealed that nearly half of all Australians (44 per cent) will be starting 2026 in debt, and almost nine out of 10 respondents say they feel the same, or more stressed, about their finances this year, compared with last year.*   Moneycare is The Salvation Army’s free and confidential financial counselling service, with financial counsellors assisting people in person across Australia, online and over the telephone. The service also offers free online resources to help people manage their money.   National Moneycare Manager Kristen Hartnett said the new year offers a unique opportunity for people to make positive financial changes in their lives. “Financial counselling is one of Australia’s best kept secrets – through Moneycare, financial counselling is free, confidential and effective, and it can make a huge difference to your situation. National Moneycare Manager Kristen Hartnett. “Whether you need help creating a budget, support getting out of debt, someone to talk to about realistic money plans, or anything in between, Moneycare is here for you. You are not alone, and there is no shame in reaching out for support.”   In the last financial year, Moneycare provided 48,000 sessions of care to over 11,000 people struggling with their finances. It’s hoped that the Moneycare Week media and information campaign will encourage more Australians who are facing financial stress, to connect with The Salvation Army for support.   *A Pureprofile survey for The Salvation Army surveyed 2,005 people in a nationally representative sample size and this has been extrapolated to reflect the general Australian population. Extrapolated numbers are based on the estimated Australian population aged 18 and older, 22,189,796 based on ABS data as seen here Moneycare Week At the start of a new year many people think about their finances in light of Christmas spending and the school year dawning. Moneycare Week offers a timely opportunity to share practical tips and resources that help people feel capable and supported.  During the week of 18–24 January 2026, there will be media activity and digital advertising to promote Moneycare Week.  READ MORE: MySalvos Moneycare Toolkit, click here    If you would like to highlight Moneycare Week in your mission expression during January, either physically or digitally, the resources below can help.   Please note: Moneycare has a wide range of resources for the community. Please feel free to share the public-facing Moneycare Financial Resources page with your community: The Salvation Army Moneycare Financial Resources page

Holiness has a way of finding us – nearly always with dirty hands, writes Captain Dr John Clifton. Image: Getty CAPTAIN DR JOHN CLIFTON* She went from person to person, standing before them, and asking. Palms open. Kings Cross Station. Everyone looking upwards at the board, waiting for platform details. It’s a static audience. No harm in asking. Now she came to me. I smiled and took out my headphones. I’d been prepared to say my usual line:  sorry, I don’t have any cash but I can buy you food or drink if you’re needing something . But the hands weren’t outstretched. Instead, she said: “Can I have a Percy Pig?” She’d spotted it. I had a bag of Percy Pigs in my coat pocket and was working my way through them one by one. “I saw you had some.” Image, courtesy of John Clifton, who created it using Generative AI. She noticed things. I pulled the packet out so she could take one herself. Now she showed me her hands, dirty with grime worked into the crevices. It was clear she didn’t think it right to reach into the packet. So, I took a few sweets out and placed them in her hand. She turned to go. Then she stopped, turned back, and asked: “Are your hands clean?” I admitted they were about as clean as you’d expect from someone out and about all day. She nodded and walked away, disappearing back into her pattern of working through the travellers. Afterwards, I realised I should probably have shaken some out of the packet instead of touching them myself. Better manners. Better hygiene. I regretted it slightly. It wasn’t intended. The question hit me deeper. Are your hands clean? This is obviously a biblical, and a moral question. As it says in  Psalm 24:3-6 (NRSV ) : “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?     And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,     who do not lift up their souls to what is false     and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord     and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek him,     who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” Psalm 24 challenges those approaching the presence of God. It is a liturgical question asked at the threshold, naming the kind of life that can stand before holiness without pretense. In his 1948 play  Dirty Hands , Jean-Paul Sartre exposes the moral ambiguity of action in the real world: that to take action at all, let alone decisively, is to risk contamination, and that clean hands may only be preserved by refusing to act at all. One character, Community Party boss Hoederer, sneers at the very idea of innocence, insisting that anyone serious about change must accept dirty hands as the price of engagement: “How you cling to your purity, young man! How afraid you are to soil your hands! All right, stay pure! What good will it do? … Well, I have dirty hands. Right up to the elbows. I’ve plunged them in filth and blood. But what do you hope? Do you think you can govern innocently?” Sartre’s question is whether anyone who truly engages the world can remain pure. In response to Sartre, Albert Camus wrote  The Just Assassins  (1949). There, he dramatises the story of a real group of Russian revolutionaries / terrorists who were plotting the assasination of the Grand Duke. Camus explores the question of how far action may go without destroying the very values it claims to serve. In the play, the character Kaliayev eventually carries out the assassination, having delayed when children were present. After this, he accepts responsibility, refuses to flee, and goes to his execution without appealing to necessity or history to absolve him. His posture is simply to remain answerable for his actions. Camus agreed with Sartre on one point: withdrawal from the world is not an option. But he rejected Sartre’s deeper move, which was the absolution of violence by historical necessity. Guilt, Camus insists, must remain guilt, and never be normalised. His position is that action may be necessary; violence is tragic rather than avoidable; and those taking action must never claim moral triumph, inevitability, or innocence. Psalm 24 presses a different logic again. Unlike Sartre’s realism or Camus’ tragic restraint, it neither denies the cost of action nor normalises contamination as inevitable. It asks instead whether hands shaped by action can remain truthful before God. Hoederer plunges his hands into filth and blood and calls it realism. The Christian claim is that such hands may yet be washed, not into innocence, but into truth, by the blood of Christ. Standing there, munching another Percy Pig, I felt the tension of the question: Are your hands clean? An exchange. A handful of sweets. An unexpected question from an unexpected person. Holiness has a way of finding us – nearly always with dirty hands, often inconvenient, and sometimes through voices we were not listening for. *Captain Dr John Clifton is Divisional Commander for the North East Division of The Salvation Army UK. He writes on Substack about Salvationism  and faith . This article first appeared here  and has been reprinted with permission.

Some volunteers have travelled straight from bushfire response into flood response centres, with Victoria facing a battering from extreme weather over the past week. Image: Supplied BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE With flash flooding submerging campsites on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria yesterday, Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) teams have rushed to offer assistance to those left stranded. Following a week of bushfire response efforts across Victoria, some teams who were assisting those impacted by fire have now been relocated to Lorne and Apollo Bay in the Surf Coast region to offer meals, snacks, drinks and bedding to those displaced by floods. The sudden deluge hit on Thursday night, and while only one person so far has been injured, many holidaymakers have lost cars, caravans, tents and possessions, many of which were cast out to sea in a matter of minutes. The Salvation Army’s General Manager for Emergency, Aid and Development, Daryl Crowden, said the team, occupying three trucks and a support vehicle, was anticipating up to 800 people needing bedding and food, but many of those stranded had managed to find accommodation elsewhere or catch emergency relief buses out of the region. While some of the team arrived onsite at mid-afternoon yesterday, a group including Daryl arrived at 1.30am this morning. “Two of the vehicles came straight from the fires,” Daryl said. “One of the material aid trucks and our support vehicle left Yea and went to Seymour and picked up as many of the beds that they could get, packed up their vehicles and then travelled straight down here to get people onto beds. “We had about 40 people in the Apollo Bay relief centre and about 60 to 70 people in the Lorne centre. Some of the people that were displaced and stayed in [private accommodation nearby] came back to the relief centre in Lorne during the day to be fed.” Daryl said he spoke to one man and his wife this morning who had been at the Wye River Caravan Park with their daughter and grandchildren, staying in a campervan with an annexe. Within half an hour of the downpour, they noticed the previously low creek was overflowing, so they escaped and got to higher ground. From their vantage point, they watched the water take their caravan and supplies out to sea. “We’re hearing a number of stories like that, including at least three cars that disappeared out into the water as well from that same area,” Daryl said. Daryl said his team has been amazing and also applauded SAES teams in Western Australia who have done “almost six weeks of back-to-back bushfires”. He said over the past week in Victoria, he had seen many people approach members of the team and thank them directly for their assistance. “I’m just really proud of the team,” Daryl said. “They’ve done amazing work. They have got a lot of comments and compliments from the people that we're serving, and that’s encouraging. “So yeah, just very proud of them and very pleased to be able to work with them.” From fires to floods – Salvation Army Emergency Services trucks and personnel on the job in the Great Ocean road region of Victoria.

Some of the cars on show at The Salvation Army and Shannons Insurance Classic Car Charity Run at Campbell Town in Tasmania. All photos courtesy of JY Photo BY LERISSE SMITH Ever dreamed of a beautiful Jaguar Coupe or Mustang sitting proudly in your garage? For one day in Tasmania’s Campbell Town, that fantasy became reality – well, almost. The Salvation Army and Shannons Insurance turned motoring dreams into a celebration at this year’s Shannons Salvation Army Classic Car Charity Run on 14 December. Tasmania Divisional Commander Major Dean Clarke (with microphone) and Rod Belbin, Shannons Business Development Manager of Tasmania, address the large crowd who gathered for the event. Pride of place went to the coveted trophy for the cars that The Salvation Army and Shannons Insurance would most like to have in ‘their garage’, with the honours awarded to a beautiful Jaguar Coupe and a Mustang. “It was a wonderful community event,” said Rod Belbin, Shannons Business Development Manager of Tasmania. “It brings motoring enthusiasts together to support The Salvation Army and the wonderful work they do in supporting the underprivileged. The concept was for cars to fill their back seats and boots with non-perishable food, which was donated to The Salvation Army on their arrival at the car show.” Cars filled their back seats and boots with non-perishable food, which was donated to the Salvos on their arrival at the car show. Marking more than two decades of tradition, and now in its 21st year, the event is a beloved fixture on Tasmania’s motoring and charity calendar. Nestled in the heart of Central Tasmania, Campbell Town provided the perfect setting, allowing car clubs and enthusiasts from all over the state to drive there to attend. This year’s convoy attracted about 100 cars, ranging in age from 1920 to late-model classics, all united for a cause that drives home the spirit of giving. The idea for the charity run was born from inspiration. Inspired by a CEO sleepout in 2005, Rod saw the need for an event that catered for people in need during the Christmas period. Spotting a gap in charitable motoring events, he was aware of the great work done by various motorcycle organisations across the country that held toy runs, but believed there was an opportunity for car clubs and car enthusiasts to cater to parents and adults. (Left) Ahhh ... the good old days! One of the many participants in this year's Shannons Salvation Army Classic Car Charity Run enjoyed a quick break and read in his beloved classic Ford beauty - one of many beautiful vintage cars on display. (Right) Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who! Car show attendees could be forgiven for having this catchy tune stuck in their heads as these four-legged friends joined in the fun at the annual classic car charity run. And the result? “This is how the Shannons Salvation Army Classic Car Charity Run was created!” Rod remarked. “Shannons Insurance is proud to be associated with The Salvation Army and the incredible work they do.” Capping off the day, the event finished with a Salvos barbecue, rounding out a celebration of cars, community and compassion.   Some of the many eye-catching classic vehicles on display at the event in Campbell Town, Tasmania. ​​

Winter is biting hard in Ukraine as the war with Russia continues to severely impact people and infrastructure. The leaders of the Ukraine Division of The Salvation Army’s Eastern Europe Territory, Majors Konstantin and Irina Shvab, have requested prayer for the country as it faces comprehensive and relentless Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. Their message is below: Dear friends, Ukraine is currently facing significant attacks that have resulted in widespread loss of heating and electricity for many households, with temperatures falling as low as -21°C. Emergency response teams are actively working to restore essential services. These incidents have directly impacted the provision of basic necessities for civilians. Under international law, an attack of this nature is classified as a war crime against the civilian population of Ukraine. Please keep Ukraine and Ukrainians in your prayers. Ministry continues Despite these devastating attacks, officers, employees and volunteers, often working in the dark, without heating or water, continue to serve their corps and communities, praising God and relying on him.   Many of their efforts focus on helping children and young people to have as normal a childhood as is possible in the midst of war, to grow their faith, and to give them experiences that bring a sense of belonging, trust, hope and joy. Early in December last year, leaders led a camp for children in a mountain location which featured worship, winter activities, and time to relax and just be kids.   After the camp, Eastern Europe Territory leaders, Colonels Joao Paolo and Karin Ramos, and Major Victoria Lalac, Secretary for Mission, joined officers, soldiers and sergeants for meetings and worship services. Eastern Europe Territorial Leaders, Colonels Joao Paolo and Karin Ramos (centre, at back) join officers, soldiers and sergeants for meetings and worship after a divisional children’s camp. Corps around the world continue to support The Salvation Army’s work in Ukraine. Majors Konstantin and Irina Shvab recently thanked “our friends at the Mannheim Friendship Corps who blessed our folks with some beautiful reflective vests for Christmas! In our realities, it is vital, because with the arrival of darkness, people are simply invisible neither on the streets nor on the roads. Something as simple as a vest can save someone's life! Thank you!”   Scouting is popular among the Ukrainian youth, with programs including worship and teaching, community service, camps and outdoor skills. Recently, Scout leaders joined the Lviv Corps in preparing and delivering lunches to the vulnerable. A blizzard complicated the deliveries, but the Scouts persevered. “Together, we are a force doing a good thing,” their leaders said.   Leaders and their teams also respond to calls for assistance in some of the “difficult destinations”. Relief includes groceries, blankets and clothing. Red Kettle funds cover some of the costs, but the requests are continuous and additional help is always appreciated.   As heavy snow blankets much of the country, the children have been enjoying winter holiday activities outside. Movies, games and sessions with psychologists are held indoors.   Robotics classes have also kicked off in Lviv. These are free for orphaned children, internally displaced young people, children with disabilities and children of the military and civil servants. “This is a great blessing to us and to those we can serve,” the leaders said.   Women’s Clubs in Kropivnitsky and Kyiv continue to meet, regardless of whether there is light. They study the Bible, enjoy craft and snacks, pray, praise God and worship him.   Leaders have also asked parents to be careful and talk to their children about dangerous drone parts that have been found around the country, often deep in snow.   Please continue to pray for Ukraine!

The year 1929 was a time of great upheaval for The Salvation Army.   It was marked by a pivotal leadership challenge, known as the ‘Bramwell Booth Crisis’, in which the ruling High Council deposed General Bramwell Booth (son of Founder William Booth), who had led the worldwide Salvation Army since his father’s death in 1912.   This tumultuous time led to significant constitutional changes and the eventual election of Edward Higgins as General.   Essentially, the saga was broken into five major events:   The Conflict : General Bramwell Booth was ill and reluctant to retire, but the High Council (the Army’s supreme governing body) convened for the first time in its history to address the situation. The Vote : On 8 January 1929, the High Council voted to remove Bramwell, a traumatic event for the Army. Legal Battle : Bramwell challenged the decision in court but lost, further complicating matters. New Leadership : In February 1929, the High Council elected Edward Higgins, who had served as Chief of the Staff, as the new General. Constitutional Reform : This crisis directly led to The Salvation Army Act 1931, which established that Generals would be elected by the High Council and created a Trustee company to hold Army property, significantly limiting the General’s absolute power.    In a four-part series (links below), Salvos Online history writer Barry Gittins explores the machinations of the crisis, revealing the power players and what they had to say during the tumultuous time ‘when the Salvos wrestled’. Part 1: https://www.salvosonline.org.au/post/part-1-goodbye-bramwell Part 2: https://www.salvosonline.org.au/post/part-2-let-s-have-a-high-council Part 3: https://www.salvosonline.org.au/post/part-3-how-is-bramwell-faring Part 4: https://www.salvosonline.org.au/post/part-4-the-denouncement General Bramwell Booth at his desk at International Headquarters in London during his tenure between 1912-1929.

In the third of a four-part series, Salvos Online history writer BARRY GITTINS explores the tumultuous events of 1929, when General Bramwell Booth’s leadership of The Salvation Army reached a crisis point.   Throughout the Salvation Army and throughout much of the Western world, the future of Booth’s Army seemed up for grabs. Questions of loyalty, integrity and motivation were everywhere.   Refuting suggestions of unfair treatment of the General, and disloyalty, International Headquarters put out on 26 November 1928 a letter to the High Council participants. Any adjudication to come regarding the General’s unfitness for his office, or his possible resignation, or death, would mean ‘electing a new General ... in this matter we were moved by deep and sincere concern for the Army, and not less so for the General, with whom we have been closely associated for the greater part of our lives. How could it be otherwise?’ Bramwell’s ‘prolonged and serious illness [and] progressive inability on his part to attend to the most vital – indeed the most trivial – duties of his office [meant] he is now so unfit as in fact to leave the Army without a Head and its immense Trusts without the only person legally able to administer them.” In a circular published on 8 December, 1928, entitled ‘The Why and Wherefore of the High Council of The Salvation Army 1928-29’, the High Council’s instigators were publicly backed by retried commissioners John Carleton, William Ridsdel, Mildred Duff, Adelaide Cox, Fred Booth-Tucker, William Stevens, Clara Case, and William Iliffe; they were respected, big hitters. The circular noted that the retirees ‘considered that in the present circumstances the requisitioning commissioners could have taken no other course’. The circular noted that Bramwell “can only with the greatest difficulty and on rare occasions sign his name to a few of the larger documents requiring attention … the General is now so unfit as in fact to leave the Army without a head”. A painting of Bramwell Booth that hangs at International Headquarters in London. In hindsight, it seems overly ironic that the Salvationists wrestling for command of The Salvation Army should appeal for discretion, in a document that was always going to be made public as soon as it was printed and distributed. The commissioners urged their fellows to pray and to “go on steadily with your work, whatever it may be, and quietly await the decision of the High Council … Don’t be drawn into controversy with anyone. It is believed that public confidence in the Army will be stronger than ever because of the exercise of wise provision made by the Founder when he executed the 1904 Deed under which the High Council has been called together”. The Army, they decreed, is “greater than any one of the individuals who compose it”. Markedly, it went without expressly saying that this included Bramwell. Word from the inner realms of the High Council was seeping out in private communications. One commissioner’s private correspondence on 17 January 1929 addressed “the atmosphere of deep emotion and spiritual feeling … in the midst of the proceedings of the High Council … The whole Assembly was moved to tears as one after another pleaded with Mrs Booth and the General’s family to persuade our Leader to relieve himself of the heavy burdens under which he collapsed. “It was with an intense disappointment which affected practically every member of The Council that the General’s refusal to entertain our request was afterwards received … the General declines to consider retirement with all the honours and dignities attaching to his rank, [so we] could not avoid proceeding to the final discussion …” Put to the vote, 55 of the 63 officers participating adjudicated the General “unfit” – eight voted against sacking Bramwell. Faced with the High Council calling his competence into question and, in essence, ending his reign, General Bramwell Booth – almost 74 years of age, and in exceedingly poor health – listened to his supporters and resorted to the law in an effort to refute the High Council’s marching orders. The choice to go against scriptural advice and contest the High Council in the courts to retain power was not a popular one. Participants in the struggle for control were at pains to reassure Salvationists around the world that the practical matters before them were held alongside concern for their ailing leader and the deep grief and anger that were emerging through turbulent discussions and contentions. That said, prayer amidst the pain was the order of the day. Brigadier Fred Fielding’s diary on 21 January 1929 reflects this controversy; his perspective was as a person in training, busily watching the Army wrestle with itself. “Commissioner Jeffries, this morning at family prayers, read a statement of facts regarding the decision of the High Council. He made reference to ‘Orders and Regulations of Soldiers’, also to Local Officers Regulations,” he wrote. “He seemed very upset, especially when he held up a Summons, and said that it was not like one of the General’s “love letters” which he used to send to his old and faithful officers. “As he finished speaking, Staff-Captain Dora Booth [one of Bramwell and Florence’s daughters] jumped up from her seat on the platform and, in the midst of a very profound silence, while we all wondered what was going to happen next, she addressed the cadets with the remark that “there are two sides to this question”.   Major D. Purkiss immediately responded with the words that her remark was “a libel [slander, that is] on the fifty-five (the High Council)”. “The incident closed quietly, however, and no more was said. These are very anxious days in the Garrison.”   An ill General Bramwell Booth recuperating at home with his daughter Catherine in February 1929. Commissioner Higgins, writing as Chief of the Staff from IHQ on 7 February 1929, took Bramwell Booth to task for the General’s War Cry article, which the Chief believed was “contrary to the teaching and interests of The Salvation Army … “In trying to justify the action of the General in going to Law [the piece] suggested that the Founder did the same and that The Army upon many occasions has had recourse to [the Law] … This is true, but the Founder never went to Law against his own people, nor did he resort to Law to nullify his own [legal] Deeds … the general’s action [is] really taken in the hope that the High Council will be declared illegal, and that he, in spite of his continued inability to act because of physical weakness, shall be reinstated without there being any power to remove him or any successor whom he might choose to appoint … What a catastrophe all this is!” So, how was Bramwell’s health, really? Was he ready to get back to the office and get things ticking along?   In the confidential circular ‘The High Council – Sunbury Court 13 February 1929’ , Commissioner Lamb recorded that “my judgment tells me the general is still a sick man – a very sick man… He has not been at Headquarters since May of last year … If we are told that the General’s health is so much improved that he is granting business interviews to certain people [we] cannot ignore the fact that while he may be fit to see ex-officers he is not well enough to see his sister (the Commander) or consult with his chief of the Staff. That is the present position … the General is unfit …  “I submit to you, then, with deep conviction but great regret, that General Bramwell Booth is unequal to the task …” Part 4: https://www.salvosonline.org.au/post/part-4-the-denouncement