Salvation Army Church
| Salvation Army Church | |
|---|---|
| Salvation Army Church in Zimbabwe | |
 Salvation Army Logo | |
| Location | Zimbabwe |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Denomination | Protestant |
| Membership | 70,000 members |
| Weekly attendance | 110,000 |
| Website | http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/zimbabwe |
| History | |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Founder(s) | |
The Salvation Army Church in Zimbabwe is one of the largest religious groups in the country. It is a Christian denomination of European origin and traces its roots from the Protestant Churches.
Establishment
The church was founded by William Booth in 1852 in England.[1] The church started as a result of mobile missionary activity which was based in neighbouring South Africa. A pioneer party, led by Major and Mrs Pascoe set out from Kimberley, South Africa, on 5 May 1891 and it arrived in Salisbury (now Harare) on 18 November.[1] The then Rhodesia became a separate territory of the church on 1 May 1931. From Zimbabwe, work spread to Botswana where The Salvation Army was officially recognised in 1997.[1]
Growth and Development
The development of the Salvation Army in Zimbabwe is most associated with the work of General Eva Burrows, who was appointed as an officer teacher to the Howard Institute and later became the world leader of the Salvation Army (the second woman in that position).[2]
On June 7, 1978, during the Second Chimurenga, guerrillas raided the Salvation Army Usher Institute and two British women mission teachers were shot dead and two other missionaries wounded in a cold-blooded raid — as a result the Salvation Army withdrew from the World Council of Churches.[2]
Soldiers of God, former members of the Salvation Army, began their church in 1938.[2] As of 1995 there were 40 congregations and 14,000 members in Zimbabwe.[2] As of 2000 there were 778 congregations and 70,000 members; 110,000 people were affiliated with the Salvation Army in Zimbabwe.[2]
Education and Schools
The Salvation Army is one of the early Christian movements to establish academic institutions in Zimbabwe. The church runs numerous primary school sin different parts of the country. It also operates four secondary boarding schools, namely,
- Howard Institute established in 1923
- Bradley Institute established in 1926
- Usher Institute established in 1933
- Mazowe High School established in 1959.[2]
Philanthropy
The church runs several philanthropic institutions and projects in the country. In 2014, the church established an orphanage in the Mabelreign area of Harare. The orphanage was funded by the Mabelreign assembly and was given official recognition by the government.[3]
In addition, the Howard Hospital which is run by the Salvation Army Church is one of the most celebrated health institutions in the country. It is, over the years, earned a good reputation due to its good service especially when most government hospitals where suffering from lack of staff and shortage of drugs.[4] Howard Hospital offers its services to more than 250,000 people in and around the rural community of Chiweshe in the Mashonaland Central Province.[4]
Institutions
- Mabelreign Orphans Day Care
- Bumhudzo Home for the Elderly
- Athol Evans Home for the Elderly
- Braeside Social Complex
- Enterprise House
- Ralstein Centre
- Howard Hospital located near Mazowe.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 , History of the Salvation Army,Salvation Army Church, retrieved:30 Jun 2015" Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "salvation army" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 , Salvation Army,Rel Zim,retrieved:30 Jun 2015"
- ↑ , Salvation Army church establishes orphanage,ZBC News, published:13 Sep 2014 ,retrieved:30 Jun 2015"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 S. Welch, Zimbabwe: An Ongoing Story of Hope,Salvationist, published:23 Sep 2013 ,retrieved:30 Jun 2015"
