The year is 1865. A small group of musicians assemble on a muddy street corner in the poverty-ridden slums of Eastern London. The trumpeter blows his horn as a call to worship, while the drummer pounds an enticing rhythm. A homeless drunk wakes from his oblivious stupor as the music reverberates through the metal gutter where he lies. The hollow-eyed prostitute covers her exposed shoulders with a tattered shawl as she walks out to the second-story balcony of a shabby hotel to listen to the voices swell with passionate singing.

Silence falls on the rapidly-growing crowd as a militant man with square shoulders and slightly graying hair steps onto the makeshift platform to speak. The compassion shines through his dark eyes as he begins preaching a message of hope and forgiveness to those in a world of cruelty and despair.

So began The Salvation Army.

More than just a thrift store or a bell-ringing Santa Claus, throughout its 136 years existence, The Salvation Army offers new life to those without hope.

“A lot of people think that we just give clothes or that we help pay electric bills,” Sergeant Steve Wright, of the Houma Salvation Army Corp, explained. “People come in and a lot of them say `I know you give away clothes or I know you have thrift stores,’ but they don’t realize that it’s an organization based on Christianity. When we invite them to come to church, they don’t even realize we have a

chapel.”

But William Booth originally purposed a Christian ministry when he stepped onto platforms on the street corners of London to preach. He immediately catered to the physical needs of the destitute outcasts with the eventual goal of winning their hearts for Jesus.

“William Booth went out and tried to reach the ones who wouldn’t normally come to church,” Wright said. “Those people needed physical and spiritual help. We still try to do the same thing.”

Booth and his converts were often denied entrance to many London churches and religious institutions because of their past lives and street-worn appearance. But the unquenchable zeal they shared could not be stopped by the conventional standards. Booth received strong support from his wife who believed that Christians should not be indifferent about their faith and that “God doesn’t ask you to go to chapel or join the church and pray . . . but to get down and give up your heart to Him, to choose whom you will serve, and do it at once, and everything else will follow.”

By 1874, the once small ministry had increased to more than 1,000 volunteers and 42 evangelists. Booth ran his mission like a well-structured warfare machine, with workers involved in the Army proudly hailing him as General.

Soldiers of The Salvation Army now reach 107 countries and speak 160 different languages to spread Booth’s original message.

“One of our biggest jobs is to help with disaster relief all over

the world,” Wright said. “When Booth originally started, he

immediately helped people by giving them clothes and food. If people felt better in their body, their mind, soul and everything else would fall into place.”

Volunteers in The Salvation Army corp centers provide meals and lodging for those coming off the streets. People in need of clothes receive vouchers that allow them to acquire clothing items for free at Salvation Army thrift stores.

“When people come in, we don’t ask them any questions,” Wright said. “We just worry about taking care of their immediate needs and helping them make it through one more day.”

The Salvation Army thrift stores provide almost 20 percent of the organization’s revenue. The profits from the stores, as well as donations, fund activities of the corp units.

“What people don’t realize is that every time they buy something at a thrift store, they are helping someone in need. The money they spend on clothes pays for food, shelter and a warm bed for people. Every little bit makes a huge difference,” Wright said. The year is 2001. A trendy teen-ager opens the doors to a Salvation Army thrift store and casually searches the racks of clothes. He finds two shirts he likes and purchases them at the check-out counter. He exits the store and walks down the street, without realizing the heart and purpose of The Salvation Army. He misses its mission and loses an opportunity – a chance to volunteer time, service and love to an organization existing on the passion of one man who implanted his dream in others and gave new life to millions.