History

The Salvation Army is an international Christian organization whose work began in London, England in 1865 when William Booth, a minister, abandoned the conventional concept of a church and a pulpit and took his message of hope to the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute.  By 1867 The Salvation Army had developed into a ministry offering basic schooling, reading rooms, penny banks, soup kitchens and relief aid to the destitute.

The Salvation Army started its work in Canada in 1882 and quickly began giving hope to those in need throughout the country.  It serves over 1.85 million people each year in over 400 communities in Canada and is now the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in the country.  

To accommodate the changing times, The Salvation Army in Canada continues to evolve and has undertaken Mobilize 2.0 which is a transformation program that included the creation of a vision for The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory so that we know where we are heading, and the development of a strategic plan that will help our movement get there.  While the same values and aspirations still exist, our primary goal is always to advance and find innovative solutions to better address rising community needs.

Yorkminster Citadel – Corps/Church History

Within the year, a site was purchased at 1183 St. Clair Avenue on which to construct a permanent Hall, and this building was officially opened on December 23, 1910. From this location, the soldiers of Christ proclaimed the gospel message through constant open-air meetings and regular weekly services.

Throughout the following years, the faith of the comrades was rewarded. The Royal George Theatre, which held 600 people, was situated next door to the Hall, and was hired when the crowds could not be sustained within the small wood building…The congregation maintained its influence in the district and the size of the Soldiers’ Roll continued to grow.

In 1920, a new site was purchased for a larger Hall, to be built at 1615 Dufferin Street. From there, the message of salvation was heard in the Earlscourt District for over half a century.

Despite the great progress of the Corps, the area in which it was located had changed demographically by the 1980s, and a decision was made to relocate the congregation to Yonge Street and Highway 401, and change the name to Yorkminster Citadel. An opportunity for new avenues of sacred service began when the Yorkminster Citadel was officially opened by Commissioner Will Pratt on September 12, 1987. From this location, the message of Christ continues to sound forth from atop the great hill on Yonge Street.