By Sheena Roszell

100th anniversary

Salvation Army celebrates 100 years this weekend

Apr 12, 2019 | 9:57 AM

The Salvation Army in Grande Prairie is having a 100 th anniversary celebration this weekend.

In April 1919, Grande Prairie had recently become a town with a population of 1,040 and the community welcomed the Salvation Army. At that time, first officers were Captain Evelyn Gain and Lt. Martha Neilson. They were followed by Captain Ervine Waterston in the fall of 1919. Bramwell Booth, the eldest son of Founders William and Catherine Booth, was the General at the time.

This Saturday and Sunday, the organization will be celebrating 100 years of service in G.P. and everyone is welcome to join in on the celebrations.

Saturday

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11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – A special hot cooked meal for those we serve in our community with live music performed by the Music and Gospel Art Brass Band.

1 p.m. – 3 p.m. – Open House – Memorial of 100 years & David’s Tea. Take a walk down 100 years of history with Photos of The Salvation Army while sipping on tea from David’s Tea.

6 p.m. – Buffet style supper at the Pomeroy Hotel, live music performed by the Music and Gospel Art Brass Band. (Tickets are $45 and available at www.salvationarmygp.ca)

Special guests include Mayor Given and city councillors, Reeve Beaupre, Divisional Commander of Alberta & Northern Territories and others.

Sunday

10:30 a.m. – Worship Service at The Salvation Army Community Church (9525 93 Ave) with Flag Dedication and Piano Dedication.

12:30 p.m. – Potluck lunch followed by a cake cutting.

As the Salvation Army celebrates this 100 year milestone, they are looking ahead to the next 100 years with a promise to continue to provide supports like the Food Bank and Hot Meal Program the community depends so much on.

A new “Pathway of Hope” operating model will be introduced at the anniversary celebration.

“We’re trying to look at what are those cycles of defeat that are currently in peoples lives. We want to help build capacity, build hope and stability into their lives so that they are less using our services and more geared towards person setting, goal setting and action setting.”

There are new and exciting things on the horizon for the organization this year as well, with the debut of a new mobile Emergency Disaster Services Canteen. The canteen is a community response unit that will help feed people who are in poverty and who are hungry. The vehicle will also be used to feed first responders in the event of a disaster.