Woodstock Community Church - The Salvation Army

We are...

a group of people committed to the service of Christ and our fellow man. We welcome everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, to join us and become a member of our church family.

Our leaders...

Our officers (pastors) are Majors Owen and Sandra Budden. They, along with their youngest daughter, Talitha, joined our congregation in July of 2008. Before coming to Woodstock, they served as Training College Principals in Papua New Guinea and Corps Officers at Halifax Citadel, Nova Scotia.

Their love of God is evident in their caring and nurturing spirits and their concern for each member of the congregation from the youngest to the oldest.

Send a private email to Major Owen or Major Sandra.

Of The Salvation Army...

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church.

Its message is based on the Bible.

Its ministry is motivated by the love of God.

Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Of the Woodstock Community Church...

The Salvation Army Community Church in Woodstock is a fellowship of Christians who adhere to Biblical standards and Salvation Army principles; committed to ministry by showing Christ's love through emotional, physical and spiritual support so that God is glorified and His Kingdom strengthened.

In London, England...

Out of a passion to help the poor, William and Catherine Booth founded the Christian Mission in London, England in 1865. 13 years later, in 1878, the name was changed and The Salvation Army was born. But it wasn't long before the movement spread throughout the world.

Currently, The Salvation Army offers aid and the Gospel in over 113 countries, with Corps (centers for worship) as well as social, medical, educational and other duties, concerning the community. Members of the Army are known as Salvationists, and they work under disciplined military style to combat evil. These officers, soldiers, adherents and employees help others daily.

In Woodstock, Ontario...

On January 20, 1884, The Salvation Army held its first meeting in Woodstock, Ontario. Army war songs were heard up and down Dundas Street as they marched to the Town Square. Captain Annie O'Leary, Commanding Officer, "Opened Fire" by announcing that the work in Woodstock would begin. However, there was a slight problem - the Mayor, John M. Grant, and his council members refused to let The Salvation Army rent the Town Hall for meetings.

The Salvationists prayed that one day they would have a place of their own and, in 1886, they finally purchased the Primitive Methodist Church at 34 Graham Street. Renovations in 1912 saw the steeple being removed and the installation of a new facade on the front of the old building.

In 1961, the original building was torn down and a new hall was built. A large addition and renovations were completed in 1973. A Thrift Store later opened in the Avery Motors building, then moved to 50 Finkle Street in 1993. In 2001 the Army purhased the former Poole Family Grocery Store at 190 Huron Street and is currently serving the public from there. Meanwhile, a second Thrift Store and Family Services program has been operating on Main Street in Norwich since 1997. In 1999 a brand new Emergency Housing and Advocacy Program commenced operations at 906 James Street, Woodstock.

Eventually, the congregation that had worshipped on Graham Street for 111 years relocated, in 1997, to a brand-new facility on the corner of Juliana and Norwich Ave.

Our doctrines...

refer to the teaching and beliefs of The Salvation Army. They are an expanded explanation of our faith, founded on Scripture and developed from a basic creed.

Since 1878, the doctrines of The Salvation Army have formed the basis for our witness to the Christian gospel. These eleven Articles of Faith are an expression both of personal and corporate faith. Salvationists emphasize the universal call to personal salvation, the challenge to holiness and the need for evangelical zeal in their doctrine and in their mission.

We believe...

that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

We believe...

that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the proper object of religious worship.

We believe...

that there are three persons in the Godhead - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

We believe...

that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

We believe...

that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.

We believe...

that the Lord Jesus Christ has by His suffering and death made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.

We believe...

that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation.

We believe...

that we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that He that believeth hath the witness in himself.

We believe...

that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.

We believe...

that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe...

in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of the wicked.