A Salvation Army Sunday Service – A Myth was Broken!

Today, in Charlottetown, I attended a Salvation Army Service for the first time in my life!

Though I have been attending church services for the past four decades, I have never attended a Sunday Service at a Salvation Army church. I did try to go once or twice when my husband and I were on holidays, but we were always intimidated by the thought that we might stand out too much by not wearing a Salvation Army uniform while attending church service there.

 I have always heard that the Salvation Army congregations attend their Sunday Services in their particular attires.  This myth was broken today! 

To my relief,  Yoko and I were not the only ones in regular civilian clothes attending the service at the Charlottetown Salvation Army.

True, a few people, those who were involved in the service, did have their special army attires on, but many more in the congregation did not.  Consequently, we did not feel totally out of place there.  In fact, we were warmly greeted and welcome by both the ushers and a host of other people from the church.

The service was not long at all. It lasted for exactly an hour, with the first fifteen minutes singing some new and familiar church tunes. I really enjoyed the music and the singing. It was a joyful sound with a lot of hand clapping, a style of singing I am used to in my home church in Toronto.

I especially enjoyed the part when we were asked to sing the hymn , Be Still, softly preparing our hearts to listen to God’s message. It brought people to a nice quiet and reflective mood. I wish everyone would have this opportunity to lay down their busy lives, come and sit quietly in front of God to mediate and reflect on God’s great love and mercy. It will certainly put us in perspective and help us to see what are really important in our lives.

I learned a great deal from today’s message taken from Psalm 119: 9-16. The message was short, about 15 minutes, but very touching and meaningful.  I ‘ll need to study this message more on my own. 

The Salvation Army Church - Charlottetown

The congregation was warm and gracious. We had some tasty home baked goodies,  tea and coffee at the end of the service. It gave us an opportunity to get to know some of the people at the church.

 If I were living in Charlottetown, the Salvation Army Church would probably be my home church. I feel very comfortable there!

R.T.,  Charlottetown
June 17, 2012