About Us

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Maryborough Salvos is a Salvation Army church and has a heart to serve our community by loving it like Jesus does.

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

Our vision

Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight alongside others to transform Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus.

Our mission

The Salvation Army is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus.

We share the love of Jesus by:

Caring for people

Creating faith pathways

Building healthy communities

Working for justice

Our values

Recognising that God is already at work in the world, we value: 

Integrity

Compassion

Respect

Diversity

Collaboration 

We commit ourselves in prayer and practice to this land of Australia and its people, seeking reconciliation, unity and equity. 

Statement of Belief

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only consitiute 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 only proper object of religious worship.

We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead - the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, 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 regeneration by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation.

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.

How and where did the Salvos start in Australia?

The Salvation Army has been in Australia for 130 years. Early in 1880, two migrant Salvos from the UK—Edward Saunders and John Gore—were both living in Adelaide. The two men met unexpectedly when Saunders heard Gore telling a group of people how he became a Christian in London while attending the Christian Mission (as The Salvation Army was known in its early days). Saunders was excited to discover a fellow Salvo and together they decided it was time to start the movement in Australia.

They wrote to the General (world leader of The Salvation Army) in London and told him they had discovered enough Salvos in Australia to commence meetings. They were even bold enough to suggest to the General who they thought he should send to help and Saunders offered to pay the fare to Australia for the new officers (ministers).

On 5 September, 1880 they conducted an open air service in Adelaide’s Botanic Park where Gore issued this invitation: ‘If there is any man here who hasn’t had a decent meal today, let him come home to tea with me.’ This was the beginning of The Salvation Army in Australia. They stood on a horse buggy for that first meeting and later found a hall to hold meetings.

In January 1881, Captain and Mrs Sutherland were sent from London to take charge of the work of the Salvos in Australia. By this time there were 68 soldiers (full members). After its commencement in Adelaide, the Salvos opened in Melbourne and Sydney within two years and in Queensland in 1885.

Today The Salvation Army operates in every state and territory of Australia.