The Salvation Army in Chilliwack, B.C., recently celebrated its 100th anniversary with a series of commemorative events under the theme of “A Century of Hope.” The celebrations, including a Jesus Downtown festival and an anniversary weekend and concert, provided an opportunity for intentional outreach and a public display of the Army’s mission.

According to Majors Fiona and Matthew Kean, corps officers, The Salvation Army is well known in Chilliwack with a large ministry including its shelterand food bank. They wanted to celebrate the corps anniversary in a way that involved the wider community and invited people from outside of the Army to take part.

At first, Majors Kean worried that it would be difficult to receive the correct permits and space to have a community event in the city. But God provided and helped pave the way for the event when a local representative from the downtown business association approached them, inviting the corps to host a downtown event and telling them that the permits were ready, and the council was already on board.

On August 25, the first event, called “Jesus Downtown,” brought together eight local churches and attracted more than 1,500 attendees. The event featured a combined worship service followed by an afternoon of food trucks, games and activities, such as bouncy castles and face painting. “We had a big party,” says Major Fiona.

According to Major Matthew, many people rallied to support Jesus Downtown, not just the churches. “We were very overt about our devotion to the gospel and Jesus Christ,” he says. “Even the local businesses were very respectful of the fact that we were willing to stand for our convictions, whether they believed them or not.”

The second phase of the anniversary celebration took place September 20-22, featuring a youth event with a 1920s theme, a sold-out dinner attended by more than 180 people, and a concert with performances by the Seattle Temple Band and Seattle Temple Songsters, along with Simon Gough, contemporary music specialist from territorial headquarters. The weekend culminated in a Sunday service and a fellowship lunch.

“The goal of both events was to open people’s eyes and hearts to the reality that the Jesus of the New Testament can be known and experienced personally. He is the only hope for the world and everything we do is for the purpose of leading people to him,” says Major Matthew. “The intention was to make the Jesus Downtown festival the place where The Salvation Army put its evangelical foot forward.”

The theme of transformation through faith in Christ was carried throughout the celebrations as corps and community members reflected on the Army’s history in Chilliwack, and stories of lives changed by Jesus were highlighted during the dinner and concert.

“The intention was to make the Jesus Downtown festival the place where The Salvation Army put its evangelical foot forward.” - MAJOR MATTHEW KEAN

“We want to give God all the glory and honour for the way we have seen people’s lives transformed by him through the vehicle of The Salvation Army over the past 100 years here,” says Major Fiona. “But ‘A Century of Hope’ also looks toward the future. It is a story of hope—we’ve seen Jesus transform our community for 100 years, and he is still doing it.”

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