About Us - Soup, Soap, Salvation - A brief overview of our work
We have been fighting poverty for 100 years. The work started in Hungary in 1924, a time of great need for The Salvation Army in a country devastated and crippled by war, as there was immense unemployment, poverty, and despair. Twenty-five years later, in 1949, following the communist takeover, our operations were terminated, but in 1990, we were able to resume our charitable work. Currently, we maintain 8 congregations and 5 social institutions across the country. This year marks our 100th anniversary.
The Salvation Army Free Church Hungary
Food, physical and spiritual cleansing, and faith. The Salvation Army offers all of these together to those around the world who seem to have no one and nothing left to help them, for whom the Salvation Army might be the last stop and the last chance in their lives.
Soup, Soap, Salvation.
This trio was raised as a banner by the Salvation Army when William Booth, a Methodist preacher, founded it in 1865 in England and realized that merely preaching to people is not enough if they are vulnerable, hungry, neglected, and sick.
Why "Army"?
The Salvation Army adopted the name, military terminology, and uniform in 1878 from the small group previously known as the East London Christian Mission. The new name, appearance, and military symbols expressed a battle against sin, poverty, and despair. The uniform and military terminology still symbolize this tradition today, as well as the structure and internal hierarchy of the Salvation Army, following military designations such as General, Commander, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, etc.
The Salvation Army in 134 countries worldwide (2024)
Currently, more than 100,000 employees in 132 countries around the world help those in need in the Salvation Army's mission. The world headquarters of the Salvation Army is located at International Headquarters in London. The Salvation Army is divided into territories worldwide, and we belong to the Switzerland - Austria - Hungary territory.
The Salvation Army in Hungary Foreign officers first appeared in Hungary in 1924 to help men fleeing into alcoholism and suicide, women seeking bread on the streets, and neglected or orphaned children in the aftermath of war. The economic collapse and resulting poverty (masses of refugees, collapsing social welfare system) were the challenges, especially in Budapest. Salvation Army congregations and social institutions provided comfort to countless people during the Great Depression from 1928 to 1932 and later during the years of World War II, until in 1949, the political authorities banned its activities.
After the regime change in 1990, the mission in Hungary restarted. Currently, eight congregations and five social institutions operate under the auspices of the Salvation Army in Hungary. We offer physical and spiritual nourishment to the homeless, warm meals and clothing to those in need, protection for abused mothers and their children, and communal space for young people in crisis.
Established in Hungary: 1924, ceased: 1949, re-established as a church under number 1: April 28, 1990 (Budapest Court 6.Pk.61.755/3), after legal changes, registered church number: EMMI/00025/2012 (March 21, 2012).
Church or charitable organization?
Both. It is a church that also performs extensive charitable work; we operate as a church in Hungary. International Mission Statement: The Salvation Army is an international movement and 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. Among our activities, social tasks are of paramount importance, forming an inseparable unity of faith and action.
The Salvation Army in Hungary
We carry out our work through congregations and institutions providing social services. We provide assistance to those in need who turn to us, regardless of their background, equally in His name.
Church work Currently, eight congregations operate, closely intertwined with our work and assistance. In Budapest: in Terézváros, Józsefváros, and Rákoscsaba, and in the countryside: in Gyöngyös, Miskolc, Sajókazán, Debrecen, and Nyíracsád. The congregations, as part of the Salvation Army, hold regular worship services; pastoral care and life counseling are integral to their activities. Community building plays an important role in everyday life, with outings, camps, regular engagement with members of the congregations, residents in our homes, and regular activities with external clients, as well as support for psychiatric and addiction patients. Since September 1997, our ministers have been involved in missionary work in prisons on a weekly basis, where they share their faith with inmates, contact their families upon request, and support them.
Charitable programs, work for children and youth prevention
The congregations lead active community lives, organizing charitable programs regularly in addition to worship services, such as distributing clothes and basic food supplies to those in need. In Debrecen, we provide youth prevention programs for young people; regular meetings and joint activities have helped many young people develop in the right direction. In Miskolc, Debrecen, Sajókazán, and Nyíracsád, we actively participate in the lives of the local Roma population. We are committed to long-term presence and support and believe that lasting change can only be achieved this way. In addition to community building, our services provide lifestyle and life management assistance to the public. In Sajókazán, we have set up a water block in the community house, providing facilities for bathing and washing, as many houses in the local Sólyomtelep area lack running water.
Each church organizes Sunday schools, Bible studies, and free summer camps for children. In Sajókazán, we provide religious education in kindergarten and school. The Puppet Mission Group operating in the Józsefváros congregation regularly visits educational institutions and is an important part of the children's programs of the other congregations as well.
Social institutions Homeless Services│Day Warming Center│Soup Kitchen│Accommodation│Counseling and escorting
In Budapest, three institutions - the House of New Hope, the Crossroads House, and the House of New Beginnings - provide daily assistance to those in need. Every day, the needy can find hot meals, a clean environment, bathing facilities, clothing, and spiritual assistance. Social work is an essential part; Salvation Army employees help with job searches, acquiring basic household skills, or solving any basic needs, and support them with pastoral care and life counseling. Our goal is to help them move towards independent living. In two institutions, the homeless can also find safe accommodation. We strive to respond to individual needs tailored to each person, which requires a high level of flexibility, attention, empathy, and active intervention.
Family Transition House
The House of Light offers shelter, therapy, and support for 40 abused mothers and their children. Our institution is intended for mothers and children who have become homeless due to life management problems or other social and family crises, battered or pregnant women in crisis, mothers and children discharged from maternity wards, and the older siblings of children until they reach 24 years of age. Our institution's special target group is abused mothers and children.
Family Daycare
We also consider caring for children important. In our Family Daycare in Gyöngyös, the little ones can spend their days in a loving, safe environment, where personalized development, small group activities, and attentive educators accompany their development. We strive to maintain good relations with local family support, guardianship, guardianship, and other units of the municipality, thus helping each other fulfill our mission together.
Mission of Rahab │ Fight Against Human Trafficking
Our Rahab service focuses on survivors of human trafficking and individuals engaged in prostitution. We are also agents in God's grand plan. We convey His love so that they may feel valued, important, and not mere commodities. Our aim is for them to, on this basis, as valuable individuals, reconcile their relationship with God, themselves, and their environment.
Our creed is to assist those in need in every situation, especially when others no longer do. Origin, age, or ideological affiliation doesn't matter to us; we strive to support everyone equally. We attach great importance to providing assistance in situations such as areas affected by natural disasters or unexpected crisis situations that endanger people.
Emergency refugee work
Therefore, since the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, we have been committed to supporting Ukrainian refugees in Hungary. We regularly organize and deliver aid shipments to border areas to help those affected and suffering from the consequences of the conflict. With the assistance we provide to refugees, we seek to alleviate their difficulties and contribute to their safety and well-being during the crisis.
Salvation Army Foundation
The organization's purpose: The primary and fundamental goal of the Foundation is to support the activities of the Salvation Army in Hungary, to fulfill the mission of the international Salvation Army in Hungary, to promote the spread of education, to alleviate poverty, and to achieve other useful public benefit goals for society or humanity as a whole.
An independent civil organization. Founded in Hungary: 2023-02-08 (Metropolitan Court 125.Pk.60.504/2022/6), registration number: 01-01-0013425.
The Foundation's additional specific goal is to promote the satisfaction of needs arising in the areas of social care, culture and education, as well as healthcare, to support those in need, to reduce their vulnerability due to unemployment, homelessness, health disadvantages, and lack of family relationships, and to fight against all forms of modern human trafficking. This includes supporting any activities, programs, or tools that go beyond church activities and cannot be realized within the possibilities of the Salvation Army Free Church in Hungary. In pursuing the goal of the Foundation, it aims to actively participate in the international fight against human trafficking for the victims of human trafficking (Anti Human Trafficking) across borders by collaborating with other organizations. In pursuit of its enduring public interest objective, the Foundation contributes to meeting the common needs of society and individuals through its activities.
