Worshippers at Flin Flon’s Salvation Army have extra reason to celebrate this milestone year.
With the church marking its 85th anniversary, officials have decided to upgrade their building rather than move to rented space as had been considered.
“We’re staying put,” said Major Debbie Allen, pastor at the church.
Accessibility had become a concern at the two-storey church given the inadequate state of the entryway and the lack of an elevator.
Allen said small-scale repairs to the entryway will allow the church to remain user-friendly while fundraising gets underway to install an elevator.
The elevator is expected to cost up to $200,000, which Allen said is significantly more money than the church currently has. The plan is to raise the money over perhaps the next four to six years.
Allen said the church had spent the past six months exploring whether to stay at its current Hemlock Drive facility or rent the lower level of First United Lutheran Church on Second Avenue.
Salvation Army headquarters wanted the church to have its own building. So did many parishioners.
Celebration
This past Sunday, Oct. 19, the church officially celebrated its 85th anniversary in Flin Flon. It was a low-key affair with a regular service followed by a potluck complete with cake.
Allen took the opportunity to reflect on the church’s importance to Flin Flon and area over the decades.
“I think the Salvation Army has had a valued place in the community,” she said. “I know that we like to work together with other churches and we like to meet the needs of the community, and so from the very beginning the Salvation Army has been reaching out to those in need.”
Allen said the church today helps residents through initiatives such as Soup Days, which offers complimentary warm meals, and its Christmas hamper program.
“All those things are recognized as meeting the needs of people in the community and that’s what we like to be known for,” she said.
History
The Salvation Army arrived in Flin Flon in 1929, setting up a meeting hall on Church Street.
According to the book Flin Flon, the church quickly made an impact.
“By Christmas 1929 the meeting hall was opened,” reads the book. “[T]he records indicated many inebriates [were] picked up, given refreshments and a warm bed before being released to the elements of another day. In those early years there were many migrants seeking employment or simply wandering about, several having lost contact with relatives and friends. These individuals were assisted by the Salvation Army using methods of service adopted by the ‘army’ in its ‘war against evil.’”
In January 1976, 47 years and three buildings after arriving in Flin Flon, the Salvation Army moved to its current home on Hemlock Drive.
Like most if not all area churches, the Salvation Army – affectionately known as Sally Ann – has seen attendance drop over the years. About 25 to 30 people are present on a typical Sunday morning, but as many as 75 people are members.
Now, after 85 years of service, Allen is optimistic about the church’s future.
“There’s definitely a significant number of people who call the Salvation Army their church,” she said. “But there’s also a significant number of people in Flin Flon who don’t seem to have any church home and there’s always a need for us to reach out to them.”
