He was a pawnbroker by day and a preacher by night. His day job gave him a window into the plight of the poor. By evening, he preached in a London slum under a tent in an abandoned burial ground. Revival meetings were held there nightly for three straight weeks.
William Booth (1829-1912) came home one evening during the revival and told his wife Catherine, “I have found my destiny.” They rented an abandoned warehouse and called themselves the East London Revival Society. Their mission was to save souls and redeem the mass of suffering humanity drawn to London during the Industrial Revolution. William’s battle cry was “Go for souls and go for the worst.” They attracted the poor who felt unwelcome in conventional churches. They sang lively music, the tunes William borrowed from barroom songs. “Why should the devil have all the good music?” he said. His plain-style preaching attracted large crowds and people flocked to hear him like a mighty army.
The society adopted the name Salvation Army quite by accident, but it suited them well. Their form of government was quasi-military. They wore uniforms, saluted a Christian flag, and appointed William Booth general. They were ridiculed yet they persevered as an army should. William spoke to seven thousand salvationists three months before he died. The fire had still not gone out of him. “While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight. I’ll fight to the very end.” William leads us to pray: