Christchurch Community Ministry History

Salvation Army Community Ministry in Central Christchurch

PART I – Diary

Since 1999 Lieut-Colonel Bill Allott has been a budgeter at the Hope Centre in Christchurch.  Early in 2010 he became aware that a three-volume diary of community ministry in central Christchurch, kept from 1978 onwards, was a few years out-of-date. It quickly became evident that this latter period of history would have great significance because of the devastating impact of the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.  Additionally, there was a story that needed to be recorded from the Salvation Army's arrival in 1883 up to 1977.  

People involved in this service were not always good at recording what they did.  They were too busy “doing”.  We are therefore indebted to journalists, historians, participants and archivists for their contribution to this research.  The resulting document should prove useful to sociology students and others who seek information about the Army's response to the presenting needs of the day.

PART II – Narrative

This is an abridged narrative of the diary of Salvation Army Community Ministry in  Central Christchurch.  The diary version attempted to be an objective record of the history while this version includes some identification of trends and the occasional interpretation of the record.  The diary version is useful for research while this document is hopefully more reader-friendly.

> Download the Salvation Army Community ministry in central Christchurch 1883 -2012 (PDF, 2.06MB)

Lieut-Colonel William Allott

Bill Allott is a retired Salvation Army officer living in Christchurch. He trained as a school teacher at Ardmore Teachers College and graduated from Victoria University, Wellington.

With his wife, Heather, he has been involved in Salvation Army service in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand in a variety of roles which have included teacher training, youth leadership, officer training and church leadership.  For three years he edited the War Cry in New Zealand and was for five years Editor-in-Chief of Salvation Army publications in Australia.  Bill was secretary to The Salvation Army Historical Trust during the 1980s.

In retirement he has edited the Dallington Community News for his local Residents' Association and has been a Salvation Army Hope Centre budgeter.