Heart to God, Hand to Man

The Salvation Army has a rich heritage of Christian service during times of natural and 'man-made' emergencies. Early in its history soldiers and officers saw the relief of grief and stress during disasters as a part of their practical Christian holiness and flowing from a theology of Christ's compassionate love. Response to emergencies began with individual Salvationists helping their neighbours and has developed into a coordinated and international response called The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES). This service has included the provision of food, clothing, grief counselling, trauma debriefing, medical assistance, accommodation, personal services and spiritual guidance.