Listen to this article
Salvation Army documentary premiers.
A documentary chronicling the early days of The Salvation Army and its founders, William and Catherine Booth, premiered at a cinema in London’s East End, close to the location of the Army’s birth. The Chief of the Staff, Commissioner Robin Dunster—second in charge of the Army—presided; also attending were senior Salvation Army leaders from the United Kingdom.
Our People: The Story of William and Catherine Booth and The Salvation Army gives an account of the founders and their vision for a Christian movement that reached out to and included the unloved and disadvantaged in society who felt excluded from church.
The 78-minute documentary’s first screening was at the Genesis Cinema in the Mile End Road, Whitechapel. Near this spot—at the Blind Beggar public house and Whitechapel Waste—William Booth started preaching in 1865. This led to the creation of the East London Christian Mission that, in 1878, was renamed The Salvation Army.
Bringing to life the Army’s beginnings, the film uses around 350 illustrations including contemporary photographs, press cuttings and images from the time and artist impressions of key events from the organization’s early days. Many of these had been unavailable for more than 80 years.
Complementing the images are interviews with historians, writers and commentators, who offer expert knowledge of The Salvation Army and church and social history in the mid to late Victorian era. The DVD bonus material includes memories from Salvation Army members and leaders—serving as part of an oral history of the Army that the producers also sought to achieve.
Our People is produced by Radiant Films in association with Carpenter Media, an arm of the Australia Eastern Territory, which funded the project. It is co-produced, directed and edited by Corey Baudinette, Australian filmmaker and Salvationist. British actor Russell Bolter narrates the film.
Major Peter Farthing, secretary for spiritual life development for The Salvation Army’s Australia Eastern Territory—and the film’s executive producer—said: “Five years in the making, Our People endeavors to tell the story of The Salvation Army to new generations around the world. The remarkable lives of William and Catherine Booth will inspire Christians and warm the hearts of many. For members of The Salvation Army, Our People will underscore the purposes on which their movement is founded.”
Introducing the film, the Chief of the Staff thanked Farthing for his vision in the project and for making it a reality. Repeating something Farthing said earlier, Dunster told the audience: “To understand the spirit of The Salvation Army, and its mission and theology, we need to understand its roots.”
The Genesis Cinema audience of around 150 people included Salvation Army officers, members and friends—among them a group of Army leaders attending the International College for Officers in South London. Colonel Bramwell Booth, great-grandson of William and Catherine Booth and featured in the documentary, attended with family members.
The premiere of Our People was sponsored by The Salvation Army’s Australia Eastern Territory in cooperation with The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters and the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland.
To find out more about Our People: The Story of William and Catherine Booth and The Salvation Army go to www.ourpeoplefilm.com.
From www.salvationarmy
