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Week 4 -- Catherine Booth, Mother of the Army (1829–1890)

By Vicar Lisa

Distracted by the ruckus, she glanced up from her quiet game in the front yard to see a crowd of young boys taunting a drunken man as he was being forced down the street by a police officer. In a blink, she was at the man’s side. Grabbing his hand, she walked with him the remainder of the way to the police station, her head held high against the jeers of the bystanders. She was only nine years old at the time, but Catherine Booth was already on a path to becoming a passionate advocate for the poor and oppressed.

When Catherine was 23 she met her soulmate and husband, William Booth, by chance, on a carriage ride after he’d preached at her church. Because she was not feeling well, William had been asked to escort her home. As the carriage lurched over the unpaved road, the two acquaintances instantly and simultaneously realized that God intended their union.

After William and Catherine were married in a quiet ceremony in 1855, the two began to travel together while William served as an evangelistic preacher. By 1858 Catherine had begun to teach Sunday school to children and women, although she was not confident of her abilities.

One day while walking to church, Catherine was stunned by a startling revelation. She glimpsed women sitting together at kitchen tables, gossiping and passing the time, and she felt called to bring them to God. She stood still, looked up to heaven, and asked God to help her. And then she approached a group of women sitting on a doorstep and invited them to church. This began her twice-weekly evening visits to the slums to evangelize to the poor and destitute, a practice that would later be an important component of the Salvation Army’s ministry.

Up to this point, Catherine philosophically believed that women should be allowed to preach, but she was reluctant to pursue that calling herself. In fact, the very idea of standing before a crowd filled her with anxiety, fear, and dread. That all changed on a stormy Sunday morning in 1860. As she listened to a visiting minister testify about obedience to God’s will, she suddenly felt a voice urge her to do the same. At first, she resisted, then thought: “I have not yet been willing to be a fool for Christ. Now I will be one.” She strode to the pulpit where her husband stood. Surprised to see his typically shy wife standing next to him before the congregation, William leaned toward her with concern. “What is the matter, my dear?” he whispered.

“I want to say a word,” Catherine whispered back. William, shocked almost to silence, simply announced to the congregation, “My dear wife wishes to speak,” before taking a seat in the pew. Catherine went on to testify, confessing her sin of disobedience before the rapt congregation. By the time she was finished, several in the chapel were weeping audibly, and when William rose to his feet, he announced that his wife would preach again that evening. Thus, began nearly three decades of preaching and evangelizing for Catherine Booth.

By 1870, the Salvation Army—known then as the Christian Mission—was well under way with William at the helm and Catherine as his trusted advisor. Discouraged by the church’s refusal to support him as a full-time traveling evangelist, William broke from the Methodist Church in 1861 and with Catherine’s blessing forged out on his own, despite the fact that it meant no steady income for his growing family.

The couple’s vision of religion and evangelism departed dramatically from the norm. Instead of preaching in churches and meetinghouses, William spoke in tents, dance halls, taverns, and even graveyards and stables—anyplace that put him among the people who most needed salvation. “More than two-thirds of the working classes never cross the threshold of a church or chapel,” he wrote. “It is evident that if they are to be reached, extra-ordinary means must be employed.

While William preached to the destitute and poor, Catherine concentrated on the wealthy, reaching congregations that could afford to give generously to support both their mission and their family. By the end of 1878, the year the Christian Mission was officially renamed the Salvation Army, the organization employed 127 full-time ministers. Modeled after the military, the Salvation Army had its own flag and hymns, and its ministers wore uniforms and were assigned ranks according to a hierarchy. William was known as the “General,” while Catherine assumed the title “Mother of the Salvation Army.” Several of their eight children followed in their parents’ footsteps.

Catherine suffered from serious illnesses almost her entire life. As a teenager she was bedridden by a severe curvature of the spine. When she was an adult, exhaustion, depression, angina, and what’s now thought to be Crohn’s disease incapacitated her and, more than once, brought her to the brink of death. Despite her frailties, she kept an exhaustive preaching schedule, battled constant financial challenges, drove a relentless mission, and raised eight children.

At the age of 61, in dying, as in living, Catherine trusted God and encouraged others. In her last letter to her beloved Salvationists, she soothed them, always a mother, with these words: “The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over. Don’t be concerned about your dying: only go on living well, and the dying will be all right.” Catherine Booth died on October 4, 1890, in the arms of her beloved husband, surrounded by her children. Three days later more than fifty thousand people knelt by her coffin to pay their respects.

7th Sunday after Pentecost, July 16, 2023

10 a.m. Outdoor Worship (weather permitting) with Holy Communion

Announcements:

  • Next Sunday: At the end of the month, Bethany Pierce will be leaving the United States for a 2-year stint in the Peace Corps and will be stationed in Uganda. Before she leaves, we would like to take a few minutes as part of worship on July 23 (changed from July 16) to lay hands on her as we pray for the success of her mission, her safety, and that she can be as much a blessing to all whom she encounters as she has been to us here at Zion’s. At that service, we also will collect freewill offering to help support her on this journey.
  • Summer Hiatus: Sunday morning Bible Study, Friday Women's Bible Study and Centering Prayer all are on summer hiatus. Watch for schedule updates in e-formation, the newsletter, and worship bulletins.
  • First Sunday Potluck: Join us the first Sunday of each month for our potluck lunch. All are welcome. Our next potluck will be Sunday, Aug. 6. Lana Geier will be leading our Temple Talk regarding ACTS and Samaritan Clinic.
  • Outdoor Services: We will continue Summer Outdoor Worship through August. Each Sunday, we need people willing to help set up and to help clean up after worship. We have lists of what is needed to guide you. Please let Vicar Lisa or Sharon Sorensen know if you are willing to help.
  • Garage Sale: Zion's annual garage sale will be Saturday, Aug. 5. See Julie if you would like to help.
  • Save the Date: Zion's 135th Anniversary celebration is Sept. 23-24. If you would like to be part of this committee, please see Vicar Lisa.

E-formation

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, July 16, 2023

The parable we hear this coming Sunday likens the word of God to seed that Christ sows into the field that we are. Come to worship, to receive the seed of the word, and at the table, to be nourished for a fruitful life.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Christians have used Matthew’s parable of the sower to honor the preaching of the word and to encourage right and fruitful reception of it.

Isaiah 55:10-13

Also appointed for the Easter Vigil when it means to point to the new life of Christ’s resurrection, here the passage from Isaiah 55 connects with Matthew’s parable of the seed. Jesus continues the prophetic tradition of likening the living word of God to fruitful seed.

Romans 8:1-11

The baptized community lives in the Spirit of the crucified Christ. Only in this Spirit can the seed of the word be fruitful. Each Sunday is a reception of this word and a celebration of the food of the Spirit.

Zion's Lutheran Church

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785