Lincoln Salvation Army opens new space to serve those in need

A new community space has been developed and built at Lincoln Salvation Army Corps (church) to help grow its vital outreach work with people experiencing homelessness and also for families with young children in the city. 

The Christian church and charity decided to open the extension to their building on High Street so that corps officers and members could better support those who are isolated or vulnerable. The new extension, which is accessible all on one level provides: 

• Two multi-purpose rooms and a reception area 

• An updated kitchen with washing facilities

• A shower room

The Minister of the church, Lieutenant Huw Dutfield said: “We wanted to offer more to the community but were somewhat restricted by our church hall, which just offers one large space. We can now also serve hot meals that can be enjoyed in adjacent spaces. We needed space where people could be quiet and talk to others, away from people coming and going around them. The new extension will help us to offer a quieter environment with more privacy for people. 

“We also wanted to offer space for parents and carers of young children to enjoy activities together with their children on other days. We want families to feel welcome in this space too.”

The Salvation Army receives food from Fareshare which has been donated by Tesco and also surplus food from Asda, for their drop-in work on Fridays that caters for rough sleepers, or other people in need, or who just want to meet with others. The building work has been paid for through church fundraising, through legacies and thanks to donations from partners like the Lincolnshire Co-Op, Branston Potatoes and also generous individuals. Huw continued: “We have been bowled over by the kindness of people and companies in Lincoln and we want to thank them for their help in making our vision come to life, the amount that has been donated has matched the costs of the building, so we thank God for that!”

Everyone is welcome at the opening event which marks the next stage in the life of the corps which has been in Lincoln since 1881, first at the Corn Exchange and then at its base on the High Street since 1912.

The ceremony for the new part of the building will be led by The Salvation Army East Midlands Division representative Major Brian Slinn, with The Right Worshipful the Mayor and Mayor's Consort of Lincoln, Councillor Sue Burke and Councillor Chris Burke, The City Sheriff and Consort of Lincoln, Ms. Jo Rimmer and Mr Kraig Needs in attendance. The opening event starts at 1pm on Saturday 29th February.  The church service will commence after the opening event and features the church songsters (choir) and Lincoln Salvation Army band. The service is followed by an exhibition that details all the different parts of mission in the community, together with historic information about The Salvation Army in Lincoln*. The East Midlands Salvation Army Fellowship band will perform a concert later at 4pm.

Huw Dutfield said: “Every week we provide employment support, offer a space for togetherness for older people and reach out to those who may be sleeping rough. We’re available to people during those tough moments in their lives. But, whether we’re offering a warm welcome into a church service or friendship or assistance with day-to-day necessities, we do all these things with a message of hope and transformation through God’s love.” 

Lincoln Salvation Army hopes its new building will become a community hub bustling with facilities and activities that offer practical, emotional and spiritual support. Programmes in development include parenting support and activities for toddlers.

Anyone looking to donate, volunteer or get involved with any programmes can contact lincoln@salvationarmy.org.uk and 01522 - 512709 or find, 'Lincoln Corps Salvation Army' on Facebook.