New headquarters for UK & Ireland territory officially opens
published on 11 Dec 2023
The Salvation Army UK and Ireland Territory’s new headquarters in Denmark Hill, London were officially opened recently by The Salvation Army international leaders, General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham, World President of Women’s Ministries.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by several church leaders including Dr Anna Krauss, Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain, Right Rev Paul Hendricks, Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop for the Kent Area of Southwark, and Rowena Loverance, Convenor, Churches Together in England. A number of former International Leaders of The Salvation Army including Chief of Staff, Commissioner Edward Hill and International Secretary for Europe, Commissioner Johnny Kleman were also present.
A welcoming address was made by Salvation Army Territorial Commander for the UK and Ireland, Commissioner Anthony Cotterill.
The ceremony included a reading of a poem called ‘Light, Peace and Hope’ as well as performances from a Salvation Army band whose players are staff and officers who work in the new building. The sung blessing by Dr Naar M’fundisi-Holloway was ‘The Lord Bless You.’
It concluded with a prayer of dedication from Territorial Secretary for Leader Development, Colonel Jenine Main.
A plaque bearing the inscription ‘This building is dedicated to the glory of God,’ as well as a bible verse: ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ ‘and in this place I will bring peace’ 2 Cor 4:6 and Haggai 2:9 was unveiled by General Buckingham. Following the ceremony, General Buckingham and Commissioner Buckingham were able to meet some of the officers and staff who work in the building.
In his address, General Buckingham described the new building as a place of light, peace and hope and a celebration of God’s faithfulness.
He continues “The main purpose of the teams that work at our headquarters is to support our worship and mission in communities across the UK. Our focus is always supporting the church leaders on the ground who are providing vital services such as stocking up our foodbanks, running homeless outreach support or providing company for lonely and isolated people.”
Located at 1 Champion Park, the new headquarters is built on land already owned by The Salvation Army and is next door to William Booth College, the historic training centre for officers.
Designed using the latest environmental and energy efficiency standards, the new building will have significantly reduced running costs. The decision to build a new headquarters was taken when it became clear that the church and charity was facing many years of expensive repairs at their previous headquarters in Elephant and Castle.
