Faith, swimming, and the Salvation Army

Monday morning several hundred people gathered under a white tent on a muddy 6.5 acre construction site in Dorchester where, if all goes according to plan, in early 2011 a large new community center will open with a large array of recreational and educational facilities.

I was interested because the Boston Kroc Corps Community Center is being sponsored by the Salvation Army, a small Protestant denomination that has devoted itself to providing a large array of social services to some of the most down-and-out residents of America's cities. The charitable work has won the Army lots of fans, but none more generous than the late Joan Kroc, the wife of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, who left the denomination $1.5 billion.

Part of that money is being used to build 30 community centers around the country, and the one in Boston, which is on Dudley Street hard by the Uphams Corner commuter rail station, is the only one in New England. The 90,000 square-foot project has a staggering $115.5 million budget, of which $85.5 million came from Mrs. Kroc. The budget includes a $45 million endowment, the income from which will be used to partially finance the center's operations.

At the groundbreaking, lots of dignitaries spoke about all the programs that the center will offer -- including education (ESL and vocational training), social services (food pantry, heat assistance), health (a fitness center, pool, and counseling), and performing arts (facilities for theater and music) -- but I was interested in the religious element, so I called up Major William H. Bode, the Salvation Army's divisional commander. Here's a rough transcript of our conversation:

Q: What role will religion play in this project?
A: We already have a corps, which is a congregation, in Roxbury, about a mile away, and when the new center is built, that congregation will move into the Kroc Center and have worship there on Sunday. Anybody who wants to can worship there. All Salvation Army buildings have worship components to them.

Q: But anyone can use the center?
A: They do not have to be members. I always say to people, if everybody we served, or everybody who came to our programs, came to church and became a member, we we would be the largest church in every city in the U.S. But there is no such requirement.

Q: So why do you do this?
A: In the Bible, when there were people in need who were blind, Jesus healed them. He didn't ask them whether they believed or not. He healed them. When we feed people, or whatever we do, we never ask them what their belief is. We're following the example of Christ to help. We believe we have a mandate from God to help people, to give them that cup of water, or food, or provide a safe place for them to come. If they want to ask why do we do these things, we're more than happy to share why, but that's never a criteria for them to be helped or served or part of a program.

Q: What about the staff?
A: We have 65 to 70 people who work at our headquarters, and I can't tell you what their beliefs are, but the majority are not members of the Army.

Q: A lot of people don't even know that the Salvation Army is a Protestant denomination.
A: We are a denomination of our own. We do have our beliefs, and they align themselves in most ways like Methodists or Nazarenes or a lot of other people. We also have some unique things, like uniforms and other stuff. But the bottom line is the Lord wants us to love people, and we show that love by helping them, whether at a fire, a disaster, a child who needs a safe place, or senior citizens -- they are all welcome to come take advantage of any of our programs.

Q: What is the size of the Salvation Army in Massachusetts?
A: We have about 40 centers of operation -- buildings where we provide service as well as have worship. We're one of the biggest social service agencies in the state. And we have about 3,500 members.

(Photos, by Joanne Rathe/Globe staff, show the groundbreaking celebration for the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Boston on July 27, 2009. Photo at top shows Catalina Gooding and Sylvia Vales singing at the event; photo at bottom shows Vladimir Mesidor praying at the event.)