In 1865, William Booth, a Methodist preacher in England, had a vision of a church that ministered to those not cared for by other churches, the ‘down and out’ of society. He founded The Salvation Army, a part of the universal Christian church, which quickly grew into an international movement serving the spiritual and social needs of man in over 103 countries today. In 1886, The Salvation Army ope
ned a church in San Francisco’s Chinatown area, home to the largest population of Chinese outside of China. The Chinatown church branched comfortably into two congregations in the 1970’s: the Chinese-speaking, overseas–born congregation; and the English-speaking, American-raised congregation. Every Sunday, the two congregations came together to worship in a bilingual service. In the 1990’s, The Salvation Army appointed pastors to the English-speaking, second-generation congregation and the Asian American Corps was joyfully born. In 2002 the Yerba Buena Corps joined the Asian American Corps to form the Asian American Yerba Buena Corps (AAYBC). The Corps is located on Fourth Street in the South of Market district. The AAYBC holds worship services in English, Cantonese and Mandarin and has many ministries serving people ranging from children to seniors. While welcoming all persons into our fellowship, the AAYBC feels the calling to reach out to those in our midst who identify with the ever-expanding Asian American community. The AAYBC is part of an international, multi-cultural family of God around the world, known as The Salvation Army.
