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San Francisco
Poised on a narrow peninsula, its windswept headlands bounce puffy, white clouds from sharp peaks. Dramatic architecture reaches heavenward to compete with an unsurpassable natural beauty. Tiny cable cars grind and clang their way on ancient rails toward lofty peaks, then dive down precipitous cliffs every 10 minutes. It is “the City” of St. Francis by the bay.
The Salvation Army came to town 115 years ago and never left. For with all its beauty, the quaint names San Francisco assigns its underside cannot hide the despair and dissolution of those who reside in poverty, hunger, addiction, homelessness and fear. The Army continues to point the way to heaven for all “poor in spirit,” and for those in physical and social poverty, the Army brings food and friendship and faith and warmth and welcome and will. It is the presence of God within us that drives our compassion and motivates us to be much more than simply a social service agency.
We will always have the poor with us. That’s a promise. How we relate to them is a choice. In San Francisco, our heart beats strong–our mission is firm–our caring continuous.
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