Joan Kroc gave The Salvation Army over $1.5 billion to establish Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Centers in the U.S.
Salvationists in Scripture: Lydia
by Colonel Richard Munn
Within the pages of the greatest story ever told, we find a cast of larger-than-life characters from diverse regions and times. Some of them embody “Salvationism.” That is, the story of their lives and their values represent the essence of Salvation Army word and deed. We might playfully say that they are “Salvationists in Scripture.” Over the course of 2026, we’ll look at 10 people in the Bible who exude Salvationist attributes, from Amos to Andrew, Luke to Lydia, and Micah to Mary. Come back each month as we build our Salvation Army Scripture Hall of Fame.
Salvationists in Scripture
6. Lydia: Women’s Auxiliary President
Lydia, the exotic purple cloth dealer, appears for a fleeting moment in the story of Christianity, but what an impact. As recounted by Luke in Acts 16, on a normal Sabbath day she happens to intersect with Paul and companions on the outskirts of newly prized Philippi, at the “place of prayer.” She is described as “a worshiper of God” and quickly opens her heart to the new and good news of the gospel.
This is significant. Paul has just jumped from the eastern Mediterranean onto and into what we now call the European continent. This is a tectonic shift. Very different cultures. Lydia is his first encounter and his first convert. With her household, she is summarily baptized.
What happens next grabs our attention — she spontaneously opens her home for hospitality. As Luke wryly notes, “she persuaded us.”
An independent, entrepreneurial, and persuasive woman of means who consciously uses her agency and influence for the cause of the fledgling gospel is a type of many a Women’s Auxiliary or Advisory Board member. These are wonderful and indispensable friends of The Salvation Army, catalytic influencers, and we are more potent and far-reaching with them.
It has been that way from the beginning, with independently wealthy people financially supporting the young and earnest Reverend and Mrs. Booth, continuing through to game-changing Mrs. Joan Kroc and her billion-plus-dollar donation. Inspired by the vision and impact of the movement, these great friends of The Salvation Army gift their resources and exercise their influence for missional purposes, on more than one occasion keeping us on track, and reminding us of our first love.
General Eva Burrows once succinctly outlined the three main sources of income for The Salvation Army: membership tithes, government contracts, and gifts from friends and supporters. Lydia represents the latter.
What a friend and what an impact — the gospel takes root and is launched into Europe. And from that scintilla of the Lydia story, you and I, dear reader, might possibly trace our own lineage of faith.
Maybe we should all wear purple on Advisory Board Sunday?
