To mark the TENTH anniversary of the very first GttA podcast in July 2013 this is the first of a very special 4-part series of podcasts featuring music from each decade of the Army's existence right up to the present day.The Salvation Army began - as The Christian MIssion - in 1865 when William Booth preached outside The Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel, East London.  Spreading throughout the whole of England, Wales and Scotland in its first decade it became The Salvation Army in 1878, Booth taking on the mantle of the General of his army.Within 25 years, as we hear in this episode, 60,000 Salvationists could gather together at the Crystal Palace for a Silver Jubilee and today, 158 years after those humble beginnings the Army is at work in over 130 countries, right round the world.This episode uses music with its origins in the earliest 40 years of the movement's history 1865-1905, a surprising amount of which is still known and occasionally used in the present day.  We hear music from writers such as Richard Slater, George Scott Railton, Kate and Herbert Booth (two of the Founder's children) and William Pearson as well as, of course, popular tunes of the day 'adopted and adapted' for the Army's mission a-plenty.Some of the music has been adapted by well-known composers like Ray Steadman-Allen, Norman Bearcroft and Leslie Condon and sections featured include the ISB and ISS, Hendon, Portsmouth, Stockholm and Boscombe Bands, songster brigades from Birmingham and Moonee Ponds, Sydney Australia and a stellar collection of soloists including Susan Turner, Fred Crowhurst, Kaytie Harding and Ian Johnston - not to mention Commissioner John Lawley himself!Enjoy this opportunity to transport yourself back in time to hear music and words with a relevance to the present age.God bless you all.Marc

'The Salvation Meeting' makes its return this Sunday after my summer break.It returns with something, by necessity, a little different from a 'normal' meeting.The 90 minute 'special' has been specially written and recorded to be broadcast the evening before the funeral of our late Queen Elizabeth II and takes the form of a 'Heavenward-looking Vigil'Specially selected Salvation Army music and songs are interspersed with thoughts reflecting Her Majesty's life and service, particularly her strong and vibrant Christian faith - and many of her own quotes have been recorded by Jeannine Ridha for the broadcast.The meeting will be broadcast, as usual, on Fortress Radio at 6pm on Sunday 18th September and then available on the "Going to the Army!" site as well as the Fortress Radio Podcast service.Please join me for this special meeting.Marc

For the last meeting prepared before I take my summer break (I'll be back in September!) I found my inspiration after seeing a question asked in a Salvation Army forum online:  What is a Salvation Meeting?In these days when most corps only have one service on a Sunday it seems strange to some to imagine we once had at least 3 indoor meetings, Sunday Schools, Open-Air meetings and more EVERY Sunday!Each meeting had its own focus - Praise, personal Holiness - and Salvation - the meeting to which we were encouraged to bring friends, neighbours etc. in the hope and belief that they would find salvation for themselves.So...I try to answer the question - and make an impassioned plea for a response in this meeting.As always there is some wonderful music - Dean Goffin's timeless classic 'The Light of the World', Ivor Bosanko's beautiful setting of Herbert Booth's 'I Bring them to Jesus' - some great songs and choruses and a singing company item with a guest General participating for good measure!Join me for an hour's worship and challenge - and God bless you all.Marc

"Send the Fire!"What must it have been like to have been in that room...that day...on that occasion when the sound of a mighty wind brought tongues of flame to settle on each person's head?And then to have gone out into the streets with the followers of Jesus as each man heard the message in his own language - as the sheer POWER of the Holy Spirit on that first Day of Pentecost saw many thousands of people saved!Well...all the best times have NOT already happened!  Did YOU know that you can have a similar effect on the people around you?  Do you even WANT that to happen?Join me to explore what God wants and expects from us, His followers today, in taking Christ to a world in such desperate need!"All around us seemingly, darkness holds its sway."  What could the FIRE of the Holy Spirit do to alleviate that darkness?So why don't we?Great songs, wonderful band, songster and singing company music and a plea from us all: "Holy Spirit - Promised Presence - FALL ON ME."

"I've had enough!!""Stop the world, I wanna get off!"Heard these expressions?  Maybe you've said them?Life can sometimes seem like a trial - one thing after another, problems piling up...Peter gives us reassurance in his first epistle:"So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here."Of course, nothing we endure could ever get anywhere near the trials faced by Job - yet Job managed to remain faithful (even if he DID have a good old moan!)Tonight's meeting looks to encourage us at these times of trial.  Of course, praising God will always make us feel better - so we have some praise!  Remembering to rely on Him and letting Him no how much we appreciate His presence is also important, of course, and it's lovely to hear Alistair Taylor's wonderful setting of 'I Need Thee'  to help us.Add some more beautiful songs and a timeless selection by Major Leslie Condon - and you have a taste of what to expect in another hour of that unique Salvation Army fellowship!

Never has there been a more maligned animal than the poor old donkey!  Forever seen as slow, grumpy and - in the words of GK Chesterton  "The devil's walking parody of all four-footed things."But, as the general once wrote "In the service of Jesus there's a place for all" and oh yes, our donkey had his day!There's a lot more to the story than you may know, though...so come and join me for a great time of Salvation Army fellowship, worship and music in this week's Salvation Meeting.Music comes from Norwich Citadel Band, the International Staff Band and the Melbourne Staff Band (with Sylvie Paladino), as well as the Sunbury Junior songsters and the cast of 'Blood of the Lamb'....plus a few more too!Come and wave your palm branches and welcome Jesus as we mark His entry into Jerusalem!

While in every way this is a 'traditional' Salvation Meeting in every other way I decided to use exclusively the music of General John Larsson, recently Promoted to Glory.While choosing the music for meeting - songs, choruses, band piece, songster and singing company songs - I tried to keep away from the many songs the General wrote for the many musicals he co-wrote with General John Gowans.  I hope to feature each musical in a stand-alone episode of its own in my other podcast series "Going to the Army!" in future days.The bible message is delivered by the General himself - recorded at a Congress meeting in Australia some years ago.Marc

The meeting is titled "A Prayer for Peace" and we will be lifting up the situation in Ukraine to God in the very best Salvation Army way.Music from the International Staff Band and Songsters, Sunbury Junior Singers, Canadian Staff Band, Portsmouth Citadel Songsters and much more...Music from composers including Eric Ball, Ray Steadman-Allen, Kenneth Downie, 'Gowans & Larsson' and Howard Davies are blended with prayers from Salvationists worldwide...asking God to intervene in the current turmoils and warfare.

There can be no doubt about it!God HAS blessed The Salvation Army over the 157 years of its existence.  He still blesses our ministry today - in well over 130 countries all around the world.  Hallelujah!But, there can be no denying it, the membership/soldiery of the Army has declined to numbers well below those we remember in years gone by.  Should we shake our heads and wonder what has happened, while we fade away even further?  Or do we take our inspiration from parts of the world where The Salvation Army is STILL GROWING - and growing fast?It's time to shake ourselves into action and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!  I'm going to anyway - that's why, tonight, I am 'raising my Ebenezer' and looking to the Lord to lead the way towards turning that corner!Some great songs tonight and music from some of the Army's greatest writers including Arthur Gullidge, William Pearson, John Larsson, Len Ballantine, Chris Mallett and there's also Ballington Booth to top it all off!Ensembles featured include Norfolk Fellowship Brass, International Staff Band and Songsters, Chelmsford Singing Company, Portsmouth Citadel Songsters and Jonny Searle.

To mark St David's Day there is a distinctly Welsh flavour to the meeting this evening.Some of the very greatest hymn tunes ever and some beautiful traditional Welsh melodies including 'David  of the White Rock', Suo Gan and Gwahoddiad.Musical items from Cardiff Canton Band and Singing Company, Morriston Corps and soprano soloist Joy Naylor.All wrapped in the wonderful message of Christ's salvation!  What more could you want?

When David wrote Psalm 51 he seemed to be asking for a New Testament forgiveness - hundreds of years before it became a 'thing'!Ashamed and horrified by his sinful behaviour he opened his heart to God and begged to be given another chance.  According to Jewish Law, the only way he could achieve this was through making a sacrifice, a burnt offering to God - yet he realised that this was NOT what God wanted at all.  David asked to be purged of all evil, washed whiter than snow - as if by Jesus blood!  How amazing is that!This week's meeting has the aim of bringing us all closer to God - for each of us to claim that 'washing' in Christ's blood - to be made more and more like Jesus with every day we live.Songs include: 'Whiter  than the snow', 'To Be Like Jesus' and 'All My Work is for the Master'.  Music comes from the International Staff Songsters (Moment by Moment), Portsmouth Citadel Singing Company (Hand me down my Silver Trumpet) and the Boscombe Band with one of the very best of Salvation Army marches - Rosehill (there's even the chance to join in with that great chorus 'In the Army Ranks are We')Join me for an hour of praise, worship, reflection and re-dedication.Hallelujah!!

This week's meeting is based on a 2 word phrase that God spoke to me a few years ago - so clearly it may as well have been though my hi-fi speakers:TRUST MESimple?  Well, not as simple as it sounds...but great advice all the same!But it's a message not just for us as individuals - I BELIEVE IT'S ALSO A MESSAGE FOR THE CHURCH - as we step out into a world that has largely forgotten and ignored its Christian roots.Music from Norwich Citadel Band, the ISB, National Songsters, Melbourne Veterans Band, Shirley Singing Company, the Royal Albert Hall and Butlins and some great songs to sing along with too!

This week's Meeting for Fortress Radio - the 52nd in my series - has a very special guest speaker - Capt Nicholas J. Samuel - CO at the London (Ontario) Corps in Canada.  You may know his name also as a well-known SA composer of band and songster music.He reads from and speaks about Judges 2 - with insight about a wandering people and their relationship with an ever-faithful God.Some great songs (And Can It Be?  To the Hills and music from the International Staff Songsters, Clydebank Singing Company, Excerpt from a RAH festival, Portsmouth Citadel and Enfield Citadel Bands - and much more!

Tired of the same old promises to change?  Still biting your nails?  Not losing weight...again?The world needs more from Christians than trivial changes like these - it needs us to create a REVOLUTION!  If ever this world needed the knowledge of its loving Saviour, Jesus Christ then it needs is right now - it needs the PEACE of Christ, the LOVE of Christ, the HEALING POWER of His Holy Spirit.Tonight's meeting reflects on the WONDER of Christmas - the MAJESTY of God, the AMAZING world and universe in which we are privileged to live.and the fact God should send His own Son to be the ANSWER to all mankind's problems.Songs include:Praise My Soul, How Excellent is Thy Name, In The Love of Jesus, In this Quiet Moment and 'Send the Fire' while there is also music from the International Staff Band and Songsters, Sunbury Junior Singers and American Salvationist Major Albert Avery.Start a revolution in YOUR life this year - for GOD'S sake!

The theme for the meeting tonight proclaims Jesus as 'The Light of the World'.At this time of Advent  I am always made acutely aware of the aptness of Joy Webb';s beautiful song 'Come Into Our World'.  Yes, of course it is really HIS world but, as the song alludes 'men have forgotten Him and how to pray'.Certainly, if EVER this dark world needed a light it is NOW...if ever it needed JESUS - it needs Him now.We often think this is the job of professional preachers, church leaders and the very keenest and bravest of our fellow Christians - but that is not so:  if WE do not take Jesus into this world ourselves then there is no-one else TO do it!Sit back and enjoy an hour of real Salvation Army worship and music - some great songs and music from the International Staff Band and Songsters, The German Staff Band, The Southern Chorus, The Sunbury Junior Singers, The Three Sopranos, Richard Phillips and the cast of Jesus Folk and a very real challenge for us allGod bless you all!

"Going to the Army!" is a podcast series featuring Salvation Army music. This 39th Episode is for November 2021 and continues the "Going to the Army!" ministry, which is now in its 8th year of broadcasting. This time we have the first part of a 2 episode 'special' using the music of American composers and recognizing the wonderful contribution they have made to Salvation Army Music over many, many years. As always, it features bands, songsters, soloists, a massed item from the Royal Albert Hall, and soloists including Derick Kane, Olaf Lundgren, Phil Cobb and Al Avery - all sharing with us music from the vast Salvation Army repertoire.Composers featured in part one include James Curnow, William Himes, Erik Leidzen, William, Bruce and Bill Broughton, Stephen Bulla, Emil Soderstrom, Stanley Ditmer, William Gordon - and more!  I hope you enjoy this 'Star-Spangled' selection!Originally begun for just a few friends and family members GttA has become SO MUCH MORE than that. The Episodes and 'specials' have been listened to or downloaded HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of times in all continents and more than 50 countries throughout the world - and has been played to even more by listeners who share them with family, church shut-ins and other friends who do not have access to the internet.This new podcast continues the ever-growing ministry of GttA around the world and features both new songs and pieces and others that have been well-loved and very well-blessed for many years throughout the Salvation Army World. I am particularly grateful to people who send me requests for items they would like featured on GttA. "Going to the Army!" has also grown far more than I ever envisaged or even hoped! As a result we have needed to upgrade the hosting service on Podomatic many times and the renewal costs are now quite substantial - however donations to this ministry have been generously made and continue - particularly as a result of a recent JustGiving appeal. I am hoping to complete work on a new, purpose-built stuidio to continue and expand my ministry further in the coming days.Any further donations to this ministry are gratefully received and my be sent via PayPal through the link on the right hand side of the podcast's main page at: www.goingtothearmy.podomatic.com The "Going to the Army" Facebook group recently passed 4,100 members from all around the world. "They shall come from the East, They shall come from the West and sit down in the Kingdom of God". Hallelujah! Much of the featured music is from my own transfers of old SA LPs, 78s and cassettes but some CD and original recordings are also included. Presented by lifelong Salvationist musician and actor Marc Harry this podcast features music by bands, songsters, singing companies and soloists. In addition, background information about the music, the Salvation Army and the presenter's own experiences are included. Feedback is welcomed - as are requests for songs/pieces that can be considered for future podcasts. - either here, on this page or to goingtothearmy@marcharry.com

A theme question for the meeting tonight may well be something along the lines of ‘Are You Weary’?  It’s that time of year again, isn’t it?  Half way between our summer holidays and Christmas, the weather - in the UK, at least, is turning colder and most of us have resorted to putting our heating on - at home and in our  Army Halls, the trees have turned that wonderful myriad of colours between yellow, red and brown and we’ve pulled our winter coats out of the wardrobe…yes, it’s definitely autumn out there, friends and, with it – for me at least – always comes a sort of mental weariness as if we just can’t wait for this period of a few weeks to pass – and Advent to start – never mind the endless Christmas Carolling that goes with it! Sit back and enjoy an hour of real Salvation Army worship and music - some great songs and music from the International Staff Band, Brisbane Divisional Fellowship Band, Portsmouth Citadel Songsters and the Household Troops Band.Proceed into a new covenant with Jesus - asking Him to let you 'rest your weary soul in Him' and we will truly be better placed to turn this old world upside down!God bless you all!

It's been a while, friends.It is only now I am feeling so much better that I can look back and appreciate quite how poorly I had become in the late spring/early summer this year.  It is WONDERFUL to feel better and also to be back producing these meetings.This meeting I described as a 'Salvation Army Extravaganza' - and it's theme is the Universal message we share with the whole world about the saving power found only in the Blood of Jesus Christ!Music from David Daws and Enfield Citadel Band, the International Staff Songsters, Wellington Citadel Singing Company and The Egon Band help us in our worship along with some of our favourite Salvation Army songs and choruses.May God bless you richly as you listen - and, if you are not currently in the Lord's service please 'come home to God'.Marc

Welcome to a very special Praise and Testimony meeting prepared for Fortress Radio.This is the 47th meeting prepared and presented by Marc Harry since the Covid pandemic began over a year ago.Some great hymns and songs, Salvation Army choruses, band, songster and singing company items and even more - including words of personal witness, bible readings and prayers.Just like being 'at the Army!Let your light shine for Jesus wherever you go and a theme for this meeting might be "Take Jesus to all the world...He'll put things right. Hallelujah!

Ascension!For the 46th in my series of Salvation Meetings for Fortress Radio. I am delighted to welcome my old friend Lt Col. Ced Hills who speaks on the subject of the Ascension.The meeting is a bit of a 'Portsmouth Citadel Reunion'. Ced sat next to me on the euphonium section at Portsmouth when he was our CO a decade or so ago and we became good friends. So both Portsmouth Citadel Band ( John Hanchett) and Songsters (Julie Wheeler) take part in this meeting as well as there being some fine congregational songs and there are also contributions from the International Staff Songsters, Exeter Temple Singing Company (Jane Cox Williams) and the Birmingham Citadel Contemporary Music Group.