International Salvation Army leaders receive Freedom of the City of London

|PIC1|The worldwide leader of The Salvation Army General Shaw Clifton and his second-in-command Commissioner Robin Dunster received the Freedom of the City of London on Thursday in a 30-minute ceremony at the famous Guildhall.

General Clifton and Commissioner Dunster were both nominated by the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Dr Richard Chartres, and former Lord Mayor of London Sir David Brewer.

A lawyer, ethicist and theologian, British-born General Shaw Clifton became the eighteenth general of the international church and charity in April 2006, with overall responsibility for Salvation Army work in 111 countries involving more than 1.5 million Salvationists and 100,000 employees.

He is the author of several books on Salvation Army practice and doctrine, and maintains a close interest in the interface between Christian belief and the current political climate.

The General shares his Christian ministry with his wife Commissioner Helen Clifton, The Salvation Army's World President of Women's Ministries, and the couple are frequent guest leaders and speakers at events around the world.

Prior to this appointment, from 2004 General Shaw Clifton and Commissioner Helen were in charge of Salvation Army work in the United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland.

Appointed in April 2006, Chief of the Staff Commissioner Robin Dunster holds the second most senior position in The Salvation Army and implements the General's policy decisions from International Headquarters in the City of London.

Australian-born Commissioner Dunster became a commissioned officer in 1971 and served in Australia, Zimbabwe, Congo (Kinshasa) and Angola before taking charge of Salvation Army work in the Philippines in March 2002.

At yesterday's ceremony in the Chamberlain's Court at the Guildhall, General Clifton and Commissioner Dunster were invited to read aloud the Declaration of a Freeman and signed the Freeman's Declaration Book. The Clerk of the Court, wearing a silk gown, then handed them each a parchment document Copy of the Freedom together with a copy of the Rules for the Conduct of Life, which date from the mid-18th century.

General Clifton and Commissioner Dunster follow in the footsteps of General William Booth (1829-1912), the founder of The Salvation Army, who received the Honorary Freedom in October 1905.

The Freedom of the City of London is one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies dating back to medieval times. The mediaeval term 'freeman' meant someone who was not the property of a feudal lord, but enjoyed privileges such as the right to earn money and own land. Town dwellers who were protected by the charter of their town or city were often free - hence the term Freedom of the City.

Several ancient privileges associated with the Freedom, including the right to herd sheep over London Bridge, or to go about the City with a drawn sword, have since disappeared.




[Re-printed in Christian Today with the kind permission of The Salvation Army]