Self Denial 2025
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NIV).
Our God is a God of hope. No matter what we are facing, we have an assurance that God will keep his promises. When we trust in God and live as he says, we can have overflowing hope, never-ending joy and peace, regardless of our circumstances.
The Self Denial Appeal challenges us — as followers of Jesus — to apply this truth to our giving and, as we are generous to others, see God’s hope revealed in their lives and our own.
This Self Denial Appeal, you're encouraged to seek God, place your trust in him and see hope revealed.
Video series
The weekly video series will expand on the concept of hope being revealed in low-income countries or places where The Salvation Army’s ministry is underfunded. The personal stories and beautiful imagery will show snippets of God’s work through The Salvation Army in Tanzania, Georgia, India and Bulgaria. We hope they stir your heart towards sacrificially giving to further The Salvation Army’s ministry.
Devotional
This year’s devotional readings have been prepared by Major Barbara Sampson from the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory. Each week, Barbara draws on Scripture and poetry to pose questions that help us reflect on the hope of God and encourage us to consider how we can live out our hope.
Read devotional
2024 generosity — thank you!
Thanks to the continued support of the Self Denial Appeal in corps around the country, and the generosity of people like you, the 2024 appeal saw almost $3 million raised across Australia. This great result means people's lives are being transformed through the love of Jesus and the work of The Salvation Army in low-income communities. Please accept our humble and heartfelt thanks to those who demonstrated their love in action through their sacrificial giving.
Give to make an impact too!History
The Self Denial Appeal began in 1886 as The Salvation Army began to spread its mission around the world.
In 1894, in the appeal’s eighth year, General William Booth wrote, “During this week, every good Salvationist will deny himself of some pleasant or necessary things, and devote the money saved to the extension of the Kingdom of God and the benefit of the suffering” (letter dated 15 October 1894, from The Salvation Army archives, United Kingdom and Ireland Territory).
Today, 130 years later, the call is the same to every Salvation Army territory around the world. Salvationists from all walks of life and with all levels of income accept the challenge of self-denial and generously choose to support The Salvation Army's mission of “[extending] the Kingdom of God and [benefiting] the suffering”.
We invite you to join us on this journey of sacrifice and generosity for the sake of people in need of physical support and spiritual hope.
About your gift
The Self Denial Appeal supports countries or territories where corps may be unable to self-fund their mission work, there is limited government support or restricted abilities to fundraise among the community.
Through a generous tax-deductible gift, for which a receipt will be provided, you may be able to increase your generosity.
However, if you do not require a receipt for tax purposes, you are encouraged to give to Evangelical Mission Support projects as they enable the Kingdom of God to grow through activities that are ineligible for other sorts of international aid.
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Evangelical Mission Support
Your gift towards Evangelical Mission Support builds the strength of The Salvation Army and supports clear evangelical ministry work. Examples include:
- Buying Bibles or computers for churches
- Funding church halls
- Running community programs such as discipleship classes
- Supporting the needs for officers such as residences
- Funding training courses for officers, staff and volunteers
These gifts are non tax-deductible.
Community Development
Your gift towards Community Development initiatives may support:
- Clean water and sanitation projects
- Livelihood training programs
- Empowerment of entire communities
These gifts are tax-deductible.
Sustained giving
Did you know that it’s possible to commit to ongoing giving towards the Self Denial Appeal? You could actively participate in God’s Kingdom work throughout the year, helping to transform lives and spread the message of hope through your regular giving. You’ll be helping teams around the world respond to the greatest need, when and where it’s needed most to bring about maximum change.
You can be part of a community of givers who are helping work towards the goal of a world restored by the love of Christ, with people living with dignity and filled with hope.