HOPE at Easter by HOPE Together

WAR HERO • FOOD BANK GUEST • GAME CHANGER • EX-PRISONER • EASTER GIVEAWAYS EASTER 2019

KILLING PAIN

FINDING

FREEDOM

FORGIVEN! CELEBS INTHE JUNGLE WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

HOPE & HATE IN LES MISÉRABLES

RUGBY’S KNIFERISING STAR CRIME VICTIM’S MUM MEET THE

JACOB STOCKDALE ON FAMILY, FAITH & HIS TATTOO

Give the

gift of hope with a chicken this

Easter

musthavegifts.org/hope

0800 633 5331

EASTER

Editor: Catherine Butcher Design: S2 Design & Advertising Print & Distribution: Belmont Press Photos: Rex/Shutterstock, BBC Pictures, Press Association, istock Publisher: HOPE, 8A Market Place, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3DU office@hopetogether.org.uk 01788 542782 ©HOPE 2019. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement. HOPE 08 Ltd. Registered Company No. 05801431 Registered Charity No. 1116005 HOPE at Easter is published by HOPE in partnership with Hope for Every Home.Visit Easterhope.org.uk to watch videos linked to features in the magazine, to enter the competitions and to find out more about Jesus Christ.

05 Hope & hate in Les Misérables What makes this classic drama such a hit?

HAPPY EASTER

09 What would Jesus do in the celeb jungle? Tim Bechervaise uses his imagination

n Sunday 21st April this year, we celebrate the most amazing event in history – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. History pivots on that moment, when God showed us how much he loves us. This special give-away magazine is an Easter gift from your local church. There’s a common theme in the stories. Like the fictional Les Mis character Jean Valjean in our cover story, many of the people we feature have found forgiveness, as I did as a teenager. In real life they have become followers of Jesus – Christians – who know that they are unconditionally loved by God. And, although it is tough to forgive, they have been able to forgive others because the same power of love that worked through Jesus, is at work in their lives too. To find out more about God’s love and forgiveness, ask the person who gave you this magazine, your local church or visit christianity.org.uk.

Roy Crowne, HOPE’s executive director

hopetogether.org.uk visit us online

12 Killing pain, finding freedom Two women discover they are special to God

16 Jesus the Game Changer Authors, academics and game changers consider ‘Why do we celebrate Easter?’ 18 Meet a knife-crime victim’s mum How one family has reacted to a tragic death

22 Edith Cavell – confident in the face of death How did this war-time nurse face the firing squad? 24 Reaching rock bottom Love and forgiveness turns Gram’s life around 27 ‘I was struggling with debts’ A food bank client looks to the future

30 On the wing with a prayer Meet Jacob Stockdale 'the deadliest finisher in European rugby'

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Photo: BBC/Lookout Point/Mitch Jenkins

INSIGHT

FORGIVEN! A story of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in 19th century France

HOPE & HATE IN LES MISÉRABLES

ife’s eternal themes of hope, love and hate are at the heart of Victor Hugo’s novel, Les Misérables, brought to life in the latest BBC adaptation with Dominic West as ex-convict Jean Valjean and David Oyelowo as police inspector Javert.

West describes his character as ‘one of the great superheroes of world literature’. Valjean did 19 years hard labour and is the toughest, strongest guy in jail. When he comes out, Valjean is pursued by his ex-jailer Javert who feels that once someone is a criminal, they are always a criminal, no matter what good he then does.

HOPE AT EASTER 5

INSIGHT

After 19 years hard labour ex-convict Jean Valjean is looking for redemption

Oyelowo explains, ‘Jean Valjean is looking for redemption. In terms of what he believes justice looks like, Javert is someone who comes from the opposite end of the moral scale. Valjean represents grace, redemption and seeking forgiveness. Javert represents retribution and an Old Testament way of looking at the world. He doesn’t believe people are redeemable.’ ‘Les Misérables’ is translated – ‘the wretched’, and tells a story of the haves and have-nots of the world: the Thénardiers family, Fantine, Cosette, Javert and Jean Valjean are men and women living in 19th-century Paris caught up in the inequalities of the day.

Message of hope Anna McGaharan, a London-based actress who is part of the cast of Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre in the West End, understands the draw of the story. Les Mis, Anna says is the production for which every person from drama school auditions. She had 6 HOPE AT EASTER

been auditioning for about seven years, and finally landed a role a year and a half ago. The production is in its 34th year in the West End, but this run of the show will be the last in its current version. ‘The building needs repair, so the show is getting a big makeover,’ Anna says. Though the set and the script may be changing, the heart of the story will remain the same. ‘There is so much hope in Les Mis,’ says Anna. ‘The words in the final song are: “Will you join in our crusade?/ Who will be strong and stand with me?/ Somewhere beyond the

It's a timeless story about forgiveness and grace

barricade/ Is there a world you long to see?” People are so uncertain about what’s going on, especially now with Brexit. So it gives that sense of hope.’

Love redeems There is another element that Anna believes makes it timeless. ‘It is a story about forgiveness and grace,’ she says. ‘That’s one of the main reasons it’s so relevant and why people love it.’ Anna finds parallels between Victor Hugo’s story

and the themes of another ageless tale – the Bible, and the Christian message at the heart of it. Anna describes how, after serving his gruelling prison sentence, Valjean is released and attempts to return to civilian life. He is shunned by everyone in the village, except for a bishop who welcomes him in. But when Valjean abuses the bishop’s kindness by stealing his silver and running away, he is shown a different response from that which society had shown him before. Caught red-handed with the stolen silver, he is taken back to the bishop’s house by police who expect the bishop to confirm that Valjean is a thief. ‘Instead of acknowledging his stealing, the bishop bestows on him another gift,’ explains Anna. ‘He withholds the judgment and punishment that Valjean should receive and instead takes the cost himself – losing the precious and expensive pieces of silver. ‘This is the same as God’s forgiveness. We can come to him, just as we are, with everything we have HOPE AT EASTER 7

INSIGHT

Javert is crippled by the fact that he doesn’t deserve grace

messed up, and instead of having to pay a price, we receive his forgiveness and his grace. ‘Jean Valjean is shown forgiveness and grace and he uses that to better himself and be this wonderful man, to become mayor, and to help impoverished mother Fantine and her daughter Cosette. ‘Then he extends this same grace to police officer Javert. But, unlike Valjean, Javert is crippled by the fact that he doesn’t deserve this grace.’

God’s gift Anna herself has experienced the forgiveness and grace that is on offer through Jesus. Her Christian faith influences all of her life. She believes that her voice has been given to her as a gift and that she honours it through using it in the theatre industry. She also describes God’s grace as a ‘gift’, adding that ‘there is nothing we can do to earn it. God loves us in our mess.’ 8 HOPE AT EASTER

‘There’s so much hope in Les Mis’

says London actress Anna McGaharan who is part of the Les Mis cast in the West End production.

Anna believes that the love that God offers to people is the same type of love that Jean Valjean extends to Fantine and Cosette. ‘He doesn’t have to care for them,’ says Anna, ‘But he makes it his life mission to take Cosette on. ‘The story shows the hope of forgiveness – how it can change someone’s life.’ Adapted with permission from an interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku in the War Cry.

Photo: ITV/REX/Shutterstock

CELEBRITY

JUNGLE? WHAT WOULD JESUS DO

IN THE CELEBITY Tim Bechervaise wonders what would happen if Jesus entered the jungle...

haven’t watched ITV’s I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in years. But when it emerged that football legend Harry Redknapp would be featuring, I couldn’t resist tuning in.

Holly Willoughby and Declan Donnelly with Harry Redknapp ‘King of the Jungle’

But as I sat through the daily happenings of the celebrity campmates, it’s not just ‘Arry’s cracking anecdotes that left me returning for more. To my pleasant surprise there was much that, dare I say it, warmed my soul – from Nick Knowles choosing a pillow as his luxury item for others to use, to the stirring encouragement offered to each other. This got my imagination going. If Jesus went into the jungle, how long HOPE AT EASTER 9

CELEBRITY

would he last? Would he be the first to go, or would he be crowned King of the Jungle? It probably wouldn’t matter either way to him (nor would any appearance fee). He would just want to love people and tell them about his Father. He may not win every heart, but he’d certainly win more than a few.

I’m certainly not normally one to second-guess Jesus. But here are six thoughts as to how he may (with tongue firmly in cheek) take to the jungle...

JESUS WOULD BE OKWITH

BEANS & RICE

aving gone 40 days without food in the wilderness, coping on a meagre diet of rice and beans (with the odd ‘luxury’ meal thrown in) wouldn’t be too much of an issue. Indeed, fellow campmates would love him because he’d probably regularly give away his portions. On top of that, it puts less pressure on those doing the challenges to get a full complement of stars (each of which wins one meal for camp). Perhaps he’d use the opportunity to share about his cousin who was famous for living on a low-key diet of locusts and honey…

10 HOPE AT EASTER

JESUS WOULD RELISH THE

BOREDOM O

ne of the features of camp is the space opened up for conversations. Interesting conversations too, many involving Anne Hegerty (presenter of The Chase) who is a great source of general knowledge. Who knew Uzbekistan is one of two countries that is double-landlocked, or what double-landlocked even means? Jesus always had a story to share and he loved hanging out with people and building relationships with them, often over food. Some classic, modern day parables about the kingdom of God would emerge that would likely leave his fellow campmates – and viewers back home – amazed, if not perplexed (or annoyed).

3. ON THE SICK JESUS WOULD LAY HIS HANDS

ne of the more amusing moments of the series was when Harry Redknapp woke in the middle of the night with cramp in his leg and asked Noel Edmonds to massage it to soothe the pain! Whatever ailment that arose in the camp, Jesus would likely lay hands on them and heal them. That would make a few headlines — not that he wouldn’t have made headlines already!

JESUS WOULD TAKE A NOVEL APPROACH TO

JESUS WOULD BE BUT...

R, ERO EMP BUSHTUCKER T TRIALS I

nevitably Jesus would have to face one of the dreaded challenges. The use and treatment of animals in the show has been a controversial subject over the years. How would Jesus respond? My guess is that he’d politely decline to take on the task, offering some wisdom that totally makes sense. Maybe he would point to a nearby snake primed for the trial and take the opportunity to tell them about a snake that once appeared in a garden with two people called Adam and Eve. As for his hungry campmates, well he’s multiplied food and turned water into wine before, so...

JESUS WOULD GET UP EARLY

TO PRAY

arly on in the week the campmates bonded over prayer as Anne Hegerty offered to pray for actress Emily Atack before taking on her trial. Jesus would no doubt rise early each morning for prayer, a routine that would surely prompt fascinating conversation, perhaps even a request first uttered by one of Jesus’ disciples: ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

he week began with 10 celebrities. It had 11 after Noel Edmonds arrived as the Emperor of the camp. The role initially gave Noel special privileges. He was exempt from the trials and responsibilities, could order people around, and had a throne and bedroom reserved for him. If the title of Emperor was offered to Jesus, perhaps he’d accept but gently flip the role on its head. He’d give up his privileges (tearing up any contractual obligations in the process) and get down to wash the campmates’ feet and tell them, ‘You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. ‘Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave’. (The Bible: Matthew chapter 20 verse 26 – as one of Jesus’ followers, Matthew was an eye-witness to his life and heard him first-hand.)

Tim Bechervaise works full-time in the finance industry. He attends Discovery Church in Swindon and likes to dabble in the occasional bit of writing. This article was originally published by Premier Christianity magazine and is used with permission. For a free copy of the latest issue visit premierchristianity.com

HOPE AT EASTER 11

INTERVIEW

Adele finds an unexpected remedy

KILLING PAIN

FINDING

FREEDOM ‘I

Adele’s story

was brought up in an environment where I was stupid, I was worthless, I wouldn’t amount to much,’ says Adele. ‘My life was riddled with fear... dominated by lies. It was a very broken life, and because these lies dominated my life I made many poor choices.’ Adele was married for 10 years and says, ‘It was a chaotic marriage because both me and my husband were both broken people.’ When her husband went into a rehab, he left her and went away with somebody else. ‘I was left devastated and I was left with children’ she recalls. ‘I was on my knees saying, “God, I can just about cope with anything except for my children growing up and being treated the way I’ve been.” ‘I cried out to God and God came.’ With hindsight she says, ‘All my life I sought

12 HOPE AT EASTER

pleasure outside the will of God. I took painkillers in all sorts of different ways and when I started to explore Christianity one of the greatest revelations I got was forgiveness was the greatest painkiller there is. ‘And once I received not only forgiveness for me but I was able to forgive others, I started to live in a level of freedom I didn’t know was possible.’

‘Forgiveness is the greatest painkiller’ As she got to know God she began to understand the full extent of God’s forgiveness: ‘When he revealed to me that the sins that had been committed against me, for example my husband going away with somebody else - when I had the revelation that God died for that sin, and that if I would give it to him that it would no longer have an effect, that blew my mind. ‘It says in the Bible that God’s kindness leads you

Asha walked into church to sell drugs

Asha’s story

sha is one of the people who heard Adele’s story and has become a Christian as a result. One of eight children, she left home when she was 12 years old. That’s when she started drinking and by the age of 14 she was taking drugs.

to repentance, and as God revealed his kindness to me I was a very hurt, frightened individual. But he gently revealed himself and so walked me through all the different areas in my life. I was broken and he brought healing and made it beautiful. ‘God’s forgiveness, I believe, is so much more powerful than we really understand and that’s why I so understand when God says we have to forgive others also, so that he can truly heal and set us free from the sin that keeps us wounded and powerless.’ Now Adele says, ‘I can’t help but share my faith in Jesus with others. I just get alongside people I believe to be raw and real, to speak into the difficult situations, to just listen to people that maybe others wouldn’t take the time to listen to. ‘I tell people what happened to me, to teach them about forgiveness and how all the pain they’re in could be erased.’

‘Throughout my life, I’ve done a lot of dishonest things, and I used to sell drugs,’ she says. She sold drugs on one street for 12 years and didn’t notice the church that was there. But one day she walked into the building aiming to sell drugs, but found a recovery cafe in progress. Asha says she saw something attractive in the people she met at the church and said to herself, ‘I want some of that.’

Adele saw something attractive in the people she met at church Adele was one of the Christians running the café and she was leading a Bible study. ‘Adele said, “If you let Jesus into your heart, you’ll HOPE AT EASTER 13

INTERVIEW

be forgiven for all your sins.” And that just spoke volumes to me,’ Asha recalls. ‘I wanted to do that.’ Asha became a Christian and says, ‘Because the church was guiding me through, I’ve never had to use drugs again. I just thought that was absolutely amazing.

‘There’s no turning back for me’ ‘So, I got baptised, and I was actually able to forgive myself for a lot of things that I’d done. ‘I’d never had a connection with my mum because she used to beat me when I was younger, and the first

SPECIAL TO GOD

The Bible records these words of God spoken through a prophet called Isaiah.

Do not be afraid—I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you… you are precious to me…I love you… Do not be afraid—I am with you! Isaiah chapter 43 verses 1-5.

Adele says after she received the news that her husband was not coming back, she was devastated. As she began to pray to God about her plight, she says, ‘I so clearly remember him telling me to get up and tell my children they were special. ‘So I took both my children in my arms and I said,

14 HOPE AT EASTER

time I ever went back, she said to me, “I have my sixth daughter back”. That was just amazing. ‘Having a life with Jesus is just the best thing ever, and if you don’t try it, how are you going to know. I was totally broken, but I feel alive again. I do feel like a kid again, but I’m learning how to live again.’ Asha’s former customers have noticed how much she has changed. ‘A guy that used to buy drugs off me, says “Wow, you’ve changed so much. You could never have made a better decision.” And I say, ‘I know that. There’s no turning back for me; definitely not!’

“Michael, has anyone ever told you you’re special, son?” And he says, “No, Mum”. And I says, “Well, you’re special”. ‘And I said, “Siobhan, has anyone ever told you you’re special?” ‘They liked it. And I began to tell them every day and every night that they were special. ‘One day there was a big commotion in my hall. I was peeling potatoes at the sink and I thought, “What on earth is all the noise?” ‘And as I went out to the hall all the kids in the street were in my hall. Siobhan had brought them all up. ‘I said, “Siobhan, what’re you doing?” ‘And she says, “Mum, they’re waiting for you to tell them they’re special.” ‘And all the wee kids, in all wee shapes and sizes, were all standing in a line. And I was saying, “Has anyone ever told you you’re special?”’ And they said, “No.” ‘And I said, “You’re special.”’ Knowing she is special to God, means Adele is keen for others to know God for themselves and to know how special they are to him.

Adele and Asha’s stories are part of the story collection at greatcommission.co.uk, used with permission. You can see them tell their stories online at easterhope.org.uk

INSIGHT

CHANGER

JESUSTHE GAME

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE EASTER?

ot long after 3pm on a Friday about 2,000 years ago, the man we call Jesus Christ died. He had been tortured and executed on a cross just outside Jerusalem in the Middle East.

the world and why it matters. Drawing on historical evidence from secular historians, as well as eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ life, the team of presenters highlight Easter as the heart of the Jesus story. London-based Bible teacher Rico Tice points to three essentials of the Christian faith: ‘Information – Jesus rises from the dead; agreement – the resurrection is Dr Paula Gooder, a against the laws of nature but I can’t see writer and lecturer what else happened on that Easter based in Birmingham weekend; trust – I now act on that – I follow him.’ Rico concludes: ‘Everybody has to ask the question – why was Jesus a game changer?’

Christians and even many atheists agree: it was a pivotal point in history. Every part of life and culture has been affected by the events of that Friday and the Sunday which followed – the weekend we Hashim Garrett from New York now call Easter. Even those Focusing on what makes Jesus unique, who do not claim to follow Birmingham-based writer and lecturer Jesus, recognise him as a great teacher. Dr Paula Gooder tackles the question Those who do follow him claim to know ‘What is the most radical thing Jesus taught?’ and experience the love of God because Her response: ‘His teaching on forgiveness of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Yale University professor was completely counter-cultural.’ Millions of people over 2,000 years Miroslav Volf Looking back to ancient Hebrew thinking have had their lives revolutionised by on forgiveness she adds, ‘If you wanted a sin to be Jesus. forgiven you took a sacrifice to the temple and God The video series Jesus the Game Changer would forgive your sin. But forgiveness was only investigates how the life and teaching of Jesus changed

Radical teaching

HOPE AT EASTER 15

INSIGHT

‘Reading those phenomenal stories I thought “If God could help those people maybe God could help me?” Then I read about Christ and about forgiveness. ‘I thought “I’m gonna forgive my mom and dad for separating.” And I had to forgive the kid who shot me. But somehow I also had to take ownership of the bad decisions I had made.’ Finding forgiveness for himself he says, ‘was like a weight was lifted off me’. But forgiveness is ongoing he adds. Quoting Dr Martin Luther King, Hashim says, ‘Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it’s a permanent attitude’. available for sins you had done by ‘When we talk about forgiveness, we have London-based Bible accident... and forgiveness was to talk about love’ he adds. ‘In order to forgive teacher Rico Tice always conditional: if you paid back you have to love. The kid who shot me is enough.’ human like I am. He’s imperfect; I’m imperfect. True Explaining Jesus’ radical teaching Paula says, ‘First love is from God. God forgives us and sent Christ Jesus says forgiveness doesn’t have to happen in the who taught us “Love your enemy”. ’ temple...Then he says any kind of sin can be forgiven. For Hashim it is the love of God at work in his Then he says “Now you go and do it!”’ own life that makes it possible for him to forgive others.

What does it take to forgive?

Yale University professor Miroslav Volf learned about forgiveness from his Christian parents who forgave the man who killed his five-year-old brother. ‘In the Christian faith you forgive irrespective of what the other person does. If the other person repents, great. That’s their responsibility. But your responsibility – my responsibility – is to forgive. The message of Easter is forgiveness and a fresh start – the opportunity for redemption.’ Hashim Garrett from New York agrees. ‘Forgiveness is about you,’ he says. ‘It’s not about the other person. When you forgive someone for hurting you, it doesn’t let them off the hook – but you are no longer carrying around that bitterness... that anger.’ Hashim has been able to forgive the boy who shot him, leaving him paralysed. But it has been difficult. He was 15 when he was caught in a gang fight and a bullet hit him in the back, leaving him unable to move his legs. When he was still in hospital facing life-long paralysis his mum gave him a Bible to read. 16 HOPE AT EASTER

Extraordinary love Rico makes forgiveness personal when he focuses on what makes Jesus different from other faith leaders: ‘The first thing I’d say is that he dies on a cross. This great teacher comes, and the culmination of his mission is he is naked up on a cross. What do you make of that? Other teachers draw men to them and other people do things for them. Jesus comes and he does something for me – he dies on the cross for me. At the heart of his ministry he does that and then he rises from the dead, so Good Friday and Easter day are the things that make him extraordinary.’ Paula agrees: ‘The thing that changes everything is Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus could have come and just been a wise teacher. The thing that makes the difference is that Jesus died and rose again. You need both death and resurrection. Jesus’ death allows you out of the old way of living and Jesus’ resurrection allows you into a new way of being.’ Find out more about Jesus The Game Changer from olivetreemedia.com.au

Draw closer to God this Lent 40 Stories of Hope Encounter the incredible love and saving power of Jesus Christ through the stories of prisoners who have discovered the freedom and forgiveness He offers. Read 40 remarkable testimonies from prisoners, ex-offenders and prison chaplains who speak powerfully about life-changing encounters with Jesus. Interspersed with six weekly notes, this book is ideal for group or individual use during Lent.

‘This is an extraordinary book’ Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury Created in partnership with Prison HOPE and compiled by Catherine Butcher ISBN: 978-1-78259-759-9 RRP: £7.99

Who is The Christ? Through the six studies in this new Lent guide, Anne Calver invites us to look at Jesus in His role as Builder, Humble King, Holy King, Harvester, Risen King and Commissioner, that we might better understand His heart and the mark He left on the world. Great reading for group or individual study. By Anne Calver ISBN: 978-1-78259-760-5 RRP: £5.99

To find out more about all our Lent and Easter resources and to order, visit cwr.org.uk/shop or call 01252 784700. Bulk order discounts available. Available online and in Christian bookshops.

cwr.org.uk

Photo: Press Association

INTERVIEW

KNIFE-CRIME VICTIM’S MUM MEET THE

our teenagers were jailed for life for murdering Zac when he was just 15. They are paying for their crime with sentences ranging from 14 to 18 years. But their victim’s mother Sarah has written to each of them, offering forgiveness.

On 1 July 2010, Zac, from Brixton, south London, was chosen from his school to speak at a Youth Against Violence conference. His mum said: ‘He told me he wanted to help young people. He was so happy and full of hope.’

Zac's mum Sarah together with daughter Tayo and son Debo, shortly after

Zac's murder

The next day he left for school at about 8.30am. His house phone rang half an hour later. It was a teacher from Zac’s school: ‘Zac has been stabbed!’

‘He was so happy and full of hope’

When Sarah arrived at the school together with her youngest daughter, the road was cordoned off and she could see the ambulances. The police drove them to the hospital, but by the time she reached Zac’s bedside he had been unresponsive for 45 minutes. ‘I collapsed and fell on the floor. They put me

HOPE AT EASTER 19

INTERVIEW

on a stretcher and I was next to him when he was pronounced dead.’ At the trial, the Old Bailey heard how he had been stabbed four times and then lay dying on his back in the garden of a house just yards from his school. Recalling her reaction at the trial, Sarah says, ‘Each day I was seeing these young people and I couldn’t hate them, even though they had shed my son’s blood. When I heard their background: one of them had been passed from one place to another, rejected by his mum, being cared for by his sister. I felt so guilty. I could have been a neighbour to these young boys. I could have reached out to them. I felt sorry for them.

I decided ‘I am going to forgive them’ It was so painful

‘If I believe that Jesus came to die for my sin and gave his life for me, I am meant to forgive. He rose again to give me hope – hope that I will see Zac again. I prayed about it, and I decided “I am going to forgive them”. It was so painful, but if I hadn’t forgiven them I’d be dead now or insane. That is the strength that the Lord has given me. I couldn’t have done it on my own. I couldn’t hold onto that pain.’ Sarah was born into a Muslim household but when her husband passed away in 2006 she started going to church. She became a Christian two years later and was baptised. Her Christian faith was all she could cling onto as she came to terms with the tragedy. Now she visits schools and prisons as part of a London City Mission initiative called Operation Forgiveness, meeting young people and warning them of the dangers of knife crime. ‘We pray that lives will be changed and we talk about forgiveness,’ she says. Zac’s sister Tayo and her husband Jason are also part of the Operation Forgiveness team. Tayo was 27 when her brother died. At first she wanted revenge, but seeing the strength her mum found through her relationship with Jesus, prompted Tayo to become a 20 HOPE AT EASTER

Christian too, but forgiving her brother’s killers was too much at first. ‘Because of everything I saw God do at that time, I gave my life to Christ. I knew that we are commanded to forgive – but it was something that was too big to forgive. My little brother had been killed. I didn’t want to consider it. The hate in me grew. I was so angry and over the course of time I became a different person and my relationships with people changed because I was so closed and angry. ‘But one day, my little girl came and gave me a hug. It left me cold. God lovingly used that moment to show me I was feeling that way because I hadn’t forgiven the killers. I knew I needed to forgive and he gave me the strength to do it. That was the start of being able to move forward.’ Now she says of the killers, ‘I want the best for them; to be in prison and to be rehabilitated; to know that God loves them and to come out as different people to affect the community in a positive way.’

OPERATION

FORGIVENESS

or more than 180 years London City Mission has been sharing the love of God with London’s neediest people, working in partnership with churches. Operation Forgiveness is run by Jason and Tayo O’Shea, who are LCM staff, together with Zac’s mum Sarah. Find out more at lcm.org.uk and visit Operation Forgiveness at operationforgiveness.co.uk or on Facebook @OperationForgiveness

A great Easter gift!

This beautifully illustrated, large format paperback explores the question Jesus asked 2,000 years ago: ‘Who do you say I am?’

Using Scripture, pictures and personal stories, it takes readers on a journey to discover who Jesus is, why he died and what the resurrection can mean for people today. A single copy of Who Do You Say I Am? costs £5 plus p&p or you can order 10 copies for just £11.50 plus p&p from hopepublishing.org.uk to give away as Easter gifts.

H OP GIVEAWAE Y

We have 10 individual copies of Who Do You Say I Am? to give away to readers in our Easter giveaway. Enter online at easterhope.org.uk or send your name and address to Easter HOPE (Who Do You Say I Am?) 8A Market Place, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3DU

HISTORY

100 years ago an English nurse was given a state funeral, honouring her life of sacrifice

Edith Cavell CONFIDENT IN THE FACE OF

DEATH T

The firing squad takes aim. In front of them, loosely tied to a post on the slope of a grassy field a woman stands dressed in her nurse’s uniform. Shots ring out through the mist of the autumn morning. Edith Cavell’s body jerks forward. The nurse who had helped to save the lives of more than 200 Allied troops is dead.

Edith Cavell had been betrayed by those close to her – a circus runaway who had been given a home and a job by Edith, and an informer who had come to Edith’s hospital for treatment claiming to be an injured French officer. She had confessed to the crime of ‘conducting soldiers to the enemy’ – helping soldiers escape who could potentially return to the battlefield. Guilty, she 22 HOPE AT EASTER

was sentenced to death in a German military court in occupied Belgium. Pleas for mercy from the British, Americans and her fellow nurses fell on deaf ears. She went to her death calmly, confident that death is not the end. But Edith’s last words were not of revenge or recrimination. On the night before she was executed, she met with her local priest Revd H. Stirling Gahan. He recalled, ‘The final sentence had been given early that afternoon. To my astonishment and relief I found my friend perfectly calm and resigned.’ She told Revd Gahan ‘I have seen death so often that it is not strange or fearful to me.’ As a nurse she had often been with patients as they died. She knew the practicalities of dying, and to preserve her modesty at her execution, she had even pinned her skirts around her ankles. She was also spiritually prepared for death. Her final ten weeks had been spent in solitary confinement, reading her favourite book The Imitation of Christ by

Photo: Rex/ Shutterstock

Thomas à Kempis. She told Revd Gahan: ‘I thank God for this ten weeks’ quiet before the end... Life has always been hurried and full of difficulty...This time of rest has been a great mercy....’ She then said words that have become her memorial around the world: ‘But this I would say, standing as I do in view of God and eternity, I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.’ She knew patriotism was not enough for these final hours. She knew that to enter into God’s presence she needed to be forgiven for her own shortcomings, and she needed to forgive any and all who had wronged her. Rev Gahan sat with Edith on her bed and they used the only chair in the cell as a table for Holy Communion. As they prepared to share bread and wine together, they said the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus taught his disciples; talking to God as ‘Father’; longing for his kingdom to come; asking for daily provision and forgiveness ‘as we forgive them that trespass against us’. Together they said the creed remembering that Jesus ‘suffered and was buried, And the third day he rose again’.

‘I must have no bitterness towards anyone’

For Rev Gahan, the words he spoke as he gave Edith bread and wine, had a special poignancy: ‘The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life...’ As the communion service ended, Rev Gahan began to say the words of the hymn ‘Abide with me’ and Edith joined him repeating ‘...When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me...’ Edith give Rev Gahan the letters she had written to friends and family and when they came to say ‘Goodbye’ she smiled at him and said, ‘We shall meet again.’ She was confident that death was not the end and they would meet again in God’s presence.

EDITH CAVELL FAITH BEFORE THE FIRING SQUAD

dith Cavell gave her life to others – and was executed as a result. She chose a nursing career caring for the destitute who couldn’t pay for their treatment, and because she could speak French fluently, she was invited to start a nurses’ training school in Belgium. When war was declared in 1914 she was in England on holiday but went straight back to Brussels where she cared for Belgians and invading German troops alike. In their spare time she and her nurses made clothes for the refugees flooding into the city. When English soldiers were trying to escape back to England, she gave them shelter – and when she was betrayed, her only defence was that if she had not helped them to escape, they would have been shot. She was executed and buried in Brussels on 12 October 1915 and at the end of World War 1 her body was repatriated. After a state funeral at Westminster Abbey, her body was reburied outside Norwich Cathedral on 19 May 1919. We have 10 copies of the biography Edith Cavell – Faith Before the Firing Squad to give away to readers. Apply online at easterhope.org.uk or send your name and address to Hope at Easter (Edith Cavell competition), 8A Market Place, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3DU

H OP GIVEAWAE Y

HOPE AT EASTER 23

REAL LIFE

Caught red-handed, Gram Seed’s life of crime began in a Middlesbrough pub

REACHING

orn in Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough, Gram Seed enjoyed a happy, close-knit, childhood. But he was soon getting into mischief...

BOTTOM

orn in Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough, Gram Seed enjoyed a happy, closeknit, childhood. But he was soon getting into mischief... At nine years old he went into the Newcastle House pub near his home and, on a pretext, got the barmaid to go out the back. He nipped through the serving hatch, grabbed what he thought was a big bag of crisps and dashed out. But the bag wasn’t full of crisps. It was a cash-bag with £50 inside. So he went straight to the nearest sweet shop to splash out. But the owner saw the bag and informed the landlord. Gram was caught red-handed.

‘Home was a bench... food was scavenged’

Childish high spirits? Perhaps, but theft became a way of life, and at 16 he was given his first sentence – 24 HOPE AT EASTER

ROCK

four months for breaking and entering. He wasn’t much good at school so, by now, he had realised that it was easier for him to let his fists do the talking. In the 1980s, a lad with a penchant for violence was easily drawn Gram & Natasha to the mayhem being caused at football grounds around the country. Gram joined a hooligan gang that followed Middlesbrough Football Club. He travelled all over the country with them – when he wasn’t doing time. Fight followed fight. Injury followed injury: his right eye was slashed; a bottle in his face nearly cost him his left eye; he was hit over the head with a blunt sword; a craft knife slashed his chin; he was bitten by a police

dog; he was stabbed four times; the end of his little finger was chopped off... Between 1980 and 1990 he was jailed a further four times for football related violence, assault, robbery and theft. He returned to Teesside at Christmas 1992 and began to drink heavily. Cannabis followed, then heroin and crack cocaine. In 1993 he attempted to Celeb & Boaz take his own life by slashing his wrists. But a patrolling police car found him in the early hours of the morning, and he was saved in hospital. By now home was a bench outside the Post Office on Grange Road in Middlesbrough. Food was begged or scavenged. Sleeping outside in all weathers, he would wake up in winter with his shirt stiff with ice from rain, and his jeans stiff from where he’d soiled himself. Even so, when a passing group of Christians called out ‘Jesus loves you’ he found the strength to chase them. Finally, in August 1996, his body gave out and he went into a coma. He was taken to hospital with a catalogue of complaints: septicemia, malnourishment, hypothermia, liver damage, kidney failure.

‘He let his fists do the talking’

The coma lasted six days during which time his mother was advised to prepare to have the lifesupport machine switched off. Every day, the same group of Christians who he had chased, came to the hospital to pray for him. He was in hospital for two months. He had lost his sight, and after seven weeks had to be taught again how to walk. However, he knew something had changed, but he wasn’t yet ready to acknowledge the nature of the change. But he went on his first Alpha course at the Oakwood Centre on Teesside. A slow

Gram’s life has been turned around healing had started. He has now led more than 100 of these courses himself. On the afternoon of 9th November 1996 Gram welcomed Jesus into his life and sat weeping with joy. He married Natasha in June 1999 and they have two sons, Caleb and Boaz. They live in the Stockton area from where Gram launched a charity called Sowing Seeds Ministries in early 2007. He now visits prisons and young offenders’ institutions, bringing hope to young people in trouble with the law, helping to reduce crime, and providing help and support for the families of young people in prison. In addition, the charity runs a preventative programme in schools with children on the brink of exclusion to help them consider the consequences of wrong choices. Gram’s life has been turned around. Now his focus is on helping others find God’s amazing love and forgiveness like he did.

EAY P O H GIVEAW

Gram’s story is one of 40 Stories of Hope published as part of Prison Hope, bringing together stories by prisoners, prison chaplains and ex-prisoners together with 40 extracts from the Bible and prayers to be used in the weeks leading up to Easter. Copies of 40 Stories of Hope can be ordered from hopepublishing.org.uk

We have 10 free copies of 40 Stories of Hope to give away in a simple competition. To take part write up to 20 words on what gives you hope – and send it with your name and address to HOPE at Easter, 8A Market Place, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3DU

WIN

HOPE AT EASTER 25

Ever get the feeling there must be more to life?

Go to Christianity.org.uk Find answers to your questions, or have a con dential conversation with a Christian. It may just be the best thing you ever did. Christianity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; find out more

christianity.org.uk

Photo: Trussell Trust

FEATURES

Marcella found help at a food bank. Here she tells her story

Chronic back pain forced

Marcella to stop work.

DEBTS

or nine years, from the age of 23, Marcella from Chelmsford has suffered from a chronic spinal condition. Serious back pain forced her to stop work as a veterinary nurse and she had to undergo an operation on her spine. It was then that she began to notice herself struggling.

‘ I WAS STRUGGLING WITH MY ‘Sometimes it’s very difficult to manage, even budget, especially when the price of food, gas and electric is not cheap,’ she explained. ‘It’s so hard to pay rent and survive.’ Marcella never expected to have to use a food bank, but when her benefit support of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) was switched to Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), the payment that she so desperately relied on was delayed. That’s when she found herself turning to the Trussell Trust for help.

HOPE AT EASTER 27

’

FEATURES

‘I was struggling a lot with my debts. One way to help with that was to go to a food bank and relieve that pressure so I could pay my bills. ‘Going to the food bank was a strange feeling’ she says. ‘You don’t want to take things. You want to be able to provide for yourself. You want to be independent and in control of your life. It took me a long time to realise it’s not a shameful thing to go to a food bank. Sometimes you just need a little bit of help.’

They didn’t judge me at all. It didn’t matter what circumstances or pressure that I was going through.

Now looking back on the experience she says, ‘The food bank helped me enormously. The people were just magnificent. They believed in me. They didn’t judge me at all. It didn’t matter what circumstances or pressure that I was going through. ‘The food bank gave me faith that there are people who understand and who you can trust. They made me feel comfortable and reassured. I felt a bit ashamed at not being able to support myself but they took the pressure off. The food bank really helped and was there for me in every way.’ Since then, Marcella’s confidence has improved: ‘Without their support, I don’t feel like I would have been able to cope.’ Marcella is currently focusing on getting her health back on track and is looking forward to the future.

SUPPORTING THOSE IN CRISIS

CHELMSFORD CHURCH

uth Leverett, project manager for the Chelmsford Foodbank, explains that it began in 2012. The church she belongs to got new premises and wanted to find ways to serve the local community. When the church leaders suggested they run a food bank, Ruth went to the Trussell Trust website to find out what it involved. ‘One of the stories on the site was about a mum who had an 18month-old and went to a neighbour to ask for a tin of soup so her child wouldn’t go to bed hungry. I had an 18-month-old and a three-year-old and thought “This shouldn’t be happening”.’ When she read on and found that the mum was in Kent, rather than an area of urban deprivation, Ruth realised that it was likely that people in Chelmsford were in the same situation. So the Chelmsford Foodbank was started and now has five Food Distribution Centres in different parts of the city, and a warehouse to store donated food. Last year 3,495 three-day emergency food supplies were provided for Chelmsford people in crisis.

Small beginnings The Trussell Trust was founded in 1997 by Paddy and Carol Henderson from Salisbury who were working with street children in Bulgaria. The couple’s work

28 HOPE AT EASTER

‘My children are going to bed hungry... what can you do about it’

spread to the UK after Paddy received a call from a mother in Salisbury saying: “My children are going to bed hungry tonight – what are you going to do about it?” After researching the issue of short-term hunger in the area, Paddy founded the first of the trust’s food banks in the garage and shed of his Salisbury home. In 2004, the UK Foodbank Network was launched partnering with churches and organisations nationwide who wanted to respond to the need they saw in their communities. The trust now runs a network of 1,200 food banks in the UK, many based in local churches, providing a minimum of three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food to people who have been referred

in crisis. They also give support to help people resolve the crises they face. People are referred to the food banks by doctors, social services, Citizens Advice Bureau and police who assess their need to ensure that it is genuine. Visitors are then given vouchers for three days’ worth of food, with each visitor eligible for no more than three vouchers per year. Visitors are also signposted to agencies that can help with longer-term difficulties. These include redundancy, sickness, delays over receiving benefits, domestic violence, family breakdown, debt, and additional fuel costs in winter. Some food bank clients are in work but cannot afford everything they need due to low pay.

HOPE AT EASTER 29

Photos: Rex/ Shutterstock

SPORT

Meet 23-year-old Jacob Stockdale ‘the deadliest finisher in European rugby’

Jacob’s tattoo features a

Celtic cross and his family’s initials

ON THE WING WITH A

PRAYER

arring injury, when Jacob Stockdale runs out onto the turf for Ireland’s opening game of the rugby world cup this year, he will be carrying the hopes of a nation.

The men in green will arrive in Japan as arguably the best side in the Northern hemisphere and the best equipped to deny the world-beating All Blacks another trophy. The All Blacks know all about Stockdale. The winger from Lurgan scored the try that sealed an historic Irish victory over them last November. 30 HOPE AT EASTER

It crowned an extraordinary year for the 23-year-old in which he was named the player of the tournament in the Six Nations and found himself being described as the deadliest finisher in European rugby. The year 2018 closed with the Ulster star being named BBC Sport’s Northern Ireland Personality of the Year. But beneath the hope, hyperbole and headlines, Jacob Stockdale remains remarkably grounded with his Christian faith and tight-knit family close to his heart. Or, more visibly, to his right arm. For that is where he sports a tattoo of a Celtic cross surrounded by four initials denoting his parents and two sisters. For years, before each match, Stockdale would

draw a cross on his wrist describes many of the men he met alongside the initials and use as ‘nice blokes’ who’d made mistakes it as a trigger for inspiration and were now trying to improve especially when games were themselves. They wanted to hear how tough. His mother, Janine, a he deals with setbacks and defeats. doctor in midwifery, was The prison visit is particularly none too enthusiastic at first appropriate given that Stockdale was about the image becoming studying for a degree in criminology something more permanent, when the prospect of a full-time insisting he would grow to career in professional rugby became hate it. But she’s come round. possible. For Stockdale and his His parents were initially keen for family the cross has always him to pursue the degree and were been more than just a worried that he was throwing away symbol. his A-levels. But they realised ‘We went to church ‘Christianity has been a big that he had a special talent and every week,’ he recalls part of my life right up until now the chance to join the Ulster of his childhood in an Academy was a unique interview with the and probably will continue to be opportunity not to be missed. Belfast Telegraph. Stockdale knows they fully for the rest of my life.’ ‘Christianity has been a supported his decision to big part of my life right pursue his dream and remain up until now and probably will continue to be for right behind him now. the rest of my life.’ The passion for rugby runs in the family: his father While Stockdale was growing up, his father, and grandfather both played at school and club level. Graeme, was a Presbyterian minister. It meant that At first, although he loved the game at school, it didn’t the family moved around from Newtonstewart, to seem Stockdale would make the grade. Things really Ballynahinch and then Banbridge before settling in took off when he reached the sixth form. A growth Lurgan. spurt added power and pace to his game and he was ‘The entire time I was moving around I was always quickly spotted by those with an eye for potential. going to Wallace High School,’ he tells the Telegraph. Soon he was being picked for Ulster under-18s, ‘I had a good group of friends there which never really then Ireland under-18s and then the under-20s. He changed. I had a really fun childhood – my mum and was part of the first under-20 Ireland side to beat dad were really great parents.’ New Zealand. Graeme now works as a prison chaplain in And the stellar progress continued at senior level Maghaberry, the highest security jail in Northern when Stockdale announced his arrival on the biggest Ireland. Recently Stockdale visited with his father and stage with a try in Ireland’s win over the USA. met more than 20 inmates. His family were there for every game of the Six ‘Going into the prison was a brilliant experience,’ Nations in 2018. His mother famously shed tears as he tells The Guardian. ‘I suppose it is where the worst she celebrated his first-half try at Twickenham that set of the worst are housed. But dad’s work is brilliant and Ireland on course for the Grand Slam. If Stockdale I was really proud to see how he changes people’s and his teammates realise their potential in Japan this lives.’ autumn, the celebrations will be long and loud. Stockdale was surprised by the reception he was given. Not hostile but positive and curious. He HOPE AT EASTER 31

Happy Easter

HOPE at Easter is a gift from a church near you. Celebrate the fresh start Jesus gives at your local church this Easter