3 May 2014 NZFT War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION | 03 MAY 2014 | Issue 65 | $.5

Remembering

RUBY

FIREZONE

ECO ALTERNATIVES TO CLING WRAP

A RIGHT ROYAL BUDGET

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT TRANSFORMS LIVES

THE PROPHET MICAH SPEAKS TODAY

CELEBRATING OUR ARCHIVES VOLUNTEERS

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Kia ora When love hurts WAR CRY

The Salvation Army Te Ope Whakaora New Zealand, Fiji & Tonga Territory FOUNDER William Booth GENERAL André Cox TERRITORIAL COMMANDER Robert Donaldson The Salvation Army’s message is based on the Bible. Our ministry is motivated by love for God. Our mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human need in his name without discrimination.

War Cry exists to support and advance The Salvation Army’s message, ministry and mission.

EDITOR

Major Christina Tyson GRAPHIC DESIGN

Lauren Millington, Amber Wilkinson STAFF WRITERS

Ingrid Barratt, Vanessa Singh CONTRIBUTORS

Lucy AitkenRead (wonderthrift.com), Martin Barratt (film reviewer), Kris Singh (music reviewer)

PROOF READING

Major Jill Gainsford COVER PHOTO

Luke Tearle (Parachute 2011) OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 Phone (04) 384 5649 Fax (04) 382 0716 Email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department Phone (04) 382 0740 Email mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org $75 per year within NZ PRINT MANAGEMENT MakeReady | www.makeready.co.nz

PAPER Novatech is an environmentally responsible paper manufactured under environmental management system ISO14001 using FSC Certified, Mixed Source, ECF pulp from well managed and legally harvested forests.

Mother’s Day is almost upon us, a day when people keenly feel the absence of mothers that have passed away. I so appreciate the sensitivity of Salvation Army church services in honouring absent mothers and making this day a little easier for those who feel sad.

Surely harder, though, is Mother’s Day for those parents whose children have died. My brother died at 28, and even as my sister and I found this loss a terrible thing to experience, it was so much harder for our parents to bear. I am still haunted by the memory of my father being invited to dig out some ground at the cemetery to start the hole in which the box bearing my brother’s ashes would be laid to rest. Everything in me protested the obscenity of this.

No parent expects to bury their children, but sadly many do due to accidents and illnesses. On Mother’s Day we want to remember and support those whose hearts are scarred by loss and for whom ‘special days’ may bring spasms of grief.

Of course, if we could go through life untouched and unmoved by our connections with others, then we would also be unaffected by their death. But what a lesser person that would make us.

Jesus doesn’t expect us to quickly put such losses behind us. He cried when his friend Lazarus died and understands the human experience of grief. We hurt so much when someone dies because we loved them so much in life. And, as someone has said, ‘Love doesn’t end with dying or leave with the last breath. For someone you’ve loved deeply, love doesn’t end with death.’

In this edition, Kim, Andrew and Jesse McKerrow and Crystal Gerrand courageously share their experiences of grief after the loss of their daughter and sister Ruby. Andrew writes about ‘moving through’ this loss, rather than ‘moving on’. I think this is a helpful way of seeing the impact of loss. The death of a loved one will forever colour our lives—as it should. But amid the darkness of our loss, the brighter colour of a person’s life will still shine through.

Christina Tyson Editor

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BIBLE VERSE Psalm 73:26

Member of the Australasian Religious Press Association.

All Bible references from the Holy Bible, New International Version, unless otherwise stated.

Articles are copyrighted to The Salvation Army, except where indicated, and may be reprinted only with permission.

Publishing for 130 years

ISSN 0043-0242, Issue 6591 Please pass on or recycle this magazine

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‘My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.’

Ngā Waiata 73:26

‘Hemo iho ōku kikokiko me toku ngakau: ko te Atua ia te kaha o tōku ngākau, tōku wāhi ake ake.’

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WISE WORDS

We all want to do something to mitigate the pain of loss or to turn grief into something positive, to find a silver lining in the clouds. But I believe there is real value in just standing there, being still, being sad.

John Green

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Let’s Talk | 03

H

ave you ever seen a cashew nut growing on a tree? It is a strange, unexpected sight. A vibrant red bulb with the nut jutting out the end. I picked cashew nut fruit for the first and only time in Cambodia a few years ago. We had tramped for a couple of miles through forest, guided by almost every member of the small neighbourhood we were visiting. We passed through orchards of cashew nut trees and palm sugar trees—this community had worked hard to find a sustainable income from this forest.

We arrived at our destination dripping with sweat. Here we were in a plain, cobwebby shed on the far side of their land.

It hardly seemed worth the hot hike, but this hut was vital to the community. It was a watch point, and every night someone attended it, walking the border of their land—on guard.

This community had already had the edges of their land cut into. Over the past 15 years their section of forest had shrunk substantially at the hands of corporations. Trees would be felled in the middle of the night as overseas businesses illegally encroached on to small landholders’ property. It has happened across Cambodia on a massive scale—with over half of the country sold in private sales to private companies in just two decades.

With help from Cambodian development organisations, this neighbourhood had organised into a cooperative. They were able to organise a night time watch, but more importantly, they had been able to up skill themselves in the art of negotiation and bureaucracy. They had petitioned the local government and were gaining influence and power. Being part of a cooperative had given these rural farmers and foresters a voice against some of the world’s biggest corporations.

This issue is one of the lesser known parts of the Fair Trade movement.

The first Fair Trade item, a bag of coffee, was sold in 1988. Since then, Fair Trade has gone from strength to strength, pushed primarily by consumers. By choosing items

with the FAIRTRADE mark, shoppers have created a demand for products that put more money in the hands of farmers and give more strength and efficacy to their communities.

Shoppers have also lobbied businesses for fairer products, and in recent years big names such as Cadbury, Whittaker’s and Starbucks have put out Fairtrade-certified products.

The Fairtrade certification system currently works with 1.3 million people, and even more have been lifted out of poverty through Fair Trade over the past decade.

But this isn’t a campaign that has been won. It is easy to consider Fair Trade a fad that has passed. It is anything but—the movement will collapse if shoppers stop demanding Fair Trade. We mustn’t for one moment think that corporations that have changed to Fair Trade have done it out of the kindness of their hearts! They have done it to drive profit, and we must keep their Fair Trade lines profitable.

In some cases, Fair Trade isn’t more expensive—good Fair Trade coffee is often similarly priced to good non-Fair Trade coffee. These items should be easy enough for you to change to. In other cases, it is much more expensive, but I’d like to suggest this reflects the real cost of a product.

I want to challenge you to consider switching to one Fair Trade product a fortnight beginning now. By the end of the year, you will find you have gradually begun buying all the Fair Trade options possible—hopefully without too much strain on your budget. (One way to keep the cost of your Fair Trade items down is to buy wholesale from Trade Aid.) I believe in a future where workers and land owners are given a fair price for their toil, where they don’t have to keep a nightly guard against land grabs, and where they have a strong collective voice against Big Business. I think the Fair Trade movement is one of the things that will get us there.

LUCY AITKENREAD

Fair Trade Fortnight runs in New Zealand from 3 to 18 May. Go to thePowerofYou.org.nz for more information.

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Bookshelf Home The Ministry of the Messy House Amanda Robbie Even the title is a sigh of relief in Amanda Robbie’s refreshing critique of the cult of the ‘domestic goddess’—or what she describes as ‘perfectionism gone mad’. Robbie gives an alternative way of living that shifts our focus off ourselves, and onto the true meaning of our lives: the grace of God. Ultimately, our house is not a shrine to ourselves, but a reflection of God in our lives. There are some profound moments, such as Robbie’s insight into our homes as a place of rest, reflecting the God of rest. Personal stories and touches of humour lighten what is a deceptively thoughtful book. (Inter-Varsity Press)

Playlist

Motherhood Ordinary Mum, Extraordinary Mission France-Williams and French ‘I wanted to change the world, but I couldn’t find a babysitter,’ is the pithy ditty that opens this book. It hints at a sense of disappointment for mums whose dreams are lost in the piles of nappies and laundry.

This book encourages mothers to see their role as an extraordinary mission, and the authors do this without judgement calls on the stay-at-home vs. working mum debate. They share their own struggles with balancing a desire to ‘do’ mission, and simply ‘being’ a mum. Contains inspirational stories of other mums influencing the communities where God has placed them. (Inter-Varsity Press)

Parenting No More Perfect Kids Jill Savage and Kathy Koch There is something every parent has to face from the moment their first child is born: expectations.

The authors tell personal stories of their children growing up in ways different to what they imagined—from differing interests, to the challenges of mental and health issues. This book, again, touches on what the authors dub the ‘perfection infection’ and comparisons so prevalent in parenting. But the focus is firmly on the children, and the vital role parents have in answering children’s questions of identity. Readers are encouraged to value each child’s uniqueness and their perfect imperfection. (Moody Publishers)

Reel News

Worship/Rock Welcome to the New MercyMe Veterans MercyMe have released their eighth studio record. More than just a title, Welcome to the New is a statement—a diverse showcase that looks to break loose from deep contemporary Christian roots. Lead single ‘Shake’ embodies this, laden with Motowngroove poppy atmosphere. The album runs a stylistic gamut, from blues to country, folk to rock. The instrumentation is just as diverse, but not distracting—electronic elements simply colour ‘Flawless’, while saxophones are the icing on ‘Wishful Thinking’. With something for most listeners, there’s also merit in branching out into the musical unknown, and for that, the album is well worth a listen.

Country Out Among the Stars Johnny Cash Out Among the Stars is a posthumous album from country legend Johnny Cash. The album was conceived from a lost studio session in the 1980s, a time when Cash’s appeal and album sales were stagnant. This is a fairly typical ’80s-era Cash record. It has equal parts grim humour and poignant prose set against a backdrop of country, blues and gospel. Cash’s deep baritone is just as distinctive as it ever was, but the backing band has been jolted into 2014 with a great injection of electric guitars and fiddles in post-production.

Definitely something for Johnny Cash fans to check out, and a solid album.

GIVEAWAY To win a copy of No More Perfect Kids, tell us what you love about being a parent.

War Cry Giveaway, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org. Entries close 19 May. When God Becomes Small winner is Malcolm Irwin.

Adventure, Biography, Drama Tracks John Curran / M (language) An engaging adaptation of Robyn Davidson’s memoir of the same name, chronicling the author’s epic nine-month, 2735-kilometre trek across the deserts of Australia using camels.

In 1977, Davidson set off from Alice Springs for the west coast and the Indian Ocean, with her dog and four camels. She had no intention of writing about her trip, but eventually agreed to write an article for National Geographic magazine. The ensuing article was published in 1978 and attracted so much interest that Davidson decided to write a book about the experience. It’s soon clear that Robyn’s battle is less with nature than with other people. Friends, family members and passing observers prove less than supportive of her endeavour, and once she sets off she’s continually hounded by tourists, spectacle-seekers and reporters as word of the eccentric ‘camel lady’ spreads throughout Australia and the world beyond.

The cinematography makes the staggering walk feel almost inviting, with an eye that beautifully blends a sun-scorched colour palette to sumptuous effect. Australia has rarely looked as beautiful on film as it does here. The lingering imagery suggests a movie with meditative, almost spiritual qualities, but Tracks unfortunately doesn’t provide much to mentally chew on.

The setup does well to highlight how Robyn doesn’t click with the peers of her generation, but this element isn’t satisfactorily explored. We never glean whether the reason for her journey is a spiritual, emotional or purely physical one. This detracts from what is otherwise an intriguing film.

Some review material brought to you by Manna, go to manna.co.nz

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On 22 November 1997 on a Saturday afternoon, Ruby Deva Rose Gerrand-McKerrow was born at Kew Hospital in Invercargill. Tragically, Ruby passed away on 29 June 2013, aged 15, from an undiagnosed heart condition. Ruby’s family, Kim, Andrew, Crystal and Jesse, share their memories of a much-loved daughter and sister gone too soon.

Kim remembers …

It was Saturday morning, my husband Andrew was out and my son Jesse and daughter Crystal were up in the lounge. My youngest daughter, Ruby, was still asleep. I lay in bed thinking about the day ahead but soon nodded back off to sleep. The next thing I knew, Jesse was waking me to say that Ruby’s friend Sami was here to visit.

I asked Jesse if Ruby was up. He told me she wasn’t, which was unusual as Ruby never slept in. So I told Jesse that I would wake her.

Jesse ran ahead of me, only to come running back down the hallway to say that Ruby ‘looked funny’ and was still asleep. My heart leapt as I ran down to her bedroom to wake her, but as soon as I looked at my daughter I knew she had died.

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I sat next to her bed, crying and telling her to please wake up as I stroked her face. I told Jesse to wait in the lounge for me and yelled at Crystal to come. By now, I was shaking and trying to hold back the tears as I asked for the phone. I dialled 111, telling the lady on the end of the phone that my daughter was dead and I needed help.

Crystal heard me and yelled, ‘Mum, you are lying—she isn’t dead!’ I told the kids to stay out of Ruby’s room. I was just shaking, crying and trying to hold it all together. After what seemed a lifetime, the police and ambulance came. I just sat near my beautiful girl, telling her to open her eyes one more time.

Finally, the police got hold of Andrew and brought him home.

As we sat next to Ruby’s bed before they took her away, I remember asking, ‘God, how you could take another of my children away from me? (My son Anton was killed in a road accident when he was seven.)

Why us? Why Ruby?

Andrew remembers …

I was sitting in a conference with a bunch of other Christchurch Sallies when I noticed my officer (pastor) leave the room. He returned to tell me the police wanted to see me. A billion possibilities went racing through my mind at once. The policeman verified my name and said, ‘I don’t know how to tell you this, but your daughter has passed away.’

I remember my heart hitting the floor, my legs going wobbly and my head spinning. I remember feeling like throwing up, but thinking, ‘I can’t do that on a church floor!’ I remember looking at my pastor through blurry eyes and saying, ‘How am I going to do this?’

I remember feeling physical pain at the thought of my wife and kids finding our daughter dead in her bed at just 15 years old.

I remember pulling up the driveway in the police car and taking one really deep breath before I stepped inside. I remember stumbling in the door of our house, holding my wife tightly and making her promise that we wouldn’t let tragedy divide us like we’d seen it do to so many couples before, and I remember her promising me that it wouldn’t. I remember vividly the stunned disbelief and tears on our children’s faces.

I remember walking into our daughter’s bedroom, gripping her lifeless body and praying, ‘God, only you can carry us through from here, and you know that I trust you no matter what, but I am asking: “Bring her back home, don’t take her yet, it’s too soon. We’re not ready.” ’ And I remember a voice whispering into my heart saying, ‘Andrew, you could pray to raise her and I would hear your prayer, and I am able to do this, but you need to know that she is already home, already with me. I have her, she is safe and she is at peace.

She is already home.’

Crystal (17) remembers …

I was visiting the family in Christchurch just before Ruby died. I felt like I hadn’t been the best sister—it was only after moving out of home that I’d stepped up my game.

The night before Ruby died, the two of us got into a little fight, as most sisters do. I didn’t apologise. I didn’t even say goodnight.

Ruby went to bed feeling really tired. Around 3 am, I was getting ready to go to bed. I put my head into my little brother’s room and

put his blankets back over him. Then I went into Ruby’s room. She was so still, but I thought nothing of it. I took a second glance and just shrugged it off.

The next morning I heard my mother screaming, ‘Crystal, take Jesse!’ She wouldn’t let me go into Ruby’s room but asked me to call my dad and my uncle.

I froze. What was happening? And then, the words that today haunt me, the words that put me to the ground as mum talked into the phone: ‘Hurry, I think my daughter is dead.’

What? My baby sister isn’t dead. She’s not gone—she’s fine!

I remember the police coming through the doors trying to give their condolences, but I ran out the front door and I lost it. I couldn’t understand why nobody was trying to save Ruby. Next thing I know, I’m kicking wheelie bins into an officer, I’m punching the fence and kicking the garage door. I didn’t want to believe any of it. I couldn’t lose another sibling—I couldn’t lose Ruby.

I felt angry at everyone. Angry at the police, the ambulance officers. Angry at the God my parents believe in.

Jesse (11) remembers …

Five facts you probably didn’t know about Ruby: 1. She was totally crazy about Batman (she used to always tell me that she was Batman but it was a secret).

2. She was excellent at making handmade bracelets (my favourite one had the Joker weaved into it).

3. She was awesome at nail polish (once she turned her nails into yellow minions).

4. She was the only morning person in our house and would always hang out with me and keep me company early in the morning.

5. She probably ate more mashed potato than anyone else in the world! (Once she ate a whole pot of it after school for a snack and then still had mashed potato for tea!)

Mischief and fun The majority of Ruby’s childhood was lived in Christchurch, mainly in Belfast. From an early age, Ruby excelled in the art of mischief. Her face was mischief, her smile was mischief, her actions … mischief!

At two years old, Ruby would watch her brother and sisters walk out the gate and return carrying lollies. One morning, Kim couldn’t find Ruby anywhere, she eventually found her around the corner at the supermarket, sitting in the car park, grinning at everyone, probably hoping she would get lollies like her siblings did when they went out the gate.

Despite having a mischievous streak, Ruby was a quiet kid a lot of the time. She loved being around home and quietly pottered along, just doing her own thing usually.

Until school age, a lot of Ruby’s days were spent at the Ark Childcare Centre in Kaiapoi, a place she loved, and again a place where her mischievousness found plenty of opportunity for expression. The Ark was a Christian-based centre and Ruby heard the staff talking about how important the Bible was. Somehow, we still don’t know how, Ruby got her hands on a tiny New Testament Bible and turned up at crèche with it. One of the teachers noticed a

Feature | 07

line of kids around Ruby. When she got closer she saw Ruby tearing pages from this Bible and handing pages to the kids around her. Ruby explained that she was ‘giving a Bible to everyone’.

Amongst the mischief and fun, there was hard stuff, too. Ruby lost her brother Anton in a road accident when he was seven and she was nearly four.

Once she turned five, Ruby started at Belfast Primary School, which she loved. Most of her days were spent sitting on the mat, grinning from ear to ear at the teacher from the start of the day to the finish.

Ruby made some brave choices in deciding to face her battles … We were incredibly proud of her as she showed us that struggles can be overcome.

Around this time, Ruby experienced some big life changes. The man her mother had been dating proposed, and soon her mum was married and she had a new brother, Jesse, on the way. Again her inquisitive and mischievous mind often shone through. Jesse had only just come home from the hospital and Ruby was having her first hold of him. Her first question? ‘Mum, would it be alright if I poked him in the eye?’ We were just grateful she asked first!

About age six, we embarked on a journey to Upper Hutt to train for full-time service with The Salvation Army. Booth College of Mission was a pretty amazing place for a six-year-old. Plenty of time to play, explore and go door to door asking for lollies. Ruby’s mischief radar remained on full signal as she teamed up with her friend Amelia for many trouble-making missions. After two years, we moved to Foxton, where some of Ruby’s best friendships were formed.

Ruby was one of those kids who seemed to attract accidents.

At four, she was dancing in the lounge and somehow ended up with a sewing needle imbedded in her foot. At five, she nearly sliced her finger off in a door. At six, she nearly sliced the top of her ear off after colliding with a boy on a bike. And, in Foxton, Ruby was riding a scooter, put her foot on the brake and somehow got her big toe trapped between the wheel and the metal mudguard, pretty much slicing the toe right off. As Salvation Army ministers, we had funded medical insurance. Looking back, I don’t think we could have survived financially without it, with Ruby as our child!

After two years in Foxton, Ruby shifted to Whanganui. Again, new place, new faces, new friendships … and more mischief. After five years in Whanganui, we shifted back home to Christchurch.

An overcomer But there was another side of Ruby’s life, too. Ruby was a fighter and an overcomer. Her teenage years were not easy, as they’re not for a lot of teenagers. Teenage life brings with it some hard blows and big battles. Some of those blows lead teenagers to find ways to cope with the hurts that come within those blows, and Ruby attempted to ease some of her pain by self-harming. This was an outward way of trying to release inside hurts.

Ruby made some brave choices in deciding to face her battles, working through her struggles to find better and different ways of coping with hard stuff. We were incredibly proud and honoured as we watched Ruby show us, show herself and show others that down is not out and that struggles can be overcome. It made us so proud of her!

Ruby’s passing shocked and broke us and left us wondering how we were meant to adjust to not seeing her face, hearing her laugh and sharing her life. The coroner’s report revealed that Ruby was living with a rare and undetected heart disease known as ARVD. Over time, the disease slowly erodes one of the walls of the heart. Once that wall erodes completely, the heart floods and stops instantly. It’s not really detectable and, short of a heart transplant, it’s not curable.

We still don’t understand how this could happen to someone whose heart was so amazing, so big.

When Ruby was about 10, her uncle was baptised. Straight after that, Ruby grabbed me and said, ‘Dad, you need to baptise me!’ I asked her why to check if she was doing that to please us or to copy those around her. She told me in no uncertain terms that this was for her. As she came up from under that water, I heard that quiet voice of God say, ‘Ruby, just like you did now, you will go through some deep waters in your life, but you will come through them and I will have a hold of you.’

Rubes, you have had your share of deep waters, you have come through them and now God has hold of you. We love you. We will miss you every day. And we will see you again.

Dear Rubes, It is five months today since we woke up and you were gone. If we stop long enough and think long enough, the pain comes belting back like it was yesterday, and yet it also feels like a lifetime since we’ve heard that laugh, seen that face of yours.

It’s strange. Lots of well-meaning people say things like, ‘give it time, you’ll move on’, but for me the reality is that there are just too many things in our world that you have shared with us for us to ever ‘move on’. So many things that we will always wish you were still part of.

We smile and feel sad at the same time whenever we remember you. So, we won’t ‘move on’, Rubes. We don’t plan to—we love you too much for that. But we will move through, one day at a time, one step at a time.

We will keep journeying. And we will take you with us.

You have forever coloured our lives, and we will use the colours you have given us to keep painting new days with. Your flavour will always be present in our family recipe. We love you, we cherish you, we will carry you with us always.

Love, Dad.

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ENVIRONMENT

BUDGETING

Funky sammie bags

A Right Royal Budget Wills, Kate and baby George had us in royal raptures when they visited our colonial shores. And they did it all on a right royal budget.

One was in for quite a shock when one’s bank account went down to a mere millon, but the Queen is learning from her ‘commoner’ granddaughterin-law. Here are some budget tips we can learn from our favourite squidillionaires:

I am in love with this easy-peasy alternative to cling wrap, and will never again need to get into a fight with plastic wrap.

You know what I hate? Cling wrap. I partly hate it because it hates me—it refused to ever stick to itself, so all my sandwiches looked as if they were wrapped in scraggly, flappy bits of plastic. Oh wait, that’s what cling wrap is!

It is the stuff that our great–great-great-great–great-grandchildren will discover on their archeological digs and think, with baffled expressions on their faces, scanning the barren, scorched land around them, ‘THIS was the reason for the demise of our beautiful earth!’

So, I was more than pleased to discover an alternative to cling wrap. It is an eco, recycled, reusable version made with bees wax and scraps of fabric.

I made six different sizes ranging from 30 cm x 30 cm to 15 cm x 15 cm. I wanted some large enough to go over baking dishes to go in the fridge, and I wanted some I could sew into little snack packs.

• Cut your fabric (ideally with pinking shears so it doesn’t fray).

• Using a grater, shave on a small amount of bees wax—sprinkle this as evenly as possible over the whole thing. Work sparingly as a little goes a long way.

• Place on to some tin foil in a hot oven for three or so minutes, until wax has melted.

• Bring it out and look at it in the light. You should be able to see any patches without wax on—sprinkle a bit on those areas and pop back in oven.

Wear the same outfit twice: The red suit our Kate wore in Canterbury had previously been worn a whole three years earlier—surely it should have been sent to The Salvation Army Family Store by now! Do a Kate and re-think that favourite old outfit. Modernise it by re-styling with on-trend accessories.

Cook your own meals: Apparently Kate does a lot of cooking herself, and doesn’t use a chef every night. Huzzah Kate, you really are one of us! According to friends, her go-to at uni was eggy bread—which is a commoner’s way of saying ‘French Toast’. Keep some easy meal options in the pantry, so when you can’t be bothered cooking, you don’t have to rely on takeaways. Baked beans, eggs, fresh pasta, soup or pizza can all be prepared in under 10 minutes and require very little cleaning up.

Only have one nanny: Rumour has it that Kate’s mum was ditched as the nanny cos they only had the budget for one. She brought her hairstylist with her instead—solid choice, Kate. Childcare is expensive—why not team up with a good friend, and take turns babysitting each others’ kids. If your church doesn’t have a crèche, start one with the other parents so you can all have a turn at actually taking part in the service.

Take the Kate challenge: Last year, Kate spent a measly £58,000 on dressing like a princess, but according to (unreliable) sources, she has promised to halve it this year.

Take the Kate challenge and half your budget in one area of your life. Instead, have fun recycling, restoring or re-purposing.

I took two of my sheets of fabric and folded them in half, then sewed a seam down one of the open sides. I left one side open so snacks could be popped in. It can then be folded over and secured with a band or a clip. Perfect!

By far the best dressing up outfit I ever had was a wonderful pair of clown dungarees, which my Granny made.

Source: www.wonderthrift.com

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Thai Stir-fry Chicken Now that Thai cooking has become popular, these great ingredients are readily available | Serves 4 400–500g boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 Tbsp oil 1 tsp finely chopped garlic 2 spring onions, chopped 1 Tbsp rice vinegar or wine vinegar 1 Tbsp fish sauce or light soy sauce ½ tsp minced red chilli 2 tsp sugar ¼ cup chicken stock 1 tsp cornflour 2–3 Tbsp fresh coriander or basil

Slice chicken breasts crosswise into about eight slices each.

Mix the chicken with oil, garlic, spring onions, fish/soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Heat a wok or large frypan, add the chicken mixture and cook on high, stirring all the time, for about two minutes, until the chicken has lost its translucency.

Remove the chicken from the pan and keep it hot. Stir the chicken stock and cornflour together, add to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens and has boiled down to about half its volume, about 30 seconds.

Return the chicken to the pan, toss to coat with the sauce.

Toss with coriander or basil, and serve with rice or salad.

From 100 Favourite Ways With Chicken by Simon & Alison Holst. www.holst.co.nz

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Q&A Am I ‘just’ a mum?

Does being a mum fulfil everything you’re made for, or should you have other dreams too?

Unlike those baby onesies, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. But even as we muddle through the messiness of motherhood, Mother’s Day is an opportunity to remember that this role is an important mission in itself.

‘Parents are world changers,’ states Joy French, co-author of Ordinary Mum, Extraordinary Mission. In the Bible, followers of Jesus are never described as being ‘called’ to a specific activity. Rather, Jesus calls all of us to simply follow his ways, and teach others about his ways.

‘Mission is less about engaging in a specific set of activities, and much more about developing a mindset; less about tasks, and more about relationships,’ says Joy. We can breathe a sigh of relief, because it’s not about doing more.

It’s about who you are, as you go about those unseen, everyday tasks.

And a shout-out to dads too, who are just as important in the ministry of making a home.

But it can also be a challenge to find meaning and fulfilment in our situation. So, how does being a mother become missional? Joy uses the metaphor—often used in the Bible—of our lives being like a house. This means: • we need foundations: what are our core values as a family?

• we have to be built: what work needs doing? How can we grow and develop?

• others take part in our construction: who influences, challenges or encourages us?

Testify!

Josiah Foster (21) came to The Salvation Army to learn job skills. He left with not only a job, but a whole new direction in life.

When I came to The Salvation Army Education and Employment (E&E, previously Employment Plus), I had been unemployed for two years. I hardly ever went to school, and when I left, I got a couple of jobs—but my lack of attendance led to my dismissal. I would say I was depressed, really. I never wanted to go out; I just sat in my room playing games and didn’t want to face anyone. I really didn’t think I had any potential.

Work and Income (WINZ) sent me to a military-style camp called LSV (Limited Service Volunteer). It was really hard work, but boosted my confidence and I left on a high.

It gave me the motivation to begin an E&E course. I immediately liked my tutor, Jacqui. She was firm and wise, but a real motherly figure, and that’s what I needed.

After a few weeks, though, I started to come down from my high, and I began bunking off again and missed a lot of days. Jacqui took me aside and had a real good talk to me. ‘If you want to make anything of yourself, this is your chance,’ she said. It was the wakeup call I needed. Jacqui knew that I had a fascination with Japan, and she had lived there for 20 years. So Jacqui promised that if I attended every day, she would teach me Japanese. I never missed a day after that.

I had heaps of learning experiences at E&E, brushing

up on English and Maths. But the thing I learnt most was consistency—the environment made me want to be committed.

I could talk to Jacqui about anything, and she really helped me through tough times. When I had to leave home to support family members, The Salvation Army helped me out with food parcels.

I was told about a job opportunity at a Mitre 10 store that was being built, but I thought, ‘What do I know about tools?’

Jacqui convinced me that it would be a good chance, and as a class, we went through the interview questions and I practised what I would say. I was taken down to The Family Store to get some interview clothes.

When I got the job, I was so happy! And when I didn’t want

This job has been the number one achievement in my life.

Employment Plus has a new name and look

• we will stand near other houses: what part can we play in our community?

Let’s Talk I would like: to explore what it means to follow Jesus information about Salvation Army worship and activities prayer for the following needs:

• we will experience decay and disrepair: we may need to accept this as part of the process, but look for renewal when we can.

• we will change.

‘We have the opportunity to make conscious choices as parents about what our family is going to value, invest in and become. These choices will become part of our children’s family heritage,’ says Joy. Each of the stages in building our house are meaningful—whether they are inside the home, or as a part of our community. But what that looks like, will be different for each of us.

to go, I thought about Jacqui and how much everyone had done for me, and that kept me going ’cos I was so grateful. After two months, I got a full-time contract, and now I have been promoted to a customer services supervisor. I love my job because I have a variety of tasks throughout the day. But the thing that means the most to me is that I’ve been given a lot of responsibility, and that people trust me.

This job has been the numberone achievement in my life, and number two is that I’ve proved to myself that I can commit to something. I’ve also made great friends, and my bestie is from work. Now, when I get time out to hang in my room, it feels like precious time. I would just say that now, I’m happy.

Educational programmes Employment programmes Work-ready staff Pastoral care

NAME: ADDRESS:

www.salvationarmy.org.nz/e&e Delivering education that helps young people achieve qualifications, and matching people of any age to jobs

Please post to: War Cry, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email: warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org

10 | WarCry©03 May 2014

SUDOKU

9 8

Difficulty Medium

7 5 3

3

1 1 3

6

4 1

3 7 2

7

5 2 8 9

8 4 6 5 9 7

Transforming Lives

Each Sudoku number puzzle has a unique solution that can be worked out logically (not mathematically). The numbers 1 to 9 appear once in every row, column and 3x3 square.

ANSWERS BELOW 8 5 4 1 9 2 7 3 6

1 2 9 7 3 6 4 5 8

4 1 8 5 7 9 6 2 3

5 6 7 2 1 3 8 9 4

9 3 2 4 6 8 5 7 1

Answers: 1 Platypus, 2 The University of St Andrews, 3 Grunge, 4 55 miles, 5 40 days (Exodus 34:28).

4 5

6 7 3 8 4 5 9 1 2

3

3 4 5 6 2 7 1 8 9

2

Which amphibious Australian mammal lays eggs?

Where did Kate Middleton and Prince William meet?

With what style of music was the American rock band Nirvana associated?

How long is New Zealand’s 90 Mile Beach?

How long was Moses gone from the people when receiving the Ten Commandments?

2 8 6 9 5 1 3 4 7

1

7 9 1 3 8 4 2 6 5

LET’S GET QUIZZICAL

Stand side by side with Kiwis in need

Please donate to the Red Shield Appeal and give hope to those who need it most

Give at any Countdown checkout or at salvationarmy.org.nz

RED SHIELD APPEAL

With over 60,000 people having been through their courses, The Salvation Army Education and Employment has been transforming lives for 34 years.

BY INGRID BARRATT The Salvation Army Education and Employment (E&E) is the new name for Employment Plus, reflecting the work they do in providing education for young people and preparing people of all ages to get a job.

‘I’m a Salvationist and the reason I do what I do is very much part of my personal mission to see lives transformed,’ says Northern regional manager Gary Eilering. He has seen ‘lots and lots’ of people who have turned their lives around through E&E. ‘We see people come in with a completely negative attitude and quite disillusioned after being out of work for some time. We’re able to turn them around and give them tools to go out and find a job.’

E&E provides job specific training so that learners can get into fields from heavy transport (truck driving) and civil construction, to computing or café and barista work. It also provides ‘back to work’ courses that teach work and life skills, and helps young people attain qualifications towards further training or the workforce.

But it’s as much about changing mindsets, says Gary. ‘You see people come in because they’ve been referred from WINZ [Work and Income] and they don’t want to be there, but pretty soon the light comes on and they realise “Oh, they’re here to help me.” ’ For many people stuck in generational benefit dependency, a major part of the tutor’s role is opening their eyes to the benefits of work. ‘We talk to them about how much you can earn if you’re working, how you can get a bank account and a mortgage, and about the positive impact it will have on your kids. It’s as much about changing mindsets as about teaching job skills,’ says Gary.

‘The other day, one of our driving instructors bumped into a

Close Up | 11

dad who went through E&E, and he was with his kids coming out of a toy shop. He was almost in tears, and said, “This is the first time I’ve ever been able to buy something for my kids.” Those stories are quite common.’

Don Hammond, regional manager for the Southern region, began working for E&E as a tutor 12 years ago. Up until this time, Don had always worked in seasonal, non-permanent employment: ‘I had been in a bit of trouble and had a few run-ins with the Police. So it took me a while to grow up and take some responsibility.’ Don became interested in the new technology of computing and completed some qualifications. He also began teaching young people sailing—one of the passions his father had passed on to him—and found he had an aptitude for teaching.

‘The Salvation Army gave me a chance when they took me on as a computer tutor,’ says Don. ‘They knew I had a chequered past, and could see my tattoos, but they gave me a step up. So now I’m passionate about helping young people and helping them move ahead in life.’ In turn, he has seen numerous other lives transformed.

‘I remember one young woman—she was one of those learners whose problems would wake you with a start in the middle of the night. She was particularly troubled and challenging. She would leave in the middle of class and was very defiant. I had to be very consistent and persistent. About a year later she tracked me down and thanked me for not giving up on her. She had risen to be a manager of a warehouse, and what stuck with her is that we had faith in her and didn’t give up.’

The relationship of trust that tutors build with learners is as important as the skills they teach. ‘Tutors are very significant in a person’s life—consistency and fostering a relationship of trust is crucial,’ says Don, adding, ‘I’ve got nothing but admiration for our staff.’

‘Tutors go above and beyond,’ agrees Gary. ‘They don’t work for the money; they do it because they have a passion for people and they want to see people’s lives changed.’

Josiah, 21, was unemployed for two years. He credits the strong support he received from his tutor Jacqui Sawada for turning him around [see Josiah's story on the previous page]. ‘I’m a combination of Mother Teresa and a dragon,’ laughs Jacqui. ‘I have a Mother Teresa heart, but you have to have clear boundaries. It’s about teaching the skills, but it’s as much getting them motivated and re-igniting their belief in themselves.’

Jacqui found creative ways to work with Josiah, using her skills in Japanese, adapting the military-style training he had responded well to, and working hard to advocate for Josiah to be considered as a work candidate. ‘When he got taken on he just began to shine,’ she says.

It’s not unusual for students to break down in tears, explains Jacqui, ‘because they know they’re safe, and we touch on feelings they’ve had locked away. Many people come in thinking they’re stupid, but our job is to open the door into their intelligence and their heart.’

E&E centres throughout the country work closely with other services in The Salvation Army. The Family Store provides work experience for Jacqui’s students, as well as helping out with clothes.

Don estimates that they access the food bank every week, to help students struggling to feed themselves and their children. Gary is able to refer people to Addiction Services if addiction is a barrier to them being able to work, and says the pastoral care provided by E&E chaplains is invaluable.

Our job is to open the door into their intelligence and their heart.

The wraparound nature of the service is complemented by small classrooms that mean tutors can cater for individual needs. Don remembers one young man who came to them with ADHD and whose school could not cope with him anymore. ‘We customise the training to the learner, and our ethos is that we don’t leave anyone behind. This young man was a computer whiz and in six months he had achieved his Level 2 and 3 NCEA. He went on and did a degree in technology, and ended up coming back to us as a tutor.’

E&E also works closely with at-risk learners that may have been referred from Corrections. ‘We worked with a young person who was fearful he was going to spend a good amount of time in jail,’ says Don. ‘I called a friend of mine and got him a job in a trucking business, and he eventually got his heavy vehicle license and started trucking himself.’

A solid relationship of trust with employers is the other part of the equation for E&E—and as a result many employers are willing to take a chance on an applicant. ‘It comes down to the relationship we build with employers. They know our reputation is at stake so we will do everything to make it work for them.’

We can’t help everyone, but we can help a whole lot of people,’ sums up Gary, ‘And every job is celebrated.’

12 | WarCry 03 May 2014

Carla Lindsey introduces the first in a five-part study on the Old Testament book of Micah by helping us understand the context of Old Testament prophecy.

What do you think is the most boring bit of the Bible? Go on, admit it; there are parts of the Bible you don’t enjoy. There are parts you would rather avoid. Parts that are weird, gruesome, X-rated even.

There are parts that just don’t seem to make sense.

Most of us like the stories the Bible contains. We can picture Jesus calming waves or Moses floating in a basket. Most of us can find helpful words amongst the letters and comforting words in the Psalms. But what do you do with the Minor Prophets?

You know—those 12 weird little guys at the end of the Old Testament with unpronounceable names and that you can never find when you are flicking through the Bible in a hurry. Many Christians just don’t even go there. Those books are just too bizarre.

After all, at first glance they seem to just say the same thing over and over: doom, gloom, destruction, judgement.

We get the message: God is not a happy camper!

So why should we read these Minor Prophets? Well, we should read them because Salvationists believe ‘that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice’.

This means that even ‘the boring bits’ in the Bible are inspired by God. It means that even the Minor Prophets have something to say to believers today.

So then, the real question is: how do we find out what that message is all about?

Context is the key. We must look at their historical context. That is, we must look at why the Minor Prophets were written, when each was written, and what was going on at the time for the people they were originally written to. We’re going to do just that with the book of Micah.

Micah is a book that many Christians will know one verse from: And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). On the basis of this verse, many have presumed that Micah is a book about social justice. But is it? Well, it will take a little digging to find out.

Old Testament Prophecy First though, since we are going to be looking at a prophetic book, we need to think about what a prophet was in the Old Testament and how prophecy worked back then.

In the Old Testament, prophecy wasn’t just about predicting the future. A prophet was someone who spoke God’s words on a matter.

Prophets were God’s mouthpieces. God put his very words in their mouth, which is why their oracles would often begin with, ‘the word of the Lord came to … the prophet’.

Those words from God might be a prediction of something that would happen in the future (foretelling), but more often they would be a message concerning the present situation (forth telling). Both

of these aspects are clearly seen in the book of Micah. In it, we find predictions about Christ and the Messianic Age, but also a very important message that addressed the people’s disobedience against God and the problems this was creating for them.

The role of the prophet changed throughout the Old Testament.

Jews recognise Moses as the first and greatest prophet. Like so many prophets after him, Moses had an unexpected encounter with God where he was called to a special task and, despite feeling reluctant, delivered his unpopular message.

In the early days of the monarchy in Israel (10th and 9th century BCE), the role of the prophet was to be God’s voice to keep the king on track. We see this with Nathan (2 Samuel 12) and Elijah (1 Kings 21). At that time, the prophet’s messages were oral, but this changed in the 8th century BCE. From around the 8th century, the prophet’s messages were written down. These writings form the prophetic books that we find in the Old Testament today. These, the ‘literary prophets’, no longer addressed just the king; their message was for the whole nation of Israel. After all, at this time the whole nation was in trouble and needed to hear from God.

In the Old Testament, prophecy wasn’t just about predicting the future.

A prophet spoke God’s words.

The Assyrian Empire was expanding and threatening the 10 northern tribes of Israel. In 722/721 BCE, the Assyrians succeeded in conquering the northern tribes and relocating many of its people. God spoke to his people at this time through the prophets, encouraging them to give up their sins (particularly the sin of idolatry) and to turn back to God. The prophets saw the Assyrian invasion as God’s justified punishment for Israel’s disobedience, so through many of the prophets we hear a tone of judgement.

Around 150 years later, the Assyrian Empire was toppled by the powerful Babylonian Empire. The Babylonians were now threatening the two remaining southern tribes. God spoke again to his people.

The prophets’ messages were stern and urgent. They pleaded for repentance and a return to God. They declared that the people had brought this disaster upon themselves.

In 586 BCE, the Babylonian armies did capture the south, and many of its people were taken into exile in Babylon. Here, we see a significant change in the tone of prophecy. The prophets—after the exile—not only encouraged God’s people in their work at that time, but they also held out a messianic hope. They looked forward to a better future that was bigger than just the physical restoration of Israel. They looked forward to a future that was wider than just Israel.

Being able to place the prophets into his or her (yes, there were a few women prophets) place in Israel’s history makes a huge difference to how we read them.

Soul Food | 13

The Role of the Prophet Messenger to king

1,000 King David Nathan

900

Messenger to people to repent

800

922 > Divided kingdom Elijah/Elisha

700

600

721 > Assyria conquers Israel Amos Hosea Isaiah Joel?* Jonah Micah

*date uncertain

Micah’s historical context So, back to Micah. Where does he fit into Israel’s history?

The opening verses of Micah (as with a number of the prophetic books) conveniently answer this question. They tell us that Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, which means his book was probably composed between around 750 and 680 BCE. They also tell us that Micah was from the south, a small rural town called Moresheth. All of this tells us that Micah would have witnessed from a distance the fall of the 10 northern tribes to the Assyrian army.

I wonder what that was like.

I wonder what Micah saw and heard.

I wonder how that impacted his life every day.

I wonder what fears Micah held for his friends and family as they lived with the Assyrian army just up the road.

Messenger to people to encourage

500

400

586 > Babylon conquers Judah 537 > Return begins

Ezekiel Obadiah Jeremiah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Joel?*

Haggai Zechariah Malachi

In Micah we find repetition. Three times God’s people are told to hear or listen (from the same Hebrew word shama). This instruction is significant as each time it is given (Micah 1:2, 3:1 and 6:1), it marks the beginning of a new section of the book. Each of the three sections consists of a longer section of bad news and concludes with a shorter section of good news.

So, this is how we shall divide Micah for our study. We will spend one week on the first and last sections, and two weeks on the longer middle section.

Now that we know a little about the historical situation of the book and the literary features to look out for, may God attune our ears to hear his voice—for God still speaks today! God has a message for his people, if we are willing to hear it.

Micah’s literary context

Digging deeper

We must consider these things as we read Micah. His historical context matters, but we must also consider his literary context. The form that the Bible comes to us is as a piece of literature. No ordinary piece of literature, of course, but literature nonetheless. And so we must remember as we read it.

Micah is poetry. Not lilty, rhymy poetry; that was not how the Jews did poetry. But its words were carefully chosen and arranged for their sound as well as their meaning.

Poetry appeals to the emotions. It can say more than prose can, but in a lot fewer words. This is because poetry paints pictures. It uses clever word plays, puns, metaphors and alliteration to help get its point across. All these literary features can be seen in Micah.

Jewish poetry also uses parallel lines. This is where one line makes a statement and the following line reinforces it by saying the same thing, but in a different way to emphasis the point.

Ponder this: God communicates. Just stop there for a minute. We have a God who speaks. That is mind blowing! God is not a distant remote God, but one that seeks contact. He has things to say to us.

Saint Teresa of Avila says, ‘It’s not that God doesn’t speak, it’s that his children are deaf.’ So, are you listening? Are you expecting God to speak to you?

‘In the past, God spoke to our people through the prophets.

He spoke at many times. He spoke in different ways. But in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.’ Hebrews 1:1-2

God communicates through people. Okay, God doesn’t always speak through people. God can speak any way he likes, but God often uses people to be his messengers. We see this in the Old Testament and we see it today. The prophets in the Bible were ordinary people, from all walks of life. They weren’t perfect people, but what set them apart was their commitment to God. They were totally devoted, so much so that even though many of them were afraid and felt inadequate, they found the courage to go against the grain and deliver God’s message. Might God be trying to speak to you through someone you wouldn’t expect?

The way God communicates can change. It’s not like God has only one communication method, and that’s it for all time. The way prophecy worked through the Old Testament changed, and it changed again in the New Testament. God’s communication style isn’t static, but dynamic. It changes to fit the context. That’s because God’s desire is to be understood, and so he communicates in ways that will have meaning to people in their particular context. Might you be limiting the ways that God can speak to you?

14 WarCry©03 May 2014

Four New Soldiers Join the Revolution in Tonga

On Sunday 2 March, new soldiers Telesia Nusi, Malama Fotu, Fifita and Tahamano Tongolei were enrolled by Tonga Regional Commander, Captain Sila Siufanga at Talasiu Corps.

On the same weekend, the islands were also alerted that Cyclone Kofi was on its way. But Talasiu Corps was so thankful for God’s power that had transformed the lives of these four people that plans for celebrations went ahead despite the weather forecast.

The hall was full as Major Sila Siufanga preached a powerful message on the importance of being mission focused. His words were based on Luke 19:10, which says, ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’ The Regional Commander also spoke about Tonga’s own mission goals and those of the Territorial Strategic Mission Plan, focusing on goals one (‘Make Disciples’) and two (‘Increase Soldiers’).

Each of the new soldiers was given a new Tongan Bible—the sword of the Spirit to equip them ready for the revolution and their ongoing journey with God. In the same meeting, baby Lavinia Tongolei, the first child of Tahamano and Fifita Tongolei, was dedicated to God. Captain ‘Asena Sifa (Corps Officer, Talasiu Corps)

Lautoka Young People Celebrate Jesus as the ‘Greatest Gift’ Over 80 children and youth gathered to celebrate Jesus when Lautoka Corps (Lieuts Lusi and Pati Leqa) opened its young people’s work at the end of January.

The corps property was alive and abuzz with noise and laughter as children played various games, solved puzzles, and enjoyed refreshments.

Parents turned up in numbers to support their children and came loaded with food for the children. Corps Officer Lieutenant Pati Leqa said this year recorded the highest

number for the four years he’s been at the corps.

Games included ‘catch the train’, ‘Chinese whispers’, ‘bull rush’ and other games the children thoroughly enjoyed. It was also the first time that children from the wider community had joined those at the corps for the day.

‘Children from the community heard the commotion and some parents came to ask if their children could also come for the programme,’ said Pati.

Pati shared a Bible message based on John 3:16, with the

Celebrations for Masterton Corps

theme of the day being ‘The Greatest Gift’. Leaders were assigned to small groups to help the children understand what John 3:16 was all about.

All the children took home school supplies as gifts at the end of the day. ‘Because school had already started at that time, it was nice to see them happy with their new coloured pencils, pencil cases, drawing and colouring books, and other stationery,’ said young people’s worker Nainasa Tadulala.

Lieut Lusi Leqa

Our Community | 15

Time Off? More Like ‘Time On’ for Archives Volunteers At the Heritage Centre and Archives, we decided it was time to bring out into the light a small, talented and self-effacing group that likes to remain hidden from view. Between them, this group has given service for about six years and we couldn’t function without them —they are our Archives volunteers. All of them should be putting their feet up, but fortunately for us, they have chosen to give some spare hours to furthering the work of the Heritage Centre and Archives at Booth College of Mission in Upper Hutt.

Many War Cry readers will know Major Judith Bennett and soldier Aileen Sawyer, and we also have Janet Ketchell working with us. The first two are officially retired (and Janet says she’s still on work experience), and all bring different and specialised talents to their tasks. They really are invaluable for their knowledge of The Salvation Army as well as for their experience in other fields.

For example, Janet works for us for two days a week. She is trained in Library and Information Services and, fortunately for us, has an amazing ability to work doggedly through box after box after box of records, summarising the contents, raising queries, and bringing to light some wonderful items like a Wesleyan Bible that belonged to an Elizabeth Jackson in Auckland. In cases like these, once such a fascinating object is found, research begins to establish any connection between Elizabeth, her Bible and The Salvation Army, after which the research results are assessed for relevance to our mission, which is to collect and tell the story of The Salvation Army in New Zealand.

Judith keeps trying to retire, but comes back in one role or another whenever asked. It’s doubtful that anyone would think of her as retired though—Judith seems to have one of the busiest schedules around, so we are very lucky to have her for a day a week. She says she loves working in the Archives and only something major would stop her from continuing for many years yet.

Judith has been responsible for recording items as they are donated or transferred to the Heritage Centre and Archives, but, like her colleagues, she also often spends time on other things. For example, currently Judith is identifying people in old photographs, varying this task by listing the holdings of artworks donated or transferred to the Archives.

Aileen’s knowledge about the Army and its people is broad, and

it is seldom she is unable to come up with the right name when asked. Aileen spent many years in a legal office and, in nearly three years with us, has worked through officer files and property files.

Her systematic approach is currently being put to good use as she records the contents of the many corps files, and this invaluable work means that the foundations are in place for the planned new archival cataloguing system. The reason for the system update is that, to this point, papers have been filed under various corps names, but with the closure of corps and re-working of divisional boundaries, many earlier classifications are obsolete. This presents an opportunity for us to streamline our filing systems.

People may not be aware that not only does the Archives collect corps records, it also maintains a large collection of artefacts relating to The Salvation Army, such as banners, plaques, trophies, stitched work, uniforms and accessories, music and instruments, film and photographs, taonga, home league memorabilia, crockery—and the list goes on. Showing everything at the same time is obviously not possible, so we vary the items displayed from time to time. For instance, currently the Heritage Centre at Booth College of Mission is showing objects from Fiji and Tonga corps among our more permanent displays. We also look after a display cabinet at Territorial Headquarters. One of our goals is to mount a museum-standard exhibition, so it may be ‘Te Papa, here we come!’

Given the huge variety of work here at the Heritage Centre and Archives, we plan to set up other projects for volunteers, which might range from sewing coat hanger covers to making customised boxes for special objects. Ideally, we would have a database of people with particular skills, and create projects for them according to their preferences. So, if you know of someone who might fit in, please do let us know. Training will be given, and we can usually accommodate applicants’ preferred working hours and days.

Pip Harrison (Archivist)

For more info, contact Major Paul Jarvis (Director) p: (04) 528 8628 extn 743 or e: paul_jarvis@nzf.salvationarmy.org; or Pip Harrison (Archivist) extn 741 or e: pip_harrison@nzf.salvationarmy.org

(l-r) Mjr Judith Bennett, Aileen Sawyer and Janet Ketchell

Masterton Corps is celebrating evidence of spiritual growth in people’s lives, but so too is Heaven, says Corps Officer Lieutenant Jess Bishop.

Just before Christmas 2013, Andrew Pettit was enrolled as a senior soldier, signing his covenant surrounded by family and friends.

Mel Faumui and Billy Huntly have been senior soldiers for some time but the couple decided they wanted to recommit to the promises in their Salvation Army Articles of War in front of their church family.

Peter Te Tau, John Tuiomanufili, Stephen Richardson, Maria Hull, Anita Smith, Reece Manley and Laurie Curtis signed a statement of faith to become adherent members.

‘We are in awe of God and his plans for this church family,’ says Jess.

16 WarCry©03 May 2014

Switched On to the Mission Potential of Chaplaincy Eighteen Education and Employment (E&E, formerly Employment Plus) chaplains from Dunedin to Kaitaia met for a national chaplaincy workshop on 7–8 April at Wellington City Corps.

The conference, organised by Mission Director Major Glenton Waugh, was focused on the part chaplains play in ‘Building the Kingdom’. The conference was based around Psalm 127:1, which says, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour is in vain.’

It included discussion on the ministry of chaplaincy in a Salvation Army context and the need for networking and encouragement.

There was plenty of time to discuss current issues faced by E&E chaplains, and steps toward a strategic plan for chaplaincy mission were also established.

E&E National Director Gregory Fortuin set the scene by emphasising the vital role chaplains play in advancing the Christian mission. ‘We are here to build the Kingdom of God while honouring our contractual obligations to funders,’ said Gregory. He said it was very important that everyone worked together as a team and that no one was left behind.

Lieutenant Karl Foreman of Upper Hutt Corps talked about his experiences working for The Salvation Army in Napier. As a chaplain for Employment Plus, he had appreciated being able to link learners and staff into the corps programme at Napier and seeing them grow in their knowledge and experience of God. Jono Bell (Waitakere Central Corps) and Michael Smith (Royal Oak Community Ministries) presented information on the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa, launched by the Ministry of Youth Development in 2002. This includes six principles relevant to Salvation Army work. Jono emphasised the second principle: that ‘youth development is about young people being connected’.

It was important for young people to have positive connections with others in society, he said. By strengthening their connections with E&E learners and helping them to connect with the wider Salvation Army, chaplains could be more strategic in building the Kingdom.

Commissioner Ross Kendrew talked about chaplaincy from a corps perspective. He also spoke about the need to help people develop links to corps, stating that the chaplain’s primary purpose was to make disciples. To do this required the support of and collaboration with the local corps, he said.

Territorial Secretary for Programme Lieut-Colonel Rod Carey spoke about the importance of building relationships with E&E staff and learners by spending quality time with them. It was important

STOP THE TRAFFIK Ready for Next Step In June 2012, The Salvation Army offered a platform from which to launch the New Zealand arm of the global STOP THE TRAFFIK movement, which is based in the UK. The intention was always for The Salvation Army to help establish STOP THE TRAFFIK in New Zealand and then step back once the process was completed. STOP THE TRAFFIK NZ has achieved a great deal in its short time of operation, and by mutual agreement it has been decided that STOP THE TRAFFIK NZ is now ready to journey on as an independent organisation.

Internationally, The Salvation Army continues to be a strong supporter of the global movement fighting against human slavery, which includes being involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of trafficking victims.

In New Zealand, The Salvation Army is particularly focused on raising awareness of labour exploitation, and is partnering with Immigration NZ and the NZ Police for the fourth Preventing People Trafficking Conference in Wellington in June.

‘It has been a privilege for The Salvation Army to have been a starting point from which STOP THE TRAFFIK NZ could be launched, and we wish the organisation every success in the next stage of its journey,’ says Chris Frazer, who on behalf of The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit has, until now, been the group’s coordinator.

Go to salvationarmy.org.nz/pptc2014 for more info on this year’s Prevent People Trafficking Conference

for chaplains to take the initiative as ‘salt and light’, he said, adding that if a chaplain’s heart was not right with God, they could not be effective in their role.

After each guest had spoken, there was opportunity for further discussion. This allowed everyone to clarify what had been shared and to consider how they could become more effective in their ministry as chaplains.

Territorial Commander Commissioner Robert Donaldson rounded off the workshop by challenging the chaplains to ‘bring hope to hurting people’ by caring for them. He referred delegates to the Soldier’s Covenant, which includes a promise to be faithful to the purposes for which God raised up The Salvation Army, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, endeavouring to win others to him, and in his name caring for the needy and disadvantaged. The Army’s international ‘One Army, One Mission’ vision emphasised the importance of an integrated ministry, one that had to involve reaching out to people of all ages, standing and serving the marginalised, and encouraging innovation in mission. There were plenty of opportunities for this type of mission in E&E, said the Territorial Commander.

International Doctrine Council Online The Salvation Army’s International Doctrine Council (IDC) now has an online presence at www.salvationarmy.org/doctrine.

The principal purpose of the IDC is to serve the General and the global Salvation Army by being faithful custodians of Army doctrinal positions, whether those positions are found in the Army’s eleven Articles of Faith, in official Army publications, or in formal statements approved by the General.

Commissioner Robert Street, Chair of the IDC, said, ‘One of the tasks of the council is to consider how doctrine can be presented in ways that help people understand the Christian faith better. In an Army working in 126 countries there are different approaches to learning. We need to have a world vision of what is required to assist in people’s understanding.’ Having members from every continent helped in this respect. He hoped the new website would allow the IDC to ‘begin a new process of sharing information—and encourage comment and input on a variety of subjects’.

An early opportunity for Salvationists to share their views is through the upcoming International Theology and Ethics Symposium in October. The IDC periodically arranges this event , with this year’s theme ‘Jesus Christ: Universal Lord and Saviour’. Salvationists are invited to visit the ‘Discuss’ section of the IDC website to share what the title ‘Jesus Christ, Universal Lord and Saviour’ means to them.

The IDC website also contains information about IDC members, along with copies of papers presented at the 2010 International Theology and Ethics Symposium, which took the theme ‘Holiness’.

At the March meeting held at William Booth College, London, Major Gabriel Adepoju (Nigeria), Major Geoff Webb (Australia Southern) and Territorial Songster Leader K. Zohmonthanga (India Eastern) were welcomed as new members.

GAZETTE Promoted to Glory Lt Lisa Collings from Levin on 20 April while on active service. Lisa entered training with husband Chris in 2009, in the Ambassadors of Holiness Session. They were appointed to Porirua Corps as ‘cadets in appointment’ on 14 Jan 2010, and after their commissioning on 11 Dec 2010, were appointed Corps Officers, Porirua Corps. On 13 Jan 2014, Lisa and Chris were appointed Corps Officers and Directors of Community Ministries, Levin Corps. Please uphold Lt Chris Collings, children Bennett, Stasson and Italy, and extended family in prayer. A service of thanksgiving for Lisa’s life was held at Levin Corps on 26 April, led by Mjr Kath Wray.

Bereaved Mjr Eva Medland, of her brother, Cliff Gibbs. A celebration service was held on 15 April at Knox Presbyterian Church in New Plymouth. Mjr Russell Sawyer of his father, Allan Sawyer, from Auckland on 20 April. A celebration of Allan’s life was held at New Lynn Corps on 28 April.

TRIBUTE

Noticeboard | 17

CALENDAR MAY 3–18: Fair Trade Fortnight 5–9: Officers Spiritual Retreat / Waikanae 7–8: Positive Lifestyle Programme Training / Central Division 8: Marriage Seminar (Talasiu) / Tonga Region 9: Fiji Sevens (North) / Fiji Division 10: Young Adults Event / Central Division 10: Corps Cadets Camp / Fiji Division 11: Mother’s Day 12–15: Foundations for Chaplains / Booth College of Mission 14: Building Healthy Corps and Centres / Central Division 15: Children’s Quality Improvement Working Party / Central Division 15: Marriage Seminar (Vaini) / Tonga Region 15: Family Store Quality Improvement Working Party / Northern Division 16–18: Canterbury Kids Camp / Southern Division 16–18: Family Weekend / Blue Mountain Adventure Centre 17: Moral and Social Issues Council / Territorial Headquarters 17: Safe to Serve Training / Central Division 17: Women’s Brunch / Northern Division 18: Father’s Day / Tonga Region 19–23: Five-Year Officer Review / Booth College of Mission 22: Marriage Seminar (Nuku’alofa) / Tonga Region 22–23: Positive Lifestyle Programme Training / Northern Division 23: Jeff Farm Half-yearly AGM / Southern Division 23: Youth Kneedrill Event / Northern Division

Prevent People Trafficking Conference 5–6 June / New Zealand Police College, Porirua

This year’s conference is hosted by The Salvation Army, Immigration New Zealand and the New Zealand Police. ‘Exploitation: A Fair Go for Everyone’ is the conference theme, and working together to prevent people trafficking and exploitation in New Zealand is our aim. We invite you to join with us. Together we can make a difference.

REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN. For more information e: chris_frazer@nzf. salvationarmy.org, p: (04) 802 6269, ext 24661.

View our Catalogue Online The Booth College of Mission library in Upper Hutt has everything you’ve been looking for to build your knowledge and faith.

Hours: The library is staffed Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 4:45 pm.

Membership: Officers and staff may join the library without charge. Others may apply to become external borrowers ($50 annually).

Postal charges may apply.

Circulation Policies: Loan period: Six weeks / Renewals: May be made by phone, email or in person. All titles subject to recall / Reference books and assignment books: not available for loan.

Contact: Librarian Beverley McKenzie, p: (04) 528 8628, e: library@nzf. salvationarmy.org, web: salvationarmy.org.nz/boothcollege

PRAYER FOCUS Please pray for: Lautoka, Levin, Linwood, Lomaivuna and Manukau Central Corps, Central Division Headquarters, The Salvation Army Middle East Region.

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS

Get the Latest Salvation Army local and international news:

Commissioners Robert (Territorial Commander) and Janine Donaldson (Territorial President of Women’s Ministries)

salvationarmy.org.nz/news

17–19 May: Northern Division Review 20 May: Addiction Services Review

Find SALVATION ARMY JOB OPPORTUNITIES online:

Colonels Graeme (Chief Secretary) and Wynne Reddish (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries) 4 May: North Shore Korean Plant Opening 23 May: Jeff Farm Review 23–25 May: Southern Division Review 26 May: Spiritual Day / Booth College of Mission

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To advertise your event, email: warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org

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Monday 12 May | 8.30am – 4pm

18 WarCry©03 May 2014

LEADERSHIP LINKS

Each one of us is special and unique ... lovingly placed on this earth by our Creator God. After serving four years with The Salvation Army in another country, our packing boxes have only just been delivered to us in New Zealand.

After four months of waiting, phoning and even nagging to find out where our consignment was, we have had the joy of unpacking and rediscovering all those special items that help to make a home. We’ve also spent some fun times with our adult kids reminiscing and laughing about what we came across: forgotten toys, books, souvenirs, items of clothing long forgotten but still special in some way.

As I put these items away in their various places, I came across one very special item of clothing. It certainly doesn’t fit.

The sleeves are way too short, it’s in need of mending, and logic (and my family!) tells me to throw it away. But love won’t let me.

That’s because there is something irreplaceable about this particular item of clothing. Something that makes it so special, that this item has travelled widely with me despite its apparent lack of usefulness.

It is, of course, an item of baby’s clothing. A one-of-a-kind piece that all my children have worn. It was stitched together with love, and although it is tatty and old, this piece of clothing has lost nothing of its value to me. It is valuable because of who made it and who wore it.

I think this is what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote, ‘You knit me together in my mother’s womb’ (Psalm 139:13).

When we think about these words, we see that none of us is an accident. We are not mass produced; each one of us is unique and special. These words remind us that we were deliberately planned, specially gifted and lovingly placed on this earth by our Creator God. We live in a society that puts so such emphasis on social standing, what salaries are earned, where you live and how you look. In a society that appears to value such secondary aspects of a person’s makeup, to realise that we are God’s work of art and that God has a divine purpose for our lives are reasons for great joy. We are created in God’s image to do good deeds. We are significant, not because of what we do, what we have or how we look, but because we belong to God. Sometimes we can feel a little worn around the edges, but God looks at us with eyes of love and says, ‘I will never stop loving you. You are still special to me!’

Commissioner Janine Donaldson Territorial President for Women’s Ministries

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE WORD OF GOD Ephesians 2:10

‘We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to devote ourselves to the good deeds for which God has designed us.’

A Lifelong Journey of Faith Helping children follow Jesus is a partnership between church and home

BY BRONWYN MALCOLM When my own children were young, I naturally started to become more interested in what we were providing for children in terms of Christian discipleship in The Salvation Army. As a parent, I wanted them to be challenged to grow spiritually, not just be ‘babysat’. I was really challenged by the love Jesus showed children and his command: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’ (Matthew 19:14).

Last year, we launched a strategic plan for Children’s Ministries in The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory that includes the slogan: ‘The start of a lifelong journey of faith’. I love that slogan because it recognises the truth that, ideally, discipleship starts when we’re children. Sometimes we underestimate children’s spirituality, but they’re often far more switched on about spiritual things than we give them credit for.

In fact, children can be far more focused and committed than some adults!

We provide excellent children’s programmes in The Salvation Army, but in recent years I’ve become aware that sometimes the wider Salvation Army can think that all the children’s stuff happens ‘over there’ in kids church/Sunday school. We seem to forget that it takes a community to raise a child and that the whole church has a responsibility to help children find and follow Jesus.

That’s not just about providing a great programme and making sure there are enough teachers to keep it running; it’s about getting involved by personally encouraging the children and their teachers—praying for them, resourcing them, supporting their events, and including them in things outside of kids church, like asking them to read the Bible and pray in Sunday meetings. It’s also making sure the things we say in our Sunday meetings are understandable and fun for kids and not only focused on adults. I don’t want children to just be seen as the smallest contributors in the Army, because they’re not. They have so much to offer to the whole church!

Mission Matters 19

It’s great to see our leaders showing us the way. The General speaks often about the importance of children to The Salvation Army.

And in the most recent Territorial Strategic Mission Plan video, our Territorial Commander spoke about injustices against children.

Children in some of our corps are experiencing that—they’re not included and are kept on the margins of corps life. I’m not saying there should be children sitting on the leadership teams in our corps, but there should be representation from Children’s Ministries on those teams.

In some places we struggle to find good leaders. We need people who love kids and want to see them grow spiritually. People with good communication skills who can talk to children on their level.

There definitely isn’t a ‘best age group’ for this—some of the older people we have working in Children’s Ministries are excellent, especially with pre-school children. And young people in their teens and twenties do have the ‘cool’ factor that works well with older children. Most of all, though, we’re looking for people who are willing to invest in our young people—with time and interest. And we need our corps to make a financial investment in some of the excellent children’s material that’s available.

We’ve just released a new series of teaching resources called ‘First Steps’ that provides excellent ideas for preschool Bible lessons, including stories, rhymes, ideas for crafts and games, songs and prayers. This is a great resource that people can purchase from Salvationist Resources (www.salvationarmy.org.nz/saresources).

The name ‘First Steps’ is the same name used for the presentation material we give parents when they dedicate their children. The dedication ceremony is important in The Salvation Army as it reminds the congregation to take an interest in every child associated with their corps. But most of all, the dedication ceremony invites parents to thank God for the gift of a child into their family and to promise they’ll do their best to be good role models to that child.

This is important because although children spend around 40 hours a year with their children’s ministries workers, they spend 3000 hours a year in their home environment. This is why our Children’s Ministries vision is: ‘Partnering with families to inspire children into a lifelong journey of faith and discovery with Jesus’, and why one of our goals is to ‘equip parents and caregivers as the primary disciplers of their children’.

Salvation Army founder William Booth was passionate about this. Writing in 1888, he said The Salvation Army had children under its ‘control’ for one day only, ‘whereas they return and watch their fathers and mothers the other six days, and the influence of their example in the wrong direction in the six days more than destroys any good that we may be able to effect in the right direction in only

one.’ William Booth emphasised that godly parents were the greatest force for the salvation of their children. ‘Father, mother, mind you how you live!’ he said.

In Children’s Ministries, we want to provide an avenue for children to explore their faith with others their own age, and we want to provide encouragement and teaching from good teachers.

But if children are also blessed with Christian parents then it’s those parents’ responsibility to continue that conversation at home.

Partnering with families to inspire children into a lifelong journey of faith and discovery with Jesus.

One way that parents can help children along in their lifelong journey of faith, is to encourage them to get them involved in Junior Soldiers. This is The Salvation Army’s focused discipleship programme for children aged seven and up. It’s been running for years, but recently underwent a major refresh to make it far more attractive and relevant to today’s children, and easier for corps to support.

There are still four levels of awards: bronze, silver, gold and crest.

And the aim is still to help children understand the basics of the Christian faith and gain an understanding of The Salvation Army. But the emphasis is not so much on the ‘programme’, as it is on the child making a covenant with God and a commitment to their corps.

The idea is that when a child becomes a junior soldier, they are treated as a member of their corps. And even if there isn’t a regular junior soldier programme running, then a corps can still take children through preparation classes and enrol them as a junior soldier—although we would want someone other than a parent to then take on a mentoring role with that child. Junior soldier material can be ordered from each divisional/regional headquarters.

The lessons are also online at www.salvationarmy.org.nz/ childrensministries.

I’m challenged by the priority William Booth placed on ministry to children. He said, ‘With all the emphasis of which I am capable, I plead for the intelligent, compassionate, religious and persistent duty of saving children and young people … This is the shortest, surest and most economical method of saving the world. And having brought them, labour to hold onto them. Jesus must save the children, but we must help him.’

Major Bronwyn Malcolm is the Territorial Children’s Mission Secretary for The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory.

Go to salvationarmy.org.nz/childrensministries to read the Territorial Children’s Ministries Strategy.

EVENTS

Parachute: Thanks for the Memories

BY HAYDEN SHEARMAN

A few weeks back, Parachute founder Mark de Jong announced that the Parachute Music Festival was no longer financially viable and would not be continuing. Parachute has been part of the Salvation Army youth (and family) calendar for 24 years. Hayden remembers some of the great times, looks at what’s changed, and asks how we can continue this awesome legacy.

I went to my first Parachute Festival with my brother Gareth and cousin Lance. I was under 16, so we bought a family ticket for about 80 bucks all up. The three of us shared a two-man tent, along with two random guys who had misplaced theirs.

For the weekend, we lived off hot chips, two-minute noodles and a bag of apples.

I had sunburn on top of sunburn, had about eight hours sleep (total), ringing ears, and came home with a massive smile on my face. I kept my wristband on for months.

For years Parachute Festival was the highlight of my calendar. The mix of friends, music, fun, sun (ignoring the occasional rain/floods) and God was perfect. Parachute Festival shaped my faith, it shaped my interests, it shaped my friendships. And now it’s gone.

Eighteen months ago, I interviewed Parachute founder, Mark de Jong. He warned me things were changing. The festival was trying to broaden its scope beyond just your Christian

Contemporary Music-style acts to include mainstream acts with Christian musos.

But they were also struggling with ticket numbers.

When the festival moved from its second home in Matamata (originally at Waikanae’s El Rancho) to Mystery Creek, the numbers were 23,000-plus. But ticket sales have been slipping for a while and, despite a solid line up of acts, the most recent festival had an ever-present air of uncrowdedness. It lost Parachute a whopping $250,000 (yikes!). And when most of your labour is voluntary and you have a bunch of kind financial supporters propping up the festival, that’s a sign that things aren’t really viable anymore.

So what has happened? Why did we flock to the festival in the ’90s and ’00s but not now?

Here are a few key reasons: 1. Christian culture has changed Back in the ’80s and ’90s, instead of listening to the mainstream’s ACDC, Christians would listen to Petra. Instead of the Beastie Boys, it was DC Talk. Instead of Oasis, the Newsboys.

Twenty years ago, Christians had this fear of mainstream music that made us create our own little sub-youth culture.

Since then, this sub culture has slowly merged back into the mainstream. We Christians have learnt to be more discerning about mainstream music. Instead of just writing the whole lot off, we have sifted through the artists and their songs and chosen whether to listen to them based on

their merits and not just whether a Christian magazine or festival says we should. Now youth groups won’t just make trips to Parachute or a Christian band, they’ll also go to U2, Coldplay and Mumford & Sons.

Parachute began life inside this Christian sub culture. It grew as that sub culture grew. And now that the sub culture has learnt to be more ‘in the world but not necessarily of it’, it makes sense that a festival that kinda kept us ‘out of the world’ would be getting smaller.

2. Christian music has changed In the ’90s, a Christian band was clearly a ‘Christian’ band. They had a Christian record label, sung Christian songs, dressed Christian, played Christian gigs. But as the 20th century rolled around this definition began to blur.

There were bands like POD, Switchfoot, Underoath, Mary Mary, Mutemath and MXPX that had Christian roots but found success in the mainstream. As a result, they avoided the ‘Christian music world’ for fear of it limiting their potential. Then you had so-called ‘Christian bands’ that were marketed at us through the usual Christian channels but really had very little Christian content.

Nowadays, Christians like Brooke Fraser and Stan Walker do perfectly well headlining their own shows and tours through mainstream channels. The mainstream knows they’re Christian, but still accepts them. We Christians know they’re in the mainstream but we still accept them. It’s a win-win.

03 MAY 2014 | 21

FIREZONE.CO.NZ

So there’s no longer as much of a need for the incubators that bred Christian music (like Christian festivals)—it’s happening in the mainstream and that is awesome news. And it’s so sweet seeing someone like Stan Walker out there representing Christ on The Edge and MTV rather than just on Christian media.

3. Worship music has grown As well as becoming more immersed in pop culture, Christian music has also become more immersed in the church. Way back when Parachute started, your typical worship music involved either an organ (or brass band in our case), or a very light ‘rock’ band. Since then, worship music has exploded … in a good way.

It really began with Delirious?. Then Hillsong United took it to the next level, before the likes of Chris Tomlin, Planetshakers, Tim Hughes and Hillsong Young & Free followed suit. These artists weren’t there to put on a show like some had in the past; they were there to bring others into a place of worship. The format kinda worked at a festival, but it worked better in a church or youth group setting.

Now we get Hillsong United or Ascend the Hill or The Ember Days in worship events at our churches and camps. Why go to a festival like Parachute to hear them when they played at the Sallies on Saturday night?

So, what next?

When you look back at these three big changes, it was inevitable that Parachute Festival would either have to drastically

change or finish. But what does it mean for the future of both Christian music and Christians (especially those that will never experience a Parachute Festival)?

Let’s start with the music. I played in a band with my two brothers for 10 years. We probably wouldn’t have achieved many of the things we achieved if it wasn’t for Parachute.

Each year the festival would be one of our biggest concerts, helping us sharpen our chops and meet album deadlines. We also got loads of gigs from people that saw us play at Parachute.

This big festival exposure is now no longer available to New Zealand’s Christian bands.

But I don’t think they really need it either. Via Facebook, Soundcloud, iTunes and a million other online platforms, musos can easily reach a global audience. With a laptop, some talent and loads of creativity you can get your music out there.

But what about live music?

This is where we, the listeners, need to support our muso brothers and sisters. Make an extra effort to get along to that gig you saw on Facebook or to catch that worship band touring the country. It’ll help the Christian muso and also give you that live music buzz that you’ll miss now that Parachute Festival is caput.

That’s the music, but let’s be honest, the music was never the only attraction of Parachute, was it?

The socialising, the fun, the late night shenanigans, the God times, hanging with your youth group, the adventure of camping—for most of us this is what Parachute was really about. And the great news is that we can totally recreate these things in our everyday lives at home, at school, at church. Here’s what I mean: we can make a commitment with ourselves to have fun with friends and family every day we can get involved more with our youth groups and help make them crank we can raise our expectation for the things God will do at church and youth worship nights we can combine with other youth groups in our towns and cities to host big events and we can get along to all the amazing Salvation Army youth events happening all over our territory, like youth councils, Easter camps, Amplify, Taupo and Southern Sevens, and heaps more.

Parachute Festival taught us what is possible when we combine God, music and fun.

Let’s carry on that legacy and look for new ways we can combine those three incredible ingredients.

More memories this way

FIREZONE.CO.NZ

SEEN & HEARD | 22

Here’s what some passionate Parachute punters had to say about their Parachute memories:

Anna Osborne

Napier | 5 Festivals + 2 day trips

1. Favourite Parachute memory?

1. Running back to the tents in the pouring rain at parachute 2007.

2. Favourite band to play Parachute?

3. Thing you’ll miss the most?

Hayden Thompson

Wellington South | 10 Festivals

Ben Ross

Wellington South | 8 Festivals 1. Seeing the lead singer of Anberlin climb the light tower and sing from the top.

2. Underoath.

1. The impromptu set by NewWorldSon in the pouring rain, or late night Big Chicken calls at Totora Springs.

2. Switchfoot in 2008. A mate and I jumped in my car as soon as we finished work so we could go to Parachute to see them.

3. The atmosphere, the people, the connection with other corps, seeing the way God could move through music.

2. Earthsuit and Switchfoot.

3. Will miss hanging out with different people. The Sally Supergroup was a great idea, everybody hanging out in one place.

3. Late night donuts, discussing set lists and what bands we had seen/missed.

Charlie Robinson Glen Eden | 1 Festival

1. Me and my friend were going through a particularly hard time and Parachute was the break we needed.

2. Switchfoot!

Alexia Medland

Wellington City | 8 Festivals 1. Worship in the thunder storm to Parachute Band and Hillsong United.

3. Being able to be at one place and meet so many people you know from around the country and just having a really good time together.

Elizabeth Glass

Grandview | 4 Festivals

1. My first Parachute was also my first official date with my husband! We watched Switchfoot together.

2. Switchfoot, Head (Love and Death), Skillet, Randy Stonehill, NewWorldSon, MxPx and Gungor.

3. Good contemporary Christian bands are few and far between, but the message the artists brought was powerful.

2. That’s a hard one. I really enjoyed Family Force 5, Relient K and Skillet (I can’t choose a favourite performance).

3. Spending a whole weekend just hanging out, listening to awesome music and meeting awesome people.

Peter Henare

Manukau Centralvals

Ryan Watkins

Jordan Carey

Miramar | 10 Festivals

1. Dion LePine and myself being the only people at a The Ember Days concert, and having a massive hug with Matt Thiessen.

2. Relient K and Underoath.

Manukau Central | 5 Festivals 1. My Favourite memory would be Seeing Skillet Live. That was pretty awesome!

2. Rapture Ruckus.

3. Seeing all the new bands and old and hanging out with friends.

1. Parachute 2010 got really amped up since it was the 20th year. Amazing!

The very first time I attended.

2. Way too many to choose from, but RR, FF5, Parachute Band and Hillsong United.

3. It was a great way to bring youth into having a relationship with God. #MUSICISMYLANGUAGE

3. Roadtrip, Sunday night worship and discovering new bands.

Logan Anderson

Whanganui | 3 Festivals

Josiah Serevi

Kilbirnie | 3 Festivals

1. Meeting Rapture Ruckus.

2. Rapture Ruckus.

3. The rides.

1. Playing a set on the Apollo stage in 2011.

2. Late 80’s Mercedes are mint. So were Adeaze and Ascend the Hill.

3. Seeing long lost friends and making new ones while doing outrageously weird stuff. Hanging out with people in the music biz was pretty cool too.

Nick Allwright

Christchurch City | 9 Festivals

1. Relient K in 2004.

2. Underoath.

3. Watching my favourite bands in the company of my favourite people.

Fun4Kids | 23

TONGUE TIED Which boy is holding the ice cream with his tongue?!

MIRROR MYSTERY Find the right mirror image of the chameleon catching a fly …

ARE YOU ANGRY? TONGUE TWISTERS THEN STOP AND PRAY! AND JESUS WILL HELP YOU TO BE KIND AGAIN.

Two tiny tigers take two tax

is to town.

If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?

Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.

Answers: Tongue Tied: 1; Mirror Mystery: 4.

LET’S TALK

Junior

Junior went to a rugby skills programme during the school holidays. He was chosen because he’s so good at playing rugby, but there were lots of boys he didn’t know. Most of them were fun, but one boy started picking on Junior and calling him names.

Junior says, ‘I used to have a bad temper and get angry whenever someone said something mean to me. But since I started to follow Jesus I’ve got heaps more patient. Now, when things don’t go my way, I STOP and PRAY. So when this bully started saying mean stuff to me I prayed, ‘Help me Jesus, to do what you would do.’

‘Jesus helped me not to fight back. Instead, I got to know this boy. His name was Peter and it turned out that he was just feeling a bit scared at not knowing anyone. It wasn’t easy to make friends with Peter but by the end of the week we were getting on pretty good. I’m glad Jesus helped me to treat Peter with kindness instead of paying him back with mean words or actions.’

READ IT

Don’t be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you.

Instead, treat everyone with kindness …

1 Peter 3:9

LET’S PRAY Dear Jesus, whenever someone is mean to me, help me to love and care about them anyway. Remind me of how much you love people so that I find it easier to forgive them when they hurt me. Amen.

Today, you have the power to do something amazing.

The power to help farmers build better futures for themselves, and improve working conditions around the world.

Choose Fairtrade, and change the world one purchase at a time.

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