18 April 2015 NZFT War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION | 18 April 2015 | Issue 6615 | $1.50

Celebrating 150 YEARS Internationally

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM COMRADES IN ARMS Salvation Army Reporting During WWI

Helping the Troops at Home SALVATION ARMY MILITARY CHAPLAINCY LOANS CHANGE LIVES IN SOUTH AND WEST AUCKLAND OFFICER TRAINING 50 YEARS AGO FIREZONE: A RELEVANT SALVATION ARMY … FOR TODAY

02 WarCry 18 April 2015

Kia ora War stories 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, Robin Raymond, Vanessa Singh CONTRIBUTORS

Martin Barratt (movie reviewer), Kris Singh (music reviewer)

PROOF READING

Major Jill Gainsford COVER

Gettyimages.com 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 www.salvationarmy.org.nz/warcry SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department Phone (04) 382 0768 Email mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org $75 per year within NZ PRINT MANAGEMENT MakeReady | www.makeready.co.nz

This Anzac Day, we mark the centenary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers—the ANZACS—on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. At least 44,000 allied soldiers were killed, among them 2721 New Zealanders and 8709 Australians.

Nowadays, it’s also common to hear about the 87,000 Turks who died at Gallipoli. Colonel Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkish commander of the battle, became the first President of Turkey.

Every Anzac Day, his message of reconciliation is read at the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington. It includes the lines: ‘There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosoms and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well.’

His words echo thoughts in Harold Hill’s article ‘Comrades in Arms’. During World War I, the New Zealand War Cry reminded its readers that we are all members of the same human race.

Harold writes about the anti-German hysteria in New Zealand during WWI. This hysteria touched my own family. My paternal great-grandfather emigrated from the border region of Schleswig–Holstein in southern Denmark in 1914, an area constantly under dispute between Denmark and Germany. He was conscripted into the German Army, but did not want to fight for Germany and headed overseas, settling near Palmerston North. When war broke out, my great-grandfather was interned on Somes Island in case he was a possible German spy.

As theologian John Stott once observed: ‘We must admire the loyalty, self-sacrifice and courage of the serving soldier’, but at the same time we ‘must not glamorise or glorify war in itself, however just we perceive its cause to be’. As we remember the terrible human cost of war, let this serve to increase our commitment to global peace-making.

Christina Tyson Editor

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

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Matthew 5:9 New International Version

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’ Matiu 5:9

‘Ka koa te hunga hohou rongo: ka huaina hoki rātou he tamariki na te Atua.’

WISE WORDS

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its labourers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Let’s Talk | 03

I

n almost every New Zealand town, there is a small, almost forgotten patch of land where the war memorial stands. It’s part of the landscape, as familiar as the corner dairy. It carries with it a sense of lost years, remaining unchanged while time marches on around it. Those who once walked by to stop and look, now pass by in cars.

With first-hand memories gone or faded, we can only imagine the passion with which communities banded together to grieve when these memorials were erected.

How important it must have been to see their husbands’, sons’ or fathers’ names etched onto those walls—to acknowledge their place in history and recognise the pain of those who were left.

I imagine the people of the town scanning each name, tracing the letters with their fingers. Searching for the boys they knew, the boys they missed. Gazing at the names of the men they loved. In those days, the war memorial must have felt like the beating heart of the town. Not a familiar, forgotten corner, but a terrifying new world.

Time has blunted the pain of war, and the new world has become the old. But the memorial has become a profound symbol that has allowed grief to be transformed into remembrance.

Nobel peace prize winner Eliezer Wiesel was a survivor of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in World War II. He wrote, ‘The experience cannot stay with me alone. It must be opened, it must become an offering, it must be deepened and given and shared. Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there

would be no civilization, no society, no future. After all, God is God because he remembers.’

Remembrance is a divine act, instituted by God among the Jewish people. When people had an extraordinary encounter with God, they built an altar as an act of gratitude. The first altar was built by Noah after the flood, when God made a covenant with people, promising to sustain life. God blessed them, saying, ‘As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.’

When an altar was built, the people who passed by knew that God had done something extraordinary. It was a reminder to stop and give thanks for what had gone before, and to take the experience with them into the future. It was a sign of the covenant between God and his people.

From this, a national consciousness was born.

Our war memorials are our altars. They stand as an offering, reminding us to stop and say thanks. To be grateful for those who went before and to etch that gratitude into our future. They stand as a promise to all generations that we will learn our bittersweet lessons.

They deepen our understanding of who we are, and give us hope for what we can become.

When Moses built an altar to God, he called it ‘The Lord is My Banner’ (Exodus 17:15). At this time of year, we gather at the local war memorial to pay our respects. As we do so, these patches of land become hallowed ground once again. God sustains our nation and our lives. He is our banner. Let us remember and give thanks.

Photo: Featherston War Memorial/Photography: Martin Barratt

BY INGRID BARRATT

04 WarCry 18 April 2015

Bookshelf Military History/Photography The Anzacs Auckland War Memorial Museum The Gallipoli campaign was a pivotal moment in New Zealand’s military history. Its impact was lasting—on troops and families back home. The Anzacs: An Inside View of New Zealanders at Gallipoli offers an intimate glimpse into the soldiers’ lives through a series of arresting, previously unpublished images. The Gallipoli campaign was one of the first conflicts in which unofficial photography was common. The portable nature of the new folding pocket Kodak cameras meant that many soldiers included it along with the rest of their kit. The pictorial history is complemented by specialist essays.

(Penguin Random House)

Playlist

Military History/Travel The Western Front Dr Ian McGibbon In this guide to New Zealand battlefield and memorials, Dr Ian McGibbon has created an indispensable handbook to the history and geographic features of New Zealand’s European campaign.

The Western Front, where New Zealand fought its deadliest military battles, contains the most significant sites in New Zealand’s World War I story: the Somme, Messines, Passchendaele and Le Quesnoy. Easy to follow and highly illustrated, The Western Front details the stories behind battlefields, cemeteries and memorials. A great introduction to New Zealand’s WWI history.

(Penguin Random House)

Biography Edward Hicks: Pacifist Bishop at War G.R. Evans The story of outspoken pacifist bishop Edward Hicks throws light on the problems of conscience created by WWI. As Bishop of Lincoln, Hicks was already regarded as a maverick for his stance on the education of women, teetotalism, social justice and votes for all.

When war came, he was a rare dissenting voice amidst the church’s vocal support. G.R. Evans draws upon Hick’s diaries to show a man battling with his own principles.

Hicks saw his sons go off to fight, with one never to return. This is a fascinating glimpse into the impact of WWI on a man trying to hold onto his humanity. (Lion Hudson)

Reel News

Progressive Rock Toto XIV Toto American rock supergroup Toto’s 14th studio album marks the return of many of the founding rhythm section members. Toto XIV is deliciously progressive, a refreshing antithesis to a lot of modern rock.

However, the band still retains a lot of their core ’80s sound—for better or worse. XIV is full of solidly written songs that will come across to the uninitiated as rather cheesy.

The supergroup hasn’t done a great job of altering their sound for 2015, with tracks like ‘The Little Things’ and ‘Fortune’ sounding as if they’re from any ’80s movie soundtrack.

This is quintessential Toto, which will undoubtedly delight their fans.

Indie Folk Carrie & Lowell Sufjan Stevens Carrie & Lowell is Sufjan Stevens’s seventh studio album, and marks a return to the sparse indie folk genre of his origin. It’s a loose concept album, inspired by his mother’s death in 2012, and referencing his stepfather, family and childhood trips to tell an autobiographical story of childhood and growth. This is a peacefully produced, lightly layered record. Each element works in conjunction with Stevens’s restrained yet resonant vocals, but no one element overpowers another.

There is lyrical and musical depth that makes this is a highly personal, storytelling-style of listen—one that rewards a willing ear.

GIVEAWAY To win a copy of Edward Hicks: Pacifist Bishop at War, tell us what Anzac Day means to you.

War Cry Giveaway, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org. Entries close 04 May. Lift the Flap Bible winner is: M. Smith

Comedy/Drama Infinitely Polar Bear Maya Forbes / M (Offensive Language) Infinitely Polar Bear is a bittersweet film about an unconventional family’s life, when bipolar father Cam (Mark Ruffalo), incapable of managing adult responsibilities, is forced to care for his two daughters by himself.

For the Stuart family, order and disorder are defined according to the erratic barometer that is Cam’s mental state on any given day. At the start of the film we see him suffer a breakdown and ending up in hospital, leading to the severing of his relationship with wife Maggie.

Emerging from treatment shaky but better, unemployable Cam is faced with a tricky proposition from Maggie: she’ll move to New York and get her MBA in 18 months (the career boost the family needs), while he cares for Amelia and Faith in a small Boston apartment. It’s a bold plan, and not really optional. Regular routine is apparently just what Cam needs to keep him focused and on a healthy mental track … supposedly.

Ruffalo (is there a better actor in Hollywood?) is brilliant as Cam; perplexing and peculiar, yet an excellent parent, and despite his struggles, a sincere man trying to make good. Zoe Saldana (in her best role to date) is excellent as Maggie.

Writer/director Maya Forbes (who based the film on her own childhood experiences) captures well the misadventures of Cam’s life—his girls cringing at his profane and angry outbursts, but also rising to the occasion in helping him manage the house.

The film deftly handles the sometimes magical, often mortifying moments of living with a bipolar parent. Its soft touch and unsentimental approach gives Infinitely Polar Bear a similar infectious energy that blesses and curses Cameron. It’s baffling, funny, sad, engaging and an understated little gem.

The War Cry, 2 January 1915

Feature | 05

WHISPERED IN BROKEN ENGLISH, ‘I ALSO AM A SALVATION SOLDIER.’

C om rade s

in

By Harold Hill

A rm s

Historian Major Harold Hill considers how The Salvation Army represented Germany in its War Cry publications during the Great War.

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1915 copy of the New Zealand War Cry carried a news report reprinted from Der Kriegsruf—the German War Cry. An illustration showed a German in military uniform preaching to a group of soldiers, and the report was headed, ‘German Salvationist speaks of God’s grace to his comrades at the Front’. The Salvationist was Lieutenant Robert Treite, serving with the German army in France. On the same page, a report from Switzerland mentioned that eight German officers serving in Switzerland ‘had been called up for service in the Fatherland’.

At this time, New Zealand, like other British countries, was in the grip of anti-German hysteria.

Newspapers fanned the flames. The 1 September 1914 New Zealand Herald, for example, carried four articles under the headings: ‘Brutal Treatment of Refugees in Germany’, ‘Unspeakable German Outrages at Louvain’, ‘Cowardly Germans’, and ‘Atrocities in Belgium’.

06 | WarCry 18 April 2015

Anti-German vigilante committees were formed in many New Zealand towns, devoted to hounding people of German descent or with German-sounding names out of their jobs and, if possible, out of the country. Mrs Ida Boeufve declared to the Women’s Anti-German League at a 1916 rally in Napier, ‘To be truly British we must be antiGerman.’ Even Dalmatian immigrants—Serbians actually on the side of the Allies against the Central Powers in Europe—were persecuted in various ways.

Over 300 people were interned and some were deported to Germany after the war. Being a naturalised New Zealander and British subject was no defence, with a ‘Revocation of Naturalisation Act’ passed in 1917. George William Edward Ernest Von Zedlitz, whose mother was English, left Germany as a child, was educated in Britain and had been a New Zealand resident and Professor of Modern Languages at Victoria University since 1902. In 1915, Parliament passed an Act especially to deprive him of this post because the University Council refused to dismiss him.

Counter-cultural reporting Given this background, we might wonder at the apparently countercultural War Cry report, but there were many others like it. We might wonder whether ‘pub-boomers’, selling The War Cry in hotel bars, were abused, and whether there were other repercussions. Letters to newspaper editors, normally a vent for bigotry, surprisingly demonstrated no adverse reactions. The only response was that occasionally a daily newspaper reprinted one of these reports from The War Cry. Perhaps the Army’s welfare and chaplaincy services with the troops offered some protection.

Some reports were matter-of-fact updates on what was happening in Germany. For example, in November 1914, an article on ‘Salvation in the German Army’ recounted the experiences of German Salvationists, including Captain Soinicksen, a crew member of the submarine U15 who survived when it was sunk by HMS Birmingham.

A letter from Captain P. Schmidt, wounded while fighting as a sergeant in Alsace, described the horrors of warfare and his efforts to pray with dying soldiers. Staff-Captain Grüner, editor of Der Kriegsruf, had been made a regimental scribe, Ensign Claudi a medical orderly, and Ensign Witzled a chaplain. Adjutant Tebbe, director of Salvationist social work in Cologne, had been appointed back to that city and given permission to carry on with that work in addition to his military duties.

The following month, social relief work in Germany was reported on. Salvation Army halls had been converted into relief centres and children’s homes. Nearly 1000 hungry people were being fed daily in Hamburg and there were similar programmes in other large cities.

Letters from German soldiers Heinrich Keienburg and Sergeant Ludwig were quoted, and stories told of Sergeant Gratz and BandSecretary H. Boldt, both wounded. Women Salvationists in Essen were busy knitting warm socks for the troops. The following January, The War Cry referred to Germany, amongst other nations, in a brief synopsis of Salvation Army work in the war zone, mentioning that many of its buildings were now in use as hospitals and that 100 German officers were ‘on the firing line’.

An article in February 1915 claimed that despite the difficulties of the war, the ‘purely spiritual work in the 150 odd corps throughout the territory is not greatly interfered with … At Magdeburg, a hundred souls have been saved in eight weeks … A new corps has sprung into being at Altona, near Hamburg.’ A liberal response was reported to an appeal for assistance for the thousands of refugees from East Prussia arriving in the west. A War Auxiliary League had been set up to care for the wives of soldiers, and women officers of The Salvation Army were

assisting with this. Extracts from letters from Brother Franz Rensch of Charlottenburg (since killed in action) and Penitent-Form Sergeant Ebert of Altona were also included. In an obituary for Staff-Captain Fuchs, formerly Divisional Commander in Hanover and a holder of the Iron Cross, who was killed in action near Ypres, The War Cry said, ‘The Salvation Army loses one of its most valiant German officers.’

‘Good’ Germans Other reports were stories of ‘good’ Germans, obviously intended to counter the picture of brutality common in the Press. General Bramwell Booth cited one such example in an article reprinted from the British War Cry, describing two Uhlans (German cavalry) stopping for food outside a Belgian inn. Some children were passing and one of the ‘grim soldiers’ removed his ‘terrible helmet’, sat a child on his knee and kissed her. ‘Ah, my God, I have five of my own at home,’ he said, tears running down his cheeks. The usual reports of Germans in Belgium at this time were of butchery and rape.

In another article, Booth quoted correspondence from Adjutant Somers (or Summers), an English officer still working in Strasburg, Alsace, in a German military hospital, describing the support she had from the German chief surgeon. Her story was expanded upon in a later number, and reprinted in the Otago Daily Times.

New Zealand, like other British countries, was in the grip of anti-German hysteria … but The War Cry did its bit to counter the inhumanity of the times.

A 1915 issue reprinted from the British War Cry included two stories told by ‘Brother Moore, of the 1st East Lancs Regiment, recovering at home from wounds received at Ypres’. In the first, he described fetching water for a wounded German. In the second, it was another wounded German who struggled out of his own greatcoat and flung it over a shivering, almost naked and evidently-dying British soldier at a dressing station.

One story concerned the kindness shown by a senior German officer who also happened to be a Salvationist. This involved an Alsatian Salvation Army officer, Adjutant Muller, stationed in Paris on the outbreak of war but called up to the German forces, with his wife returned to Alsace. Serving on the Eastern front, Muller asked for compassionate leave on hearing that one of his children had died.

This was initially denied, but the General commanding his Brigade recognized Muller’s name and acceded to the request. Mrs Muller then took up an appointment in Switzerland where their second child also died. Although leave to a neutral country was unheard of, the General stood bail for his comrade and he was able to attend the funeral.

The War Cry did not give the General’s name, but described the circumstances of his conversion in 1912, when he had mistaken the time for a lecture he planned to attend at the Circus Busche and found himself in a Salvation Army meeting being addressed by Bramwell Booth. However, his obituary, curiously appearing in The Evening Post many years later, identified him as a Colonel Ferdinand Peterssen, of the Prussian Guards. This gave the circumstances of his conversion.

Apparently, fellow officers complained to the War Office about his membership of The Salvation Army and Kaiser William II himself responded that ‘he did not consider it a slight to the dignity of his Prussian officers’ corps that one of its members should belong to The Salvation Army or wear the uniform of that organisation’. After the war, Peterssen served as a prison chaplain at the Plotzensee penitentiary.

Feature | 07

NEWS FROM THE FRONT: Two aged warriors representative of many Salvationist parents whose sons to-day are fighting under two flags­—that of the King and of The Salvation Army (War Cry, 22 December 1917)

Common humanity Some reports were ‘human interest’ stories, intended to emphasise the common humanity—and especially the common Salvationism—of British and Germans. One of these was headed ‘Salvationists Meet in Bayonet Charge’. Salvationist John Coombs of the 1st Gloucester Regiment wrote home to his wife of the aftermath of a bayonet charge in which he found a wounded German trying to reach his water bottle. This proving empty, Coombs gave the German water from his own bottle. Seeing a Salvation Army badge on Coombs’ uniform, the German whispered, ‘Salvation Army; I am also a Salvation Army soldier.’ And indeed he was also wearing a Salvation Army badge.

Coombs carried the dying German to an ambulance and heard his last words, ‘Jesus, safe with Jesus’.

Incidentally, an even more poignant story was printed in several New Zealand papers, although not in The War Cry: A gruesome coincidence is recorded in the meeting of a German soldier who is a member of The Salvation Army and a British soldier who also belongs to The Salvation Army. The Germans were charging the British trenches with the bayonet and the German Salvationist, as he drove his bayonet into the British Salvationist, found that he had killed the man at whose house he had been a guest for some weeks during the International Congress of The Salvation Army which was held in London in May last.

From the circumstances, that sad tale must have originated from Germany.

Editorial policy International editorial policy lay behind these War Cry reports, many reprinted from the British War Cry and also published in the Australian War Cry. Ironically, given that they founded an ‘Army’, the Booths were pacifists at heart. On the outbreak of the second Boer War in 1899, William Booth had written, ‘No matter who wins … I lose, for there are Salvationists fighting on both sides.’ His instructions to Salvationists at that time were reprinted in The War Cry of 5 August 1916: • Pray. Pray. Pray. Live in the spirit of intercession. Plead for a speedy termination of the horrid strife. Pray for your comrades … on the British side, and pray also for your comrades, the Salvationists, who are on the other …

• Give what you can to help the wounded and the suffering generally. We shall soon have to help our own suffering people …

We cannot do this without means, nor without men and women on the spot, and that means money. Give something, and let that something be according to your ability.

• Go on with your own Salvation work, and go on with it in greater, deeper, truer earnestness. For Christ’s sake, don’t let the poor sinners suffer in one country because this dreadful feud is raging in another …

Bramwell Booth made a similar appeal in 1914. He rejected any suggestion that he should forbid soldiers of The Salvation Army to take up arms or proclaim that all war was murder, but he equally refused to allow Salvation Army officers to enlist as combatants unless they were compelled by law to do so. He forbade the use of the word ‘enemy’ in Salvation Army publications and announced that ‘Every land is my Fatherland for all lands are my Father’s!’ Two years into the war he was able to meet with The Salvation Army’s acting-Territorial Commander for Germany, Lieut-Colonel Treite, in Sweden.

The New Zealand War Cry was criticised by the Maoriland Worker, a Labour paper opposed to conscription, for an article headed, ‘To the Shirker’. (‘Shirkers’ was an abusive term for people reluctant to join the forces.) The editor of The War Cry responded that if the critic had read the article he would have found that it was about the war against sin and was intended to encourage Salvationists to be whole-hearted in their Salvationism, rather than ‘shirkers’; the reference to the actual war was only as an illustration.

He pointed out that The Salvation Army was ‘AGAINST WAR, believing it to be of the devil. But seeing that the horror is upon us, our duty is to … utilise our organisation to serve every combatant possible on whichever side he may be fighting, irrespective of creed; to visit the wounded of each Army, and to minister to the bereaved and suffering of every nation. The War Cry has carefully avoided matter and illustrations calculated to encourage the military spirit, and has only reproduced those which would call forth the best qualities in our readers, and make the abhorrence of war greater, thus making for a lasting peace’. The Maoriland Worker graciously printed a retraction.

At a local level, Salvationists were not always as conciliatory in their views. A public meeting, chaired by the divisional commander, was called in Lyttleton to pass a resolution ‘that on this anniversary of the declaration of a righteous war, this meeting of the citizens of Lyttleton records its inflexible determination to continue to a victorious end the struggle in maintenance of those ideals of liberty and justice which are the solemn and sacred cause of the Allies’.

‘Prayers will be offered… for the success of Great Britain and her Allies.’

Writing about a similar meeting in Wellington, the Maoriland Worker noted that German Salvationists were no doubt praying that God would help defeat the Allies, and asked would ‘The War Cry please explain which of the two sections is right?’ Bandmaster Henry Goffin published a song to celebrate the battle between HMS New Zealand and the Blűcher in the North Sea, the chorus of which ended, ‘They’ll sink the Kaiser’s dreadnoughts, manned by cowardly German Huns.’

There were fewer references to German Salvationists in The War Cry as the war progressed. In the last four months of 1914, there were 11 such articles; in 1915, a total of 14; and in 1916, only five. For 1917, there were only two, and in 1918 just three. This could have been due to the increasing difficulty of obtaining information—a 1918 article commented that ‘only occasionally does there come through to us tidings of the work which is being carried on by our … comrades in Germany.’ It could also have been a concession to adverse opinion, though there is no evidence for this.

It is also true that The Salvation Army apparently made no explicit effort to counter-act the victimisation of German nationals or people of German descent in New Zealand, although one British report described the successful efforts made by a Salvationist to have German workers, dismissed because of their nationality, reinstated in their positions. At least by representing Germans with humanity, as fellow Christians and Salvationists, The War Cry did its bit to counter the inhumanity of the times.

08 | WarCry 18 April 2015

ENVIRONMENT

BUDGET

Create a Memorial Garden

A Year of Not Shopping

Making a creative space to remember loved ones can help turn grief into celebration.

After raking up $30,000 in debt, Cait Flanders moved back with her parents and began the long road out of debt and toward a more minimalist life. Last year, she committed to a year-long shopping ban.

As a nation, we’ve learnt the importance of remembrance, coming together in our thousands to commemorate our lost soldiers. But remembrance can be created on a personal level, by crafting a restorative space to celebrate loved ones. When Gin’s wife died, he converted his barren backyard into a garden, ‘complete with waterfall, koi pond, pergola, patio, and deck’. Gin says, ‘This garden became my serenity and helped heal my broken heart.’

As I come to the end of my shopping ban, it feels a little crazy to think about. Mostly because I’ve almost forgotten about it entirely. I still get the odd pang to buy a magazine or pick up a nail polish. For the most part, though, I never think about shopping, because I know there’s nothing I could buy that would make my life better than it is right now.

To create a memorial garden, it can help to think about the things your loved one valued or enjoyed, and incorporate it into your space.

That has been the most incredible part of this journey, so far: realising how rich and full my life is, in its current state. When you’re not thinking about all the new stuff you could be accumulating, you have so much more time to just enjoy what you already have and all that life offers you. Here are three life-changing truths I’ve discovered:

Create mosaic steps: Find patterns in china, pottery or glass that represent your loved one. Using a hammer, break these into different sized pieces. Pour about 5 cm of concrete into the bottom of a small barrel, and randomly press the shards onto the surface. Allow to dry and it should pop out easily. Make as many as you want to create memorial steps or a pathway.

1 It gives you more time: Everything we own requires a little bit of our attention. Now that I have less physical clutter, my brain also seems to have less mental clutter. And I don’t have a ‘to-do’ list of jobs every weekend.

Plant a tree: A tree grows tall and strong over many generations, and is a powerful way to remember a loved one. Use the changing seasons as an opportunity for reflection. If you choose a fruiting tree, create a celebration cake or meal every year, using the fruit from their tree.

2 It helps you become more resourceful: A few weeks ago, I found myself with two pairs of pants that had rips in them. So, rather than buy new pants, I finally asked the women in my family for a sewing lesson.

It’s not uncommon for those who decide to live with less to build up a community of like-minded individuals, who share their talents and swap stuff for free. I just never would’ve guessed I’d be one of them.

Grow flowers with meaning: Many flowers have special meanings. For example, daffodils mean joy and resurrection, ferns mean peace and serenity, jasmine means healing, and roses mean love.

3 It reveals what matters most: I feel like not shopping has adjusted my entire moral compass. Minimalism takes self-awareness to a new level, as it constantly forces you to ask yourself: does this contribute to my life or take away from it?

Incorporate art: If you enjoy art, it can be therapeutic to create a mural, painting or sculpture that reminds you of your loved one. Anne painted a rock, picturing a field with a cross in the middle. It holds meaning for her whenever she spends time in the garden.

Plant poppies: If you would like to create a garden commemorating a soldier or Anzac Day, plant a bed of red poppies. These beautiful flowers bloom only briefly, but are relatively easy to grow. Plant in either full sun or partial shade, and keep the soil only slightly moist.

Cait achieved her goal of becoming debt-free within two years, and is now an advocate for de-cluttering, minimalizing, and living on what you’ve got.

Source: www.blondeonabudget.ca

Source: www.thriftyfun.com

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Mae West

Almost-Anzac Biscuits

A longstanding Australasian tradition, these biscuits won’t last long in any household | Makes 50 100g butter 1/3 cup golden syrup ½–1 tsp vanilla or almond essence 1 cup sugar 1 cup (instant) rolled oats 1 cup desiccated coconut 1 cup plain flour ½ tsp baking soda 2 Tbsp warm water

Heat oven to 170˚C (160˚C fanbake), with rack just below middle. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Melt butter in fairly large saucepan. Add golden syrup and stir until blended. Take off heat and add next five ingredients. Stir everything together, then add baking soda dissolved in water.

If mixture seems too crumbly to shape easily, add 1–2 Tbsp extra water. Using your hands, shape into walnutsized (or smaller) balls, and place on baking trays, leaving room for spreading.

Bake for about 15 mins, until evenly golden brown. While biscuits are warm, lift onto a cooling rack. When cold, store in an airtight container.

Variations: Add 1 cup chopped roasted peanuts or 1 cup chopped walnuts before adding sugar. Replace coconut with an extra cup of rolled oats.

From Best Baking by Simon & Alison Holst. Go to www.holst.co.nz

Lifestyle | 09

Q&A Where does the Red Shield come from?

Soldiers in the Korean War enjoy a cuppa from their Australian Red Shield representative Although metal shields have been worn by Salvation Army members from the 1800s, today’s Red Shield has its origins in wartime service.

In December 1915, a shield with the words ‘Salvation Army’ on a British military welfare hut was pictured in the English War Cry. Two years later it was reported: ‘The Salvation Army Shield has become the best known and most prominent sign in the military training camps [and] among troops in France.’

Early wartime shields were generally handwritten on a blue background, but a War Cry report in July 1917 describes ‘a large shield on enamelled sheet-iron with a blood red background’.

At war’s end in 1918, Canadian Salvation Army officer Major George Peacock was involved in a committee of charities raising funds for returning soldiers. The committee’s chairman urged The Salvation Army to develop a distinctive symbol similar to other organisations. Peacock saw some Australian material that mentioned a ‘Red Jersey’ appeal, and considered a red crest and a red shield. The odea pf the shield appealed to him ‘because of the idea of shielding or protecting in the sense the Bible uses the shield of faith’.

The Red Shield, the Army’s new ‘symbol of service’, was introduced at a Calgary Rotary Club in 1918. The following year, a national Canadian campaign—with an improved Red Shield by War Cry artist Joseph Hoy—was launched. Hoy made the design changes at the request of Colonel (later General) George Carpenter, who was then Literary Secretary to General Bramwell Booth.

Although at first used to consolidate the image of the Army’s service to the troops, the Red Shield soon became the symbol for the Army’s widespread activities in service of humanity.

Source: Hallelujah: the Story of The Salvation Army in the Western South Pacific (Vol 1, Issue 3, Autumn 2008)

Testify Major Hylton Froggatt, the Salvation Army’s senior defence force chaplain, says it’s been an honour being part of a long line of Salvation Army officers serving as military chaplains.

It was [Major] Peter Savage who knocked on my door and said, ‘How would you like to do this [military chaplaincy]?’ I was only going to do three years and 20 years later, here I am still. I prayed about it and felt that’s what God wanted me to do. I felt people in the military need God, especially when it’s tough. It’s an old saying: ‘there are no atheists in fox holes’.

As a military chaplain, you do prayers on parade and chapel services on base. I’ve served at Waiuru and Burnham and have led services in the field with Mount Ruapehu behind. That was special.

The military is very respectful to the chaplains; they always include you in anything that’s going on and the soldiers are respectful, too. Anzac Day is very important; a chaplain is always asked to say prayers. I do a service every year in Auckland on Anzac Day, and Armistice Day for the battalion I started with.

Chaplaincy is a matter of walking alongside the soldiers.

They start to realise you’re one of the guys but that you have a belief in God that helps you get through life. A chaplain needs a sense of humour, without that he’s just a boring person. I learnt very quickly never to get into a group argument.

If someone raised something controversial I would talk to them one-on-one, because soldiers like to wind you up … but not in a bad way.

I served in East Timor in

2008. There was the welfare side, one-on-ones with soldiers. The commanding officer (CO) might know a soldier who’s homesick, someone might get a ‘dear John’ letter, or a family member passes away and they can’t get home for the funeral, so the chaplain goes to try and help.

I’d go on patrol with soldiers, and because they were peacekeeping you met all the children.

I had a kiwi stamp and the kids would line up and I’d give them a stamp on the back of the hand.

You sort of relax, but you never know what’s going to come out of the bush or from behind a building. I did night duty in the communications container and if someone rung in to say there was trouble somewhere I’d have to run and wake the CO. I’d do services on base in Dili.

When we first got to East Timor

I told a group of soldiers, ‘I’m not religious; religion can be about anything—Christianity is a belief in God our creator.’ And I said, ‘We’ve got some time to unpack that if you’re interested.’ One of the soldiers said that made him think about where he was as a Christian.

A group of soldiers came to chapel and said, ‘We’re Christians and we will support you.’ They came out on ‘church patrol’, when we’d go to different churches around Dili.

Quite a few Salvation Army officers have been military chaplains. We had officers on deployment during World War I and II, during the Korean War, and Major Colin Mason [another serving Salvation Army chaplain] was deployed to Afghanistan.

We’re recruiting Salvation Army officers to be chaplains at the moment, and I’d love to talk to any interested officers.

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:

NAME: ADDRESS:

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

10 | WarCry 18 April 2015

SUDOKU

8 6 5 9 3 3 1 7

Difficulty Easy

3 4 6 2 6 9 7 5 7 8 3 3 2 8 1 2 5 1 5 4 3 7 8 6 1 4 7 8 5 2 6 4

BY GARRY MELLSOP

Helping the Troops at Home

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.

The immensely popular Salvation Army Institutes, set up in New Zealand Army camps during World War I, were places where soldiers could find both solace and a ‘gladsome song’.

QUICK QUIZ 1 What does ‘ANZAC’ stand for?

2 Anzac Day relates to NZ soldiers participating in a battle where?

3 When was Anzac Day first commemorated?

4 What symbol is commonly associated with Anzac Day? 5 The Allied forces were at Gallipoli to control which strategic waterway?

6 Who led the Turkish counterattack at Chunuk Bair?

7 When were the plans for a Gallipoli invasion first drawn up?

8 In what month and year did the ANZACs withdraw from Gallipoli?

9 Approx how many ANZACs were killed or mortally wounded at Gallipoli?

10 Which poet wrote ‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them’?

2 8 1 5 4 6 3 9 7

7 4 6 9 3 8 2 1 5

5 3 9 7 1 2 8 4 6

8 2 5 3 9 1 6 7 4

1 6 4 2 7 5 9 8 3

3 9 7 8 6 4 1 5 2

4 5 8 6 2 9 7 3 1

9 7 2 1 5 3 4 6 8

6 1 3 4 8 7 5 2 9

Find more Cartoons by McKerrow on www.facebook.com/cartoonsbymckerrow

‘First in the field and foremost ever since’ is a saying that applies to The Salvation Army’s work among the troops in New Zealand.

When Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, the New Zealand Government offered its armed forces to Britain to assist in the war effort. The Salvation Army in New Zealand —through its Territorial Commander, Commissioner H.C. Hodder—also offered the services of its officers to assist the government in any way possible, which was immediately accepted by the Defence Department.

A number of officers were already commissioned as chaplains and were working in temporary territorial camps around New Zealand. When war was declared, The Salvation Army concentrated its resources in the permanent camps which trained troops heading overseas, at Trentham, Featherston and Tauherenikau. The Salvation Army ‘Institute Marquees’ provided a place for meetings and recreation, as well as writing letters or just talking, with the help of ‘an Army cuppa tea’.

Salvation Army Institutes became increasingly popular: large buildings replaced the marquees, extensions were added, new and still larger buildings built, and the Institute became bigger than anything else in the camps. Yet there was rarely room enough for all the troops wanting to attend the church parade or utilise the facilities.

The Institutes were well equipped for games and there were comfortable rooms for reading and writing, or meeting visiting family members. One of the main features of the Institutes was the Sunday night Song Services, which were very popular.

The following extract from a series entitled ‘Life in Camp’ shows how the Army brought cheer to men in every camp: By six o’clock soon after the men have finished tea, they begin strolling into the Institute, and a concert develops easily if there is a guiding spirit to banish shyness. The chaplain knows the acts of galvanism, and he does

Quick quiz answers: 1 Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, 2 Gallipoli, the first major battle fought

by NZ troops in WWI, 3 1916, 4 The red poppy (the Flanders Poppy), 5 The Dardanelles, 6 Mustafa Kemal Bay, 7 During the Crimean War, 8 December 1915, 9 10,000, 10 Laurence Binyon.

Close Up | 11

not allow deadness or dullness to tarry in his building. If he sees new men sitting about listlessly—with that far-away look in the eyes on the evening of the first day, he finds someone who will break in upon their thoughts with merry music or a gladsome song, with a swinging chorus and soon the serious one is drawn into the gaiety.

The duties of the chaplain and welfare staff were many and various.

Not only did they have to lead a rousing meeting, they also had to be able to gain the confidence of the men—for a large portion of their services to the men were of a personal nature. With the calling up of married men this increased considerably.

There was always substantial correspondence and a continual stream of callers: one man wants a will prepared, the next is a probationer and has to report regularly to the chaplains, the next requires advice about his allotment money, the next asks for a New Testament—and very often such a request was an excuse to seek spiritual guidance, which resulted in the man accepting Christ as his saviour.

The next man is to be court martialled in a few days and is brought to the Institute under escort, asking the chaplain to appear on his behalf. Another has personal or family trouble and wants to talk and confide in the chaplain. Yet another has a few valuables that he wants the chaplain to put in his safe for him.

So, one after another, they come and find a sympathetic ear and a willing friend, and very often just the help they need, records The Salvation Army’s All The World publication in 1919. The simple secret was that the Salvationists were serving not only the soldiers, but God. The Featherston Camp housed 8000 men and was on the outskirts of the very small Wairarapa town, with little accommodation for visitors. Salvation Army chaplains rallied to get a hostel built, with 40 rooms for relatives and friends. The hostel was booked out before it was opened.

More hostels or accommodations were built around the country, supplying 50,895 beds and 115,647 meals. The Otago Daily Times reported on 5 April 1917, that ‘the provision of this accommodation made it possible for mothers and wives and sisters to enjoy hours of association with their men that will be, in many cases perhaps a precious memory for the rest of their lives’, as sadly, many men would not return home.

Adjacent to every camp were the various military hospitals, which were regularly visited by women Salvationists bringing fruit, sweets, comforts and various necessary articles. During their visits, the Salvationist sisters would receive many requests from the men—such

as help to write a letter to a mother, wife or friend, pack a parcel and post it, or call on a relative.

Many of the newly established Salvation Army Home Leagues provided gifts and distributed these to the troops in hospital. They also sent gifts and comforts to the troops overseas. If a soldier wanted to get in contact with relatives, the Army, through its network of corps (churches), was very successful in liaising with relatives.

As the war progressed, The Salvation Army saw the need to provide support services and help to returning soldiers. When troop ships returned to New Zealand, they often found a Salvation Army band playing as the troops disembarked. The chaplains would be on hand to offer support and make soldiers aware of what was available to assist them in their return home.

Many men required accommodation, and the Salvation Army built a hostel for returned servicemen at the cost of £16,500 on the corner of Vivian and Tory Streets in Wellington. Here, men could stay until they were able to get work or return to their homes.

The Government established hospitals for returned servicemen in Rotorua because of the curative properties of the local thermal springs. But many men were from out of town and it was difficult to find somewhere to stay during their treatment. With the opening in 1915 of The Salvation Army Soldier’s Institute, men were able to avail themselves of this well-equipped Institute, which included reading rooms, recreation rooms, a lounge and a large tea room, along with comfortable accommodation. Because of its popularity, the Institute underwent several additions. An adjacent hall was used for services and could accommodate 400–500 men.

The Institute provided a motor launch named Florence Booth, which took recuperating soldiers out on the waters of the lake, where fishing engaged their minds. A motor car was also available for restorative trips into the country.

The officer in charge of the Institute was Captain Sam Hayes, who was himself a returned soldier after losing a leg in action. His assistant, Captain Shearer, had seen active service and been badly gassed.

A ‘Red Jersey’ appeal was mounted to help with these Salvation Army ventures. Because of the immense appreciation and generosity of the public at large, £100,000 was collected. As was reported in All the World: ‘Everywhere the soldier goes the Red Jersey is with him; from the time he enters camp the Army has a warm heart and a helping hand for him. Well or sick, free or in prison, a red jersey or a blue bonnet will find him and comfort him.’

12 | WarCry 02 May 2015

Living the Story PART FOUR of a four-part series

In the final of his series, Chick Yuill explains that being a disciple is about who we are, not just what we do.

Just over 45 years ago I became a husband! Of course, when I say that I ‘became a husband’, that’s only partly true. Much as I loved my wife, I really had very little idea of what being a good husband would mean.

So over the years, I’ve had to educate myself by reading some helpful books and even attending some useful seminars. They’ve all played a part in equipping me to deal with the demands of married life.

But the real work of ‘becoming a husband’—of growing in maturity and building a lasting and loving marriage—hasn’t been done by learning from the experts. Instead, it has happened as Margaret and I have travelled through life together, sharing its blessings and its challenges, learning from our mistakes, and deepening in our love for each other.

Becoming disciples Growing as a disciple of Jesus is not all that different. The moment you accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, you ‘become a disciple’. But that’s just the start of the journey. Following Jesus—modelling your life on his and growing like him—is a process that takes a lifetime.

Of course, there are excellent discipleship courses that can help us along the way with different aspects of Christian living: sharing our faith, reading the Bible, praying, and hearing God’s voice. But living for Jesus and growing like Jesus—just like becoming a good husband or wife—is something that’s only truly learned in meaningful and loving relationships.

It’s significant that the phrase ‘one another’ occurs again and again in the New Testament. To choose just a few examples, almost at random: we’re encouraged to ‘live in harmony with one another’ (Romans 12:16); to ‘serve one another’ (Galatians 5:13); to ‘submit to one another’ (Ephesians 5:21); to ‘teach and admonish one another’ (Colossians 3:16); and to ‘encourage one another’ (I Thessalonians 5:11).

Indeed, Jesus goes so far as to say that it’s only by our ‘love for one another’ that ‘the world will know that you are my disciples’ (John 13:35). The inescapable conclusion is that, when it comes to discipleship, the most important resource we have is one another.

One another-ness Here’s one very effective way of discipling one another: three or four people commit to meet together at a mutually convenient time once every week or, if that’s impossible, every couple of weeks. (It’s often helpful to get together in a public space such as a coffee shop so that the practice of growing as disciples is firmly planted in the middle of everyday life; and it’s best to do this for an initial period of three months, after which each person is free to decide whether they want to continue meeting.) Each time, before they meet, everyone will have read and reflected on a brief passage they’ve agreed on from one of the gospels.

The point of reading the passage is not so much to ‘do Bible study’ as to seek to discover what God might be saying to them through

those verses. So, when the group gets together, the starting point for conversation is the simple but direct question: ‘What do you think God’s been saying to you this week through what we’ve been reading?’

What usually happens is that, after a few weeks of practise, the conversation begins to flow naturally. It becomes easier to talk about being a disciple of Jesus in every area of life: at home, at work, at church. Inevitably, questions about how the week has gone are asked and answered. Members of the group feel increasingly willing to share stories of opportunities they’ve been able to grasp, of challenges they’re facing, and even of failures they need to confess.

As shared trust grows and as total confidentiality is assured, the group will move beyond simply accepting and affirming each other, to holding one another mutually accountable. And the time together is wound up with prayer for the week ahead.

It’s not rocket science, but if you’re serious about really becoming a disciple, it might just be the hour in your week that makes all the difference.

Following Jesus—modelling your life on his and growing like him—is a process that takes a lifetime.

DISCIPLESHIP THROUGH THE DECADES From the Middle Ages to the present day, Christian authors talk about what discipleship means to them.

It’s hard to remember that Jesus did not come to make us safe, but rather to make us disciples, citizens of God’s new age, a kingdom of surprise. What does it profit you to give God one thing if he asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it.

You will as a result better satisfy your heart than with that toward which you yourself are inclined. St. John of the Cross It is clear that Christianity does not exclude any of the ordinary human activities. St. Paul tells people to get on with their jobs.

He even assumes that Christians may go to dinner parties, and, what is more, dinner parties given by pagans … Christianity does not simply replace our natural life and substitute a new one: it is rather a new organisation which exploits, to its own supernatural ends, these natural materials … There is no essential quarrel between the spiritual life and the human activities. C.S. Lewis Many Christians have what we might call a “cultural holiness”. They adapt to the character and behaviour pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like himself.

Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God. Jerry Bridges

Soul Food | 13

The heart of the disciple It’s important to acknowledge, though, that these times spent with other disciples, and even time spent in service to God, is not the heart of discipleship.

John is a committed Christian and when his new job meant that he had to relocate to a new town, he sought out a church and began attending regularly on Sundays. After a month, the minister invited him for a meal, and over dinner he assured John that he was delighted to have him as part of the congregation. Then he asked him two questions: ‘Now what can we get you to do?’ and, ‘Do you sing tenor?’

John told me that story with just a touch of sadness in his voice.

It wasn’t that he thought the church leader was entirely wrong to ask him those questions. He recognised the importance of accepting a role in the life of the church, and he appreciated the part that the choir played in engendering an atmosphere of worship and drawing the congregation into the presence of God on a Sunday morning. What troubled him was the fact that these were the first questions he was asked.

John knew the maths referred to in the previous articles in this series: of our approximately 120 waking hours, we spend only about 10 in church-based activities and the remainder of our time in getting on with the business of life. That being the case, he reasoned, surely the first questions should have been, ‘What are the opportunities and challenges of your everyday life?’ and ‘How can we resource you to face them well as a disciple of Jesus?’

Asking the right questions I’m convinced that John is right. If we don’t constantly ask those questions of all we are doing, we might manage to develop good Salvationists who work faithfully in their corps (church). We might develop some very effective programmes that serve our communities well. We might even succeed in building larger congregations. But we will not be making whole-life, mature disciples who show the life and love of Jesus to their family and friends, their neighbours, their workmates and their fellow-students. And if we fail to do that, we will be failing to reach our towns and cities with the good news about Jesus expressed in our everyday living.

In fact, you can boil all this down to one very blunt question and two very short words that should be asked of everything we do: so what? Whoever has the responsibility for preaching should be asking, ‘So what difference will this make to this congregation on Monday morning?’ They will recognise that their task is not just to ‘share some reflections’ on a text or even to ‘expound the Word’ and stop at that, but to explore a Bible passage in such a way that their hearers are inspired and equipped to live well for God in the coming week.

The leaders of musical sections will ask the same question, seeing their responsibilities as going beyond developing an effective group of musicians and providing a contribution to worship on a Sunday morning. They, too, will be asking how they can model the kind of leadership and relationships that will offer their members a pattern for

If we fail to ask the right questions, we will fail to reach our towns and cities with the good news about Jesus expressed in our everyday living. discipleship beyond the activities of the corps.

The people with responsibility for the various outreach programmes will remember that the volunteer helpers who give up their time also have a wider and equally valid ministry in their daily lives and occupations.

So what?

And, if we’re really serious about making whole-life disciples, it will mean that ultimately everyone in the congregation will be asking the ‘so what’ question: ‘So what can we do to help each other grow as disciples?’

Of course, our corps officers (pastors) have a significant role as the appointed leaders in creating a culture in which disciple-making can take place. But it isn’t possible for one or two people—however gifted they are—to disciple 50 or 100 people. Even Jesus confined his ministry of disciple-making to 12 close followers. No, the work of disciple-making belongs to all of us.

Ask Yourself: So what?

God has made you to be his disciple—as part of the church, community, and as a unique individual. Whether you’ve recognised it as such, or not, he has placed ministries around you in your everyday life.

What ministries are you involved in at church? Ask yourself, ‘so what?’

Write down one sentence per ministry that sums up their true purpose.

Outside the church, what ministries are you involved in? (For example, friendships, community groups, schools). What is your spiritual purpose in these ministries?

What makes you, you? Write down words that describe what makes you uniquely you. How can God use these qualities?

Pray through your unique role as a disciple of Jesus, and commit your ministries to God.

14 | WarCry 18 April 2015

Hunger for Colour Fills Food Bank Shelves Resene ColorShops were busy adding colour to Kiwi homes and putting food on the table for thousands with a new campaign in February.

The Hunger for Colour fundraiser saw Kiwis swapping more than 24,000 cans of food for 55-80ml testpots of any Resene paint at 65 Resene ColorShops around the country.

The cans were then donated to local Salvation Army food banks.

Resene Marketing Manager Karen Warman said 3000 cans were donated in the first week of the campaign. This was such a success they are considering running it again in future years.

The company first collected cans for The Salvation Army after the Canterbury earthquakes and had been looking for ways to give back again ever since.

‘People liked donating food knowing it was going directly to help someone in need, and the testpots are a popular, versatile product which encouraged people to come in,’ Karen said. ‘While there was a limit of 10 testpots per household, lots of people came back to get their 10. The stores have loved it, customers have loved it and we’ve loved

it. It’s getting the message out there about the importance of food banks as well, which is almost as important as the cans themselves.’

Hunger for Colour was run in February because that’s when families struggle the most with the combined effects of Christmas, holidays and back-toschool costs.

Major Pam Waugh, national head of Salvation Army Community Ministries, said the cans collected gave a major boost to food bank supplies.

Johnsonville Corps Officer Mjr Lesley Nicholson with Resene Johnsonville store manager Amber Savill and donated cans.

‘We are very grateful for the real difference Resene staff and their customers have made through these donations. Our food parcels are provided as a hand up, not a hand out. By receiving this food relief, families are able to redirect the money they would normally budget for food on targeting debt and oneoff costs,’ she said.

Resene Johnsonville ColorShop Manager Amber Savill

said that Hunger for Colour was promoted online, in print and on radio, which attracted a wide range of regular and new customers. Many had come in specifically because of the campaign.

‘It was awesome to see not just the mums and dads, but elderly people, right down to the little ones coming in to choose their colours,’ Amber said.

Loans Change Lives in South and West Auckland Life-changing financial loans are helping people in South and West Auckland escape a cycle of debt and become financially stable.

The Community Finance microfinance partnership between BNZ, Good Shepherd New Zealand, Ministry of Social Development and The Salvation Army was launched in August 2014 to help people banks don’t normally lend to. Such individuals are often forced to borrow from third tier lenders at extortionate rates, trapping them in debt, Salvation Army Community Ministries Secretary Major Pam Waugh said.

The pilot was launched at The Salvation Army Community Ministries in Manukau and Waitakere. BNZ provides up to $10 million loan capital and the Ministry of Social Development supports the pilot scheme with operational funding. Good Shepherd NZ provides the Community Finance framework, drawing on over 30 years of experience in the Australian market.

The pilot began by offering a low-interest rate ‘StepUP’ loan of up to $5000 for larger assets. The second loan option of the interest-free ‘No Interest Loan Scheme’ (NILS), where people can borrow up to $1000, was launched in December. Both loans schemes are designed to help people buy essential goods. They are not available for cash advances or emergency relief where support is already offered by the Army or other organisations.

Loans are available to beneficiaries and those in employment, but on low incomes. Applicants are required to have a Community Services Card and will usually have lived at their current address for three months. Each applicant is interviewed by a Salvation Army Community Finance Worker to understand their household finances and budget, and to prepare the loan application. This interview process was important to make sure the person could pay back the loan and that it would not lead to unsustainable debt, Pam said.

When someone is considered eligible for a loan, they provide a quote for what they want to buy. For NILS, the loan request and

non-identifiable information about the person’s finances are then passed to a Salvation Army Loans Assessment Committee to further assess the loan, while StepUP loan applications are assessed by the BNZ Community Finance Team. The money is not given to the loan applicant for either loan; instead, funds are paid direct to the trader, who is contacted to let them know what the person is coming in to buy.

As NILS loans are paid back to The Salvation Army, the money can be used again for future loans.

Waitakere Community Finance Worker Jodi Hoare said the loans had been life changing for some of her clients. ‘We had one lady who needed a loan for a car so she could leave an abusive relationship.

Otherwise, she was facing having to leave the car with her ex-partner and lose her job. It gave her the power to take that step. Another elderly lady was in desperate need of dentures. I looked at her finances, which were very tight, but we worked with BNZ and her loan was approved. Finance like this is something many of us probably take for granted, but for her it’s life changing.’

Another loan was for a woman to get a lawn mower and weed eater. The woman was facing a court order to cut her lawn or be evicted from her Housing New Zealand house, making her family homeless.

Manukau Community Finance Worker Joanne Forgie said that before the Community Finance pilot started, people in the area had few choices apart from the third tier lenders who had offices or sites throughout South Auckland.

Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit policy analyst Ronji Tanielu said they were hearing reports of lenders charging 60 to 70 per cent interest, and in extreme cases, interest rates well over 100 per cent, along with other fees. The lenders were predatory, targeting people who could not get credit elsewhere and offering them multiple loans knowing they were unable to pay them off, Ronji said.

The Government had done some good work in cleaning up the

Our Community | 15

GODZone Race Inspires

The Blue Mountain Adventure Centre Cycle World team are hoping to inspire others after battling injury and wild weather to complete the gruelling GODZone Adventure Race.

The team was made up of Melissa Crook from Blue Mountain Adventure Centre, Nolan Hill from Dunedin, Nick Williamson from Alexandra, and Peta Cunningham from Brisbane.

They took just over five days, 17 hours to complete the course, across mountains, lakes and rivers in the Southern Alps near Wanaka on a course that the world number-one ranked team described as the hardest on the Adventure racing world series, Nolan said.

Team organiser Mel was the only member of the team who had competed in a full expedition-length adventure race, while the others had done several 24-hour adventure races.

Although they finished as an unranked team, Mel said they were proud of their team work and effort, especially after Peta injured her knee near the start of the race, leading the race organisers to fast-

third tier lending, but it had decided not to put a cap on interest rates, something that the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit and other organisations had lobbied for. There was also some concern that cleaning up third tier lenders would leave vulnerable people unable to get loans. This was why the Community Finance pilot was important, as it provided an alternative to high cost and often risky borrowing, Ronji said.

The loans gave clients independence and responsibility, Joanne said. ‘It gives them a sense of pride, that once they pay it off we’re able to help the next person who needs it.’

By mid-March, 44 loans had been approved, 101 people had applied for a loan and hundreds enquiring about loans had been offered budgeting assistance.

Those not eligible for a loan are referred for budget advice and assistance. Most people also learnt a lot about their finances and their options though their discussions with the Community Finance Worker during the loan interview process. Working with people before they got a loan was proving a big help, Pam said. ‘One young man had just got out of jail, wanted to get his car registered and warranted to get a job. We got him to do four weeks’ work on his bank account, tidying up his finances, and in that time he managed to get a job. He didn’t need the loan, but he’d fixed his budget.’ Some of the most rewarding loans had been given to people who had initially been turned down, but had worked on improving their finances, Jodi said.

Most of the StepUp Loans had been used by clients buying cars, which many Auckland employers expected people to have before they would hire them, Jodi said. The NILS loans had been useful for parents over the back-to-school period, especially those that were required to buy a laptop or iPad for school, she said.

Go to www salvationarmy.org.nz/loans for more info.

track them track across one section. ‘From the team perspective, it was awesome! The guys carried Peta’s bag all the way between them as well as their own. Our goal was to get all four of our team to the finish despite the injuries and we did that.’

The injury meant they had to rethink their goals and accept that simply finishing would be a huge achievement, Nolan said. ‘We were half way through, in a freezing cold tent, water lapping at our toes, and we were discussing our goals and brainstorming our favourite meal to have at the finish. We were saying, “It would be pretty fantastic to get through the short course as a team.” ’ They also faced some treacherous weather, including during the first day’s tough 22 kilometre mountaineering section, Mel said. ‘The weather came in. The visibility was zero and the rain was turning the entire mountain into a waterfall. We were going on a hope to get down that mountain. One guy stopped to put something in his bag, we carried on and we lost him. We had to go looking for him, blowing whistles to get him back.’

Nolan said the team thought they might need to be rescued during the day. ‘There was a moment when Mel was being wrapped in an emergency foil blanket, Nick and I were totally disorientated—where we thought we should head, the compass was saying to head 180 degrees in the other direction. We had to trust the compass, but in a few hundred metres we knew we were headed in the right direction and it was getting warmer.’

It was not the only time they nearly had to pull out while suffering from exposure, and they also had to navigate a white water rafting section in the dark, just by listening to the water, Nolan said. ‘[Crossing the finish line] was a mixture of feeling elation, relief and exhaustion, just hanging out for a shower and normal food.’

Despite the struggles, pushing themselves through some stunning countryside had been a very fun learning experience and he was considering entering the race again, he said.

The team were encouraged by messages sent to them through the GODZone website, by supporters who also tracked their progress online. The messages reminded them why they were racing—to inspire others, Mel said. ‘[At half way] the organisers gave us the pile and said, “You guys have got more messages than everyone else!” We were racing for everyone else watching and being inspired hopefully to do something that will challenge them.’

Outdoor adventure for all ages. For upcoming adventures go to www bluemountainadventure.org.nz

16 | WarCry 18 April 2015

Defence Force New Testament Passes the Test Bible Society New Zealand’s WWI commemorative New Testament was put to the test in the new Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington, with Principal Defence Chaplain Lance Lukin and reservist Second Lieutenant Claire Debrois tested its waterproof properties. Fifteen hundred New Testaments were given to the Principal Defence Chaplain, Chaplain Class One Lance Lukin, together with Bible Society Digital Communications Specialist and Army Second Lieutenant, Claire Debrois, tested out the Bible’s ‘waterproofness’.

Hope Project Ignites Spiritual Conversations Did the Hope Project national gospel effort last October work by causing New Zealanders to engage in spiritual conversations? ‘Yes’ is the answer the Hope Project team are hearing. Courtesy calls to pastors throughout the nation are uncovering a trail of conversations between church and non-church people. Put together, they form a very encouraging picture.

Many people who delivered booklets to the doors of ‘no circulars’ houses had conversations that excited them. One pastor, on the first house he visited, met someone who had once visited their church, resulting in them coming back! In another church a young man came to their Christianity Explored course after reading a booklet. A church up north had three new families attend following the media campaign. Another pastor had a new visitor, who came to faith on their first visit to the church.

Many are also commenting on the way the Hope Project is helping their members confidently start spiritual conversations with friends and relatives. A pastor of an elderly congregation commented that the project exceeded all expectations, rejoicing that her members were finding a new confidence to share their faith. From various places there is feedback that the project is helping unite churches, with the Church’s mission as their focus.

‘We’re encouraged,’ says project coordinator, Dave Mann. ‘It is difficult to measure results in an effort like this; however, 1.5 million homes just had an opportunity to hear and understand the Christian message, and 50,000 church people were prepared to some extent by their pastors to engage the conversation. The feedback is consistent; evangelism has been in the “too hard box” in many churches for many years, and it’s finding its way out. This can only spell good news for our country!’

The second of the three phases of the media effort begins in April this year, with a second booklet going to homes throughout New Zealand early in May. New Zealand is leading the way in taking the gospel to every home repeatedly through media, to initiate a conversation. Churches are encouraged to make the most of this opportunity.

Go to www AllTogether.co.nz to support this campaign and find out more.

GAZETTE Bereaved Mjr Michael Allwright of his sister, Katherine Watters, on 1 April from Hutt Hospital. A private family service was held on 2 April, with a memorial service in early May when family come home from overseas. Please support Mjrs Michael and June Allwright, Reta Allwright (Katherine’s mother), and other family members in prayer.

Retirement Mjr Peter Bradley entered retirement on 17 April, after over 30 years of active service.

Peter entered training college with wife Shirleen from Aranui Corps in 1983 in the Servants of God Session. Following their commissioning on 19 Jan 1985, Peter and Shirleen were appointed to Balclutha Corps, followed by further corps appointments at Greymouth (1988), Clifton (1990), Nelson (1993), St Albans (1997), and Wairarapa, with an additional appointment for Peter as Director, Community and Family Services, Wairarapa (2003). Peter spent 2002 on study leave working toward a Master in Theology, awarded in 2003. In 2007, Peter was appointed to Territorial Headquarters as History Researcher, Archives. In 2011, he was appointed as Research

New Zealand Defence Force this month.

Produced to commemorate New Zealand’s involvement in WWI, the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs is printed on plastic pages that are also tear-resistant. The US-printed commemorative edition is also about 25 per cent lighter than Bible Society’s previous waterproof Defence Force New Testament, making it even more practical for those on deployment.

The New Testament has an image of Kiwi troops in a trench in France on the cover and includes Army, Navy and Air Force prayers. It also includes wartime photos from the Alexander Turnbull Library archives, and the story of Chaplain-Major William Grant, the first New Zealand chaplain to lose his life in WWI. Chaplain Lance Lukin said, ‘When people are facing their mortality, they start to question what life’s about, and they’re looking for strength to get through these situations. It’s the comfort the Bible brings and its words that people can draw on in dark times.

‘I know how popular the previous edition has been,’ he added. ‘It’s a great gift from Bible Society, and in reality there will not be enough Bibles to keep up with demand.’

Defence Force Chief, Lieutenant General Tim Keating, says in the foreword, ‘This commemorative edition of the New Testament reminds us of this sacrifice made by New Zealanders 100 years ago, and of the book that brought so many of them peace and comfort as they fought.’

Officer, Family Tracing Services. It is from this appointment that Peter entered retirement on 17 April 2015. Mjr Shirleen Bradley retired on 31 Jan 2014. We honour Mjr Peter Bradley for his loyal and faithful service to God and pray God`s blessing on Peter and Shirleen as they move to Nelson.

Resignations The Territorial Commander announces with regret the resignation from officership of Mjrs Michael and Melissa Douglas, effective 21 April. Following their commissioning on 12 Dec 1998, Michael and Melissa were appointed as Corps Officers, Whakatane, with Michael also Employment Plus Mission Director, Bay of Plenty. This was followed by an appointment as Corps Officers, Levin, in 2004. During this time Michael became a military chaplain. In Jan 2008, Michael and Melissa were appointed to the Bridge Programme, first in Christchurch and then in Auckland (2011). In Christchurch and Auckland, Michael was Director, while Melissa served as Assistant Officer (Christchurch), Assistant to the Director, Chaplain at the Bethany Centre, then Case Worker Addictions Services (Auckland). We thank Michael and Melissa for their 16 years of service and pray God’s blessing on them in the future.

Noticeboard | 17

CALENDAR APRIL 15–19: Brass Band Development Camp / Silverstream 21: Women Officers Connect / Northern Division 21–23: C2 Course / Booth College of Mission 25: ANZAC Day 25: Sports Day / Tonga Region 25: Taupo 7s / North Island 27: ANZAC Day Observance 27: South Island 7s / Southern Division 30: Marriage Seminar (Fua’amotu) / Tonga Region MAY 4–10: Red Shield Appeal 9: Mother’s Day 9–11: Women’s Rally & Training (West) / Fiji Division 11–15: Disaster Risk Management Training (East) / Fiji Division 12-15: Foundations for Chaplaincy / Booth College of Mission 14: Positive Lifestyle Training / Central Division 15–17: Delve Weekend / Totara Springs 15–17: Family Weekend / Blue Mountain Adventure Centre

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS Commissioners Robert (Territorial Commander) and Janine Donaldson (Territorial President of Women’s Ministries) 18 April: Glen Eden Corps 22 April: Red Shield Breakfast / Wellington 22 April: Spiritual Day / Booth College of Mission 24 April: Red Shield Breakfast / Auckland 25–26 April: Wellington City Corps

International Bible Reading Challenge WEEK 12 John 8–John 12 | WEEK 13 John 13–17 Go to www.salvationarmy.org/biblechallenge for daily reading guides and more.

Congress is Coming to Wellington in 2016

Wednesday 28 September to Sunday 2 October 2016 Mark your calendar for the 2016 Territorial Congress! Join Salvationists from around New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga for worship and prayer, great teaching, excellent musical performances, and plenty of opportunities to be inspired for leadership and front-line mission.

The 2016 Territorial Congress will be held at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, with some activities at other Wellington venues as well.

A Salvation Army congress is a time to catch up with friends, celebrate God’s work, and hear and respond to God’s voice. Plan now to be part of this God-glorifying event.

Subscribe today!

War Cry … DIRECT to your door Annual subscription (including p&p) $75 (within NZ).

To subscribe, contact Salvationist Resources, p: (04) 382 0740, e: mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org

Colonels Willis Howell (Chief Secretary) and Barbara Howell (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries) 25–26 April: Rolleston Corps Plant 11–15 May: International Headquarters 22 May: Jeff Farm Board Meeting 24 May: Northern Division and Addiction Reviews 27 May: Spiritual Day / Booth College of Mission 28 May–1 June: Tonga Region

PRAYER FOCUS Please pray for: Oamaru, Ōtāhuhu, Palmerston North, Papakura, Porirua Corps and Petone Corps Plant, Addiction, Supportive Accommodation and Reintegration Services, The Salvation Army in Zambia.

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

INTERESTED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE? For reports, regular newsletters, challenging articles and Salvation Army government submissions:

www salvationarmy.org.nz/socialpolicy

Find SALVATION ARMY JOB OPPORTUNITIES online:

www salvationarmy.org.nz/employment

CALL FOR PAPERS:

Thought Matters 2015 4–6 SEPTEMBER, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA ‘Living as people of hope in a time of despair: a Christian response to evil and suffering.’

Thought Matters is the annual conference of The Salvation Army Tri-Territorial Theological Forum, which encourages theological discussion that informs ministry practice. The Forum represents the Australia Eastern, Australia Southern, and New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territories.

Jesus continually challenged mainstream perspectives on suffering and pain.

He said that he came to give us life in all its fullness, but he also said that it was those who are poor in spirit and those who mourn who will be blessed.

Jesus said that in him we would have peace, but he also said that we would face trials and sorrows of many kinds. Rather than avoid suffering, Jesus embraced it and made it his lifework. This conference aims to provide an opportunity to think deeply about what it is to suffer and yet have life. It aims to stimulate thought and inspire action.

Thought Matters is calling for papers that will address a range of issues relevant to its 2015 conference theme. Papers arising from biblical studies,

theological, historical, practical theology, or inter-disciplinary perspective are all welcomed. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to: • Christian views of active and passive euthanasia including treatment refusal.

• Responses of the church to war, terrorism, asylum seekers, etc.

• Pastoral theology—a theological basis for pastoral care/response relating to all or one of: suicide, addiction, abuse, physical and mental illness, etc.

• Reflections on the nature of despair and/or suffering arising out of the complex interactions of the physical, psychological, intellectual, spiritual and social dimensions of human existence.

• Experiences of faith in the context of the long dark night of the soul.

• Explorations of the practical and theological intersections of suffering and hope.

Submit abstracts of no more than 200 words by 1 May 2015.

Email: Thought_Matters@aue.salvationarmy.org.

Successful applicants will be notified by 30 May 2015 and will need to submit their final paper (2500 words) by 3 August.

Conference Proceedings will be published following the conference.

18 | WarCry 18 April 2015

LEADERSHIP LINKS

Courage is the ability to master our fears in the face of danger.

At some point in our lives, most of us have been enthralled by the idea of superheroes: men and women of courage unafraid to face the bad guys and save the world. I remember a few years back when t-shirts appeared with the wording ‘Jesus Is My Superhero’. What a great reminder of Jesus’ saving work!

The dictionary describes courage as the ‘ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Physical courage is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement’. I love that description! How I want for myself that in my daily living, like Paul, ‘I would copy Christ’ who is indeed my ‘superhero’.

Courageous people—our heroes—are those who have so mastered their fears that courage becomes second nature. This Anzac Day we honour those who showed courage in the face of extreme difficulty during wartime, for instance.

Courage for the Christian is an expression of personal faith, of deep trust in God. We take risks for the things that matter when we know they are important to God. The opposite is behaving foolishly, taking dangerous risks for no good purpose.

The purpose of life, as Paul writes in Romans 12, is ‘that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship’. As followers of Jesus, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices in our Lord’s service for suffering humanity, for the gospel, for love and for justice. As a result, not only is our courage an expression of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but our faith in Christ means we are prepared to face trials, difficulties, disappointments, even disasters.

Courage is an essential quality of mature human character.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that if a person ‘hasn’t found something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live’. Jesus talked about carrying our crosses, and Paul talked about dying daily for Christ.

Courage was the quality most noted as evidence that the Apostles had been with Jesus. Acts 4 says, ‘When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.’ It was their time with Jesus that transformed them.

Courage is the ability to master our fears even in the face of danger—and the stronger our understanding and experience of God and his presence, the more consistent will be our courage.

We live in a time when great courage is needed; we only have to listen to the news to know this. How I long and pray that my courage would mean others notice that I have been with Jesus!

Commissioner Janine Donaldson Territorial President of Women’s Ministries

BY JUDITH BENNETT

Fifty Not Out As her officer training session celebrates its 50-year anniversary, Major Judith Bennett shares memories of the innovative training experiences of the Defenders of the Faith cadets.

I’d looked forward to this day for nearly 10 years—dreaming, hoping and praying. Now, I was actually climbing the 44 steps of 33 Aro Street, Wellington, to enter the William Booth Memorial College. The front doors were wide open to welcome the 23 new cadets of the Defenders of the Faith Centenary Session.

I was so excited, meeting new friends, enjoying afternoon tea with the staff, settling into my small bedroom, exploring the college. Tuesday, 23 February 1965 is a day indelibly etched in my memory. I sensed a whole new world was opening to this ‘kid from Foxton’—a new chapter in my journey with God, with a lifetime of adventure ahead.

For the past six years I’d worked as a bank officer, where making money was the business. Now, I was commencing training as a Salvation Army officer, where people would be my business for the rest of my life.

Our days were packed with learning and listening. Our heads crammed with biblical truths, doctrinal beliefs and church history. Our brains reeled with the overload from a variety of other subjects. We raced from class to class. Previous sessions had enjoyed short breaks between classes and we wondered why we’d been deprived of these 15-minute intervals. But in the midst of all this study and swotting, our spirits were regularly nourished with the Bread of Life and immersed in Living Fire.

Three months prior to our entering training, Major Wesley Simpson was appointed Training Principal. After a long line of mainly British leaders, Major Simpson was the first New Zealand-born and trained officer to occupy this position. We were privileged to be his first session.

Major Simpson’s appointment swept in a new era of Kiwi lifestyle and removed the mustiness of some unnecessary customs. A few longstanding rules were relaxed. After all, this was the mid-1960s, the Beatles were rocking the world and the Joystrings were swinging The Salvation Army, encouraging youth to use ‘the people’s music’, as founder William Booth had done so successfully. (Who of us will forget our Friday evening meetings on the corner of Cuba Street and Swan Lane? Crowds blocked the corner as people clapped to the beat of ‘It’s An Open Secret’.)

Mission Matters | 19

On Sundays, we travelled by train to our brigading corps, where we took turns in leading meetings and preaching sermons. Lunch (provided by the college and carried in a large trunk by two of us), was a relaxed affair in a back room of the building. The day seemed full of meetings: ‘holiness meetings’ in the morning, ‘salvation meetings’ at night, plus street meetings, visitation, Sunday school and prayer meetings. It was a long day and by the final benediction we were always tired, but never too weary to sing cheerfully all the way home in the train, with fellow commuters singing along.

In May, the female cadets went on a 10-day campaign: five days to Avondale Corps and five more to Papakura. What an experience!

Our campaign included standing on a busy street corner taking turns to read John’s gospel nonstop to pedestrians, managing over 100 exuberant kids in holiday programmes, visiting mental health patients at Kingseat Hospital, leading a variety of meetings, and door-to-door visitation. We were totally immersed in typical Salvation Army church programmes of the ’60s.

For two weeks in August, we were posted to a number of corps throughout New Zealand to assist corps with their ‘old style’ annual appeal. Another adventure! I took the good old overnight ferry from Wellington to Lyttleton, then a very long train trip to Gore, where I was thoroughly spoilt by the corps officers. This inspiring week was followed by a week at one of the Dunedin corps, where the main thing I remember is having to trudge around the city’s hilly streets in the sleet collecting donations, while the majority of male Salvationists disappeared for the afternoon to enjoy the rugby at Carisbrook!

Imagine the excitement when it was announced the cadets could participate in the divisional annual winter sports day—something never permitted before. We were eager to show the other teams that we could play rugby and basketball. The news trickled through; some teams thought we’d be a pushover! We entered into our training (every spare moment) with frenetic enthusiasm. The results? Girl’s Basketball: 1st Wellington South, 2nd Training College and 3rd Wellington City.

Yeah!

In October, just before the customary 10-day college recess, the training principal made the astonishing announcement that we would be the first two-year residential training session. There was stunned silence. We were gobsmacked! Weren’t we due to be commissioned in less than three months? Of course, it was inevitable that some session would herald the way for two-year residential training, but we hadn’t reckoned on it being us! What about our finances? (In the days before Student Allowance, cadets needed to have enough money saved to meet their expenses for a year.) Where would we go for out-training?

Six months out of college then six months back in college? How would we cope?

And so the usual commissioning weekend in January became our Out-training Appointments Weekend. We were appointed to a variety of corps and social appointments. To assist with our ongoing financial needs, we were paid an allowance for these six months. After a year with no income we felt rich indeed!

Returning to college in July, we encountered the reality that we now had to share ‘our’ college with Witness of the Faith cadets in their first year of training. But we soon came to terms with sharing ‘our corridor’ and learnt from each other’s journeys.

We were gobsmacked! Weren’t we due to be commissioned in less than three months?

The college curriculum was quite different that second year. As staff grappled with a changing list of learning requirements, along with two training sessions, we made the best of preparing ourselves for future service. Our session enjoyed the first ‘Education Week’.

Every day we visited different places that broadened our outlook.

This included Parliament in session, Kimberley Hospital in Levin, Hokio Beach Boys Home, Arohata Borstal and even the Todd Motors car factory.

Commissioning was soon upon us. Very soon we would leave the college and travel to our first appointments. Our future was in God’s hands, which was exciting yet somewhat scary!

Five decades on, I can report that the Defenders of the Faith Centenary Session have stayed true to God’s calling on our lives. We’ve journeyed through a kaleidoscope of experiences, ranging from sheer joy to extreme tragedy, but in it all God has been with us. Defenders have served throughout our territory, plus Africa, Pakistan, Australia, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Two of our session were promoted to Glory as active officers: Major Beverley Allott and Lieut-Colonel Lance Rive. They kept the faith and our session values and honours the legacy of their lives.

In celebration of our half century not out, I recall a few lines of our sessional song. I’m sure my fellow Defenders will still agree with these sentiments: Be it life or death we’ll defend the Faith for without it all is lost. ’Tis the Faith we hold, makes us strong and bold …

Holy Faith, Radiant Faith!

Faith that brings men home to God. Bringing mind and skill, bringing heart and will, We’re Defenders of the Faith.

GOD & FAITH

It’s 150 years since The Salvation Army started, so how do we measure up today?

The Salvation Army is a strange and wonderful thing. We’re a church, a movement, an army and an organisation. We have a lot of traditions, but letting go of a bunch of other traditions set us apart to begin with.

We have soldiers and uniforms, but no guns and tanks. We roll up our sleeves and get ‘dirty’ by serving our communities, and then we put on our ties and head to Parliament.

We ‘simplify’ everything into acronyms and abbreviations, but we have a very organised military structure.

How did this come about? And is who we are in the 21st century still necessary and relevant?

Don’t forget your roots Back in the day, there was one big church: the Roman Catholic Church, headed by the Pope.

Then came the Protestant Reformation, with Martin Luther in the 1500s. This was quickly followed by the English Reformation, which gave us the Church of England. In the 1700s came the Evangelical Awakening, which began in England with the Wesley brothers, who started the Methodist movement.

Salvation Army founder William Booth was a Methodist minister who left to start something called ‘The Christian Mission’ in 1865, working with the poorest of the poor in the slums of East London.

At the time, there was a lot of military and political turmoil in the world, so military terminology was really common. Some of the ideas in the military were pretty similar to what Booth and his supporters were all about, like fighting for souls, being unified around a common mission, having a structure that helps get people organised. William Booth thought it was a pretty onto-it idea to use some of this for what he was looking to do for God. And so we rebranded as ‘The Salvation Army’, with a mission that was all about loving God and loving others: serving our communities, offering practical help, and passionately fighting for the salvation of all.

Some of you may be thinking, ‘Well, just because it was cool to be an “army” back then, doesn’t mean it’s still relevant to be an army today.’ But what truly keeps us relevant is the heart of The Salvation Army and its original purpose in choosing to be an army. Because the needs that existed in the 1860s are still around today.

So why are we STILL an army?

Our founders chose to be an army for a whole bunch of reasons, and these reasons still make sense today. So, let’s run through seven reasons why being an Army is still relevant …

18 APRIL 2015 | 21

FIREZONE.CO.NZ

It implies ongoing warfare

It enables mobility

It says, ‘we’re all in this

‘… While there is a drunkard left,

‘Whatever the particular call

together’

while there is a poor lost girl

is … whatever the particular

‘Two working in combination

upon the streets, while

there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight —I’ll fight to the

end!’ William Booth

very

The Salvation Army was and still is in a battle for souls. By remaining as an army, we remember what we are called to do: to fight for the salvation and welfare of everyone around us. Being an army means we’re ready to respond to the call to battle and get into action.

It teaches a simple and

path he wants you to tread, will you rise up, and say in your heart, “Yes, Lord, I accept it; I submit, I yield, I pledge myself to walk in that path, and to follow that voice, and to trust

thee with the

consequences?” ’ Catherine Booth Back when the Army was established, it was super important to be mobile—just like in a military army where soldiers could be deployed anywhere, anytime. Sometimes we might need to physically move for the mission, but these days it’s more about being ready to move out of our comfort zone. We need to be open and obedient to the will of God in our lives.

disciplined lifestyle

will accomplish

more

than two in separation. Let them be one

and the same

force, though acting in various divisions and scattered to the ends of the earth. Mould and

weld them together.’

William Booth

This one is pretty obvious—we’re always more effective when we work together. And that’s the basic principle of any army: people banded together. Being part of an army gives us people by our side, fighting with us against evil and for God, supporting us and helping us when we’re down. This type of unity encourages us to do our best—just like the writer of Hebrews suggests, ‘Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.’

‘Be skilful. Improve yourself.

Study your business. Be self-

sacrificing. Remember the master. What you lose for

his sake, and for the sake of the poor souls for whom he died,

you shall find again.’

William Booth

Military soldiers live simple and disciplined lifestyles. They are constantly training and developing. God wants us to be doing the same, calling us to live selflessly, to develop and use our gifts, and to keep growing in him.

It encourages participation from everyone

everyone have a chance; God is no respecter

‘Let

It pushes us to adapt ‘Here is the principle: adapt

your measures to the necessity of the people to whom you minister.

You are to take the Gospel to them in such modes and

circumstances as will gain

for it from them a hearing.’ Catherine Booth

A huge part of successful military warfare is being able to quickly adapt to different situations, cultures and settings. If you don’t adapt to what’s going on around you, you probably won’t last long. This applies with our Salvation Army, too—William and Catherine Booth were all for adapting to the best method for reaching people. Adaptability, flexibility and progression.

of person nor sex, neither must

It means we have one mission ‘But such combination or

oneness of action

will only be possible with

oneness of direction.

If all are to act together all must act

on one plan, and

therefore must act under one head.’ William Booth This follows on from our last point: to be effective we need to work together for the same mission. Being part of a united army helps get us all on the same page, working toward a unified goal, travelling in the same direction with God. We know what we’re trying to achieve and can go about making that happen.

By Vanessa Singh

you be. Every gift you need is here, and only wants calling forth and cultivating and you will be fully

provided

for war.’ William Booth This is a great biblical concept that is reinforced by the military metaphor: we’re all different, we all have different gifts, abilities and strengths, and we’re all needed and valued. In other words, we all have a vital part to play.

Live the purpose When we think about it, being an army is totally relevant for today! Sure, some of the things we do and say might seem a bit odd in today’s society, but this doesn’t take away from the actual purpose of being an army and of our mission here on earth.

Sure, we could take away our military terms, our uniforms, symbols and practices to seem more ‘relevant’ for today. But perhaps if we simply stick to and truly live out the real purpose behind why we’re an army in the first place, we’d see that God and the world needs us just as much today as 150 years ago!

TESTIFY | 22

the battlefield is there and waiting

Kate Geddes of Wellington City Corps talks about why she is a senior soldier in The Salvation Army.

My first two callings as a Christian are to love God and to love others. Loving God means worshipping him, growing in grace and being led and changed by the Holy Spirit. Loving others means being selfless, seeing a need and helping people.

Becoming a senior soldier did not magically make the idea of loving God and others appear for me, nor did I have some big revelation as to ‘aahhh, this is my calling’. No. I have known for my whole life that God loves me, and that I am called to love him, to serve him and to love others. For me, the earthly expression of this, in which I find myself, is The Salvation Army.

On a spiritual level, I am one small part of a priesthood of believers, all striving for the same thing: to love God, to love others and to spread his message of hope and love to the world.

I’ve found that becoming a senior soldier is most definitely a calling. The lifestyle and belief system of a soldier is so radically different to anything of the secular world that I couldn’t be one without the help of Jesus.

When I say that being a soldier is countercultural, I definitely mean it! Soldiers are called in essence to withstand the ‘sex, drugs and rock-and-roll lifestyle’ that urban society throws at us. Being a teenager growing up in an innercity secular high school, followed immediately by university, sex, drugs and alcohol were

Everyone has a part to play in God’s kingdom, and mine is as a senior soldier, loving God and loving others. Your part might be the same or different, and that is good too. God was intentional in creating us differently. Every one of us has a specific calling that is Godbreathed and unique.

definitely things that made you cool or were the essentials to ‘a good night out’. But to be honest with you, the times and encounters I have had with the Holy Spirit are an exhilaration and freedom that money cannot buy.

Why do I not drink, smoke, do drugs or have sex outside of marriage? It is so much more than the fact that I signed up to this when I was enrolled as a senior soldier. It is because my body is a temple where the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the miracle-doer, raise-peoplefrom-the-dead, heal-the-blind Almighty God lives! And it is important for me to keep my body clean from anything harmful.

But most importantly, I want to win souls for Jesus—and that is why I am a senior solider! If you look at the history of any battle or war, you have soldiers on the front lines advancing and trying to take ground against the enemy. This is what being a soldier is all about.

If you think about The Salvation Army, it is an Army fighting a spiritual battle for the salvation of people. So, heck yeah, I wanna be involved!

For me, the reality of people dying not knowing Jesus, of people stuck in chains of bondage and hurt, is enough incentive for me to want to fight on the front lines of the battlefield, throwing the seeds of Jesus’ love and hope as far and wide as possible.

Being a soldier is not easy, but with God’s help it is an amazing journey. Soldier or not, it is important to love God, follow his calling and leading in your life, and allow his Holy Spirit to continually change and shape you. That’s how I try to live my life and it’s awesome!

I see my life like this: God is my spiritual Father, Jesus is my Saviour, the Holy Spirit is my guide, the kingdom of God is my value base, the world is my oyster, and there are seeds of love and hope to be planted. The battlefield is there and waiting—so bring it on!

It is not an option to sit on the side lines and wait for someone else to do it—the broken world is right here on my doorstep and needs immediate attention. And through senior soldiership, I can do this.

SCIENCE FICTION

Pop

Jonathan Thulin

KINTSUGI

Indie Rock

Death Cab for Cutie

Jonathan Thulin is a Swedish singer and song writer based in Los Angeles. Science Fiction is his third record, and follows up previous effort, The White Room. Science Fiction takes a decidedly pop lean, shedding many of the more cinematic and layered aspects of his sound in favour of produced beats and catchy hooks. The title track highlights this well, with bouncy handclaps and big group vocals providing a base for Thulin’s weaving falsetto and smooth melodies to shine through. This isn’t a bad record by any means, but the simplicity is a little disappointing considering the excellently crafted White Room.

Kintsugi is Death Cab for Cutie’s eighth studio record, and is the final studio effort with founding member Chris Walla. It follows up 2011’s Codes and Keys, with the band’s signature new wave/indie rock sound. Though this is their first record with an outside producer, Kintsugi retains the verby guitars, dry, driving drums and dreamy soundscapes that makes the band’s sound unique. Though tracks like ‘The Ghosts of Beverly Drive’ pace forward, the hypnotic repetition and layered arrangements make this record sound a lot like their previous work. A solid but predictable release, but fans will find plenty to enjoy.

MUSIC

MUSIC

LYRICS

GOD CONTENT

LYRICS

GOD CONTENT

Fun4Kids | 23

connect the dots THEN COLOUR THE PIC! hwretsa teranves gIlalipol

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Rvseicse nwezdalean

pypop

unscramble these anzac day words MYAR

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wreaths, services, veterans, poppy, new zealand, gallipoli, australia, parade, war, army, anzac, gunfire

hi, i’m CATE.

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place that honours those who have died in wars.

‘Pray for kings and others in power, so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honour God’ (1 Timothy 2:2 CEV)

On Anzac Day, we remember the brave men and women who served our country in times of war. We take part in marches and ceremonies. Some of us wear badges to show our thanks to those who fought and even died.

For Christians, it is a hard decision whether to fight in or support war, although it is important that we be ready to protect others who are suffering or in danger. This is something that soldiers want to do.

We place flowers at war memorials as a way of showing that we have not forgotten our soldiers. A war memorial is a

But we also know that wars bring sadness and pain to soldiers and to their families and friends. Which is why we want to pray for the leaders of all countries that they

will listen to each other and find ways for their people to live in peace.

Let’s Pray Dear Jesus, please help the leaders of the world find wise ways for their people to live at peace with other nations. Help those who live in places where there are wars, especially the children.

Amen.

Be a Red Shield Appeal Street Collector Help catch Kiwis falling into desperate need 4 – 10 May 2015

Every year, our welfare services provide a safety net for over 120,000 Kiwis who come through our doors for assistance.

Please be a collector for our Red Shield Appeal and help get desperate Kiwis back on their feet.

To help, please contact your local Salvation Army or call 0800 53 00 00 or email pr@nzf.salvationarmy.org

RED SHIELD APPEAL