23 August 2014 NZFT War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION |  August  | Issue 6599 | $1.50

Planting Seeds of Hope in PNG ANONYMITY IS THE NEW BLACK

A WORD TO THE GIRLS ON FEMINISM

DEATH, DYLAN AND A CAT NAMED OSCAR

HOW TO MAKE GREAT COFFEE

THE IMPORTANT WORK OF GOVERNMENT

CD GIVEAWAY

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Kia ora Gratitude brings people together WAR CRY

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

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

EDITOR

Major Christina Tyson GRAPHIC DESIGN

Lauren Millington, Amber Wilkinson STAFF WRITERS

Ingrid Barratt, Vanessa Singh CONTRIBUTORS

Lieut Susan Adams (Testify) Martin Barratt (movie reviewer), Kris Singh (music reviewer)

PROOF READING

Major Jill Gainsford COVER Lts Augustine and Anna Danagi with Cols Yvonne and Andy Westrupp in Hahola, PNG OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 Phone (04) 384 5649 Fax (04) 382 0716 Email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department Phone (04) 382 0740 Email mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org $75 per year within NZ PRINT MANAGEMENT MakeReady | www.makeready.co.nz

There’s a lovely phenomenon of gratitude doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment, with people challenged to ‘give thanks daily, for three things for five days’, and to nominate three friends to do the same.

There are the usual suspects: family, work mates and friends.

But what I love is the thoughtful ways people are expressing their gratitude to these people. So it’s not just, ‘I’m grateful for a loving husband’, but ‘for an amazing, patient husband who doesn’t fly off the handle at people and who is always gracious’.

And then there are things that we may not always think to be grateful for, like ‘hand-knitted woollen jerseys’, ‘Saturday morning sleep-ins’, ‘the great people that I work with, who make my life so much easier’, and ‘the freedom and right to vote’ (let’s never forget what a privilege that is!).

One of my friends works for The Salvation Army as a missionary. She’s grateful for technology, saying, ‘It keeps me in touch with family and friends. As someone so far from home, it is wonderful to be able to Skype. It also makes me respect the missionary officers who have gone overseas in days gone by who didn’t have such privileges.’

Science tells us that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism, and lower levels of depression and stress. So, gratitude is good for our health. It’s also good for the communities in which we live and work. In an essay for ‘Big Questions Online’, psychologist Robert Emmons argues that ‘gratitude is the adhesive that binds members of society together’. I think that’s probably true. Any family or workplace has a stronger, healthier connection when its members take the time to say thank you to one another.

My own gratitude goes to those off whose pages I’ve borrowed these thoughts—without your permission. Thank you for lifting my vision to see some of the beauty around me that I too easily take for granted. Thank you for nurturing the gratitude that sometimes sits dormant in my soul.

Christina Tyson Editor

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Member of the Australasian Religious Press Association.

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

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

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BIBLE VERSE Zephaniah 3:17 Contemporary English Version

‘The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.’

Tepania 3:17

‘Kei roto a Ihowā, tōu Atua, i a koe, ā, he nui ia, māna e whakaora; ka koa ia, ka hari ki a koe; ka āta noho ia i runga i tōna aroha, ka whakamanamana ia, ka waiata ki a koe.’

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WISE WORDS

The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.

Frederick Buechner

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Let’s Talk | 03

told my family that I had a business trip and took a vacation by myself.

I told my kid she couldn’t have a cookie because I wanted to eat it myself after she went to bed.

I told my roommate I was going to the gym. And I did. I locked myself in and took a nap on a yoga mat.* Anonymity is the new black. With the rise of popular secret sharing websites and apps, anyone with internet access can share their deepest, darkest secrets in nameless obscurity.

Sites such as Whisper and Secret allow users to post secrets directly to their pages as a public confessional. It seems the old adage ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ is true of secrets —that a secret shared is ‘set free’ when it receives thousands of views, likes and comments from strangers.

Using the internet to confess secrets is nothing new.

Anonymous sharing sites have been a part of the online landscape for many years. In 2004, Frank Warren toyed with the idea of secret sharing by sending 3000 blank postcards with an invitation to fill in the card with a secret and then mail it back to him. When 1000 cards returned, Warren knew he was on to something. The idea eventually evolved into the popular blog postsecret.com.

A decade later and Warren no longer sends out blank cards, but he continues to receive thousands of postcards from all over the world, each detailing a carefully crafted secret. Some are funny, some are rude, some are explicit and some are sad. Every Sunday, Warren makes a selection of his favourite postcards and uploads them to the blog. The results are mesmerising. They convey a full spectrum of human experience. Many of them are

achingly desperate and crying out for answers.

Why are we so compelled to share secrets under the guise of anonymity? For some, it may be the thrill of exposing something risqué; others might be searching for solidarity when they feel isolated and alone. Most of us are afraid of sharing our secrets publicly because we are ashamed. At their worst our secrets reveal our hearts, our selfishness and our sin.

Confessing secrets on these sites offers relief. We trick ourselves into believing that somehow unloading the secret will shift the burden completely and we will finally be free. But this is an illusion.

Confessing a secret to thousands of strangers will only offer partial absolution. Confessing our selfishness in a Whisper post does not magically make us less selfish. Confessing we have wronged someone on Secret will not make it right. Sharing our struggles with a PostSecret postcard cannot bring lasting relief. Our real need is for something deeper; for someone more powerful.

Only in Jesus do we find the one who is powerful enough to deal to our secrets. Only Jesus can offer us true peace when we feel anxious. Only Jesus can truly comfort us and understand the depths of our struggles. Only Jesus is powerful enough to bear our sin on the cross, taking our shame upon his shoulders. Only in Jesus can we confess and be freed from the burden of our deepest, darkest secrets. SOPHIA SINCLAIR *A selection of secrets from some of the most popular online secret sharing sites.

Sophia Sinclair is part of the ‘Conference of Young Emerging Writers—New Zealand’ programme of Christian Today Australia.

Go to au.christiantoday.com

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Bookshelf Children My Big Bright Bible Board Book Christina Goodings/Illustrated

by Stephen Barker This is a delightful board book for toddlers that tells 10 famous Bible stories—each across a double-page spread. The stories are summarised in just a few sentences, and are simple and charming. But the highlight is the joyful illustrations.

In a naïve style, Stephen Barker creates gorgeous, cute and colourful characters. One of my favourite stories is the depiction of Jesus with children: ‘We’ve come to see Jesus,’ said the mother.

‘He’s busy,’ said Jesus’ friend. ‘I’m not too busy to see the children,’ said Jesus. ‘In God’s eyes, they’re the most important ones.’ (Lion Hudson)

Playlist

Mission He Walks Among Us Richard and Reneé Stearns World Vision CEO, Richard Stearns, along with his wife Reneé, have created a book that is equal parts story, devotion, travelogue, social justice and coffee table book. Accompanied by beautiful photography, which alone makes the book a pleasure, Richard and Reneé devote a couple of pages each to stories of people they have met in their travels around the world. It’s a powerful way of telling World Vision’s story, and the hope and relief they give to people in relentless poverty. This is the kind of book to pick up and reflect on in small bites—in this way, it could be a creative addition to personal devotions. (Thomas Nelson)

Interfaith Why Can’t They Get Along Dawoud El-Alami, George D. Chryssides, Dan Cohn-Sherbok Subtitled ‘a conversation between a Muslim, a Jew and a Christian,’ this is a fascinating interfaith discussion with short, sharp sections on broad-reaching issues—from doctrine to ethics and lifestyle. The respectful discussion provides an insiders’ view on each faith. At times it gets a bit heated, particularly around discussions of the Trinity and Jesus.

But, mostly, it is faith affirming. For those of us who believe in Jesus, we are reminded again of the wonder of the cross. A non-defensive, authentic model for engaging in spiritual discussions with people of all faiths. (Lion Hudson)

Reel News

Choral Worship Know My Heart International Staff Songsters Know My Heart is a collection of songs from the Salvation Army’s premier international choir. Based out of the UK, the International Staff Songsters commit to CD a selection of gospel hymns, spirituals and meditations in a typical Salvation Army songster style. Clocking in at just over an hour, Know My Heart is a dense CD. Opening with ‘Lord, How I Love You’, the CD features many well-known composers, including Paul Lovatt-Cooper, Wilfred Heaton, and arrangements

by Norman Bearcroft. The taste is decidedly traditional, with the spirituals ‘Deep, Deep Love’ and ‘Rock-a-My-Soul’ thrown in for variety. Some definite appeal to fans of the songster sound.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Hypnotic Eye Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Despite its staggering three-year production time, Hypnotic Eye has a natural and cohesive jam-bandvibe testament to the career and experience of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A great rock n’ roll album, packed full of crunchy blues licks, swinging shuffle rhythms and Petty’s everyman, bluesy lyrics.

Experience is the band’s most proficient instrument. Petty writes with the depth of a novelist who knows his characters well. The trading guitar licks on ‘Faultlines’ and the jazzy ‘Full Grown Boy’ show that the band is as tight as ever, and the loose, low-fi production complements well. A solid record for fans and well worth checking out.

GIVEAWAY To win a copy of Know My Heart, tell us a song that makes you smile.

War Cry Giveaway, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org. Entries close 08 Sept.

Drama The Dark Horse James Napier Robertson / M (violence, language, drug use) The Dark Horse is the true Kiwi story of Genesis Potini (Cliff Curtis), a Gisborne speed-chess prodigy and bipolar sufferer who dedicated his adult years to teaching young, disenfranchised Māori youth the life benefits of learning to play chess.

When he’s released from hospital into the care of his uncaring brother Ariki, leader of the local gang, it’s clear this gang house won’t be the best place for Genesis. And so he joins the local Eastern Knights chess club where he hopes to coach its youthful members to a national championship. But when Ariki’s only son Mana fronts up, conflict between the brothers follows.

Mana is soon to be patched, seemingly destined to follow in his father’s violent footsteps. Yet the boy finds himself drawn to the quiet intensity of his uncle, and his love of chess. But life is no game, and Potini’s quest will be fraught, as he fights both his inner demons, and his own family.

Cliff Curtis takes the lead role of Potini, undoubtedly a career best performance. He is offset to perfection by James Rolleston, who plays Mana.

The young star of Boy is understated but compelling, a total heartbreaker.

Wayne Hapi makes a stunning feature debut as Ariki.

Without giving too much away, this is a sensitively-handled and extremely powerful story, touching on misguided views of mental illness —a window into the bleak reality and violence of New Zealand gang life, interchanged with hope, love and a way out of the darkness.

The Dark Horse is beautifully told, bravely executed, and is a truly inspiring story. If it’s not the best New Zealand movie ever made, it surely comes close!

Go to

salvationarmy.org.nz/saresources

Feature | 05

We were almost the last passengers from our flight into Port Moresby to get through the immigration procedures.

As we emerged out into the arrival area we were greeted by a large crowd of Papua New Guinean Salvationists, singing at the top of their voices. They had been waiting for two hours in the blistering tropical heat. Every other passenger, exiting before us—along with airport staff and waiting greeters—had been also welcomed and delighted by these rowdy choruses. It was a memory-making moment!

BY ANDY & YVONNE WESTRUPP

06 | WarCry 23 August 2014

our months earlier, we had received a phone call from the Army’s International Headquarters in London that started our journey to the ‘Land of the Unexpected’. As we listened to the Chief of the Staff on the phone, relaying our new appointments, our immediate thoughts were, ‘Why us? What have we got to contribute to a place we know very little about?’

We knew life and ministry in Papua New Guinea would be different to our 34 years of New Zealand-based leadership, but we smile now at the thought of how naïve we were about living and working in a place where our Kiwi understandings have to be suspended and put away in the cupboard where other comical things go!

Like New Zealand, Papua New Guinea is mountainous. Its highest mountain is actually higher than Mt Cook, at 4509 metres, and Papua New Guinea has a 72 per cent larger land area. It is a beautiful forested land fringed by coral reefs and aqua blue oceans. The climate is tropically hot in the coastal areas, but cooler in the inland highland areas. Very few of the provinces in this nation are connected by road, so distance travel within PNG is mostly done by air.

PNG has a population of over seven million people, most of whom speak more than one language. It is not uncommon for someone to speak not only their local dialect but Motuan, Tok Pisn, and English as well. Most Papua New Guineans live in rural villages and are farmers of crops, chickens and pigs.

Recently, we had our understanding of Papua New Guinea life enriched by a conversation in the Territorial Headquarters boardroom with members of our Cabinet. The national members of our Cabinet do not know the date of their actual birthdays. When we asked why, one of them explained that their village-based parents were illiterate and had never seen a calendar, much less understood the concept of months and years. This goes a long way to understanding why the concept of time and punctuality has little value here. In reality, we expats seem downright uptight and oddly fixated on time in the PNG world.

A land of opportunities Papua New Guinea is a land of remarkable opportunities. Since its independence from Australia in 1975 it has struggled, at times —as any young nation would—to maintain its balance on its way to standing up by itself. This is especially noticeable in the inadequate provision of social services such as health care, education, and civic law and order. And that’s where The Salvation Army has made and is making its greatest contribution toward caring for people and reforming society.

We were visiting Kwikila, a small town about two hours from Port Moresby, for a gathering of Salvation Army officers (ministers).

While there, we met a young officer couple in their first appointment as commissioned Salvation Army officers. The couple told us about challenges they faced in getting to their first appointment in January with their children. They took a PMV (a small public bus, which in a rural context means a truck with bench seating on the back) from their divisional headquarters in Kwikila to a road end. From there, they hiked five hours to their village on a bush track.

Everything they wanted to take to the village, they carried.

Thankfully, some Salvationists walked out to the road end to greet them and help them carry things back to their first home as officers.

The couple’s children also walked, but when they got too tired to walk the entire distance, they were carried as well.

I immediately imagined how unpleasant this would be in the humid heat and intense interest of the insect populace, so I (Andy) stupidly asked, ‘Surely you don’t do that walk in your Salvation Army

uniform, do you?’ ‘Oh no, Colonel,’ the woman lieutenant answered, ‘it is too difficult to climb the steep banks in a skirt. But do you want us to wear our uniforms?’ she asked. ‘No,’ I quickly replied, feeling more than a little thoughtless, ‘I was just correcting the picture in my head from the one of how New Zealand officers leave Booth College of Mission for their first appointments, to the PNG reality.’

New and wonderful experiences There is so much for us to adjust to here. Salvation Army meeting halls in the rural areas are basically oversized carports, but without the concrete pad. Wooden posts hold up a tin roof and are resourcefully decorated with an amazing variety of colourful adornments.

Some halls have plastic seats, some have fixed wooden forms, and some have no seats—people sit on the ground on mats, cardboard or pieces of plastic. The mercy seat (a special place set aside for prayer) is usually given extra emphasis with coloured fabrics. I should point out that in the tropical heat of Papua New Guinea, having a hall with no walls is not only desirable but essential for survival!

Salvation Army church services are long by New Zealand standards and usually feature dancing by the whole congregation.

Dancing is a riotous but beautiful demonstration of God worship that would probably startle many New Zealand Salvationists.

Usually, a small petrol-driven generator is fired up, as far from the hall as the longest available extension cord will reach, and amplifiers are then cranked up to full volume. Sometimes a domestic fan is also carefully positioned to offer some additional airflow to the hard working amps. Amazingly, if the generator stops and there’s no power, the music just carries on with the drummer and the singers.

Most Papua New Guineans are musical in some way. Songs and choruses are sung from memory, and we have yet to see one piece of sheet music. Likewise, we have yet to come across a Papua New Guinean who cannot dance. Everyone seems to have rhythm—even the children (Pikininis) who take excessive delight and glee in our Kiwi attempts to join them in dancing!

Child sponsorship We have now seen the great good that the Child Sponsorship programme does in the lives of children. Many children are given the opportunity to receive an education through this programme, which supports individual children by paying their school costs.

We are beginning to understand what an impact this has, as we now have young adults who have university qualifications and good jobs as a result of being able to get basic education when they were younger. Many of these young adults are leaders in our Salvation Army churches and fellowships.

Education is in great demand in this country where the majority of the population is young and there are not enough schools. Some of our officers are sent, of necessity, to appointments in remote areas where there is no school for their children. In a nation where huge opportunities exist for educated young people, this is heart breaking for our officer parents. Sometimes they are able to leave their children with wantoks (extended family members) in a place where there is a school, but this produces another set of challenges with affordability and security for their children.

The Salvation Army has recently been able to support a young man in his late 20s who wants to get a qualification in the construction industry and who did not complete school till he was 23, simply because there was no school in the area where he lived in when he was a young child.

Feature | 07

The challenges of poverty Papua New Guinea is a land of promise. The country is resource rich, but struggles to build systems and infrastructure for growth. There is a stark contrast between the wealthy that live in a secure apartment complex with a swimming pool, health spa, shops, cafés and a tennis court, and the settlement just down the road where people live under pieces of corrugated iron and wood, on dirt floors, with no running water and no power. We find ourselves mixing with both groups of people, trying to relate and be a Christian influence in both worlds.

Healthy living is a challenge here, as it is in all developing countries. Malaria is common. Often we hear people say, ‘Oh, they’re home with malaria’ as though it’s like the common cold. Diseases that would be treated easily and simply in New Zealand get out of control here where there are limited health facilities, travel is on foot or by PMV, money for medication or doctor’s fees is not available, and people have limited understanding of sickness and health.

Often, even the advice of doctors is confusing. We were told about one officer: ‘He has typhoid; no, he has malaria; there’s something wrong with his liver … and he needs a heart specialist.’

The Salvation Army runs health clinics and a nurse training facility and we often hear ‘good news’ stories, such as a woman in a remote village in the Highlands who was having difficulty giving birth. Our health worker was able to secure the services of a helicopter that flew in and airlifted the woman out to a hospital where both the mother and baby were able to be saved. Although we rejoice in stories like this, they are rare—the reality is that mortality rates for women giving birth and their babies are still far too high.

After just a few months here, we are stunned by the success of Salvation Army mission in Papua New Guinea, and realise that we stand in a long line of great leaders, officers and local officers who have served here. Some of these have been Kiwis, who are spoken about with great affection. We can see around us the astonishing difference the Christian gospel and The Salvation Army’s mission offers to individuals, families and communities in Papua New Guinea.

We meet many people who tell us their stories of transformation and renewal.

Thank you for your support of this year’s Self Denial Appeal, which will be a significant boost to the Army’s work here in this beautiful but challenged part of the world.

New Zealanders Colonels Andy and Yvonne Westrupp are territorial leaders of the Papua New Guinea Territory.

Lucy Leads Family to Faith Lucy* lives with her family on a Palm Oil block in Tamba, near Kimbe on the beautiful island of New Britain, just north of Papua New Guinea. She is 11 years old and has a younger brother and sister.

Lucy already has a great start to her life because she is able to attend a local primary school. Her parents make huge sacrifices for her to do this and she is making the most of her Grade 2 year.

Most families that live in Tamba harvest the fruit from the palms to gain a meagre income. The palm oil is sold to multinational companies and is eventually loaded onto ships for export to the UK to become an ingredient in chocolate and cosmetics.

There’s no power or running water in Lucy’s home. Her family walks to the creek to wash themselves and their clothes. The men and women have separate areas for bathing, and because everyone in the area knows each other, often the time at the creek turns into a time for catching up and sharing news. Water is then taken back to the house in as many plastic containers as can be carried.

Earlier this year, Lucy’s friend invited her to the Salvation Army fellowship, which meets in a borrowed lean-to in the centre of the palm oil blocks. Lucy immediately loved everything about the Army.

The singing was lively and the testimonies were real and interesting.

She started to feel at home, and the best part was that she also started to take steps toward a relationship with God. Lucy went home each time enthusing about what had happened at the Army meeting, and because her family were so intrigued by what she recounted, her mum, dad, brother and sister started attending too. Now, her parents are taking membership classes and will soon be enrolled as uniformed Salvation Army soldiers.

It’s obvious that Lucy has a gift. She has the leadership spark that naturally attracts followers. Already she’s volunteered to help other younger children learn about faith and life in Christ. This is remarkable because Lucy is so young herself, but already she is helping in the Salvation Army fellowship and involving herself in everything that is happening. This young woman has even put herself on the cleaning roster to make sure that the earth floor of the meeting place looks the best it can for Sunday meetings. * Not her real name

Go to salvationarmy.org.nz/selfdenial for more on the Self Denial Appeal.

08 | WarCry 23 August 2014

LIFESTYLE

BUDGET

Who ordered a Bongo?

Saving on Meals

Travellers from all over the globe (but mainly from New Zealand) agree we have the best coffee in the world. But do we take it a bit too seriously?

Is there really any difference between a flat white and a latte?

Well, the secret’s out: in a new book from Wellington coffee roasters L’Affare, How To Make Really Good Coffee (Random House), the only difference between your flat white and your latte is more milk. A flat white has a 40 ml double shot of coffee with 110 ml of hot milk; a latte is exactly the same, except with 180 ml of milk. Finally, one of life’s mysteries solved.

We can move on. According to L’Affare there are around 10 main ways to have your espresso. Definitely the most espressively-named one (see what I did there) is the ‘bongo’, which is a small, intense latte—also known as a piccolo latte (but we prefer bongo).

A supermarket chain recently advertised $15 meals for four—and we reckon we can do better than that. Steve Cray has lived on a tight budget, and came up with these handy, nourishing and cheap-as meals.

Sausage and Beans: To make the bangers go further, slice 4–5 pre-cooked sausages into slices like coins, and fry with sliced onion. Add 1 tin baked beans, a packet of oxtail soup, and red beans. Serve with rice or mash.

Cost: $6.*

Other fun espressos to try include the better known ‘affogato’, which is a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a 40 ml double shot poured over it.

Extravagent.

If you’re a serious coffee drinker, you probably already know what a ‘ristretto’ is: an intense 20 ml shot with a 90 ml demitasse—which, punters, is a small cup usually used to serve the likes of Turkish coffee. Compare the ristretto to the Americano, the embarrassing relative of espressos—a 20 ml shot with 220 ml of hot water to make it nice and weak. But if you’re secure in yourself, you don’t mind hanging out with your embarrassing relative when it takes your fancy.

Toad in the Hole: (Invented during the 1920s depression in Yorkshire, UK, using sausages and Yorkshire pudding.) Start by making a Yorkshire pud: mix together well 100 grams plain or self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, 1 egg, and 300 mls milk. Refrigerate for half an hour. Slice and dice sausages (which will make them go further) and partially cook in a baking tray at 180°C. Give pudding mixture a stir, and pour over sausages, with a little oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve with your choice of vege and gravy. Cost: $6.

L’Affare also has this handy advice for making your own coffee with the humble plunger: ‘Plunger coffee should be drunk immediately, otherwise the coffee sediment will continue to infuse, allowing bitter flavours to develop … Allow your water to stand until just off boiling before you pour it into the coffee.

Water that is too hot will damage the coffee’s aromas and flavours.’

It’s just pretentious enough to be fun.

Chicken and Apricot Casserole: (4–5 chicken drumsticks, chopped carrot and onion to taste, sachet of Maggi Chicken Apricot Mix, a can of apricots —using only half the juice.) Put all together in a slow cooker or a saucepan, and cook until chicken falls off the bone. Remove from heat, take out all bones. Take some of the juice and mix with a little cornflour or flour—add to the casserole to thicken. Serve on rice or with any other vege. Cost: $8.

Chilli Mince: (1 onion, 1 beef Oxo cube, 1 tin Mexican tomatoes, 1 tin red kidney beans, 500 grams mince.) Panfry together, adding a finely grated carrot and/or courgette to get more veg into the kids. Serve with rice.

Cost: $8.

Mince Chow Mein: (1 onion, ¼ cabbage thinly sliced, 1 beef Oxo cube, 500 gram mince; add other veg if required, a dash of curry powder and/or a dash of soy sauce to taste.) Panfry together and serve on rice or mashed potato.

Cost: $7.

Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break.

Earl Wilson

*All costs are approximate, and feed four.

Rich Chocolate Custard A great slow-cooker recipe that’s perfect for a cold winter’s day | Serves 4 80g dark cooking chocolate, broken into squares 1 cup light and creamy low-fat evaporated milk 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp instant coffee, optional 1tsp vanilla essence 2 large eggs

Pre-heat a medium to large slow cooker on HIGH. Warm a medium pot over very low heat on a stove and add chocolate.

Once it starts to melt, add evaporated milk, sugar, coffee (if using) and vanilla essence. Keep heat very low and whisk or stir until the chocolate is completely melted, then take off the heat.

While mixture cools, choose four small half-cup sized containers and coat them lightly with a non-stick spray.

Break the eggs into the warm but not hot chocolate mixture and beat with a whisk until well blended, then pour mixture through a sieve into a jug, and from the jug into the individual containers.

Turn slow cooker to WARM and carefully place the filled containers into it. Pour bath temperature water into the cooker until it comes three-quarters of the way up the sides of the individual bowls. Cover and cook for about one hour or until the centres of the custards feel firm and have risen slightly. Serve either warm, or allow to cool, cover with cling film and refrigerate.

By Simon and Alison Holst. www.holst.co.nz

Lifestyle | 09

Q&A How can I get more willpower?

We’ve all done it: we say we’re on a diet, but find ourselves half way through a king-size chocolate bar.

We say we’re going to study, but are still watching TV two hours later.

Willpower is a short-term skill. It will help you get off your couch and get some exercise, but it won’t keep you doing it for the next year. Willpower works with the longer-term skill of commitment. A commitment to your health and wellbeing, for example, is what will help you maintain exercise long-term.

‘Willpower and commitment work together,’ says Dr Heidi Reeder, in Commit to Win. ‘Willpower gets you to study an extra hour on the night before the exam, while commitment gives you the larger picture of how having a degree, and the knowledge and skill that come with it, will significantly better your life.’

Commitment is values-based. You commit to what you deep-down believe in. If you struggle to make changes, perhaps it is because you don’t truly believe those changes will give you what you need. For example, eating can provide comfort, and if you are struggling to make healthy changes, it may be because you more committed to feelings of comfort than to health.

Mel Schwartz describes commitment as the process that helps us get to our goal. For example, our goal might be a happy marriage for life.

Commitment is the process of doing the things needed (spending time together, talking through problems) that will help you reach your goal. Willpower is the momentary decision to not yell or argue or say something hurtful, because of your deeper commitment.

‘Take a moment to consider your most important goals,’ says Dr Reeder. ‘What do you really want to achieve in your life? How might willpower help you today? And how might commitment sustain you in your ongoing efforts to succeed?

Testify!

Ev Evans of New Plymouth has been volunteering at the Family Store for 40 years It was the year 1971 when Evelyn (Ev) Evans started out as a volunteer at The Salvation Army Thrift Shop (now Family Store), looking for ‘something different to do’. Ev’s eight children had gone off to school or left home to work, so Ev wanted something to get her out of the house, to have fun and enjoy the company of others.

After 40 years, with just a three-year-break in the mix, Ev is still at the Family Store each Monday morning ready to do her bit for her community as a volunteer.

Ev, who is affectionately known as ‘Ma’ by all the staff and volunteers, was ‘brought up’ in the Army, attending Sunday school, singing company and youth club; however, she did her own thing over her teenage years and drifted away from the church.

One of Ev’s fondest memories from her early Army days is of her uncle, Jack Turchi, who used to stand by the Inglewood toilets in his uniform and preach to those wanting to use the facilities— even if it meant standing in the rain with an umbrella. Ev says she always admired his passion and enthusiasm. She also loved attending the Veale Road Outpost.

Becoming a volunteer reconnected Ev with the Army, and in recent years Ev was invited to church one Sunday by the Family Store manager. This saw Ev also reconnect with her faith and her church family.

Over her 40 years of volunteering, Ev has seen the change from a Salvation Army shop selling just second-hand clothing and knick-knacks, to a large second-hand hub for just about everything. She’s also seen the store move to six different premises, and has known at least 15 different managers and countless volunteers and workers.

Now aged 82, these days, Ev’s role in the store is sorting the wool and buttons, but over the years she has worked on the till as well as sorting and pricing donated items.

Ev believes the secret to her longevity in volunteering is determination and seeing her volunteering as ministry for God. She feels the Family Store is where God wants her and where God can use her for his Kingdom.

Ev says she can feel God’s presence in her life and work in the store—‘sitting on her shoulder

and teaching me more each day’.

Ev loves to see families being helped through the store. She says the Family Store staff and volunteers are like family —literally, her daughter Karen has been volunteering alongside her mum for the past 28 years.

Ev is the proud mother of eight, grandmother of 25 and great-grandmother of 36, with another two on the way. ‘You start off with two people and look what happens!’ she says. Ev’s husband Colin passed away 16 years ago and Ev still misses him every day.

Although she has a large family and lives in a complex surrounded by people, Ev still knows what it feels like to be lonely.

Volunteering at the Family Store has helped combat her loneliness over the years. Ev has enjoyed meeting all sorts of people, sharing life and having fun together.

Ev feels the Family Store is where God wants her and where God can use her.

Let’s Talk

Family Stores By donating goods and shopping at one of our Family Stores, you’re supporting the work we do every day to help build communities.

It’s so we can do the things we do. www.salvationarmy.org.nz/familystores

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 23 August 2014

SUDOKU

Difficulty Hard

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Steve Cray came to The Salvation Army when hard times hit and he struggled to provide for his family of four. He shares tips on saving money and saving stress.

8 9 5 2

9

Surviving Hard Times

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1

6 5 7 2

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9 3 5 8 4

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Each Sudoku number puzzle has a unique solution that can be worked out logically (not mathematically). The numbers  to  appear once in every row, column and x square.

ANSWERS BELOW 1 6 3 9 4 5 7 2 8

5 9 2 3 8 7 1 6 4

7 4 6 8 2 1 3 9 5

2 3 1 6 5 9 8 4 7

8 5 9 4 7 3 2 1 6

9 7 8 1 6 2 4 5 3

6 2 5 7 3 4 9 8 1

3 1 4 5 9 8 6 7 2

 Where in the world is Montego Bay?  Who is older: John Key or David Cunliffe?  Who plays Genesis Potini in the Kiwi film The Dark Horse?  Atticus Finch is a character in which American novel?  What group of consecrated men never cut their hair?

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LET’S GET QUIZZICAL

In 2007, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Then, in 2009, I was made redundant from a well-paying job. Too old to get another job, I was forced to go on the benefit. With a family of four, it was a shock to have to live on this new small income. This was a time of real turmoil, and the beloved team at The Salvation Army helped me out with food parcels.

Based on what I learnt during that time, here are my tips for living on a small budget: • Look at the map: The first step to getting to a better financial place is understanding where you are now. I have been close to bankruptcy twice and understand how bad it can be—some prefer not looking at the bank statement for fear of facing the problem. It can be hard to face up to, but it’s like looking at a map—if you don’t know where you are, it’s impossible to work out where you want to get to. The Salvation Army has budget advisors who can help you work out where you want to go.

Answers:  Melbourne, Australia,  John Key (by two years—he’s 53),  Cliff Curtis,  To Kill a Mockingbird,  The Nazarites (Numbers 6:5,13,18).

• Face up to debt: By running away from debt, you’ll only get further into it. Instead, go to the companies you owe money to and tell them your plan to pay off the debt completely.

This may save you a bad credit rating—but make sure you stick to the plan!

OUR C HILDREN

HOUSING

WORK & INC OMES

C RIME &

PUNISHMENT

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• Save on power: Make sure all lights are turned off that don’t need to be on, and turn off all power points at the wall, especially at night—many appliances use power while on standby. If you have a heat pump, check filters—dirty

filters can double the usage costs. Make sure your water heater is not running too hot.

As a general rule, if the water is too hot to hold your hand under, then it’s using too much power.

• Save on food: Don’t shop at the dairy or petrol station, as they generally put around 35 percent more of a markup on their goods than supermarkets, so buyer beware! Check out your butcher—it can be as cheap to buy a whole topside (about eight kilos of solid meat) and get them to mince and package it, as to buy 500 grams of premium mince at the supermarket.

• Find small income sources: Every little bit helps, maybe look at selling items you don’t need any more on Trade Me. As a builder, I have made things to sell, and this has helped me.

Finally, some basic rules to live by: • If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.

• If you are in debt and still buying alcohol and cigarettes you are not as serious about getting out of debt as you should be.

• Always shop with a list of what you need and stick to it.

• Check out the Family Store, which can be a gold mine for people on a restricted income.

• If you have a credit card, make it your first priority to pay this off, and then cut it up.

Close Up | 11

Are You Not Entertained?

In the movie Gladiator, Russell Crowe plays Maximus Meridius who is sold into slavery as a gladiator.

BY INGRID BARRATT After a brutal fight to the death, Maximus raises his voice to the baying crowd and exclaims sardonically: ‘Are you not entertained?’ Yes, we are entertained. The Romans were entertained by the vulgar carnival of the gladiators. And we go and see the movie to be entertained.

Entertainment invades every corner of our lives, from our mobile phones to the sports field, to an endless array of leisure pursuits.

Often, the Christian response is to view ‘worthless’ entertainment as a diversion from the real and fruitful life. And that we need to try harder to live more productive, less diverted lives.

But I wonder: is entertainment a reflection of our human weakness? Or is it, in fact, a mirror towards God? Are we, in fact, created for entertainment?

At first glance this may sound strange, but entertainment encompasses the many and varied ways that we find enjoyment in life.

And it seems hardwired within us. Writer Doug McManaman makes the interesting point that the Latin word ‘humus’ is both the root word for ‘human’ and for ‘humour’. To be human, is to be humorous.

And humour seems like one of our most primal instincts, beginning with our first smiles and giggles when we are tickled as babies. In every culture, children make toys from the simplest objects, and we accept that playing is fundamental to their development.

But when we become adults, playtime is suddenly labelled as a diversion that gives us a rest from the real purpose of our lives —which is, of course, work. Yet perhaps God didn’t intend for us to make that distinction. Perhaps play and work are equally part of God’s purpose for us.

We don’t go to the movies to learn; we go to the movies for the sheer enjoyment of it—and that, perhaps, is its power. God largely reveals himself to us in the Bible through stories. Even sports has been described as a type of narrative unfolding. Stories bypass cold, hard facts to wind their way into our hearts.

Stories and sports results also hold surprises—when we find out how a story or a game of sport ends, it spoils the experience for many of us. A sunset is made all the more beautiful when we turn the corner and are suddenly faced with its breathtaking panorama. Perhaps that speaks of how God loves to surprise us.

God’s playfulness is one of his most astonishing characteristics. God intends for us to enjoy life. He calls us to find respite from work and pain, and to rest and laugh with him.

I think we love to be entertained because it helps us express the playfulness that God has created us for.

Our Christian tradition has tended to create a ‘hierarchy of worthiness’: at the top are spiritual pursuits like reading the Bible and praying, then there is work—preferably hard work, there’s family and friends, and at the very bottom is rest, relaxation and recreation.

The problem with this is that we can easily fall into the belief that time watching TV, for example, is time away from God. In reality, God infiltrates every aspect of life. He loves to spend purposeful quality time with us, as we do with our dearest friends. But he is also present in our interactions with our family, in our work and in our rest time.

To compartmentalise our lives into the ‘spiritual’ and the ‘secular’ is a false distinction.

This provides both a wonderful freedom and a challenge: how do we spend our entertainment time in a way that invites God’s presence?

So, would God watch Shortland Street? Well, it’s not as simple as: God approves of watching documentaries, but doesn’t approve of binge-watching Shortland Street. A better way to think of our entertainment time is to ask questions about how it fits in with God’s wider purposes of freedom, holiness and rest for us.

Jesus clearly taught that we should guard ourselves against evil: ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light,’ he says in Matthew 6:22. This is found in a passage where Jesus also talks about storing up treasures in heaven. The basic principle here is that what we allow into our lives will affect us spiritually. We can either choose light and life, or we can choose darkness.

As Gladiator powerfully portrays, entertainment can become ugly and hellish if we don’t guard ourselves. But when we invite Jesus into our entertainment, it has the potential to become a taste of heaven and a lamp of light.

It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. C.S. Lewis

12 | WarCry 23 August 2014

Death, Dylan and a Cat Named Oscar Jeremy Suisted asks what Oscar the cat can teach us about dealing with death, and living with life.

In a rest-home in Rhode Island, there is a cat. In of itself, that is nothing too exciting, but this cat—Oscar—has a gift that almost seems unbelievable. He purrs, miaows, gets hairballs (presumably) and enjoys sleeping by the fire. But Oscar the cat also has the uncanny ability that seems straight out of a Stephen King novel.

Oscar can sense death.

Adopted as a kitten from an animal shelter, Oscar grew up in the dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre, an aged-care home that describes itself as ‘pet friendly’.

But the staff and doctors noticed that Oscar would make his own rounds, sniffing and observing patients, before curling up and sleeping next to one. Within a few hours, that patient would pass away, and Oscar would get up and leave.

Within the first four years, Oscar had accurately predicted 50 patients’ deaths, with few false calls in the mix. Several different experts have weighed in on how Oscar is able to sense death; with some suggesting it is an ability to smell a death-chemical that humans have not observed yet. Regardless of how, whenever Oscar is discovered sleeping with a patient, the staff now calls the family and encourages them to come and be with their loved one.

Rage against the dying of the light So, what would you do if you awoke tomorrow to discover Oscar at your door? How would you respond to the news of your impending end? A scratch, a pitiful miaow—and suddenly your mortality is staring you down. What would be your response?

This question is one that we love to ask each other when we’re sitting around a campfire or trying to really get to know someone.

We ask, ‘What would you do if you only had a year to live? A month?

A week? A day?’ Suddenly, the air fills with places to see, activities to try and relationships to foster. When this question is asked, we get a glimpse into our own priorities, values, passions and dreams that we hold dear for this life.

Underneath all this, however, is a deeper belief. When faced with our own mortality, our response is to cram as much of life in as possible. We decide that we will live ‘Life Squared’—with everything in life dialled up to 11. Adventure, exploration, experiences and sensory pleasure—we pursue them, because deep down we believe that death is the end of all that is good about life. With this belief firmly in mind, we seek to get as much of the ‘good’ as we can —similar to a child at a buffet restaurant, being told that they are leaving in five minutes.

The finality of death—and the end of all goodness—can be seen in Dylan Thomas’ famous poem to his dying father. He urges his father to carry on living, pleading, ‘Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against

the dying of the light.’ More than a lament at the loss of his father, this poem is a reflection of the zeitgeist of the 21st century. Death is something to be shunned, ignored—and when it sneaks into our lives, it is something to be raged against.

The dead centre of town For much of human history, however, death was a far more central aspect of life. With disease, war, famine and ineffective healthcare, death was almost an everyday experience.

In the Middle Ages, time was measured in Saint’s days, which commemorated the days when spiritual leaders had died. Traditionally, the centre of each village in Europe was defined by the church, which was surrounded by a graveyard of community members who had gone before the living members. Instead of death being seen as the end of life and something to fight against, death was seen as a part of life that shaped the way humanity lived. In fact, according to much medieval theology, the very purpose of life was to prepare for death and what followed.

What would you do if you only had a year to live? A month? A week? A day?

With death as an ever-present reality, the focus of many churches was on Christ as the one who tasted death on our behalf. Ecclesial art shows Christ’s death and resurrection as a centre point to the faith community, often surrounded by Jesus’ proclamation—‘I am the resurrection and the life!’ Similarly, the comfort of Paul’s writing is almost palpable: ‘Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him’ (Romans 6:8). With death on the doorstep, the comfort of the one who had died for them was an undergirding pillar to existence in the Middle Ages.

In 1610, the Anglican priest and poet John Donne was struck with a major crisis. Thinking he had the plague, Donne wrote a poem to death—and the difference between his belief and that of Thomas’ is striking.

In his poem, Donne states that we will get pleasure from the rest of death, and that as soon as the best people die, they await the redemption of their bones and the delivery of their soul. The climax of the sonnet ends with a triumphant note: ‘One short sleep past, we wake eternally; And Death shall be no more, death thou shalt die!’

Death was not to be raged against; it was to be accepted and met with the confidence that there is more to come.

Movies are better than previews I want to be clear: death is not a good event. The Bible is full of laments and misery at the onset of death or the death of a loved one. We are not called to whistle through the graveyard, or offer trite comments to the grieving. Anyone who has lost someone dear to them will know the cruelty of death, and the ineffable welling in their

Soul Food | 13

soul that cries, ‘This is not right!’ We were made for much more than a life that ends in death.

But let us also understand that death is not the end. There is more to life than this, and if the Christian story is to be believed, then life-after-death is somehow more real, more true and (excuse the poor grammar) more good than this one. Trying to cram more into our current existence because we fear the end of it, is like trying to cram in more movie trailers before the actual movie starts. Movie previews are great, but movies are even better!

Social scientists, advertisers and athletes all realise that images inspire action. The Dutch sociologist Frederick Polak said, ‘Imagery inspires our intentions, which then move us purposefully forward.’

An athlete pictures themselves performing at their peak, and marketing cleverly displays images of a utopian future if we consume the right products.

But the Bible imagines a future that transforms our present. It is our calling to be so immersed in this image, that we begin to embody the future, here and now.

Ponder This

Holiness is a colour

What happens in life-after-death is shrouded in some mystery, with the Bible giving us merely a glimpse of the life to come. But it is a mystery that beckons us onwards and an adventure that awaits.

It is described as a gathering of all nations into one family, a picture that speaks powerfully into our racially-charged world. It speaks of a future of incredible generosity and love, inspiring us to begin this future of giving, now. It paints colours of righteousness and holiness, calling us to celebrate truth and beauty, while decrying the present evil. It is described as a new beginning, a new heaven and earth—words that inspire the imagination and then begin to shape the way we live now.

As we soak in the Scriptures, discovering more about our future, slowly but surely we see our actions, words, habits and dreams being drawn into harmony with this electric image.

Understanding our mortality shouldn’t lead us to fear death, but should call us to live lives that are rich in a future sense, as we seek to prepare ourselves for the adventure ahead. It is a mystery that is soaked in faith, hope and love, and that is the life that we are called to embark on now. As we do, we too can sing along with Paul, ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ And we thank God for how he transforms not only life, but death as well.

1 Corinthians 15:55 The Message

‘Death swallowed by triumphant Life!

Who got the last word, oh, Death?

Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?’

Say you only had one day to live: what would be the most important thing for you to do?

If you have experienced grief, what has given you hope during these dark times?

What does it mean for you to live ‘in the light of eternity’?

Try something different: using different colours, draw a picture of how you see your life at the moment. Now, draw how you would like your life to look like. What do you need to do to make that picture a reality?

Death is not the end of the road; it is only a bend in the road. The road winds only through those paths through which Christ himself has gone. This Travel Agent does not expect us to discover the trail for ourselves. Often we say that Christ will meet us on the other side. That is true, of course, but misleading. Let us never forget that he walks with us on this side of the curtain and then guides us through the opening. We will meet him there, because we have met him here.

Erwin Lutzer

14 WarCry 23 August 2014

The Challenge of Homelessness A stark reality of being homeless is the need to find somewhere safe and warm to sleep every night.

Craig Hexter, Country Sales Director of Bosch Power Tool Division, discovered this when he worked with Bosch in Victoria, Australia. To raise awareness of homelessness, the company participates in the annual Vinnies Community Sleepout in Melbourne.

Employees who take part donate to assist the fight against homelessness and Bosch matches these donations dollar for dollar.

‘I realised this involvement was an opportunity to do some rewarding community work,’ Craig says, ‘and when I moved to New Zealand, I wanted to continue helping homeless people.’

Craig coordinated a Bosch Community Sleepout in partnership with The Salvation Army in late June so people could experience what it is like to be homeless by sleeping ‘out’ for one night. For safety reasons, DHL provided a secure location outside their Mangere warehouse with a security guard present.

Participants brought their own sleeping bag and were given a piece of cardboard to sleep on.

Bosch provided a cup of soup and some bread in the evening and a most welcome breakfast of bacon and eggs early next morning.

An aspect of homelessness Craig has come to understand is that people are homeless for different reasons, often through no fault of their own. Apart from poverty, the homeless may face obstacles such as mental illness, addiction, criminal histories, and childhood neglect and abuse.

‘It’s particularly distressing for me to see homeless women and children,’ Craig says. ‘The alarming price of housing in New Zealand and unaffordable rents are contributing to this.’

Epsom Lodge in Auckland—a Salvation Army hostel that provides accommodation, support and supervision to people who otherwise would be homeless —used the funds raised by the Bosch Community Sleepout to purchase new mattresses for clients. ‘Our aim is to provide a tangible benefit for those in need,’ Craig says. ‘We like the mission of The Salvation

Army and their dedication to giving direct assistance to the homeless.’

Salvation Army National Operations Manager of Supportive Accommodation Captain Doug Newman says that with a limited income, Epsom Lodge previously relied on obtaining second-hand mattresses. ‘But we believe the people we support and care for deserve better than old and worn bedding,’ he says.

Supportive Accommodation clients are required to commit to

changing their lives and actively work towards their goals. To foster ready-to-work skills, the Bosch Power Tool Division has donated power tools and accessories with a value of $10,000 for the Epsom Lodge workshop.

‘The model of care we use has a multi-disciplined approach to helping clients overcome their difficulties and prepare them for an independent life in the community,’ Doug says. ‘This much appreciated donation of power tools will encourage our

Craig Hexter from Bosch with Capt Doug Newman at the Bosch Community Sleepout clients to share their skills and talents.’

Raising funds for new furnishings and donating power tools is just the start of support from Bosch for Epsom Lodge.

‘We also have an employee volunteer programme and plan to spend a day refurbishing their workshop and developing safehandling instruction cards for using power tools,’ Craig says.

Life Begins at Eighty

Women of all ages attend the Levin Home League, which is surely blessed with a great group who fully participate in the weekly programme.

In April, we celebrated 12 ladies who had turned 80 over the previous few months. The celebration included all the trimmings, with party games (‘Pin the Necklace on the Lady’ and a quirky ‘Pass the Parcel’), a YouTube viewing of an 80-year-old salsa dancer, a special morning tea, and an appropriate devotions made for an enjoyable morning.

Home League has always been a positive part of Levin corps, and the women’s contribution to corps life is legendary.

Marlene Dunsmore (Home League Secretary)

Our Community | 15

Glenfield Off to a Great Start in 2014 Ecclesiastes 3:1 says ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven’, and here at Glenfield Corps (Captain Rebecca Gane), it has been quite literally a time to break down and a time to build up. Over the past six months or so we have seen builders, painters, plumbers, electricians and carpet layers (to name a few trades) apply themselves to transforming our buildings.

Gone are the orange walls and pink carpet, now replaced with heat pumps and a brand new kitchen.

In May, a large Red Shield was installed outside our building. There are few places in Glenfield you can’t see this from.

But as exciting as it is to see our buildings transformed, we are even more excited to see how God will use us and our updated facilities to transform lives!

For some time, our Highbury Family Store had set aside space for a Community Room, and in June this vision came to fruition. We’ve yet to fully see its potential, but we’re hoping it will be a place for people to drop in, have a hot beverage, and enjoy friendship and support.

A lighthouse stands in a corner of the room, a daily reminder of William Booth’s

‘Vision of the Lost’. Brand new facilities or not, our mission at Glenfield Corps hasn’t changed: to help people find and follow Jesus.

Late last year, the Highbury Family Store trialled opening late nights (to 9 pm) on Thursdays to fundraise for youth events, and it has been such a success that we have made it a permanent thing.

This has also been a great opportunity for our corps family to volunteer and interact with the public (as well as getting in a little shopping on the side!).

Our Junior Youth Group has experienced huge growth under the leadership of Melissa Morris and Aaron Stephen.

Some examples of Friday night youth events include minion night, baking night, ice-cream night, and not to forget Knee Drill. There is a lot of clean up afterwards, but it’s all made worthwhile when you hear that 23 young people have given their lives to God! Unfortunately, our season with Melissa has ended—we thank her for all the work she’s done to build the children’s and youth ministry at Glenfield.

It’s a buzzing place at Glenfield, and how could it not be? 430 Glenfield Road is

now home to Glenfield Corps, North Shore Korean Corps Plant, North Shore Community Ministries (NSCM), and is the administrative home of the Glenfield and Highbury Family Stores.

Rather than working in isolation, we are sharing ideas and resourcing each other however we can. For instance, due to renovations, NSCM ran its youth budgeting course in the Korean Corps building, our Glenfield Family Store Manager has joined our youth leadership team, our corps family are gearing up to make marmalade for our food bank, and the Highbury Family Store has supplied jars for this new venture.

Overall, the first half of 2014 at Glenfield has been a time of change, but when we’ve taken the time to stop and reflect, we see that God has been sovereign over the transformation Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.’

Jane Stephen (Corps Secretary)

Hornby Continues to Advance

Change is progress, proof of movement in a forward direction. Only God is unchanging, but as his people we continue to change and grow. I was reading a history book recently about the anniversary of a Salvation Army corps (church), and noted the large and small changes that had consolidated that Corps over the years. Now it is the time for Hornby Community Ministries to make another change as it further develops its effectiveness and influence into the surrounding community.

On Sunday 14 July, 33 people—including eight children—met in the Hornby Salvation Army centre for a time of welcome and worship with their new officers, Auxiliary-Captains Eric and Julie Turner (pictured). The couple had been warranted as auxiliary captains

the previous Sunday at their home corps of Sydenham Corps and appointed directors of Hornby Community Ministries.

Eric welcomed everybody and introduced a newly formed music group, consisting of three young people and himself—on two guitars, a ukulele and a bongo drum. The meeting began with the Lord’s Prayer in English and in Māori led by Amiria, a volunteer at Hornby Community Ministries who has started attending church services along with her family.

Eric introduced a focus on prayer for the meeting before he and Julie introduced themselves and some of their family. Alan Cross read a message of welcome from Majors Barbara and Kingsley Sampson. Major Barbara Sampson was the centre’s previous director.

After the sharing of prayer needs and the viewing of a video on prayer, everyone moved into small groups to answer some questions on prayer, before praying together. A list of useful prayer tips was distributed before the final song, ‘Show Your Power’.

Morning tea followed the service. During this time, everyone sat around tables, catching up on the week’s events and following through any questions from discussions during the meeting. This is a regular feature at Hornby, offering an opportunity to get to know others better and further greet newcomers. Everyone looks forward to this time.

Auxiliary-Captains Eric and Julie Turner have been welcomed into their first appointment with warmth and high expectations. We are confident God will draw the local community closer to himself through the work of Hornby Community Ministries, and look forwards to seeing the fruit of this reflected in our Sunday meetings.

Progress is good when it is focused on God. Shirley Hunter

16 WarCry 23 August 2014

What If? Typical Church—Questions posed from the Rolleston Corps Plant Every Sunday morning, the driveway at the quarters of The Salvation Army officers in Rolleston fills with cars. People begin to arrive for the purpose of spending time in worship together.

In this new corps plant, we do church just like everyone else. We have announcements, seats that people tend to sit in every time they come, and people get welcomed at the door. Where we might differ from other corps is in our how things look. We have a rectangle of couches, instead of rows of pews or chairs. We have a whiteboard, instead of a projector screen. We have a Cajón, instead of a drum kit.

We don’t stand on a stage for anything. But, it is the practices, not the appearance that defines a gathering.

Sunday meetings here at Rolleston comprise various ‘spaces’. The spaces are simple times where people can share about their hearts, or lead a time of focus. These different spaces are: Prayer: This is always a corporate time of prayer, with different people leading, using and sorts of different styles. The way this time happens, is often a reflection of the person leading it. When we have corporate music, it’s often in this space. The point is that we, as a people, commune with God. Justice Focus: This is space for people to share about an injustice.

The person sharing introduces a ‘what can be done about this?’ challenge, leads open discussion, and/or we join in prayer about the issue that’s been raised. Often, our prayer and justice focus happen together. There is no limit to how much time we can spend in this space. The point is that we all become more and more aware of the things we’re called to change.

Creativity: Creative expression is important to us, so we create space for people to share of themselves. Often we call this ‘altar time’, which is a principle based around building altars to remember the things that God has done for us. A great way to ‘build an altar’ is to use your own personality to express something. The point is that

Cloud Festival is All About Jesus Cloud Festival, an all-new experience, is being planned for Auckland in January 2015. The purpose is for churches in Auckland and throughout New Zealand to come together for one day and to give thanks to their creator.

Hosted at QBE Stadium in Auckland (formerly North Harbour Stadium), and featuring three stages with 20-plus artists, Cloud Festival is unashamedly all about Jesus and is the must-attend event this summer. With some of the freshest and biggest acts coming together, Cloud is excited to serve a smorgasbord of international and local favourites, along with some global inspirational speakers who will provide a boost to help kickstart your 2015 in the right way.

Some clever pricing will help as many people as possible attend.

With only 7000 early-bird tickets available, a special ‘ticking tickets’ promotion allows for incredibly cheap pricing. Tickets are priced as follows: • general admission: $67 + booking fee • family of up to five: $185 + booking fee • groups of 20-plus: $57 + booking fee You’ll need to get in quick—from 11 August until 19 November, ticket prices will increase by $1.35 each week.

Throughout August, all artists and speaker announcements will happen on LIFE FM (proud partner of Cloud Festival). Some of your favourite artists will be heading back to New Zealand, as well as artists and speakers who have never been to these shores.

Concertgoers are in for a treat!

Cloud Festival Director Joel Ulbricht is no stranger to music festivals and events. Ulbricht and his team were the drivers behind successful Worship Experience events throughout New Zealand, Australia and China, featuring the likes of Hillsong Young & Free, Omega Levine, Rapture Ruckus and Lecrae.

Ulbricht has put together a stellar-team of professionals who have directed, managed, produced and coordinated some of the biggest Christian music festivals over the past 20 years. This team is armed with experience, energy and loads of enthusiasm.

Go to

cloudfestival.co.nz for more info and to buy tickets

people are able to express themselves.

Learning: On Sundays, we always study the Bible. We’re currently working verse-by-verse through Luke. Everyone is welcome to participate in this. We don’t really preach a sermon, as much as we learn to interpret into our own lives. This looks more like a Bible Study than a traditional ‘message’. The point is that as a people we are learning the Bible.

Mission: We create space for people to share and present mission ideas, visions, passions and opportunities. We are building a ‘mission board’ where all these mission ideas can be placed. This becomes the ‘feature’ wall of our gathering spaces. The point is that we all celebrate each other’s personal ministries.

Hospitality: Hospitality is a part of our meeting together, but it also encompasses everything else. Hospitality is the space we inhabit whenever we meet. That’s because the act of opening a home to others carries with it an immediate relational intimacy. Food is a significant part of our worship culture. We share in morning tea as people arrive and we don’t stop till lunch. Often, we have our worship gathering over brunch, or we stay for lunch afterwards. The point is that we share our lives together—and this usually starts and ends with food.

Nathan Holt (Corps Officer, Rolleston Corps Plant)

GAZETTE Retirement The Territorial Commander advises that Cols Graeme and Wynne Reddish will retire from active service on 31 August.

Col Graeme Reddish, Chief Secretary, will have completed almost 41 years of officer service. Col Wynne Reddish, Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries, will have completed almost 33 years of service.

Graeme entered the Officer Training College from the Thames Corps with wife Nola (from Tauranga Corps) in the Blood and Fire Session in 1972.

On their commissioning on 12 Jan 1974, the couple were appointed to Waitara Corps. This was followed by appointments to Devonport, Rotorua and Glenfield Corps, before being appointed to the Finance Department in Jan 1983. In 1991, Graeme became Financial Secretary.

In 1997, Graeme and Nola were appointed divisional leaders of the Southern Division. A return to Territorial Headquarters (THQ) as Assistant Secretary for Programme in 2000 was followed by an appointment as Financial Secretary in 2001. During this time, Nola was appointed Team Leader, Mission Communications. Nola was promoted to Glory on 30 June 2002.

Graeme was appointed Assistant Secretary for Programme in 2004, and married Wynne Jellyman on 16 April 2005.

Wynne trained as a member of the God’s Soldiers Session (from Miramar Corps). Following her commissioning on 16 Jan 1982, she was appointed to Hornby Corps. In March 1983, Wynne was appointed Youth Department Assistant, THQ. In 1986, she returned to a corps appointment at Edendale Corps before an appointment as Field Training Officer, School for Officer Training in 1988. This was followed by an appointment to Fiji as Regional Secretary and Child Sponsorship Secretary.

On returning to New Zealand, Wynne was appointed to THQ as Associate

Territorial Auditor (1996), Assistant Financial Secretary (2001) and Financial Secretary (Nov 2004).

In Oct 2005, Majors Graeme and Wynne Reddish were appointed divisional leaders, Central Division.

Wynne received an additional appointment as Mission Director Employment Plus, Central Region, in 2006.

On 1 Feb 2007, with promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonels, Graeme and Wynne were appointed to International Headquarters as Chief International Auditor and Assistant Chief International Auditor respectively.

They returned home in March 2009 as Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries, with the rank of colonel.

Colonels Graeme and Wynne Reddish have offered wise spiritual leadership in every appointment. God has used their gifts and strengths to extend his kingdom through their service and ministry in and through The Salvation Army. It is with sincere thanks and appreciation that we honour the Reddishes for their faithful and loyal service, and pray God’s blessing on them in their retirement.

Their retirement service will be held at 3 pm on Sunday 31 August at Johnsonville Salvation Army, conducted

by Mjr Wayne Jellyman.

Appointments in Retirement Effective 13 Oct: Col Graeme Reddish, Secretary for Business, Booth College of Mission; Col Wynne Reddish, Territorial Auditor, THQ. Appointment Effective 13 Oct: Mjr Russell Malcolm, Projects Officer, Business Section, THQ (additional to his appointment as Assistant Territorial Auditor).

Birth Congratulations to Lieut Suman and Capt Murray McIntosh on the birth of a son, Samuel Caleb McIntosh, in Dunedin on 31 July.

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CALENDAR

University Study and Christian Faith

AUGUST : Just Action: In Your Backyard (Christchurch) : Youth & Children’s Training / Tonga Region 24: Self-Denial Sunday : Blaze Youth Event (Johnsonville) / Central Division –: Regional Children’s Camps / Fiji Division –: Officers Fellowship / Southern Division : Just Action: In Your Backyard / Wellington : Just Action: In Your Backyard / Auckland : Kneedrill Youth Event / Northern Division –: Corps Cadet Camp (East) / Fiji Division –: Thought Matters Conference / Auckland : Safe to Serve Training / Northern Division – Sept: Divisional Review / Fiji Division – Sept: Officers Fellowship / Central Division

5–7 September

The Wellington Centre for Christian Studies at Victoria University (Ramsey House, 8 Kelburn Pde, Wgtn) is holding its first short course for university students.

‘Thinking Deeper’ offers students an opportunity to pause and reflect on the ways in which the Christian gospel addresses their chosen course of study. Runs from Friday 5 Sept, 7 pm, to Sunday 7 Sept, midday. Cost: $30. For more info, e: John.

Dennison@vuw.ac.nz / p: 022 104 2986.

Words of Life: Latest Edition Out Now! September to December 2014

SEPTEMBER –: Officers Fellowship / Central Division : Family Store Conference / Midland Division –: 10-Year Officer Review / Fiji Division : Children and Leaders Worship & Kai / Central Division : Youth & Children’s Training (East) / Fiji Division : Regional Children’s Leadership Meeting (East) / Fiji Division 7: Father’s Day : Regional Meeting / Tonga Region –: Regional Review / Tonga Region –: Kids Camp / Central Division : DHQ Planning Day / Midland Division –: Youth Conference / Central Division –: Foundations for Community Ministries / Booth College of Mission : Positive Lifestyle Programme Training / Central Division

Daily devotional messages to bring the power and wisdom of God’s Word into your everyday life.

Concluding 2014’s ‘Love’ series, Major Beverly Ivany takes ‘Amazing Love’ as the theme for this edition.

What love we see in the Old Testament! It shines through Ezekiel’s visions; we see God’s works of love in the lives of the minor prophets Joel, Jonah, Habukkuk and Malachi; and in the New Testament we witness God’s love in Paul’s letters to the Philippians and Timothy, as well as in the letters from Peter and John to God’s people. The year closes with Jesus’ magnificent Revelation, before a glimpse into the Christmas story.

Order today from Salvationist Resources. Phone: (04) 382 0768, email: mailorder@ nzf.salvationarmy.org.

SpiritSong in Whangarei: Let Love Lead the Way

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS

13–14 September

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

7 pm concert at The Salvation Army, 3–7 Aubrey Street, Whangarei. $5 door entry, plus $5 dessert.

 August: Just Action Conferenc / Christchurch (TPWM)  August: Just Action Conference / Wellington (TC)  August: Just Action Conference / Auckland (TC)  August: Retirement Service for Cols Graeme and Wynne Reddish

10:30 am Sunday worship: ‘Wearing our Hearts on Our Sleeves’

Colonels Graeme (Chief Secretary) and Wynne Reddish (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries)—retire on 31 August – August: Fiji Divisional Review  August: Retirement Service Colonels Willis Howell (Chief Secretary) and Barbara Howell Reddish (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries)—from 1 September  September: Welcome to Territorial Headquarters  September: Spiritual Day / Booth College of Mission

PRAYER FOCUS Please pray for: Waihi, Waitakere Central, Wanganui City, Wellington 614 and Wellington City Corps; Midland Divisional Headquarters; The Philippines Territory.

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

• Experience the raw energy of God’s power in your life • Take your faith higher and impact your world!

Don’t miss the most significant Men’s Event of 2014! - Register now!

WELLINGTON 12-13 September Lane Park, Upper Hutt

AUCKLAND 3-4 October

Victory Convention Centre, Freemans Bay

18 WarCry 23 August 2014

LEADERSHIP LINKS

It doesn’t seem possible—the years have simply disappeared!

(Or have they?) Just a few thoughts as Wynne and I come to retirement.

When I (Graeme) think back to 1972, I remember a very shy young man saying yes to God and entering The Salvation Army Training College at 33 Aro Street, Wellington.

This was a step of faith and trust because what God was asking me to do was much bigger than me. But I had two promises. One was from Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. The second was from an old chorus that simply states: If Jesus goes with me I’ll go anywhere; Tis heaven to me wherever I be if he is there; I count it a privilege here his cross to bear; If Jesus goes with me I’ll go anywhere.

Retirement is now just around the corner, but God has been with me in every situation, wherever I have gone. And no, the years have not simply ‘disappeared’. These years of service and ministry in God’s strength and in response to his call upon my life have been very meaningful and have provided unlimited opportunity to serve God in many ways, in many different places.

For me (Wynne), a journey of over 32 years comes to an end on 31 August, and a new journey begins. But what a journey that has been! Entering training college in 1980, my brother gave me a Bible verse to encourage me: The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it’ (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Through 32 years of officership—serving in three countries and in many appointments—I have always found that promise to be true.

Officership has been an amazing journey of discovery—of God, of myself, of people and places. I have done things I had never imagined possible. Each step of the way, God has been with me and enabled me to meet the demands of the day. In my own strength, impossible; but in God’s strength, it has been done. He has been faithful.

Is God asking you to go on a journey with him? If so, we would encourage you to step out in faith. Trust God to lead and equip you for the journey and the tasks he has for you. God will not fail you!

As Paul writes in the book of Romans, chapter 11, verses 33 and 36 (The Message): Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out … Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him.

Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes. Colonels Graeme and Wynne Reddish Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Womens’ Ministries

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE WORD OF GOD 1 Thessalonians 5:24

‘The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.’

Think Before You Vote ‘Dealing with poverty and unfairness in New Zealand needs to be of central importance to all political parties and all voters,’ says Major Campbell Roberts, Director of The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit.

With this in mind, the unit has released a series of voter videos to help people prepare to cast their vote in this year’s election.

The videos highlight five key policy areas in five separate videos: safe and affordable housing; social hazards such as alcohol, gambling and loan sharks; work and income for all; caring for our children; and crime and punishment.

‘The vulnerable and low-income New Zealanders that The Salvation Army works with say these are the issues they want to hear from politicians on,’ says Roberts. ‘We also believe addressing these issues will build a better and more just New Zealand.’

A sixth video counters voter apathy among churchgoers by exploring the topic ‘Why Should Christians Vote?’

The videos were launched in a series of candidate debates in Papkura, Flaxmere, Christchurch, Lower Hutt and Henderson during the first week of August.

‘Our videos don’t tell people which party to vote for,’ Major Roberts emphasises, ‘but we do want to help voters consider policies that will benefit the most vulnerable Kiwis. We are saying, “Don’t just vote based on self-interest; think of your vote as a way of caring for others.” ’ Watch the videos yourself, share them on social media, and use them in small groups or among your work colleagues during the lunch break. Discussion questions are also available online.

For more info, contact The Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, e: socialpolicy@nzf.salvationarmy.org

The voter videos can be viewed on salvationarmy. org.nz/election2014 (with links to download them for offline viewing) and on The Salvation Army’s You Tube channel, youtube.com/salvationarmynzft

Mission Matters 19

The Important Work of Government Part of a series of occasional articles from The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission. James Read and Don Posterski consider the topic of government and the common good.

Why are we so ready to criticize and complain about governments and their leaders? Broken promises? Vote buying? Incompetence?

Cronyism? Corruption? Waste? Abuse of power? There are lots of reasons for dissent. Maybe even disillusionment.

Fussing and fuming about governments may be fashionable, but like it or not, governments are indispensible in creating societies that provide opportunities for measures of equity and fairness. Stated candidly, unless political decision makers are guided by social justice consciences, the prospects for developing more just societies are impossible.

Consider the importance of the work of our governments. Our ‘social contract’ includes: • Provision: Education, healthcare, transportation.

• Protection: Police and courts, fire, safety standards, social security.

• Policy: Immigration, employment, taxation, economic development.

Every society has some kind of governance structure. Leadership may be vested in dictators, monarchs, theocrats, democratically elected representatives or marxist ideologues. Some lean to the right and others bend left. The pendulum can swing between too much government and too little. But wherever there is a country or a collective social structure, political leaders wield their power.

So, what are our choices? More criticism? Fatalistic compliance?

Or … is it possible to envision governments and their power as allies to achieve God’s vision for creation? Can The Salvation Army find points of connection and use its organisational collateral to influence government leaders to adopt policies that lead to the common good?

Salvation Army leaders in New Zealand have acted on this challenge. They have a track record of advocating with their government to achieve a shared vision.

Over his 30 years of ministry, Major Campbell Roberts has had a vision for finding effective ways of engaging the gospel while shaping the social and economic direction impacting the lives of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people. In 2003, the dream became reality with his appointment to establish a unit to engage public policy. Over the past 10 years, the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, housed in one of New Zealand’s most deprived neighbourhood, has engaged

influential leaders and organizations in changing the social and economic agenda of the nation A key publication of the unit is the annual Salvation Army State of the Nation. The report examines crucial areas of public policy: the state of New Zealand’s children, the fairness of work and incomes policies, the adequate provision of housing, improving criminal justice policies and national progress in reducing social hazards.

State of the Nation has become a cornerstone document in New Zealand. Influential with political leaders and parties, the analysis is widely reported in the media and disseminated to decision makers.

In a number of instances, issues raised in the report have resulted in effective government action. The changed policies have resulted in improvements for the poorest and most vulnerable across the nation.

The pendulum can swing between too much government and too little.

This New Zealand experience shows us there can be alignment between the vision of a Christian church and social service agency and the responsibility of the State.

The resolve here is not to be naïve. There are times to dissent a government’s policies and practices. However, there are also times when the well-being of a society and its citizens can be best served when the affairs of the state and the affairs of faith intersect.

Everyone benefits when they augment each other for the sake of the common good.

There is more collaboration to pursue. Consider the massive realm of climate change and concern for the environment. God’s first creation command was to be stewards of the environment. The moral responsibilities of governments include passing on a sustainable world to future generations. Here’s a case where religious questions can lead to political answers and political questions can lead to religious answers. Across the globe, we have work to do together that is still unfinished.

The International Social Justice Commission is The Salvation Army’s strategic voice to advocate for human dignity and social justice with the world’s poor and oppressed. Go to salvationarmy.org/isjc

GOD & FAITH

A WORD TO THE GIRLS

BY INGRID BARRATT

We’re talking about that naughty word ‘feminism,’ of course.

Now, I’m not a feminist, but …

You might have said these words, and if not, you’ve probably heard them: ‘I’m not a feminist, but …’ We usually say it cos we don’t want to come across as a man-hating, mouthy kinda gal. And we would like a boyfriend one day. But what does ‘feminism’ really mean?

The word ‘feminism’ is a bit like the word ‘Christian’—whenever you describe yourself this way, people have a zillion different assumptions about what it means. Some people think feminism began during the hippie era, when women burned their bras—how much this actually happened is debatable, but the point is, women stopped caring what guys thought and personal hygiene standards slipped.

Others think that feminists are women that don’t like guys. I recently came across a book called Are Men Obsolete?, where feminist author Maureen Dowd quipped, ‘Men are so last century.’ Burn.

Then there are feminists with chips on their shoulders. Feminists with short hair.

Feminists with long hair. Feminists who are also vegetarians. Feminists who express themselves through dance. Feminists who love Jesus. Hey, what was that last one?

The first feminist Many top Bible scholars believe that the first known feminist was the apostle Paul in the Bible. He made this feminist statement: ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:28).

Here, Paul recognises the freedom we all experience when we treat everyone with respect and equality. He was arguably the first to state that everyone is of equal worth —and the reason for this is Christ. The worth of every individual is a deeply and profoundly Christian belief.

It’s possible that Paul couldn’t have imagined a world where slavery was outlawed, or where women were allowed an education. But the powerful words that he wrote paved the way for radical changes in society.

Feminism, in its purest form, is nothing more that the belief that women are equal to men.

If you believe that, then you’re a feminist. More importantly, you’re living out the teachings and example of Christ.

Why girls should vote ‘Feminism is the radical notion that women are people,’ said British suffragist and journalist Rebecca West. Some of the most significant people in the modern feminist movement were what was termed ‘suffragettes’—a term of derision for women fighting for the right to vote.

Our own, much-loved heroine Kate Shepherd was a leading light in helping New Zealand become the first country in the world to give women the vote. We’re pretty proud of the fact—and rightly so.

But what is not so commonly known is that Kate didn’t set out to be a feminist, nor did she set out to win the vote for women.

Kate was an ardent member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), which was the first mass organisation among women devoted to social reform based on Christian beliefs.

 AUGUST  | 

FIREZONE.CO.NZ

I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING

It sounds a lot like The Salvation Army: Christianity with its sleeves rolled up. And like the Army, one of the key ways that these women wanted to see society reformed was in changing our cultural dependency on alcohol. But they quickly realised they weren’t going to make any difference to society unless they were able to help change laws. And they couldn’t change laws unless they were able to vote.

Kate’s brand of feminism was deeply grounded in Christianity. (By the way, that’s why, if you’re old enough this year, make sure you do your research on who to vote for and get yourself down to that polling booth. Voting is a key way that we get to have a say in what our society looks like!)

Mean girls Our Salvation Army co-founder Catherine Booth was another ardent member of the temperance movement, and also had to fight for the right to teach Christian truths.

The important role of women in leadership is part of the Army’s cultural heritage, which has blessed both men and women in our movement.

How did feminism get such a bad name? Like any good thing, the evil forces in our world provide a distortion of God’s truth. Feminism is essentially good and right, but some aspects have concentrated on beliefs that devalue men. Or that try and mould women into men. In fact, some things have been said about men that are downright mean.

Yet, if we go back to Paul’s words, we realise again that men and women are of equal worth—so seeing men as inferior is no better than seeing women as inferior. This is just swapping one sexism for another.

The goal of Paul’s message was freedom in Christ—and that means the beautiful, joyous discovery of who God made you to be.

Whether you’re a ‘girlie girl’ or a ‘tomboy’, go for it, knowing that you are of equal value and God made your unique characteristics.

If you’re a metro kinda guy, express yourself, fulla. If you’re a proper bloke, on ya.

IF I GET ALL FEMMY ON IT, WILL ANY GUYS LIKE ME?

The bottom line is: if we know God loves who we are, and that we’re of equal worth to anyone, we don’t need to diminish anyone else to prove our own worth.

But … err … there’s one more thing I know what you’re thinking (cos I’m a girl and I’ve been there): if I get all femmy on it, will any guys like me? There’s a bit of a thing at the moment that we girls have to be intelligent and self-reliant. But we also need to be into baking and florals. And we need to not be intimidating. And we should eat pizza and

Don’t be that girl!

You know when a guy opens the door for you or picks up your diary that you dropped (and embarrassing, it’s got ‘Mrs Gosling’ written all over it), it makes us girls swoon, right?

Then there are some girls that are like, ‘I don’t need a guy to do that for me.’ Don’t be that girl. Being chivalrous is a mark of respect and honour. When you really understand your value, you can allow others to help you without seeing it as a sign of weakness. The guy is trying to be kind, so simply be kind back.

Don’t be that guy!

You know when you make a sexist joke and then some girl gets riled up, and you’re like, ‘Psyche! I was just winding you up.’ Don’t be that guy. Girls are allowed to get annoyed about sexist jokes, the way we would be about racist or homophobic jokes—it’s called ‘righteous anger’. It doesn’t mean you or your girl mates have to take yourselves too seriously, just show some respect.

anything we want, but not get fat. Oh, and we should be good with kids, but not clucky.

You know what, all these things are expectations put on us by outside influences (including Christian culture, at times)—but they are not put on to us by God. Now that I’m an old married woman, let me share a little of what I’ve discovered: if a guy is going to like you, he’s just going to like you for who you are. If you’re into baking, he’s going to like that because he likes you. If you’re ‘one of the guys’, he’ll like that, cos he likes you.

Christ has set us free from having to strive to be anything other than what he made us to be. The world is full of striving, but God calls us to rest in him.

If we understand this, we’re not going to scare any guys off because we have the intelligence to realise that we are their equal. We’re also not going to have anything to prove, so we don’t need to be arrogant in our beliefs. We just need to be ourselves.

Also, any guy who’s worth it will realise that he is blessed if he gives you the freedom to be everything God made you to be. Just like you are blessed by his strength and intelligence and ability to throw a ball (okay, Valerie Adams can also throw a ball, but you get my point!)

Guys are a blessing to us. We are a blessing to them. Understanding that is sometimes called feminism. But it’s also called freedom in Christ.

NEXT WEEK: A Word to the Guys

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EVENTS | 

Boundless Opportunities Cameron Millar from Napier Corps has the opportunity of a lifetime: a year living and volunteering in the heart of London.

Cameron was chosen to represent the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory as a young adult volunteer for the international Congress ‘Boundless’, which is being held in London in July 2015—and we’re stoked Cameron will be representing us! He left our shores early this month to head over to International Headquarters. We caught up with Cameron and talked to him all about this crazy adventure …

Tell us a bit about yourself: I grew up in a loving family with my two parents, two sisters and my brother. We first started attending The Salvation Army when we were living on a dairy farm in Woodville. We moved to Napier when I was seven and we started going to the Sallies there. I’m now 24 years of age, have been the leader of youth ministries at Napier Corps for the past three or so years, finished my Bachelor of Business Studies ... and made lots of lasting friendships.

How did you get the opportunity to be a Boundless volunteer? I didn’t know it at the time but my name was put forward to Divisional Headquarters by my Divisional Youth Secretary (DYS) and was then put forward to Territorial Headquarters.

I was then chosen by a board to represent our territory and was phoned by my DYS to say I’d been chosen.

I was very surprised because I knew nothing about it!

Every territory then had the opportunity to put names forward to International Headquarters (IHQ) to be chosen to join a small volunteer team. Months later, someone finally called me to say it was all go and that IHQ had accepted our territory’s delegate, which was me!

Why do you think IHQ wanted young people involved with Boundless? Because The General said so, ha ha! But seriously, the General is really keen to have young people heard and represented at all levels, and involved with things. And you have to listen to the General when he says to do something.

What are you most looking forward to?

Living and working in London and engaging in The Salvation Army’s mission there. However, my mum thinks it’s finding a wife!

What do you hope is the outcome of Boundless 2015? The tagline for the congress is ‘Boundless: the Whole World Redeeming’.

That would be pretty sweet! But also, I would love to see a more connected, passionate, motivated, focused, intergenerational movement going forward—an Army getting out there and changing the world.

What kind of things will you be doing? I will be working alongside the other members of the congress office, supporting them, organising things for Boundless, and being a voice for young people. Plus anything else they ask me to do, pretty much.

What will you miss most? The ministries that I’ve been involved in at Napier, especially the SALT youth group boys. And my family, of course.

What are you packing/ taking with you? Warm clothes, Pineapple Lumps, my Pillow Pet ‘Gallagher’, which was a gift (check out Gallagher’s adventures on his own Facebook page).

Oh, and my uniform and Glory Flag!

It would be awesome to see people committed to our international vision:

One Army

We see a God-raised, Spirit-filled Army for the 21st century—convinced of our calling, moving forward together.

One Mission

Into the world of the hurting, broken, lonely, dispossessed and lost, reaching them in love by all means.

One Message

With the transforming message of Jesus, bringing freedom, hope and life.

Do you get to hang out with the General leading up to Boundless? I’ll be working at IHQ and we will be hanging out … even if he doesn’t know it yet.

If so, can you make a pact with him that you both won’t shave until Boundless? I’ll give it a go!

Keep Cameron in your prayers over the next 12 months as he works alongside the Boundless team to organise and prepare for such a massive event, while living on the other side of the world, far away from all of his favourite Kiwis. Go hard, Cameron!

BY VANESSA SINGH

1

There are lots more sheep in New Zealand than people.

WORD FIND

10

It’s okay to tell lies.

T or F

9

8

Homework is never usefu l.

T or F

T or F

T or F

3

The tallest w in Ne mountain raki/ Ao is d n la Zea o C Mt ok.

T or F

4

T or F

5

You don’t really need to eat breakfast in the mornings.

T or F

6

V Some T are es m m a r to prog d for us not goo tch. wa

T or F

7

Water is a healthy ch oice to drink.

T or F

LET’S TALK The Bible teaches is to be honest in life—not to lie, but to always tell the truth.

There are lots of good reasons to be honest: • you don’t get into trouble when your lies are found out • you don’t get confused, trying to keep track of the lies you’ve told • it means people can trust you with work, with money and other stuff, and with the things they tell you • you are someone that people want to be around, because they know you don’t lie or make up hurtful stories • you are doing right and living the way God wants you to live.

WHO TELLIN IS GT TRUTH HE ?

God wants us to always tell the truth.

e

Truthfulness Trick

The All Blacks y are the best rugb . rld wo e team in th

E C T P C J S A X E J L T U K Y N

2

Gorse is na ti to New Zea ve land.

T or F

Who is Telling the Truth Answers: 1=T, 2=F, 3=T, 4=T, 5=F, 6=T, 7=T, 8=F, 9=T, 10=F

QW F A C T Which words describe how God wants us to live?

F A L S E Lawful e e l t b a a r RWC J G S d Accu Depen Fair I D R C E F R Cheat True Good A J E O U Q D Z Help Liar F G D P N R T W E RWK A U L A B L H G H N E E G A F C Z J R C T T R U T H F U L N E S S N H T R B H G I L D E Z J R L F Z E T L H N D U E F I P WG P O L C M I M F G E N P X O A Z I S C D A H H Q Y T B C V A R R E L I A B L E N OW Y T M U A A G K R P T H B S U G L Q X O E H Q R P J O L U E G D L L B M E X G A F I H Q O E Y I V M T WA K U sty Fact e n o H O C V H W S P R J H F A Genuine Wrong N I L T W J U BW E N Deceive E E F I K O E A H J C Lie Kind M C S Z A E L C V L B Loyal able i l e R I E X T V R I J R Z Right D U O Y V False E V Pretend E n c oura K I N D g

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… Stop lying and start telling each other the truth.

Ephesians 4:25, CEV LET’S PRAY Dear God, when I am tempted to tell a lie, help me to instead choose only to tell the truth. I want to be someone others can trust, who lives an honest life. Amen.

Will

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