War Cry THE
Est 1879 No 7002
FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND SOULS
26 February 2011
salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry
TIME LORD Doctor Who exhibition takes off Page 16
20p/25c
WILL OSCAR HONOUR KING COLIN? asks PHILIP HALCROW
Colin Firth as King George VI in ‘The King’s Speech’
WHO’S in the frame for an Oscar when the awards are handed out at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood tomorrow (Sunday 27 February)? Nev Pierce, Editor-at-Large of film-buff magazine Empire, says that The King’s Speech – in which Colin Firth portrays King George VI’s attempts to overcome a stammer – is ‘definitely favourite’ for Best Picture. Turn to page 3
Momentum/©AMPAS®
He tells The War Cry: ‘You’ve only got to look at the fact that it has won the Directors Guild of America Award
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NEWS
The War Cry 26 February 2011
LEADER CALLS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LEGISLATION
Cyclone Yasi clear-up
Pastor under the heel in Cuba
THIS ISSUE: SALLY ANN SEWS HOPE FOR FUTURE p8
PLUS
MEDIA/COMMENT p6
GAMBLING PROPOSALS CHALLENGED
A LENT course is I encouraging people to watch TV. The course,
Churches urge rethink on raising the stakes
produced by Christian education trust Damaris, includes a downloadable guide for leaders of church discussion groups and is based on a book Get More Like Jesus While Watching TV. The book argues that people can use television programmes to help them spiritually. For more information visit damaris.org/lent
PA photo
GROUPS are running a I campaign to demand that the G20 commits itself to
CHURCH groups, including The Salvation Army, have urged the Government to halt its plans to raise the maximum stakes of gaming machines and the number of machines allowed on premises. In a submission to the Government, The Salvation Army expressed concern that changes in the limits will worsen problem gambling. The latest Gambling Prevalence Survey, published last week, showed that 0.9 per cent of the population admitted to being problem gamblers, compared with 0.6 per cent in the previous survey in 2007. Gareth Wallace of The Salvation Army says: ‘There are now nearly half a million problem gamblers in this country. This is far too many.’ The survey also found that almost three quarters (73 per cent) of the adult population had engaged in gambling in 2010.
LIFESTYLE p7
PUZZLES p12
IN BRIEF
THE Speaker’s Chaplain, the Rev Rose HudsonWilkin, conducted a service in the Palace of Westminster to pray for Christians who face suffering and violence because of their faith. The service, which was attended by peers, MPs and invited guests, was organised by Open Doors, a group which supports persecuted Christians around the world.
SALVATION Army teams fed people who were evacuated from their homes when Cyclone Yasi lashed the coastal region of Queensland, Australia. On the morning after Yasi reached land, teams served breakfast in the town of Innisfail, which had lost power. Other teams assisted with catering for hundreds of residents and emergency services personnel in towns including Cardwell, Tully and Townsville.
CSW comments: ‘While the Cuban Government has implemented some economic reforms over the past year, there appears to be little official will to consider reforms that would protect basic human rights such as religious freedom.’
Plans are in hand to increase gaming stakes
PRAYERLINK
Persecuted Christians remembered in Parliament
being imposed on his church. In his letter the pastor argued that Cuba should introduce legislation that would regulate not only believers but also the Government’s treatment of them. Andrew Johnston of
PA picture posed by models
A BAPTIST pastor in Cuba has told campaign group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) that he has been forced to retire because of prolonged government pressure and threats made against his church. Pastor Homero Carbonell, the leader of La Trinidad First Baptist Church in Santa Clara, wrote an open letter to CSW, saying that he had been the subject of spurious accusations by the Department for Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. He explained that he accepted retirement in an attempt to stop penalties
INNER LIFE p13
ending the secrecy surrounding tax havens. Christian Aid is among the organisations that are using their websites to encourage supporters to email President Nicolas Sarkozy before the G20 meets in France in May. It says that the secrecy provided by tax havens helps companies in tax dodging, which deprives developing countries of about £1 billion a year.
YOUR prayers are requested for Jackie, who is undergoing treatment for leukaemia; and for Rhoda, who faces uncertainty over her health. The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the names of individuals and details of their circumstances. Send your requests to PRAYERLINK, The War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your envelope ‘Confidential’.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
p14
RECIPES p15
26 February 2011 The War Cry
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Bafta-winning Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter
From page 1 and the Producers Guild of America Award. The winner of those two invariably go on to win Best Picture. ‘The King’s Speech is regarded as an Oscar movie: it’s British, it’s about the Royal Family and it is in some ways regarded as middle-of-the-road in terms of taste. It’s also a feelgood film, which generally the Oscars favour. ‘The other big contender, The Social Network, is extremely well made. It’s about friendship, betrayal and the things we give up if we want to succeed. But it’s a hard film to love, in that the lead character is not loveable.’ Nev suggests it’s worth remembering that the Academy members do not vote in a vacuum. ‘In some years you get a sense that a certain film has caught the imagination of the culture,’ he says. ‘The King’s Speech is about someone overcoming great adversity, and people identify with such stories. They like to see a part of themselves in films.’ Tom Hanks won a Best Actor Oscar in 1995 for playing Forrest Gump, the character who says: ‘My momma always said life was a box of chocolates … you never know what you’re gonna get.’ But perhaps films give a But the darker sides of our characclearer picture of life than chocolates. ters are not the end of the story. Frank Capra’s 1947 nomination for Redemption exists not just in reel Best Picture suggests It’s a Wonderful life but also in real life. In the original Life – although it also shows that book of the biopic The Gospel the world can be a bleak place, According to St Matthew (three nomiwhere frustration leads to despair. nations in 1967), Jesus says that he has But, if we are hon‘not come to be est, it’s unlikely that served, but to serve we identify only with and to give his life to the virtues of screen redeem many peocharacters. As Joe E. ple’ (Matthew 20:28 Brown as Osgood Good News Bible). says in Some Like it He insists that People Hot (which achieved God cares for peoone win from six identify with ple. He shows them nominations in 1960): that, if they trust his ‘Nobody’s perfect.’ such stories words and actions, Films can reflect and commit ourselves, complete with our pride themselves to him, their lives and prejudice. We subconsciously fall will head in the best direction into the trap of living according to – and that God will forgive the maxim of Wall Street’s Gordon them for the times when Gekko (the role that earned Michael they lose the plot. Douglas a Best Actor win in 1988): Jesus urges us to take a ‘Greed is right.’ It’s an inconvenient look at God, whose love truth that sometimes we look after changes our perspective on ourselves without paying attention to life and stretches from others. here to eternity.
Redemption exists not just in reel life
Momentum
4 The War Cry 26 February 2011
God me from a life of and
Once a drug dealer, thief and heavy drinker, today KERVIN JULIEN is a project worker at a Salvation Army centre for homeless people in Coventry. He believes Jesus has changed his life
Kervin talks with a homeless man VERON GRAHAM
26 February 2011 The War Cry
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STARTED getting into drink and drugs when I was eight years old. My parents were St Lucian immigrants, and we lived in West London. There were many parties in our house. As kids, we weren’t allowed to be there but on the next morning we would go downstairs and drink whatever was left in the glasses.
I was like so many people with addictions: alcohol and drugs were not the real issue – the underlying problems were. My parents took on extra jobs to make ends meet, so I grew up with little attention or affection. I was sexually abused. And my dad often beat me. Drink and drugs helped me deal with pain and low self-esteem. I started thieving while at primary school. I even stole from a teacher’s purse while I was in her office for stealing. I was quite bright at secondary school but I started mixing with the wrong crowd. I deliberately got expelled. I had a sound system and began travelling the UK as a DJ. On the streets I developed a new character. My friends didn’t abuse but respected me. They were people I could lean on. I didn’t have to yearn for the attention my dad wasn’t giving me any more. That’s when I came into contact with the ganja scene. Everyone else seemed to be smoking so I thought I should. I didn’t think my drug use would go any further. But it did. I was earning an honest living, but when my business went bust I left London and headed to Cardiff to hook up with an old friend. I left with £16,000 but half of it quickly went on drugs. Because of my musical connections, I got into BayFM, a black community radio station and record shop. REFORMED: Some time later, I moved back to London and settled in Kervin Julien a £500,000 house with my partner and three children. Again my businesses crashed, and I was devastated. I saw no reason why I shouldn’t take crack. I took a lot of it. I became trapped in the drugs underworld. I was involved in armed robberies. I pushed drugs. On one occasion, I smuggled crack into the UK by swallowing 100 condoms filled with the stuff. I was looking at a 14-year sentence for forging passports. The plan was to use Paula knew I loved music and would them to bring Jamaican drug dealers into the country. I pleaded with the judge for give me gospel music to listen to. The mercy: ‘If you give me one chance, I will foundations of faith were being laid. contribute positively to society.’ He I carried my Bible everywhere and began ordered me to report to Murray Lodge, a to help other residents overcome their Christian-run men’s residential centre in struggles. Coventry. I didn’t go there for anything other than to get drug-free and overcome my problems. I had no intention of finding God. I got counselling for the abuse I suffered ne day I went to see the as a child. London Community Gospel I also met a volunteer called Paula. When I asked her questions about life and Choir at Coventry Cathedral. It was on various issues, she gave me answers this occasion that I became a Christian. from the Bible. It began to make sense. It During the concert I had a direct wasn’t that I couldn’t kick my habits; it encounter with God. I heard him say: ‘You’re free.’ I felt chains break off me. was that I didn’t want to. I realise now that a 12-step programme As God gradually became the driving force in my life, I found myself wanting can keep you drug-free but it can’t transform your way of thinking. God’s to please him rather than myself.
I heard God say: ‘You’re free.’ I felt chains break off me
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word can and does. When Paula first offered to pray for me, I closed my eyes and visualised a reel-toreel tape machine showing me what I had done to others and what had been done to me. God spoke to me, saying: ‘If you want to be forgiven you need to forgive others.’ From that moment, I knew I belonged to God and it didn’t matter what anyone said or did, because God was with me. Paula and I married. We have a daughter and, with God’s help, I’m reconciled with my three older children and my father. I keep in contact with the guys I used to do drugs with. They need to know I’m aware that what I did was wrong – that I hurt a lot of people, that I took kids away from their mothers and that I’m responsible for many of them going to jail. They need to know that the most powerful tool is forgiveness. As well as helping guys at the Salvation Army centre where I work, I’m also part of a team that goes on the streets to feed homeless people. Through knowing Jesus, I have found my answer. It’s a blessing to be part of the solution for others who are where I once was. G Kervin was talking to Veron Graham
MEDIA
6 The War Cry 26 February 2011
Comment
Wedding invitation?
Joystrings inspired Four Weddings greatest hit
C4 female faith focus
REG PRESLEY of the Troggs told The One Show that his 1967 hit single ‘Love Is All Around’ was inspired by a Salvation Army pop group. In an interview with the BBC One magazine CHANNEL 4’s 4thought.tv programme, the singer explained that seeing begins a series of programmes the Joystrings on television prompted him to looking at women and religion write the song. on Monday (28 February). He said: ‘The Joystrings were doing their bit with the tambourine about love, love, love. And Ahead of International Women’s it left me with this thing: “I feel it in my fingers, I Day on 8 March, contributors feel it in my toes.” I got the bass out and tapped will give their view on whether around on it and I thought “Whoah!” It just felt religion helps or hinders right.’ women. Wet Wet Wet’s version of ‘Love Is All Around’ spent 15 weeks at No 1 in the singles chart in 1994 after it featured in the film ON Radio 2’s Four Weddings and a Sunday Half Hour Funeral.
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THE Archbishop of York has voiced his concerns over cuts to the BBC World Service, reported The Daily Telegraph. According to the broadsheet, Dr John Sentamu tabled questions in the House of Lords, asking ministers what assessments they had made of the effect of the proposed cuts. He described the World Service as ‘a gold standard’ in reporting international affairs.
RADIO
IN THE PRESS
World Service concerns voiced
tomorrow (27 February) Brian D’Arcy explores the Welsh love of hymns. The programme will feature the singing of the Cardiff University Chamber Choir.
BBC Radio 2
‘The change, which will be entirely voluntary and will not force any religious group to host civil partnership registrations if they do not wish to do so, is being introduced as part of the Equality Act,’ says the Home Office. ‘It will give same-sex couples, who are currently prevented from registering their civil partnership in a religious setting, the chance to do so.’ Under the present law, prayers, hymns and scripture readings are forbidden at civil partnership – available to same-sex couples only – and at civil wedding ceremonies. Same-sex couples who enter a civil partnership have legal rights and responsibilities similar to those of married couples. However, civil partnerships in the UK are not marriages. In 2007 The War Cry asked the minister responsible for introducing the Civil Partnership Act, Meg Munn, whether it was the Government’s intention for civil partnerships to be seen as marriage. ‘No,’ she replied. ‘The Government was clear about that when the legislation came in, which is why it is not called marriage.’ ‘Civil partnership and gay marriage are separate legal entities,’ a government spokesman told The War Cry on the day of last week’s announcement. ‘This lifting of the ban simply allows for the signing of the civil partnership register on religious premises.’ The latest move is not a device to turn civil partnerships into gay marriages. It does not grant a couple a right to be married in church. It is not a government attempt to force or embarrass the Church. (Others might yet try to do so.) It reiterates, however, what constitutes marriage in the eyes of the law. And allows Christians to continue to affirm one-man-one-woman marriage in the eyes of God.
ON THE BOX
LAST week the Government announced that it is to lift the ban on civil partnership ceremonies taking place on religious premises in England and Wales.
LIFESTYLE
26 February 2011 The War Cry
RESEARCH from Sainsbury’s Finance shows that 25.4 million adults in the UK regularly make online purchases with their credit card.
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Do not be lulled into a false sense of security when internet shopping
The research suggests that consumers are spending an average £192 per month online. This equates to a total of some £6.4 billion a month. The most popular items bought over the internet are DVDs and music, followed by books, fashion items and holidays. Stuart McKeggie of Sainsbury’s Finance says: ‘Our research found that only 7 per cent of credit-card holders do not use their cards online.’ Sainsbury’s Finance is reminding consumers to be vigilant when buying online and has compiled some simple steps for safe shopping: Use a secure connection When shopping over wireless networks or on mobile devices ensure you are using a secure connection, otherwise third parties may be able to obtain your payment details. Keep a record of all purchases Email receipts will be required if something goes wrong with your purchase. Use up-to-date security software Choose software that will warn you if you are on a site which is not what it claims to be.
Shop safely when buying online Know your rights Remember that credit-card purchases (though not debitcard purchases) are guaranteed by the Consumer Credit Act. This protects you in case of faulty or undelivered goods.
Keep careful count of where the pension pennies go
DO you know what your pension is worth? By continually swapping jobs some workers are failing to keep track of where they’ve made their pension contributions. Research by insurance company Aviva suggests that one in three workers will have five jobs during their lifetime. However, many of them are failing to keep details of the different pension schemes to which they have contributed. This could affect their private pension income when they retire. Aviva is urging people who have
had multiple jobs, and those who are in the early stages of their career, to keep track of the pension contributions that they make with every employer. Clive Bolton from Aviva says: ‘People are finishing their working lives having had several employers – and several private pension schemes. It is important that people make the best use of all the funds they have saved.’
Library pictures posed by models
Those who frequently change jobs need to keep track of where their money goes
8 The War Cry 26 February 2011
Workers ďŹ nd Sally is just the job Sally Ann is one aspect of The Salvation Army’s response to global poverty. The initiative helps those living in poverty to help themselves. In 1997 the Sally Ann brand opened its first shop in Dhaka, Bangladesh, selling goods made by women from a sewing project. The success of the operation led to the establishment of other overseas projects. Today there are Sally Ann shops in Norway and Sweden, selling items which have been produced by workers in Bangladesh, Peru, Pakistan, Moldova and Kenya. General manager for Sally Ann Global JAN RISAN (left) tells Claire Brine how the brand is continuing to expand into other parts of the world
NIGEL BOVEY
Sally Ann
26 February 2011 The War Cry
9 Sally Ann
Ann
‘S
Above: women sew products to sell in a Sally Ann shop Opposite: women in Old Dhaka make Christmas decorations
ALLY Ann Global is an international unit which co-ordinates fair trade between producer and retailer. It oversees the development of products for sale and helps Salvation Army members who wish to establish the initiative in their own country,’ says Sally Ann manager Major Jan Risan, who lives in Norway. ‘The countries where Sally Ann is at work usually fall into one of two categories – a production country or a retailing country. Today we are in the early stages of working with people in South Africa, Zambia, India and Chile as they try to develop products fit for sale. At the other end of
Sally Ann products have to be of a good standard
the scale, Germany, the Netherlands and parts of the United States are interested in buying products and setting up shops. We also do a lot of web sales.’ Jan explains that, although Bangladesh is the biggest production country, it also has its own shop. Workers
make products using materials sourced from local markets, which in turn helps the local economy. ‘The products sold in Sally Ann shops have to be of a good standard,’ says Jan. ‘Customers must want to buy the items because they are stylish, not just because they want to help people or they know the history of the project.’ In the 1990s Sally Ann got off to a shaky start. Women working on a sewing project in Dhaka produced items such as cushion covers, napkins and tablecloths. At first, sales were successful. But as time passed fewer and fewer people wanted to buy the goods, and the project folded.
Turn to next page
10 The War Cry 26 February 2011
From page 9 The people behind the project had a rethink and realised that they needed to respond to customer demand. They asked the women to make some new products – ones which the public either needed or wanted to buy – and Sally Ann eventually became a sustainable employment opportunity. ‘Sally Ann is owned by The Salvation Army and adopts fair trade values,’ says
Below: an iron candle chandelier and a card produced by Sally Ann workers
Jan. ‘We want to give people hope and freedom from poverty by supplying them with jobs. ‘Some workers in Bangladesh have escaped from human trafficking or prostitution through their employment with us. In Moldova, Sally Ann has provided work for drug addicts. The social problems we deal with vary from country to country.’ Jan is aware that the concept behind Sally Ann is not new. He recognises that Salvation Army founder William Booth was providing employment for people in need more than 100 years ago. By setting up factories in the UK – and even a farm – Booth helped those in abject poverty to escape from their dire
Above: a Christmas manger wood carving
circumstances. ‘Sally Ann employs about 1,000 people in Bangladesh,’ says Jan. ‘We have more than 100 workers in Pakistan. If we can employ 100 people, what’s to stop us from employing thousands of people? ‘Sometimes people work with us for a while and then leave because they have found another job – and that’s OK,’ says Jan. ‘Then a new person may come along to join the Sally Ann scheme. People don’t have to depend solely on Sally Ann to provide them with work. It is great if their time with us helps them to become more independent.
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ne challenge for Sally Ann Global is finding good sales channels. Sometimes product development is slow, and customers want to see new products quickly. We want to sell more products in the United States, but we need to make sure we have enough variety to offer.’
Sally Ann
Sally Ann helps people regardless of their religious beliefs
26 February 2011 The War Cry 11
Our ultimate goal is to see no more poverty
So what kinds of items does the Sally Ann brand produce? ‘We sell a lot of home ware, such as pillows and napkins. Workers make wooden toys and wooden letters which can be hung on doors. Each country is different. In Peru, about twenty women form a production group and Sally Ann gives them raw materials, such as yarn, which they use to make finger puppets, gloves and scarves. ‘Before products are fit for sale they have to be approved. Before products reach the shelves, there can be a lot of sending back and forth of samples, and suggestions are made about possible adjustments. Sometimes the process takes a long time.’ But Jan reveals that more and more countries are keen to adopt the Sally
People can escape hardship by working for Sally Ann
Ann brand. Perhaps this is because it is an initiative which – although founded by a Christian movement – helps people regardless of their religious beliefs.
‘S
ome of the workers are linked to a Salvation Army church but many aren’t,’ says Jan. ‘In Bangladesh, some of the employment programmes take place during the church’s ladies’ meeting, so women will go along to knit their items and sometimes end up singing songs about God. But people are welcome to work for Sally Ann whatever their beliefs.’ As Jan considers the future of Sally
Ann, he has big goals in mind. ‘I want us to help people out of poverty and to give them a hope for the future,’ he says. ‘It is important to give poor people work so that they can afford food and other essentials, but it is just as valuable to give them security. When people feel that they have a purpose, they find a meaning to life and that raises their spirits. ‘At Sally Ann our ultimate goal is to see no more poverty. In the Bible, Jesus said that there will always be poor people on earth – but at the same time he commanded us to help them. The Salvation Army’s mission is to serve suffering humanity – and we need to do that by caring for everyone.’ G For more information visit sallyann.com
PUZZLEBREAK
SUDOKU
12 The War Cry 26 February 2011
Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 Solution on page 15
R E H T A WORDSEARCH F D O Look up, down, forwards, backwards G and diagonally on the E grid to find these H Academy Award T Best Picture winners C F ALL ABOUT EVE A BEN-HUR D BRAVEHEART H CASABLANCA E CHARIOTS OF FIRE CHICAGO FORREST GUMP
QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 3. Joke (3) 7. Tint (6) 8. Attract (6) 9. Take away (6) 10. Aircraft shed (6) 11. Stain (3) 12. Vigour (6) 14. Patterned flow (6) 17. Shock (6) 21. Demand (6) 24. Fruit (3) 25. Creed (6) 26. Closer (6) 27. Gobble (6) 28. Clamour (6) 29. Owing (3)
ANSWERS QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Gag. 7 Colour. 8 Allure. 9 Remove. 10 Hangar. 11 Dye. 12 Energy. 14 Rhythm. 17 Trauma. 21 Insist. 24 Fig. 25 Belief. 26 Nearer. 27 Devour. 28 Racket. 29 Due. DOWN: 1 Modern. 2 Honour. 3 Greedy. 4 Gather. 5 Plenty. 6 Preach. 12 Eat. 13 Gum. 15 Hen. 16 Met. 18 Reeled. 19 Unison. 20 Afford. 21 Ignore. 22 Scarce. 23 Spewed. QUICK QUIZ 1 Minder. 2 Anton Chekhov. 3. Frances Ethel Gumm. 4 Kim Clijsters. 5 The Nile. 6 640. HONEYCOMB 1 Hourly. 2 Blower. 3 Follow. 4 Plunge. 5 Scheme. 6 Occupy. COMPETITION WINNERS THE winners of the Thank God for Football! – The Illustrated Companion book competition are D. Deans of Arbroath and R. Beech of Stanford-LeHope. Everton and Liverpool’s grounds stand on either side of Stanley Park.
D R R A F O E G C T S H S E L C T Y
B I E I P Y K E S I I R U V L I R K
O A D V F M D O A C N A L B A S A C
U N K N I F U A A D I A A S B U R O
T O T F I L O G L S F F T E O M G R
GANDHI GIGI GLADIATOR GONE WITH THE WIND GRAND HOTEL MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY MY FAIR LADY
O I B H W W O S T R I O O I U F F U
F L R E E W E S T S I D E S T O R Y
A L A S N W P H S O E A F N E D A R
F I V I E H A L T G I R F O V N I E
R M E H C S U T A H H R R Y E U N T
I G H D C L I R E T T O A O M O M H
OLIVER! ON THE WATERFRONT OUT OF AFRICA PLATOON RAIN MAN ROCKY SCHINDLER’S LIST
C O E N M G E R G R O I A H F S A I
A D A A I N S O F E F O W O C E N M
H M R G L A D I A T O R N E S H A I
M U T I N Y O N T H E B O U N T Y O
H L E T O H D N A R G B M N L O S N
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE THE GODFATHER THE SOUND OF MUSIC TITANIC WEST SIDE STORY
HONEYCOMB Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Every 60 minutes 2. A telephone DOWN 1. Up to date (6) 2. Exalt (6) 3. Avaricious (6) 4. Assemble (6) 5. Sufficient (6) 6. Sermonise (6) 12. Consume (3) 13. Mouth part (3) 15. Female fowl (3) 16. Encountered (3) 18. Staggered (6) 19. Agreement (6) 20. Have the means to buy (6) 21. Disregard (6) 22. Not plentiful (6) 23. Vomited (6)
L S C H I N D L E R S L I S T F G R
3. Travel behind 4. Dive quickly 5. Systematic plan 6. Reside in
QUICK QUIZ 1. Which show introduced Arthur Daley to television audiences? 2. Who wrote the play Three Sisters? 3. What was Judy Garland’s real name? 4. Who won the women’s singles title at this year’s Australian Open Tennis Championships? 5. What is the world’s longest river? 6. How many acres are in a square mile?
INNER LIFE
26 February 2011 The War Cry 13
JESUS and the
SOCIETY readily sidelines individuals for all kinds of reasons: looks, mental capacity, economic status, religion and so on. Over the past three weeks we’ve seen that certain types of people in Bible times were considered underdogs because of their health, age and occupation.
UNDERDOG
In John 4:1–42, we read of someone ostracised on three further grounds: sex, race and lifestyle. It all started when Jesus asked a woman for a drink. In those days no self-respecting male would talk to a woman to whom he wasn’t related. In fact, the Bible says that Jesus’ friends were ‘astonished that he was speaking with a woman’ (4:27 New Revised Standard Version). Secondly, the woman was a Samaritan – a race despised by Jesus’ fellow Jews. Lastly, the woman’s lifestyle also posed a problem. She had been married five times and was currently cohabiting with another man. Surely three strikes meant she was out. At least that’s how other people felt about her. When Jesus met her, she was drawing water from a well in the
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The
In this four-part series LEANNE RUTHVEN looks at how Jesus reached out to people on the margins of society
Woman
JOHN 4:1–22
middle of the day. Usually women undertook that chore early in the morning, before the heat of the sun kicked in. Perhaps this woman was avoiding those who wanted to avoid her. Yet she could not avoid Jesus and his searching questions. He knew her circumstances and unhappiness. He understood her social isolation. He told her that if she accepted his love and purpose for her
life, she would be changed. She took Jesus at his word and became the catalyst for others in her community to find God’s love. Not only did she find peace with God, she was no longer ostracised. All this happened because Jesus broke cultural taboos and treated an outsider – an underdog – like a human being who is valuable to God. Jesus can do the same for us. We may not be 1st-century multiple divorcees, tax collectors, vulnerable children or lepers, but at times we can all feel like the underdog. We can feel as though we don’t quite fit in, and we question our selfworth. Those on the fringes of society are the very people Jesus singles out for his attention – and his offer of hope.
Library picture
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He knew her circumstances and unhappiness. He understood her social isolation
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
14 The War Cry 26 February 2011
Any road, God blesses us TOLLER PORCORUM, Ryme Intrinseca, Sixpenny Handley – these are just some of the place names in my part of the world, Dorset. I love the sound of these places. When I think about street names, I realise that some of them are very self-descriptive. There are plenty of Back Streets, High Streets and School Lanes dotted round the country. But it is also fascinating to come across road names which bear no resemblance to their location. I know of a Lake Road that is two miles away from the nearest lake. I came across a street with an amazing name in Dorset: ‘Gods Blessing Lane’. The lane is in a beautiful area, surrounded by thatched cottages, lots of trees and hedgerows. Who loved by family and wouldn’t want to live friends. in a place with such But do we a comforting name? acknowledge these The glorious truth is blessings? How often that – wherever we live by do we say ‘thank you’ – God does bless us. It BARBARA to God? doesn’t matter where LYNE The Bible tells us we find ourselves, we that we should do this can experience God’s often, even if the going goodness anywhere gets tough: ‘Whatever and every day. happens, keep He gives us thanking God because birdsong, sunsets, of Jesus Christ’ the seashore, (1 Thessalonians 5:16 children’s laughter and Contemporary English the scent of roses. We Version). can love others and be
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The War Cry
Sometimes life will be disappointing and painful. On occasion, blessings may be difficult to see. But we can continue to be thankful to God because the gift of his Son, Jesus, offers us hope. Jesus’ love can supply us with inner strength. His forgiveness can fill us with peace. Knowing Jesus is a blessing, whatever we are facing.
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WHAT’S COOKING?
26 February 2011 The War Cry 15
It’s Fairtrade Fortnight, so why not celebrate by trying these recipes from chocolate-makers Divine
SUE ASHWORTH
Chilled chocolate crumb cake Ingredients: 50g butter 100g digestive biscuits, crushed 150ml whipping cream 400g low-fat soft cheese 1tsp vanilla extract 25g dark muscovado sugar 4 chocolate chip cookies, broken into pieces For the sauce 100g Divine 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces 1tbsp cornflour 1tbsp Divine cocoa powder 150ml water Method: Melt the butter in a pan. Add the crushed biscuits and stir well. Pour the mixture into a 20cm loose-bottomed flan tin or dish and press down to cover the base. Chill until firm. Whip the cream until it holds its shape, then fold in the low-fat soft cheese, vanilla extract and muscovado sugar. Stir in the broken cookies. Pour the cookie mixture over the biscuit base and level the top. Freeze the cake for about 2 hours until firm. Remove the dessert from the freezer 30 minutes before serving, cutting it into slices after 15 minutes. To make the hot chocolate sauce, put the chocolate, cornflour, cocoa powder and water into a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Serves 6–8 SUDOKU SOLUTION
Divine chocolate fudge cake Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line the base of two 18cm cake tins with baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the golden syrup and ground almonds. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together, then fold into the egg mixture. Pour the batter into the cake tins equally Ingredients: 110g butter 110g caster sugar 2 eggs 2tbsp golden syrup 30g ground almonds 110g self-raising flour Pinch of salt
and bake for 40 minutes. (You may need to cover the cakes with foil if they become slightly dark.) The cakes will be ready when a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean. Turn out the cakes and allow to cool. To make the icing, pour the sugar and milk into a pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for 8 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, then add the chocolate
pieces, butter and cream and stir together until everything has melted. Place the icing in the fridge and chill for 2–3 hours or until it has reached a thick spreading consistency. Sandwich the cakes together using one third of the icing, then use the rest to spread on top. Serves 6
30g Divine cocoa powder For the icing 110g granulated sugar 110ml milk 140g Divine 85% dark chocolate, chopped 55g butter 30ml double cream LISA BARBER
Recipes reprinted, with kind permission, from the Divine chocolate website divinechocolate.com
BBC
Matt Smith as the Doctor
YOUR DOCTOR NEEDS EVER wondered how it would feel to step inside a Tardis? Or to dodge threats from a Dalek spaceship? Well, now’s the chance to find out. The Doctor Who Experience was launched at London’s Olympia Two last Sunday (20 February). Over the coming months, fans of the BBC TV series will undoubtedly be jumping at the chance to accompany the Doctor on his latest adventure through time and space. But the interactive experience is not for the faint-hearted. Visitors face the challenge of reuniting the Time Lord with his Tardis, while battling scary opponents such as Weeping Angels. As well as fighting monsters, Extraordinary visitors will be able to walk into a re-creation of the Tardis things can interior. They can also watch happen specially filmed scenes with the writes CLAIRE BRINE Steven Moffat, the executive current Doctor, Matt Smith, and view an exhibition of past film producer of the TV show, says that the exhibition is ‘the first sets and costumes. time that Doctor Who artefacts from all the show’s 47-year history will be on display together. YOUR LOCAL SALVATION ARMY CENTRE Many of them are being seen for the first time.’ You don’t have to be a Time Lord to figure out that the chance to view never-beforeseen items relating to Doctor
TV favourite goes on exhibition
Who is exciting – for fans old and new. The first episode may have been broadcast back in 1963, but it seems that the show has lost none of its public appeal. Perhaps viewers are attracted to the sense of adventure. The not-knowing-what-will-happennext. Maybe they enjoy seeing good overcome evil each time the Doctor defeats his enemies. There may be a part of us all which yearns for more excitement in our own lives. Perhaps we feel that amazing experiences just don’t happen. Or do they? When people side with God, extraordinary things can happen. Unlikeable aspects of their character can be exterminated and they can be changed into brand new people. They can achieve feats they never thought possible. The Bible says that God’s power ‘at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine’ (Ephesians 3:20 Contemporary English Version). Do we dare travel through time with him?
The War Cry is printed on paper harvested from sustainable forests and published by The Salvation Army (United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland) on behalf of the General of The Salvation Army. Printed by Benham Goodhead Print Ltd, Bicester, Oxon. © Shaw Clifton, General of The Salvation Army, 2011