CARING AND REPAIRING SHOWING LOVE FOR GOD’S CREATION
HOW often do you look at this planet and think ‘everything’s fine’? While God created something good, we’ve all not exactly been good at looking after it. And yet, even amid the pollution, loss of biodiversity and unsustainable consumption, it’s still possible to look at the natural world and glimpse God at work.
In Job 12, Job declares that ‘in his hand is the life of every creature’ (v10). Looking at nature can teach us how God cares and provides for his creation, including us. It can also help us remember that God’s hand is sovereign over it all – it belongs to him, and he trusts us to help him in looking after it. Caring for creation, then, isn’t just a nice thing to do: it’s part of our worship. It’s part of getting to know God better.
As the Climate Coalition encourages us this Valentine’s Day to show the love for God’s creation, it’s a reminder that we need integrity to show others that we mean what we say, as individuals and as an organisation. The environment might not be good right now, but it’s still in God’s hands – and looking after it is still in ours. Where there is love, there is hope of restoration and repair. Do you love God’s creation? How can you show it? How can we show it?
IVAN RADFORD
Managing Editor
NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE
Building a household of
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Issue No 1999
EDITOR Major Julian Watchorn
MANAGING EDITOR Ivan Radford
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Stevie Hope, George Tanton, Lyn Woods, Major Margaret Bovey, Major Lynne Shaw
SENIOR DESIGNER Hannah Holden
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Louise Phillips, Joseph Halliday, Oyindamola Olagunju
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland is SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland is CHY6399. Published weekly by The Salvation Army and printed on paper from sustainable sources by CKN Print, Northampton.
FOUNDERS William and Catherine Booth
Love is…
Recruiting Sergeant Brian Colley sends a Valentine’s Day message to us all
YESTERDAY was Valentine’s Day, an opportunity for many to express their love for sweethearts or someone they would like to be their sweetheart. It was certainly a day of rejoicing for card shop owners and suppliers, with an estimated one billion cards sent worldwide.
St Valentine was a priest living in Rome during the third century. He died around AD 270 on 14 February. Legend has it that Valentine himself wrote a love letter on the eve of his execution – he had been
Reflect and respond
Make Laurie Klein’s song (SASB 369) your Valentine message for today and every day: ‘I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice/ To worship you… Take joy, my King, in what you hear,/ May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.’
Psalm 89:1 says: ‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever.’ How often do you declare your love for God?
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–8. How many of Paul’s words can be used to describe your love for others?
imprisoned for conducting the weddings of soldiers and sent a message to his jailer’s daughter, with whom he had fallen in love. The sending of Valentine cards seems to have become popular in this country in 1840, when the Penny Black postage stamp was introduced and enabled ordinary folk to use the postal service.
People like to be told they are loved and to feel loved. Valentine’s Day love is often light, romantic, sloppy or sentimental, expressed in exactly those ways, sometimes to people who are never going to return the same feelings. Human love can be shallow or deep. It can be fleeting or lasting. But God’s love is forever deep and permanent. Paul writes: ‘And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge’ (Ephesians 3:17–21).
Paul’s well-known description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is certainly not sloppy or sentimental. It refers to a love that shows concern for others, the sort of love exemplified by Jesus. CH Dodd, the Christian writer, says this description is ‘a portrait for which Christ himself sat’. There are many sayings about what love is, but Paul’s description also tells us
what human love is not.
God’s love is full of grace and mercy, ‘grace’ meaning undeserved love given to all. When a child says ‘I love you’, it usually brings forth the automatic response ‘I love you too’. That is the response from our heavenly Father when we say we love him. Well-known words sung today tell us that ‘love changes everything’. God’s love certainly does. It is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice – Jesus proved that. Are we prepared to match his love?
God’s love never fails. George Matheson was aware of that when, after being let down by human love, he wrote ‘O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go’ (SASB 616). God’s love remains the same, as the hymn ‘Love Stands the Test’ reminds us: ‘Love has a language, all its own making… Love stands the test,/ Love gives its best,/ Love planned our life’s course, designedly best;/ Love won in the garden,/ Love climbed the green hill;/ Love will live on, for love stands the test.’ Love can be declared on Valentine’s Day once a year. Our love for God – and God’s love for us – can be declared every day, all year round.
BRIAN COLLEY Clowne
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY !
Thu 7 Aug – Sun 10 Aug Netherlands
What is it?
The European Youth Event (EYE 2025) is a festival-style gathering of more than 600 young people from across Europe with the theme Look Up! Picture this: tents nestled in a stunning forest, a vibrant and friendly community of peers, powerful worship sessions, inspiring speakers, and a jampacked programme that will leave you wondering what not to do! Throughout the programme, we’ll look inward to rediscover who we are, look outward to see where God is at work, and look up to see the new thing he is doing. The event will include main-stage sessions each morning and evening. There will also be opportunities to get involved in sports, music, creative workshops, prayer, seminars, chill zones, dance, after-hours programmes, and more.
Who is it for?
Young people aged 15 to 25 from across Europe connected with the Army.
Why should you go?
To be encouraged, inspired and challenged by connecting with God and others in a new way. Your horizons will be broadened as you engage with the programme and the other young people who have gathered. EYE events only happen once every five years, so this opportunity is a real gift. We can’t wait to see what God will do!
Book your place
Tickets cost £110 without travel, £160 with travel included. For more details, visit salvationist.org.uk/europeanyouth-event
The UKI Territory has a limited number of spaces . From 1 March, prices will increase by £15 and travel with the UKI delegation will no longer be guaranteed.
‘Love
has no age limit’
Pauline Watts (North Walsham) testifies to being blessed finding love in later life
IWAS born to Salvationist parents and was taken to Coltishall Corps when I was two weeks old. I married when I was 19 and my husband and I served faithfully at that corps until its closure. We then moved to North Walsham Corps, where we found joy in service and fellowship. We were busy with corps life; I was the over-60 club secretary, parentand-toddler group secretary, treasurer for the lunch club, a bandswoman and a songster. Even in my late eighties, I am still in the songsters and take an active part in the corps. My husband was also active in the corps and in the band before his promotion to Glory in 2015.
Jim moved with his wife to North Walsham from Southampton in 2019 to be nearer family. He became very active in the corps as the corps press secretary and a songster. He still provides relief today for selling the War Cry in the town marketplace. Unfortunately, his wife passed away in 2020.
Jim and I had always shared faith together, but it was when corps leader Territorial Envoy Ruth Morey formed the Swat (Singles with a Testimony) group that we started talking more and realised we had a lot more in common than we perhaps realised.
Have you got a testimony to share?
One day Jim asked me out for lunch, but I never thought anything of it as we both thought we were far too old for anything to develop other than just friendship. Territorial Envoy Ruth would always say that, regardless of our past, we are all worthy of being loved no matter what age we are.
Although we were both very happy in our friendship groups within the corps, there were still days that we felt lonely. One day while chatting to Territorial Envoy Ruth about how God sometimes gives us the most unexpected gifts when we least expect it, we both realised that maybe this was God’s gift to each of us: being able to share life together.
Despite Jim being in hospital until just 17 hours before our wedding, we were able to finally say ‘I do’ on Saturday 11 January – Jim aged 93 and me aged 87. It is amazing how God works! We were married in full uniform by Territorial Envoy Ruth in front of our family, friends and corps family.
We thank God for the love from those who have supported us on our journey – it just goes to show love has no age limit. I have found someone to share the sunset with, and I am so blessed and happy.
Saving Us
by Katharine Hayhoe
Continuing an
occasional series, Neil Clark considers a book for reflection and discussion
IT’S impossible to understate how impactful, practical and hopeful I found this book.
I’ve been interested in environmental issues for more than 25 years, and I’ve worked in the sector for more than 13 years now. What has struck me the most in recent years is that, in moving to a better world with a lower environmental impact, a key problem now is less the availability of technology, but more our ability to positively engage with each other on climate change and other environmental issues. It’s this art of sincere, active listening and deep empathy that we now need so much.
To develop that theme, this book presents a very accessible exploration of the underlying psychology and human behaviours at play, and I found this aspect deeply fascinating and helpful. The way Katharine helps unlock these conversations is the part of her work I admire and appreciate the most, and something that she is open about connecting to her Christian faith.
She has a special ability to engage with absolutely anybody on the subject of climate change as she always connects it to the things that they care about the most. The book is full of stories about how she does this, sometimes with some surprising audiences. She does this so well because, as she notes, ‘getting people to care about a changing climate does not require them to adopt new values’. And that’s because: ‘It is a health issue, a food issue, a water issue, and an economic issue. It’s an issue of hunger, and of poverty, and of justice. It’s a human issue.’ Pretty much if you care about anything, and whether a person of faith or not, you care about climate change.
There is also an important section in the book called ‘why facts matter, and why they are not enough’. Given my first career was as a qualified accountant, and with a lifelong love of numbers and facts, the chapter in that section called ‘the problem with facts’ pushed me towards a degree of important discomfort to know that sometimes I need to prioritise feelings above the facts.
Importantly, this book is very practical as well as inspirational. Katharine has for many years said that the most important thing you can do about climate change is talk about it. The final section therefore explains how we can all make a difference in our daily lives – and in conversations with those nearest and dearest to us, in our church, in our community and at work.
The book is a strong and practical case for hope that I wholeheartedly recommend. Indeed, my first reading was actually listening to it as an audiobook, but I’ve now got hold of a paper copy so I can heavily annotate and share it. I have a feeling it will be a well-thumbed book in the coming years!
NEIL CLARK Environmental Sustainability Lead IHQ
CLOSE-UP READING
PAGE 11
Start with something you have in common. Connect it to why climate change matters to us personally – not the human race in its entirety or the Earth itself, but rather us as individuals… By bonding over the values we truly share, and by connecting them to climate, we can inspire others to act together to fix this problem.
REFLECT AND DISCUSS
What do you have in common with those around you?
How can this lead you to collaborate with others where you are on caring for creation?
CLOSE-UP READING
PAGE 244
I make a practice of hope … and I look to my faith.
These two small quotes are in the same paragraph of the concluding chapter. After the first one, she then effectively lists what this means – looking for good stories, connecting with people – and then moves on to talk about Romans and other aspects of the Bible. Her two points – hope and faith – are connected as two sides of a coin.
REFLECT AND DISCUSS
What is a source of hope to you when talking about the climate crisis?
How does that hope connect to your faith in our creator God?
Growing in mercy
Captain Julia Cozens considers the depth of God’s forgiveness
MATTHEW 7:1–5
MATTHEW 18:21–35
HAVE you ever watched one of those TV programmes where people face a panel of judges – The X Factor, The Masked Singer, Strictly Come Dancing and the like? The contestants offer their talents, and the judges decide who can continue in the contest and who must leave the programme.
One of the most viewed TV auditions of all time is that of Susan Boyle, who appeared before the Britain’s Got Talent judges in 2009. Unlike the many young starlets who graced the show, viewers first saw Susan as a somewhat frumpily dressed, slightly eccentric middle-aged woman. The judges spoke to her before the audition, and it was evident that their expectations were low. Then Susan began to sing. Everyone was stunned by her wonderful voice. Her album I Dreamed a Dream became one of the fastest selling debut albums of all time.
Our first study passage, from Matthew 7, encourages us not to judge ‘or you too will be judged’ (v1). In 1 Samuel 16:7, we read: ‘The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’
This verse is taken from the story of David, who was chosen to be the king of Israel, despite only being a boy and the youngest of his brothers.
PAUSE AND REFLECT
Have you ever judged someone and later found out you were wrong?
Has anyone ever judged you wrongly?
Matthew warns his readers not to be hypocrites (see v5). The word ‘hypocrite’ comes from the Greek hupokrites Essentially, it means ‘one who answers or acts’. It developed into being used for an actor or stage player. In everyday use, a hypocrite is someone who says they have a certain set of beliefs, but their behaviour does not reflect this and shows a lack of sincerity.
PAUSE AND REFLECT
Do your actions mirror your stated beliefs?
The passage encourages us to put ourselves right with God before judging others. When we recognise our own shortcomings and mistakes, the failures of others will not seem so significant.
Our second study passage, from Matthew 18, is known as the parable of the unmerciful servant. A man who owes the equivalent of millions of pounds begs for mercy, and his master writes the debt off. The same man then meets a colleague who owes him money and demands the debt is paid. What a foolish, greedy and unmerciful man!
PAUSE AND REFLECT
Is there someone you find it hard to forgive?
Is there someone you need to ask for forgiveness?
It’s interesting that Jesus tells this story following a question from Peter: ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?’ (v21). Later, having denied him three times, Peter would seek Jesus’ forgiveness. Jesus showed him mercy and gave him a new start.
What picture comes into your mind when you hear the word ‘mercy’? I see a person kneeling before an angry master, begging for their life to be spared. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘mercy’ as ‘clemency and compassion shown to a person who is in a position of powerlessness or subjection, or to a person with no right or claim to receive kindness’.
If you have watched one of the Gladiator films, you may picture an emperor in the Colosseum, with their thumb pointing either up or down, to indicate whether a person should live or die. An emperor of Rome had the power to show mercy. He could spare life or take it.
Just Mercy is a film that had a significant impact on me. It tells the true story of Walter McMillian, who spent years on death row for a crime he did not commit. With his attorney’s hard work and determination, he was finally released. The film ends with the shocking statistic that for every nine people executed in the USA, one person on death row has been proven innocent and released.
PAUSE AND REFLECT
Have you ever wrongfully accused someone?
Have you ever been wrongfully accused?
In the last weeks of his presidency, US president Joe Biden agreed to show mercy to 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row. Rejon Taylor, one of the pardoned prisoners, responded: ‘I will not squander this opportunity of mercy, of life.’
As Christians, our ultimate example of mercy is shown by God sending his son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our wrongdoing, offering forgiveness and a new start to us all. The Salvation Army’s doctrines state that Christ’s death has ‘made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved’. In families, friendship groups, churches and corps all over this territory and the world, there are people who have not spoken to each other for many years due to some argument or disagreement that happened, sometimes a very long time ago. God’s gift of mercy offers us a future eternal life, rather than the shadow of death. When we consider all that we have been forgiven of, how can we respond other than to show forgiveness and mercy to others!
PAUSE AND REFLECT
How can we grow in mercy as followers of Jesus?
Is it time for you to show mercy to someone?
Can you write off a ‘debt’ that someone owes you?
Depth of mercy! Can there be Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God his wrath forbear?
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
God is love, I know, I feel, Jesus lives and loves me still. (SASB 457)
CAPTAIN JULIA COZENS Territorial Pension Funds Officer
THQ
A shortened version of Prayer Matters will continue to be published weekly in Salvationist in 2025. To read the full, unedited booklet, visit salvationist.org.uk/discipleship
SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY: CARE FOR CREATION – PARTNERS WITH GOD
As we mourn the distress and wounds of God’s creation, God weeps with us… God suffers with us. As we struggle for justice, God struggles with us. As we expose and challenge climate justice, God empowers us… God works with us. based on Church of England prayers for creation care
Take some time to reflect on whether you’ve been drawn into the lie that ‘other people’s opinions of you define your value’. Then steady your soul on the truth that God has chosen to set up home in your heart. Let that thought fill you with awe and wonder, and rejoice in the fact that God loves you for who you are. Nothing and no one can separate you from that love. by Lyndall Bywater (UKI Boiler Room Team)
MONDAY 17 FEBRUARY: SHARING THE GOOD NEWS – MISSION CONFERENCE (20–23 FEBRUARY)
Hundreds of leaders in the UKI Territory will gather at Warwick University for this conference. Pray these events will be a time of encounter with God and deeper connection with one another; a watershed moment for mission. by Lyndall Bywater (UKI Boiler Room Team)
TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY: SERVING AND CARING – MISSION CONFERENCE
The conference’s theme is Oikos, ‘household of faith’, with a focus on discipleship. Pray for the main session speakers who will unpack the key text from Ephesians 3:14–19: Lieut-Colonel Drew McCombe (THQ), Rachel Jordan-Wolf, Adam Johnson, Rich Robinson, Elizabeth Oldfield and Bishop Mike Royal. Pray too for the many electives, conversations and taster sessions.
by Lyndall Bywater (UKI Boiler Room Team)
WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY: GROWING IN FAITH – ENCOUNTER THROUGH MUSIC Father, thank you for the gift of music. May our children and young people’s discipleship journeys be enriched through melodies that communicate your love, beauty and healing; every note and lyric is an opportunity for a divine encounter with God. As the Territorial Youth Band and Choir meet this week, inspire them to continue to use music to seek and reveal your Kingdom.
by Lieutenant Jonny Whitmore (Territorial Youth and Children’s Secretary)
THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY: INTERNATIONAL SALVATION ARMY – TAIWAN REGION
As the Army in the Taiwan Region celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, we pray for joy and gratitude for what has been, and vision for what is to come. We pray for the leadership team, Major Sara Tam (Mei-Shun) and Major A-Tuan (Grace) Weng. by Lyndall Bywater (UKI Boiler Room Team)
FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY: JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION – THE ANTI-TRAFFICKING AND MODERN SLAVERY TEAM
Pray for our team to be a voice for all those who need someone to speak up for them. Pray for the team’s director, Major Kathy Betteridge, deputy director, Major Heather Grinsted, and contract director, Ann-Marie Douglas. Pray they will have vision and direction for their work.
by Major Estelle Blake and Major Heather Grinsted (THQ)
PRAYER REQUESTS
Do you have something or someone you’d like us to pray for?
Email salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk with ‘prayer request’ in the subject line.
Show the Love
Hayley Still invites us to demonstrate our care for creation
THE impacts of the climate crisis are already being felt around the world. During 2024 alone, climate disasters such as drought, wildfires, heatwaves, storms and floods claimed hundreds of lives, displaced millions from their homes and caused billions of pounds’ worth of damage.
Around the world, The Salvation Army is journeying alongside communities as they strengthen their resilience to climate change. In Zimbabwe, for example, training in conservation agriculture is giving family farmers the tools to mitigate the impacts of unpredictable weather patterns and inconsistent rainfall.
Pfumojena Machanzi, project coordinator for the Army’s Raising Champion Farmers project said: ‘The impact of climate change has been severe. We are experiencing extremes of weather and the rainfall is changing over time… We need to take action to ensure that the population survives the extreme weather systems that are prevailing these days.’
Without urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, the world is facing catastrophic climate change, but there is still time and there is still hope. As climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe puts it: ‘If there was nothing we could do about climate change, giving up would be a logical response. The good news is, we can still make a difference, if we take swift action. When we realise that the future is in our hands, that means we can make a difference.’
Since 2015, Salvationists across the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory have taken part in Show the Love, a
campaign organised by the Climate Coalition – a group of more than 130 organisations that includes The Salvation Army. The campaign aims to start conversations, encourage community action and show the government how many people want urgent action on the climate crisis.
For more than 10 years, Show the Love has united communities around a symbol of a green heart, representing our love for the people, places and nature we cherish, both at home and around the world. This year, for the first time ever, Show the Love will run all year round, with the launch this week kickstarting a year of action: it encourages us to show our care for creation not just in February, but throughout the year.
Collaborative artwork
To launch this year of action, the Climate Coalition is inviting everyone to share why they are taking action for the people and places they love. The Climate Coalition is working in partnership with The People’s Picture, to create a giant collaborative artwork that will show decision-makers the strength of public support for urgent climate action.
hands forming a heart shape. Post it on social media with the hashtag #ShowTheLove2025 to send a powerful message to decision-makers in parliament. Each submission will become part of a growing visual petition that demands action and creates a lasting symbol of love and responsibility for our planet.
• Find out more by visiting theclimatecoalition.org/show-the-love or by searching #ShowTheLove2025 on social media.
HAYLEY STILL UK Engagement Coordinator International Projects Office
You are invited to share a photo of a place you love, or a selfie with your Join the Environmental Champions Network
This Army network brings together people who are actively seeking to care for creation. To connect, email environment@salvationarmy.org.uk
Creation speaks
Divisional Environmental Champion Kathryn Barwise celebrates that we can look at and learn from God’s creation
IWAS born in Merthyr Tydfil, in south Wales. For eight years I was surrounded by glorious mountains –I could always look and see a mountain in the distance. Sound familiar? ‘I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth’ (Psalm 121:1 and 2 English Standard Version).
Of course, it’s only with hindsight I think of this verse. Even when I was growing up, too young to understand, God was helping me in wonderful ways and giving me chances to view his beautiful world and, with it, the knowledge that he was always around.
Imagine the difference when my parents, as officers, were appointed to Suffolk, which is about 35 metres above sea level. I no longer had any hills to look to: Suffolk is really quite flat. However, God’s world is wonderfully varied and what Suffolk lacked in mountains, it was blessed in sunrises and a gorgeous coastline.
Living in Lowestoft, our house was a 15-minute bike ride from the coast, so my dad and I would bike to the seafront for doughnuts and watch the sea come
rolling in and out. There was a real peace in hearing the roar of the ocean, and watching the waves at the moment they broke, tumbling into foam. When you watch the waves for long enough, you notice a consistent pattern, with little changes, which develops to form the tide.
Not at age nine, but definitely later in my life, I would watch the waves – the little variances but also the consistent drawing in of the tide – and be reminded of God’s faithfulness. The wave breaks and the foam tumbles down and recedes, then the next wave comes, breaks and the foam tumbles down, receding as another wave comes along.
In the same way, God’s always there for us, time and time again – coming to restore us, giving us his awesome help, drawing us into his arms. Those little variances always represented to me how God is with us in the ups and downs, helping us in slightly different ways, but relentlessly there.
Being the most easterly point in Britain, sunrises in Lowestoft are particularly breathtaking and the sunrise service on Easter Day was always very beautiful. At my first one, there were no
clouds, so it was perfectly clear.
The anticipation in waiting for the sun to rise each morning creates a sense of hope that is only strengthened when the sun appears and you can feel the Earth being warmed by its rays. It really enhances the line ‘the joy of the Lord is coming in the morning’, from the worship song ‘The Night’s Gone’ by Michelle Martin, because that’s what you feel: the certainty of God’s love to us and the affirmation of his promises that you can always find a reason to sing praise to him, displayed in his wondrous design. This is why I show my love for God’s creation, because it teaches me so much about God and is an enduring reminder of his characteristics. My challenge to you is to find part of God’s world that you can continually admire to reflect on his character. Who knows what God’s trying to tell you through his beautiful works?
Driving change
Major Phil Howe introduces Stevie Hope to the territory’s new carbon-cutting travel policy
WHAT’S your favourite policy?
It’s easy to dismiss the word because of its association with corporate jargon and red tape, but a good policy can help put principles into practice. One such example is the territory’s new Sustainable Travel Policy.
At its core, the travel policy is guidance for employees and officers who need to book travel for work. Traditionally, this has boiled down to one thing: keep it cheap! That’s why, when Major Phil Howe happened across the territory’s previous policy – published in 2017 – he realised how off-kilter it was with the care for creation mission priority introduced in 2021. A policy is only as good as its relevance, which is why we sometimes need a new one.
A corps officer at Chelsea, Phil is also the territory’s environmental support officer, working in tandem with Territorial Environmental Officer Major Heather Poxon.
‘I do the boring stuff,’ he laughs. ‘It’s a lot of policies, that sort of thing. That releases Heather to do, you know, the real work – encouraging people to take environmentalism on board.’
While his side of the mission priority might seem less flashy, Heather describes their roles as ‘hardware and hearts’, and it’s the hardware – including this new policy –that underpins everything.
The updated policy builds on research by Sustainability Manager Brian Troddyn (THQ) and injects some nuance by balancing financial cost with carbon cost.
An excellent example is the territory’s use of trains. Rail makes up only 3 per cent of the territory’s transport-based carbon footprint, despite making up 13 per cent
of business miles. While it may not be the quickest or cheapest form of travel, this sacrificial giving of time and money when travelling helps to safeguard God’s green Earth.
These principles apply to all of us, not just employees and officers. While the policy may be written specifically around Salvation Army business travel, its fundamentals can help everyone reconsider their personal carbon footprint.
‘When your journey is added to my journey and so on, the carbon impact becomes significant,’ Phil points out. ‘When everybody is thinking about how they travel, it makes a huge difference.
‘We’re dialoguing with colleagues in America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, who are also looking at their travel policies. When you add them all together, it becomes significant.’
It’s important to note that the policy is neither a mandate nor a command. For employees and officers, it’s as easy to adopt as using some new options when booking tickets through Click Travel – the territory’s travel management agency. For people paying for their own transport, a low-carbon alternative isn’t always affordable. That’s why Phil is keen to assure that the policy is not prescriptive but persuasive.
‘If we’re dogmatic, then all that happens is people get frustrated,’ he recognises. ‘It’s very hard to have a one-size-fits-all formula for everybody. The hope is that this policy will gently challenge us all to consider how we balance that equation of carbon and cost for ourselves.’
• Calculate your carbon footprint at footprint.wwf.org.uk. To find out more about the policy, email environment@salvationarmy.org.uk.
STEVIE HOPE Editorial Assistant Salvationist
5 things to think before you travel
Could this be a phone or video call?
Could I walk or cycle? How could I make the most of my time and reduce repeat journeys?
Could I take a train or other public transport?
Could I share a car with other people?
Giving IT back
Richard Shea explains how SATCoL is turning electronic waste into hope
HOW many old phones do you have in a drawer at home right now? As society encourages us all to dispose and upgrade, we’ve found a new way to pollute the planet: with electronic waste.
But in a sea of broken screens and dead batteries, the Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd is piecing together hope for the future. It’s launched a scheme to tackle e-waste by finding renewed purpose in discarded items. It even has a trademark: GiveITBack.
‘People are continually trying to keep up with the minimum standard allowed by operating systems,’ says Richard Shea, SATCoL’s commercial development manager. ‘We’re encouraged to get more, to get the latest thing. But people don’t know what to do with their old items. They want to get rid of things in the right way.’
GiveITBack provides that by recycling electronic items securely and sustainably. SATCoL is working towards becoming a registered IT asset disposal (ITAD) provider.
‘When you throw your toaster or TV away, it’s probably just going to be crushed and sold for scrap,’ says Richard. GiveITBack does sell some materials for scrap, and SATCoL’s revenue funds the Army’s work. But that is only part of the story. Out of all the items GiveITBack has handled, roughly 30 per cent are reused – and the aim is to get that to 50 per cent. These items can then be sold in a SATCoL shop or Donation Centre, or repurposed to help transform people’s lives.
‘Some people just need something
that turns on, can surf the web and send emails,’ says Richard.
GiveITBack’s processing is done in a secure cage at one of SATCoL’s sites.
‘We are working towards ADISA 8.0, which certifies us as a fully accredited ITAD provider,’ explains Richard. ‘We’ll be the first major charity retailer in the UK to have that accreditation.’
Clients have so far included Reliance Bank, Territorial Headquarters, Blenheim Palace, the Royal Armouries and nuclear power plants. The service is also provided to schools for free. As well as businesses, the hope is to encourage individuals to use the service too, through amnesties for unwanted items.
‘We operate in the same way as the UK’s leading ITAD providers, in terms of our security and service,’ adds Richard. ‘We’re also an official supplier with the Charity Retail Association. We’re still trying to convince the market we’re as good as the bigger players, but a lot of people choose us because they know it’s going to a good home. The industry can be dominated by a lot of greed. For us, a key metric is how many people we can help.’
At its Gorseinon and Coventry Donation Centres, SATCoL has launched a Connection Booth that provides a space with repurposed GiveITBack computers. In partnership with Employment Plus, it provides an opportunity for self-led training, upskilling and job applications.
‘We hope to do something similar in more places,’ adds Richard. ‘That could include, for example, Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery safe houses.’
GiveITBack uses an operating system
called Linux Mint, which is free. That means repurposed computers can be resold as cheaply as possible. The goal is to make these as accessible as possible via e-commerce and in our shops and donation centres. The aim is also to reuse items locally to help the community in a client’s area.
‘We’ll soon be giving some iPads to kids in Coventry,’ says Richard. ‘People with no access to the online world are classed as digitally excluded, which impacts approximately 1.5 million people in the UK.’ Indeed, a stable internet connection isn’t a luxury in today’s digital world: it’s a standard part of life.
‘We’re taking our charity shop mentality and applying it to something different,’ enthuses Richard. ‘It really is all about giving IT back.’
• For more information about IT asset disposal, email info@giveitback.uk, or to donate a used item to GiveITBack, visit your nearest SATCoL Donation Centre.
Seeking climate justice together
Members of the Territorial Justice and Reconciliation Youth Forum remind us that caring for creation is for all of us
WHEN our climate subgroup of the Territorial Justice and Reconciliation Youth Forum sat down to think about how we, as young people in The Salvation Army, could feed into climate justice, we settled on the idea of intergenerational justice. This was important to us, specifically in regards to how universally climate justice applies.
Climate justice can often be seen as a young person’s issue to solve, when in reality it should be a concern for everyone, especially Christians. As disciples of God, we have been entrusted the Earth as our home to look after. An Earth that, in the very first chapter of Genesis, God declared ‘good’ (v31). Over and over, God declared the Earth and all that he had made as ‘good’, and then gave it over to us to protect and defend.
Unfortunately, if that had been going particularly well, this article probably wouldn’t have been written. Every day, temperatures are rising, species are becoming extinct and pollution takes a tighter hold on the world. The Earth that
humanity was charged with nurturing is rapidly dying. With this also comes the need to seek justice and reconciliation, an active commitment to change and work to make the world a better place for all who inhabit it.
These things may seem hopeless for us to stop. After all, how could we ever expect to change any of this? However, surely part of faith is staring in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, trusting and anchoring your life in God and following his message of love. This is what we have to hold on to if we get cynical or detached: the idea that there is opportunity for change as long as we are there to work together when those opportunities arise, or to create them if we must.
This isn’t to say that older generations aren’t passionate or don’t care about climate justice at all. We value the experience and care that older generations possess: we feel it’s vital to recognise this and ask for everyone to work together in their corps and everyday life to do what they can to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
increase in number of Eco Corps since 2023 87%
This can take a variety of forms. It could be looking into the Eco Church scheme and seeing how you as a corps could work towards getting a bronze or higher medal. It could be pledging to walk or take public transport more each month. It could be recycling those little annoying bits of plastic instead of putting them in your main bin. It could even be finding more sustainable cleaning methods for your home, such as using baking soda to get rid of tea stains or clean your oven.
All these could make a difference. Whatever small action you are able to take, physically or financially, can help move us as a community into a more sustainable way of living.
No matter how insignificant or small you might feel you or your actions are in this moment, there is value in continuing to care. Carrying out God’s love in the world can be as effective and simple as offering to carpool to your Sunday meeting. We as a church community need to build each other up to enable and enact real change together. Will you join us?
• This article was written by Eva, Grace, Naomi, Niamh and Bethany, who are all members of the climate subgroup of the Territorial Justice and Reconciliation Youth Forum. Get in touch with the forum at childrenyouth@salvationarmy.org.uk
Become an Eco Church
Find out more about registering to become an Eco Church or Eco-Congregation by emailing environment@salvationarmy.org.uk or visiting salvationist.org.uk/ environment
THIS year’s Self-Denial Appeal runs from 2 February to 2 March with a focus on the Army’s life-changing work in the Indonesia Territory.
‘My name is Cadet Flora Ayu Lestari Hutagaol,’ says Cadet Flora. ‘I am here as a year one cadet, with the session name Keepers of the Covenant.’
Flora is training to be an officer in The Salvation Army. The training college is in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. Every year each new session is given a name. Flora’s session is Keepers of the Covenant and they share their name with every Salvation Army cadet who started training this year, wherever they are in the world. Training lasts for two years. If she is successful, she will be commissioned as an officer and given the rank of lieutenant.
Pray for...
• Cadets training internationally to become officers
• Leaders in your area
• People who are yet to respond to God’s call to follow his plan for their lives
‘I would say life in the training college is very unique,’ explains Flora, ‘and I would say I feel at home here. We are encouraged to learn everything we can. Starting from small things, we are taught everything here, that’s how we are learning.’
The number of people starting Salvation Army training here is growing. When Flora graduates there’ll be more Salvation Army officers in Indonesia than ever before.
Self-Denial 2025
Flora Jakarta
‘All our daily activities are scheduled. From the time we wake up until we go to sleep, everything is arranged in an orderly way,’ Flora shared.
But at the end of the day, there’s always a little bit of time to let off steam.
‘Actually,’ says Flora, ‘I like doing all the tasks. But the thing I like the most is the togetherness I have with friends.’
Moving here to Jakarta has been a big change for Flora. Her home in the north of Sumatra is nearly 2,000 kilometres away.
Flora continues: ‘In my daily life before becoming a cadet, I worked on handicrafts like ulos. This is a handicraft product from Pematangsiantar, especially from the Toba region.’
It was the officers in her hometown that inspired her to think about officership.
‘I saw how they embraced their congregation, those who were less fortunate. They had a heart for social action. I felt moved, it gave me the courage to serve. I felt called to serve more people like that. I decided to take the next step in becoming a candidate in The Salvation Army. This is my calling.
‘I have answered God’s call to become a servant of God. My hope is
that in the future I can be a blessing to others. That I can help many people. ‘That’s my hope in the future. I hope my life can be useful to many people.’
• Based on this week’s Self-Denial Appeal video, available to watch at salvationist.org.uk/selfdenial
Your offering
Bring your sacrificial offering to your corps altar service on Sunday 2 March, or hand it in at your corps any time during or after the appeal. Why not ask your corps leader for a collection box and save up for your gift?
Donate using this QR code or by visiting salvationist.org.uk/ selfdenial – and give your corps name when prompted.
Penzance Showing God’s love
Time of transition
Penzance is a small corps with a large heart for its community. We have been the corps officers for just over two years. As a corps we are going through a period of transition as we seek out areas for working with those who live on the fringe of society, living out our mission statement of ‘bringing Christ to the people and the people to Christ’.
Eco Church
Corps Sergeant-Major Beryl is our eco champion. We have received a bronze award from Eco Church, partly by being aware in the way we operate, mindful in the way we use heating and lighting, taking basic steps in areas of recycling and in buying and using only Fairtrade products. We have installed LED lighting and encourage others to think about their environment. We are also looking to develop the backyard into a sensory space, hopefully attracting butterflies and bees.
Better together
With a listening ear, we intentionally work in partnership with other agencies, organisations and churches, looking for the gaps we can fill and being better together. We have a good reputation in the community and more organisations are wanting to work with us.
We started Sunday Breakfast from 8am when we found that no other agency was open to provide hot food on Sundays. A team of members meet with rough sleepers and other people finding life difficult, offering food and a non-judgemental ear. There are times when some attending breakfast stay for Sunday worship. It has been heartwarming to witness the congregation talking with and taking an interest in
Interested in becoming an Eco Church? It’s easier than you think! Visit salvationist. org.uk/environment or email environment@salvationarmy.org.uk to find out more.
those others might pass by.
It is not just about Sunday for the corps. We offer space for two Alcoholics Anonymous groups and one Narcotics Anonymous group, Brownies, Kinship carers, a 50-plus group, our Tuesday Together club and a poetry group, not forgetting Bible Study.
We are active in Churches Together in Penzance, which operates a food bank. Employment Plus has been a new and welcome addition to the corps week. We are now looking to develop a job club as a natural step to support the community further.
Through listening to family and health visitors came the idea of baby basics. We have no storage for cots and prams but are able to provide basic packs to give to new, struggling parents. These are distributed to family workers, who give them out during their family training courses.
Christ in the community
God’s mission has taken us to being with people on the fringes of society in exciting new ways. It is where we find the heart of the corps: building new relationships with people who need Jesus.
Last year we installed a shower facility, washing machine and tumble dryer to give dignity to people experiencing homelessness. They can come in, have a
clean-up, wash their clothes, have a bite to eat, have a chat, sometimes about faith, and leave half an inch taller than when they came in. Matthew 25:40 says: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
It is our prayer that we show Christ to our community in what we do every day.
Fast Facts
DIVISION: South West
CORPS OFFICERS: Majors David and Susan Tidball
FIND US ONLINE: facebook.com/ 454155563034187
ANNIVERSARY
DUNSTABLE Territorial Leaders
Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main were the special guests at the launch of the 140th corps anniversary celebrations. Staines Songsters presented a music festival on the Saturday evening, which brought great blessing. Commissioner Paul challenged a capacity congregation to consider what legacy they are leaving for future generations. During the Sunday morning service, Commissioner Jenine called for faith builders, for teamwork, trust, determination and perseverance. She encouraged the congregation to reflect on God’s faithfulness in the past as a reservoir to draw on when times are hard. During the afternoon praise meeting, the songsters sang ‘On the Rock’ and the band played ‘Thank You’. Corps leader Territorial Envoy Roger Coates held a Q&A session with the territorial leaders, who asked for prayers for wisdom and support in their roles. – RC
HOMELESSNESS
READING The Army has signed up to Tap for Reading, an initiative that provides residents with a secure and straightforward way to support rough sleepers. The scheme brings together the Army plus charities Launchpad, St Mungo’s and the YMCA under Reading’s Homelessness Partnership. With donation points located across the town, individuals can contribute to their work with just a tap of their card. The scheme was set up by Reading’s Business Improvement District and is supported by the council. – AR
COMMUNITY
EBBSFLEET The Salvation Army has unveiled plans to provide a bespoke mobile community space. The Army is raising funds for an adapted van to provide social opportunities and build local connections around Northfleet, Greenhithe and Swanscombe. The towns sit around Ebbsfleet Garden City, an area of redevelopment that will see 15,000 new homes built by 2035. The van will break down barriers and reduce isolation, as well as create a safe space for young people to engage.
Community Pioneer Leader Louise Finch (pictured) explained: ‘Being mobile will allow us to reach out to the different villages and communities that make up our area. Whether it’s a friendly chat or practical advice, it will bring much-needed support directly to the heart of our community.’ – AR
NORTHAMPTON Churches Together in England held its annual training course for newly appointed denominational ecumenical officers. Of the 54 member churches, the Army is privileged to appoint local ecumenical officers to encourage ministry and mission alongside their full-time appointments. The various church delegates met at Highgate House for training, worship and fellowship. Among those present were Captain Callum Thompson (Area Ecumenical Officer, Lincolnshire), Major Glenn Furlong (Divisional Ecumenical Officer, London), and one of the tutors, Major Paul Robinson (Territorial Ecumenical Officer). – PR
EVENT
IHQ Café 101 is hosting an exhibition supplied by the Americas Zone about the Army’s disaster response in the USA Southern Territory. The southern USA is prone to severe weather events, such as tropical storms, tornadoes and hurricanes. Devastating disasters can often affect thousands of people with little to no warning. In 2024, the Army provided humanitarian aid to communities devastated by Hurricanes Beryl, Helene and Milton. View the exhibition online at salvationarmy.org/ ihq/disaster-response-southern-usa. – AR
ECUMENICAL
Herald Douglas Macdonald makes a new acquaintance while selling the ‘War Cry’ in Rutherglen
EXMOUTH
GWYNETH and Peter Fellows were welcomed as adherents by Majors Ian and Jean Harris during a ‘meet the cast’themed carol service. Gwyneth and Peter have attended for some time and accepted the invitation to become part of the cast of Jesus’ followers who worship and work within the corps and community. – JH
GARETH Trickett was enrolled as a soldier by corps officers Majors Ian and Wendy Hall. Gareth was supported by many family and friends as he made his commitment to God and testified to an awareness of God’s guiding hand over his life that led to him finding his spiritual home at the corps. Gareth is pictured with Major Wendy. – WH
DAVINA Blake was welcomed as an adherent by corps officer Captain Clare Kinsey. Davina came to the corps through an invitation from a friend to the parent-and-toddler group and started attending Sunday worship after a concert by Morriston Songsters for the corps anniversary. Davina felt drawn to the corps, and she and her family quickly became part of the corps family. Also pictured is corps officer Captain Matt Kinsey. – CK
MAIDENHEAD
RUPERT Button was welcomed as an adherent by corps officer Major Nigel Byrne on Covenant Sunday. Rupert was attracted to the Army through the ministry of the band playing on Good Friday a couple of years ago, and he and his wife, Sue, chose to worship at the Army as a result. Rupert is now learning to play the tuba and hopes to take his place in the band in the coming days. – NB
ANYA Brain and Jonty Parker were enrolled as soldiers and Jorja Parker was welcomed as an adherent by corps officer Captain Rob Westwood-Payne on Covenant Sunday. All three have transferred from the young people’s corps and take an active part in the life of the corps through music, community service and technology. Anya spoke for them all when she testified that she was not making this commitment simply because she grew up in the Army, and said: ‘I really admire the work the Army does, I enjoy the feeling of being part of the family and being able to help the community. Since taking my recruits’ classes, I’ve spoken to my friends a lot more about what we do and what it means to be a Salvationist.’ Anya, Jorja, and Jonty are pictured with Captain Rob. – RW-P
NELSON
BRISTOL SOUTH
NEWTON ABBOT
CHRISTINE BRYANT
BRISTOL EASTON
BORN in Bristol in 1945 to Christina and William Edwards, Christine soldiered at Bristol Citadel and was part of an adventurous corps cadet group. Having married Bandsman Martyn Bryant, she transferred to Bristol Easton, becoming a highly valued corps member.
Christine’s dedication as corps cadet guardian culminated in winning the National Efficiency Banner in 1974. She had a genuine interest in others, and it is testament to those years that, during her illness, past members of the group travelled considerable distances to visit.
Despite her poor health, Christine was determined to spend Christmas with family. A colleague wrote, ‘So gentle, so kind; never a bad word about anyone – she saw the good in everyone. I aimed to be as kind as her.’ Christine was promoted to Glory on 10 January. She is survived by her husband, Martyn, their three sons, and a grandson. Well done, thou good and faithful servant! – LS
BERNARD RAYNER STOWMARKET
BORN in Maldon in 1930, Bernard took up his first appointment as YP band secretary at age 16, before being appointed YP band leader. After his marriage to Kath, he became songster leader at Tiptree.
In 1955, moving back to Maldon, Bernard was appointed as singing company leader, then deputy bandmaster and bandmaster.
Transferring to Felixstowe in 1967, Bernard became young people’s sergeant-major, then bandmaster and divisional bandmaster. He was also asked to form the Eastern Counties Divisional Youth Band, which he led for 15 years.
The onset of Alzheimer’s brought changes. Bernard recently moved into residential care, but never lost his faith. He could always be heard praying in the care home. He was so thankful and daily lived up to the words of the chorus: ‘I want to live right, that God may use me, at any time and anywhere.’ – LP
LORAINE ROGERS CARLISLE
BORN in Carlisle in 1957, Loraine lived with a number of medical conditions. However, while at school, she was assessed as having intelligence at Mensa grade levels.
She encountered the warm welcome of the Army through a Wednesday group that soon translated into Sunday worship. She went into uniform after being enrolled.
Loraine was devoted to her prayer life and always prayed for those in the corps who needed her prayers.
A valued member of Safe, her passion for disability drove her work within the charity sector, including for Epilepsy Action, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Scope, where she held the role of regional chair for several years. She is greatly missed by husband, Martin, and as a great-auntie and friend. – MS
Local officers appointed
DEPUTY SONGSTER LEADER
ALISON QUICK , Dunstable
CRADLE ROLL SERGEANT
KARREN FARRANT, Newcastle City Temple
JUNIOR SOLDIERS SERGEANT
BETHANY KING, Newcastle City Temple
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY TEAM
LEADER MICHELE HOCKLEY, Newcastle City Temple
YOUTH TEAM LEADER PHILIP HOCKLEY, Newcastle City Temple
CORPS SECRETARY SHIELA HOPTON, Newcastle City Temple
ASSISTANT CORPS
SERGEANT‑MAJOR AND ASSISTANT YOUTH TEAM
LEADER STEPHEN MUGFORD, Newcastle City Temple
CORPS TREASURER
LIEUT‑COLONEL ALAN READ, Newcastle City Temple
ASSISTANT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY TEAM LEADER
HANNAH TURNER , Newcastle City Temple
CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE ALICIA MORGAN, Southport
Wedding anniversaries
Platinum (70 years)
DON AND MARGARET JACKSON, Cheltenham, on 26 February
Promoted to Glory
SONGSTER SERGEANT CONNIE CLARK , Guisborough
KATHY KERSLAKE, Staines
Bereaved
BANDSMAN GEOFF CLARK , Guisborough, of his mother Songster Sergeant Connie Clark
LIEUT COLONEL GLENYS HEINS of her brother Ray Heins, Michael, Lynette and Angela of their father
Retirements from active service
Effective 1 February
MAJOR CAROLINE BUCHANAN, out of Hamilton Temple in 1988 and last appointment Peterhead
MAJOR TIM DYKES, out of Strood in 1982 and last appointment Kidsgrove
ENGAGEMENTS
General Lyndon Buckingham and World President of Women’s Ministries Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham Thu 13 Feb – Mon 24 Feb India Western Territory
Territorial Leaders Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main Sat 22 Feb Poole (TYB/TYC Festival) Sun 2 Mar Gosport (140th corps anniversary)
Chief Secretary Colonel Peter Forrest and Territorial Secretary for Leader Development Colonel Julie Forrest Sat 15 Feb – Sun 16 Feb Sunderland Millfield (135th corps anniversary)
NOTICES
Free packets of wildflower seeds
Free wildflower seeds will be made available to corps, centres and individuals to grow bee and butterfly-friendly wildflowers in gardens, on balconies, in containers. They will be available from 24 February. Visit salvationist.org.uk/wildflower seeds for more details.
Celebrating diversity and deepening understanding
A new calendar resource from THQ’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team provides a monthly reminder of the key challenges facing people with whom we live and work. The calendar includes a reflection to help you consider your role in improving our EDI practice, alongside a prayer from Territorial Network Prayer Coordinator Major Gary Lacey. There are also key awareness days and events included with multifaith religious observance dates, public holidays for the UK and Ireland Territory and some Salvation Army events. To find out more, email equalityandinclusion@salvationarmy.org.uk
Addictions training for corps
Join specialists in a series of nine monthly online training sessions for people in corps settings to increase their understanding of addiction and how to give effective support. The sessions will equip attendees with approaches and tools to work with people affected by addiction. The first will take place from 9.30am to 11.30am on 25 February and focus on emotional regulation. For more information, email addictionservice@salvationarmy.org.uk
Legacy fundraising materials
Gifts in wills make up half of donations to the Army each year, ensuring it can continue supporting people in need. Help your corps members consider leaving a gift in their will by ordering your free Legacy Fundraising materials. They include an A4 and A3 poster, plus a leaflet encouraging members to request a free will guide. Order by Friday 7 March by emailing giftsinwills@salvationarmy.org.uk or calling 020 8194 2330. Materials will arrive in late March.
SOUNDS
Sunday Worship
Join Salvationists across the territory in worship, with music, prayer and a Bible message from a guest speaker. This week’s message is from Major Graham Daniels (East of England DHQ). Can’t join us at 11am on Sundays? Catch up with the weekly podcast of highlights. Each week’s broadcast is repeated in full on Sundays at 6pm, Mondays at 12am and Thursdays at 9am.
• Listen online at salvationist.org.uk/radio
Me and My Playlist
This Salvationist Radio show sees a young person linked to The Salvation Army share five tracks they love. Listen to the podcast and Spotify playlist each month.
• Listen online at salvationist.org.uk/podcasts
Morning Praise with Kids Alive!
Get your day started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles! Listen on Saturdays from 7.30am to 8am. Can’t tune in on Saturday morning? The broadcast is repeated in full on Sundays at 9am and Mondays at 7.30am.
• Listen online at salvationist.org.uk/radio
NOW COMMUNITY MISSION FACILITATOR WOOD GREEN, LONDON
We are an intercultural, multigenerational church and have been serving the local community for over 140 years. We are passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in ways that will connect with a new generation.
One of the key elements of our community programme is Sally Ann’s Store Cupboard, a referrals-only service, through which we prioritise the provision of practical support –food, toiletries, clothing, baby care items – to families in need who have no recourse to public funds.
Key responsibilities:
• Support successful delivery of mission with responsibility for operational day-to-day management of Sally Ann’s Store Cupboard, in partnership with the corps officer (CO).
• Assist the CO in recruitment, management and development of volunteers for Sally Ann’s Store Cupboard, and in overseeing them, including day-to-day supervision.
• In consultation with the CO, provide spiritual, emotional and practical support for all programme participants and volunteers.
The successful candidate will have:
• A strong level of English – spoken and written – and numeracy.
• Proven good experience of using Microsoft Office (Word/ Excel/PowerPoint), Outlook, Teams and social media.
• A flexible approach to the delivery of activities including, on occasion, the ability and willingness to work evenings and weekends as necessary.
This role has an occupational requirement to be a practising and committed Christian, actively involved in a local church setting.
TO LET
Salary
£16,871.40 pa
Working hours 21 hours per week
Contract Fixed-term: 2 years
Details
Contributory pension scheme; 25 days’ annual leave plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata for part-time); season ticket loan; employee assistance programme
Closing date Fri 21 February
Interviews held w/c Mon 24 February
THE PORTSMOUTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL PRESENTS THE BLACK DYKE BAND IN CONCERT
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All adverts carried in Salvationist are subject to house style and carried at the editor’s discretion. For more details email advertising@salvationarmy.org.uk.
ADVERTISING RATES
Classified
Quarter
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ADVERTS CANNOT BE TAKEN OVER THE PHONE. For further information email advertising@salvationarmy.org.uk.
Saturday 29 March, 7pm Ticket price: £10 and £5 (under-16s)
Tickets available from ticketsource.co.uk/isb-scarborough-citadel or email tammie.sephton@gmail.com
Sunday 30 March
10.45am
This role is to develop and lead a Core Recovery expression of The Salvation Army in Weston-super-Mare, focused on the Core Recovery Church principles. This will involve working actively within the community, building positive relationships, leading culturally appropriate Christian worship and promoting The Salvation Army in Weston-super-Mare.
Key responsibilities:
We seek an individual with a sense of vision, purpose and a creative approach, who is able to build quality relationships and help people encounter Jesus in creative and relevant ways through this opportunity. This will require identifying and meeting community needs and raising the profile of The Salvation Army within the community. This will require leading and facilitating discipleship, worship, social action and mission while modelling a consistent Christian lifestyle.
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
• The ability to think creatively and relevantly to engage the local community.
• An understanding of Weston-super-Mare communities.
• The ability to self-start and motivate themselves and others to achieve goals.
• The ability to network and form strong and positive personal relationships within the community.
• Experience and ability to manage a small team of employees and volunteers.
• Knowledge and understanding of pioneering church development.
This role has an occupational requirement that the successful candidate must be a committed and practising Salvationist.
