12 minute read
Quotes from the media
‘I PRAY FOR THE GUIDANCE AND HELP OF ALMIGHTY GOD’ – CHARLES III PROCLAIMED KING
Charles III was ... proclaimed King in the presence of the royal family, prime minister, former prime ministers, politicians, the archbishops of Canterbury and York, and other dignitaries.
The proclamation ceremony was held at St James’s Palace in London on [the] Saturday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Making his declaration at the Accession Council, Charles III promised to follow the ‘inspiring example’ of his mother and ended with a prayer for the ‘guidance and help of Almighty God’…
He continued ... ‘In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these islands, and of the Commonwealth realms and territories throughout the world…
During the ceremony, King Charles – as ‘Defender of the Faith’ took an oath over the security of the Church of Scotland, which preserves its independence…
After the ceremony, the Garter King of Arms proclaimed ‘God save the King’ and the national anthem was played.
Christian Today
WELSH CHURCHES HELP WITH SCHOOL UNIFORMS IN SPIRIT OF ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR’
With the start of the school year ... and the cost of living crisis putting pressure on families’ finances, churches and communities in the Diocese of Llandaff have set up projects to make school uniforms affordable for all… [Father] Richard Green is vicar of St Fagan’s Church and part of the Cynon Valley School Uniform Exchange project… He says ... ‘We feel it is important for the church to be involved in this kind of project because we believe in the value of community, of people coming together to help each other. This is the essence of the command to “love your neighbour”.’
Premier
ENERGY BILLS: YORK CHURCH LEADS ‘WOODFORAGING’ WALKS TO AID FAMILIES
A church is to lead ‘foraging’ walks to collect firewood for people struggling to pay their gas bills. [The Rev] Matt Woodcock, of St Barnabas Church in York, said he wanted to create a community ‘fuel bank’…
Mr Woodcock said: ‘It’s appalling that in this day and age I am having meetings about wood foraging’…
Labour MP Rachael Maskell, whose York Central ward includes St Barnabas Church, said ‘drastic measures’ – such as the ones outlined ... – were needed ‘to keep people alive this winter’…
Prime minister Liz Truss announced … plans to cap average household energy bills at £2,500 a year from October.
BBC News
DELIVERY OF HOPE: BIBLES ARRIVE IN WAR-TORN UKRAINE
Some 168,000 Bibles and other Scripture-based books have been delivered to communities under fire in Ukraine. The Bibles have been provided by the British and Foreign Bible Society, in the UK, and distributed by the Ukrainian Bible Society.
Lorry drivers travelled to printers in Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia to collect Bibles for the war-torn country returning under what has been described as ‘extremely difficult’ conditions.
Bibles have been in increasing demand since the war broke out... Living surrounded by death has caused people to ask questions about life, said Anatoliy Raychynets, deputy general secretary of the Ukrainian Bible Society.
‘I have personally delivered several thousands of Bibles from hand to hand,’ said Anatoliy. ‘It is light in the darkness’...
Since the war began, some 655,700 Bibles and other Scriptures such as New Testaments in Ukrainian and Russian, have been delivered to people fleeing the conflict.
The Baptist Times
SALVATIONIST
salvationist.org.uk/magazine Issue No 1877
EDITOR Major Mal Davies
MANAGING EDITOR Ivan Radford
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Simon Hope, George Tanton, Lyn Woods, Major Margaret Bovey
ART DIRECTOR Hannah Holden
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Mark Knight, Louise Phillips
PROOFREADER Chris Horne
Published weekly by The Salvation Army and printed on paper from sustainable sources by CKN Print, Northampton. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory. ISSN 2516-5909.
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Rooted in love
SUMMER camps in my homeland of Australia and in the UK are possibly vastly different outings. I recall going camping with my family when I was a young father – with two kids under five – to a town called Shepparton in mid-Victoria. The day we arrived at the campsite it was about 36 degrees and I had to erect a tent.
I laid out the poles and then set about unfolding the tent itself and getting the guy ropes and pegs at hand, and finally I was ready to start putting it up. By now, of course the poles were so hot that I couldn’t hold them with my bare hands, so I was putting them together while holding them with a T-shirt and a tea towel. A rookie mistake!
I began to hit the pegs into the ground, and the ground was so hard I could only hit the pegs in about two inches.
Finally, the tent was up. But inside the tent it was about 45 degrees! So we drove around in our air-conditioned car and then hung around a shopping centre until it closed, before heading back to our ‘home away from home’.
The divisional summer camps we report on in this issue of Salvationist look like much more fun. At multiple venues around the territory, hundreds of (predominantly) young Salvationists shared in a range of creative arts and music sessions as well as Bible studies, prayer meetings and worship services.
These events – as many Salvationists can testify – can be faith-forming and revolutionary. They can be the pivot to a deeper faith. Far more significant than camping in an Aussie summer!
One report describes summer camp as ‘a week where lives were transformed, lifechanging decisions made, and where young people and leaders alike learnt what it means to be rooted in Jesus’.
Speaking of roots, both spiritual and earthly, on pages 16 and 17 we have the second part in our series on the ministry at Forest of Dean Corps, examining how environmentalism and faith intertwine.
Major Vivienne Prescott speaks of some of the initiatives under way and refers to a field they use as their ‘outdoor cathedral’. ‘It is a place of worship,’ she says. ‘It’s where we go to be with God and to love God and to be loved by God.’
The phrase ‘where we go’ holds entirely different connotations for refugees from Ukraine and people displaced by the current conflict there. On pages 11 and 14 we can read about people leaving Ukraine and trying to put down roots elsewhere.
For many of them, what’s required now – or will be in coming years – is deep healing, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. In our Bible study on pages 18 and 19, Captain Helen Froud writes on John 5 (the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda) and how Jesus responds to those who need healing.
Note that Jesus doesn’t just click his fingers and heal someone, he used it as a teaching experience about wholeness, grace, sin and God’s love. He wants people healed spiritually, not just physically.
Our learning about God and his character doesn’t just start when we’re adults – even our children can begin to learn who God is. On page 20, children’s specialist Austen Hardwick writes about children’s discipleship and some resources that adults and children’s ministry workers can use.
Flowing through all these articles is God’s love and how we can know that love more personally and more deeply. In fact, one of the summer camps used ‘Love God, Love Others’ as its theme.
As you read this issue, I pray that you sense how God’s love is at the root of all we do.
MAJOR MAL DAVIES
Editor Salvationist
CONTENTS
Quotes from the media 2
News 4 to 6
Prayer matters 6
News feature 7 to 10
Fun, games and fellowship!
Interview 11
A home from home
Captains Charlotte and Tim Lennox talk to George Tanton
Feature 12 and 13
Hidden in plain sight
by Ivan Radford
Reflection 14
‘I asked myself if I believed what I was saying’
by Captain Oleg Samoilenko
Thinkaloud 15
Blessed are the peacemakers
by John Coutts
Feature 16 and 17
A wild idea: Seeing God in nature
by Simon Hope
Bible study 18 and 19
Pick up your mat and walk!
by Captain Helen Froud
Through the week with Salvationist 18 and 19
by Major Lynda Levis
Resources 20
Children’s discipleship
by Austen Hardwick
Announcements 21
Adverts 22 and 23
Quiz 24
The life and music of Ray Steadman-Allen
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS
Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (2011), unless otherwise stated
REMEMBRANCE
UK Last week Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lay in state at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, and then at Westminster Hall in London, so that people could pay their last respects to Her Majesty. On both occasions, The Salvation Army was on hand to support the many volunteers and emergency services teams on duty monitoring the crowds in attendance. The Army teams also supported vulnerable members of the community, some of whom struggled with the long waiting time, especially through the night. In both locations, the Army provided practical support as well as pastoral care for mourners. – AR
MUSIC REMEMBRANCE
SALISBURY The corps made its worship space available to the public for private prayers and reflection following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The hall was decorated with floral tributes and candles were provided for those who wanted to light one in remembrance. The Sunday morning meeting was themed The Servant Queen and used the parable of the good Samaritan as a text highlighting the Queen’s impromptu walkabout tours as a way for her to connect with ordinary people. Members of the congregation read prayers and tributes to mark the occasion. – MD
RUGBY The band held an open-air in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II in the nearby Asda car park. The corps also opened its hall the day before for people to spend time in quiet prayer and reflection. – CR
REMEMBRANCE
SOUTHPORT In their first concert since the Covid-19 pandemic, the band took part in Bands in the Park, organised by the Southport and District Brass Band Association at the Botanic Gardens. The band played ‘Come Thou Almighty King’, ‘Las Lluvias Grandes’, ‘Thy Tend’rest Blessing’, ‘Breezin’ Down Broadway’ and ‘The Red Shield’. Along with a concert by Unity Brass two weeks earlier, a combined total of £600 was raised for the Big Collection. – PW
OUTREACH ECUMENICAL
LARNE The Antrim Coast Half Marathon took almost 4,000 runners past the hall, including elite international athletes. The corps offered refreshments and conversation and many passers-by went inside. Everyone received an invitation to worship and the corps programme. – PC
EVENT EVENT
HADLEIGH FARM The successful summer programme included activities such as kite-making, family fitness sessions, animal trails, outdoor games and a teddy bears’ picnic. The team worked with Hadleigh Park Cycles to put on an event celebrating cycling and the outdoors. In addition to the regular family and children’s camps – including more than 220 people attending the East of England Summer Camps – there was a therapeutic camp organised for 19 to 25-year-olds in Lifehouses. The hub café hosted a number of cultural food and music events, with cuisine ranging from tapas to ribs and performances by the Emeralds steel band, flamenco guitarist Tomás Jiménez and singer-songwriter Tracy Norman. Two live music events included a 1990s Ibiza Anthems night with a DJ and a 1960s tribute evening with music provided by the SwiftBeats. They attracted more than 2,000 people of all ages and created a fantastic community atmosphere. – SW
MEETING
DUNSTABLE Discovering God’s Wonderful World was the theme of the three-day holiday club. Children learnt about the colours of the rainbow, creatures of the world and wonders of the universe through crafts, games, choruses and Bible teaching. They also memorised Psalm 139:14. At the end of the week, corps members and guests joined together for a barbecue after the Sunday morning meeting, which recapped on what the children had done. – SB
EVENT
BELFAST NORTH The young people attended Back to School Sunday in their school uniforms. They shared their hopes for this new school year and what they were looking forward to. The congregation prayed for them and for all in education, and each of the young people received a gift from the corps along with a back-to-school prayer. – LK
PARKHEAD During the annual YP prizegiving, Divisional Mission Enabler Major Fiona Partland led a time of reflection on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and offered prayers for King Charles III. – AD BRIDGWATER The corps held a Messy Church for families based on the story of Jesus telling the disciples to cast their nets. Participants made sea-themed tea light holders, starfish biscuits, tissue paper jellyfish and decorated pebbles and postcards to give to friends. It was a wonderful time of fun and fellowship, including singing ‘My Lighthouse’ and learning the actions. – HC
RAMSGATE The corps shared open-air worship at the town carnival and entered the procession. Corps folk wore T-shirts highlighting their ministry and distributed gospel messages. After the meeting they hosted Messy Church, prayer stations, refreshments and games. – CW
COMMUNITY
MAIDSTONE Throughout the summer holidays the corps collected new and used school uniforms and stationery, making the items available to families for free. The corps also provided free toys for people to use for future birthday and Christmas presents. Corps officer Captain Marion Rouffet said: ‘We know that in our community people are anxious about money and many are already struggling.’ – AR OUTREACH
