1. Caring for creation
In the first of five articles, Captain Jo Moir introduces this year’s Self-Denial Appeal
CAPTAIN JO MOIR PICTURE: ANDREW KING PHOTOGRAPHY
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VER the next few weeks, we will be moving towards Self-Denial Sunday on 6 March. For those new to The Salvation Army, the idea behind the Self-Denial Appeal is that people go without something for a week or even a month and the money they save, or decide to give, supports The Salvation Army’s work internationally. Nearly every corps in the world gets involved so, wherever people are, they are joining in with other Salvationists doing the same thing. The funds are redistributed by International Headquarters to the places that need them most. Some of the money raised goes to our mission partners – the Denmark and Greenland, Finland and Estonia, Ghana, Pakistan, and South America East Territories – but quite a lot goes to other mission support work all over the globe. It funds the essential background things so that Salvation Army staff and volunteers can get on and do what they’re good at. For last year’s appeal, Captain Ben Cotterill (Clapton with Dalston and Stoke Newington Plants) interviewed people working in Mali and Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Despite the difficulties many people faced during 2021, Salvationists and friends in the UK and Ireland Territory gave very generously once again. This money is already being put to good use. 6
Salvationist 5 February 2022
For this year’s appeal, we will be looking at how The Salvation Army around the world cares for creation and responds to climate change. To begin this series of articles, I visited Hadleigh Farm on the Essex coast. Bought by The Salvation Army more than 130 years ago, it was the main site of a pioneering social programme. These days the site is home to a range of fantastic projects, including a training centre for adults with additional support needs, a rare breeds centre, tea rooms and a working farm.
The effects of climate change are felt worldwide In William Booth’s day, people from the city slums had the opportunity to find new skills and employment here, away from the desperate poverty of the East End. The work also represented a commitment to sustaining the Earth and stewardship of the environment. William Booth once said: ‘God didn’t put Adam and Eve into a factory. He put them into a garden.’ At the time Hadleigh Farm was being developed The Salvation Army set up wastepaper depots across the country to recycle paper, providing employment for people experiencing homelessness as well as raising charitable funds for The Salvation Army’s social work. Caring for our environment is nothing new. In fact, fast forward 130 years and caring for creation is one of the mission priorities of The Salvation Army in the
UK and Ireland Territory. That means considering the environmental impact of all our work and helping to change attitudes so that we use the planet more responsibly. The effects of climate change are felt worldwide. Around the world The Salvation Army is helping people increase resilience to these effects and overcome food insecurity. We also provide immediate support and relief to people affected by extreme weather events, such as storms and floods. Last year’s Self-Denial Appeal showed us that around the world the coronavirus pandemic was an added challenge, alongside hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards and droughts. The people who have been hardest hit are already facing poverty. Over the next four weeks, I will be talking to people from around the Salvation Army world, asking them about what is happening where they are, talking to them about caring for creation and learning about the impact of climate change. This article is based on a video that can be viewed at youtube.com/ salvationarmyvideo
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CAPTAIN MOIR IS TERRITORIAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Next week George Obondo in Kenya
