Quotes from the media

RICH COUNTRIES THAT LET INEQUALITY RUN RAMPANT MAKE CITIZENS UNHAPPY, STUDY FINDS

Countries that allow economic inequality to increase as they grow richer make their citizens less happy, a new study shows.

Until now, researchers have believed that inequality was largely irrelevant to levels of life satisfaction, according to Dr David Bartram at the University of Leicester.

But his study of 78 countries spanning four decades – the largest longitudinal research of its kind – punctures that myth, he said.

‘When inequality increases, people with high incomes don’t benefit much from their gains – many rich people are focused on those who have even more than they do, and they never feel they have enough,’ Bartram said.

‘But people who earn little really suffer from falling further behind – they feel excluded and frustrated by not being able to keep up even with people who receive average incomes’…

This link between higher inequality and lower life satisfaction is repeated elsewhere, Bartram said…

India’s life satisfaction declined from 6.7 in 1990 to 5.8 in 2006 as inequality rose. By 2012 it was still lower than in 1990, despite the country’s prolonged economic boom.

The US and Australia also both saw pronounced falls in life satisfaction, but those countries where inequality had fallen were generally happier, such as Poland, Peru [and] Mexico.

The Guardian

CHURCH TRASHED BY ISIS HOLDS SERVICE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 YEARS

Easter was extra special for one Christian community in Iraq … as it opened for services for the first time since being desecrated by Isis militants eight years ago.

St Kyriakos’s Chaldean Catholic Church, Batnaya, was attacked by Isis in 2014. Militants decapitated statues, smashed the altar and used sacred images as target practice…

After the defeat of Isis… the church and Chapel of the Immaculate Conception received €200,000 towards their restoration.

Work is still ongoing but was temporarily paused during Holy Week to allow Easter services to be held – the first services to take place in the church since August 2014.

Christian Today

NEW PRESIDENT FOR CTE

Rev Helen Cameron has been inducted as the moderator of the Free Churches Group and takes on the role of the CTE [Churches Together in England] president representing those national member churches.

Rev Helen succeeded Rev Dr Hugh Osgood who held both those positions since 2014.

The new moderator was inducted … at Wesley’s Chapel in London.

In her address she said: ‘My deep desire is that we do more than coexist or tolerate each other, but that actually in a generous engagement with one another, we learn from each other and we see each other as gift and not threat.’

Rev Helen Cameron is a Methodist presbyter who currently serves as Chair of the Northampton District.

Churches Together in England

YOUNG CHOOSE NOT TO FIGHT THE OLD SCIENCE V RELIGION BATTLE, RESEARCH SUGGESTS

Hostility towards religion in favour of science is declining, new research suggests. The youngest adult respondents to a new survey are more likely to value the place of religion in the modern world than older generations…

The report is largely based on a fieldwork study of 5,153 UK adults conducted by YouGov…

Sixteen years ago, at about the time of the publication of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion, ComRes found that 42 per cent of UK adults polled agreed with the statement: ‘Faith is one of the world’s great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate.’ The new research tested the same proposition. The proportion now agreeing is 21 per cent…

Generation Z were also in stronger disagreement with the statement ‘you can’t be a good scientist and be religious’ (67 per cent) than any other generation... A similar proportion of Generation Z … also agreed that ‘it is possible to believe in God and in evolution’.

Church Times

SALVATIONIST

salvationarmy.org.uk/salvationist Issue No 1857

EDITOR Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

MANAGING EDITOR Ivan Radford

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Simon Hope, Melita Day-Lewis, George Tanton, 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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The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. FOUNDER William Booth

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A PIONEERING MOVEMENT

IN June 1962 an officer couple set sail from Liverpool with their three-month-old baby on a 12-day voyage to Ghana. Their calling to international service had come soon after being commissioned in 1959, when they read a War Cry article about a proposed new clinic at Ba-Entumbil in the country’s Central Region. It said that a married couple would be required to serve there and they believed their previous experience fitted them for the appointment – she had nursing and midwifery training and he had been an RAF medic during his national service. So, living up to their session name of Pioneers, they offered, were interviewed and eventually received the appointment. This story doesn’t feature in any Army history books, but I know about it because those officers were my parents and the baby was me.

That is just one example of pioneering, which has been at the heart of The Salvation Army from its earliest days. The Movement came into being because people broke new ground, tried fresh initiatives, took risks and trusted in God for the outcome. As Major Andrew Vertigan explains in this week’s Salvationist, pioneering ministries are still taking place across the territory. Having pioneered a new corps at Wetherby in 1993 with Major Andrea Vertigan, they now serve as the territory’s fresh expressions enablers, ‘developing and supporting pioneers, creating helpful resources and empowering others to engage with new communities for Christ’. This is an inspiring article, and the first in a monthly series in which we’ll be looking at examples of pioneering.

The article refers to William Booth as ‘the Army’s most well-known pioneer’, so it’s appropriate that we also hear from him. In a message from 1908 the pioneering spirit of the 78-year-old General shines through as he writes about ‘buried forces’, urging us to do what we can for the Kingdom of God. ‘Might there not be some new plans for attracting the people to your building or getting at them in their own homes or in the streets and marketplace or in their pleasure haunts?’ he asks.

General John Larsson featured many Army pioneers in his Salvationist articles over recent years. A few weeks before his promotion to Glory in March he sent in four more articles in his ‘Army snippets’ series. With the kind permission of Commissioner Freda Larsson these will be published over the next months. In this issue he looks back at some new developments he felt needed to take place in one of his early corps appointments.

In the weeks leading up to Candidates Sunday (8 May) we’ve heard from various people about what the theme of Becoming means to them. This week Cadet Hannah Turnbull explains that for her it is ‘developing the life I’ve been given by God for him’ – and that has meant training to ‘become a leader of his people’.

In his Bible study Major Mal Davies looks at Jesus’ calling of the early disciples and asks, ‘Has God called you to serve him in any way – at your corps, in your community, in ministry?’

Some of us may be called to be pioneers or to leave familiar surroundings to serve God elsewhere. But if not, we can pray for and support those who are. And we can look for new ways in which God can use us just where we are.

From the editor Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

CONTENTS

Quotes from the media 2

News 4 to 8

Prayer matters 8

Army snippets 9

from General John Larsson

A word from William 10

Buried forces

Feature 11 Becoming... a leader of God’s people

by Cadet Hannah Turnbull

Pioneering ministry 12 and 13

By our very nature

Major Andrew Vertigan talks to Simon Hope

Viewpoint 14 and 15

What is truth?

by the Rev Dr Gerald Paisey

Bible study 16 and 17

Finding the angle

by Major Mal Davies

Through the week with Salvationist 16 and 17

by Major Lynda Levis

Feature 18

Pastoring with pictures

by Captain Teresa Conway

Letters 19

Reflection 20

Counting on the promises

by Lieut-Colonel Gilbert Ellis

Read with us 20

Called to Be a Soldier: Chapter 1

Adverts 21 and 23

Announcements 22 and 23

Quiz 24

by Garry Reed

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS

Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (2011), unless otherwise stated

ANNIVERSARY

HOVE Divisional leaders Majors Mark and Linda Herbert led worship at the 140th corps anniversary celebrations. Four local officers received long-service awards: Roger Wolstencroft and Denise Scutt for 50 years’ service and Barry and Hazel Wolstencroft for 55 years’ service. A new flag was dedicated using funds given in memory of Ina Costan. The meeting was followed by a celebration meal. – LH

MEETING PRESENTATION

KILMARNOCK Corps officer Captain Emma Heal presented a farewell card and bouquet of flowers to Karen Simpson, the community champion from Morrisons. Karen has provided items for the corps food bank during the Covid-19 pandemic and volunteered for the corps community outreach by helping to prepare soup and sandwiches for older and vulnerable people as well as making up Christmas parcels. She is leaving Morrisons to concentrate on the development of her own business. Her support for the Army and willingness to help will be missed. – EF

EMERGENCY AID

SALISBURY Children helped the fellowship capture something of the joy and excitement of Palm Sunday by making palm leaves and marching around the hall, while the congregation sang ‘Hosanna in the Highest’. Thanks were given for the community’s donation of £3,400 to help the Army’s work in Ukraine. The money was raised following an appeal in the city newspaper and on the radio. Most of the money was brought in person to the hall, where space was offered for prayer and reflection on the crisis. – MD

MEETING

STORNOWAY The corps emergency response vehicle was called to help support the services tackling moor fires on the outskirts of the town. Firefighters, the coastguard service and other agencies were out for days fighting the spread of the fires, which engulfed the island with smoke. Corps members and new volunteers provided drinks and food. ‘It was a great opportunity to serve our community in practical ways,’ said corps officer Lieutenant Faith Thompson. – AR

MEETING

YORK On Palm Sunday the corps held its first Messy Church since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 50 children and 80 adults from the community attended. The Easter story was shared, Easter eggs were given out and everyone was encouraged to ‘shine from the inside out’ through crafts, stories and songs. – KC

EVENT MEETING

WATERBEACH The corps hosted the Central East Division’s first Enabled event. The day started with a session of Godly Play, followed by Music Man, crafts and photography workshops. Tim Hall-Randle said: ‘I have spent so much of my life being told what I cannot do because people see the “dis” in my disability. Music Man was the first event I’ve been to where they saw the musical “ability” I have! To sing my first ever solo in front of lots of people was overwhelming but in a massively positive way!’ – CS

MEETING

SHOEBURYNESS Captains Lynley and Stephen Oliver (WBC) and cadets led Easter celebrations. As well as conducting meetings at the corps, they led services at nearby churches and Bradbury Home care home. They also helped with Muddy Church at Hadleigh Farm. – RD/CD

OUTREACH

Corps officers Lieutenants Emily and Joel Watson lead the first Messy Church at Twickenham Corps, journeying through Holy Week with 20 children and 23 adults

OUTREACH

Merthyr Tydfil Fellowship Band share Easter tunes and Bible readings while giving out hot cross buns and Easter eggs

MEETING

MEETING

Nearly 60 people from Hastings Temple and other churches gather for a sunrise service

EVENT

PRESENTATION

Retiring Cradle Roll Sergeant Hilary Heath receives a certificate of appreciation from corps officer Major Tracey Mountford for her years of dedicated service at Chelmsford

OUTREACH

CATERHAM An introductory Music Man workshop for the Enabled group took place at the Westway community café in the town. It was enjoyed by all who attended, with many people coming from outside The Salvation Army. A regular Music Man group hosted by the corps has been established as a result. – CS

CLOWNE Families were thankful to be together at the first face-to-face Messy Church since the Covid-19 lockdowns. Fifty people attended, joining in Holy Week crafts that were designed to remind them of how Jesus went through everything ‘just for me’. The children started a seed germination experiment to take home and study how new beginnings grow into something. Colourful handprints on heart templates were placed on a cross to create a prayer art display. Puppet friends sang excitedly about the ‘Coming King’, before ‘Any Kind of Weather’ prompted quiet praise for God’s amazing love. – GH

MEETING EVENT

DUNSTABLE Easter celebrations started on Maundy Thursday with a meal and meditation. Corps officer Major Steve Brevitt led an open-air meeting in the shopping centre on the morning of Good Friday, supported by the band and Dunstable Churches Together. Divisional Commander Major Mike Lloyd-Jones led the evening meeting with impactful illustrations challenging the congregation to look anew at the Easter story and their response to it. Easter Day saw more than 70 people attend a ‘Sonrise’ service on Dunstable Downs, and Divisional Leader for Leader Development Major Lisa Lloyd-Jones led the morning meeting. – SB

OUTREACH

Kilmarnock corps officer Captain Emma Heal joins the town’s Good Friday march of witness, culminating in a short service supported by the band

DONCASTER An Enabled event was held in partnership with the Yorkshire Enabled group. Attendees enjoyed drama, cake decorating, choral, craft, video production and Music Man workshops. The corps provided lunch before everyone gathered together to showcase their work. This was followed by a time of worship, during which the group sang ‘Sing Hosanna’ while marching around the hall playing percussion instruments. Everyone had a wonderful day. – CS RUGBY Family and friends from across the country joined in the retirement celebrations for Major Anne Myers, who was commissioned in 1978. Divisional leaders Majors Mike and Lisa Lloyd-Jones led worship, sharing messages from Army folk at Anne’s past and present corps. She was presented with her certificate of retirement by Major Mike. The occasion was marked by fellowship and food, including a celebratory cake. – GJ

PRESENTATION

After 73 years as Yeovil Corps pianist, Derek Lush receives a certificate of appreciation and retirement from corps officer Major Neil Davies READING LOWER EARLEY Holy Week activities included an opportunity to spend time in reflection as music and readings were provided by the band and songsters. Corps members contemplated the different gifts of Easter at two Bible studies, and Thursday evening involved a three-course communal meal sat around a cross. On Good Friday, the corps reflected on what it meant to be before the cross. Easter Sunday morning saw a capacity congregation celebrate the good news that Christ is risen. Families from the community later joined in a fun-packed Easter egg hunt in the garden. – RC

MEETING

BURGESS HILL At the farewell and retirement meeting for Major Angela White, greetings and congratulations were shared with the congregation. They referred to Major Angela’s ‘lifetime of dedicated and unstinted service and her unerring love for people’. A cake was cut and enjoyed, decorated with the message: ‘Angela, it’s time to rest, relax and revitalise.’ – DH