Salvationist 9 April 2022

For everyone linked to The Salvation Army

70p / 9 April 2022

SALVATIONIST JOURNEYING TO THE CROSS ‘He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem’ Luke 9:51

Salvationist Day Month 2020

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QUOTES FROM THE MEDIA

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO UKRAINIAN REFUGEES ‘COMPLETELY INADEQUATE’ The government’s response to Ukrainian refugees has been criticised as ‘completely inadequate’ by leading British theologian Dr Anna Rowlands, who said it was still broadly configured towards a ‘policy of deterrence’ rather than ‘a fulsome enacting of the principles of international law’…

She said the treatment of Ukrainians fleeing conflict was ‘still within the kind of mindset of the “hostile environment” policy’ aimed at deterring immigrants from seeking out the UK as a desirable place to go…

Rowlands, who is a Refugee Hosts’ co-investigator and has worked with the Jesuit Refugee Service in the UK, said she was also worried that there was a transfer on to civil society of some of the responsibilities of the state.

‘I think it is hugely generous and warm-hearted of the British population, as in Ireland and elsewhere, to open their homes [to Ukrainians]. But an opening homes policy alone is not a just upholding of international law principles around refugee hosting and provision.’

The Tablet

SALVATIONIST

ANNUAL FIGURES REVEAL EFFECT OF LOCKDOWN ON CATHEDRALS The effect of the [Covid-19] pandemic on cathedrals in England has been revealed as annual figures showed a 64 per cent drop for in-person worshippers in 2020, when the country spent months in lockdown and cathedrals and churches were closed.

Most cathedrals adapted quickly to move services online and, although emergency government funding helped cathedrals to survive their catastrophic loss in income, it is still today a ‘challenging environment’ for most, the Dean of Leicester, the Very Rev David Monteith, warned, particularly as cathedrals now face huge rises in energy bills…

‘Cathedrals and churches are here to support their communities… and [are] focal points for prayer and reflection and action in light of world events, including the war in Ukraine…’

Church Times

CHURCH JUDGE TO RULE ON PLAQUE CELEBRATING DORSET SLAVER JOHN GORDON A memorial in a Dorset church praising a plantation owner for suppressing a slave rebellion is the next ‘contested heritage’ case to be dealt with by an ecclesiastical judge.

The chancellor of the diocese of Salisbury is to rule on whether to remove a large marble plaque to John Gordon, which heralds him for quashing an uprising in Jamaica…

The plaque, at St Peter’s Church, Dorchester, documents Gordon’s role in brutally stopping an uprising known as Tacky’s War, or Tacky’s Rebellion, in 1760 in Jamaica, then a British colony…

In 2020 the parochial church council voted to cover the text while applying for the removal of the memorial. They rejected an option to let it remain permanently with the text covered… If removed, it could go to Dorset Museum which said it was ‘in discussions about storing it on a loan basis’.

The Times

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A bill addressing suicide as a result of detrimental gambling habits has been passed through the House of Lords.

The bill was inspired by Jackie Smith, a young man who lost his life to gambling habits.

[The Right] Rev Alan Smith stated that information and treatment of problem gambling had been ‘woefully inadequate’…

Public Health England has stated that the number of gambling-related suicides reaches around 409 people a year…

The parliamentary undersecretary of state, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, said: ‘The NHS longterm plan commits to expanding the geographical coverage of NHS services for people with serious gambling problems.’

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Salvationist Day Month 2020

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VALUING PEOPLE

WHEN I was a teenager I spent a couple of weeks one summer working with some fellow scouts in a store room at Luton and Dunstable hospital. The hospital kept old x-ray films there and we had been asked to help by removing them from their envelopes and placing them in a skip for recycling. Apparently there was a thin silver coating that could be recovered and reused. I was reminded of this when I heard that the Royal Mint is building a processing plant to recover gold from the circuit boards of discarded electrical devices such as mobile phones and laptops. The plant, which is due to open in south Wales next year, is expected to recover hundreds of kilograms of gold every year. The Royal Mint will use it to make commemorative coins and gold bars. It goes to show that something of value is sometimes found in unexpected places – it can easily be overlooked but can also be reclaimed.

Last week’s Salvationist included a report on the Homelessness Services Conference where the theme was Diamonds, and the ideas of ‘discovering, refining and honing’ were related to the work of supporting people. This week, Service Manager George Hockings describes the work at Witham Lodge Lifehouse in Skegness and how it values and transforms people’s lives. He gives the examples of Jonathan and Paul.

Their lives fell apart in different ways, leaving them homeless. But with the Army’s support they began to rebuild and now live independently, working and playing an important part in the life of the town.

A four-page pull-out section from the Personnel Service focuses on the ‘Valuing People’ framework, described as ‘a guide to helping us love God and love others’.

Sadly, we can sometimes be so focused on helping the people we serve that we forget to value and support those we serve alongside. This framework reminds us that the Army should be ‘a movement where everyone feels valued and where everyone can contribute to the mission, whether they are employees, members, officers or volunteers’.

In a ‘Reflection’ to mark the start of Holy Week, Lieutenant Nazia Yousaf looks at an incident on Palm Sunday when Jesus cleared the Temple of merchants and moneychangers. They were devaluing people by extortionate practices and by ‘spoiling their ability to meet God and worship him’. Lieutenant Nazia asks us to consider whether any of our actions might be devaluing people by preventing them from finding God. Clare Falvey provides a Holy Week meditation based on poems by Commissioner Albert Mingay. They focus on the cross of Jesus and movingly explore the love that led him there to reclaim and renew us, as well as the response it calls us to make. The redeeming love of God is also highlighted in the Bible study by Lieut-Colonel Edgar Chagas and a meditation by Major Alistair Dawson.

We are all precious to God – made in his image and, despite our sins and shortcomings, loved and valued by him. As we move towards Good Friday and Easter Day, may the wonder of that love revealed in Jesus stir our hearts and minds.

I am amazed when I think of God’s love, So wonderful, matchless and free; The love that could see, from eternity, Something worth saving in sinners like me.

(SASB 170)

CONTENTS Quotes from the media

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News

4 to 7

Prayer matters

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We are The Salvation Army 8 and 9 We are transforming lives says Service Manager George Hockings

Reflection 10 and 11 How clean is your temple?

by Lieutenant Nazia Yousaf

Reflection Every day with Jesus

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by Major Alistair Dawson

Valuing people

13 to 16

Viewpoint God is patient

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by Major Howard Webber

Meditation Towards the cross

18 and 19

by Clare Falvey

Bible study 20 and 21 Look on the one they have pierced!

by Lieut-Colonel Edgar Chagas

Through the week with Salvationist 20 and 21

by Major Sheila Smith

Fundraising

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Poetry corner

23

Announcements

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New commitments

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Adverts

26 and 27

The Salvation Army and me

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featuring Lieutenant Loretta Garman

FRONT-PAGE QUOTE The verse is from the 21st Century King James Version.

From the editor Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

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

Salvationist Day Month 2020 Salvationist 9 April 2022

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NEWS

MUSIC

INTERNATIONAL

A joyful welcome for international leaders LIBERIA GENERAL Brian Peddle and World President of Women’s Ministries Commissioner Rosalie Peddle arrived to a warm welcome from a congregation of more than 300 Salvationists, students and teachers.

The Rev M Emmanuel Nimely, religious adviser in the office of the president of Liberia, welcomed the General and other guests on behalf of the government.

The world leaders were joyfully received by the Reflectors of Holiness session of cadets as well as members of staff at command headquarters and the training college before visiting the capital building and office of the vice president of Liberia, Her Excellency Chief Dr Jewel Howard-Taylor.

An indoor programme at Paynesville began with a traditional Liberian welcome from the students at Len Millar High School before a visit to William Booth Clinic, which is situated among the slum communities of the red-light district.

The rooftop hall of command headquarters hosted officers councils and welcome meetings, with 87 active and 6 retired officers in attendance. Thirty officers rededicated their lives at the altar in response to God’s call to ministry.

Saturday involved rallies at the Ministerial Complex of Liberia with men’s and women’s meetings held simultaneously. An afternoon youth rally preceded a traditional festival of praise in the evening that featured performances from a variety of groups. Almost 2,000 Salvationists attended the three events.

Celebrations concluded on Sunday with a march of witness and a holiness meeting. Hundreds of Salvationists and students paraded through the streets of Monrovia led by the command band. The united holiness meeting saw more than 2,500 people in attendance, including the world leaders and Her Excellency Chief Dr Jewel Howard-Taylor.

She thanked The Salvation Army for contributing to the education of the young people of Liberia, providing health services in the country and helping to deepen the spiritual growth of the people. The international leaders enrolled 17 junior soldiers and 147 senior soldiers, and 115 people answered the General’s altar call. – DM

Salvationist wants to hear your news Corps press representatives can email salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk.

Good quality pictures will be included.

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Salvationist 9 April 2022

CIRENCESTER The songster leaders organised a Big Sing for anyone who wished to spend a Saturday afternoon singing and enjoying tea and cake. Those gathered spanned a 70-year age range and music games were arranged for the young children, who also made their own instruments. – MG

OUTREACH

TWICKENHAM St Mary’s University student Kate stood in the town centre with corps officers Lieutenants Emily and Joel Watson to raise funds for local mission. The streets filled with people as England hosted Ireland in the Six Nations Rugby Championship and spirits were high. The trio were grateful to soak up the buzzing atmosphere, chat with people and be a presence in the community. – EW

MUSIC

Band community supports Ukraine crisis appeal BOSCOMBE THE band and a fellowship of former and retired band members and others joined together for a concert in aid of the Army’s Ukraine crisis appeal.

Bandmaster Howard Evans and local officers reached out to bring together more than 50 musicians for the event. The group, titled Boscombe BandCom, presented a varied programme, opening with the march ‘Able’, before William Himes’ arrangement of ‘Stand Up and Bless the Lord’ allowed the congregation’s voices to be heard.

Ray Bowes’ arrangement of ‘Jesus Loves

PRESENTATION

LIMAVADY As part of the corps anniversary weekend, thanks were given to Eileen Coyle, who has served for 22 years in the corps charity shop, and John Butcher, who has sold the War Cry in the town centre for 11 years.

They received certificates from Divisional Mission Enabler Major Paul Wright and Safeguarding Officer Major Jacqueline Wright after a corps meal. – SW

EVENT

Me!’ preceded ‘Songs of the Morning’, and ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ played by Band Sergeant Craig Snell led into an appeal, during which the congregation joined to sing ‘Peace in Our Time, O Lord’. This was followed by ‘Be Glorified’.

Bandsman Lieut-Colonel John PearceHaydon received a certificate of retirement from corps officer Major David Alton. The band then played Lieut-Colonel John’s chosen piece, ‘Divine Communion’, and he conducted his favourite tune, ‘Leoni’.

The evening concluded with ‘Glorifico Aeternum’ before corps officer Major Jane Alton pronounced the benediction.

Without any prior announcement of a proposed collection, the concert raised £830 on the night, with further donations resulting in a total of more than £1,000. – RC

EVENT

RISCA Guest Charlie Green led the Spring Festival weekend at the corps. Although some Covid-19 restrictions were still in place, all those who attended the event were blessed

by Charlie’s singing and the fellowship that was shared. – JB

New hall opens BEXLEYHEATH AFTER 14 years without a permanent home, corps members celebrated the dedication of their new hall and reflected on the truth that a corps is more than bricks and mortar.

‘I think everyone here will understand that the church is never the building,’ said Territorial Commander Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, who led a weekend of celebrations with Territorial Leader for Leader Development Commissioner Gill Cotterill.

In July 2008 the corps moved out of the old hall, which had been its home for 99 years. It was taken in by a nearby Methodist church and, in the years that followed, corps life kept moving forward, with new members enrolled, activities launched and community work making a difference to people in the area.

After the TC cut a ribbon to declare the new building open, he and Commissioner Gill led a service of dedication, which was attended by Sir David Evennett, MP, the mayor of Bexley, Councillor James Hunt, members of the Methodist church and corps folk.

The band played an arrangement of ‘My All Is On the Altar’ before the TC offered a prayer of commitment: ‘As today we dedicate this building again to you, we dedicate ourselves afresh to you.’

The territorial leaders also took part in Sunday activities, with Commissioner Gill visiting the Sunday school in the new building and Commissioner Anthony answering questions on topical issues at a youth café church that is held in one of the town’s pubs. – PH Salvationist 9 April 2022

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MUSIC LENT FOCUS

by Lyndall Bywater (Prayer Network) WEEK 6 – LISTENING TO GOD TOGETHER SUNDAY 10 APRIL – LAYING DOWN OUR PRIDE The Palm Sunday story tells how the people laid down their coats for the donkey to walk over as it carried Jesus into Jerusalem. Coats were a sign of status and wealth, probably one of the most expensive items someone would have owned at that time, and laying them down under a young, excitable donkey was a risky business. But they did it for Jesus. During worship today, could you invite people to lay something down on the floor as a sign of surrender and trust?

EXETER TEMPLE More than 100 people attended the first quarterly Temple Praise meeting of the year. The meeting featured the sections and soloists, beginning with the songsters presenting ‘We’ve Come This Far by Faith’. The band played two contrasting pieces, the modern ‘All Creatures Praise’, which included a cacophony of animal sounds and rhythms in its introduction, and ‘Great and Glorious’.

Vocal soloist Songster Victoria Norton brought ‘There Will Be God’, before joining Patricia Downie on the piano and Corps Sergeant-Major Nicholas Walton on the cornet for ‘Wonderful Love’. Patricia and Kenneth Downie played Grieg’s piano duet ‘Norwegian Dances’. Major Carolyn Read shared a thought for the day and fellowship and refreshments were shared. – LB

WEEK 7 – LISTENING THROUGH PAIN MONDAY 11 APRIL – REMEMBERING WITH GRATITUDE We find courage and hope for the present and the future when we remember the past.

Think of a time when you were in pain and reflect on what you’ve learnt about God from that experience. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you something new about that experience – something you’ve never thought of before.

TUESDAY 12 APRIL – THE PAIN OF INJUSTICE When Jesus acted in anger, turning over the tables in the Temple courts, there must have been much pain inside him – the pain of seeing people exploited and his Father’s house misused. Does it ever occur to you that the pain you feel is God drawing your attention to injustice? As you notice your pain and anger today, ask God to help you see the injustice you’re reacting to and spend time praying for justice to be done.

WEDNESDAY 13 APRIL – OWNING OUR DISAPPOINTMENTS The Bible assures us that God has our best interests at heart. The trouble is that doesn’t stop us being disappointed – by life, by others and even by God. Arrange some time with a friend this week, if you can, and talk honestly about the disappointments that still cause you pain, then ask them to do the same. As you talk and listen, open your heart to hear something new from God. THURSDAY 14 APRIL – COMFORT AND COMPANY In Holy Week we remember the story of a woman in pain who poured expensive perfume over Jesus’ feet. Despite his own growing sorrow and heaviness, Jesus welcomed her. If there’s love, then two people in pain can be good company for one another. Is there someone you know who could use a friendly face or a kind word today? Even if you’re in pain, could you keep them company for a while?

PRESENTATION MALTBY The corps celebrated the ministry of Bandmaster Geoff Yates as he entered retirement.

Geoff has held various local officer positions over the years and has shown dedication in doing so. He served for 28 years as songster leader and then as bandmaster for the past 11 years. Friends and family attended the celebration as they recognised that all service is for the King. Geoff conducted the band and congregation and cut a cake alongside his wife, Janet, who has supported him through his years of service. – LM

FRIDAY 15 APRIL – GOOD FRIDAY Jesus, you suffered pain beyond my imagining. You, who had heard your Father’s voice so clearly, were suddenly smothered in darkness and silence. You, who had prayed for hours in perfect communion with your Father, were suddenly alone and cut off. Jesus, when I simply can’t hear, hold me tight and carry me through. Jesus, when I feel utterly unheard, wrap me up in your love and heal my soul.

SATURDAY 16 APRIL – DOING A DIFFICULT THING It is a frustrating truth that we tend to learn more through struggle than through comfort. Find a task today that you don’t find easy. Notice what God is showing you as you tackle it. When you’ve finished, take a few minutes to reflect on what you have learnt and on how that wisdom might be applied in other areas of your life at the moment. l A PDF of the Prayer Matters booklet is also available to download from salvationarmy.org.uk/resources Salvationist Salvationist Salvationist 29 26 5January March 2022 Salvationist Day Month 2020

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There are hundreds of corps and centres in our territory, but what makes them The Salvation Army? In this series we discover just that!

We are transforming lives

says Witham Lodge Lifehouse Service Manager George Hockings

R

ELYING mainly on the tourism industry, the small seaside town of Skegness experiences striking contrasts. During winter months, the population is only 20,000, but in the summer that increases to more than 200,000. Coupled with low wages and poor transportation and communication links, this means it is an area of relative deprivation. Many people – having fond memories of going to the seaside as children – come here and, finding that there are no jobs to be had in winter, fall into homelessness.

Witham Lodge Lifehouse opened in 2001 in response to this real need.

Comprising two buildings, it is owned by the Salvation Army Housing Association but is managed by the Army’s Homelessness Services Unit.

Our services are people-centred, meaning we look at what clients can do

Witham Lodge garden built by residents

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and what they are good at, rather than focusing on what they can’t do. We encourage partnership with voluntary groups and statutory agencies to develop good working relationships, giving our clients the best opportunity to develop their skills. As we are quite a small service, we offer a more personal approach and get our residents involved in all areas of our programme, which includes recruitment, health and safety, risk assessments and resident meetings.

Our chaplains, Majors Ruth and Tim Dykes (Skegness) are key members of staff in this, supporting our residents and team with the intention of identifying and addressing pastoral and spiritual needs. Their mission is to shine with the brightness of God and to share his light and love with clients and staff. During the Covid-19 pandemic, meeting for our

Rookery Nook thought for the day became impossible, but they still met for one-to-one chats with people.

I was recently called at home and told that one of my support workers had died following a stroke. I got little sleep that night and had to tell the team the next day. Major Tim came in for several days to talk to the clients and staff members.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the centre.

Please pray for the family of the support worker as well as the residents and team.

Over the past 21 years, Witham Lodge Lifehouse has accommodated thousands of people experiencing homelessness aged between 18 and 78.

We now have a staff team of 19 and have six months to support each client and – hopefully – resettle them into their own accommodation.

Our Witham Lodge building consists of 30 beds – 25 single en-suite rooms, a specially adapted accessible flat and four independent flats for people to experience independent living before moving into their own accommodation.

The building is divided into clusters, each of which has five bedrooms, a communal lounge and a communal kitchen. The client group includes anyone over the age of 18 with high support needs.

The other building, Rookery Nook, is roughly half a mile away. It is a large Salvationist Day Month 2020

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George

detached house that takes 11 clients with low support needs. With its 11 bedrooms, shared bathrooms, a kitchen and a lounge over three floors, Rookery Nook has a welcoming, more relaxed atmosphere and feels more like a family home.

Looking to the future, we plan to include an outside gym in the back garden of Witham Lodge. Exercising outdoors gives people all the physical benefits of indoor exercise – improved cardiovascular health, blood flow, strength, flexibility, endurance and more – while also providing exposure to sunlight that increases their levels of vitamin D. This will give our clients the opportunity to exercise for free during the day and evening. We hope it will help to relieve stress and occupy their

‘

Witham Lodge

I never know from one day to the next what I am going to be facing

’

time, which will benefit their overall fitness and mental wellbeing. This is all being funded through generous donations received over Christmas from a local hotelier, a church and Falmouth Temple. Falmouth is my home corps and has been raising money for the Lifehouse ever since its inception.

What I love about being the service manager here is that I never know from one day to the next what I am going to be facing. For example, we recently had a couple of quiet days when everything was running smoothly. The residents were attending their appointments with support workers and a couple were excited to have been accepted for properties and were due to be moving out.

On the third day of that week, I came on shift to discover that the night staff had trouble with a group of people, starting at 10pm and finishing at 4.30am. My job was to speak to all those concerned and see what they had to say about their actions. This took most of my morning and they were all given 28-day written notices, which meant they had to abide by the rules of the centre for the next month.

Coastguards Jonathan and Paul on Remembrance Sunday We have had many residents’ lives transformed since coming through the centre, two of whom went on to flourish as coastguards.

Paul was successful in Spain, running his own bar for 10 years, but his relationship broke down early in 2015. He needed to return to the UK and rebuild his life from scratch but had no address to call home. Jonathan had no life skills whatsoever and became homeless after the death of his father.

Having worked hard all his life, Paul wanted to do something at the Lifehouse and encouraged Jonathan and others to build an onsite pond and chicken coop to give residents something to do. They both became regularly active in our Hope project and partnered Jobcentre Plus, the council wellbeing team, the probation service, social services and housing associations as part of their work experience. They were working several days a week helping many vulnerable people in the Skegness area with gardening or painting and decorating.

Jonathan moved into his own accommodation in 2016 and Paul in 2017. They set up a business together as handymen and joined the coastguard team and are now fully qualified. One of my proudest moments was when they laid a wreath at the town cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

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REFLECTION

HOW CLEAN Lieutenant Nazia Yousaf considers the purifying work of Jesus in our lives as individuals and corps

A

S I was going through my calendar, my gaze stopped on a date that featured ‘moving prep’.

With a sigh, I recalled a lifetime of moves with my officer-parents and all the preparation that was involved.

Mostly it meant sorting things out and getting rid of what we no longer needed.

We then had to deep clean the house ready for the next officers to live there.

My mother was proud of her housekeeping, so my family all got involved in deep cleaning after every season and before every big occasion – Christmas, Easter, holidays and even visits from our leaders. Cleaning and getting rid of the stuff that would otherwise get in the way was a major element of our lives.

My calendar entry prompted me to reflect on the story of Jesus clearing the Temple. This was the centre of Jewish religion – the worship, rituals, holy occasions – and was the place where people would expect to find God. That’s why, when Jesus found people making God’s place of prayer and worship ‘a den of robbers’ (Matthew 21:13), he cleared out the buyers and sellers. The destruction and dirt had to be removed – Jesus could no longer put up with them.

In his first letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul asks: ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?’ (6:19). This question led me to reflect on how we keep our own temples clean and on the importance of spiritual cleanliness. When Jesus thinks about your temple, how does he see it?

What they were doing in the Temple was originally meant to be a practical service for those coming to worship.

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Many worshippers would have come from other countries and therefore needed to change their money into local currency or purchase birds or animals for sacrifice – all the matters included in the rituals they had to perform at the Temple.

Unfortunately, this turned into a bad business. The Temple created a monopoly on animals that were able to be sacrificed. The business of buying and selling animals and changing money became more important than the act of worship itself. The noise of the animals would overpower the prayers of the people and the priests. The authorities and traders were not just corrupt, they were robbing the worshippers by spoiling their ability to meet God and worship him.

This story encourages us to reflect on our traditions and rituals, values and habits – both as individuals and as corps. These practices were initially good for expanding God’s Kingdom, but we must ask if they are still serving that purpose. Are they still good? Are we still willing to let Jesus take the lead? Or have they become corrupted, serving the servers instead of those who need to be served? Have programmes designed to save souls, grow saints or serve suffering humanity just become work that keeps us busy? Sometimes we can think that we are doing the right thing – that we are serving the Kingdom – but our actions might be preventing people from finding God.

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is your temple?

When we move house, it is a good idea to sort things – to get rid of the stuff we do not need any more. If we keep everything, it can become a burden and we may find ourselves suffocating. But we can take the opportunity to replace outdated technologies, broken items or old, misfitting clothes. It is the same with our Christian life. We need to evaluate and think of the traditions and values we seem to be basing our lives on. Are they still reliable? Are they serving the Kingdom? Or do we need to get rid of them?

Perhaps we should allow Jesus to do some cleaning in our temples. But for this we need to take some steps.

First, we ought to think about our traditions, values and attitudes. We might even want to write them down.

Second, we need to put them in front of the throne of God and wait for the moment when the Holy Spirit will lead us – what’s called the kairos (right 3or opportune) moment. It’s the kind of moment that came when Jesus was talking to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and ‘he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures’ (Luke 24:45). Are we ready for those moments when Jesus opens our eyes and shows us what he wants us to get rid of?

When we do not clean things regularly life can get difficult. It is easier to keep things clean than to let them get dirty and damaged before then having to clean them. It is the same in our spiritual journey. Daily devotions are like daily cleaning, and other intentional times – when we attend workshops, for example – are like a special cleaning, when we sit before God and allow him to open

I am coming, Lord, Coming now to thee; Wash me, cleanse me in thy blood That flowed on Calvary (SASB 423)

our hearts and show us what we need to remove. Are we doing that? Are we allowing Jesus to clean our temples regularly?

John says: ‘If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7).

Jesus cleanses us individually, but it also means we can enjoy fellowship together.

Holy Week provides us with an opportunity to think and reflect on the cleaning Jesus wants us to do in our temple. We need to allow time and space for this because holiness is an ongoing process. It is not a one-time activity. To be holy is to make ourselves vulnerable, to accept changes and keep moving.

LIEUTENANT YOUSAF IS CORPS OFFICER, STOCKPORT HEATON NORRIS

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REFLECTION

Every day with Jesus Major Alistair Dawson reflects on the greatness of God’s love

M

Y favourite chorus is ‘Every Day with Jesus’. It is a simple chorus that makes a great claim: ‘Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before,/ Every day with Jesus, I love him more and more.’ Is that what Jesus means to you?

When you have been married 56 years, as I have, you know for certain and on a daily basis how precious and lovely the life of your partner is. Rosemary, my wife, is so worthy of praise, especially after all the years we have spent together. But if that is true of an earthly relationship, why not our friendship with Jesus? Why can’t we love him more and more?

‘Jesus saves and keeps me,’ the chorus continues. He does, simply because I am worth saving and keeping – whatever I might say or do! Jesus knows and understands me so well.

An influential bishop and his grandson were voyaging across the Atlantic Ocean when the boy asked him: ‘Grandad, how big is the love of God?’ That question threw the old man until he saw the ship’s compass and was able to reveal its four points.

‘Look to the north as far as you can see,’ he said. ‘The love of God goes on and on still further.’

He did the same with the other three compass points, leaving the child to wonder at the greatness of God’s love.

‘Grandad,’ the boy said, ‘does that mean we are bang in the middle of it?’

If every day is with Jesus, then every day is at the centre of God’s creative love, however hard it is to imagine it, explain it or even understand it.

And how do we understand it?

Stuart Hamblen was an American singer, actor, broadcaster and writer of more than 200 pop songs. Towards the end of his life, during an interview with the evangelist Billy Graham, he found Jesus to be his saviour. Talking about his conversion with his friend, the actor John Wayne, Stuart said that it was no secret what God had achieved in his life. Out of that conversion was born the song ‘It Is No Secret, What God Can Do’, with its famous line: ‘With arms wide open, he’ll pardon you!’

The beneficial love of God – love that knows no boundary, love that is not hedged in by doctrine, theology or church teachings – is open all hours. It’s a love that is ours to see, believe in and enjoy.

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On the mount of crucifixion Fountains opened deep and wide; Through the floodgates of God’s mercy Flowed a vast and gracious tide.

Grace and love, like mighty rivers, Poured incessant from above, And Heaven’s peace and perfect justice Kissed a guilty world in love.

(SASB 169) Beneficial love! I love that term, for it expresses the truth that God really cares for me. It’s a love that commences every day in a spirit of complete acceptance, with arms wide open to what life may bring. A love whose greatest joy is simply to receive us – just as we are. A love that does not seek to appease an angry God. A love that does not seek to punish Jesus for the vast backlog of accumulated human sin and evil.

Rather, Jesus simply brings to us the love of God, to let us know how, by his action, God thinks and feels towards us.

William Barclay, in his book Crucified and Crowned, writes: ‘God is like Jesus. In Jesus Christ we see what man ought to be. Jesus is not, as it were, less human than men, he is more human than men… In Jesus Christ we see the perfect demonstration of the love of God… As we see Jesus on the cross, we can say: “God loves me enough to do that for me.”’

Barclay goes on to say: ‘On the cross God says to us in Jesus Christ, “Nothing – absolutely nothing that you can do – can stop me loving you.”’

So, with arms wide open, he’ll pardon you – and you can live every day singing: Every day with Jesus, Is sweeter than the day before.

Every day with Jesus, I love him more and more.

Jesus saves and keeps me, He’s the one that I adore.

Every day with Jesus Is sweeter than the day before.

MAJOR DAWSON LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN ST AUSTELL

Salvationist Day Month 2020

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Valuing People The ‘Valuing People’ framework: a guide to helping us love God and love others Based on Jesus’ greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37—39 to ‘love the Lord your God’ and ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ — ‘Love God, Love Others’ underpins, inspires and motivates everything we do in every part of The Salvation Army. The ‘Valuing People’ framework ensures we also give attention, within this, to how we love ourselves and each other.

Introduction ‘Valuing People’ is necessary because people are precious to God and The Salvation Army. The people and the mission are intrinsically linked.

Mission is part of our relational journeys with each other, not just what we do or deliver. Our people are not just a means to an end, to be used in an instrumentalist way for the greater purpose. Rather our people and our relationships together are a flavour of the good news that we offer the wider world and that they may share with us. Different roles may be performed by different groups but all are equal in their value as they enhance and build the Kingdom of God through the Army.

It is important for The Salvation Army to be a movement where everyone feels valued and where everyone can contribute to the mission, whether they are employees, members, officers or volunteers.

It is important for The Salvation Army to be a movement where we take better care of our people and ourselves.

Purpose ‘Valuing People’ has been developed to support the vision, mission and values of The Salvation Army.

The framework makes a clear statement about how The Salvation Army wants to value and treat its people. It helps us identify the values and skills needed in those who will help us fulfil our mission.

It enables us to set out the culture and behaviours, influencing systems and structures that we wish to foster to enable everyone to have life in all its fullness in working and living out the mission.

By supporting and releasing the potential of our people we maximise their effectiveness in mission.

Values ‘Valuing People’ supports The Salvation Army’s values. Our identity, vision and God-given mission as disciples of Jesus Christ are shaped by the values of the Kingdom of God as we love God and love others, reaching for fullness of life for all with Jesus. Our values are reframed as statements of intent to assist us in how we live them out.

Our values, expressed as behavioural values and statements of intent, are: Boldness We will courageously and confidently seek to fulfil our five mission priorities: share the good news, seek justice and reconciliation, nurture disciples of Jesus, serve others without discrimination, care for creation.

Compassion We will serve with the unconditional love and grace of God as the pattern for our behaviour, with a bias to the poor and marginalised.

Passion We will bring our best selves, our God-given energies and our convictions to our work, service and learning, whether as officers, members, employees or volunteers.

Respect We will welcome each person with the dignity of those created in the image of God, valuing their diversity, seeking to serve each other’s flourishing and transformation within God’s love.

Integrity We will be honest and transparent in all our dealings with each other and those we serve, being open about our motives and agendas.

Mutual accountability We will willingly and freely give full account for our actions to those we interact with and expect the same in return, recognising the link between individual responsibility and mutual accountability.

Need for change ‘Valuing People’ recognises that society is in a period characterised by exceptional levels of change. It provides a people-centred framework to guide choices The Salvation Army faces in how we seek to fulfil our mission in an unsettled landscape.

‘Valuing People’ came from looking and listening to feedback from a wide range of sources, including officer and employee surveys, which reported negative responses relating to culture.

In analysing the feedback, which raised a need for culture change, themes were identified and a vision emerged. As the work on this and formal consultation at the Territorial Leaders’

Conference and Territorial Advisory Council continued, the themes were consolidated and are presented as principles which we can all work towards and live out.

‘Valuing People’ principles Six strategic principles have been identified, through which we can achieve this vision: Innovation and collaboration Learning together and encouraging experimentation, creativity and agility.

Integration and alignment as opposed to silo working.

Values-driven behaviour Serving with integrity, helping us develop healthy relationships, contributing to collective wellbeing, helping us integrate what we do with how we do it, supporting how we engage in living out our mission.

Empowering people Being formed as servant leaders who release and enable people to achieve their potential, moving away from instrumentalism and managerialism towards coaching, contributing to naming, analysing and challenging oppression.

Inclusive community Valuing everyone, encouraging diversity of thought, growing and developing through learning from the contribution of diverse perspectives and experiences.

Effective systems and structures Person-centred rather than organisationcentred processes that serve and enable our people to live out our mission while meeting our legal requirements.

Healthy and flourishing environments Contributing to building resilient, inclusive, adaptable communities who work with risk to enable safety and handle adversity in positive ways, embedding reflective practice and using a trauma-informed approach that challenges and replaces toxic environments where they exist.

It is important that all of us who comprise The Salvation Army feel able to embrace the ‘Valuing People’ principles and seek opportunities to embed them in our life and mission.

Next steps We will continue to develop ways to listen and work together — whether you are part of our movement as an officer, territorial envoy, local leader, employee, member, friend, volunteer or service user. We want to ensure our identity, vision and mission are shaped by the values of the Kingdom of God as we love God and love others, reaching for fullness of life for all with Jesus.

Our Identity In 2021, the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory adopted several new statements designed to capture the mission and vision of The Salvation Army for this territory at this time. These are reflected in the preceding pages in the references to ‘Love God, Love Others’ and ‘Fullness of life for all with Jesus’.

This was the outcome of work completed by the Identity Task Force across 2020—21. Their remit was to also affirm the values of the territory, which are the foundation of our ‘Valuing People’ framework.

The values and principles of ‘Valuing People’ sit comfortably alongside our new territorial statements.

Already before the end of 2021, opportunities were made for people to contribute to The Salvation Army’s work of collaborating on adapting culture and structure to enable greater flourishing of mission. People were able to participate through forums across the territory, corps leadership meetings and a survey. Feedback given and contributions made will continue to develop the ‘Valuing People’ framework and action plan.

Our Identity Principles Our identity principles guide and strengthen the identity of The Salvation Army across our territory.

They are:

For example, corps members, employees, supporters, volunteers, officers, media and parliament.

The identity of The Salvation Army originates in God and is rooted in God — Father, Son and Spirit.

The Salvation Army’s identity must be big enough for every part of the territory to understand itself and be appreciated as part of one Salvation Army, contributing to our mission. Fragmentation or narrowing the identity of the Army poses a risk to an inclusive and diverse Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army must be Spirit-filled and life-giving for all people.

The Salvation Army must consistently explore, embrace and strengthen our God-given, Godinspired identity, which is part of the mission of God in the world and the wider Church.

The identity of The Salvation Army must be faithful to God’s purposes and relevant and engaging to a range of audiences.

We need to be clear, confident and consistent as we live out the gospel of Jesus and ‘Love God, Love Others’ in every aspect of our lives. These statements and principles will help us to do this together.

Transformation, Integration, Streamlining Many organisations have made the mistake of creating and adopting new principles, values and goals — and then immediately ignoring them!

We need to make sure that ‘Valuing People’, our values, our vision and our mission are enacted in reality.

The Salvation Army has always been very pragmatic, rather than theoretical or abstract, and so we are already looking at ways to initiate real change in how we ‘do’ Salvation Army.

Commencing in 2021, the Structure Co-ordination and Design Project aims to help the UKI Territory achieve greater local mission flourishing by co-ordinating and designing appropriate support from headquarters.

When we talk about ‘local mission flourishing’ or ‘local mission delivery’, we are referring to all aspects of Salvation Army work that directly connect with people in communities such as corps, fresh expressions, pioneering, core recovery church, Lifehouses, care homes, antitrafficking work, chaplaincy, employment services, debt advice, charity shops and other services.

Three desired outcomes are prioritised in this work: Transformation: Increase the capacity of locally based Salvation Army work to contribute to the five mission priorities (share the good news, nurture disciples of Jesus, care for creation, serve others without discrimination, seek justice and reconciliation).

Integration: Build strong and effective collaboration between all aspects of Salvation Army work in a geographical area.

Streamlining: Design appropriate, effective, efficient and sustainable structures and processes that enable local mission to flourish.

We must be clear, confident and consistent in who we are. The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland has new vision and mission statements that will steer us in how we love God and love others.

In all things, the Army must be Spirit-filled and life-giving to all people. When this happens, local mission is flourishing. We do not believe there are simple, quick and easy solutions to complex, longterm challenges. Change is always with us; we need to continually learn and adapt. We need to be agile and creative as we relentlessly seek our vision of ‘Fullness of life for all with Jesus’.

While this brochure offers an overview of the ‘Valuing People’ framework, a booklet that more fully explains and unpacks it is available at salvationarmy.org.uk/valuing-people

VIEW POINT

God is patient The fourth in a series of articles in which Major Howard Webber considers the question: Am I being punished?

A

S we have seen in previous articles in this series, God sometimes warned parents of the consequences of their idolatry, for them and their offspring. This was to deter them from idol worship, but it didn’t.

They continually returned to their sinful ways, breaking their promises and reneging on the covenant they had made with God. Over centuries God sent prophets to warn of what lay ahead if they did not change. Sometimes they heeded the warning, but it never lasted very long.

God could not have been more patient.

When they first made their promises in Moses’ time, God clearly told the people of Israel what the reward would be for keeping them and what the punishment would be if they persisted in breaking them and refused to accept his correction (see Leviticus 26). It was the Israelites’ persistent provocation that finally forced God to reluctantly carry out his promise, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people.

Yet, even with their persistent sin and inevitable punishment, God made it clear that he would not abandon his chosen people. If they would humble themselves, confess their sins and seek God, he would take them back (see Leviticus 26:44 and 45).

Ezekiel 18:23 makes it clear that punishment and suffering isn’t what God desires, that he takes no pleasure in it and would rather the wicked repent and live. Although Exodus 20:5 speaks of God punishing children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation, verse 6 says that he will show his love to ‘a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments’.

God is more about love than he is about punishment. When you truly love someone, all you want to do is please them. This comes before any personal pleasure or preference. So too with those who truly love God. Disobeying God shows hatred and contempt – the opposite of love.

The view developed that suffering was always punishment from God for sin, although the story of Job’s terrible suffering should have kicked that idea into touch. His suffering was the result of the vindictiveness of Satan, with no explanation as to why God allowed it to be done to such a righteous man. Even today, when something devastating happens to a godly man or woman, the question often asked is: ‘Why has God allowed such a thing to happen?’

The Rev David Watson was a wonderful, humble man of God. After a routine visit to his doctor in January 1983 he was shocked to discover that he had cancer. The malignant ulcer in his colon was successfully removed, but the cancer had already spread to his liver and was inoperable.

People around the world prayed for David’s healing. For a while his cancer went into remission, seemingly in answer to so much prayer. Many thought – and David believed – that God was going to heal him. But the cancer started to grow again. In the midst of David’s battle with the disease, he received some highly insensitive, judgemental letters from Christians he had never met urging him to repent of his pride, double-mindedness or unbelief. Like dear Job, David didn’t need such ‘comforters’.

In Jesus’ time, Jews considered the inability of a woman to bear children to

be God closing her womb in response to her alleged sinfulness. Infertility was bad enough for any woman wanting children without people adding that stigma and shame to her condition.

When a man born blind was brought to Jesus, his disciples asked: ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ (John 9:2). In response, Jesus made it clear that his blindness had nothing to do with either his or his parents’ sin.

God does sometimes punish sin in the here and now. Examples are not just found in the Old Testament. We read about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13 and Herod Antipas in Acts 12. However, Jesus made it clear that we must never assume that the suffering or death of someone is God’s punishment.

Sometimes God uses suffering to discipline us (see Hebrews 12:10), test us (see James 1:12) or refine us (see Psalm 66:10–12) into the holy person he desires us to be. At other times, what we experience lacks any clearly defined reason. But in our bewilderment we are called to ‘trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5).

MAJOR WEBBER LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN BOURNEMOUTH

Next week Our just and merciful God

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MEDITATION

Towards the cross Clare Falvey provides a Holy Week meditation using poems by Commissioner

T

HE poems of Commissioner Albert Mingay (1904–2002) sampled here celebrate his absolute devotion to the cross of Christ, the relevant verse from his best-known song being: Is it nothing to you that one day Jesus died, That men mocked him and, heedless, passed by?

No sorrow was e’er like the sorrow he bore When they scorned him and left him to die.

(SASB 426) We continue with extracts from a trio of poems highlighting this devotion, beginning with a substantial sonnet, which might have been titled Crux Probat Omnia (The Cross Tests Everything), and we finish with a quartet to represent the road to Calvary. These poems are found in his 1970 book, My Day for Living.

First, from the sonnet ‘His Cross’: O cross! Incomparable in every age; Which stands, God’s deepmost passion to attest And answers to the ceaseless, surging quest In man. By strange design naught can assuage Man’s thirst for peace, save that grim cross…

O cross of Christ, disturb us with the pain Of seeing eyes; with truth’s refining joy.

O let us feel the wonder yet again Of that one act – selfless, without alloy, When from rich life outpoured in utter loss Love came alive on that redeeming cross!

Second, from ‘My Plight’, a perfectly balanced work, posing a question that might occasionally assail any dedicated servant of God; in which Mingay identifies with the imprisoned Paul, referencing 2 Timothy 1:11 and 12: ‘This gospel … the reason for my present plight’ (New English Bible).

Why now this destined plight for me ’Neath an uncomfortable cross?

Why this unwarrantable call Upon My liberties, Prerogatives; My very all?

He answers in no uncertain terms: The Lord’s anointing binds my soul In willing noble prisonership.

No easy pale philosophy Can save My liberties, Prerogatives; And set me free.

My plight is linked with yonder cross, (Which drives me out into the world), For there I learned the caring art; Against My liberties, Prerogatives; My untorn heart.

This gospel is my Master’s plight, He loves and gives so joyously, With passion nothing can transcend; With all His liberties, Prerogatives On to the end.

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Salvationist 9 April 2022

Albert Mingay In our third poem, ‘God Alive’, Mingay heartily refutes three prominent 20th-century suspicions – that God is dead, that the Bible is untrue and, with stunning paradox, that God cannot be love.

And now they say you are no God of love, Since tyranny and fate infect your world, Where minds may be perverted and abused, And even laws of life seemed barbed with spite.

What kind of love, they ask, is in control?

But your stark Calvary has broken through With power enough to ruin any hell; Your love was crushed to life on Jesus’ cross, In passion none can measure, none can tell.

And so to those poems that pave the road to Calvary.

We start by remembering Jesus’ three years of public ministry prior to his Passion, as depicted in ‘The Christ of the Highway’: Along those arid highways baked by an eastern sun, With outstretched hands of pity there walked the lonely one; Men gathered ’neath his shadow along those sordid miles, The children lingered for his touch and hung upon his smiles, The leprous, blind and saddened waylaid him on the road.

He met each sufferer’s problem and bore each heavy load; The sinners claimed his pity, abased with shame and loss; From them he turned with loving eyes and walked towards the cross.

Next, for Palm Sunday, ‘My King!’

Some called him king and king he must have been, Since he had throne and sceptre, and was crowned.

Few recognised his kingship; others frowned On him, and said: ‘’Tis but the Nazarene.’

No chariot bore him on toward the scene Of coronation, but for him they found A borrowed colt; they carpeted the ground With palms – and he rode on with kingly mien.

We reach Good Friday, with ‘Jesus Journeyed…’ – perhaps Mingay’s most moving poem: And so it was That Jesus set his face upon the highway; A darkening way it was, With gloomy, hostile whisperings; No willing host this traveller found, Since he had set his face upon the southern road And kept upon the highway.

The time was come, And Jesus set his face upon the highway; A suffering way it was, Where sorrows pressed forebodingly; And he who climbed the rising hill Saw silhouetted on its peak a waiting cross – Still he pursued the highway.

O Jesus, Saviour, we would take the road with thee; We know about the hazards and hostility.

It may be we shall even find a Calvary; Yet, blessed Master, we would take the road with thee.

Finally, from ‘The Face of Jesus’, which references John 14:21: ‘He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him’ (King James Version).

I brought to him my love; A willing gift, but, Oh, so poor and offered with unworthy hands, And yet it was the cleanest thing I had to give.

It was a moment fraught with pain of insights from a searching hour, And then the miracle: he gave me power To see his face…

His face is full of love; And there love’s goal is manifest, for in his face we see disclosed The costliness of sin, with pardon shining through; The tenderness in his dear face, the Calvary in his cleansing eyes, Are my command to where brave service lies; In him is love.

CLARE SOLDIERS AT REGENT HALL

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BIBLE STUDY

Look on the one they hav Lieut-Colonel Edgar Chagas considers Jesus as the ultimate expression JOHN 19:16–37

W

E might initially be surprised at the lack of detail in John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion.

John sums up the facts of what happened in just two short verses: ‘[Jesus] went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him and two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle’ (John 19:17 and 18).

Allow yourself, just for a moment, to be transported to that hill and imagine yourself living through the physical tiredness and the emotional distress.

Would you have described the events in the same way as John? Maybe not. So, what did John want us to understand about the one they had pierced? Allow me to make some suggestions.

Through the week with Salvationist

– a devotional thought for each day

by Major Sheila Smith

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Salvationist 9 April 2022

In John’s version there is no dialogue between the two other people being crucified or between them and Jesus – they are seemingly not engaging. Below Jesus’ feet are two distinct groups of people: the soldiers, who are more interested in getting what they can out of his clothing than in Jesus, and some family and disciples.

The latter are focused on what is happening to Jesus and are anxious and distraught. Jesus is engaging with them and is concerned for them. Notice that even though Jesus is vulnerable and is dying, he shows love and care for people individually.

QUESTIONS l How do you feel as you consider Jesus’ continued focus on other people’s suffering?

l Can

you think of situations in which Jesus has shown you care and personalised attention?

John goes on to point out that what’s happening at the Crucifixion is fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, with which his Jewish readers would have been familiar. The soldiers dividing Jesus’ clothes is seen as a fulfilment of Psalm 22:18. Jesus saying he is thirsty reflects Psalm 22:15 and Psalm 69:21. The soldiers not breaking Jesus’ legs fulfils Psalm 34:20, Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12. One of the soldiers piercing Jesus’ side fulfils Zechariah 12:10.

In highlighting these things, John wants his readers to understand and believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

When I survey the wondrous cross/ On which the Prince of Glory died,/ My richest gain I count but loss,/ And pour contempt on all my pride.

(SASB 208)

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

(Philippians 3:7 and 8)

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast/ Save in the death of Christ, my God;/ All the vain things that charm me most,/ I sacrifice them to his blood.

(SASB 208)

ve pierced! of God’s love

QUESTIONS you think that, by the time of the Crucifixion, people were finding it easier to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah? l How can you explain Jesus dying on the cross to people of other faiths? l Do

John makes it clear that Jesus’ death and God’s love for the world are linked.

This is excellent news, because it means we are now included. Jesus’ death was the full expression of God’s love for the world.

John’s main objective in his Gospel is to lead his readers to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Near the beginning of his Gospel, he states: ‘The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes’ (John 1:14 The Message).

Later, John invites us to look to Jesus who, through his teachings and his encounters with people, demonstrates his special relationship with the Father.

Nowhere is this more clearly stated than in his pronouncement: ‘I and the Father are one’ (10:30).

In a night-time conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus clarifies how he wants us to see him: ‘No one has ever gone into Heaven except the one who came from Heaven – the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (3:13–16).

QUESTIONS l God’s love for us is beyond our comprehension, so how do we share his love with other people? l Do we present the gospel as simply something that makes us feel good or do we remind people that God’s love led to the crucifixion of Jesus?

As we look on ‘the one they have pierced’ (19:37), we are blessed. We are also challenged to spend more time in God’s presence and to take his love to the people we meet every day.

LIEUT-COLONEL CHAGAS IS CORPS OFFICER, CROYDON CITADEL

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

(Galatians 6:14)

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,/ Sorrow and love flow mingled down;/ Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,/ Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

(SASB 208)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.

(Romans 12:1)

Were the whole realm of nature mine,/ That were a present far too small;/ Love so amazing, so divine,/ Demands my soul, my life, my all.

(SASB 208)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, as we enter Holy Week, we contemplate your great sacrifice. May we have the strength and grace to renew our covenant with you and lay our lives before you once again.

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Poetry corner Thoughts on Gethsemane It’s cold tonight.

It must have been cold on that night too, The bitter cold of eastern spring, Biting and crisp.

The stars shine, bright, And one is brighter than the rest.

Is it the one that shone before To guide the Magi to the house To worship him, the child who would be King?

Does Mary see it too?

Does she recall that other night, The night of birth?

That night there was a shelter, warmth and light.

Men worshipped, brought him gifts.

The angels sang. Creation stood in awe.

Tonight, no shelter, warmth or light.

A garden on a hillside is the place The Son of God must wait.

Alone.

‘Could you not watch one hour?’

How did he feel, the Son of God become a man?

He’d left it all – the majesty, the throne, the power – And come to Earth to live as one of us, Kept only love, more love than man could ever show.

He took on human form To feel as mortals feel.

Love, anger, joy, he knew them all.

But now the worst, he shared our fear.

He knew what was to come.

The pain, humiliation, lingering death.

He sweated blood, cried out to God, But made himself submissive to the Father’s will.

That night he knew it all – Desertion, loneliness and grief – Abandoned by his friends to pray alone, To watch and wait for that which had to come, Betrayal by a man he loved.

He knew it all so he could share our pain.

He knelt alone in that black cold As if the world were empty of all love.

So we are not alone, no matter what we feel.

Our Lord is with us, suffering at our side.

He lives again the heartbreak and despair Of that one night.

We cannot know the pain he felt.

It is too great for man to comprehend.

Yet he knows what we feel When friends desert us, cannot watch one hour.

He stands beside us, reaching out his arms To hold us fast and keep us from despair.

He will not fall asleep or let us down.

We only need to touch him, let him in To heal our grief and pain.

Our Lord will come to comfort and console, To heal our wounds and drive away The dark night of the soul, our own Gethsemane.

He stands beside us, hears our cry.

He listens to our prayer and brings us peace.

It may be dark and cold tonight But Christ will bring us light within.

ANN BUGLASS

In the Garden Gethsemane was no ordinary garden.

You could say it was more extraordinary As it was chosen for a purpose, For solace, for fortitude and more!

It was chosen by the Master To define his humanity and divinity.

From the heart, Jesus made his prayer; A soul-searching, agonising declaration That would be remembered, By his disciples then And by all who follow him today.

As we pause to spend time in the garden, How should we pray?

In the tranquility and solitude Our prayer must be one that declares Our allegiance to Christ; One that speaks from a selfless ambition.

Let us embrace his strength and grace That enable us to cry: ‘May your will be done.’

MAJOR STEPHEN NAYLOR

The Tree They hung my Jesus on a tree, And from that tree he rescued me.

His love poured out, It broke my heart; My Saviour suffered death for me.

His blood was spilt upon the ground, And my salvation there I found.

‘Forgive them Father, O, forgive, Let these poor sinners rise and live.’

Interred in a borrowed grave, The Lord, who came mankind to save, Had no possessions of his own But Heaven reserved a royal throne.

On the third day he rose to life, Victorious over death and strife, That from death’s grip we may be free And reign with him eternally.

BEVAN A SPENCER

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+ANNOUNCEMENTS

ARMY PEOPLE LOCAL OFFICERS APPOINTED l CMS Corinne Walters, Cirencester WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES Blue Sapphire (65th) l Majors Albert and Janette Brown (20 April) Emerald (55th) l Jen and John Floyd, Stapleford (29 March) Golden l DE James and HLS Marlene Woodgate, Eastbourne Citadel (1 April) DEDICATED TO GOD Henry George Pearce and Louis Alexander Pearce, sons of David and Kate Pearce, at Woking by Major Margaret House

l

RETIRED OFFICERS’ BIRTHDAYS Lieut-Colonel Mervyn Woodman (85 on 20 April) l Lieut-Colonel Jean Issitt (90 on 22 April)

Stan Jarvis, Tadley Myrtle Swindells, Bangor l Hilda Charlotte Fleming, Boscombe, on 15 February l Mary Millest, Scunthorpe, on 12 March l Major Mildred Peacock from Luton and Dunstable University Hospital on 26 March l Major Fred Blundell from Rievaulx House care centre, Leeds, on 27 March l l

BEREAVED Dep BM Dot Condon-Howard, Waterbeach, Val Parkhouse, Enfield, David Condon and Philip Condon of their sister Sylvia Flaxman l Jim Swindells, Bangor, of his mother Myrtle Swindells l S/Reservist Patricia Tilling, Staple Hill, Songster Hilary Sims, Bromley Temple, and B/Sgt Songster Hilton Baker, Staple Hill, of their sister Dorothy Merchant

Major Carolyn Wilson, Yorkshire South with Humber DHQ, of her brother Cyril Nightingale l Major Donna Coupe, Shildon, of her sister Kelly Fisher l BM Eric Millest, Blackburn, and Paul Millest of their mother Mary Millest l Major Gerald Peacock of his wife Major Mildred Peacock l Major Josephine Blundell of her husband Major Fred Blundell l

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GENERAL JOHN LARSSON The thanksgiving service for General Larsson, which took place on 8 April, is available to watch at youtube. com/salvationarmyvideo. Prior to the funeral and thanksgiving service, Commissioner Freda Larsson asked that donations in lieu of flowers could be sent to the Army’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal at salvationarmy.org.uk/ ukraine-crisis-appeal.

TRIBUTES

return to London in 1969 to service at the International College for Officers.

One year later came a return to the International Training College to serve on the staff there, before Majors John and Lydie Ord moved to Scotland where they assumed divisional leadership responsibilities, firstly in North Scotland and later in Edinburgh.

In 1977 Lieut-Colonel and Mrs Ord were appointed to the command of Belgium where they remained for four years before returning once again to London, this time to divisional leadership of East London.

1985 brought a move to NHQ in the then British Territory, where Colonel and Mrs Ord served for the next five years.

In 1990 Commissioners John and Lydie Ord were appointed to the Norway, Iceland and the Færoes Territory to serve as territorial leaders, and it was from these appointments that they retired from active officership-service on 1 October 1994.

Commissioner John Ord was promoted to Glory on 21 August 2014.

The Salvation Army family gives thanks to God for the life and faithful service of Commissioner Lydie Ord and knows that she will be remembered with gratitude and affection in the different territories in which she served. The Army offers condolences and assurance of prayers to her sons, Major Norman Ord and Alan Ord, and their families. – AR

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PROMOTED TO GLORY Kenneth Buxton, Nottingham William Booth Memorial Halls

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ENGAGEMENTS GENERAL BRIAN PEDDLE AND COMMISSIONER ROSALIE PEDDLE l Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Territory, Tue 19 Apr – Mon 25 THE CHIEF OF THE STAFF (COMMISSIONER LYNDON BUCKINGHAM) AND COMMISSIONER BRONWYN BUCKINGHAM l ICO welcome meeting, Thu 14 Apr l ICO lecture, Mon 18 THE TERRITORIAL COMMANDER (COMMISSIONER ANTHONY COTTERILL) AND COMMISSIONER GILLIAN COTTERILL l Boscombe, Thu 14 Apr – Sun 17 THE CHIEF SECRETARY (COLONEL PAUL MAIN) AND COLONEL JENINE MAIN l Peterborough (Palm Sunday), Sun 10 Apr l Staines, Thu 14 – Sun 17 l WBC (spiritual day), Wed 27

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Salvationist 9 April 2022

COMMISSIONER LYDIE ORD COMMISSIONER Lydie Ord was promoted to Glory from Hillbrow Care Home in Crediton on 9 March 2022.

Born on 3 February 1928 in Belgium, Lydie Laure Deboeck entered the training college from her home corps of Brussels and was commissioned a Salvation Army officer on 25 May 1951. Following her commissioning she served as a field officer in Belgium.

On 25 July 1953, Lieutenant Deboeck married Captain John Ord in her home town of Brussels. Following their marriage, they served together in the British Territory (now the United Kingdom and Ireland Territory) before transferring to Belgium in 1956 where they served in corps and youth appointments for the next 10 years. In August 1963 they received the rank of major.

1966 brought a transfer to the France Territory and service in the Youth and Candidates’ Department, followed by a

NEW COMMITMENTS

BALLYMONEY Pamela Esler signed the Soldier’s Covenant and was enrolled during worship. Pamela’s friends and family were present and listened to her testimony of her spiritual journey and celebrated all that God has done in her life. Pamela is pictured with corps officers Captain Tim and Major Jane-Marie Cook. – J-MC

WELLING The corps welcomed Fiona Morrice (fourth from the left) as a soldier after she heard God call her to join the Army. Major David Clark shared recollections of his own enrolment 71 years before. Fiona then gave her testimony and expressed that she had found a spiritual home where she felt loved and supported after many years of being a Christian. Fiona was enrolled by corps officer Captain Katy Shubotham and they prayed together at the mercy seat. – KS

PENZANCE Corps officer Major Vincent Wall enrolled Margaret Perry as a soldier. Margaret’s sister, Katherine, is already a soldier at the corps and invited her to the Tuesday Together lunch club. Margaret felt so welcome that she started attending Sunday worship and, while already a Christian from a young age, she felt a calling to rededicate herself to God and serve him in The Salvation Army. Pictured with Margaret are Major Vincent, Corps Sergeant-Major Beryl Pollard and Recruiting Sergeant John Gosling. – VW

CASTLEFORD Naomi Hill decided to become a senior soldier because she loves God. Having grown up in the Army, she believes that this is the place where God wants her to be and that now is the right time. Naomi did not make the decision lightly and spent the past two years praying and talking it over with him. She wants to tell as many people as possible about God and the love of Jesus. One of the ways she can do this is through music. Naomi is a talented musician and performs, writes and arranges music. At her enrolment she played ‘Give My Heart’, a euphonium solo she arranged that is based on ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’. Naomi is pictured with Commissioners Dorita and John Wainwright, who enrolled her. – PB DROITWICH SPA The corps was thrilled to welcome Charlotte Gomersall, Sanxi-Guy Cole and Anne Cole as adherents. Charlotte has also joined the songsters and taken up an important role in teaching the young people about how much Jesus loves them. After the difficult times of the past two years, the corps feels blessed to have all three join the fellowship and see new shoots of growth. – MM Salvationist 9 April 2022

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& ADVERTS

NOTTINGHAM WILLIAM BOOTH MEMORIAL HALLS King Edward Street NG1 1EU Sunday 26 June 6pm

RETIREMENT OF DIVISIONAL COMMANDER MAJOR BRIAN SLINN AND FAREWELL TO DIVISIONAL LEADER FOR LEADER DEVELOPMENT MAJOR LIV RAEGEVIK SLINN Led by Chief Secretary Colonel Paul Main and Territorial Secretary for Leader Development Colonel Jenine Main Anyone wishing to send their greetings to Major Brian Slinn may do so by sending by post to East Midlands DHQ for the attention of Carol Beardall or via email to carol.beardall@salvationarmy.org.uk

LISTINGS RUSHDEN Salvo Brass. Friday 6 May, 7.45pm. Tickets £5 FOR SALE 30 piece boxed breakfast/dinner service commemorating 1878–1978 Salvation Army centenary. Offers to mbrice1@talktalk.net

MGS works professionally providing l COUNSELLING l THERAPY l MEDIATION MGS works with relationships and other life experiences MGS is confidential, experienced and free Contact Major Jorgen Booth and the MGS team Tel 07711 148538 or email mgscounselling@yahoo.com (Based in Worthing – MGS works throughout the UK)

BATH CITADEL Green Park Road Saturday 14 May 7pm

Sunday 16 October

140th CORPS ANNIVERSARY AND REUNION

CHALK FARM

MORRISTON SONGSTERS AND AFRICAN PRAISE

You are invited to a reunion of ALL for whom the Farm always will be a very special place

led by Lieut-Colonels Anne-Flo and Massimo Tursi

(SL Chris Lear) Sunday 15 May meetings 10.30am and 2.30pm Tickets £5 from Eventbrite Further information bath.citadel@salvationarmy.org.uk

10am – 5pm

Sunday 22 May 10.30am

RETIREMENT CELEBRATION

Contact chalk.farm@ salvationarmy.org.uk 020 7485 1605

for Major Richard Crowe Led by DC Colonel Sylvia Hinton

Please send greetings and messages to Gillian Crowe gill.crowe10@gmail.com

GILLINGHAM

EASTBOURNE CITADEL

Sunday 5 June meetings at 10am and 2pm

Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 May

RETIREMENT CELEBRATION for Majors Anna Giannarou and Haris Giannaros All welcome Use this email to let us know you are coming and/or to send greetings, messages and memories: juliemillest@gmail.com

The visit of the

INTERNATIONAL STAFF SONGSTERS Saturday festival 7pm Ticket price £12.50 available by telephone on 01323 430619 or email your request to eastbourne@salvationarmy.org.uk Sunday 10.30am meeting and 3pm festival More details to follow

SOUTHAMPTON SHOLING 93 North East Road SO19 8AF

EXETER TEMPLE Friar’s Walk EX2 4AY

Sunday 1 May 10.30am

Saturday 23 April at 7pm

MAJORS GRANVILLE AND KATHLEEN MYERS

CONCERT FOR UKRAINE

RETIREMENT CELEBRATION MEETING

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RUSHDEN Church Street NN10 9YT

Exeter Temple Band, Songsters and Response (vocal ensemble)

Led by Majors Allison and Andrew Gaudion

Admission free

Greetings can be emailed to stephengshaw@icloud.com or mailed C/O CSM Stephen Shaw at the corps address above

A freewill offering will be taken

Salvationist 9 April 2022

DIRECTOR OF RETAIL SALVATION ARMY TRADING COMPANY LTD Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL) is the trading arm of The Salvation Army in the UK and Republic of Ireland, established in 1991 to help fund The Salvation Army’s vital work. Today we raise money and encourage reuse and recycling through a network of more than 220 retail outlets, including charity shops, superstores and donation centres, our clothing collection division and SP&S. We are a rapidly growing and developing company.

What does The Salvation Army stand for? Last year, the territory’s leadership published a new framework defining six of its key values. In study guide Big Questions for Small Groups: Our Values, authors associated with The Salvation Army unpick the practical applications of: l Boldness l Compassion l Passion l Respect l Integrity

We are looking to appoint a director of retail who will be part of our senior management team. The post-holder will report to the managing director and provide strategic direction and leadership on all our retail operations activities.

l Mutual

Get a glimpse of what it looks like to live out these values in a church context. Buy your print copy of BQSG: Our Values for £3 from SP&S or as a Kindle ebook.

If you want to be a part of our success and to play a part in helping others while working for a fantastic company, then read on!

The role: l Promote the values and work of Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd – established to create jobs, benefit the environment and through profitable trading help fund The Salvation Army’s work in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland l Own and further develop our retail growth and propositions as part of the company’s strategic plan l Provide leadership to the field team to ensure that we are recognised by our customers as best in class l Ensure that consideration of our environment and the wellbeing of colleagues are at the heart of what we do and that a culture of continuous improvement and development exists across the division l Develop strategies, plans, targets and initiatives to further improve our sales performance l Evaluate new site opportunities in partnership with the property team and develop the business case for new investments l Further develop our online platforms to ensure growth and an appropriate profit level for the business stream l Develop new retail formats to ensure that we are recognised as an innovator in our sector l Build strong working relationships with other Salvation Army retail operations within Europe and other relevant territories l Assume an active role with the charity sector’s membership organisation – Charity Retail Association The ideal candidate will have: l Experience gained at a senior level within a multi-site national retailer l Good balance of being able to work with the ‘big picture’ and interpret it as well as effectively work with detail l An understanding of the charity and donation sector l Excellent interpersonal skills l Strong numeracy skills with demonstrable profit and loss account responsibility l Strong analytical skills, able to test theory in a constructive and logical manner l An understanding of IT and management information systems l A strategic mindset; comfortable operating both strategically and operationally, with the ability to engage and influence at all levels l Experience and ability to multitask, work in a busy environment and be comfortable with rapidly changing priorities. Ability to work calmly under pressure If you would like to apply for the role or have a confidential discussion, please contact Korn Ferry via oliver.casanova@kornferry.com.

Closing date for applications: Friday 22 April Appointment subject to satisfactory references and proof of right to work in the UK. Promoting equality in the workplace.

accountability

ADVERTISING RATES ALL PRICES EXCLUDE VAT LISTINGS: Single line advert – £5 CLASSIFIEDS: Corps events NUMBER OF WEEKS

UP TO 15 WORDS

16 – 25 WORDS

1

£6.40

£9.00

26 – 35 WORDS £11.60

3

£15.45

£21.70

£27.80

Extra words over 35 – 26p per word CLASSIFIEDS: Non-corps events NUMBER OF WEEKS

UP TO 15 WORDS

16 – 25 WORDS

1

£9.00

£12.50

26 – 35 WORDS £14.00

3

£22.50

£31.25

£35.00

Extra words over 35 – 30p per word BOXED ADVERTISEMENTS: Single column – 32.5 mm (w) Double column – 69.5 mm (w) SINGLE COLUMN 1 ISSUE

SIZE

SINGLE COLUMN 3 ISSUES

DOUBLE COLUMN 1 ISSUE

DOUBLE COLUMN 3 ISSUES

28 mm

£15.00

£36.00

£30.00

£72.00

61 mm

£26.00

£65.00

£52.00

£130.00

94 mm

£55.00

£137.50

£110.00

£250.00

127 mm

£65.00

£155.00

£130.00

£315.00

PAGE ADVERTISEMENTS: Quarter page – 127mm (h) X 88 mm (w) Half page – 127 mm (h) X 181 mm (w) Full page – 258 mm (h) X 181 mm (w) SIZE

1 ISSUE

3 ISSUES

QUARTER PAGE

£180.00

£450.00

HALF PAGE

£340.00

£850.00

FULL PAGE

£675.00

£1,687.00

ADVERTS CANNOT BE TAKEN OVER THE PHONE. For further information email advertising@salvationarmy.org.uk

Salvationist 9 April 2022

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