Quotes from the media

THE UK’S POPULATION HAS BECOME SIGNIFICANTLY KINDER OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS, STUDY SHOWS

The UK public has been showing more kindness to one another as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, a newly commissioned study from Christian Aid shows. The poll, conducted by Savanta ComRes, shows a significant increase in the number of people who are reaching out to strangers and offering help to those in need.

The poll, which surveyed 2,090 UK adults online ... found that 27 per cent were writing more notes to people they don’t see often, and 25 per cent are saying hello to strangers in the street more than they did before.

In addition, the poll found that people have more compassion for what is going on overseas, with two fifths (41 per cent) of the public saying they worry about what is happening in the world more than before the Covid crisis ... When broken into age categories, 18 to 24-year-olds showed the highest percentage of increased worry at 46 per cent, compared to 45 to 54-year-olds at 37 per cent.

Chine McDonald, Christian Aid’s head of community fundraising and public engagement, responded ... ‘Many of us will be glad to see the back of 2020 ... But our survey shows these ... experiences have had some positive impact on the levels of compassion that people feel.

Premier

BOOZING UP BY 50% SINCE FIRST COVID LOCKDOWN

The pandemic has polarised [England’s population] into teetotallers and binge drinkers.

Record numbers of people have been drinking more than five bottles of wine a week since the first national lockdown was imposed, figures published by Public Health England reveal.

Almost one in 20 people are drinking more than 50 units of alcohol per week. This is about 50 per cent higher than in March, when the figure was about one in 30.

But the proportion of people who did not drink rose from 34.7 per cent to 41.3 per cent between March and September.

Official guidance states that men and women should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week.

The Times

CHARITIES FEAR SPIKE IN HOMELESSNESS AS RECESSION BITES POST-PANDEMIC

Charities and professional bodies are concerned that the second wave of the coronavirus is tipping more people into homelessness as the recession bites, more jobs are lost and rent arrears accumulate.

The government won praise at the start of the pandemic for ... the initiative Everyone In, when all rough-sleepers and those who could not safely selfisolate were moved into temporary ... accommodation. One of the biggest challenges now facing local authorities is the ability to move those people into permanent and secure housing...

Government figures show that, at the end of June, 98,300 homeless households were ... in temporary accommodation.

Church Times

THE WORLD MAY FACE SOMETHING ‘WORSE’ THAN COVID-19 UNLESS IT CHANGES DIRECTION, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK WARNS

There may be more pandemics in the future unless mankind learns how to be a good steward of the Earth, the Archbishop of York has warned.

In an online new year’s service, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell said he was ‘hoping and praying that 2021 will be an improvement on 2020’ but that he feared there could be something worse in store than Covid-19.

He said he was looking back at the past year with thanksgiving but ‘also great anguish and sorrow for the horrors that engulfed our world and continue to challenge us’.

In his sermon, the archbishop also linked the outbreak of Covid-19 to man’s ‘mistreatment of the planet’.

‘Even as we try to get Covid-19 under control, war and famine still ravage our world, and our dependence on fossil fuels and our inability to wake up to the damage it is doing to our planet set other clocks ticking which make the security of our world ever more fragile,’ he said.

He said that humans needed to ‘learn how to be stewards of the Earth’.

Christian Today

SALVATIONIST

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HOPE AND A FUTURE

A FEW years ago I attended the National Prayer Breakfast for Scotland where the guest speaker was futurist Patrick Dixon. The word ‘futurist’ made me wonder. Would he look into a crystal ball or read our breakfast tea leaves? I had nothing to fear. He is a respected Christian author and business consultant who analyses trends and suggests what might happen in the years ahead. One of the things I remember him saying is that, even amid the gloomiest of forecasts, there is always hope because God is sovereign.

I have a copy of Dixon’s 2015 book, The Future of Almost Everything, and flicked through it recently to see if he had predicted a pandemic. He wasn’t specific, but he did say, ‘Mutant viruses will be a major future threat.’ He went on to add: ‘We will see far greater investment into antiviral therapies, rapid vaccine development and epidemic monitoring as a result.’ Thankfully, that hopeful prediction has come true as well. The pandemic is still causing suffering and loss, but with Covid-19 vaccines now available we have the hope of brighter days ahead.

One of the things many of us are hoping for is a return to collective worship, without the restrictions that are necessary at the moment. But will normal service be resumed? Major Graham Mizon considers this in his article. He asks, ‘What is the Church for?’ and ‘What do I want to go back to?’, then takes us on a journey through the Old and New Testaments to discover some answers. As a result we might need to look again at familiar activities so that they have fresh purpose and relevance. There can then be a renewed new sense of hope as we engage in ministry and mission.

A sense of hope is something the International Projects Office tries to bring through its practical responses around the world. Our series of interviews with its team members ends this week with Jason Emmett talking about the territory’s emergency response. This comes in the form of immediate help but also longer-term support so that livelihoods and hope for the future can be rebuilt.

In her reflection on the Serenity Prayer, Captain Berri McKenna considers how we might respond to difficult situations. There are some things we cannot change and which need to be left in God’s hands, but there are others we can change, and we need courage to do so. Both these responses are expressions of hope – that God is in control and that he can use us to make a difference. Nicola Walmsley echoes those thoughts in her article when she says that anxiety, fear and uncertainty can be addressed by focusing on the hope-filled promises of God.

Jeremiah 29:11 has been quoted many times in these past months: ‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”’ We may not have the foresight of a futurist, but we can have the promise of hope and a future. This is more than wishful thinking – it’s a confident expectation based on the faithfulness and sovereignty of God, and a promise that can sustain us, whatever the coming days may hold.

CONTENTS

Quotes from the media 2

News 4 to 7

Prayer matters 7

Feature 8

What’s going on? by Trevor Caffull

Interview 9

Help in a crisis Ben Gilbert talks to Jason Emmett

Resources 10 and 11

Venture Out Today

Reflection 12 to 14

What’s it all about? by Major Graham Mizon

Meditation 15

There am I in the midst by Major Alistair Dawson

Bible study 16 and 17

Waiting for a miracle by Major Paula Knight

Through the week with Salvationist 16 and 17

by Major Howard Webber

Reflection 18

Searching for serenity by Captain Berri McKenna

Reflection 19

Pathway to peace by Nicola Walmsley

Viewpoint 20

The evolution of Creation by Major Bryan Snell

Letters 21

Announcements 22 and 23

Adverts 23

The Salvation Army and me 24

featuring Major Rudi Bruinewoud

From the Editor Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS

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

COMMUNITY

Demand climbs for toy appeal

NORFOLK

EVERY year, members of the public donate gifts and food to the Toys and Tins Appeal for children who might otherwise go without at Christmas.

The Army saw a 27 per cent increase in referrals for the county’s vulnerable children last year. Major Barry Willson, co-ordinator of the appeal, said that with the pandemic the need was greater than ever, as families were to make difficult decisions between buying food, paying household bills or affording the cost of Christmas.

Families, workplaces, faith groups and community leaders rallied to support, with more than £14,000 donated via a JustGiving page. This enabled volunteers to sort, pack and deliver approximately 19,000 gifts.

Volunteers started packing two weeks earlier than usual, as social distancing measures required them to work in smaller groups. Teenagers and young adults from a number of corps also stepped in to cover evening shifts as older volunteers continued to shield.

Thanks to their efforts, more than 6,700 vulnerable people across Norfolk, including more than 3,800 children, had presents to open on Christmas Day. – AR

Chester-le-Street corps officers Captains Angelique and Cor van der Woude provide gifts for prisoners recently released from HMP Durham, thanks to donations from the public and Wickes OUTREACH

LONDON Regent Hall Band took part in the virtual Trafalgar Square tree-lighting ceremony in December. Six band members recorded videos of the carol ‘Hark! the Herald Angels Sing’ and the popular Army march ‘Christmas Joy’. The band has played at the ceremony every year since 2007. Bandmaster Paul Sharman said that it was good to be able to keep the tradition going. – AR

OUTREACH

SALISBURY The band brought Christmas cheer by playing carols in the hall’s forecourt. Located on Salt Lane, the hall overlooks the city’s main car park, and shoppers were able to hear carols as they parked their cars. Passers-by brought donations to the Christmas Present Appeal and many contacts were made despite the challenges of social distancing. Family bubbles also allowed band members to include their children in the fun. – MD

COMMUNITY

Chatteris Songster Leader Gerald Day presents James Horner, assistant manager of the Ormiston Child and Family Centre, with a second batch of donated toys from the corps COMMUNITY

Larne corps officers Captains Annemarie and Philip Cole receive donations towards the corps toy appeal from McFarlanes Pharmacy, represented by staff members Alanna Brownlee and Liam Grimley

NEWS IN BRIEF

UKI The first 40,000 DVDs of A Christmas Gift from Bob included details of the Army’s homelessness work and explained how people could donate to support it. A sequel to the 2016 film A Street Cat Named Bob, this film follows James Bowen as he scrapes a living on the streets one Christmas with his feline friend. Some Lifehouses, such as Founders House Lifehouse in London, offer a place to stay and wrap-around support for former rough sleepers who are animal owners. – AR

PLYMOUTH Staff at Plymouth College of Art and their associates raised funds for the Christmas Present Appeal. Fundraising began after the college’s estates team decided to use its secret Santa money to buy toys for the appeal. Other departments got involved and The Entertainer boosted their funds with an extra £200, bringing the total amount raised to £1,650. – AR

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Follow Salvationist on Twitter @SalvationistUK COMMUNITY

PERTH Following a request from nearby churches to join a Christmas Box 2020 initiative, the corps packed more than 70 boxes with Christmas treats and an invitation to join Perthshire churches’ online carol service. The boxes were distributed to staff and volunteers at Army charity shops, the furniture project and staff and residents of the nearby Lifehouse. Pictured are Chaplain Fraser Hunter and Community Mission Facilitator Divisional Envoy Kathryn Howe. – AH

COMMUNITY

SNETTISHAM The Original Factory donated £100 worth of stock to The Salvation Army. Keith Rieger, who is a regular customer at the shop, received the donation from the manager on behalf of the corps. The items were used to help families in need over Christmas through the Toys and Tins Appeal, run in conjunction with BBC Radio Norfolk. – AK

OUTREACH ARMY NEWS

General calls for ready, engaged, responsible Army in 2021

IHQ

IN his new year message, General Brian Peddle recognised the relief that many people are experiencing with the start of 2021. Acknowledging 2020 as a year that had been ‘gruelling and uncertain for some’, he shared the reality in which he has put his faith.

‘First of all … I know Jesus Christ died for my sins. I also know that he rose from the grave. And I know he is coming again.

‘For as long as I can remember, I have always welcomed the new year – loving its unwritten pages, anticipating the “impossible” in the full knowledge that my God, Jehovah, was going before me.’

The General acknowledged that a new year does not solve every problem, and affirmed that the ‘fallout’ of the pandemic ‘will require the very, very best of us’.

‘I pray for the courage and faith that we find in the story of the Israelites who, when facing their worst enemy, the Philistines, turned to Samuel and, ultimately, to God; and God acted on their behalf – the enemy was destroyed.’

In his Call to Mission the General has asked every friend, soldier and officer to: be ready – prepared and living out the mission of God in the world; be engaged – active in God’s plan, with obedient faith; and take responsibility – never leaving a task for someone else to do.

‘If there was ever a time in history when our world needs the presence, ministry, love and service of The Salvation Army,’ he said, ‘it is now!’ – AR The General’s message can be viewed on Facebook at facebook. com/GeneralBPeddle and Vimeo at vimeo.com/

salvationarmyihq

From left to right: Liz Spencer, Marie Hargreaves, Sara May, Alex Smith and Noah Whitehead

COMMUNITY

People of Peace winners announced

STRAWBERRY FIELD

TO mark what would have been the 80th birthday of John Lennon on 9 October, the Army launched a search for Liverpool’s most inspirational ‘People of Peace’.

A panel of judges was appointed, including Mission Director of Strawberry Field Major Kathy Versfeld, BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster Paul Beesley, author of Just Like Starting Over Charlie Roberts and Lady Anne Dodd, a champion of charitable causes across the city.

They selected three adult winners: Liz Spencer, Marie Hargreaves and Sara May. Alex Smith and Noah Whitehead also won the young person and child awards respectively.

Strawberry Field Fresh Expression Leader Captain Louise Brown said: ‘We celebrate the stories of hope across Liverpool where we have heard about neighbours reaching out in all sorts of practical ways, whether it’s helping with shopping or organising a street quiz or picking up the telephone. All of these things have helped to foster peace in a time of crisis.’ – AR

COMMUNITY

BELFAST NORTH Corps officers Majors Ian and Sally McBride received donations for The Salvation Army’s social centres in Belfast during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Service users at Centenary House and Calder Fountain Lifehouse, Grosvenor House Lifehouse and the families in Glen Alva Family Centre Lifehouse benefited from the donations received. – LK MEETING

Covenant explored in online Vision and Commitment Sunday meeting

THQ

TERRITORIAL leaders Commissioners Anthony and Gill Cotterill led a pre-recorded online meeting for Vision and Commitment Sunday, together with Chief Secretary Colonel Paul Main and Territorial Secretary for Leader Development Colonel Jenine Main.

Reminding viewers that it was still the Christmas season, Commissioner Gill invited them to join in singing the carol ‘Joy to the World!’ (SASB 113), together with singers from Norwich Citadel.

The International Staff Songsters changed the mood with the reflective song ‘Everywhere’, before Captains Dylan and Rachael Nieuwoudt (Douglas) and their children brought family prayers, thanking God for his faithfulness and asking for guidance and strength for the coming year.

After the Hedge End worship group sang ‘When I Was Lost, You Came and Rescued Me’ (SASB 483) the TC introduced Colonels Paul and Jenine. They spoke about their previous appointments in the Caribbean Territory, testified to God’s work in their lives and expressed their hopes for the year ahead. The TC prayed that God would empower them for their ministry.

Regent Hall Band played ‘Procession to Covenant’, preparing the way for the TC’s message. ‘As we enter this new year,’ he said, ‘I think it’s timely that we remind ourselves that he has chosen to invite you and me into a covenant relationship with him.’ He emphasised the fact that the theme of covenant runs through the Bible as ‘the backdrop to everything’.

Liverpool Walton Songsters sang ‘Written in Red’ before the TC continued his message. He suggested that we can enter into covenant with God by saying, ‘Lord, all I have is yours,’ and discover that God is saying, ‘All I have is given to you.’

He invited viewers to enter or renew their covenant as Birmingham Citadel Band accompanied song 634, which includes the lines: ‘By the love that never ceased to hold me,/ By the blood which thou didst shed for me,/ While thy presence and thy power enfold me,/ I renew my covenant with thee.’

After a prayer by Colonel Jenine and the song ‘And Can It Be?’ (SASB 241), the CS concluded by praying: ‘Take us forward into this new year with hope and with peace, and may you do immeasurably more in us than we could ever hope or imagine.’ – JR The meeting can be viewed at youtube.com/salvationarmyvideo