19 minute read
Quotes from the media
GOVERNMENT ‘SHOULD DO MORE’ TO PROMOTE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
The government could be doing more to make religious freedom central to its operations and culture, according to campaigners.
The Catholic Union is among those who urged the government to promote freedom of religion and belief around the world in a meeting [in June]…
The meeting came nearly three years after a report was published which called attention to the persecution more than 250 million Christians worldwide face for their faith, pointing to evidence that ‘Christians constitute by far the most widely persecuted religion’. The Truro report, commissioned in 2018 by then foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt ... outlined 22 recommendations which the government committed to implement in full.
Recommendations included [seek] a UN Security Council resolution urging governments in the Middle East and north Africa to protect Christians, consider imposing sanctions on perpetrators of human rights violations against religious minorities and [provide] religious literacy training to all Foreign Office staff at home and abroad.
The Tablet
CHURCH LEADERS SHOULD TALK ABOUT PORN ADDICTION, SAYS CHARITY
Churches will be offered resources in a programme launched … to help them to address addiction to pornography.
The Naked Truth Project, a UK charitable venture to ‘open eyes and free lives from the damaging impact of porn’, is to allow churches to acquire membership status, giving their leaders access to resources and training to discuss and combat harmful effects of pornography on individuals and communities.
The Naked Truth Project’s founder and chief executive, Ian Henderson, said: ‘There are people in our churches and wider communities walking with addiction, betrayal trauma, relational crisis, breakdown, depression – all deeply impacted by pornography.’
Church Times
The Archbishop of Canterbury has taken to social media to urge Christians to pray for the situation in eastern Congo.
The country is undergoing a resurgence of violence prompting more than 30,000 people to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring Rwanda.
The Congolese military is fighting M23 rebels, a group of mainly Tutsi fighters that were defeated in 2013 by the Congolese army and UN peacekeepers... [The] Most Rev Justin Welby wrote on Twitter: ‘I’m praying for peace in eastern Congo… I’m praying that the population does not fall into the trap of violence [and] ethnic hatred… I pray too for the churches in their role as peacemakers.’
Premier
CHURCH URGED TO AXE WEDDING FEE ‘DETERRENT’
The Church of England has been urged to abolish fees for couples marrying in its churches amid a sharp decline in the number of traditional ceremonies.
Blackburn Diocesan Synod has put forward a proposal to set marriage fees at nil or a minimal amount so that ‘everyone who wants to get married in church should be able to, without worrying about affordability’…
The proposals were put forward before a meeting of the General Synod, the church’s parliament, [this] month. They are due to be debated. However, with dwindling funds, the Church of England does not appear to be in favour of removing the fee…
William Nye, secretary-general of the Synod, said: ‘A wholesale elimination or reduction of the fee would be a poorly targeted intervention as many couples can afford to pay the fee, which represents a small proportion of the overall cost of their wedding. The income lost from setting the fee to nil or a nominal amount reduces the resource available to fund ministry, including in the poorest areas – at a time when many dioceses … are facing deficits.’
He added that a priest or rural dean has an option of waiving or reducing the fee in cases of ‘clear financial hardship’.
The Times
SALVATIONIST
salvationist.org.uk/media/magazine Issue No 1866
EDITOR Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts
MANAGING EDITOR Ivan Radford
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Simon Hope, George Tanton, Lyn Woods, Major Margaret Bovey
ART DIRECTOR Hannah Holden
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Mark Knight, Louise Phillips
PROOFREADER Chris Horne
Published weekly by The Salvation Army and printed on paper from sustainable sources by CKN Print, Northampton. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory. ISSN 2516-5909.
CONTACT US
020 7367 4890 (main) / 020 7367 4901 (editor) salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk
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The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. FOUNDER William Booth
GENERAL Brian Peddle
TERRITORIAL COMMANDER
Commissioner Anthony Cotterill
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND PUBLISHING SECRETARY
Major Mal Davies
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GROWTH POTENTIAL
I’M sorry to say that I don’t have very green fingers. I do my best, and I’ve made a bit of a difference to our garden since moving in six years ago, but it’s hardly a Chelsea Garden Show prize-winner! Among several disappointments have been the sunflower seeds that I planted early in April this year. Not one of them grew into plants – maybe the birds got them. Just after that I discovered another packet of sunflower seeds that I’d put in my briefcase and forgotten about. They were given to me last year when my wife and I were leading the Harvest Sunday meeting at Doncaster. One of the young people, Isabelle, was giving out packets of seeds from sunflowers she had grown. She was asking people to plant them and send her a photo when they grew. There were three seeds in the packet, which I planted a few weeks ago. I’m now delighted to see one green shoot growing. I’ll be sending Isabelle a photo as soon as the flower appears.
Sunflowers aren’t the only things growing in Doncaster, as this week’s ‘We are The Salvation Army’ feature reveals. Two members of the corps writers’ group tell us how things are flourishing there, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, and liken it to Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. They say: ‘Doncaster Corps has a place for everyone, from the young to the not so young, and those green shoots from our mustard seed are becoming a family tree.’
The pandemic has meant that many Army expressions are taking a fresh look at their mission. Findings by THQ’s Research and Development Unit may help with that. The unit surveyed corps to find out how Covid-19 has affected missional thinking and practice, and a new series of articles explores the key themes that have emerged. Amy Quinn-Graham begins the series by looking at prayer and lament.
In her ‘Preview’ article Lieut-Colonel Judith Payne, principal of William Booth College, looks ahead to next weekend’s Commissioning. She also looks back at the challenges the cadets have faced while being trained during the pandemic. Although difficult, those experiences will have helped equip them for the future. She says: ‘I am encouraged and delighted to have been part of their journey into ministry and I know that God will use them to change this world through his love and through the ministry of reconciliation to which they are called.’
I may not be an expert gardener, but I do know that difficult conditions aren’t always harmful to plants – they can be helpful. When a new plant is blown by the wind a hormone is released that stimulates the growth of cells and develops a stronger stem. And in dry soil the roots of established plants branch out sideways or go deeper in search of water. The growing root structure helps the plants stay healthy. In similar ways, although life’s difficult conditions can have damaging effects, many of us find that they also hold the potential for growth. As Paul reminded the Romans, ‘Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us’ (Romans 5:3–5).
LIEUT-COLONEL JONATHAN ROBERTS
Editor Salvationist
CONTENTS
Quotes from the media 2
News 4 to 8
Prayer matters 8
Mission and the pandemic 9
Prayer and lament
by Amy Quinn-Graham
Reflection 10
Snakes or ladders?
by Ron Thomlinson with the Rev James Macfarlane
Preview 11
Responding to God’s call
by Lieut-Colonel Judith Payne
We are The Salvation Army 12 and 13
We are growing the mustard seed
say Janet Pope and Joyce Wrigglesworth
Reflection 14
A note of encouragement
by Major Alistair Dawson
Reflection 15
A foot in both camps
by Lyn Woods
Bible study 16 and 17
Just once more, Lord
by Major Mal Davies
Through the week with Salvationist 16 and 17
by Major Howard Webber
Reflection 18
The grace of constancy
by Major John Waters
Read with us 18
Called to Be a Soldier: Chapter 10
Testimony 19
Blessed to serve
by Stephanie Ruddy
Poetry corner 19
New commitments 20 and 21
Announcements 22
Adverts 23
Quiz 24
Sunday school memories
SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS
Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (2011), unless otherwise stated
COMMUNITY
Lifehouse hosts health hub
BLACKBURN
THE Salvation Army hosted a health hub for people experiencing homelessness in the town.
Taking place at Bramwell House Lifehouse, the hub saw agencies gather for the day to offer support and information to residents.
Key organisations were there, including a mental health team, a dentist, a substance misuse team and healthcare professionals offering hepatitis C testing, along with a debt counselling service and the Army’s Employment Plus service, which offered tailored support to help people become job-ready.
The idea came from two social care students who are on a placement at Bramwell House. Gemma Kearns from Hyndburn and Natasha Tantwala from Blackburn proposed the idea as a way to advise residents on what is available to them in the area to improve their wellbeing.
Colin Mottershead, the service manager of Bramwell House, said: ‘Many vulnerable people don’t have the motivation or courage to go out and meet with organisations that can help them, but our health hub was a great way to bring companies to them, signposting them in the right direction and providing another arm of support.
‘We’re strong believers that a Lifehouse is more than a place to stay; we aim to give residents a reason to get up in the morning and see themselves as people of the community and not just see the label of “homeless”.’ – AR
Salvationist wants to hear your news
Corps press representatives can email salvationist@ salvationarmy.org.uk. Good quality pictures may be included. MUSIC
Concert raises funds for Ukraine
SOUTHEND
CHELMSFORD Band spent an afternoon presenting a bandstand concert in Priory Park before tea and a Music for Ukraine concert at Southend Citadel.
Those attending had the opportunity to stand while the band played ‘State Anthem of Ukraine’. This was followed by corps officer Major Andrew Bale offering prayer for the people of Ukraine and for Salvationists of the neighbouring countries giving humanitarian aid.
The main devotional piece was ‘Procession to Covenant’, which recalls the words ‘O love that wilt not let me go’. The march ‘Temple 85’ brought the evening to a happy conclusion. The concert raised £290 to support the Army’s relief work in Ukraine. – JT
EVENT
LONDON Major Yvonne Andrews (Morriston), with her daughter, Lieutenant Clare Kinsey (Bristol South), attended the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in honour of her late husband, Major Neville Andrews. He was promoted to Glory unexpectedly in February, but was originally invited in recognition of his hard work during 35 years of officership. Major Yvonne said: ‘It was a privilege and an honour to be invited in recognition of the service we had given but at the same time an emotional day because Neville was not with me. It was great to have Clare with me both to enjoy the occasion and to recognise all that she did during lockdown too.’ – AR
£4,451
raised at art café
SEE PAGE 5
276
junior soldiers enrolled
SEE PAGE 6
1,211
referrals to food bank
SEE PAGE 7
COMMUNITY ARMY NEWS
OLDHAM FITTON HILL The corps held an appreciation party for volunteers and their families to thank them for the work they do for the community. Corps officer Major Estelle Blake explained: ‘Volunteers help us make sure the work we are able to give, and the programmes we are able to run, happen. Volunteering isn’t just about helping out; it is about being an active and integral part of any organisation.’ Lisa is mum to a two-year-old and gives up a couple of hours a week to volunteer for The Salvation Army. ‘The Army was a big support to me when I had my daughter during the first Covid-19 lockdown,’ she said. ‘I want to give something back to them and to help those in the community that may be struggling.’ The corps volunteers are pictured along with Major Estelle and family worker Kim Rogers. – AR
ANNIVERSARY
CHATTERIS The corps celebrated its 135th anniversary with a packed weekend, starting on the Saturday by opening its doors to all. Lots of memorabilia was on display, including photographs dating back to 1889, when the first soldiers were enrolled in the new hall. On the Sunday the corps shared lunch with ministers from other churches in the area. This was followed by a thanksgiving service led by Majors Joan and Stephen Gowler. – AR
Fears for workless households as cost of living crisis grows
UK
THE Salvation Army has warned that government efforts to get people into work haven’t reached those furthest from the labour market as they struggle with rising living costs.
Data from the Office for National Statistics found an estimated 13.4 per cent of UK homes where no adult is in work, down 0.5 percentage points compared with the same period last year.
Rebecca Keating, director of the Army’s Employment Plus service, said: ‘A secure job with a decent wage is one of the best paths out of poverty. However, despite a record level of job vacancies, for many of the people who come to our food banks, shelters and support services, the usual routes to employment are blocked.
‘These are people who are desperate to work and make a better life for themselves but face obstacles, such as a lack of education or relevant skills, mental or physical health problems, are lone parents who can’t afford childcare or are facing housing challenges. The current government programmes designed to get more people into work simply don’t work for them.
‘Properly funding specialist support to help those struggling to enter the workforce is not just morally right, it’s also the only way the government can successfully rejuvenate local economies. We can’t just plough on having parts of the country with a high number of people who are not earning. This not only traps entire communities in poverty, but it deters private sector investment and undermines efforts to level up the UK.’ – AR
FUNDRAISING
MUSIC
SKEGNESS Castleford Band presented an evening concert at the corps. The programme included ‘The Red Shield’, cornet solo ‘This Is My Story’ by Alun Perry, vocal solo ‘Amazing Love’ by Hannah Wainwright and ‘He Lives’. Earlier in the day the band also ministered by playing music in the high street. – TD WHITEHAVEN The art and crafts café raised £4,451.38 for The Salvation Army’s Ukraine crisis appeal. The initiative came from corps folk who worked with the wider community, including nearby churches and businesses in West Cumbria. Pictured are Hazel Wigham, Claire Shackley, Barbara Wigham and Simon Denman. – BW
INTERNATIONAL
General enrols more than 550 soldiers
CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
GENERAL Brian Peddle and World President of Women’s Ministries Commissioner Rosalie Peddle witnessed enthusiastic demonstrations of faith during their visit to the territory. As well as commissioning the cadets of the Messengers of Reconciliation session they met Salvationists and friends from across the Republic of Congo and Gabon.
The international leaders arrived at Maya-Maya International Airport, where they were welcomed by territorial leaders Colonels Eugène and Brigitte Odile Bamanabio. They later led a time of devotion at the territory’s training college, where the 24 cadets signed their covenants before presenting them to the General and Colonel Eugène. Leading a time
EVENT
of devotion, the General told the cadets: ‘The covenant you make with God must be in your hearts. God wants your hearts to be ready … [so] listen carefully to what he asks of you.’
Nzoko Corps hosted the Silver Star service, in which honour was given to 118 parents of cadets and lieutenants in recognition of the faithful influence they have had on their children.
The next day the international leaders led a music festival at the Army’s 50th Anniversary Congress Hall. The spirit of Salvationism was seen clearly in the 13 music brigades, which sang to the glory of God.
Commissioner Rosalie offered a Bible thought based on Psalm 96 in which she reminded the congregation that people were created to give God glory.
The following day saw the General lead a men’s fellowship and Commissioner Rosalie lead a women’s ministries rally.
The highlight of the youth rally that evening was the spectacular sight of the General enrolling 276 junior soldiers. He called on the young Salvationists to remain faithful to God, challenging them to live with confidence, consecration and courage.
God-honouring performances by youth brigades from across the territory included a worship group from Pointe Noire Division, Brazzaville 2 Divisional Band, a united singing company from Brazzaville, united drummers of Brazzaville, a worship group from Potopoto, ‘Les Jeunes Hommes de la Joie’ from Ouénzé and united Torchbearers from Brazzaville.
On Sunday morning The Salvation Army took to the streets of Brazzaville, with brass instruments playing and flags flying in a joyful, eye-catching march of witness.
Upon returning to the 50th Anniversary Congress Hall, the General had the sacred task of commissioning the 24 cadets.
The final meeting included the enrolment of 277 soldiers. The General expressed his amazement at the huge number of people dedicating their lives to God’s service. He was delighted to receive them as additions to the rolls in Congo and Gabon and welcomed them ‘in the name of Jesus Christ whom we serve’.
The ongoing legacy of a Spirit-filled time together was encapsulated by more than 100 young people responding to an appeal to become officers. – HZ
EVENT
SOMERCOTES After a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual Plant Fair and Coffee Morning returned with its best-attended event yet, raising £1,002 for Salvation Army work in the area. The community entered into the spirit of the event by not only buying plants, but also donating items from their gardens. Hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes encouraged people to sit down, engage in conversation and enjoy the friendly environment. – MH NORWICH MILE CROSS Various organisations set up their stalls for a family open day, a fun-filled day for people living with dementia and their families and friends. From Punch and Judy to face painting and 1940s songs, it was a day for all organisations supporting those living with dementia and their families to show what amenities are available locally. Members of the corps dementiafriendly fellowship, Sunshine Café, talked of what the Army was available to do alongside therapeutic guinea pigs, specialised technology, Age UK and others. The corps also brought care kitbags and other information on the Army’s practical help that is shared in the community and beyond. – PR
COMMUNITY ANNIVERSARY
Emergency clothing scheme helps struggling families
OLDHAM FITTON HILL
THE corps has launched the Emergency Clothing Project to support those struggling to make ends meet.
The project, which is in association with local community project Real Education Empowering Lives, provides pre-loved clothing to cover a period of seven days, saving people money as energy costs continue to rise. It recently saw 17 individual referrals in one day.
The scheme was set up by the corps family worker Kim Rogers. She recalled the turning point for encouraging her to create the scheme: ‘A lady that was using our food bank service innocently asked if I knew whether a babygrow could be stretched as she was struggling to cope with the rate at which her baby was growing. With the amount of money she had left after paying her bills, there was just no extra for more clothes.
‘If people are struggling with feeding their children, it is more than likely that they are struggling with clothing them too, and that is a worry that we hope to relieve.’ – AR
EVENT
Faces old and new celebrate 30 years
BRIGHTON BEVENDEAN
PREVIOUS corps officer Major Pauline Fingland returned to lead the 30th corps anniversary, reassuring the congregation that Jesus is the great ‘I am’.
Many people connected to the corps sent greetings, including Major Philippa Chagas (Brazil) and Lieutenant Portia Stirling-Mack (Reading West).
Although it has been 30 years since Bevendean was granted full corps status, the Army has been working on the estate for a total of 56 years. – DT
PRESENTATION
KILMARNOCK Following the tradition from previous years, the band and members of the songsters gathered in the town centre to play and sing songs of praise and encourage participants of the annual Roon the Toon race. The runners waved and clapped in appreciation as they passed. – EF NORTH WALSHAM After 44 years’ service – including time as chaplain at Furze Hill House care home – corps officer Major Joy Caddy received a certificate of retirement from Major Michelle Wheeler (East of England DHQ) in her final meeting as an active officer. Also pictured is corps officer Major Richard Durrant. – JB
COMMUNITY
PENRITH The corps appealed for support in stocking the shelves of its food bank as more people struggled to afford food. Faced with the continued pressure of the rising cost of living, the corps saw referrals to its food bank soar in recent months. It supported more than 1,211 referrals in April alone, when the energy price cap rocketed up. Corps officer Major Carole Donaldson explained: ‘There is no typical template of a food bank user. Needing help can creep up quickly on anyone and something has gone wrong if people who are working can’t even afford to put food on the table.’ – AR
