What is The Salvation Army?
From the editor’s desk
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.
MILLIONS of people will have woken up this morning (Saturday 1 January) determined to stick to the new year’s resolutions they made leading up to 2022. There is something about the start of a year that makes it appear a good time to promise ourselves that we will become fitter, healthier, kinder or better organised with our time. However, research from YouGov suggests that at least a quarter of us will fail entirely to keep any resolution we make. That research also suggested that the older we are, the less likely we are to make any resolutions in the first place. Perhaps many years of failing makes us less inclined to bother again. The truth is, though, change is possible. In this week’s War Cry, we speak with Claud Jackman who describes how his life completely changed from a ‘hollow’ existence dealing drugs to finding fulfilment by helping people who are experiencing homelessness. His complete transformation didn’t come about as a result of a new year’s resolution, nor did Claud make those changes on his own. His life changed when he met a man who said that he had a Christian faith. ‘I needed to know what he was talking about,’ Claud tells us. ‘This guy had nothing that I had, and yet everything that I wanted. Contentment, simplicity, humbleness, yet confidence.’ Claud goes on to describe how he made a decision to become a Christian and the positive changes that enabled him to make in his life. New year’s resolutions can be a great way to start making changes in certain areas of our lives. But if we want 2022 to be the year that totally transforms us and gives us new meaning and purpose, the only resolution to make is to believe ad the War C in Jesus and follow him. If we do that, then e re ry v ’ u 2022 will be a year that we’ll never forget.
What is the War Cry? The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.
WAR CRY Issue No 7557
When yo
CONTENTS
Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies Published weekly by The Salvation Army © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton, on sustainably sourced paper
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2 • WAR CRY • 1 January 2022
FEATURES
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Dramatic faith that always delivers
Call the Midwife is back for a new series
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Dealing with life
Drug dealer finds a new purpose
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A real Epiphany moment
A message for the new year
10 Yours faithfully
INFO Your local Salvation Army centre
PASS IT ON f
not hy ,w
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight
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O 15
Famous faces on what faith means
to them
12 Big quiz of the year
How many questions can you answer?
REGULARS
14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: BBC/NEAL STREET