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.
IN the English language, an opportunity is a versatile thing. It can be golden, a window, missed, lost, jumped at and, of course, it has the ability to knock. Usually, an opportunity is considered something to be prized. Most parents hope that their child will have opportunities to get a good education with the thought that it will then give their offspring more opportunities in work and life in general. However hard their parents may hope for this, though, some people find those opportunities are not always open to them. When he became a father, John Hodgkinson would have had such hopes for his daughter Lynn. But, after Lynn experienced serious brain damage when she was six months old, John saw his daughter’s opportunities diminish as she found it impossible to get a job after leaving school. However, in this week’s War Cry, John describes how members of The Salvation Army in Swadlincote offered Lynn the opportunity to volunteer with them, and he and Lynn describe the difference this has made to her life. The article also includes the reflections of one of the leaders of The Salvation Army in the Derbyshire town, Major Marjory Parrott. ‘It’s brilliant having Lynn, because she’s always so enthusiastic. You see her lovely smile, and she has got such a good memory,’ Marjory tells us. She also explains why The Salvation Army gave this opportunity to Lynn. ‘The Bible says that God created humanity in his image,’ she says. ‘There is nothing about some people being better than others. We believe that we need to reflect that.’ She adds: ‘At The Salvation Army we aim to play to the strengths that God has given to each person.’ Christians believe in seeing the worth of every individual, regardless of who they are, their health or their life experiences. God loves and values everyone and, as ad the War C his followers, Christians aim to take the e re ry u’v opportunity to demonstrate that truth in their own actions.
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 7570
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Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN
CONTENTS
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
FEATURES
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for TV series 5
Health check
Why it’s good for us to care for the planet 6
‘What do I enjoy most? Everything’
How volunteering can make a difference
INFO
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A culture of inclusion
Caring for children with autism
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2 • WAR CRY • 2 April 2022
To be a pilgrim Celebrities follow in a monk’s footsteps
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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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
REGULARS 4
War Cry World
12 Team Talk 13 Wisdom in the Words 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: BBC/CTVC/SAM PALMER