War Cry 2 December

WAR CRY

Christmas 2023 50p/60c

The good news that Christmas brings

What is The Salvation Army?

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.

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 7656

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

From the editor’s desk MUSIC plays an important part in many people’s Christmas experiences, whether it’s Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ or a Salvation Army band playing ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’.

In this Christmas issue of the War Cry, we speak with choir leader Andrew Gant about the history of some of the carols that are often heard at this time of year, which he researched for his book Deck the Hall.

One of the carols he explores in the book is ‘God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen’, a centuries-old song in which every verse concludes with the words: ‘O tidings of comfort and joy.’ Despite the age of the carol, it remains true that comfort and joy can be found in the birth of Jesus, the event that Christians celebrate at Christmas.

Unlike carols, though, that sense of comfort and joy is not just for Christmas – it can last throughout the year, and Christians want to share it with others.

In this issue, a woman called Connie speaks about her troubled childhood and the abuse she was subjected to as an adult, all of which led directly to her experiencing addiction and homelessness. However, she also describes the help that The Salvation Army gave her to overcome these challenges.

‘If it wasn’t for The Salvation Army, I wouldn’t be here,’ she says. She describes how the church and charity assisted her in moving on from her past and starting a new life for herself and her children.

‘This will be my first Christmas in my own home with my two boys,’ she says. ‘I’m really excited, because I’m able to cook a full roast dinner.

It’s all part of the Christmas magic, things I’ve never been able to do for the boys before.’

The Christian faith is about the bringing of comfort and joy to everyone, regardless of who they are. As we enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas, it’s a message worth hearing again.

When you’ve read the War Cry, why not pass it on ➔ ➔ ➔

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ Tel: 0845 634 0101 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Lyndon Buckingham Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn 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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INFO 15 Your local Salvation Army centre

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CONTENTS FEATURES

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Staged comedy Pantomime season is here

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Good news for all A seasonal message from the leader of The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland

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A way with a manger Journalist on her collection of Nativity sets

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Sing, choirs of angels Discovering the background to Christmas carols

12 ‘The Salvation Army wants to bring hope’ How the church and charity supports people REGULARS

14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen

CBeebies stars Justin Fletcher, Rhys Stephenson, Maddie Moate and Jennie Dale appear in the panto ‘Robin Hood’

BBC/KIERON McCARRON

Panto tim timee The all-singing, all-dancing interactive productions are in season Feature by Sarah Olowofoyeku

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T’S time for pantomimes. Oh no, it isn’t! Oh yes, it is! Along with putting up decorations, eating mince pies and exchanging presents, going to watch a pantomime is one of Britain’s mostloved Christmas traditions.

Originating in the commedia dell’arte – a 16th-century form of Italian entertainment which featured dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and mischievous characters – productions with similar elements began to appear on stages in London by the early 18th century. In these ‘pantomimes’ actors used gestures and physical comedy in place of speech.

One hundred years later, a restriction on the use of spoken word in performances was lifted, and plays were permitted to consist of purely spoken dialogue. Puns, wordplay and audience participation were introduced to the pantomime.

By the late 19th century, pantomimes would open on Boxing Day, which began their link with the Christmas season. They were now extravagant productions, with elaborate set designs and special effects.

Some of them lasted as long as five hours.

They featured music hall stars, live animals and people impersonating animals.

Familiar stories such as Robinson Crusoe or fairytales were told, and the pantomime was sometimes used as a means to comment on social issues of the day.

This year, as per tradition, pantomimes will be performed in theatres all over the country.

Productions of Beauty and the Beast can be seen in Blackpool, Folkestone, Sunderland and Scunthorpe, Cinderella is being staged at venues in Milton Keynes and London, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be entertaining audiences in Glasgow and Aylesbury.

And for a wider audience, the CBeebies Christmas panto Robin Hood has been released in cinemas and will be available to watch on the BBC’s iPlayer. The show will feature songs, dance and pantomime fun with a cast of CBeebies presenters and actors, which includes Justin Fletcher Nigel Clarke and Gemma Hunt.

‘Making it is the best time,’ says Gemma. ‘We get to perform, sing, dance, act. We get to spend time with some of our closest friends and put on a brilliant production with some very talented people. Then everybody else gets to enjoy it later in December.

‘A lot of people say, “Christmas doesn’t start in our house until we’ve watched the CBeebies Christmas panto.” What a joy and what an honour to be part of people’s Christmas in that way!’

While pantomimes retell a variety of narratives at this time of year, there’s another story that is part of the Christmas

Pantomimes were extravagant productions

Gemma Hunt plays Will Scarlett

tradition – the Nativity. It’s the true story of a baby who came into the world centuries ago. Gemma believes his birth changed the world.

‘There’s something about meeting a new baby,’ she says, ‘and to think of Jesus as that new baby is delightful. It just brings joy and makes you smile.’

That baby, called Jesus, went on to become a man who sacrificed his life so that all people could have the opportunity to be connected with God. Through that sacrifice, every wrong thing we’ve done can be erased, and we are offered the hope of an eternal life and lasting joy.

All we need to do to enjoy these gifts is accept them.

Too good to be true? Oh no, it’s not.

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Have I got news for you A seasonal message from Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, leader of The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland

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HIS month celebrations are taking place to mark the 120th anniversary of what seemed, at the time, a small, insignificant event but which was, in fact, a remarkable feat that effectively changed the world.

On 17 December 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright’s power-driven machine took to the sky, and the world’s first controlled and sustained flight was achieved.

In one sense, it may not have been anything to write home about – after all, 12 seconds and 120 feet was not much. But it was the first powered flight. Oh, and while they did not write home, the story is told that they telegraphed their

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HILARY MORGAN/ALAMY

The first controlled and powered flight on 17 December 1903

sister, Katharine: ‘We have actually flown 120 feet … Will be home for Christmas.’

Katharine, it is said, hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and remarked: ‘How nice! The boys will be home for Christmas.’

Although he read the telegram, he totally missed one of the scoops of the 20th century – people had flown!

It’s sad that even today some people still miss the news. They may have read and heard of an event that happened 19 centuries before the Wright brothers took off. People may know it’s Christmas, but the implication and consequences of this amazing event somehow seems to be lost on them.

I wonder what might have happened if the first-century shepherds had been like the newspaper editor – not registering the real story they had heard after another flight, when the angel of the Lord declared to them: ‘Do not be afraid.

I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

The Bible goes on to record: ‘Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on Earth peace to those on whom his favour rests”’ (Luke 2:10–14 New International Version).

Could you imagine the possibility that, when the angels had left them and gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one

another: ‘Aw, that was nice of them to drop in – makes a change from the usual Wednesday night – a baby – just in time for Christmas, bless!’

You don’t need me to tell you that, to this day, that’s the typical emotional reaction of many people when they again hear the declaration that Christ is born in Bethlehem. Lovely.

But not the shepherds. When they received this amazing news, they knew they had to do something. This was a time for action, even if it meant leaving their sheep. Gospel writer Luke’s account continues with them saying: ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about’ (2:15).

And they did. Before their very eyes were Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, the one who later described himself as being the light of the world, as being the bread of life, while some referred to him as being ‘Immanuel’, which means ‘God with us’.

No wonder the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Lifechanging. Hardly surprising that they told everyone what they had seen and experienced in the little town of Bethlehem. I’m sure if the telegraph or even email had been available, they would have used it to tell the world.

Phillips Brooks penned memorable words in his carol ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’. Whether you know the carol or not, I invite you to read slowly the words as if you were receiving this remarkable news for the very first time.

This was a time for action

Like the shepherds you may be amazed and find Christmas really happening for you – deep inside.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

O little town of Bethlehem How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight.

O morning stars together Proclaim the holy birth, And praises sing to God, the King, And peace to men on Earth.

For Christ is born of Mary; And, gathered all above, While mortals sleep the angels keep Their watch of wondering love.

How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of his Heaven.

No ear may hear his coming; But in this world of sin Where meek souls will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in.

O holy child of Bethlehem Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Immanuel.

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Nativity seen

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UTHOR, radio broadcaster and journalist Libby Purves estimates that, over the past 40 years, she has collected about 110 Nativity scenes from around the globe. Some of them, she says, are ‘very small and frivolous’.

Others are ‘huge and dignified’. But one thing they have in common is the fact that they all depict the same story: the birth of Jesus Christ.

Libby, who back in 1976 became the first woman presenter of Radio 4’s Today programme and has been writing for The Times since 1982, says: ‘I became interested in Nativity scenes as a child, growing up in France. My family had a wonderful Breton crib scene, featuring traditional village characters. So we had the baker with his sack of flour, the poultry keeper who had two chickens on his head, the thief, who – on arriving at the manger – threw down his knife and promised never to sin again, and le ravi – the village idiot – who, in amazement at the sight of the crib, threw his hands up in the air with joy.

‘Of course, we also had the three kings, the shepherds and the Holy Family – but what I loved most about the scene was the fact that every villager was there. And when I had my own children, I wanted them to have something similar to celebrate Christmas.’

Reflecting on her global collection of Nativity cribs, journalist LIBBY PURVES explains why she believes that the whole community is invited to gather at the manger Interview by Claire Brine

A French village scene depicts the birth of Jesus

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LIBRARY PICTURE

ANDY GIBSON/ALAMY

Libby and her husband, Paul, began exhibiting their collection of Nativities

When London-born Libby moved back to the UK, she and her husband, Paul Heiney, began their Nativity collection.

She purchased some santons de Provence – figurines very similar to the ones she had loved as a child. And Paul, who is half-Polish, acquired a traditional szopka, a Nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus against a backdrop of the cathedral in Krakow.

‘After that, I started picking up interesting cribs from wherever we travelled,’ says Libby. ‘And my brother, who worked a lot in South America and the Far East, always

brought me a new crib when he returned home, as a bit of a joke. He gave me a wonderful South American one, which is the Nativity carved into the head of a matchstick. In the end, Paul and I acquired so many cribs that we decided to hold an exhibition.’

In 1983, on the Sunday before Christmas, Libby opened her Suffolk home to the public, inviting them to view her collection of Nativities.

‘Entry was by voluntary donation, then people could get a free glass of mulled wine and some gingerbread while they

I started picking up interesting cribs on my travels

Made in Poland, a tinfoil cathedral tells the Christmas story looked at the cribs,’ she explains. ‘We made over £1,000 for charity, which was quite a lot of money back then. We continued to hold an exhibition at home for the next couple of years.

‘When our collection of cribs had grown rather dangerously, we decided that we needed to find new places to display them all. So, the next Christmas, we moved them into a local gallery, but in later years we held the exhibition in Norwich Cathedral, then Bury St Edmunds Cathedral. Of course, that was great for the sermons.’

The diversity of cribs on display – and

Turn to page 8 f

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From page 7 the dozens of cultures they represented – helped a number of church ministers to ‘find something new to talk about’ in their Christmas services.

‘The clergy have to do so many sermons during Advent and Christmas,’ says Libby, ‘and I’d often see them coming into the cathedrals, desperate for fresh ideas.

Suddenly they would see a particular crib and find inspiration, because there were so many interpretations on display.

‘I’m particularly fond of a tin German crib, which shows Joseph not standing idle by the manger, but opening the door for the kings to come in. Another beautiful crib comes from Chile, depicting the child Jesus standing up in the crib and being fed with a spoon. Other Nativity scenes feature the whole community drinking and laughing and Jesus is held aloft in triumph, a bit like the World Cup. ‘I’ve also got some cribs from Africa – complete with warthogs and impalas – and an interesting Nativity scene from Laos, in which the house is on stilts, with the animals underneath, and the baby Jesus is hanging high in a cradle. The Russian cribs are fascinating too, because

In the Nativity from Chile, baby Jesus is standing

they show Mary doing the obvious thing after giving birth – which is lying down, rather than kneeling over her child.

‘With all the cultural differences on show, you get to see how people really feel about the Nativity and this idea of a child being born to save the world. I like the thought that has gone into each piece of work.’

While previous exhibitions of the cribs have encouraged countless people to reflect on the meaning of the Christmas story, many visitors have also been impressed by the exquisite craftsmanship on display. Libby explains that her vast collection features Nativities created from a variety of materials, including wood, plaster, maize, tinfoil, ebony, raffia, paper, wax and glass.

‘One year, my son was looking at a clay Mary figure from Columbia and noticed that it had some holes in the back,’ she remembers. ‘He picked it up, blew into it and discovered she was a whistle.

It reminded me that these Nativity scenes were made for a time of festivity and happiness in the home.

They’re not like the crucifixes we display in church.

‘Another crib I like was created out of cardboard, and it features a Rastafarian Joseph and a hippy Mary.

A woman made it for me a long time ago, and I remember asking A Nativity from Peru, made out of clay

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her to include some “baddy” figures, or people who had been dissed publicly that year. So we have Robert Maxwell and Margaret Thatcher at the manger. There are also homeless people and children. The point I wanted to make was that no one is excluded from this story. Jesus has come into the world as a baby to make things better, to bring goodwill to all men.’

Raised in a Catholic family, Libby has been familiar with the story of the first Christmas since childhood.

Over the years, she has found that her collection of cribs has helped her to reflect on the meaning of Christmas in a fresh way.

‘Whatever we look like and whoever we are, the manger is something we should be able to gather round together,’ she says. ‘It’s about humankind, as a team. That’s why I like the cribs which feature the whole community.

‘I’m also struck by the vulnerability of baby Jesus. When I look at all the Nativity scenes, he’s always being guarded by his parents and the people around him. I’ve never seen a crib with King Herod in it.’

Though Libby hasn’t added any new cribs to her collection in recent years, she says that she’s always on the lookout for new and interesting pieces. She believes that the Nativity represents a true story of hope – and that it’s a message worth sharing.

‘Christmas is about God caring so much about humanity that he comes down to join us at the most basic and impoverished level – as a baby,’ she says.

‘Right now we are in a grim passage in the world, but the Nativity is about reconciliation of the past year and faith in what lies beyond. Ultimately, it’s about finding hope.’

Jesus is held aloft in triumph

Ding dong merrily on why?

As a director of choirs, ANDREW GANT has helped put together many carol services. He is fascinated by the sometimes mysterious origins and meanings of these seasonal songs, which he has been researching for a new book Interview by Philip Halcrow

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RANKLY, there’s no real answer even to the question of “What is a Christmas carol?”’ says Andrew Gant when talking about his new book Deck the Hall, which includes chapters on such diverse seasonal songs as Christina Rossetti’s poem about paying homage to the newborn Jesus, ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, and James Lord Pierpoint’s homage to getting overturned in the snow next to Miss Fannie Bright, ‘Jingle Bells’.

Andrew, a composer and conductor who – as director of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace from 2000 to 2013 – led choirs at state events such as the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations, is fascinated by carols.

He has been researching their musical diversity and their sometimes mysterious origins.

‘We all know these songs,’ he says, ‘and we can tend to think that they have been that way for ever and that somebody

decided they were Christmas carols. But that’s not true at all.

‘Even the word “carol” has evolved.

Some of the earliest sources make it clear that it just means a festive tune as much for dancing as singing. It is nothing to do with being sacred and certainly nothing to do with Christmas.

‘A lot of pieces called “carols” may have a religious element, but they are not liturgical and they often cover other parts of the Christian story – there’s the “Corpus Christi Carol” and new year carols. And when you stop and think about it, a lot of the words we sing at Christmas haven’t really got anything to do with Christmas.

“The Holly and the Ivy”, for example, belongs to a tradition of songs that are about fertility and renewal of life in winter.’

Even the word ‘carol’ has evolved

Andrew Gant Andrew is intrigued not only by the mystery surrounding the overall concept of Christmas carols, but also by the colourful origins of the words and music.

‘Go to an ordinary English carol service and you can find yourself singing folk tunes from all over the world – France, Spain, the Basque, Poland, America, often with different words added to them by

Turn to page 10 f

Christmas 2023 • WAR CRY • 9

From page 9 English hymn-writers or translators,’ he says.

‘Sometimes we know who wrote the tune and who wrote the words of a carol.

The words or music began like that and stayed like that. We can say, for example, that the words of “Once in Royal David’s City” were written by Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander and the tune was written by Henry Gauntlett.

‘But the words of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” are an English translation of a Latin Catholic hymn, and both the Latin original and English translations are the work of different people at different times.

If you try to work out who wrote what, you get to a point in research where you can’t go any further. It’s the same with the tune.

We may know the guy who first wrote it down, but he may not have actually composed it. We just don’t know.’

Uncertainty also surrounds the meanings of some carols.

‘One of my favourites to research was “Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day”,’ says Andrew. ‘It’s a very mysterious poem.

We talk about it as a Christmas carol, but it’s one of several folk carols where we tend to sing the Christmas bit when actually there are 11 verses which cover everything from Jesus’ birth through to his death and resurrection and beyond.

‘The imagery is intriguing. What is a

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“dancing day”? Why is it “tomorrow”?’

Andrew finds it ‘rather pleasing’ that even carols that do make reference to Jesus’ birth expand upon the brief narratives in the Gospels, which contain ‘no oxen, no frosty winds, no robins’. It may be worth stepping back sometimes, he says, and noting the different elements of the story that get thrown together in a carol service. But he has no problem with the fact that some of the stuff in carols ‘is made up’.

At the same time, he also admires ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks’, which goes back to the Gospel roots of the story. It appeared in 1700 in a new church song book that poet laureate Nahum Tate put together with priest Nicholas Brady at a time when Anglican churches permitted the singing only of hymns derived directly from the Bible or prayer book.

‘Tate and Brady’s job,’ says Andrew, ‘was to write something direct in order to communicate the word of God. There isn’t a single word in “While Shepherds Watched” of more than two syllables. It’s simple and straightforward. The images they used are so clear, and it’s such an accurate account of the birth of Jesus.

‘They didn’t add to the biblical narrative. There aren’t any donkeys or oxen. It’s just a skilful bit of poetry. That’s why it has survived so long.’

In being specifically written for a church context that put strict limits on what could be sung, ‘While Shepherds Watched’ highlights another truth about carols – even those that directly refer to the birth of Jesus. Often, says Andrew, they reflect the times in which they were written.

‘Joy to the World’ for instance, typifies the concerns of its Nonconformist writer, Isaac Watts, who wanted to rewrite the biblical Psalms – in this case Psalm 98 – into singable hymns for the intellectual post-Enlightenment age.

The background to another favourite carol, says Andrew, sheds light on its own times while also encapsulating the timeless essential message of Christmas.

He explains how it was written by Phillips Brooks, a bishop who lived through the American Civil War and who had preached a sermon in honour of Abraham Lincoln.

‘After that terrible war, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He found himself coming over the brow of a hill at night-time in Bethlehem and hearing singing from the church that had been built over what is meant to be the site

What is a ‘dancing day’? Why is it ‘tomorrow’?

DOMINIC LIPINSKI/ALAMY

Prayerlink THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 1 Champion Park, Lon­don SE5 8FJ. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

j

Becoming a Christian

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Andrew Gant conducting the Choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal during a rehearsal in 2011

of Jesus’ birth. He was so moved that he wrote a poem, there and then. He took it home, published it and asked his church organist to set it to music.

‘If you think about the context in which “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was written, it adds something to its imagery of the “silent stars” and of peace.’

While a carol may reflect the wide world at the time, it may also say something about its writer’s personal experience.

Andrew has a special affection for another carol that echoes the angels’ message of peace on Earth at the birth of Jesus.

He says: ‘“It Came upon the Midnight Clear” was written by an American Unitarian minister called Edmund Hamilton Sears. He had visions of angels, and he also struggled with his mental health. He found it difficult to find peace in his own life. So when I read his words “O hush the noise, ye men of strife,/ And hear the angels sing”, I do find that very moving.’

l Deck the Hall is published by Hodder & Stoughton

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit.

Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

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Hope after hostels: ‘This will be my first Christmas in my own home’ After a troubled childhood and later an abusive relationship, Connie found herself addicted to drugs and without a home. She was referred to The Salvation Army, which gave her practical and emotional support. Now, living in a place of her own, she can look forward to a happy Christmas that will create positive memories for her children Feature by Sarah Olowofoyeku Connie with her sons, James and Henry

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HRISTMAS can be the hardest time of year for some people.

Among them are those who cannot afford to buy food day to day, let alone to put together a Christmas meal; those who are living with an illness or bereavement; those caught up in addictions; and those experiencing homelessness.

But every year people facing those challenges are remembered – and helped – by The Salvation Army, which is at work in hundreds of villages, towns and cities in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

One such person, Connie, lived through mental illness, bereavement, domestic abuse and homelessness. ‘If it wasn’t for The Salvation Army,’ she says, ‘I wouldn’t be here.’

Connie says that her difficulties started early on in her life.

‘When I was younger, I had lots of behavioural problems, and I was hardly at school,’ she says. ‘Even when I tried to do something, I used to get so frustrated and I used to struggle, it led to anger, and that was no good for anyone.’

At the age of 15, Connie was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(ADHD). By that time, she was already experiencing problems with her mental health after grieving the loss of her grandad and caring for her grandmother during a long illness. ‘I was like her carer, looked after her, and that’s another reason I didn’t go to school,’ she says.

Connie had been very close with her grandparents, so when she was 16 and her grandmother also died, she was devastated.

Two years later, Connie developed a relationship with an older man. She thought he was a good person and that she could depend on him, but he turned out to be abusive.

‘He wasn’t who I thought he would be,’ she remembers. ‘He put me through hell, abusing me physically and mentally. He intimidated me, pulled me away from my friends and got me into cannabis. He also used my bank card and got me into debt. It was a horrible time in my life.’

In the end, Connie found the courage to walk out on him. But it meant sleeping on a friend’s floor, then moving from one hostel to another.

A new relationship seemed promising. Life

He put me through hell

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took a turn for the better, and she had two children with her partner. But eventually their relationship broke down, and Connie was without a home again.

She was referred to a Salvation Army Lifehouse, a residential centre for people experiencing homelessness. There she got what she had wanted more than anything – a place where she and her two boys, four-year-old James and one-yearold Henry, could be together.

Connie received lots of practical help as well as the emotional support she needed after all that she had been through.

‘The Salvation Army were very welcoming,’ she says. ‘I had a bed for the first time in a year. They helped me with my emotions and to be more confident, to feel like I can do stuff.’

Connie has now moved into a two-bedroom flat.

It means she has more independence, but she still receives support from The Salvation Army.

Sadie, her keyworker, visits regularly, and Karen, a Salvation Army minister, helps her with her mental health.

Now that Connie has a place of her own, Christmas is a time that

she has been able to look forward to. She is determined to give James and Henry a Christmas they will always remember – complete with decorations, lights in the windows and a roast.

‘This will be my first Christmas in my own home with my two boys,’ she says.

‘I’m really excited, because I’m able to cook a full roast dinner. It’s all part of the Christmas magic, things I’ve never been

able to do for the boys before.’

Connie is just one of many people who have been helped by The Salvation Army.

The church and charity is motivated by its Christian faith and its mission to love God and love others.

Karen explains what drives her to help Connie and many other people facing life’s challenges.

‘I am trying to bring love and support to those who are struggling,’ she says. ‘And I pray that one day, they will truly know their worth and how much Jesus loves them.

‘The Salvation Army wants to bring hope and the chance of a new start, helping people to know they aren’t bound by their pasts.’

The Salvation Army helped me with my emotions

Christmas 2023 • WAR CRY • 13

PUZZLES Quick CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Valuable skill (5) 5. Mushrooms or toadstools (5) 8. Inuit hut (5) 9. Truism (5) 10. Unbending (5) 11. Nudge (5) 12. Competent (4) 15. Pressed (6) 17. Reliable (5) 18. Protective (6) 20. Owed (4) 25. Pilot (5) 26. Performing (5) 27. Upright (5) 28. Put into practice (5) 29. Postpone (5) 30. Loathed (5)

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9

5 4 3 8 9 1 3 2 6 3 1 7 4 3 2 5 9 4 9 6 1 5 2 8 6 8 3 9 7 1

DOWN 1. Flowering shrub (6) 2. Revolve (6) 3. Hourglass (5) 4. Sphere (5) 14. Thick mist (3) 5. Send on (7) 15. Writing fluid (3) 6. Head (6) 16. Recede (3) 7. Really (6) 17. Giggle (7) 13. Snake (3) 18. Frank (6)

19. Alleviation (6) 21. Range (6) 22. Savoured (6) 23. Essential (5) 24. Canines (5)

M O HONEYC B Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Feeling of the need to drink 2. Season 3. Used with a saucer 4. Choose 5. ______ Twist, Dickens character 6. Moveable indicator on a computer screen

W RDSEARCH

2 6 5 4 7 3 8 9 1 9 3 8 2 6 1 7 5 4 Look up, down, forwards, 4 1 backwards 7 5 9and8diagonally 3 6 on 2 the grid to find these words associated with the Nativity 1 9 6 7 2 5 4 3 8 G G K X E B 3 E L7H 2 B N6 H 8Z Q4 H 5 R E1 Y 9 F L B Q R Q S D R E H P E H S QG C 4 Y3 Z 1T T9 K 2T Y7M 6 WK P Z MM8 N L5R M G I B S U S 5 E J2 Y 1 B A8 B 3A Z6 N 9 W R4 V 7 Q V S T X J C HMZ I R Z C Q E J S O YME C A 7 N G4 E 9L S1 R 5Y L2M 6Z F8W 3 U F K B M G 6I J8O 3L F9 B 4T L7 X 1Y E2 U 5 J A HMQ E K Z L V H K B H V Y G I K F N J Z U N Q D T C T D F T K Z E H I L B S L A O I E Z Q E B Z XWN D E Z K Z I RWQQ E Q T B L H D T ZMD Z N E F U V Z Y B ZWC F TW S Z H T H P E S O J J D E X T QMP T V Z GO J H T K I WR V U S L R X Q I N Z K H G E S L V I Q F S ZWN B I S D N BWX Y N U A S ZWH F Y K R E J Y N P S Y Z I F S R Q D E Q W H D X D D L O G Q B F X G D WM Z

ANSWERS 2 9 4 1 3 8 5 7 6

6 3 1 9 7 5 2 4 8

5 8 7 6 2 4 1 9 3

4 2 5 7 6 3 8 1 9

6 8 3 9

7 6 9 2 8 1 3 5 4

3 1 8 5 4 9 6 2 7

8 7 3 4 5 2 9 6 1

9 5 6 3 1 7 4 8 2

5 2 8 7 1

1 4 2 8 9 6 7 3 5

HONEYCOMB 1. Thirst. 2. Spring. 3. Teacup.

4. Select. 5. Oliver. 6. Cursor.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Asset. 5. Fungi. 8. Igloo. 9. Axiom.

10. Rigid. 11. Elbow. 12. Able. 15. Ironed. 17. Sound.

18. Caring. 20. Debt. 25. Guide. 26. Doing. 27. Erect.

28. Enact. 29. Defer. 30. Hated.

DOWN: 1. Acacia. 2. Swivel. 3. Timer. 4. Globe.

5. Forward. 6. Noggin. 7. Indeed. 13. Boa. 14. Fog. 15. Ink. 16. Ebb. 17. Snigger. 18. Candid. 19. Relief.

21. Extent. 22. Tasted. 23. Vital. 24. Teeth.

14 • WAR CRY • Christmas 2023

SUDOKU

ANGELS BABY JESUS BETHLEHEM BIRTH FRANKINCENSE GOLD JOSEPH

KING HEROD MARY MYRRH SAVIOUR SHEPHERDS STAR WISE MEN

Vegan snowball cake

SERVES 12

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

For the cake

Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3. Grease and line 3 23cm loose-bottom cake tins with parchment paper.

375g vegan baking margarine, plus extra for greasing

Melt the vegan margarine in a pan over a low heat, then set aside.

600ml soya milk

Pour the 600ml soya milk in a bowl and add the lemon juice, then stir and set aside.

50ml lemon juice

Place all the remaining cake ingredients except the vegan candied peel in a bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the melted margarine, followed by the soya milk mixture and vegan candied peel. Stir well.

600g self-raising flour 450g caster sugar 2tbsp baking powder 1tbsp ground ginger 1tbsp mixed spice 150g vegan candied peel 2 oranges, zest For the filling 400ml soya milk 2 oranges, juice 75g cornflour 150g caster sugar 150g icing sugar 60g vegan baking margarine For the topping 100ml aquafaba

Divide the mixture between the tins and bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes, or until risen and soft. Leave to cool in the tins before removing.

To make the filling, pour the 400ml soya milk into a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile, mix the orange juice with the cornflour and caster sugar in a bowl to form a smooth paste. Pour the paste into the pan and beat until thick, creamy and smooth, simmering for a couple of minutes.

Leave to cool, then place in a mixer bowl and add the icing sugar and margarine.

Whisk until light and fluffy. Sandwich the cakes together using the filling mixture.

Make a meringue for the topping by placing the aquafaba in the mixer bowl and whisking on full speed, until it forms stiff peaks, for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, place the sugar and water in a pan over high heat. As soon as the mixture boils, reduce the heat slightly, continuing to simmer for up to 10 minutes, until it reaches a temperature of 120C. Remove from the heat and pour slowly into the whipped aquafaba with the whisk still going on medium. Whisk until cooled, then use the meringue to coat the sides and top of the cake.

Sprinkle over the desiccated coconut, ensuring the cake is evenly covered, to serve.

150g caster sugar 75ml water 150g desiccated coconut, to decorate

© NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES, WILLIAM SHAW

Recipe reprinted, with permission, from the National Trust website nationaltrust.org.uk Christmas 2023 • WAR CRY • 15

A BOY WAS BORN, KING OF ALL THE WORLD From ‘A Starry Night’ by Joy Webb

WAR CRY