WAR CRY 3 September 202250p Lessons learnt through correspondence courses All dressed up And ready to go for The Masked Dancer Novel experiences at the Jane Austen Festival
Whether viewers like their dancers masked or unmasked, there will be hours of dance moves to watch on Saturday night TV in the coming weeks.
‘We wouldn’t have survived without the support and prayers of our church,’ Maureen tells us. ‘God also supplied us with wonderful carers and support workers for Melissa and Jasmine.’ Being a Christian does not mean that life is always easy and nothing bad ever happens. But it does mean that, even at the worst of times, you can rely on God to see you through.
From the editor’s desk
Whenyou’veread the WarCry,whynot
OVER the summer, the names and faces of the celebrities taking part in the next series of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing were revealed. Fans of the show are looking forward to seeing them all when it begins later thisHowever,month. as we report in this week’s War Cry, the names and faces of the celebrities taking part in ITV’s The Masked Dancer will still be under wraps when it takes to our screens tonight (Saturday 3 September).
INFOINFO 2 • WAR CRY • 3 September 2022 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. 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. 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 Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway SE1London6BN 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 Issue No 7592 WAR CRY 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
Of course, for many people dance is not just a spectator sport. Eager dancers, young and old, turn up every week to dance halls and studios.
Jasmine Coleman started attending dance classes when she was just four years old. As her parents, John and Maureen, tell us in this week’s issue, Jasmine loved going to the classes and also enjoyed singing, as did her sisterButMelissa.anydreams there may have been of Jasmine having a career on the stage were cut short when both girls were diagnosed with a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system and causes seizures, visual impairment, mobility loss and early death.
ITPASSONf Front-page picture: ITV 156Your local Salvation Army centre FEATURES 3 A step in the right direction Which mystery movers will be revealed in The Masked Dancer ? 5 No persuasion needed for fans Jane Austen Festival opens in Bath 6 On course for change Open Learning programme makes a difference 8 ‘They are in Heaven’ Parents’ faith helps them deal with tragedy REGULARS 4 War Cry World 12 Team Talk 13 Now, There’s a Thought! 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen CONTENTS 8
The girls’ parents describe how they coped with the devastating diagnosis and how their Christian faith helped them.
W HAT do a cactus, pig, sea slug, tomato sauce and onomatopoeia have in common? They’re all stars of a new series of The Masked Dancer, which starts on ITV today (Saturday 3 September). Dressed in a colourful array of full-body fancydress outfits, celebrities are set to sashay across the stage in dance-offs. A judging panel – made up of TV presenters Davina McCall and Jonathan Ross, former footballer Peter Crouch and dancer Oti Mabuse – rate their performances and guess which famous face is hiding in each outfit. And, as the celebrities perform ballroom and ballet, salsa and swing, the panellists and viewers at home are given cryptic clues to help them solve the mystery of who’s behind the mask. The studio audience will be voting for their favourite performer in each dance-off. The winner will Celebrities mask their identities in second series of ITV dance show TV preview by Emily Bright
One masked dancer is dressed as a sea slug 3 September 2022 • WAR CRY • 3 live to dance another day. But at the end of the show, the three losing celebrities will face the judges, who will then decide which masked dancer to send home – and then the dancer’s true identity will be explainsJudgerevealed.Davinathatthere are no ‘half measures’ on the‘Thereshow.is something about being behind a mask which means that a celebrity is less encumbered with self-consciousness and will definitely give 100 per cent in everything that they do,’ she says. ‘It can be embarrassing dancing, but when you’ve got a mask on it isn’t. They just go We too can feel safer hiding behind a mask. Sometimes in life we may be grappling with grief, financial anxiety or past mistakes, and it can be tempting to keep our guard up. Or perhaps we feel nervous that, if we are honest with family and friends about what we’ve done or what we’re going through, they might reject us. However, there is someone we can turn to who will always listen to us with patience, understanding and total acceptance. In fact, he already knows exactly what’s on our hearts and minds before we even open our mouths.Thatsomeone is God. He loves us completely for who we are, and we never need to wear a mask with him. A Bible writer once said of him: ‘You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar… You are familiar with all my ways’ (Psalm 139:1-3 New International Version). We have an opportunity to realise that we are not only fully known but also fully loved by God, regardless of what has happened in the past or will happen in the future. There’s no need to dance around our problems. Instead, we can pray to him for help to sustain us in our struggles.
We can feel safer behindhidingamask
SLUGGING IT OUT Davina McCall is on the judging panel ITV
Asking God to be part of our lives is the best move we’ll ever make.
‘The only hope we have is in the true God who grants us comfort and grace. This trust and faith in the power of God has caused me to live with peace in my heart and mind, without anxiety and fear.’
‘Atmosphere of fear and intimidation’ for Afghan Christians
TAYLOR/ALAMYJEFFREYJAMES
WtwxcxzWt t 4 • WAR CRY • 3 September 2022
Because, typically, if you look at the science, there is something in their history that’s been done to them.’ Fire crew’s thanks for blaze support
WAR CRY
The Christian television and digital media network surveyed its viewers in the country and received replies highlighting concerns about an increase in the number of child marriages and worries that women and girls were having their futures taken away.
CHRISTIANS in Afghanistan continue to live in fear one year on from the Taliban taking control of the country, according to broadcaster SAT-7.
Another respondent, who was dismissed from his job in the legal sector by the country’s new rulers, said: ‘There is an atmosphere of fear and intimidation that rules society. Every moment we live with the possibility of physical violence, arrest, humiliating and insulting treatment, and even summary executions.
Viewers talk of facing persecution, with one telling SAT-7: ‘Fear and dread have taken all of Afghanistan and have especially affected religious and ethnic minorities.’
A DORSET fire crew took to Facebook to thank volunteers from The Salvation Army for their support of about 90 firefighters tackling a huge blaze at Studland Heath. Food and drink were provided from a Salvation Army emergency response vehicle, and the Swanage Fire Station posted: ‘Crews from across multiple counties have been working hard over the last few days to bring the fire under control and to dampen it down to stop the fire from spreading. ‘It has been very hot and tiring work, so it has been a massive help to have The Salvation Army be with us for the last few days providing us with food and drink. It has made the job so much better for us and given us the energy to get the job done. Thank you Winton Bournemouth Salvation Army.’ warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk@TheWarCryUKTheWarCryUKa Do you have a story to share? salvationarmy.org.uk/warcryB
Demonstrating what the article called ‘extraordinary grace’, Marcus said of his faith: ‘It makes me more compassionate to people condemned for the worst thing they’ve ever done…
SINGER-SONGWRITER Marcus Mumford told The Sunday Times that he had been helped by his Christian faith after being sexually abused as a child. In an interview, the lead singer of Mumford and Sons, who declared that he loved Jesus at a church conference at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017, revealed how he had chosen to ‘lean into’ his faith in response to his experiences as a six-year-old.
n
Though a satisfying character transformation always makes for a good page-turner, it’s not just in fiction that people change and improve. In real-life stories, it’s also possible. The Bible tells us that, with the help of God, we can move past any mistakes we have made and find a way to live as more loving, less judgemental individuals. If we feel we have lost the plot entirely and don’t know what to do next, he promises to guide us as we start a brand-new chapter with him. No doubt about it, his friendship is certainly the finest balm. How delightful! Her works have inspired films, art and songs
agreeable!Most
3 September 2022 • WAR CRY • 5
A LAUNDERETTE has teamed up with The Salvation Army in Coedpoeth, north Wales, to help families struggling to afford children’s uniforms for the new school year. Super Suds has washed uniforms that have been donated to The Salvation Army’s charity shop. One of the church leaders, Captain Sharon Hampton, had contacted the launderette to see if they could help ‘freshen up’ the uniforms which had been donated.‘Asthis is a project helping the community, the owner of Super Suds kindly offered to wash all the uniforms for free,’ Sharon said, adding that the availability of second-hand uniforms can be vital ‘as more and more families struggle with their usual costs and branded school uniforms are expensive to buy’.
Sharon Hampton with Super Suds employee Carol Edwards
Love her or not, for more than 200 years, Jane Austen has delighted readers with her stories of love and courtship, pride and prejudice. Her works have inspired theatrical productions, films, art and songs. Her characters are frequently analysed by members of the Jane Austen Fan Club on Facebook.
Her heroines ‘have flaws’, points out superfan Chitra, but they ‘evolve and emerge as better versions of themselves as the story progresses’.
Readers celebrate Jane Austen
Fans of Jane Austen take part in a promenadecostumedtWwxcx
For fans preferring to leave the costumes and curtseying in the past, there are other agreeable events on offer, including talks on Austen’s writing, walks around key locations associated with the author and even embroidery workshops. ‘Here’s may what tranquillise every care, and lift the heart to rapture!’ as the Mansfield Park heroine, Fanny Price, might say.
Feature by Claire Brine
FANS who ardently admire and love the likes of Elizabeth Bennet, Marianne Dashwood and Emma Woodhouse are in for a treat when the Jane Austen Festival begins next Friday (9 September). Held in the city of Bath, where the author lived and where she partly set her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, the festival invites Jane Austen readers to experience the world a little as she saw it. The Grand Regency Costumed Promenade – which takes place next Saturday morning – is the perfect opportunity for participants to dress up, take a turn about the city and show off their best bonnets (and breeches) to spectators. In the evening, those fond of dancing can display their best period drama moves by attending a ball at the Bath Assembly Rooms.
Launderette cleans up Salvation Army initiative
ACROSS the country prisoners are joining with members of the public in learning more about Christianity and developing their educational experience through The Salvation Army’s Open Learning courses. ‘Open Learning is a distance learning programme,’ says Major Emma Knights, its co-ordinator. ‘We have over a hundred courses available for anybody who wants to develop their knowledge of Christianity or to learn more about The Salvation Army or church history.’ The programme has three levels – starter, foundation and award. ‘Starter courses are available for anyone, even those who have never studied before,’ Emma explains. ‘It just requires simple sentence answers to questions. Foundation courses require short essays of about 750 words, and our award-level essays go up to 1,200 words. Students receive a certificate at the end of each course.’Afurther certificate is awarded
While anyone can undertake the courses, one group of people in particular are experiencing the benefits of it. The Open Learning programme is currently available in 44 prisons, with 121 prisoners being registered as students. People in prison are connected to the course through their chaplains, some of whom are from The Salvation Army. ‘We have links with The SalvationMajor Emma Knights
Across the three levels, course topics cover Christian history, Christian living and more specific Bible passages, characters or stories. One course, for example, is about understanding the concept of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Another is about the Bible character Samson and yet another another is about the Reformation, the period in history 500 years ago when Christians’ challenging of corrupt practices led to new churches being established.Oneofthe advantages of these courses is that all the learning can be done in students’ own time. ‘We’re not accredited, so we have no deadlines,’ Emma says. ‘Some people get through the courses very quickly, while others take their time. Some people have busy lives, or may become unwell, and they can take a pause if they need.’
NO BARS TO LE ARNING to students when they complete any five starter courses, five foundation courses or four award courses.
6 • WAR CRY • 3 September 2022
Major EMMA KNIGHTS, the Open Learning programme co-ordinator at The Salvation Army, explains how prison residents are on course to discover more about the organisation and Christianity
Interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku
which is exciting. ‘As our students, they are valued for who they are. We don’t know what they are in prison for. Sometimes they will share it with us, but we don’t ask for that information. Some of those students have also encouraged and helped other residents in prison and have shared their faith. We know that lives have been changed.’ Such changes motivate Emma to carry out her work of administering the present courses and developing new ones. ‘At the beginning of 2022, we released a brochure that contains some brand-new courses,’ she says. ‘We’ve just started a stream of ministry courses, which cover how to preach, how to lead worship, how to run a Bible study and how to run a prayer meeting. They will be accessible for our prison students, because we know that some of them will have those opportunities within the prison chapel.’
3 September 2022 • WAR CRY • 7 l For more information salvationist.org.uk/learningvisit
Emma says she is glad to help people who want to find out more about faith and themselves. She is encouraged by the feedback she receives.
MODELBYPOSEDPICTURELIBRARY
‘One of the students who wrote to us recently said, “The Bible study courses have been a massive source of hope, strength and purpose during my time in custody”, and he asked for materials so that he could encourage others.
‘What makes me stay in this work,’ Emma concludes, ‘is when I see people develop. And when I see those who have struggles with literacy become more confident. We’re not too bothered about spellings or formatting. With prison students, it’s all handwritten. Mistakes are fine. But to see people become more confident and to deepen their knowledge of Scripture is so exciting.’ Army’s prison ministries,’ says Emma, ‘so we have contact with our prison chaplains. But we are also listed in a booklet that goes to every prisoner in the UK so we often get letters from people who are not able to speak to a Salvation Army rehabilitation.theirbetakingForchaplain.’peopleinside,thecoursecananimportantpartofdevelopmentand‘Someofthoseinprison who have studied with us in the past learnt to read and write while serving their sentence,’ Emma explains. ‘So when they complete one of our courses, it can be their first successful educational experience, and they have a certificate to show for it. For some of them, that really increases their self-esteem.‘We’vealso seen some of them move from the basic starter-level courses all the way through to award levels, Lives have been changed
Melissa and Jasmine 8 • WAR CRY • 3 September 2022
‘We wouldn’t have survived without the support and prayers of our church,’ says Maureen. ‘God also supplied us with wonderful carers and support workers for Melissa and Jasmine.’ Maureen found faith after her sister Shirley, who was a Christian, coaxed her into attending a church based in an infant school. She had suggested it was an opportunity for Maureen to scope out Melissa’s future school.
‘When Melissa was in reception class, her teacher bemoaned the fact that she wasn’t coming along as she should have been,’ he says. ‘She hadn’t got the confidence to do things herself, which made you think that perhaps she couldn’t see properly even then.’ In 2000, when Melissa was eight, doctors diagnosed her with cone-rod dystrophy, a genetic eye condition. Two years later, at a checkup at Guy’s Hospital in London, doctors announced that Jasmine’s eyesight was deteriorating too. ‘That hit us like a train,’ remembers Maureen. ‘I was getting used to the fact that we were going to have one daughter that couldn’t see well. Suddenly, we’d gotBytwo.’2003 Melissa had completely lost her eyesight, which left the specialists bewildered. ‘They had told us it would be very rare if she lost her eyesight with cone-rod dystrophy,’ explains Maureen.
John also later discovered a relationship with God. ‘I’ve always believed in God,’ he says. ‘At school, when we were 12 or 13, we were given copies of the Gideon Bible. I read the Doctors found a chromosomedefective
Interview by Emily Bright
JOHN and MAUREEN COLEMAN tell how their Christian faith sustained them after both their daughters were diagnosed with a fatal genetic disorder
‘IN a different lifetime,’ says John Coleman, ‘my daughter Melissa would have probably gone to university and become a teacher. My other daughter Jasmine was more arty. ‘Music played a big part in their lives. They loved Abba, the Spice Girls and S Club 7. They got into Madness and the Beatles, and I made compilations for them.’ Maureen, John’s wife, adds: ‘Jasmine went to ballet and tap when she was four years old. She loved it, and I think she would have ended up on stage. Both girls were brilliant at singing. They had beautiful voices.’ButJohn now retrospectively sees the warning signs of what was to come in his daughters’ lives.
‘The girls had blood and urine tests, and doctors found a defective chromosome and realised they’d both got Batten disease.’Batten disease is a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system and causes seizures, visual impairment, mobility loss and early death. There is noIncure.the toughest time of their lives, Maureen and John became dependent on their Christian faith and the support of their friends to see them through.
‘The diagnosis hit us like a train’
‘So one day, I went,’ says Maureen. ‘It was extraordinary – as soon as I went through those church doors, I felt like I was walking home. About a year later, I gave my life to the Lord.’
‘When I went to Sheffield University, I fell away a bit. But there was a church I used to walk past, with a poster saying: “Who is missing from our ch__ch. UR.” That always stuck ‘When I graduated, I applied to an insurance company in West Sussex, where I met Maureen. I used to get these debilitating headaches, and I had to take to bed and fill myself up with painkillers. As the years went on, my career was suffering and I began to ‘I went to a private hospital to sort my headaches out. I started to feel better, but something was missing. I explained how I felt to Maureen’s sister Shirley, and she said: “You’ve got a God-shaped hole in your life.” I thought: “That’s exactly it.” Within a week of me committing my life to the Lord, I’d been made redundant from my job, so I was able to go off and train to become a teacher, which I’d always been
3 September 2022 • WAR CRY • 9
Psalms regularly as I went through school, when I encountered bullying and namecalling. Reading them strengthened me.
‘I later managed to get a full-time job at a special needs school called Dorton House, which was run by the
Turn to page 10 f
Maureen and John The Coleman family celebrate Maureen’s birthday at Heather House
John says that he experienced an extraordinary peace during Maureen’s cancer treatment.
‘They organised rotas to take me for radiotherapy and chemo,’ she says. ‘They supplied us with some meals as well.’ After her diagnosis, Maureen was resolute that she would survive with God’s help.
Maureen recovered from cancer but, despite all her and John’s prayers, Melissa
10 • WAR CRY • 3 September
From page 9 out for me and making sure I was safe’. But the road to recovery would prove be a daunting one.
Jasmine was baptised when she was a teenager
John recalls that he felt, on a spiritual level, that ‘there was someone looking
‘I knew I wasn’t going to die,’ she says. ‘I told God: “I can’t die, because I’ve still got too much to do.” I was determined to get through it.’
I had two separate bleeds in the brain
‘When I came to, I couldn’t read any more or found it very difficult to concentrate on the written page,’ he says.
John and Melissa on a day trip to Winchester 2022 Royal London Society for the Blind near Sevenoaks. Later, after her diagnosis with Batten disease, Melissa would go there. It was as if God was preparing me for that through my job.’ The couple would become even more reliant on God for strength when, as well as having to care for their daughters, they faced their own health challenges. In 2004 John had a stroke, and was placed in a medically induced coma to aid his recovery. Melissa admits: ‘When John had a stroke, I prayed, “Lord, either heal him completely or take him home, because I can’t cope with another disabled person in this house.” If John had died, I would have been devastated, but I was confident that he would be in Heaven, and that gave me a lot of comfort.‘Hewas later put on life support for at least two weeks, because he had to have a tracheotomy. He was really ill and we nearly lost him. His blood pressure was off the charts. But God healed him.’
‘I lost other abilities as well, like working the television remote. Fortunately, things came back to me, but it was strange how the stroke affected me. I had two separate bleeds in the brain. To survive one is good going; to survive two is extremely rare. But thankfully the Lord was with me all theInway.’2007 the family was dealt yet another blow when Maureen was diagnosed with breast cancer. The family’s church became a crucial support to them.
‘I felt God had it all under control, regardless of the outcome. I knew he would still be there for me. You could say this passive acceptance is a weakness, but I think it’s a strength. You’re gaining your strength from the Lord. You have to remember that he is the power of the universe. His resources are endless. He is good, and he can do anything. There are no boundaries to his abilities.’
‘While you learn to live around the grief, you always miss them. But we made sure that their funerals were celebrations of their lives, and we have no doubt that they’re in ThroughoutHeaven.’allthe suffering they’ve faced, John and Maureen’s faith has been a rock in their lives.
‘The whole message of the Bible is that we are loved,’ says John. ‘We live daily in God’s grace and can’t live without it.’
‘Even when a child has no language,’ adds John, ‘can’t speak or has very little going on mentally, God can still communicate with them in some way. He loves them as much as anybody else. They’re all made in his image. The world is broken and disability has got in, but God still loves his children.’
On her 21st birthday, she was baptised, and she too had a huge smile on her face.’Jasmine died in 2015 at the age of 19, and Melissa 18 months later, aged 24.
We have no doubt they’re in Heaven
‘At Heather House, they’ve got a hydro pool,’ says Maureen. ‘And while Melissa was at a stage where she couldn’t speak, she still understood. She communicated with her face, and I knew her well enough to understand what she was trying to convey. When I asked if she’d like to be baptised, she smiled and really opened her eyes, essentially saying: “Yes please.”
Her two children responded differently to the progression of Batten disease.
‘Melissa was very bright, and she got frustrated as her condition started to deteriorate,’ explains Maureen. ‘Although she’d still talk at that time, she found it difficult to express her feelings. In contrast, Jasmine was more placid. As Jasmine’s Batten disease progressed, she wasn’t quite so scared as Melissa, although it was hard for both of them.’ They gradually lost their mobility and power of speech. But, just like their parents, they found strength in their Christian faith. ‘They loved the Lord,’ says Maureen. ‘Melissa once told us about a vision she’d had of Jesus wearing a purple cloak. And I’m sure God had, through their lives, been talking to them.’
In answer to the unspoken question of how she reconciles a loving God with her daughters’ suffering, Maureen says: ‘God is supernatural isn’t he? We don’t understand it. Life is a mystery, but we’ve got to have that faith and hold on to it.’
Melissa at Heather HouseMelissa and Jasmine 3 September 2022 • WAR CRY • 11 and Jasmine continued to decline. The girls remained in mainstream education until they reached senior school, and then transferred to Dorton House, which at the time provided specialist education for the visually impaired and those with learning disabilities. As Melissa and Jasmine approached the end of their lives, they were placed in Heather House, a specialist nursing care home near Basingstoke for people with Batten disease.
Despite facing the unbearable pain of seeing their daughters’ health decline, Maureen and John held fast to their faith.
Both children decided to make public commitments to faith, as Maureen remembers: ‘One day I was putting Jasmine to bed and she said: “Mummy, what is baptism?” And I said: “That just shows that you love Jesus.” She said: “Could I be baptised then?” So she was baptised as a teenager. The smile on her face showed she knew the significance of it all.’ A few years later, Melissa followed.
Maureen and John doted on their daughters until the end, tirelessly supporting and praying with them. John remembers: ‘At the very end, Melissa opened her eyes very wide and gave this huge gasp and then passed over. And we are convinced to this day that she saw Jesus, and maybe even Jasmine, because there was such a radiance in her face. It gave me such encouragement.’Maureensays that the hope of her girls being in Heaven sustains her.
If God is more interested in a person’s heart – in their personality and qualities – then we should be as well. If we give our time to find out more about people who others overlook, we may find that we cultivate deep-rooted friendships that will last a lifetime.
reading about
of
circumstances,
Team talk
publication.
’ " ‘
T E A M TALK
aBecomingChristian
coupon and send it to
first names of individuals and
TV PRESENTER Esther Rantzen entertained millions of viewers on her programme That’s Life! with, among other things, oddly shaped vegetables. Readers under 40 will probably need to google the consumer-affairs programme, as it came off air in 1994. In the decades since then, oddly shaped vegetables seem to have slowly disappeared from shop shelves, and we have become used to buying perfectly shaped carrots, potatoes and onions. However, according to a report on the BBC website, that could be about to change.
12Amen • WAR CRY • 3 September 2022
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 Stone gives his take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters The shape of things to come
Address forLookinghelp?War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Or
your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk Name
Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International
God is interested in a person’s heart email a To receive basic Christianity this
Prayerlink 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 Thankwrong.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. talk
j
The story quoted the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), which is encouraging supermarkets to accept more ‘wonky’ produce and to be flexible with growers because this summer’s drought has had a dramatic impact on produce grown in the VegetablesUK. this autumn and winter will ‘not look normal, but will taste the same’, said NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw. ‘Consumers have been conditioned to believe that a potato looks a certain way,’ he explained. But, to reduce the risk of adding to the cost of living crisis, consumers ‘need to be more relaxed about appearance’.AsIreadthe report, it crossed my mind that it’s not only our vegetables we expect to look a certain a way. In our image-driven society, particularly on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, we are more likely to make a judgement on something – or someone – based on the way they look. While it is easy, it’s not the best way to judge anything. It’s certainly not the way God judges people. In the Bible God is quoted as saying: ‘People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts’ (1 Samuel 16:7 Contemporary English Version).
and information about The Salvation Army, complete
THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the details their for Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.
,
TWENTY-ONE years after they took place, the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people in the US still come to mind at this time of year. Many people will be aware of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell, but fewer will be aware of another structure commemorating the atrocity: To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, more commonly known as the ‘Teardrop Memorial’. This 30m-tall slab of bronze-coated steel sits in New Jersey, just the other side of the Statue of Liberty. It has a large jagged crack running down the middle, creating the shape of the twin towers, and a stainless steel teardrop hangs inside the crack. The 11 sides of the monument’s base bear the names of the people who died on 9/11 as well as those who were killed in a bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. The teardrop is a fitting symbol because so many people would have shed tears over the attacks. Crying is a common response to tragedy, whether it is on a global scale or more personal. The shortest verse in the Bible is about loss, and has just two words: ‘Jesus wept’ (John 11:35 Good News Bible). It appears in the account of the death of Lazarus, one of Jesus’ good friends. We are told that when Jesus saw Lazarus’s sister Mary and her friends weeping, ‘his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved’ (John 11:33). Jesus felt and shared their grief. Today I am sure that when God witnesses man’s inhumanity to man, he shares the grief of those who suffer.
Teardrop is a fit ting symbol
QA ANSWERS 1.TheRailwayChildrenReturn 2.JohnGrisham.3.Freetown.4.Queen. 5.Bees.6.NapoleonBonaparte. Jenny Agutter plays Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Waterbury in which recent film sequel? Who wrote the crime thriller The Judge’s List? What is the capital of Sierra WhichLeone?rock band’s Greatest Hits compilation recently became the first album to reach seven million UK sales? What type of insects are kept in an apiary? Who established the French decoration the Legion of Honour? QUICKQUIZ123456 3 September 2022 • WAR CRY • 13 by Jim Burns NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!
Jesus felt and theirsharedgrief
But God also makes a promise that Jesus will return one day and make things right, that he will establish a place where there is no more death, tears, pain or sorrow. While we await that time, he asks us to love our neighbours and our enemies in order to build a better world now. As we remember those innocent people who died, and possibly cry our own tears for the state of our world, let’s determine to do what we can to ensure our communities are places where love conquers hate. Because that would be a fitting memorial.
Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these school subjectsHONEYCOMB ANSWERS PUZZLES Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 SUDOKU WORDSEARCH Quick Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number CROSSWORD ART AND DESIGN GEOGRAPHYENGLISHDRAMACOMPUTINGCHEMISTRYBUSINESSBIOLOGY SOCIALRELIGIOUSPHYSICALMUSICMEDIAMATHSJOURNALISMHISTORYSTUDIESEDUCATIONSTUDIESSTUDIES512794863 496831257 387265419 174652398 253489671 968317524 735928146 829146735 641573982 2146 582 5 1 2 7 9 4 8 6 3 4 9 6 8 3 1 2 5 7 3 8 7 2 6 5 4 1 9 1 7 4 6 5 2 3 9 8 2 5 3 4 8 9 6 7 1 9 6 8 3 1 7 5 2 4 7 3 5 9 2 8 1 4 6 8 2 9 1 4 6 7 3 5 6 4 1 5 7 3 9 8 2 5 1 4 8 3 1 5 8 2 1 1 6 2 8 3 6 9 3 7 4 3 8 4 2 1 4 6 5 8 2 T S Y O B Z R C Z Q R J J X Z M Q N Q P Z Y W H E K E A R Z C P J I U J V Z U D B N L D R C Q D I W K V P T E M Y U S S I Y C I H F S J K Y B R F Z R H N E G Z Q R Z E U W Q U Z K E L O P H O I Q S A I Q M Q S Q Y A U N T C L V O D B D Q R V I W E B A J N S O L Z U V U N G C N Q S J Z V O Z I M Q M S T Y T M E Z F Y T C E U B H P X Z S B M Z S M Q M S Z R T R U A U I L T Q Z S Z A D Z H S Z Y N O I T A C U D E L A C I S Y H P F A N G I S E D D N A T R A D Z T L U L Z C N Q U I F G Z T M K J E A Q O I O Q G E G E O G R A P H Y P M R T S Z P Q E P S P W R Z R Q K A Q P Z M B M F Q Y G N D F B A Z V O C Z G S V Q Z H J U H S I L G N E Z J C C QUICKCROSSWORD ACROSS:1.Dogma.4.Sauna.8.Tea.9.Chart. 10.Bliss.11.Rip.12.Arena.13.Languid.16.Pretty. 19.Immune.23.Opening.26.Rouse.28.Nun. 29.Loose.30.Inset.31.Ran.32.Halve.33.Gates. DOWN:2.Grate.3.Attract.4.Sample.5.Urban. 6.Adieu.7.Eased.9.Clasp.14.Gem.15.Inn. 17.Rap.18.Tan.20.Morning.21.Elect.22.Ignore. 23.Oiled.24.Epoch.25.Ideal.27.Upset. HONEYCOMB 1.Remedy.2.Off-key.3.Tariff. 4.Caddie.5.Shadow.6.Speech. 14 • WAR CRY • 3 September 2022 1. Medicine for disease 2. Not in the correct pitch (3-3) 3. Tax to be paid 4. Golf club carrier 5. Dark area 6. Verbal communication 1.ACROSSDoctrine (5) 4. Steam bath (5) 8. Hot beverage (3) 9. Map (5) 10. Rapture (5) 11. Tear (3) 12. Stadium (5) 13. Listless (7) 16. Good-looking (6) 19. Free from risk (6) 23. Aperture (7) 26. Awaken (5) 28. Convent sister (3) 29. Slack (5) 30. Small picture within a bigger (5) 31. Sped (3) 32. Bisect (5) 33. Barriers (5) 2.DOWNFireplace (5) 3. Draw (7) 4. Specimen (6) 5. Of the city (5) 6. Goodbye (5) 7. Soothed (5) 9. Grip (5) 21. Choose (5) 22. Disregard (6) 23. Lubricated (5) 24. Era (5) 25. Perfect (5) 27. Disrupt (5) 14. Jewel (3) 15. Tavern (3) 17. Strike smartly (3) 18. colourYellowish-brown(3) 20. Daybreak (7)
Method
Eton mess
Ingredients crumblednests,4extract½creamwhipping250mlsugar,65gjuice½halvedhulledstrawberries,450gandlemon,icingsiftedtspvanillameringue
Chicken breast with mushrooms, leeks and mash
Method Puree half the strawberries with the lemon juice and 2tbsp icing sugar in a food processor or blender. Pass the puree through a fine sieve and set aside. Whip the cream in a mixing bowl with the remaining sugar and the vanilla extract until softly peaked. Fill 4 serving glasses with the crumbled meringue, whipped cream and remaining strawberries. Drizzle over the strawberry puree, to serve.
3 September 2022 • WAR CRY • 15 SERVES4SERVES4
To make the mash, boil the chopped potatoes in salted water until they are tender, then drain and mash until smooth with the milk and 4tbsp butter. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside and keep Seasonwarm.the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat 1tbsp butter with 1tbsp vegetable oil in a wide skillet and gently cook the chicken breasts for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside and keep Heatwarm.the remaining butter and oil in the skillet, scraping up any meat residue with a wooden spoon, then add the mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes over a medium-to-high heat, then stir in the leeks and reduce the heat. Cook gently until the leeks are soft but not brown, then pour over the cream, let it bubble, stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts and spoon the mashed potato on toservingwarmedplates,pouroverthesauceandserveimmediately.
Ingredients 600g cream125ml1thinlymushrooms,200gvegetable2tbspbreasts,4groundSalt7tbsp125mlchoppedpeeledpotatoes,andmilkbutterandfreshlypepperchickenskinnedoilbuttonslicedleek,sliced30%fat
Williams
WAR CRY
God weaves together and redeems the things that go horribly wrong
Sarah
