From the editor’s desk
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.
WHEN Natasha Hemmings was crowned Miss England in 2015, she knew she had her mother to thank. ‘I would never have entered myself into a beauty competition,’ she tells us in an interview in this week’s War Cry. ‘It was not something I knew much about,’ she explains. ‘When I turned up for it, I was looking at girls of 17 up to 25 raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity, doing things for their community, talking about causes that mattered to them.’ Natasha says that her mum entered her into the competition to help her to meet people of her age and enable her to be ‘part of something’. Perhaps she was also motivated by the pride that many parents feel in their children. In this week’s issue, John Gibson certainly speaks glowingly of his son Cameron. ‘Cameron had a fantastic smile that lit up a room. He was generous with his time and helpful towards others,’ he says. ‘He loved sport and loved people.’ Cameron took his own life when he was only 24 years old. In his interview, John describes the pain that he and his family went through as a result. ‘I missed Cameron so much and was overwhelmed with the loss of our son,’ he remembers. ‘All our children are an equally big part of our lives, but when one leaves voluntarily – that’s what it felt like – that is very painful.’ John was helped through his loss by his Christian faith and says that God felt ‘very close’ to him. It did not mean that John’s loss was any less severe, but it did help him to establish ‘a different view of life’ and to realise that God is ‘a friend of the weak, who is among us’. Faith does not stop Christians from the harsh and painful experiences of life. But it does give ad the War C them strength and support to help them e re ry v ’ through those times. And for that, they u can be truly thankful.
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 7601
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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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Beauty is in the ear of the beholder Former Miss England’s noted musical career
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‘I had months of grief to work through’ Father talks about his son’s suicide
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Exploring new frontiers Western love story begins on TV
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
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War Cry World
12 Team Talk 13 Now, There’s a Thought! 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: © DRAMA REPUBLIC/BBC/AMAZON STUDIOS