War Cry 6 February 2021

Send-a-card day aims to deliver love

WAR CRY

6 February 2021 20p/25c

‘Sitting in silence suits me’ Sheila Hancock on how she has found peace in her life

The future’s on hold in disaster film

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church

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 7511

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 UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 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 Territory with the Republic of Ireland 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 Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper

Your local Salvation Army centre

INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 6 February 2021

EDITOR From From the editor’s desk

SHEILA HANCOCK has enjoyed a distinguished career as an actress, director and author. In last month’s new year’s honours list, she was made a dame for services to drama and charity.

In an exclusive interview in this week’s War Cry, Sheila tells us about the important role that faith has played at various times in her life. She describes the way her father took her to a different church every week throughout her childhood.

As a young actress, Sheila continued to attend church services until she lost her faith after a series of family tragedies. However, as time moved on, she felt a pull back to it.

‘I began to feel a lack of spiritual dimension to my life,’ she says.

Sheila eventually found her spiritual home in Quakerism, an expression of Christianity in which members meet together, often in silence.

‘Sitting in silence suits me,’ Sheila says. ‘It can be powerful.’

Silence, though, can be a problem for two other people featured in this week’s issue. To mark Tinnitus Awareness Week, Jayne Bridge and Heather Frohbieter talk to us about their experiences of living with a constant ringing noise in their ears. One of the challenges they face is when they have to contend with long periods of silence.

‘If it’s really quiet, I’ll turn on the radio or TV to drown out the noise,’ Heather says. But even though deliberately attending silent meetings is not something either Heather or Jayne may choose to do, they also have found their Christian faith to be important to them.

God knows that each one of us is different and that, consequently, we find different ways to connect with him. It is reassuring to know that God doesn’t expect us to experience him through one set process but allows us to engage with him in a way that is meaningful for us.

FEATURES

CONTENTS

What is The Salvation Army?

3

Disaster on a cosmic scale

Film depicts family’s struggle to survive

5

Signed, sealed, delivered

Why people enjoy receiving greeting cards

6

‘I thought I could hear an ambulance’

The reality of living with tinnitus

8

Grief, God and the good old Sally Army

Interview with Sheila Hancock

REGULARS 12

Team Talk

13

Out of the Mouth of Babes

14 Puzzles 15

War Cry Kitchen

5

8

15

Amazon Prime Video

FILM

SKY FALLS Emily Bright sees disaster strike

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HIS is a presidential alert.

This is not a test. You’ve been selected for emergency shelter relocation,’ declares an ominous automated phone call from US Homeland Security in the disaster thriller Greenland, which started streaming on Amazon Prime yesterday (Friday 5 February).

Architect John Garrity (Gerard Butler) rushes home, confused and unsettled by the call. When journalists reveal that a comet is falling to Earth, with potentially devastating consequences, it seems like media hyperbole.

But then TV news bulletins show atomic-like devastation in Florida and the shockwaves of an explosion hit his neighbourhood, and he realises that the cosmic threat is real and frighteningly imminent.

John discovers that he, his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) and sevenyear-old son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) are the only ones in their neighbourhood shortlisted for transportation to the

emergency shelter. They race against the clock to report at Robins air force base in Georgia with the other chosen few. From there they will be flown to a classified location.

However, with comet fragments exploding in unpredictable locations, leaving millions across the globe dead, the fight for survival becomes desperate. People will do anything to get a coveted place on a plane to a secure US bunker.

The Garrity family have to go to extreme lengths to ensure their own safety and survival.

Their love for one another and determination to protect each other drive them on.

Greenland is only the latest in a long line of films and books to have drawn on natural disaster and contagion scenarios. However, in the past 10 months, fictional fears of a pandemic have become a living reality.

Disasters such as Covid-19 often reveal the worst and

The cosmic threat is imminent

John Garrity and his wife Allison are running out of time

best moments of our shared humanity.

During the coronavirus outbreak, people have gone out of their way to show kindness, whether through distributing food parcels, calling or videoconferencing friends and family, picking up prescriptions for elderly neighbours or sending letters to loved ones.

In such times of crisis, many people also take comfort from their Christian faith. They read what many believe to be God’s love letter to mankind – the Bible – for hope.

The Bible tells how God’s only Son, Jesus, came into the world to die on a cross to make up for all our mistakes and flaws. His sacrifice restored our relationship with a perfect God. Bible writer Paul outlines what God’s amazing love for us looks like. He says: ‘Love … always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails’ (1 Corinthians 13:7 and 8 New International Version).

Paul also says that God’s love is the greatest gift we can receive. Although people who put their trust in God are not protected from grief, loss and hardship, they can always rely on his love, which perseveres and provides hope in whatever circumstances they face.

When disaster strikes, we can seek refuge in God’s unconditional support, peace and strength. With his help, we can rebuild our lives.

If we pursue a relationship with God, we won’t just survive, but thrive.

6 February 2021 • WAR CRY • 3

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WAR CRY

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Broadcaster says dog collars lead to conversations

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‘DOG collars can have a peculiar effect on people,’ the Rev Richard Coles wrote in Radio Times. The ‘most common reaction’ to spotting a vicar is that people want to talk.

The parish priest, who presents Saturday Live on Radio 4, said: ‘I don’t know why this is, for fewer and fewer people go to church, and knowing the vicar is less common than it once was. To most people we are novelty characters, known from sitcoms or soaps – except, that is, to public school alumni, former military and ex-prisoners, to whom our presence is familiar. A memory endures, nevertheless, that the priest is a person you can talk to.’

Richard went on to explain how the dog collar appears to open up conversation.

‘People tell you things, all sorts of people,’ he wrote. ‘Sometimes they come to the door explicitly to do this, sometimes you just fall into conversation without inviting it – and, very often without expecting it, someone will reveal the most extraordinary things.’

Early-morning checks support people sleeping rough ROUGH sleepers in York are receiving help from The Salvation Army, whose workers are carrying out checks on their wellbeing early every morning.

Staff from its early intervention and prevention hub have been walking the city’s streets at 4.30am to help spot and move rough sleepers to safe accommodation.

Programme co-ordinator for the hub Sarah Pirie says: ‘We were determined that no one would be left out on the

streets and have been helping people to take up emergency accommodation.

We’ve found that most of those who were rough sleeping have been engaging well with mental health support and drug and alcohol services.’

The hub team are also working closely with food providers to co-ordinate deliveries to people already in emergency accommodation.

Its service manager, Charlie Malarkey, said: ‘We all worked together, utilising

hotels that were prepared to take our clients ... We utilised Airbnb and supported families financially to keep people in their accommodation. We also approached the council about older temporary accommodation that was due for demolition and this was opened up to support our clients.’

The hub has been one of the few services in the city that has been operating face to face with vulnerable people from the start of the pandemic.

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THE leaders of the Lower Earley Salvation Army church in Reading have turned the building into a Covid-19 vaccination clinic for their neighbourhood by partnering with their local GP surgery and council.

Since the beginning of January, the church and charity’s building in Lower Earley has been used by staff from Chalfont GP surgery and volunteers from the council to provide vaccinations for patients.

‘When we heard the government announcement about the rollout of the vaccination through GP surgeries, we were moved to ask our neighbouring practice if they needed assistance,’ Territorial Envoy Roger Coates said.

‘We help vulnerable people all year round, some of whom will be among the first groups to be offered the vaccinations. It’s only right that we offer our building to help in the fight against this deadly disease that has caused so much loss and devastation in our communities.’

Roger and his wife Lieutenant Jacqueline Coates expect that their church building will be used for the foreseeable future as a vaccination clinic. Since last year, they have moved their regular church worship meetings online.

The leaders also offer pastoral support to the GP surgery staff, volunteers and members of the public who may wish to talk about their emotional or spiritual well-being.

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Roger and Jacqueline and The Salvation Army’s centre in Lower Earley

FEATURE

tWwxcx Do you have a story to share? a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK TheWarCryUK

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THE government ‘radically underestimated’ the scale of rough sleeping and the demand for temporary accommodation in England during the first lockdown, according to The Salvation Army.

The comment was made in response to a National Audit Office report, which found that 33,000 people were housed under the Everyone In emergency accommodation scheme from March to April last year. In comparison, just 4,266 people were registered as rough sleepers in the government’s November 2019 figures.

The church and charity believes the government should invest in more accurate data collection to ‘properly plan and fund homelessness support services’. It says that quarterly reports, such as those produced from London’s Combined Homeless and Information Network, should be introduced across England.

Lorrita Johnson, The Salvation Army’s homelessness services director, said: ‘If we are to truly end rough sleeping for good, it’s vital that we accurately record how many people need help.’

Keep them posted Sarah Olowofoyeku writes about an opportunity to remind loved ones that we care

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HE smallest gestures are often the most meaningful, and in the past year, many of us have wanted to stay connected with others in whatever way we can. Send a Card to a Friend Day tomorrow (Sunday 7 February) is an opportunity to reach out to a loved one.

It would seem that we communicate with others now more than ever.

According to Opinium Research, the average UK adult received the equivalent of 33,802 messages or notifications from social apps during 2018. During the pandemic, when smartphones and tablets have been many people’s main way of connecting with friends and family, that figure is likely to have increased significantly.

But because we live in a digital age and receive such huge volumes of virtual messages, a card can mean much more. In December 2016, Royal Mail research found that 72 per cent of people would prefer to receive a card at Christmas, and only 10 per cent would prefer a text.

It’s not just a seasonal preference. Commenting in 2019 on the increase in card-sending among 18 to 34-year-olds, Amanda Fergusson, CEO of the Greeting Card Association, said: ‘Because they’re online all the time, if they want to say something special to someone they really care about, they have to make an effort. Sending a handwritten card to tell someone “I miss you” is a far more powerful connection than we have on social media.’

There is something special about the written word and about making the effort to show someone that you care. And Christians believe that the Bible is a book full of meaningful words written by people who were inspired by God. It tells the story of a God who made a great effort to show his love for everyone.

A Bible writer named John explained that God ‘so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16 New International Version).

The message was that God loves us and wants us to have a great life that lasts for ever.

People appreciate It’s a message we can all receive. receiving cards

There is something special about the written word

6 February 2021 • WAR CRY • 5

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‘I wanted to kill myself to escape the torment’

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To mark Tinnitus Awareness Week, which began on Monday (1 February), JAYNE BRIDGE and HEATHER FROHBIETER talk to Sarah Olowofoyeku about their experiences of living with the condition

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PERSON can be born with it, it can be triggered by a highly stressful event or it can be related to exposure to loud sounds – but whatever the cause, tinnitus has an effect on those who live with it.

In the UK, this week has been Tinnitus Awareness Week. Created by the British Tinnitus Association, its purpose is to raise knowledge of the condition, which, according to estimates, may affect between 10 and 15 per cent of people around the world.

I wanted to find out more, so over Zoom one evening, I spoke to Jayne Bridge from Alberta, Canada, and Heather Frohbieter from Missouri, USA, who shared their stories with me.

‘I’ve always struggled with anxiety,’ Heather begins. ‘After my dad passed away, it got worse. About three years ago,

6 • WAR CRY • 6 February 2021

I decided to look for medication to help.

The doctor prescribed me something, and on the second day of taking it, I woke up with a high-pitched ringing in my ear. It really freaked me out. I didn’t

I thought the noise would decrease.

But it didn’t know what was happening. I looked it up and discovered that it was a thing called tinnitus. I thought if I stopped taking the medication, the noise would decrease.

But it didn’t.’

Dealing with the constant noise added to Heather’s anxiety, and seeking support, she told other members of her family what was happening. She was surprised

at what she discovered.

‘I found out that my sister, my husband, my aunt and my cousin all have it. None of them had talked about it, because they said it didn’t bother them. Then I found out my best friend had been born with it too. So I was able to lean on those around me for support and ask them questions about how they handled it. I learnt to channel my thought and obsession on the noise into something else – for me that was arts and crafts.’

Heather also leant on her faith. She found a Facebook support group for Christians that was run by Jayne.

‘I had been in another group first but it was all doom and gloom,’ Heather explains. ‘Finding Jayne’s group was a blessing because it was positive. Jayne shared words from the Scriptures or other uplifting things. I noticed the difference

INTERVIEW

between being in a group where everybody was down and anxious all the time and a Christian group where it was hopeful.’

Jayne started the support group so Christians with tinnitus could find encouragement. However, the positive attitude she shares in the group today is a far cry from how she felt when she received her diagnosis 10 years ago.

‘My tinnitus started from a stressful situation,’ she says. ‘I was driving, and it was super foggy. I couldn’t see, then all of a sudden I could hear an ambulance.

I was more stressed because I couldn’t see the ambulance and I didn’t know what was going on. When I arrived at my house, I could still hear the ambulance.

It was a high-pitched noise, and it never went away.’

Jayne became depressed. ‘I was referred to an ear, nose and throat

specialist, who told me that there was nothing they could do. I was crying, and he offered me antidepressants. I wanted to kill myself to escape the torment of the noise.

‘It was bad. I came to think that Satan made me believe I had done something wrong, that it was my fault, and that God could heal me but didn’t and had forgotten about me. But God has rescued me from the torment and those lies. I know he loves me and cares for me.’

While Jayne and Heather still have the sound in their head, they are able to live with it. They say that tinnitus causes no physical pain, but it can cause a lot of mental anguish. The constant noise can be debilitating, and it can be hard for a person to know how to go on living or enjoying life with it.

Jayne describes hers as ‘a whistling

noise, like the wind is blowing through a crack in the door, and it’s always there’.

Heather’s is ‘like a tea kettle going off on a stove’.

Over time, Heather and Jayne have become accustomed to the sound.

But, as many people with tinnitus know, silence can be difficult.

‘If it’s really quiet, I’ll turn on the radio or TV to drown out the noise,’ says Heather. And when Jayne first developed the condition, she would take a long shower or go on a drive with music playing. She also started a gratitude journal. ‘It would help me to focus on positive things and seeing the blessings God was giving me each day.’

Jayne’s faith has helped her come to terms with the tinnitus. ‘I’ve learnt that even though I haven’t been healed,’ she says, ‘I can still find peace and joy.’

6 February 2021 • WAR CRY • 7

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Silence is golden for Sheila PA

Actress Dame SHEILA HANCOCK tells Claire Brine how she finds God in quietness

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Sheila Hancock won an Olivier award for her performance in ‘Cabaret’ in 2007

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QUICK scan of Sheila Hancock’s CV reveals that here is an actress who has done pretty much everything. Onstage she won an Olivier award in 2007 for giving the best performance in a supporting role in a musical for Cabaret. On the big screen, at the age of 83, she climbed the Suilven mountain in Scotland to play the lead role in the film Edie.

In her younger years, she was the first woman to become a director of a production for a Royal Shakespeare Company touring initiative, staging A Midsummer Night’s Dream from 1983 to 1984. In 2004, she published her first book of memoirs, The Two of Us – a bestseller that documented not only her own life, but also the life and career of her husband, Inspector Morse actor John Thaw.

‘It’s difficult to pick out best moments, because all experiences are part of life’s rich pageant,’ says Sheila, who is currently starring in A Discovery of Witches on Sky One. ‘I suppose the project I enjoyed the most was directing the RSC’s smallscale touring company. It was extraordinary to be part of a troupe of talented actors, such as Daniel Day-Lewis and Roger Allam, taking Shakespeare into areas that didn’t usually get any theatre. It meant so much to them – and to us.’

Last month, Sheila’s creative achievements were recognised officially when she was made a dame in the new year’s honours list for her services to drama and to charity. While the title came as a pleasant surprise, it carries a responsibility that she takes seriously.

‘I see it not so much as an award, but as a duty,’ she explains. ‘I have moments of thinking I’m not worthy of such a title. But it does help you to achieve certain things. It opens doors – and that will be extremely useful for the charities that I work with.’

One charity close to Sheila’s heart is Brain Tumour Research, which she has supported since her grandson was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of four. Another charity she admires is The Salvation Army – and she tells me that she has been a lifelong fan of its Christian mission.

‘The Sally Army meant a great deal to me as a child, because I grew up in pubs,’ she says. ‘My father ran a rough pub called The Carpenter’s Arms in King’s Cross Road in London, and every Sunday the Sally Army band would play outside and the girls in their bonnets would collect. They always gave me a tambourine to bash. It was such a highlight. I remember my

dad saying to me: “These are really good people.” And, do you know, they were.

They set a good example.’

As a child, Sheila attended a different church every week with her dad. The way she saw Christians expressing their faith made a lasting impression on her.

‘It was interesting for me as I tried out Congregationalist, Methodist and Baptist churches – you name it, I did it,’ she says.

‘Dad used to give the churches marks out of 10 for the sermon, the choir and all that.

‘I also went to a Catholic convent school when I was little, which is where I learnt my creed and catechism. We had a Latin Mass, so it was very profound. That was my introduction to Christianity.’

When Sheila grew up and became a jobbing actress, faith continued to play a central role in her life.

‘I always went to church in my early theatrical days,’ she says. ‘When I was on a tour or doing weekly rep, I’d go to a service every Sunday. And then I completely lost my faith.

It just went. My mother and first husband died in quick succession, and I couldn’t be bothered to work out why a loving God could do such things.

‘Suddenly, religion didn’t seem logical or sensible, so I became a humanist. I was happy with that for a long time. But then I began to feel a lack of spiritual dimension to my life.’

Sheila turned to her friend, the theatre director Ronald Eyre, for help.

‘He was making a television programme

exploring religions of the world, and so I asked him if he knew of something that might suit me,’ she explains. ‘He sent me on a wild goose chase, where I tried Buddhism and various other eastern things. But I felt awfully English, stupid and ill matched.

‘Then Ronald suggested I attend a Quaker event in Oxford. I went along one weekend and – bingo.

I liked the people. I liked the services. I felt comfortable there. So I joined in 1998.’

At the heart of Quakerism – an expression of Christianity founded in the 17th century – lies the belief that ‘there is that of God in everyone’. Although

I began to feel a lack of spiritual dimension

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INTERVIEW

Sheila, as Goody Alsop in Sky One’s ‘A Discovery of Witches’

6 February 2021 • WAR CRY • 9

From page 9

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members of the Religious Society of Friends – as Quakers are more formally known – are not currently meeting together because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sheila tells me why their particular style of worship appeals to her.

‘More often than not, our worship meetings are completely silent. We see faith as experiential – so you do it, rather than say it. If someone feels moved to speak, they can. But it’s not a debate. No one is in charge of leading the service.

‘Before each meeting, I try to be prepared. So I don’t yak, yak, yak before I arrive. I walk to meetings, quietly observing what’s around me and gathering my thoughts. Then when the meeting starts, I sit down and look around at everyone, feeling the atmosphere

quietening down. If someone ministers on a particular subject, perhaps a tragedy in the news, then as a group we focus our minds on that, trying to find the spiritual centre of it.

‘Sometimes, of course, the silence is an awful English hour and you’re longing for it to end. But other times, there is an amazing feeling of strength and unity in the room. I remember sitting with some Quakers shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and the silence we shared was comforting and steadying.

‘Yes, good music in a church can be very moving too – and I often go to the Russian Orthodox church near me to listen to the chanting – but sitting in silence suits me. It can be powerful.’

As well as enjoying the silence of

Quakerism, Sheila has found that its values of peace, equality, justice and simplicity are ‘marvellous yardsticks to use in life when making a judgment’.

She says: ‘They are my guiding light. I like to have a credo, something by which to measure my actions.’

While Sheila has been committed to her faith for many years, she admits that she often encounters doubt. Rarely does she turn to God to find neatly packaged answers to life’s big questions.

‘I find God inexplicable,’ she says. ‘And I don’t want to try to explain how I see God either, because I don’t think he can be explained to human beings. I hear God in music, such as Beethoven. I see God in the cat who sits on my lap. God is in the air outside.

‘In some ways it would be easier if I could personify God as I did when I was a child – as a benign old man in the sky who cares for me. But I can’t do that. God brings a feeling of presence. He’s not a super human being or anything like that.

His Spirit lives within people.’

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Sheila and her second husband, John Thaw

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hile God remains a mystery, Sheila has a much clearer idea of who Jesus is and what humankind can learn from him.

‘The story of Christ is hugely important to me,’ she says. ‘I find it deeply moving.

The death of Jesus is an unbearable story that haunts me every Easter. He was such a good man who said such wise things.

He was endlessly brave and a pacifist. He didn’t raise a fist to anyone, however ghastly they treated him. He didn’t condemn them.

‘Jesus had a tremendous understanding of human nature. He knew what Judas was going to do. He knew that Peter was going to deny him. And yet he was kind and accepting of Peter’s failings.

‘Jesus was also utterly devoted to the innocence of children and cared about them. He was practical. The Bible stories show us evidence of an extraordinary man who gives us a wonderful example of how we could live our lives.’

After writing The Two of Us, Sheila penned a second book of memoirs, entitled Just Me, in which she spoke openly about the grief she felt at losing her second husband, John Thaw. Right at the beginning, she quotes the Quaker advice to ‘live adventurously’ as the motivation behind her decision to face up to her pain and ‘get on with life’. Writing with honesty about loss, as well as the ups and downs of faith, is important to her.

‘I have to be honest because otherwise people get this misconceived image of me, and that’s not right,’ she tells me. ‘Public images of people can be dangerous. It’s like the fact that John wasn’t Morse. He was John. His character

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INTERVIEW

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Sheila in a 2005 production of ‘The Anniversary’ at the Garrick Theatre in London

was diametrically opposed to Morse.

‘I know that I am a very fallible human being. I’m not wise. But I am a good friend, and I will help people wherever I possibly can. John called it my Messiah complex.’

After John’s death from cancer, Sheila felt depressed and bereft. John had suffered from the same type of cancer as her first husband, Alec Ross, which made the tragedy acutely painful. But,

as Sheila grieved a second time, she maintained her faith.

‘When Alec and my mother died, both of them suffered, and consequently I lost my faith,’ she says. ‘I dealt with it badly.

But now, when I’m facing the “Why me?” question, I know that the answer is “Why not me?” Why suffering? Well, why not?

‘Grieving is something that has to be got through, and I suppose I get

through loss as a human being who has a spiritual life. I know that I can go to Quaker meetings and the people there will sympathise with me. I also know that whenever I get in a tizzy – and I jolly well do – I can sit, breathe and listen to classical music, trying to connect to the Spirit of God. It’s a lovely thing that I find within my soul, and I find it both comforting and wise.’

6 February 2021 • WAR CRY • 11

EXPLORE

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, 101 Newington Causeway, Lon­don SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

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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

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.

Team talk

talk ‘ ’ TEAM TALK

In other words: keep going Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

ON the Three Little Words podcast, presenters John Bishop and Tony Pitts invite a celebrity to talk about three words that mean something to them. Last week, sports broadcaster Gabby Logan revealed that one of her important words was ‘dynamism’. Dynamism, explained Tony, means power. To be dynamic is to be full of energy.

Former gymnast Gabby said that her choice of word related to her background in sport: ‘What it takes to be brilliant at sport is being dynamic. You have to keep moving, you have to keep pushing your performances, you never settle.’

But she went on to say that dynamism is also crucial in coping with the ‘dystopian’ world that has been brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

‘It can be quite scary for people,’ she said. ‘And actually we can’t just stop and accept this. We have to keep moving… To be Each new day has dynamic, it’s about keeping going.’

Over the past 11 months, a spirit of ‘keeping been a struggle going’ has been necessary. But it hasn’t been easy. Too many lives have been lost. Too many for some family members have been isolated. Many of us have missed visiting places that are special to us and doing the things that bring us fulfilment and joy. For a longer time than we perhaps imagined, we have had to keep going – yet we have done so without the very things we would usually rely on to do so. It’s no wonder each new day has been a struggle for some, as they feel drained of energy.

As a pessimist, I know that in the darkest days it can be hard to be dynamic or to feel hopeful. A future where life is better seems too far away and too abstract a concept. Perhaps that’s why Christians believe in a hope much more immediate.

They trust that each new day can be better. As the Bible says: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning’ (Lamentations 3:22 and 23 English Standard Version).

Imagine waking up with the strength we need to keep going and the love we need to stay hopeful – every single morning.

Three little words: amen to that.

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

"

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

Tick one or more of the options below, complete the coupon and send it to

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War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

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Address

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

EXPRESSIONS

Rosemary Dawson on the life lessons she has learnt from her grandchildren

Lesson in prayer W

Q

QUICK QUIZ 1

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Which two planets met in the sky in a great conjunction at the end of 2020?

Who is the first woman to become vice-president of the United States of America?

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Who won BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2020?

Where does the longest train journey in the UK travel to and from?

Which car company has had a factory in Dagenham, east London, since the 1930s?

Which character in the TV comedy One Foot in the Grave is known for the catchphrase ‘I don’t believe it’?

ANSWERS

HEN visiting our Rotherham grandchildren, one of grandad’s duties is to take 10-year-old Benjamin to school. His mother told us that he had recently started asking her to say a little prayer with him before he got out of the car every morning – something that grandad was also very happy to do.

However, one morning, his eldest sister hitched a lift with them because she was running late. This, in turn, was going to make Benjamin late, as his school was a bit farther away.

When they pulled up at the school gates, grandad asked if Benjamin would like him to say a prayer. But in his mad dash to get from the car and into school before the bell went, he simply shouted: ‘If you want to, but pray for me on the outside!’

Benjamin may have skipped a prayer then, but he saw the value of talking to God before starting his day. People of all ages do the same.

Knowing that God has promised to be with them gives reassurance, calms their worries or nerves about the day ahead, and puts the world around them into perspective.

On the days when we grown-ups are running late or are short of time, we can join in the battle prayer that Sir Jacob Astley used during the English Civil War: ‘O Lord! Thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget thee, do not thou forget me.’

And we can be sure that he won’t.

BOOK REVIEW Three Vicars Talking The Revs Richard Coles, Kate Bottley and Giles Fraser SPCK WHAT’S it like to be a vicar? The Revs Richard Coles, Kate Bottley and Giles Fraser highlight some of the poignant, heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious moments they’ve had as members of the clergy in Three Vicars Talking. The book is a transcript of their conversations on the Radio 4 programme of the same name and covers the highs and lows of parish life, encompassing birth, marriage, death, Christmas and Easter.

‘You’re getting alongside people on the best and worst days of their life, and that’s deeply moving,’ Richard told the War Cry last year in an interview about the show and book.

Reading Richard, Kate and Giles’s often entertaining, down-to-earth conversations can provide a balm for these times of lockdown. Their stories of kindness remind us of the constant love of God, which always stays the same, even when life may change in ways we could not have expected.

Linda McTurk

6 February 2021 • WAR CRY • 13

1. Jupiter and Saturn. 2. Kamala Harris.

3. Lewis Hamilton. 4. Aberdeen and Penzance.

5. Ford. 6. Victor Meldrew.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Down payment (7) 5. False (5) 7. Rust (7) 8. Slumber (5) 10. Rocky ledge (4) 11. Regular work traveller (8) 13. Sofa (6) 14. Notify (6) 17. Gauged (8) 19. Thaw (4)

5. Lower storey (8) 6. Welcome (5) 7. Religious festival (9) 9. Boundary (9) 12. Subtracted (8) 15. Burdensome (7) 16. Terminated (6) 18. Nimble (5) 20. Pain (4)

21. Move (5) 22. Help (7) 23. Cause air to escape from a radiator (5) 24. Attired (7) DOWN 2. Ideal (7) 3. Imminent (4) 4. Vibration (6)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

1

3 2

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

7

6 2 4

6 7 5 3

1. Day of the week 2. Be a member 3. Small river 4. Type of dance 5. Flatfish 6. Stick fast to

9

2 9 6 4

5 6

ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH 7

2

WORDSEARCH DON’T LEAVE ME FIELDS OF GOLD

I WANT IT THAT WAY I’LL BE THERE

KEEP THE FAITH

LIVIN’ LA VIDA LOCA NO LIMIT

OLD BEFORE I DIE

PICTURES OF YOU

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

STAND BY ME

THERE SHE GOES

HONEYCOMB 1. Monday. 2. Belong. 3. Stream.

4. Ballet. 5. Plaice. 6. Adhere.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Deposit. 5. Bogus.

7. Corrode. 8. Sleep. 10. Reef.

11. Commuter. 13. Settee. 14. Inform.

17. Measured. 19. Melt. 21. Shift.

22. Succour. 23. Bleed. 24. Dressed.

DOWN: 2. Perfect. 3. Soon. 4. Tremor.

5. Basement. 6. Greet. 7. Christmas.

9. Perimeter. 12. Deducted. 15. Onerous.

16. Ceased. 18. Agile. 20. Ache.

6 3 2 8 4 9 7 1 5

TOP OF THE WORLD

4 9 5 6 7 1 2 8 3

1 7 8 3 5 2 6 4 9

8 6 9 4 3 5 1 2 7

3 2 4 7 1 8 9 5 6

7 5 1 9 2 6 8 3 4

5 8 6 1 9 3 4 7 2

2 1 7 5 6 4 3 9 8

9 4 3 2 8 7 5 6 1

SUDOKU SOLUTION

YOU’RE STILL THE ONE

7 1 8 4

2 9 5 3

5 6

14 • WAR CRY • 6 February 2021

2

9 5 3

1 8 4

ANSWERS

8 1 4

6 Look 4 up, 1 down, 8 3forwards, 7 5 backwards 2 9 and diagonally on the grid to find 3 these 9 7 6 2 of5the81990s 1 4 hit singles 2 5 8 9 4 1 6 7 3 E Z V G W T N S S E O G E H S E R E H T 8 6 3 4 7 9 1 5 2 N L Q D L O G F O S D L E I F Z J E A S 7 I 5T Z T M T E Q E W I 3 1 2 9 6 8 Z M O A N O L 4I M E T V Z V N V P V T Z A G B D X J D L U 9 1 2 5 8 6 3 4 7 H L D H K N Y I Q U Y K N Z T W O I X U 7 2 6 1 9 8 4 3 5 T D N L T U Q W N E G R Z D Z Q Z E K O L Z C O R I 1 X Z A L F L L S B F W 8 4 2 5 3 7 9 R Q Y 6 L Z Q Q E O A M E Z A K K C J Y Q O Z F 3 9R R 7 L 6V D G Q C M F 4 2 8 1 K O I F S D Z 5L W F

T I R I P S N E E T E K I L S L L E M S S D F R O Q J A H H W H Z D B V E B S E E H R Y A W T A H T T I T N A W I D Z R R Z T P H S V Z V C F P T E Z L Q L W U U Z Y B M D G D S Y A O E N B Q O O L T O D O N T L E A V E M E P E Q L L C R C Y I V K M P G E W Y Z Y K O K T L Q A I R D T S Z Q E E C I Y A X B T Q Z I Z P A F Y X P M O V Q M V R K Q C M B T F W

9

4

D Pasta carbonara Ingredients

Method

300g dried penne

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.

1tsp vegetable oil 4 rashers lean back bacon, cut into pieces 5 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped 150g lower-fat soft cheese with garlic and herbs 1 egg 150ml semi-skimmed milk 2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 40g reduced-fat hard cheese, finely grated Ground black pepper SERVES

4

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the bacon and spring onions for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.

Beat together the soft cheese and egg in a mixing bowl, then stir in the cooked bacon and spring onions. Add the milk, parsley and 20g hard cheese.

Season with a pinch of pepper.

Once ready, drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add the egg mixture and heat gently on the hob for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Sprinkle with the remaining hard cheese, then serve.

Orange and sultana milk pudding Ingredients

Method

2 oranges

Finely grate 1tsp zest from 1 of the oranges, then squeeze the juice from it. Slice the second orange into segments, removing all the peel and pith.

600ml semi-skimmed milk 80g ground rice Âź tsp ground mixed spice 60g sultanas

Place the milk, ground rice, orange zest and mixed spice in a non-stick pan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened.

Add the orange juice and most of the sultanas, then heat over a very low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time.

Share the pudding between 4 bowls and top with the orange segments and remaining sultanas.

Serve at once.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Public Health England website nhs.uk/change4life

SERVES

4

6 February 2021 • WAR CRY • 15

The Lord is my shepherd,

I lack nothing Psalm 23:1 (New International Version)

WAR CRY