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 7537
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
IN recent times, some of the things people took for granted have become appreciated treats, such as being able to hug loved ones or going to a sporting event. The lifting of Covid-19 restrictions has given hope of a more ‘normal’ future. In this week’s War Cry – as in previous weeks – we reflect that cinemas are again able to show new releases, as we cover the Matt Damon film Stillwater. We also report on some of the public events going on in Coventry, the UK’s City of Culture. We also, however, carry the sad reminder that not everybody survived the pandemic. This issue includes a report on the dedication of a new memorial in Stirlingshire that acknowledges the pain, challenges and loss that people suffered because of coronavirus. Speaking at its dedication, Church of Scotland minister the Rev Dan Harper said that it ‘honours all that was lost in the isolation of lockdown and all that was lost in events not celebrated’ as well as ‘all the loved ones we have lost along the way’. While so many are able to pick up aspects of their lives that they have missed during these past 17 months, it is right to remember those who are still feeling the effects of the losses that the pandemic brought. It should also be remembered that there are still thousands of people in the country catching the virus every day. We all need to show caution and consideration of others in the way we behave while enjoying our freedoms. And if we have not yet taken up an offer to receive a vaccine, then we must do so promptly, so that we can play our part in helping our communities look to the future with as much ad the War C e re ry confidence as possible. u’v
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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
INFO Your local Salvation Army centre
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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
From the editor’s desk
When yo
What is The Salvation Army?
5 8
FEATURES
3
Freedom fighter
Dad does hard labour to free his
daughter from prison in film Stillwater
5
Popular culture
Communities celebrate in Coventry
8
‘Faith can be found in any story’
Interview with TV writer
Jimmy McGovern
REGULARS
4
War Cry World
12 Team Talk 13 Faces of Faith 14 Puzzles
15
15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: JESSICA FORDE/FOCUS FEATURES