War Cry 8 May 2021

Charity’s whole-person support for those with chronic fatigue

WAR CRY

8 May 2021 20p/25c

Mothers’ pride on the line Parents feel the strain in BBC Two sitcom

Piping up to support Covid-19 vaccinations

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 7524

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 • 8 May 2021

EDITOR From the editor’s desk

IN the race to vaccinate the UK population against Covid-19, football stadiums, theatres, golf clubs, churches and Salvation Army buildings have all been utilised as vaccination centres.

From the beginning of this year, Salisbury Cathedral has been hosting vaccination sessions, and in this week’s War Cry John Challenger, the cathedral’s assistant director of music, speaks about accompanying the jabs with live organ music. He wanted to help make receiving a vaccination as comfortable as possible.

‘We thought we would play music which was comforting, soothing, not too loud and which would be familiar,’ he tells us, adding that he hoped that the tens of thousands of people who came to the cathedral would ‘feel something of the presence of God’ while they were there.

The cathedral community has a long history of accompanying people through difficult times, taking its lead from Jesus, who encouraged his followers to think of other people before themselves. People are still following that teaching today. In this week’s issue, we also report on the Rev Scott Patterson’s response to the UK’s Covid vaccination programme. After he saw people beginning to receive their free jabs from the NHS, the clergyman started to raise funds for Unicef, which runs a worldwide Covid-19 vaccination programme in communities where free healthcare is not available.

The Salvation Army is also helping those around the world who are most severely impacted by the pandemic. As news bulletins reported on the crisis in India, where a second wave of the virus struck last month, the church and charity was delivering Covid-19 treatment through its own healthcare facilities in the country.

Whether directly providing the medical care, raising funds to pay for treatment or playing music to soothe the nerves of those receiving it, Christians everywhere are doing what they can to help those in need.

Their prayer, and ours, must be that it makes a difference for good in these difficult times.

FEATURES

CONTENTS

What is The Salvation Army?

3

Mother knows best?

More parenting problems in BBC comedy

5

Well read Which books are up for an award?

6

An injection of music Organist supports cathedral’s vaccine sessions

8

ME care for the whole person Charity helps people living with chronic fatigue

10 ‘We have to build on the relationship’

The work of a psychosexual therapist

REGULARS

4

War Cry World

12

Team Talk

13

Faces of Faith

14

Puzzles

15

War Cry Kitchen

6

10

Front-page picture: BBC/MERMAN

15

TELEVISION Laura from the Lice Police (Emily Lloyd-Saini) delivers a school briefing

There may be trouble a-head Emily Bright sees characters itching to break free of their problems

BBC/MERMAN

‘T

HERE is some indication that the nit curve is beginning to plateau.

Can we go to the next slide please?’ says Laura from the Lice Police.

The scene in the opening episode of the third series of BBC Two sitcom Motherland, which starts on Monday (10 May), bears striking resemblances to the coronavirus pandemic press conferences we’ve become accustomed to. In this case, a nervous head teacher is seeking to control the spread of head lice in her school.

Parents are warned that if one child tests positive for lice, the child, and all those they interact with, will be isolated and sent home and will be unable to return until they’ve all been treated.

Horrified to discover that her daughter Ivy has nits, Julia has to juggle her job

Dad Kevin (Paul Ready) receives treatment for head lice

and daytime childcare.

Parents Anne (Philippa Dunne), She also has to ferry Liz (Diane Morgan) and Meg (Tanya Moodie) attend her mum around. the ‘nit blitz’ party Marion is staying with her on a supposedly temporary basis while recuperating from a heart condition. that crop up. While a sitcom can offer Julia’s friends, Liz and Kevin, are in light relief, there’s nothing funny about a similar predicament. Their children facing trials in real life. are also sent home as a precautionary It can be easy for our friends to be measure to contain the spread of lice. preoccupied with their own problems The group’s children are ostracised and unable to support us in the way and uninvited we’d like. In these times from another of social distancing, child’s party at it can seem even Trampolineland, more difficult to feel so Julia decides connected to the ones to host a nit blitz party to make sure we care about and whose advice we everyone is free of head lice. value.

In addition to the irritation of head For centuries, people have turned lice treatments, the group have other to the Bible for words of wisdom about individual struggles. how to deal with challenges. One Bible Fellow parent Anne is writer acknowledges that they cannot getting unexpectedly go through life in their own strength, emotional, crying at so they have learnt to seek out God for an episode of You’ve support.

Been Framed. Kevin They write: ‘Where does my help is frustrated that his come from? My help comes from the wife Jill spends all her Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth’ time in her office in (Psalm 121:1 and 2 New International the loft, while Liz is Version). The writer understood awaiting news on a job that God was utterly reliable and application. trustworthy, guiding and strengthening Often, as them when they needed it the most.

Motherland’s motley This offer of God’s help is open to group of parents will us all. Following his guidance doesn’t testify, life is about have to be a head-scratcher. All we muddling through and need to do is ask him to be part of tackling the seemingly our lives, and we can navigate the endless challenges challenges we face with his support.

Often life is about muddling through

8 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 3

tWwxcx

WAR CRY

n

SCOTT LONDON/ALAMY

DAVID OYELOWO told Premier Christianity magazine that he is proud of being a Christian. The actor, who last year starred in the film Come Away with Angelina Jolie, explained that he came to faith during his teens.

He said: ‘I had this encounter with God where palpably I heard him say: “There is nothing you can do to make me love you less.” That flew in the face of all of my preconceptions of who God was. I thought he was judgmental, I thought he wasn’t very fun because all I wanted to be doing was having sex with girls and playing football on a Sunday instead of being at church. The fact that the love I felt from God was unconditional really threw me; that was the point beyond which it became very real for me.’

David – who also played Martin Luther King Jr in the Oscar-nominated film Selma – added that he is not afraid to speak openly about his faith.

The British-born actor said: ‘It’s the thing I’m most proud of, the thing I’m most elated about and I never shy away from it in my work or in conversation, because I truly think it’s a phenomenal thing.’

ztW n

MORE than £5 million has been donated to Christian charities and projects by the Allchurches Trust to help them respond to Covid-19.

Created at the outbreak of the pandemic in the UK, the Hope Beyond grants programme has since supported more than 700 causes designed to help communities tackle the challenges of the pandemic. The grants have focused on projects that combat isolation and loneliness and improve mental health.

Beneficiaries include Parents and Children Together in Reading, which is adapting its domestic abuse rehabilitation services, and YMCA DownsLink Group, which is recruiting a chaplain to support vulnerable young people in Guildford.

Vicar’s appeal for cash injection A VICAR and his wife have raised more than £130,000 to help ‘the poorest in the world’ get a coronavirus vaccine.

When people in the UK began receiving their jabs for free on the NHS in January, the Rev Scott Patterson and his wife, Rowan, from Curry Rivel in Somerset, set up a JustGiving page, asking people who could afford it to make a donation to Unicef, which runs a Covid-19 vaccination programme worldwide. Within four days, the Twin My Vaccine campaign had exceeded its £1,000 target.

In an article on the Church of England’s A Church Near You website, Rowan explained that the ‘unique moment’ of people beginning to receive their vaccines presented ‘an opportunity to celebrate what we have here by being generous, not just to our local community, but to our global neighbours – people who won’t be receiving a letter from the NHS because they happen to live in less rich or developed countries’.

Unicef wants to administer a vaccine to two billion people by the end of 2021.

Do you have a story to share? @TheWarCryUK a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk TheWarCryUK 4 • WAR CRY • 8 May 2021

B salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

Strawberry Field provide gateway STRAWBERRY Field, the Salvation Army centre in Liverpool which inspired a Beatles hit, is expanding its training programmes to help people into employment.

The original Steps to Work scheme was available only to people aged 18-25, but a new Steps at Strawberry Field programme will be open to people of all ages who may have learning difficulties or other barriers to employment. It will include a condensed version of Steps to Work, training opportunities for people who want to volunteer and a hands-on bicycle maintenance project, Recycles, based in Liverpool city centre.

Strawberry Field mission director Major Kathy Versfeld says: ‘The

FEATURE

Wwxcxz Customers give tonnes of help

projects to work expansion to the programme will, we hope, prove a godsend to the many individuals whose aspirations of gainful employment have been pushed even further out of reach by the pandemic.

We want them to know we are pulling out all the stops to support them in realising their dreams and in harnessing their unique potential, so that together we can build better, more inclusive and diverse workplaces.’

During lockdown, Steps to Work continued with learning, workshops and wellbeing sessions taking place online. As soon as restrictions allow, the team and trainees will be back on site to begin the new series of programmes.

Claire Brine discovers who are the prized authors and publishers

W

RITERS and publishers are already booked up for Thursday (13 May). It is the day of the British Book Awards, which will celebrate – online this year – authors, publishers, agents and shops, and will highlight the winning titles worthy of the accolade Book of the Year.

This year, in the fiction category, creative stories of past and present are up for a prize. Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library follows a 21st-century suicidal protagonist experiencing the other lives she could have lived, while Maggie O’Farrell takes readers back to the 16th century with Hamnet, a tale about Shakespeare’s wife and son.

Titles in the non-fiction narrative category appear just as gripping.

Autobiographies from Barack Obama and Captain Tom are in the running, alongside David Attenborough’s book outlining his vision for the future, A Life on Our Planet.

For 2021, a new award has been launched. The page-turner category is for any fiction book that evokes ‘that feeling you get when you just can’t put a book down’.

It’s a sentiment that many bookworms will understand, and not only in connection with fiction. Stories – whether made-up, biographical or drawn from history – that offer relatable characters, surprising plot twists and a satisfying ending make for compelling reading. We invest in the action. Sometimes, we are changed by it.

One book that millions of people read every day because of its life-changing content is the Bible. Its pages are filled with real-life stories about a man called Jesus, who teaches his followers that their heavenly Father, God, loves them and forgives their mistakes. There are chapters on lifestyle, encouraging people to be kind to others, to refrain from judging them, and to share what they have.

While the Jesus story dives into weighty themes such as purpose, faith and the nature of love, a verse in the Bible summarises it all like this: ‘God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life’ (John 3:16 Contemporary English Version).

This book which is packed with adventure and which poses the challenge to change our life for ever is one page-turner worth reading.

We invest in the action

Readers can be changed by stories 8 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 5

LIBRARY PICTURE POSED BY MODEL

SHOPPERS at a supermarket in Leeds have donated more than 220 tonnes of clothing, shoes, books and other bric-a-brac to raise funds for charities including The Salvation Army.

The Asda sustainability store in the Middleton area of the city has provided a convenient space for the church and charity’s ‘drop and shop’ donation point, which has encouraged customers to recycle unwanted items that might otherwise have ended up in landfill.

The funds raised support The Salvation Army’s work throughout the country, including the provision of emergency food to people who need it most during the pandemic.

Last year, some 8,100 tonnes of unwanted textiles were collected from more than 400 recycling banks run by The Salvation Army in Asda car parks, raising funds for Salvation Army work and other charities such as Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Asda’s Tickled Pink campaign against breast cancer.

On the write lines

Pipes of peace ASH MILLS

JOHN CHALLENGER talks to Philip Halcrow about playing soothing music to people receiving their Covid-19 jabs in Salisbury Cathedral

‘I

T’S an overwhelming space,’ says Salisbury Cathedral’s assistant director of music John Challenger, ‘and – especially if you haven’t been in a space like that for a while – it’s an absolute joy for the eyes. We thought it should be a joy for the ears as well.’

Since Salisbury Cathedral opened as a Covid-19 vaccination centre in January, its organists have been pulling out all the stops to make the experience of receiving an injection as comfortable as possible.

John and director of music David Halls have taken it in turns to fill the building with music as people go through the process.

The live music immediately proved a hit with the tens of thousands of people who were receiving their jabs, and it has

John Challenger with Salisbury Cathedral’s organ

6 • WAR CRY • 8 May 2021

INTERVIEW

now been turned into a hit album.

Salisbury Meditation by John Challenger reached the Top Five of the specialist classical chart and is raising money for NHS Charities Together.

John says that, before the pandemic, he and David were sharing a routine that included running the cathedral’s choirs and playing the organ for nine sung services a week. Then, amid last year’s restrictions, the cathedral had to shut its doors to the public and take worship online.

But on 16 January this year, the cathedral opened for its latest, less than usual purpose.

As people began entering to receive their vaccination, the Dean of Salisbury, the Very Rev Nicholas Papadopulos, said that they would ‘receive a warm welcome, discover a beautiful place, and leave with fresh hope – and with our prayers’.

John says: ‘After I heard that we were going to use the cathedral in this way, there was a request from the leadership team that it might be nice for the people coming in to have music. So David and I devised a rota for the first day – I don’t suppose we thought we would carry on doing it all the way through, but the response was such that we have continued trying to give music to as many people as possible during their time here.

‘From the start, we thought we would play music which was comforting, soothing, not too loud and which would be familiar. When the very oldest and most vulnerable people were first arriving, it seemed right to play songs they might remember from the Second World War: songs of hope about the same sort of feelings that we’ve all been experiencing, such as the need to be with people, the

The cathedral serves as a vaccination centre

waiting for when that will be possible again.

‘So we played “We’ll Meet Again” alongside more mainstream church music that people would expect, such as Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”.’

As well as their planned playlists, the organists have taken requests, whether of film music or tunes that people had at their wedding. John recalls someone requesting another piece of Bach.

‘He asked for “Wachet Auf”, an Advent prelude. Liturgically, it was not very appropriate to play an Advent piece of music while the cathedral was full of Easter lillies, but in some ways it seemed good to bring in such music now, because Advent is all about waiting, longing and new life.’

‘Wachet Auf’ does not appear on Salisbury Meditation, but there are several pieces by Bach, as well as works by Elgar and Vaughan Williams.

‘The album was the idea of Andrew Mellor, a sound engineer who is behind some of the finest classical recordings of our time,’ says John. ‘He got in touch and suggested that it would be wonderful to raise as much money as possible for NHS Charities Together through an album of the music that I had been playing.’

John talks about how a lot of the music

I will never listen to these pieces in the same way again

he has played has, in some ways, taken on new meaning for him.

‘I think I will never listen to these pieces again in the same way. As I was playing them, I was watching scenes such as elderly people being helped to a seat by a carer and people receiving their vaccination. There was a lot of vulnerability around.’

He says that he has found the experience of the past few months moving.

He hopes that others will have done so.

‘We’ve had a variety of people coming in,’ he says. ‘On the one hand we’ve had members of our own congregation returning to us after they had been denied access to the building for so long or had been shielding and may not have had internet access to join in with what we were doing online.

‘We’ve also had people who’ve lived here their whole lives but scarcely stepped into the building. We wanted them to feel welcome too. We wanted them to feel that it was their space – and even that they might feel something of the presence of God while they visited.’ l Salisbury Meditation has been released as a digital album on AJM

8 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 7

‘People with very severe bed, curtains closed’ T

To mark ME Awareness Day on Wednesday (12 May), HELEN WINNING of the ME Trust speaks to Emily Bright about one charity’s fight against chronic fatigue

Helen Winning

8 • WAR CRY • 8 May 2021

RANSPORTED to Kent’s Burrswood hospital on a mattress in the back of a van in 2008, Hannah Clifton was in dire straits. She was seeking treatment for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a debilitating chronic fatigue condition which affects about 250,000 people in the UK. Amazingly, within several weeks she walked out of the hospital.

‘Burrswood was a Christian hospital, and one of the doctors there, Dr Paul Worthley, pioneered an approach of looking at the mind, body and spirit,’ explains Helen Winning, CEO of the ME Trust, which Hannah founded.

‘Hannah felt strongly that other people should benefit from this whole-person approach.’

Hannah created the charity in 2011 to finance other people’s in-patient care at Burrswood, until the hospital closed in 2016. Since then, the ME Trust has set up its own consultations with a doctor, and has a physiotherapist, nurse, counsellors and chaplains on its staff. The trust carries out more than 1,000 consultations and supports more than 240 individuals in a typical year.

Among the beneficiaries is Anne, who had been housebound with severe ME for

INTERVIEW

ME are confined to their 12 years. After 18 months of treatment, her physical capabilities soared from 20 to 60 per cent. Anne was devastated when she later relapsed but, after further treatment, was able to travel abroad, swim and climb and look at getting back to work.

The ME Trust has had to adapt to Covid-19 restrictions.

‘We previously had a monthly clinic in Crowborough, East Sussex, run by our doctor, offering face-to-face initial consultations,’ says Helen. ‘But we had to close it when Covid-19 hit. So a lot of our clinical work has gone on Skype and Zoom.’

Alongside medical support, the ME Trust offers mental and spiritual care.

‘At the core of the charity is a belief in the whole person,’ Helen says. ‘We are not an overtly Christian charity. We offer help to people regardless of whether they have a faith, and provide gentle support through our chaplaincy team.’

Helen explains more about the condition.

‘It’s a chronic illness and neurological condition. For many people, it lasts for

years. ME causes different symptoms in different people, but the one thing that ties them all together is deep bodily fatigue which can’t be helped through sleep. There are lots of anecdotes and stories about high-achieving people just burning out and being diagnosed with ME. ‘Often there is acute nerve pain, occasioned by light, touch, sound or any stimulus. ME can also cause gastric and intestinal disorders, problems with mobility, and constant pain.

‘Some people can continue to function if they pace themselves.

Other people can become housebound, and perhaps need to use a wheelchair. And it can become a lonely condition. In worst cases, people with severe ME are confined to their bed, curtains closed. Some often can’t summon the energy to have a conversation for more than a few moments at a time. For some people, it’s a question of managing the illness and coping as best as they can.’

Helen can see some striking parallels between the long-term effects of Covid-19 and ME. ‘There are a lot of elements of ME that are similar to symptoms that are emerging as part of post-Covid. ME often seems to

People have sought out our counselling services

show up after a viral illness or a trauma of some kind.’

One of the problems is that ME can prove difficult for doctors to diagnose.

‘A lot of GPs do not know enough about ME. It can be quite hard to diagnose and to know how to treat people. There is no absolute cure, and there is no recognised single cause.

There are limited therapies available, and no specific drugs prescribed.’

But Helen explains how the ME Trust has offered a lifeline: ‘We’ve had an increase in people, particularly carers, seeking out our counselling and chaplaincy services. Many of us have been isolated in the last year, but this restricted life is the norm for someone with moderate to severe ME.’ Helen sees being CEO of a charity that helps people regain their capabilities and manage their illnesses as an outworking of her Christian faith. In the past six months alone, the ME Trust has offered 667 consultations and helped 234 people and their families.

‘I have come to believe that this is my calling,’ she says. ‘To run an organisation that is providing practical help for people in poor health who are often forgotten feels important to me and is part of what it is for me to be a Christian.’

LIBRARY PICTURE POSED BY MODEL

8 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 9

SEX Ahead of Marriage Week, which begins on Monday (10 May), psychosexual therapist EMMA WARING tells Claire Brine what God has to do with sexual relationships

E

MMA WARING thinks that people need to get better at talking about sex. The qualified nurse and psychosexual therapist has noticed that many of her patients are uncomfortable when talking about what happens in the bedroom.

‘We find it quite difficult in our culture to talk about sex in a serious way,’ she tells me. ‘People can talk about sex if it’s salacious and they can make a joke about it.

But we’re not good at talking about real sex or sexual problems. Yet sex is an important part of a relationship.’

As an ambassador for Marriage Week – which encourages spouses to set aside time to focus on their relationship – Emma is particularly keen to help couples who want to improve their sex life.

‘Sex helps to make a relationship unique,’ she says. ‘It’s what makes the couple’s relationship different from any other relationship they have. But when sex goes wrong, it can cause devastation. When people are having sexual problems, there can be this sense of “I can’t do it and therefore that makes me less of a man or woman”.

‘I think we need to be more respectful when we talk about sex. I love working with couples on something so intimate, because the Christian part of me feels that it connects our humanness. And when couples come back to me, having worked through their problems, there is restoration and hope.’

At her psychosexual therapy clinic, based at London Bridge Hospital, Emma meets patients

Emma Waring 10 • WAR CRY • 8 May 2021

EDUCATION INTERVIEW

who are facing a variety of sexual problems. She says that before they attend their first appointment, they have usually undergone a medical assessment from a doctor, and received treatment if necessary.

‘The first thing I’ll do after that is offer an in-depth assessment,’ she says. ‘I start by asking basic questions, and then I’ll explore the patient’s upbringing, their school life, their work, their relationship with their parents and so on.

‘There could be many reasons why people are experiencing a problem. Some patients have suffered sexual abuse.

Others have grown up in families where sex was talked about in a shameful way.

Some have learnt about sex through pornography, which may have given them unrealistic ideas. Though sexual problems are common, lots of couples cannot move through them without getting stuck – and often that’s because they can’t find the words to talk about things. If the couple is in conflict, we have to work out first what that conflict is about. We have to build on the relationship.’

Although Emma is used to dealing with the problems that can be caused by sex, she remains convinced that lovemaking is a good and precious gift from God. ‘I believe that God created sex and that he designed our bodies to enjoy it,’ she says.

The Christian faith teaches that sex is precious and is most fulfilling in a loving and committed marriage and Emma hopes that someone who has had a ‘colourful’ sexual past encountering this teaching will be prompted to consider a

different perspective.

She says that, for a person new to faith to wonder if sex could be something different for them, the church needs to continue to improve the way it teaches about sex and relationships.

‘Historically, we haven’t talked about sex much in the Church,’ she says.

‘Often the line has been, “It’s not something you do until you’re married” and then no more is said on the subject – which isn’t helpful.

‘Thankfully, I do think Christians are getting better at discussing sex. Many churches run marriage courses now, which dedicate sessions to talking about the meaning of sex and how to manage problems.’

One area that causes Emma concern is society’s increasing use of pornography.

She believes it gives people a distorted view of sex.

‘Pornography is about one’s own sexual gratification,’ she says. ‘It doesn’t depict sex in a loving relationship but in a selfish way of “what can I get from this?” It

Couples need to talk

also sets up unrealistic expectations.

For couples who turn to pornography because they can’t talk about sex, it’s not helpful.’

In 2018, Emma published Seasons of Sex and Intimacy, a book in which she offers married and other committed couples advice on how to have a fulfilling sex life. She tells me that, above all, there are three important principles to good sex.

‘First, it needs to be consensual, because nobody must be forced to do anything that is against their will,’ she says. ‘Secondly, sex needs to be respectful – so couples need to talk about what they find comfortable and what they don’t.

‘Lastly, sex should be pleasurable.

Partners need to share with each other what feels good.’

While Emma is comfortable talking frankly about sex, she recognises that many people aren’t. She understands that feelings of embarrassment and shame can stand in the way of people building a relationship with a God who deeply loves them – and she wants to break down such a barrier.

‘God’s love is big enough to encompass every part of us,’ she says.

‘He knows the parts of our life we are proud of and the parts we aren’t. We can be utterly honest with God because he knows everything about us anyway.

‘I believe there is nothing we can do to make him love us more and nothing we can do to make him love us less.’ l Seasons of Sex and Intimacy is published by Hullo Creative

8 May 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’.

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

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

Team talk TEAM TALK

talk ‘ ’ There’s nothing fishy about caring for the planet

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

A NETFLIX documentary examining commercial fishing practices and their impact on marine life is making waves. Seaspiracy – by British director Ali Tabrizi – has captured scenes of commercial fishing from around the world, but the film’s content has been questioned by some.

In the documentary, there’s a lot of shocking information to trawl through. Ali claims that the fish population is in decline as a result of overfishing, an activity that causes more damage to the ocean than plastic and oil pollution.

‘It’s hard to stomach,’ writes Independent reviewer Charlotte Cripps in her summary of the film. ‘The Thai fishing industry is reportedly using slave labour to catch shrimps and prawns … Labels on fish like “Dolphin safe” are meaningless since people turn a blind eye or can be bribed out at sea; some 300,000 whales and dolphins are killed every year.’

While some viewers have vowed never to eat fish again, others are more sceptical. The Guardian reported that ‘NGOs, sustainability labels and experts quoted in Seaspiracy have accused the filmmakers of making “misleading claims”, using outof-context interviews and erroneous statistics’. The backlash has raised the question: How much can the documentary be trusted?

There are two sides to every story. And when it comes to reading reports on global matters, it’s often difficult to work out who to trust. People bend the truth, exaggerate or get things wrong. That’s why, when it comes to caring for the planet, I think it’s better to trust someone who knows far more than any of us do.

Since the beginning of time, God has asked humankind to care for the world and everything in it. How we do that may be up for debate but, while we work out what actions we must take, what is not in question is our shared responsibility.

Our individual efforts to save the planet may seem small and even inconsequential in the larger scheme of things, but it is only by us all uniting in our care for the Earth that we can find that our smallest actions can make a world of difference.

It’s difficult to work out who to trust

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

a

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 Address

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

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 8 May 2021

j Q&A

EXPRESSIONS

FACES OF FAITH PARIS ANTHONY-WALKER from Manchester on YouTube, mindsets and finding peace in prayer What’s your typical day?

My typical day at the moment is centred on university work. I wake up, have breakfast, get ready, I might journal a bit, probably spend too long on YouTube and then finally crack on with my assignments. I’m doing a master’s in creative advertising strategy.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was five or six years old, I wanted to be a hairdresser.

But, as I grew up, my focus changed towards either going into sports and becoming a PE teacher, or going into art and design.

What makes you feel like a grown-up now?

Sometimes I don’t even feel like an adult. I feel like I’m faking it. But I guess what made me feel like a real grown-up was when I decided I wanted to go back into education and do a master’s and I had to find somewhere to live in Manchester that wasn’t student accommodation!

What was the last book you read?

Q A

QUICK QUIZ 1

Which female country singer duetted with Kenny Rogers on the 1983 hit single ‘Islands in the Stream’?

2

When did Angela Merkel become the chancellor of Germany?

3

Which letter is represented by a dot followed by a dash in International Morse Code?

4

One of the world’s largest antique street markets is on Portobello Road in which English city?

5

Which Radio 5 Live host has written One of the Family, a book about his Labrador?

6

What city state in southeast Asia is sometimes known as the ‘Garden City’?

Mindset by Dr Carol S Dweck. It’s about changing the way you think, and knowing whether you have a closed mindset or an open mindset towards different things. It’s interesting how your mindset affects the decisions that you make or the way that you perceive things.

How did you become a Christian?

I’ve always been one. For as long as I can remember, my family and I went to church. I grew up not really knowing anything different. But at about the age of 16, I took Bible study seriously and would study with my friends each week.

What’s good about being a Christian?

Not entirely relying on your own strength. Even if I can’t picture the outcome of something, or I’m not sure what to do, I can know that God has got a bigger plan – and that, essentially, he knows what I don’t know.

What one question would you ask God? Where will I end up in my career? Or, what kind of impact will I make in years to come?

What do you pray about?

Everything – uni, simply having a good day, my marriage, my family, my friends, my career, my finances, other people, health. Praying allows me to have a bit of reassurance and peace.

Who is your favourite Bible character?

Either Joseph (of Technicolor Dreamcoat fame) or the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah. They both persevered despite the challenges that they went through, and they’re good examples of staying faithful to God in tough circumstances.

ANSWERS

1. Dolly Parton. 2. 2005. 3. A. 4. London. 5. Nicky Campbell. 6. Singapore.

8 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 13

PUZZLES

CROSSWORD QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Edge (4) 3. Crowd (3) 5 ______ d’oeuvre (4) 7. Abominable (9) 9. Cab (4) 10. Drawback (4) 11. Prohibited (5) 14. Coarse (5) 15. Nobody (2, 3) 17. Romulus’s brother (5) 18. Deceives (5) 19. Dissertation (5) 20. Decree (5) 23. Tiny creature (4) 25. Loosen (4) 27. Tolerant (9)

by Chris Horne

28. Bird of prey (4) 29. Flawed (3) 30. Tight (4)

8. Backing (9) 11. Concise (5) 12. Fictional deer (5) 13. Start (5) DOWN 14. Rotter (3) 16. Cathedral city (3) 1. Defeat (4) 21. Woodland 2. Long skirt (4) nymph (5) 3. Coffee (5) 22. Cumulus (5) 4. Hooray (5) 23. Conceal (4) 5. Frans ______ , Dutch painter (4) 24. Relax (4) 25. Component (4) 6. Mollusc (4) 26. Kiln (4) 7. Acquit (9)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

2 1 6 9

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Order not to do

7

4 4 9

8 9 3

2 1 5 7 5 2 4 4 7 8

3. Recess in a wall 4. Man or boy

9

HONEYCOMB 1. Forbid. 2. Unbend. 3. Alcove.

4. Fellow. 5. Berlin. 6. Shovel.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Brim. 3. Mob. 5. Hors.

7. Execrable. 9. Taxi. 10. Snag. 11. Taboo.

14. Crude. 15. No one. 17. Remus.

18. Dupes. 19. Essay. 20. Edict. 23. Mite.

25. Undo. 27. Easygoing. 28. Kite.

29. Dud. 30. Taut.

DOWN: 1. Beat. 2. Maxi. 3. Mocha.

4. Bravo. 5. Hals. 6. Slug. 7. Exculpate.

8. Endorsing. 11. Terse. 12. Bambi.

13. Onset. 14. Cad. 16. Ely. 21. Dryad.

22. Cloud. 23. Mask. 24. Ease.

25. Unit. 26. Oast.

2 6 8 7 5 3 4 1 9

1 9 5 6 4 8 3 7 2

4 3 7 1 2 9 8 5 6

7 4 3 5 9 6 2 8 1

8 2 6 3 1 4 7 9 5

5 1 9 8 7 2 6 3 4

9 7 2 4 8 1 5 6 3

6 8 4 9 3 5 1 2 7

3 5 1 2 6 7 9 4 8

SUDOKU SOLUTION

WORDSEARCH CRASH BANDICOOT DONKEY KONG

FINAL FANTASY VIII GUITAR HERO

KIRBY’S DREAM LAND MINECRAFT

POKÉMON YELLOW ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON

SIMCITY SPYRO

STARCRAFT

SUPER MARIO BROS TETRIS

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA THE SIMS

9

6

4

2 4 7 8

14 • WAR CRY • 8 May 2021

ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH

5. Capital city of Germany

ANSWERS

3

7 7 6 1 5

2. Straighten

6. Tool resembling a spade

9

6

Look up, down, forwards, backwards

2 and 1 diagonally 4 7 8on the 5 grid 9 to 6 find 3 these video games 6 9 3 4 2 1 7 8 5 8 5 7 I 3D N A B H S A R C 6 9 2 4 1 V K F Q H T O O C D S T A R C R A F T U Z A Q O D X M B 7 6 1 5 3 8 4 9 2 O F D A A Y R F I X H U I R L K K N D 2 F 9X U B 1 7E M Z O L 8 3 6 N Y C O F P T 5P 4Z N A F N S J P Q Z A U I O Z B N P Y U A 3 8 9 6 4 2 1 5 7 M G K G W W F Y L B I F Y P W D D M L 4 3 8 2 7 6 5 1 9 X R E T M N E N F R O U N C O Q P Y M N Q Y M E Q R 1 7I A D R X P N L 5 8 9 3 6 T W N A 2 4 Q W K C Z T B M N R Y U D M L Y S G E 9 2 T 6 S A O C R E 1 5 4 3 L 7L O R 8 N O O C Y T R E

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

8 9 3

2 1 5 7 5

Charred mackerel with tomato ceviche Ingredients

Method

800g beef tomatoes, roughly chopped

Place the tomatoes in a bowl with the chilli, red onion and coriander leaves and stir to combine. Grate over the zest of the limes and squeeze in the juice, mixing throughout.

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced ½ red onion, finely sliced 50g coriander leaves 2 limes, zest and juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper

SERVES

4

Olive oil 4 fresh mackerel fillets, bones removed

Method

250g quinoa

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled 2 courgettes, cut into chunks 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks 1 red onion, sliced into wedges 5tbsp olive oil 16 British cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved 4 handfuls of watercress 2tbsp lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper 80g feta cheese, crumbled 2tsp chia seeds

Preheat a griddle pan. Generously oil the mackerel fillets on both sides to avoid sticking and cook skin-side down for 2-3 minutes until the skin is nicely charred. Flip over for a further 30 seconds to finish cooking the other side.

Season the tomato ceviche to taste and divide evenly between 4 serving plates. Top each portion with a charred mackerel fillet and serve immediately.

Warm quinoa salad with cherry tomatoes Ingredients

Season well with salt and pepper and gently stir in enough olive oil to ensure the tomatoes are evenly coated and glossy.

Rinse the quinoa in a sieve, then place in a pan with the vegetable stock cube and cook according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, put the courgettes, peppers and red onion in a roasting tin and drizzle with 2tbsp olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Remove from the oven and stir in the cherry tomatoes. Drain any excess liquid from the quinoa, then mix it through the roasted vegetables with the watercress.

For the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice and remaining 3tbsp olive oil in a small bowl.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and chia seeds, to serve.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the British Tomato Growers’ Association website britishtomatoes.co.uk

SERVES

4

8 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 15

There's nobo nob o dy who's beyond the reach of God Nick Page

WAR CRY