War Cry 11 June 2022

A doctor describes the intense pressures in ICU

WAR CRY

11 June 2022 50p

Breaking up is hard to do Romesh’s character attempts to avoid relationship problems in new sitcom

‘Priests are solving mysteries all the time’

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.

PROOF, if it is needed, of the popularity of crime fiction is the fact that Agatha Christie is, according to Guinness World Records, the bestselling fiction author of all time. Add to that the evidence of the success of the more recently published Richard Osman murder mysteries, and there can be no doubting the verdict that book readers love a good whodunnit.

This month a new author is adding to the choice of detective novels for would-be Miss Marples or Hercule Poirots. Murder before Evensong is the Rev Richard Coles’s debut novel. It tells the story of the fictional Rev Daniel Clement, a priest at a village church, who tries to solve the murder of one of his parishioners. In an interview in this week’s War Cry, Richard tells us about his inspiration for the book.

‘I like writing and getting ideas for characters, places and people on a page,’ he says. ‘I’m also fascinated by crime novels and how they work.’

Richard goes on to explain that it was important for him that the novel’s central character was a clergyman.

He says: ‘I’m interested in de-mystifying and re-mystifying what the priest does. A lot of people imagine that we float about in a holy way, but actually we are dealing with a nuts-and-bolts reality, like everyone else.’

Richard also explains what faith means to his central character.

‘His Christian faith is who he is,’ he says. ‘It’s something he lives and breathes. It’s not an accomplishment, like playing the accordion. It’s Daniel’s reality.’

Murder before Evensong is a novel and Daniel Clement is a fictional character, but millions of Christians will understand how a person’s faith can be central to who they are. Among them are the people featured every week in the War Cry who live out their faith through their words and actions, making a difference for good in their own lives and in their communities.

There is no mystery about the life-improving ad the War C e re ry change God can make to anyone. v ’ u

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.

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FEATURES

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Model students Gallery displays schoolchildren’s work

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Pew-dunnit Murder mystery novel set in a church

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‘People have been at breaking point’ Working in an ICU during a pandemic

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Split the difference Couple cope differently with separation

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.

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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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12 Team Talk 13 Past Times 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: BBC STUDIOS/RANGABEE PRODUCTIONS

Running out of excuses

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LAIRE couldn’t have been any clearer – it was over. But, in new comedy series Avoidance, which started on BBC One last night (Friday 10 June), Jonathan didn’t take the news very well. His aversion to conflict made the break-up difficult. He wasn’t prepared to accept what Claire was saying, instead suggesting that they simply needed a breather.

Claire (Jessica Knappett) wanted to tell their son, Spencer (Kieran Logendra), straightaway, but Jonathan (Romesh Ranganathan) managed to put it off, alerting her to the fact that before school wasn’t the best time to break the news. However, after school, Jonathan still wasn’t ready to accept that the relationship had ended and to tell his son. And he went to extreme lengths to avoid letting on that anything was wrong, running away with Spencer to stay with his sister, much to Claire’s annoyance.

Jonathan’s sister, Dan (Mandeep Dhillon), wanted to support her brother, but she also gave him some hard truths.

Dan’s wife, Courtney (Lisa McGrillis), was not nearly as empathetic, but still had some good advice, warning Jonathan that ‘running away from everything isn’t always the answer’.

The message Jonathan received was that he needed to deal with the

Relationship problems catch up with one dad in BBC comedy TV feature by Sarah Olowfoyeku

reality of the situation and have the difficult conversation with his partner.

Understandably, the end of the relationship is a hard pill for Jonathan to swallow, but perhaps such a crucial situation will force him to face his issues head-on.

A lot of people will be able to relate in some way to Jonathan’s situation.

Perhaps we all find it easier at some point to run away from a problem than to do the difficult work of addressing it. Hard conversations are best saved for another time, we think.

But eventually, like Jonathan, we will have to confront the issues we are running from, whether they are relationship problems, spiralling debt or past pains. In order to make progress or heal, we have to acknowledge what is happening and deal with the situation.

No one is immune to challenging

circumstances, but some people have found a source of support that they can rely on at those times. Asking God for help when life throws its biggest curveballs has proved valuable to them.

The Bible tells the stories of many characters who, because of the strength God gave them, got through problems that would have been easy to run from. One was early Church leader Paul. He had to deal with opposition and unjust imprisonment, disagreements between the people he cared for and more. But he learnt how to address all those challenges, saying that he could tackle them through God ‘who gives me strength’ (Philippians 4:13 New International Version).

Any one of us can receive that strength and live a life in which we do not have to run away from the difficult things. All we have to do is to turn to God, ask for his help and follow his way of living. It couldn’t be any clearer.

Eventually we have to confront our issues

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Jonathan’s relationship with Claire is breaking down – but will he ever be able to tell his son?

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‘People can be inspired by the Queen’ TO mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Radio Times featured an interview with Dr David Ison, the dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, where the Platinum Jubilee service of thanksgiving was held last week.

Speaking to the magazine in the weeks leading up to the jubilee, the dean outlined his duties for the occasion, which included welcoming members of the royal family to the cathedral and opening the service in prayer. He went on to explain why he felt it was important for the ceremony at St Paul’s to be broadcast to the nation.

‘Having this service broadcast lets everyone feel part of it,’ he said.

‘We’re saying thank you to the Queen for her sacrificial service for us, and also thanking God for the gift of this person who has been prepared to take on this commitment on behalf of the nation. I hope people can be inspired by what the Queen has done to say: “I, too, can live a life of service to others.”’

When asked to comment on the ‘latter stages’ of the Queen’s reign and how he felt about the ‘great change’ that lay ahead, Dr Ison answered by making reference to his Christian faith.

‘We are looking back at a life that has been inspirational. It’s a reminder that we all need to be aware that our lives are time-limited, asking what good we can do in the time we can have,’ he said.

‘This service of thanksgiving is a reminder that our hope for the future is based not in ourselves but in the strength God gives us to meet the issues we have at the time. The emphasis of Christian faith is very much not on worrying about the future, but with a sense of hope for that future, and living life in the present.’

Dr Ison and the Queen in 2012

Warning over ‘a plaster on poverty’ THE Salvation Army has warned that the government’s financial measures to tackle the cost of living crisis are simply putting ‘a plaster on poverty’.

The church and charity was responding to the chancellor’s announcement of a £15 billion support package, which includes a universal support payment of £400 in October, as well as a £650 payment to more than 8 million households reliant on universal credit, tax credits, pension credits and legacy benefits.

In a statement, The Salvation Army welcomed the government’s financial measures, but argued that there was a need for long-term, sustainable support. It said that benefits needed to keep pace with inflation and that people should be given more time to repay existing universal credit debt. It also recommended that free childcare provision be expanded and that a new crossgovernment task force be established to investigate why people are trapped in poverty.

The Salvation Army’s secretary for communications, Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant, said: ‘We are hugely relieved the government has acted to significantly lessen the pain of rising energy costs on the poorest households.

But we must not forget that emergency support, though desperately needed right now, only puts a plaster on poverty.

‘What’s also vital is for the government to urgently act on its promise to level up the country’s deprived communities, otherwise they are destined to remain forever trapped by hardship.’

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Creativity Creativity in the frame National Gallery exhibition celebrates child’s play Feature by Emily Bright

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CBBC PRESENTER Gemma Hunt is reimagining Bible stories with diverse characters, reports the Metro.

Gemma wrote her book A Good Friend, which is a modern retelling of the stories of Jesus, because she had not found children’s books that featured a mixed-heritage family. She says that she wrote it for her daughter, so she could see a family like her own in the books she read.

The mixed-race family are central to the story and portray the parables and teachings of Jesus in a modern context.

The Metro reports Gemma as saying that, as a Christian, she wants her book to promote a ‘diverse image of Jesus’ – one that makes mixed-race children and children of colour feel part of the conversation on religion.

© THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON

MORE students are choosing to study A-level religious studies (RS) in schools.

A review conducted by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE), the Religious Education Council of England and Wales and RE Today Services found that since 2003, there has been a 50 per cent increase in A-level entries for RS and that 46 per cent of academies without a religious character reported an increase in time to teach the subject.

However, almost 500 secondary schools were not providing any classes in year 11.

NATRE research officer Deborah Weston said: ‘In the Queen’s Speech we saw the government’s commitment to “help every child fulfil their potential, wherever they live”.

The data has shown us that high-quality RE enables precisely this, being a key marker for both academic achievement and a vital part of young people’s development in making sense of their own world view.

‘A high-quality education in religion and world views must now be part of their plans to help every young person fulfil their potential.’

‘The Finding of Moses’ by Orazio Gentileschi

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OULD baby Moses have been eaten by a shark? That was a question posed by primary school children when they were studying The Finding of Moses, painted by Orazio Gentileschi in the early 1630s.

Every year, the National Gallery’s Take One Picture exhibition showcases how children were inspired to create their own artwork based on a particular picture in the gallery’s collection. In this year’s show – which opened on Thursday (9 June) – the children’s artistic musings were focused on Gentileschi’s painting.

The Finding of Moses depicts the Bible story of how the King of Egypt’s daughter discovered the baby Moses in a basket among reeds by the River Nile. Moses’ mother had hidden him to keep him safe from a mass infanticide of Hebrew boys.

Thirty schools contributed their interpretations of the paintings, including John Bunyan Primary School in Braintree, Essex. Its reception class children were concerned about the threats that wildlife posed to Moses, so they explored what creatures live on the Nile and created animals from cardboard and papier mâché.

Year six students at Combe St Nicholas C of E Primary School, Somerset, went to their local park and discovered a basket with a baby doll inside, which their teachers had hidden by the river. In their classes, they then discussed why someone might send their child away to keep them safe.

Whether we’re 5 or 75, one of the joys of life is that there is always something new to learn, and often stories can be the inspiration behind learning.

The same Bible that inspired the Moses painting tells the story of how Jesus taught people, encouraging them to find out more about God. Jesus said that God’s love and wisdom for how to live were there for everyone to discover.

He assured people: ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you’ (Matthew 7:7 New International Version). And, as many people have found, a whole new outlook on life opens up if we allow God into the picture.

There is always something new to learn

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Murder he

There’s been a murder. A body has been found in a church in the fictional village of Champton. When the author behind such a shocking event, the Rev RICHARD COLES, is approached for questioning, he explains why priests are always solving mysteries and why he finds crime novels reassuring Interview by Claire Brine

Richard Coles 6 • WAR CRY • 11 June 2022

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HEN the Rev Canon Daniel Clement announces his plan to install a toilet in the village church, not all of his congregation are happy about it. ‘No one wants to hear flushing during divine worship,’ complains one parishioner.

‘It’s change,’ points out another.

The next thing Daniel knows, one of his parishioners is found dead at the back of the church, stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs. The question is: whodunnit? And why would the proposal to install a toilet incite someone to commit murder?

Stepping into the frame to address such questions is the Rev Richard Coles, the Radio 4 presenter, former member of pop group the Communards and recently retired vicar whose first novel, Murder before Evensong, hit the shops on Thursday (9 June).

‘The story begins with a row about a lavatory, but most presenting issues are usually about something else,’ he

wrote

says cryptically. ‘Often, when people who live in a poor parish don’t have very much, the things that they do have – such as a place in church – become really important to them. I’ve learnt that what’s unimportant to one person usually matters a great deal to somebody else.’

Set in a sleepy English village in the late 1980s, Murder before Evensong opens with Daniel – the rector of Champton St Mary – preaching to his congregation.

‘The village scene is a familiar set-up,’ Richard tells me. ‘But then, out of the blue, a murder happens. Suddenly, issues that have been lurking beneath the surface of this apparently tranquil scene begin to bubble up. I’ve always found it fascinating to see how trauma can affect communities.

‘I’m also interested in priests and how they interpret the world. They are solving mysteries all the time, because their job is to try to understand what’s happening in their community.

‘As a priest, you know what it’s like to look at the surface of a situation and then spot an anomaly. Perhaps someone is doing something out of character.

You find yourself thinking: what’s that

all about? Sometimes their behaviour means nothing, but at other times there can be a whole story unfolding which you’d not been aware of – and you have to concentrate hard to get to the bottom of it.’

As news sweeps across the village that a murderer is on the loose, Daniel looks for ways to support and comfort his parishioners. His steadiness in a time of crisis is a quality that Richard admires.

‘Daniel is a diligent, dutiful priest,’ he says. ‘He’s steady in a way that I’m not – and I’m fascinated by priests like that. Everyone thinks that his character is a version of me but our personalities are completely different, although we do share a fondness for stationery and sausage dogs. I tend to get distracted by things and end up watching a box set on Netflix, whereas Daniel wouldn’t have a working television.

‘Another virtue of Daniel’s that I admire is his ability to build relationships with people across the social spectrum. One of the lovely things about being a priest is that you find yourself levelling with people. I can remember an occasion when I had tea with a prisoner and drinks with

Priests are solving mysteries all the time

a prince, both on the same day. It was lovely to be able to do that.’

As well as depicting Daniel carrying out his clerical duties, Richard was keen to show the rector’s commitment to faith, pointing out that his daily prayer and Bible-reading are important to him.

‘His Christian faith is who he is,’ says Richard. ‘It’s something he lives and breathes. It’s not an accomplishment, like playing the accordion. It’s Daniel’s reality. And for people who don’t have faith in their life, or for those who find it unintelligible, I wanted to write a character for whom belief is the premise of their existence.’

Some may say it’s a risky move on Richard’s part. Didn’t he worry that too much religion in his book could put people off?

‘Over the years, I’ve noticed that people are becoming less interested in doctrine and Scripture, but they remain eternally fascinated by the people who do all that stuff,’ Richard replies. ‘I sometimes make churchy posts on social media, and I’m always surprised by how many people get involved in conversations about thuribles and dalmatics. Maybe it’s because they

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From page 7 think Christians are just weird. Or in a world where certainty of any kind seems to be fragile, perhaps people who commit themselves to a life of faith are seen as interesting.

‘Personally, I know that I’m interested in people who aren’t like me and who think differently. I enjoy uncovering worlds which are not mine.’

One of the pleasures that Richard took from writing his novel was coming up with the fictional world of Champton and the people who live in it.

‘It was a challenge because made-up worlds can be quite difficult to organise,’ he explains. ‘But I like writing and getting ideas for characters, places and people on a page.

‘I’m also fascinated by crime novels and how they work. A calm setting is suddenly disrupted with an eruption of violence, then somebody comes along to sort it all out.

As readers, we tend to like the reassurance of that ending. Crime novels are ultimately reassuring.’

Though murder mystery authors may promise their readers a comforting conclusion, there’s no escaping that a bloody death (or two) has to come first.

I ask Richard if it was a struggle to write scenes dealing with bereavement and grief after the death of his civil partner, David, in 2019.

‘Like the character of Daniel, I’ve spent a lot of time with people who are bereaved,’ Richard says. ‘I thought death was something I knew about, because of my job. But when bereavement happens to you, it becomes completely different.

It was unnerving.

‘The two things I learnt about

bereavement were that it makes you go bananas and that it’s exhausting. Two and a half years later, it’s still pretty awful. But I’m getting used to life without David, and I’m finding a way to stand up and face forwards.’

Writing helps. So does faith.

Richard tells me that reading his Bible and praying every day brings him comfort.

‘Sometimes I’m able to concentrate, sometimes I’m not.

Sometimes prayer is vivid and exciting, sometimes it’s not.

But I keep up the daily discipline of doing it, because discipline is discipleship. And if I want to be a disciple of Jesus, the least I can do is put myself in his way once or twice a day.’

While Richard is aware that many of his readers will not share his Christian faith, he hopes his book will help them to understand a little more about priests and the culture of the Church.

‘I’m interested in de-mystifying and re-mystifying what the priest does,’ he explains. ‘A lot of people imagine that we float about in a holy way, but actually we are dealing with a nuts-and-bolts reality, like everyone else. The difference is, we are facing the people in one direction and God in the other. Priests are trying to direct the traffic between the two – and it’s the best job in the world.’

Bereavement makes you go bananas

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l Murder before Evensong is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

When care becomes intense Intensive Care Week, which ends tomorrow (Sunday 12 June), is an annual celebration run by the Intensive Care Society, recognising the work carried out by people such as Dr JAMES HASLAM. To mark the week, the consultant intensivist describes his work caring for some of the sickest people in hospital and talks about how he and his team are recovering from the stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic Interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku

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R James Haslam sees people when things are critical. A consultant intensivist, he takes care of patients who are extremely unwell.

‘When you get sick and go into hospital, if you get even sicker, you go to the intensive care unit,’ he explains to me over Zoom. ‘I’m the consultant in the ICU who looks after the patients and manages their care. We are a big team, so I work with junior doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and pharmacists. It took me a long time to train. I graduated medical school in 2004 and became a consultant in 2015.’

James works at a district general hospital in Salisbury, where he is also a consultant anaesthetist. The two areas, he says, overlap.

‘Anaesthetists work in many areas of the hospital – in the labour ward, obstetrics, acute and chronic pain management and with men, women, children and old people. We’re the hospital generalists. We help relieve

pain and make sure that, if a patient is having general anaesthetic, they are asleep during the operation, and we keep them alive while the surgeon does dangerous things. Anaesthetists are experts in resuscitation and managing organ support, which crosses over with what we do in intensive care.

We intubate people to look after their breathing, put them on ventilators to breathe for them when they can’t breathe for themselves and we support their circulation.

‘In the ICU, patients often have failing organs so we do organ supportive therapy, using drugs and equipment to try to get them through the worst illness they’ve ever had. We see a lot of death because, when people are that ill, not everybody survives. So we care for patients’ families too. But, amazingly,

We see a lot of death, but amazingly most people recover

James Haslam most people recover.’

James was influenced in his choice of career by an early personal experience.

‘When I was a child, my father had a critical illness,’ he says. ‘He was in

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James wore PPE to protect himself and his patients during the pandemic, but it also created an emotional barrier

From page 9 intensive care for a long time, and they saved his life. That was a formative experience, and one of the things that nudged me into doing medicine and eventually specialising.’

Another of his motivations is his Christian faith.

‘I believe that God heals,’ he explains.

‘But I also believe that he uses doctors and whole teams in hospitals and healthcare to help as well. Jesus is the Great Physician and my work is in partnership with what he does as healer.

‘Part of why I went into a caring profession was because I believe that caring is one of the things God has called us to do. Faith is important to what I do and in terms of making big decisions when the stakes are high.

‘You also have to be a certain kind of person to do this work. I don’t think just anybody could do it, because the decisions are major. You have to be able to walk away from it. So, although I have a depth of compassion for my patients, I’m able to park that at work and then come home and try to switch off.

‘Certain experiences have been really important to pray through and talk about with other Christians. I’ve been through quite crazy experiences. I was one of the doctors that cared for the novichok victims during the Salisbury poisonings. Then, of course, in the past couple of years there has been Covid-19.

‘It has been on another level altogether in terms of the pressure that it has put on the whole team. As the leader in that

There have been times when people have been at breaking point

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team, it has been really hard. There have been times when people have been at breaking point, so being able to go to God and pray has been important for me.’

J

ames says that, when the Covid-19 outbreak began in the UK, the NHS was already under strain.

‘Our resources were already stretched and staff were overstretched, which meant that work could be stressful,’ he says. ‘Then we had a new disease that none of us had encountered before, and, initially at least, we didn’t know how best to get patients through the treatment. It was a learning process. Then we had all the PPE that put a barrier between us and the patients and their families.’

James becomes emotional as he explains the impact the past two years

LIBRARY PICTURE POSED BY MODELS

have had on him and his team.

‘For a large chunk of the pandemic, we weren’t able to have contact with the families, and that’s a massive part of caring for critically ill patients,’ he says.

‘We had to speak to families on the phone, and that’s hard, trying to break bad news without having face-to-face contact, without touching, holding hands or even having an embrace. I think that was the worst aspect. I remember a time around Christmas 2020 when I had to break the news to three wives in one week that their husbands were dying and they couldn’t come in and see them. That sort of experience is heartbreaking, and that’s what we were carrying day to day.

‘We also saw a lot of people die from Covid, including younger people, which

we’re not used to seeing so much. There was a burden of worrying whether we were providing the best care, and that put a strain on people’s wellbeing. My colleagues have started to recover, things are normalising and I think time heals as well.’

During the worst periods, James says, he just had to keep on going. He reveals that it was difficult not knowing when they would end.

‘We knew it would be long, but we didn’t know how long. Would it be months or years? In the end, it has been years – not many, but still a long haul.

‘We had to change the way we worked in order to manage the load, spilling from our ICU to multiple operating theatres, bringing staff from all parts of the hospital to help us care for the patients. It was very

Part of what we do in healthcare is to push back against suffering

disruptive and felt like we were fighting fires. Doing that day in, day out was hard work. It takes a toll – physically, emotionally and spiritually. So it was important to try to rest when we could, to connect with family and, for me, to pray.’

I ask James whether regularly seeing such a level of illness challenges his faith or makes him wonder why God allows certain things to happen.

‘I think anybody who sees suffering asks that question,’ he responds. ‘It would be wrong to say we know all the answers about that, but I do believe that God does.

‘Part of what we do in healthcare is to try to push back against suffering and illness with human care and the current technologies and medicines we have.

But the great news of the Christian faith is that when Jesus comes again, we’ll see the end to death and sickness.’

11 June 2022 • WAR CRY • 11

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.

talk ‘ ’ Team talk TEAM TALK Everybody needs good neighbours

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

LONELINESS is natural, according to the Marmalade Trust, a charity dedicated to helping people make new friendships. Most of us will feel it at some point in our lives. That’s why Loneliness Awareness Week – which commences on Monday (13 June) – is important. Its aim is to reduce the stigma of loneliness by getting people to talk more openly about it.

On its website, the Marmalade Trust defines loneliness as ‘a perceived mismatch between the quality or quantity of social connections that a person has and what they would like to have’. It’s interesting to note that the feeling of being lonely is not necessarily caused by being alone physically.

The trust also points out that there are different kinds of loneliness. Sometimes it’s situational, occurring at certain times, such as Christmas. Loneliness may be emotional, meaning we feel it when people that we were close to are no longer there, while the term ‘social loneliness’ describes the feeling that we’re lacking friends, colleagues or neighbours.

As I looked into Loneliness Awareness Week and what it entails, I couldn’t get out of my head the fact that, just a week ago, many neighbours and communities gathered for parties in streets, parks and other venues. Among those who met up to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, there was a feeling of togetherness. The invitation was for everyone to be included.

Is there any reason why such neighbourliness can’t continue beyond that bank holiday weekend? Can conversations we may have shared with strangers develop into more meaningful, long-lasting connections? I’d like to think so, as it would be a great way to address long-term loneliness.

Perhaps my desire to ensure that no one is left out stems from my Christian faith. In all situations, Jesus urged his followers to ‘love your neighbour’. He challenged them to consider that their neighbour wasn’t just the person who lived next door but every human being. Day after day, Jesus befriended people who were lonely, forgotten and ignored.

Being kind to the people around us can be life-changing. Not just for them – but for us too. Surely that’s something we should all be more aware of.

Being kind can be lifechanging

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

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

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Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 11 June 2022

Q

QUICK QUIZ 1

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Which TV presenter wrote the novel The Man Who Died Twice?

The archaeological site of Babylon can be found in which country?

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Known for her hit song ‘Respect’, who was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

What does an ornithologist study?

Who plays the title role in the film Father Stu about a boxer who becomes a priest?

What is tattooed on the forearm of cartoon character Popeye the Sailor?

ANSWERS

Hannah Carr looks back to a notable event that happened during this month in history

Medal commended courage in conflict THE first Victoria Cross medals were presented 165 years ago in June 1857 at a ceremony in London’s Hyde Park. Queen Victoria commissioned the awards to recognise the highest examples of bravery and service to Britain in combat.

The first Victoria Cross was awarded to Rear-Admiral Charles Davis Lucas. Three years earlier, in the Crimean War, he had picked up an unexploded cannon shell that had landed on the deck of his ship and thrown it into the sea, meaning that it had detonated under water without causing casualties.

Over the years, 1,358 VCs have been awarded. The most recent was to Lance Corporal Joshua Leakey, after action in Afghanistan on 22 August 2013.

Bravery is a significant thing and can come in many forms. It’s telling that Queen Victoria recommended that the medals should be inscribed with the words ‘for valour’ because the words ‘for bravery’ could have implied that other people in battle were not brave.

Today – thankfully – not many people in the UK are involved in military battles, but most will have times in their lives when they need to be brave in a different way. A child conquering their fear of heights or spiders or public speaking is also brave and deserves praise. Similarly, adults may have to be brave in order to do the right thing even when it’s difficult or to admit when they need help.

When a man called Joshua needed encouragement to become the leader of the ancient Israelites, God said to him: ‘Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go’ (Joshua 1:9 Contemporary English Version).

God gives the same reassurance to people who look to him for help today. And, with the knowledge that someone has our backs through even the toughest times, it’s much easier to be brave and face the future with confidence.

Bravery can come in many forms

11 June 2022 • WAR CRY • 13

1. Richard Osman. 2. Iraq. 3. Aretha Franklin.

4. Birds. 5. Mark Wahlberg. 6. An anchor.

PUZZLES Quick CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

ACROSS 1. Untrue (5) 5. Corpulent (5) 8. Dodge (5) 9. Let down (5) 10. Tend (5) 11. Sugar coating (5) 12. Irritate (4) 15. Reflector (6) 17. Consumed (5) 18. Lean (6) 20. Supporter (4) 25. Depart (5) 26. Avoid (5) 27. Detest (5) 28. Guide (5) 29. Consecrate (5) 30. Correspond (5)

DOWN 1. Percolate (6) 2. Legal (6) 3. Weird (5) 4. Just (5) 5. Seabird (7) 6. Noisy activity (6) 7. Favour (6) 13. Writing fluid (3) 14. Wages (3) 15. Encountered (3)

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

9 3 5 6 3 4 2 3 7 4 1 9 2 1 7 5 8 7 1 5 6 9 3 9 7 6 16. Lubricant (3) 17. Interminable (7) 18. Magnificent (6) 19. Hurt (6) 21. Deadly (6) 22. Annually (6) 23. Military trainee (5) 24. Body organ (5)

WORDSEARCH

7 9 3 5 4 8 6 2 Look up, down, forwards, 1 2 backwards 5 6 3and7diagonally 8 4 on the grid to find these board games 6 8 4 9 2 1 5 3 N D M U I N A3R C E Z5 J 4 Z N9 Z 1S 7 J6S 2 P T B OG G L E YWR L NMR P E Q 5 V9E 8 6 S2C 7R I Q H P Z H R4V C B L1O M H R I Y I A Q2E Z B Z9N 3 S Z4 I 5 O 1 J8D 7 S I K YWC G R X S D A Y O A B T O E A X O M V T8S 6 J Y2A 3 R R7P 5 N Z1 R 9A L R K W X A G5 I Z 4 Z7L C 1 Q6O 9P X3 I 8A TWH Z O H B R O U D SM L V L V R 3 N1N M 4 H8Y 2S W7 I 6F T Z P D X Q F9Y D

M O HONEYC B

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

A C E B P E F I I QWZ H S T E R X S N O J N Q OW F

1. Long, narrow ditch 2. Protective bar on a car 3. Government 4. Fail to remember 5. Pouch on clothing 6. Sloping typeface

ANSWERS 7 1 6 3 4 2 8 5 9 5 9

9 2 8 7 5 1 6 4 3

3 5 4 6 9 8 2 7 1

5 6 9 2 8 7 3 1 4

4 3 2 5 1 9 7 6 8

8 7 1 4 6 3 5 9 2

6 8 5 9 2 4 1 3 7

2 4 3 1 7 5 9 8 6

6 9 3 7 6

1 9 7 8 3 6 4 2 5

HONEYCOMB 1. Trench. 2. Bumper. 3. Regime.

4. Forget. 5. Pocket. 6. Italic.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. False. 5. Plump. 8. Evade. 9. Lower.

10. Nurse. 11. Icing. 12. Rile. 15. Mirror. 17. Eaten.

18. Skinny. 20. Ally. 25. Leave. 26. Elude. 27. Abhor.

28. Steer. 29. Bless. 30. Tally.

DOWN: 1. Filter. 2. Lawful. 3. Eerie. 4. Valid.

5. Penguin. 6. Uproar. 7. Prefer. 13. Ink. 14. Pay. 15. Met. 16. Oil. 17. Endless. 18. Superb. 19. Injure.

21. Lethal. 22. Yearly. 23. Cadet. 24. Heart.

14 • WAR CRY • 11 June 2022

U U V L H U G R S

V D Q Q G Z A U S

T L G H U B R I E

R V T Z A H D Q H

O A V SWG F K Q C G F R D C Q H R D N A D Q Z C K Q

BACKGAMMON BATTLESHIP BOGGLE CATAN CHAUPAR CHESS CRANIUM DRAUGHTS DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

A S E K A N S R D

C R C G Z G N Q A

H I Y A F Q O W O

A H C A T T E Z U

U Q K L X A G R X

P D Q T H U N Z Q

A L P U R S U I T

R I H Y P N D Q S

LUDO MONOPOLY NOUGHTS AND CROSSES OWARE PICTIONARY REVERSI SCRABBLE SNAKES AND LADDERS TRIVIAL PURSUIT

1 9 7

6

1 9 7 8 3 6 4 2 5

Stir-fried teriyaki beef Ingredients 4tbsp teriyaki sauce 1tbsp light brown sugar 2tbsp lime juice ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder 2tsp oil 350g packet stir-fry vegetables 450g thin-cut beef steaks, cut into thin strips

Method In a small bowl, mix the teriyaki sauce, sugar, lime juice and five-spice powder, then set aside.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan or wok under a moderate heat until hot.

Add the stir-fry vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes. Mix in the beef.

Pour in the teriyaki sauce mixture, toss gently, and continue cooking for a further 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately with noodles or rice.

Salt and ground black pepper

SERVES

4

Beef Waldorf salad Ingredients 400g thin-cut beef steaks 1tsp olive oil 1tsp dried mixed herbs Salt and ground black pepper 3tbsp reduced-calorie mayonnaise 3tbsp reduced-fat crème fraiche 2 celery stalks, sliced 2 Little Gem lettuces, leaves separated and roughly torn

Method Brush the steaks with oil, then season all over with the mixed herbs and salt and pepper.

Heat a non-stick pan and cook the steaks for 2-3 minutes on each side (for medium). Cool slightly, then cut into strips and set aside.

Mix the mayonnaise, crème fraiche, celery, lettuce and half the walnuts in a bowl. Add the apple and beef and gently toss.

Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and serve immediately.

50g walnut halves, roughly chopped and toasted 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into matchsticks Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board website simplybeefandlamb.co.uk

SERVES

4

11 June 2022 • WAR CRY • 15

A lie has a short life, but truth lives on for ever Proverbs 12:19 (Good News Bible)

WAR CRY