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.
WITH Valentine’s Day arriving on Monday (14 February), many people’s thoughts will be turning to love and romance. So perhaps it is no surprise that, as we report in this week’s War Cry, Radio 2 has picked this weekend to run down the most popular rom-com films of all time. Stories of love – particularly love against the odds – hold great appeal. It is little wonder that the best rom-coms have been huge hits at the box office. It is not, though, only stories of romance that grab our attention. In this week’s issue we also feature Beatrix Potter, the woman who brought us the stories of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle. Fans of these characters may be surprised to know that Beatrix initially struggled to find a publisher for them. Our feature reveals the role a clergyman played in bringing them to a grateful public. Although it can be great to lose ourselves in the world of fiction and make-believe, some of the best stories are ones that are true. In this issue, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow describes how he and his brother, Fergus, were inspired to help children in Bosnia Herzegovina who had been caught up in the violence in the country in the 1990s. Magnus explains how seeing the plight of the children prompted the siblings to start their aid work, which now, 30 years on, has helped millions of children in 20 countries. He also tells us he believes that giving this support is what God wants him to do. In the War Cry, we regularly tell the true stories of people who do extraordinary things to help others, sometimes against the odds, because they believe that God values and loves those they are helping. God’s love is for everyone, no matter who they are or what they have done, and, unlike in many ad the War C e re a valentine, that love is no secret. ry u’v
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 7563
When yo
Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN
CONTENTS
Tel: 0845 634 0101 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies
FEATURES 3
6
favourite rom-coms 5
Off the shelf
Why it’s good to give away books 6
A country life
The story of Beatrix Potter
INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 12 February 2022
Love stories
Radio 2 counts down the nation’s
Published weekly by The Salvation Army © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton, on sustainably sourced paper
Your local Salvation Army centre
PASS IT ON f
not hy ,w
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
9
9
O 15
‘Hunger deprives them of education’
Millions of children fed by charity REGULARS 4
War Cry World
12 Team Talk 13 Puppy Tales 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen