War Cry 12 September 2020

12 September 2020 20p/25c

Get the ball rolling

PREMIER LEAGUE season starts but without fans in the stands

Why Strawberry Field is a place for exploring

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 7491

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

ONLINE a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK TheWarCryUK

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salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

2 • War Cry • 12 September 2020

EDITOR From desk From the editor’s desk good forsince you. the So say scientists quotedKingdom on the took ITSINGING seems aislong time people of the United website.

The experts said that can key boost toBBC theirFuture doorsteps on Thursday evenings and singing applauded workers our frontline moods and sense ofasocial connection. and staff.

It was moment when people united to show it is with thesewho benefits people putting have been theirPerhaps appreciation of those were,ininmind somethat instances, their joining lockdown. this week’s issue, the lives on online the linechoirs while during the country was inInlockdown.

War Cry’slast Sarah Olowofoyeku joins a virtual rehearsal of thewho London During spring’s peak in coronavirus cases, everyone International Choir to discover for herself pleasures worked for theGospel National Health Service was a hero.the Pictures of people have of in singing alone, yet together withofothers. rainbows werefound placed people’s windows as a sign the gratitude Austen Hardwick has similar value in As running. the Meanwhile general public felt for those in thefound medical profession. the This week’s Crythe also includes an interview with with the marathon months went War by and number of people in hospital coronavirus runner who found that helped regain life after fell, so the awareness of his the sport sterling work him donetoby healthhis professionals he suffered also dipped. three strokes while in his early forties.

However, it was not only running that how helped Austen’s recovery.

Some people, however, were showing much they valued Hisworkers Christianeven faithbefore playedthis a vital part in him taking positive key year’s pandemic.

Rossa Dilnot is one approachIntothis all week’s that he War faced. example.

Cry he tells us how he volunteers as the ‘WhentoI was in hospital,’ Austen says, ‘I asked God to take what chaplain the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

I was going through to transform through it.’

His role means thatand he supports the me helicopter’s crew as they Christians believe that God can any situation or anything provide emergency medical care in take sometimes dire circumstances. that or facetoand use itthe to make a positive impact in others’ He is they also do available support patients and their families. lives theirbeing own. there That has been the of painter ‘It’s or about for people soexperience that they can offload,’Oliver he Pengilley. says.

‘I think the fact that people know I’m there for spiritual support had a successful career as an artist with some andOliver to pray fordeveloped them means a lot.’ ofIthis work selling to forfind significant sums of money.

But, as tells is not unusual that even people who would nothe consider the War Cryreligious this week, he spiritual grew frustrated. themselves value and prayer support when they didn’twith seeathe meaning says. Now travels are ‘Ifaced major crisis.of Asit,’ a he chaplain, Rosshe can help to them at churches all over the world to paint pictures during worship those times. sessions his only faith-based artwork has helped people and in But faithand is not for emergencies.

God offersother his support theirtoown faith journey. love everyone, every day of the week. Once they have realised is an many amazing truthhave that appreciated God can take any skill a person hasit thatIttruth, people the difference for good or any situation has made in theirthey life. are facing and can transform it into something that can change their lives and the lives of the people around them.

Contents

What is The Salvation Army?

FEATURES 3

It’s all kicking off Premier League football season begins

5

Tales to be expected Roald Dahl Story Day celebrated

6

Get back to Strawberry Field Iconic site is open again

9

Help for the whirlybird heroes The chaplain who supports an air ambulance crew

REGULARS 4

War Cry World

12

Team Talk

13

Keys to the Kingdom

14 Puzzles 15

War Cry Kitchen

6 Front-page pictures: PA

9

15

PA

SPORT

FANFARE FOR

Brighton fans attend a football match for the first time since lockdown began

FOOTBALL

Emily Bright marks the start of the Premier League season

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stadium, and I thought they made a lot of noise and really got involved in the game.’

This year, players may well have an added appreciation for their supporters, having gone months without the atmosphere that the fans generate within a stadium. In testing times, whether it’s the search for a 90th-minute equaliser or a pressure penalty, it’s always good to have fans on their side to cheer them on.

Equally, in our own lives, we often long for someone or something to help us tackle the seemingly insurmountable challenges that we face. We all have our own coping mechanisms. Some may seek solace from family and friends or by talking to qualified professionals. Many have also turned to the Bible for support in their times of need.

In the Old Testament, a prophet called Zephaniah warned his fellow countrymen that difficult times lay ahead, but he encouraged them that they

Fans bring a completely different dynamic

would not face them alone.

He said: ‘The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing’ (Zephaniah 3:17 English Standard Version).

Zephaniah wanted to remind people that, regardless of the uncertainty and hardship they would experience, God’s justice and goodness would prevail.

As we face tough times, it can be easy to feel that life has dealt us a poor hand, and that we have no reserves of energy for what lies ahead. But there is one thing on which we can rely: if we have God to sustain us with hope, love and strength, we’ll never walk alone.

PA

NEW Premier League football season is around the corner.

Fulham and Arsenal set the ball rolling with their game at lunchtime today (Saturday 12 September), and reigning champions Liverpool kick off the defence of their title a few hours later with their match against Leeds United, who are playing their first Premier League game since 2004.

For fans of the beautiful game, the start of a new season offers a small sense of normality in these challenging times. The new season is all the more momentous given the government’s goal of facilitating a wider phased return of sporting fans to stadiums from 1 October.

Although all matches will be played behind closed doors during September, fans can still watch the televised games until the spectator ban lifts, something that seems within striking distance.

The first promising step was taken last month: a trial match allowing supporters to be there in-person. On 29 August, 2,500 home fans flocked to a Premier League stadium for the first time since lockdown began to watch Brighton and Hove Albion’s friendly against Chelsea.

After the 1-1 draw, Seagulls head coach Graham Potter acknowledged the milestone of crowds returning to stadiums to support their teams, saying: ‘I thought it was a fantastic day – a small step to getting back to normal as soon as we can safely do so.

‘It was so nice to see fans here because, as we know, it brings a completely different dynamic to the

Jordan Henderson captained Liverpool to the Premier League title last season

12 September 2020 • War Cry • 3

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WAR CRY

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Bible breaks language barrier

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THE Bible has reached a milestone in the number of languages in which it is available, with new versions taking it past the 700 mark.

Wycliffe Bible Translators says there are so many Bible translations being carried out by organisations around the world that it is impossible to know which specific version represented the 700th language.

Last year, the whole Bible was launched in the Ellomwe language in Malawi, five years after its New Testament was published. Two months ago, the complete Huichol Bible was launched in Mexico.

James Poole, executive director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, said that the 700th Bible means that ‘5.7 billion people who speak 700 languages now have the Bible in the language that speaks to them best. That is a remarkable figure and continues to grow. However, there are still about 1.5 billion people – that’s roughly 1 in 5 – who do not have the Bible in their language.’

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FRAGMENTS of a chalice covered in Christian imagery have been uncovered and put on display in the museum at the Vindolanda archaeological site in Northumberland.

The Vindolanda Trust says that the chalice, found in a building now known to be a 6th-century church, is the only surviving partial chalice from this period in Britain.

The chalice fragments were found to be lightly etched with early Christian symbols, including crosses, the Chi-Rho – a monogram made up of the first two letters of ‘Christ’ in Greek – and angels.

Although they are difficult to see with the naked eye, specialist photography enabled the symbols to be recorded.

Vindolanda’s director of excavations, Andrew Birley, said the discovery ‘helps us appreciate how the site of Vindolanda and its community survived beyond the fall of Rome and yet remained connected to a spiritual successor in the form of Christianity, which in many ways was just as wide-reaching and transformative as what had come before it’.

THE number of pupils taking GCSE religious studies in England and Wales remained stable in 2020 at 225,719 and 10,037 respectively, according to the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) and the National Association of Teachers of RE. The number of pupils in England studying a full course is 32 per cent greater than a decade ago, while in Wales, entries for the full course are almost 65 per cent higher than in 2010.

Professor Trevor Cooling, chair of the REC, said: ‘These figures are evidence of the continuing relevance of religious studies, with recent events bringing racial awareness to the forefront and bringing world views into greater perspective. Its continuing popularity among pupils is also clear.’

Vindolanda Charitable Trust

A piece of the chalice and (left) an image highlighting the fragments’ Christian symbols

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THE majority of young people are dealing with loneliness, stress and digital fatigue because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Christian youth charity.

The YMCA of England and Wales carried out a study, which revealed that 77 per cent of young people have felt lonelier and more isolated during lockdown, 73 per cent feel more stressed and 73 per cent say they’re tired of spending so much time online.

4 • War Cry • 12 September 2020

Denise Hatton, chief executive of the organisation, said such statistics show that the government must increase funding for youth services. ‘A generation who were already at a disadvantage have been dealt a further blow by Covid-19 and face deep uncertainty about what is next for them in its wake,’ she commented. ‘What is essential to support young people through the easing of lockdown and beyond are safe spaces like youth services.’

FEATURE

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Whoopsy ! g n i l f f i wh

ald Dahl o R e t a r b le e c s Reader Claire Brine stories, writes

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A PROGRAMME broadcast from a Lebanon studio by the Christian network Sat-7 featured interviews with people directly affected by last month’s explosion in Beirut. The blast killed 190 people, injured more than 6,500 and left a quarter of a million homeless.

Pamela Zeinoun (pictured), a nurse at St George Hospital University Medical Center, was among those who appeared on the programme You Are Not Alone. She was knocked unconscious when the shockwave from the explosion caused the ceiling and internal walls of her neonatal unit to collapse.

After she came to, her concern was for the newborn babies lying in incubators in the room. ‘I was so afraid I’d find the babies hurt under the rubble,’ she said on the show.

Relieved to find them safe, she picked up three while an injured colleague carried a fourth. They walked three miles to hail a taxi and reach another hospital.

Another guest on the show was Roni Nahra, who lost his cousin in the disaster.

In his interview, Roni encouraged people to hold fast to God. ‘If we don’t live every day with Jesus and spend time with him, we won’t be able to face the current or future circumstances,’ he said.

LORIUMPTIOUS news! After months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre is reopening – and just in time to celebrate Roald Dahl Story Day tomorrow (Sunday 13 September). Readers who think that tales about giant peaches, fantastic foxes and big friendly giants are whoopsy whiffling can step inside and gobble up all kinds of splendiferous information about the author behind their favourite fictional characters.

The museum, located in Great Missenden, invites visitors to see what they’d look like in Roald’s school uniform, measure themselves against some of his best-known characters and explore early drafts of his stories.

They can also uncover true stories from the author’s own life. Did you know that Roald wrote the screenplay for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice? Released in 1967, the film coincided with the UK publication of two of Roald’s other works: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.

While this November marks 30 years since Roald’s death, his stories continue to entertain.

It’s easy to see why. Characters rarely come more colourful than Willy Wonka, reading the nonsense language of Gobblefunk is phizz-whizzing fun and the endings are largely unpredictable. Who could have foreseen the effects on Grandma after she swallowed George’s marvellous medicine?

However old we are, a story that surprises is bound to grab our attention. When we don’t know what will happen next, we are gripped.

Some people feel that way when they read the Bible for the first time. It’s a book that tells the real-life stories of a man called Jesus, who did amazing things. He fed 5,000 people with a handful of loaves and fishes.

He calmed a dangerous storm. He walked on water. He told people to love their enemies rather than hate them. He preached unlimited forgiveness. He was put to death on a cross for being God’s Son, but later rose to life, offering us the chance to live eternally.

The story of Jesus sounds too good to be true – but it isn’t. Two thousand years old, it remains life-changing for those who believe it.

The endings are largely unpredictable

12 September 2020 • War Cry • 5

Forever and ever. Amen Philip Halcrow learns about Strawberry Field’s foundation of faith and how the Salvation Army site is exploring ‘being a church in a new way’

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HERE are grounds to believe that there is something special about Strawberry Field. It seemed that way to John Lennon, who, years after he had spent time playing in the gardens of the Salvation Army children’s home and attending its summer fêtes with his aunt, used it as inspiration for the Beatles’ 1967 hit ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’.

Major Kathy Versfeld, mission director of the recently redeveloped site in Liverpool, says: ‘Someone made contact with me when he saw on the news that Strawberry Field had been opened to the general public. He explained that he had been at art college with John, and that on one occasion they had been given an assignment to draw something that reflected their interpretation of the word “paradise”. This friend remembered that when it came to John’s turn to reveal what he’d drawn, he’d depicted Strawberry Field, and when he was asked why he associated Strawberry Field with paradise, he said it was the only place where he could be alone in his head.

‘Lots of people have a similar experience when they come here. They find a place that is still, where they can be alone in their head, in a busy, frantic world in which there are lots of messages coming your way and it’s hard to find silence.’

After the children’s home closed in 2005, as ideas about caring for children

changed, The Salvation Army set out on a long-term project to redevelop Strawberry Field, envisaging it being for the benefit of Beatles fans arriving from near and far as well as for the community.

When it opened in September last year, the site included a Beatles exhibition, a café and rooms to house a training programme for young people who face barriers to employment. It also offered visitors the opportunity to walk round the peaceful gardens – designed to facilitate reflection and dotted with quotations of words Kathy Versfeld 6 • War Cry • 12 September 2020

Louise Brown

FEATURE

Visitors can explore the peaceful gardens of Strawberry Field, which during lockdown hung a sign of ‘Hope’ on its gates

by John Lennon and others – and to use a room set aside for prayer or to chat with members of the site’s Fresh Expression team, which is headed up by Captain Louise Brown.

‘Many people,’ explains Louise, ‘don’t want to go into a traditional church congregation or even a church building, so a number of churches are developing Fresh Expressions. They appreciate that everybody is different and has different ways of engaging with God. A Fresh Expression is about building relationships and being a church in a new way.

‘At Strawberry Field we’re looking at how we can journey with God and with the people who are coming here.

‘We have people arriving from all over the world. Some of them will be aware that they’re seeking God or asking questions about the bigger stuff in life.

Others don’t know. We are here to offer people the chance to explore what life is about if they want to.’

Louise has found that many people want to talk with her and other members of the team.

‘People tend to be very open and want to share why they’ve come. They want to tell us their story. People are interested in what The Salvation Army does here and elsewhere, and why.

We’re able to talk with them about faith, which is at the heart of what we’re doing.’

In the first six months after Strawberry Field reopened, it was easy for the Fresh Expression team to interact with visitors wherever they happened to be on site. Then, in March the site went into lockdown with the rest of the country. It reopened in July, with safety measures implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

We are here to offer people the chance to explore

Whereas in the past, visitors eating and drinking in the café were happy to chat with Louise and the other team members, now such mixing is not possible. A prayer room, which previously people could spontaneously go in and out of, can now be accessed only by arrangement.

‘We’re limited at the moment,’ admits Louise, ‘but we are focusing our attention on a number of individuals – our neighbours and people who had been regular visitors or who had done some volunteering with us. Some of them are too anxious to go out of their homes or they’re too vulnerable and so wouldn’t feel able to come to Strawberry Field yet.

We want to continue our relationship with them, so if it means meeting them in their garden or on their doorstep, we will do that.

‘We’re also thinking about what we can do virtually to reach out to visitors who are not able to come to Strawberry Field at the moment, and we’re launching a

Turn to page 8

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12 September 2020 • War Cry • 7

From page 7

Fresh Expression team member Joe Doogan makes another ‘Hope’ sign for the garden; (right) a board back in January advertising the prayer space

weekly online reflection called Imagine More.’

Throughout the restrictions, the Fresh Expression team members have continued to pray with each other, with other staff at Strawberry Field and with people from nearby churches. While opening up to Beatles fans across the world, Strawberry Field has wanted to keep playing its part in the community.

Louise says: ‘When we closed the building in March, we sent out a letter to all our neighbours, saying that we were still there for them if they needed practical support or just conversation. We met with local people and together we established an emergency food bank at a café. And we sent out 500 packs to children, which included a colouring book and pencils and sweets. We wanted to give hope to children.’

The word ‘hope’ has been important to Strawberry Field over the past few months.

‘Isolation is still a huge problem,’ says Louise, ‘and there has been so much fear around. So at Easter, we put up a sign saying “Hope” on the gates.

The image was taken by the Liverpool Echo and they have used it quite a lot when they print a good-news story.’

Fresh Expression team member Karen Carter has been glad to get back on site – and so have visitors.

‘Since the building reopened,’ she says, ‘people have been coming and saying how lovely it is to see real people again rather than just faces on a screen.

They find that to sit down and have a coffee is the most exciting thing in the world.

‘When you go round these gardens, though, there is also a sense of the continuing story of Strawberry Field. We are living through history, but people often think about what these grounds have seen, and they tell us their stories from the past or from living in the area now.

‘We’re also getting messages from those around the world who can’t wait to come.’

Louise says: ‘People come here for all sorts of reasons, and everyone is welcome. You may not have any interest in the Beatles, you may think you have no interest in anything to do with faith or spirituality, but we’d say that this place is a very special place – and a safe place.

This is a very special and safe place

8 • War Cry • 12 September 2020

Karen Carter A lot of people just walking through the gardens find it a spiritual experience and realise there’s a sense of something else here.

‘It’s a place where people very easily connect with the Divine.’

l For more information visit strawberryfieldliverpool.com

INTERVIEW

‘MY BLOOD WAS RUNNING DOWN A DRAIN’ To mark National Air Ambulance Week, which concludes tomorrow (Sunday 13 September), ROSS DILNOT tells Emily Bright how a near-fatal accident led him to support the air crews who saved his life

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S he twisted his motor trike’s handlebars on 8 April 2016, church leader Ross Dilnot accidentally pushed the throttle. He panicked at the roar of the revving engine and let go of the clutch. Then, just 15 minutes into his first ride on the three-wheeler, it dived across the road into a 30mph speed sign anchored in concrete.

‘My right leg took the full force of impact on the metal post,’ Ross remembers. ‘I woke up with the trike on top of me. My right leg from the knee down to the ankle was ripped open and shattered, my knee was messed up and my right foot was twisted round.

‘I could hear a sound like running water, which initially I feared was the trike leaking oil or petrol. But then I realised that the liquid was my blood, which was running down a drain.’

Minutes earlier, Ross had returned home to retrieve his crash helmet – something which meant he was protected from a potentially fatal head injury, but his condition was still perilous. A driver

Ross stands beside the air ambulance that flew him to hospital

and their passenger spotted him lying on the roadside, pulled over and called 999.

They then rang his wife, Joy, who was at a nearby park with their eight-year-old daughter.

Emergency response vehicles raced to the scene. Paramedics told Ross that, given the severity of his injuries, they would have to call in the Thames Valley Air Ambulance to transport him from the accident site in Milton Keynes to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

‘By the time the air ambulance got there, I wasn’t fully aware of what was going on,’ Ross recalls. ‘At some point they put a tourniquet on my leg and they

gave me the painkiller ketamine, which sent me into this weird hallucination. I came to when we were flying, because I remember looking up and seeing these helicopter rotors going round. The next thing I knew, I was in an A&E observation bay.’

Ross was whisked into surgery to rebuild his leg. The next morning, surgeons and nurses gathered round his bed to deliver some devastating news: he had gone into multi-organ failure and they needed to amputate his leg to save his life. He signed the permission form, and that afternoon, he lost his leg below

I looked up and saw helicopter rotors going round

Turn to page 10

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12 September 2020 • War Cry • 9

From page 9 the knee. His organs ‘bounced back into working order’. Four days later, he had a third operation to prepare him for a prosthetic leg. Three weeks later, he was sent home from hospital.

In 2017, Ross decided to help the air ambulance service that had saved his life. So he volunteered as a promotional speaker for the charity. A year later, he asked whether they had their own chaplain. When they said no, he volunteered. He now serves in that role, alongside his day job as a pastor at a church in Milton Keynes.

‘Pre-coronavirus, I would go into the air ambulance charity’s head office in Stokenchurch once a week and talk to the staff there,’ he explains. ‘Most weeks, I would also go over to RAF Benson, where the helicopter and five emergency response vehicles are based, to talk to the crew. We have a patient liaison manager, who follows up with people who often have life-changing or tragic incidents. So one of the things I did was sit down and listen to some of the situations he was dealing with.

‘It’s about being there for people so that they can offload. I think the fact that people know I’m there for spiritual support and to pray for them means a lot.’

Ross reflects on the times when the air ambulance team have wanted to offload.

‘One of the hardest things as chaplain is hearing stories of the people they’ve been unable to help. I hear about just some of the lives that are irreparably damaged, either because someone has survived but has got life-changing injuries like I have, or because they’re a relative who has lost somebody close to them.

The air ambulance crew do their best, but they can’t save everyone. Some people are just too badly injured or too sick.

‘I think my own experience as a patient has helped in my role as chaplain. I’ve seen the work that the Thames Valley Air Ambulance do in one of the worst situations. I’ve been under their care, all the way through until the point when I’m caring for them.

‘I’ve been told that there’s something special for the crew in having a former patient as chaplain, in that I carry credibility. It’s also a help to former patients and people I talk to. Because I’m speaking from personal experience, I can empathise with their stories.’

Ross adds that one of the most rewarding parts of his role is rallying support for the charity through sharing his story at fundraising events.

‘We did a thank-you event for our sponsors last year, and the helicopter that saved my life attended on that day,’ he says. ‘I remember getting emotional

My accident has given me opportunities

10 • War Cry • 12 September 2020

INTERVIEW

when I saw the helicopter land. It was great to stand in front of financial donors and thank the charity.’

Throughout the trauma of his accident, the recovery process and his role as volunteer chaplain, Ross has derived strength from his belief in God. ‘My faith is critical,’ he says. ‘When I was lying on the roadside, the only thing that I had the energy to say were the words: “Jesus, help me.” In that moment, I knew that I was completely helpless. But in my weakness, God is strong.

‘I knew that God had guided the emergency services and helped them in saving my life in the operations and beyond. And so it gave me strength and a purpose to keep going.

‘I’ve walked the road of grief, and without my faith it would have been very difficult. I’ve gone from wondering why God saved my life and whether it would have been better if I’d died to where I am now, which is fairly content.

‘God has given us life as a gift, but he doesn’t step in and stop every tragedy.

We just have to accept that bad things happen and sometimes we’ll never know why. Although difficult things happen, we have a choice in how we respond to them.

My accident has given me the opportunity to talk to people about my faith in a way that I wouldn’t have done before.

‘I believe that God can help us through those difficult times and turn things around.’

Ross meets paramedic Kevin Letchford, who attended his accident 12 September 2020 • War Cry • 11

EXPLORE

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Mark, that he will know God’s love and strength as he awaits trial; for John, that he will adjust to life outside and find a suitable church when he is released from prison; and for Joanne, whose mother is receiving cancer treatment.

The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances. 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.

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

Team talk Team talk

talk ‘ ’ Time to change our tune?

Sarah Olowofoyeku gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

WHILE this year’s coronavirus outbreak has resulted in the cancellation of almost everything, the end-of-summer staples are still with us – earlier sunsets, the nerves and excitement of children starting school and the Last Night of the Proms.

It was one more thing to miss, however, when the BBC announced that the Proms would take on a different form this year. No audiences and downsized orchestras.

I started ‘Promming’ in 2009, when I was in sixth form and my serious musician friends let us in on the world-class concerts we could see for just a fiver. The novelty of the whole affair has stayed with me. Queueing up as early as possible to buy tickets, finding a great spot in the gallery, the sounds of the orchestra warming up, the rapturous applause after the final note.

The people and the applause have been missing from this summer’s event because of the pandemic, but while the music still played, another norm was in jeopardy. There were debates about whether ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and ‘Rule, Britannia!’ would feature tonight (Saturday 12 September), as per tradition.

The question sprang from a Sunday Times article, which reported that those involved wanted to rethink what was sung at the Last Night of the Proms in light of the songs’ links to colonialism and Empire, and the current conversations about racial inequality.

While the final decision was made for the two patriotic songs to be sung, we shouldn’t stop examining the traditions and history that we choose to celebrate. I’m not sure the lyrics themselves are the problem, but rather the desire to want to hold on to Britain’s past of violence and oppression.

This year has shown us that not all people in this country are treated fairly, because of foundations established in the past. The Bible tells us that all are created in God’s image and that we should love one another. So is it right to continue with fanfares for unfairness, whether in an anthem or in attitude?

Or can we acknowledge that the past may not be worth making a song and dance about and make changes to create harmony?

Not all people are treated fairly

" 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

Looking for help?

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Information about The Salvation Army

Amen

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 • 12 September 2020

EXPRESSIONS

q

quick quiz 1 2

What is the capital of Pakistan?

Which actor played General

Melchett in the 1989 TV sitcom Blackadder Goes Forth?

a 3

Who wrote the novel The

Green Mile, which was turned into a film starring Tom Hanks?

4

What rock band was co-founded by Mike

Rutherford at Charterhouse School in Surrey?

5

Who was emperor when Rome

6

Who discovered penicillin?

was ravaged by fire in AD64?

ANSWERS

In this occasional series, Nigel Bovey unlocks the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven, which Jesus speaks to his disciples about in Matthew’s Gospel

Who is the King?

T

HE Kingdom of Heaven is one of the key messages of Jesus’ teaching. In the Gospels, Jesus refers to this ‘Kingdom’ more than 90 times. It is one of his buzzwords.

While Mark, Luke and John refer to the ‘Kingdom of God’, Matthew usually, but not exclusively, refers to the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’.

To understand why Jesus taught about a Kingdom, we have to go back to the teaching that his followers would have known well from their Scriptures, which today we call the Old Testament. These writings taught that God is a King – something that the people of Israel had recognised since their origins.

It is reflected in the songs that can be found in the Old Testament Book of Psalms. Those songs contain lyrics that say: ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your Kingdom’ (Psalm 45:6 New International Version); ‘The Lord has established his throne in Heaven, and his Kingdom rules over all’ (Psalm 103:19); and ‘Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations’ (Psalm 145:13).

The last point is particularly instructive. Even during the time when there was a Kingdom of Israel that was ruled by monarchs, and even though prophets urged kings and subjects to live according to God’s standards, the Kingdom of Heaven was not a political entity or theocracy.

The Kingdom of Heaven was, and is, a spiritual realm, undefined by geography and unconfined by time. Eternal in nature, it is a Kingdom, says Jesus, ‘prepared for you since the creation of the world’ (Matthew 25:34).

As well as an eternal past, the Kingdom has an eternal future.

The hope, as expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, is that one day God’s Kingdom will come and his ‘will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven’ (Matthew 6:10).

The Kingdom of Heaven is a spiritual realm

12 September 2020 • War Cry • 13

1. Islamabad. 2. Stephen Fry. 3. Stephen King.

4. Genesis. 5. Nero. 6. Alexander Fleming.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Post (4) 3. Animal doctor (3) 5. Fasten (4) 7. Bought (9) 9. Retailed (4) 10. Compassion (4) 11. Fetch (5) 14. Town chief (5) 15. Thread (5) 17. Greek letter (5) 18. In no way (5) 19. Essential (5) 20. Loathsome (5) 23. Benevolent (4) 25. Cutlery item (4)

27. Intermediary (2-7) 28. Couple (4) 29. Pitch (3) 30. Young girl (4) DOWN 1. Shapeless heap (4) 2. Praise (4) 3. Parish parson (5) 4. Drill (5) 5. Ooze (4) 6. Idle (4) 7. Toy (9)

8. Course (9) 11. Colour (5) 12. Notions (5) 13. Meat juice (5) 14. Male (3) 16. Snake-like fish (3) 21. Avoid (5) 22. Turret (5) 23. Retain (4) 24. Grim (4) 25. Tumbled (4) 26. Caress by lips (4)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

3

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

1. Small flower 2. Take a brief look 3. Break free 4. Portable computer 5. Spot 6. A reclusive person

Answers

ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch

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

Wordsearch ALTRUISM

BENEVOLENCE CHARITY

CLEMENCY

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Mail. 3. Vet. 5. Seal.

7. Purchased. 9. Sold. 10. Pity. 11. Bring.

14. Mayor. 15. Reeve. 17. Omega.

18. Nohow. 19. Vital. 20. Nasty.

23. Kind. 25. Fork. 27. Go-between.

28. Pair. 29. Tar. 30. Lass.

DOWN: 1. Mass. 2. Laud. 3. Vicar.

4. Train. 5. Seep. 6. Lazy. 7. Plaything.

8. Direction. 11. Brown. 12. Ideas.

13. Gravy. 14. Man. 16. Eel. 21. Avert. 22. Tower. 23. Keep.

24. Dour. 25. Fell. 26. Kiss.

COMMISERATION

HONEYCOMB 1. Floret. 2. Glance. 3. Escape.

4. Laptop. 5. Pimple. 6. Hermit.

CONDOLENCE

CONSIDERATION EMPATHY

GENEROSITY GRACE HEART

HUMANITY KINDNESS LENITY

MERCY

SYMPATHY

TENDERNESS

5 4 1 2 9 6 7 3 8

3 7 2 8 4 5 6 9 1

9 8 6 3 7 1 5 2 4

4 3 9 5 1 2 8 6 7

2 6 8 4 3 7 9 1 5

7 1 5 6 8 9 3 4 2

8 9 7 1 6 4 2 5 3

1 5 3 9 2 8 4 7 6

6 2 4 7 5 3 1 8 9

SUDOKU SOLUTION

THOUGHTFULNESS

8

9 3 8 2 1 4 5 5 2 6

14 • War Cry • 12 September 2020

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these 3 9associated 4 2 with 7 8compassion 1 6 words

5 4 7 8 3 6 1 9 5 2 N P O E G E R T K C P V U J L V A H 1 2 6 9 8 5 7 3 4 O Q I I R F S I Z N C V P X S C G Q 2 8 3 5F D L P B M C X O 4 6 1 9 7 I S W U Y Q N Z T T J N Z T D G R F E J U E E T G M T 9 4 7 1 3 8 6 2 5 A C Z Q N R Z R Z X O I Z M B C G G 6 I 5A U T H 1 2 J 7 E 9S P E 4 8Z I 3 V R O R E A E N S C Z O E E W H I I Y A Q N K B 7 6 5 8 9 3 2 4 1 S S E N L U F T H G U O H T L A C C I I F E J B T Y C R E M T H T Q H Y 3 9 2 6 1 4 5 7 8 M D W L V H D Z T R Z Q A Y Y I A N 8 1 4 7 5 2 3 6 9 M E C O N D O L E N C E P N S S R I

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

7 6 9

D Grilled tofu Reuben sandwich Ingredients

Method

8 slices sourdough rye bread

Toast the bread slices and wrap in a warm tea towel.

120g red cabbage, very finely chopped 1tsp medium curry powder ½ tsp minced garlic 9tsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 320g pressed tofu, cut into 1cm-thick slices 25g vegan margarine 200g ripe avocado, thinly sliced

SERVES

4

60g dill-pickled gherkins, thinly sliced 8 slices Applewood smoked vegan cheese alternative

Smoky tofu skewers flatbread with salad Ingredients

Method

400g smoked tofu

Preheat a griddle pan.

6tsp olive oil

Cut the tofu into 16 cubes. Mix with 2tsp olive oil to coat, then thread on 8 metal skewers.

Griddle the skewers on medium heat for 6 minutes, turning occasionally.

1 small orange, zest and juice 1 garlic clove, crushed 2cm-piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated 2tsp tahini Freshly cracked black pepper 500g golden beetroots, peeled and finely shredded 200g Brussels sprouts, finely shredded 100g spring onions, sliced diagonally 2tbsp sesame seeds, toasted 4 vegan flatbreads, warmed

Combine the red cabbage, curry powder and garlic with 2tsp olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Brush the tofu with the remaining oil and grill under a high heat for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Spread 4 slices of toast with the margarine and place on the grill pan. Divide the tofu, avocado, gherkins and the red cabbage mixture between the 4 slices and top each of them with 2 slices of cheese. Grill under a medium heat until the cheese melts.

Remove from the grill and top with the remaining toasted bread, to serve.

To make a dressing, place the orange zest and juice, garlic, ginger, tahini and remaining olive oil into a small bowl and whisk together with a fork. Season to taste with black pepper.

To make the salad dressing, toss together the beetroots, Brussels sprouts and spring onions in a bowl with half of the dressing and half of the sesame seeds.

Place the warmed flatbreads on serving plates and add some beetroot salad and 2 tofu skewers to each plate.

Drizzle over the rest of the dressing and garnish with the remaining sesame seeds, to serve.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Vegetarian Society website vegsoc.org

SERVES

4

12 September 2020 • War Cry • 15

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