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.
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.
THIS coming week is when, for some, the cost of Christmas becomes a reality. As credit card bills begin to land on doormats, people who put their extra purchases for the festive season on plastic will now be expected to pay for them.
As we report in this week’s War Cry, monetary pressures are one of the reasons some people will refer to next Monday (16 January) as Blue Monday.
However, paying for Christmas is just one of the financial challenges that people are facing. News bulletins frequently remind us that everybody is having to deal with the high rate of inflation that is pushing up the prices of food, electricity and gas.
Some may dream of finding a way to win or earn a fortune that would turn their lives around. But, as we read this week, while having lots of money can help with the cost of living crisis, it is not enough to make life the best that it can be.
Manoj Raithatha built up a multimillion-pound property company while he was still in his 30s.
‘I had the ability to persuade people to buy more than what they could afford,’ he tells us in an interview, before adding: ‘It was a superficial lifestyle, and it was meaningless. It wasn’t fulfilling at all.’
Manoj started to attend church. Initially he didn’t find the services particularly interesting but, after some time, he decided to become a Christian. At that point he changed as a person. When he lost most of his fortune in the financial crisis of 2008, his faith helped him to rebuild his life.
‘I’ve only really started to live since the age of 36,’ he says.
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major
Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow
WAR From the editor’s desk When you’ve read the War Cry, why not pass it on ➔ ➔ ➔
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 United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org
Manoj is not alone in his experience of having his life turned around by becoming a Christian. People from all backgrounds – those with money and those with very little – have discovered that deciding to follow Jesus changes everything, and always for the better.
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Front-page picture: ITV
Issue No 7610 CONTENTS Your local Salvation Army centre 15 10 7 4 2 • WAR CRY • 14 January 2023