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.
WAR CRY Issue No 7649
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
From the editor’s desk RECYCLE Week begins on Monday (16 October), with steps being taken to encourage us all to recycle and reuse rather than send unwanted items to landfill. The national awareness campaign has been running since 2004, and this year will focus on helping people to identify items in their home that can be recycled but are often missed. It’s estimated that last year’s campaign encouraged more than 3.5 million people to change in their approach to recycling. Finding new ways to reduce waste is something The Salvation Army works on 52 weeks of the year. The church and charity’s clothing banks are a familiar sight in car parks, council recycling centres and other public places across the UK. In this week’s War Cry, we discover what happens to the donations that fill up those banks and about some of the other recycling schemes run by the organisation. Almost as familiar as the clothing banks are Salvation Army charity shops. This week, one of the War Cry team reports on her experience of taking donations to her local shop. She found not only a place for unwanted items, but also somewhere where the community can meet together. It’s a place where goods and people’s lives can find a new lease of life. Caring for the planet and for those who inhabit it is central to the Christian ethos of The Salvation Army – as its members believe that all things were created by God. In the Bible’s account of Creation, God gives people the responsibility of looking after the world. Later the Bible records Jesus giving his followers the instruction to love and care for other people. Offering people opportunities to recycle rather than dump unwanted items is a way of caring for the planet. Providing places for the community to come together gives support to some of the most vulnerable people in society. These are things The Salvation Army will continue to do, this coming week and in the months and years to come.
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Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ
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CONTENTS
Tel: 0845 634 0101
Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Lyndon Buckingham Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn
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
2 • WAR CRY • 14 October 2023
FEATURES
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Net results How online recycling is booming
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Saving tonnes of rubbish The national recycling work of The Salvation Army
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Creating community Charity shop provides more than pre-loved goods
11 Grand designs A fashion label’s pattern for sustainability REGULARS
14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM