War Cry 15 May 2021

Relative joy as happy families are reunited

WAR CRY

15 May 2021 20p/25c

Innocent questions Can a teacher clear her name in ITV drama?

Cup that cheers as fans return for final

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 7525

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

Your local Salvation Army centre

INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 15 May 2021

EDITOR From the editor’s desk

TV STAR Bruce Forsyth began many of his programmes with the catchphrase, ‘Nice to see you, to see you nice’. That sentiment will be echoed all over the country as the easing of lockdown restrictions allows people to reunite with family and friends after months apart.

While virtual contact has helped many people keep connected, being allowed to enter a loved one’s home and spend time together again promises to be a special experience. However, a worldwide pandemic is not the only reason people stop seeing friends and family.

Estrangement between family members has been a cause of hurt and distress for centuries. It was an awareness of this situation that encouraged the founder of The Salvation Army to arrange for the creation of a family tracing service back in the 19th century. More than 135 years later, the church and charity continues to reconcile and restore relationships.

In this week’s issue, we meet one family who were reunited after two sisters contacted the tracing service in order to find their half-sister.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, that reunion could happen only over Zoom, but one of the sisters tells us that they were ‘over the moon’ at being back together.

‘It has been a positive experience for us,’ she says. ‘We’re grateful that The Salvation Army took on our case.’

The Salvation Army is inspired to carry out this work because of its Christian beliefs – as Karen Wallace, who worked on reuniting the sisters, explains.

‘We know how important it is for people to feel that they belong, to know their family and their roots, and to have that chance of reconnection,’ she says. ‘The message of the Bible is about reconciliation, about our relationship with God and us being reconciled to him.’

Karen is right. Whether or not we have a family to reconnect with in the coming days, any of us can connect with God and experience his love and care in our lives.

FEATURES

CONTENTS

What is The Salvation Army?

3

What’s the verdict?

Teacher is under suspicion in TV drama

5

Teams get fans back in

Crowds to return for FA Cup final

6

Sharing joys and grief

Spiritual care in a hospice

8

Happy families

The service that reunites relatives

REGULARS

4

War Cry World

12

Team Talk

13

Now, There’s a Thought!

14

Puzzles

15

War Cry Kitchen

6

8

Front-page picture: ITV

15

TELEVISION ITV

Sally Wright still faces questions

IN ALL INNOCENCE? Claire Brine watches a teacher struggle to build a new life after prison

T

HE jury was in agreement. In a retrial, Sally Wright has been found not guilty of murdering 16-year-old Matty Taylor. After spending five years behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit, Sally is about to walk free. And the hunt for a killer is back on in the ITV drama series Innocent, which starts on Monday (17 May).

English-teacher Sally (Katherine Kelly) wants nothing more than to head back home and get on with her life, but she quickly learns that picking up where she left off is not an option. The husband who divorced her is about to marry someone else. Her mum has developed dementia and no longer recognises her. The headmistress at her former school won’t give her a job. And, although Sally has been proved innocent of killing Matty, rumours remain that she had an inappropriate relationship with him.

‘I’ve lost more than you can imagine,’ she confides to DCI Mike Braithwaite (Shaun Dooley), who heads up the reopened police investigation to find Matty’s killer. ‘And I can’t repair anything if people still believe that I abused a 16-year-old.’

No matter how much Sally tries to plead her innocence, the shadow of suspicion lingers. Reporters want to know the truth about her relationship with Matty. Passers-by glare at DCI Mike her in the street, convinced Braithwaite she’s hiding something.

‘Turning the tide of public opinion is harder – far harder – than Sally could have ever

imagined,’ says Matthew Arlidge, the show’s co-creator. He points out that the question at the heart of the series is: ‘Do we ever really get a second shot at happiness?’

It’s something that all of us need from time to time – whoever we are.

In the dramas of real life, there are moments when we are guilty of getting things wrong. There are also times when we misread people and feel hurt by the actions of others. Perhaps, after countless disappointments, we begin to feel defeated and that permanent despair is our only option.

It isn’t. There is always the hope of a fresh start for everyone.

Jesus acknowledged that life can be full of problems. But he assured his followers that if they confessed their past wrongdoing to God and put their faith in him, then they would be filled with strength, peace and joy for whatever lay ahead.

In the Bible, Paul – who persecuted Christians until an encounter with Jesus set him on a new path – writes: ‘Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 Contemporary English Version).

Whoever we are and whatever struggles we are going through, there is always room for hope in our life if we turn to Jesus. He promises to comfort us in tough times and forgive us when we say sorry for our mistakes. When we feel stuck in our tracks, he can point us in a new direction, giving us another chance to become the best version of ourselves possible.

Whatever our past, Jesus’ offer of new life can bring us true freedom.

Do we ever get a second shot at happiness?

15 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 3

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ST PAUL’S Cathedral is raising funds to build a memorial to people who have died as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The online book of remembrance, Remember Me, which was created in May last year, will be installed in a purpose-built structure inside St Paul’s. The structure was designed by Oliver Caroe, the cathedral’s surveyor of the fabric, whose mother died of Covid-19.

A crowdfunding site has been set up to raise the £2.3 million needed to build the memorial, which will be a space for contemplation. So far, it has more than 3,000 supporters.

The site explains that ‘public reaction to Remember Me has been so positive that St Paul’s wants to give it a place at the cathedral, so that those who it commemorates become part of the centuries of history to which St Paul’s bears witness’.

The Very Rev David Ison, dean of the cathedral, said in a statement: ‘The physical memorial at St Paul’s will anchor the online book in a place where significant events and people have been commemorated for many centuries.’

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© ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL

St Paul’s makes room for remembrance

WAR CRY

A NEW prayer post feature is being tested on Facebook, reports the Religion News Service website. The feature will allow members of Facebook groups to ask for prayer and respond to others’ prayer requests.

A Facebook spokesperson said that the idea arose as a result of the way that users have connected with each other through the site during the global pandemic.

Nona Jones, head of global faith partnerships at Facebook, said: ‘Our mission to give people the power to build community extends to the world’s largest community: the faith community.’

Prayer posts are being tested within a subset of groups in America. Once a member has posted a prayer request in the group, other members can click a ‘pray’ button to let the original poster know they have prayed.

ztW ‘Moral obligation’ to share Covid vaccines COMMISSIONER Anthony Cotterill, the leader of The Salvation Army in the UK and Republic of Ireland, joined 144 other global faith leaders in signing a statement calling for an end to the hoarding of Covid-19 vaccines by wealthy nations.

In the statement, issued by Christian Aid, the leaders say: ‘If one part of the world is left to suffer the pandemic, all parts of the world will be put at ever-increasing risk. The access of people to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines cannot be dependent on people’s wealth, status or nationality.

‘Every person is precious. We have a moral obligation to reach everyone, in every country.’

The statement calls for a fair distribution of vaccine doses to low and middle-income countries and for vaccine production and distribution to be ramped up to meet global demand.

Latest technology uncovers ancient scrolls’ secrets SCHOLARS at a Dutch university have been using artificial intelligence to try to find out more about who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. The researchers at the University of Groningen say their study of one of the most important scrolls shows that it was written by two scribes.

Professor Dr Mladen Popović, of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, teamed up with his colleague Lambert Schomaker, professor of computer science and artificial intelligence at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and PhD candidate Maruf Dhali to analyse letters from the Great Isaiah Scroll, a manuscript of the Book of Isaiah in the Bible.

The team manipulated images of sample characters from 4 • WAR CRY • 15 May 2021

the scroll and then analysed them using algorithms and heatmapping technology that could read far more data than could easily be processed by the human eye.

The technology uncovered that, when sorted according to their characteristics, the letters could be divided into two groups that were not randomly scattered throughout the scroll but changed at about the halfway mark. The findings suggest that two scribes with very similar handwriting worked on the scroll.

Dr Popović believes such use of technology could shed light on the origins and training of the scribes who produced the scrolls, which date from the fourth century BC to the second century AD.

A SHOT AT

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THE Bishop of London, the Right Rev Sarah Mullally, is among several senior church leaders from Britain and Ireland who will call for justice at a church service in south London that will mark the first anniversary of the killing of George Floyd.

Local Christians will also participate in the remembrance event held in NTCG Brixton Community Church, which will include songs from IDMC Gospel Soul Choir as well as poetry and prayers. During the service, schoolchildren will lay candles at the foot of a cross to remember those who have lost their lives to intolerance.

Because of existing Covid-19 restrictions, the physical service will be held on 18 May. It will be recorded and then broadcast online at 7pm on 25 May, via YouTube and social media platforms. Radio 4 will subsequently broadcast the recording at 8.10am on Sunday 30 May. The church service has been initiated by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), which is made up of churches of different traditions and denominations, including The Salvation Army.

SPORT

HOPE

This year’s FA Cup final is significant for everyone, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku

T

HE stakes are high at the FA Cup final today (Saturday 15 May), and not just for the teams playing. The match between Chelsea and Leicester City is one of the three test events with fans that have been planned to take place at Wembley Stadium as lockdown restrictions are eased.

It’s an exciting step in the right direction for football, for the 21,000 supporters expected to attend and for the general population. After more than a year of restrictions, it’s encouraging for everyone to know that it is becoming safe to do the things they love again. The hope is that, if all goes well in the test events, fans can continue to attend matches.

Also hopeful are Leicester City, who are looking to lift the trophy for the first time in the club’s 137-year history. Over those years, the Foxes have played in four finals and lost each time. No other side have appeared in as many without winning.

According to local news reports, Leicester’s place in the final has given the city’s resident a ‘buzz they have not felt in more than five decades’, since the team’s last appearance in 1969.

Foxes fan Lisa Williams told the BBC: ‘Because it has been such a bad year, I think [the final] has given everyone hope that things will go back to normal, and there is something to look forward to.’

In difficult circumstances, hope – however it comes – can be a powerful thing. While we can place our hope in sporting successes, or the evidence that coronavirus infection rates are falling in the UK, Christians, past and present, have placed their ultimate hope in God. They believe that no matter what happens, God will never disappoint them.

So putting their trust in him is one of the best things they can do. One Bible writer said that people who hope in the Lord will ‘become strong again’ (Isaiah 40:31 New Century Version).

Anyone can choose to hope in God. If we do, we will find that, whatever our circumstances or however we are feeling, we will be able to tackle the toughest times.

Hope can be a powerful thing

Fans look on at the semi-final between Leicester and Southampton

Do you have a story to share? a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK ALAMY

TheWarCryUK

B salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry 15 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 5

Hospice is a place of tears, pain and fun As Dying Matters Awareness Week draws to a close tomorrow (Sunday 16 May), RAY ASHLEY-BROWN, the head of spiritual care at the Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted, explains to Emily Bright why good end-of-life care is essential

S

ITUATED in the beauty of the Hertfordshire countryside is an oasis of care for people facing life-limiting illnesses such as motor neurone disease, dementia, cancers and heart disease.

Founded in 1979, the Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted runs an in-patient unit and a health and wellbeing site called the Spring Centre.

Among the services offered are physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social care, spiritual care and bereavement support for carers and families. The charity also has a specialist nurse team that cares for patients at home.

Some encounters with the hospice are fleeting, as patients arrive to tweak their pain control and then go home or to a nursing home, while others remain in contact for several years before they pass away.

The Hospice of St Francis has its roots in the Christian faith. Head Ray Ashley-Brown

6 • WAR CRY • 15 May 2021

INTERVIEW

of spiritual care Ray Ashley-Brown says: ‘It all started with a prayer vigil at St Peter’s Church in Berkhamsted in the 1970s. Our founder Pam Macpherson said that from that moment on, she knew there would be a hospice. That’s real faith. A group of Franciscan nuns later donated their building to the cause.

‘Our ethos hasn’t changed. We’re less overtly Christian nowadays. However, we still honour faith of all kinds, and the compassion that was there at the beginning remains. There are tears, there’s pain, but it’s a place of fun too. The whole of life is here.’

Ray, who has worked at the hospice for six years, explains what his role entails.

‘Spiritual care includes religious care, but it’s wider than that. It’s about helping a person find their own resources to deal with the existential questions of life.

Sometimes our conversations might be more trivial, like about the weather. At other times, the discussions are deeper, because you’re talking about things such as what happens when we die.’

In such conversations, Ray feels that he receives guidance from God. ‘A lot of my work is more about silence than words, but there have been moments where I’ve known I’ve said something that has unlocked a situation in somebody’s life,’ he says. ‘And I believe that the Holy Spirit has guided me to say those things.

I can sense God at work. My work has deepened my faith more than anything else in my life.’

Ray adds that his faith influences every interaction he has with staff, patients and their families.

‘As a Christian, I believe that we meet

The Spring Centre at the Hospice of St Francis offers a range of therapies and support

Jesus in the people we meet. So each morning, I pray: “Be in the heart of each to whom I speak, in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.” Also, the idea that Christians are Jesus’ hands, feet and voice is heightened in a place like this.’

He sees his role as being a presence for people during the toughest times of their life.

‘Sometimes there will be joy, sometimes there will be great pain,’ he reflects, ‘but I see myself in some small way trying to draw alongside somebody in the way that God does. God is gracious. And he doesn’t just draw close to us, but actually experiences the suffering we’re going through.’

Part of the purpose of Dying Matters Awareness Week is to encourage an open culture that talks openly about death, dying and bereavement. Ray believes that it’s important to tackle the taboo of death.

He says: ‘The importance of dying, and how we can do that well, is sacred. It’s a time in everybody’s life when they should be given dignity and space.

‘When talking with someone who is dying or bereaved people are often scared that they might say the wrong thing, so they say nothing. But opening up conversations is vital, and the right approach is maybe to say, “I don’t really know what to say, but I want to talk about this,” or “I’m walking this journey with you”.’

Covid-19 has presented new challenges

for Ray, but he has continued his pastoral care for patients and their families.

‘Funerals have been difficult, particularly at the beginning of Covid-19,’ he says. ‘I’ve done a lot more with patients and families online. For instance, there was a lady who was dying at home on her own. We knew that she didn’t have more than a few days, so I prayed final prayers with her and lit a candle over FaceTime.

It was one of the most moving times I’ve spent with a patient.’

One event in the hospice’s calendar that has continued, albeit virtually, is the annual Light Up a Life event, which creates space for families of deceased patients to remember their loved ones.

‘We made a short film this year that gave people a chance to reflect, to share a moment together and to light a candle,’ says Ray. ‘The hospice belongs to the community.

So it’s vital that we share our joys and we share our grief together as a family. Our ethos is that no one should grieve alone.’

It’s vital that we share our joys and grief together

15 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 7

Together ag Sarah Olowofoyeku finds out how a Salvation Army service reunites long-lost relatives

8 • WAR CRY • 15 May 2021

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ORE than 40 years ago, Barbara and her sister, Susan, lost contact with their half-sister.

Last month, the three of them had a virtual reunion on Zoom, thanks to The Salvation Army’s Family Tracing Service.

‘My sister and I knew we had a halfsister, because when my father left my mum, he moved in with a woman – my half-sister’s mother,’ Barbara tells me.

‘We had contact with them until I was about 11 or 12, but then we lost touch. It had been 40-odd years since we’d last seen her, but the reason we decided to look for her now was that my mum died. We didn’t want to do it while she was still alive, because we didn’t want to upset her.’

The sisters had, independently, started to look for their half-sister,

gain Liz, who had been a baby when Barbara last saw her.

Barbara says: ‘When I decided to start looking for her, I didn’t realise that Susan had also decided to do the same thing. I told her I’d had some preliminary successes with finding Liz’s birth online.’

After discovering that they both wanted to find Liz, Barbara and Susan joined together to continue their search, but they hit a wall.

‘We carried on and used websites such as MyHeritage and Ancestry, but we didn’t really know how to look for somebody and we got to a stalemate. We couldn’t afford to pay their prices. Then my sister said she thought The Salvation Army had a tracing service, so I looked it up online.’

Barbara went through the Family Tracing Service’s process of filling out a form and waiting to find out whether or not her case would be accepted.

‘We had to give a reason why we wanted to trace her,’ she explains. ‘But it wasn’t a long process. We were surprised.

As we waited, we were quite excited, wondering whether they’d be able to find her, what she’d be like now and whether we’d get on. My sister and I could talk with each other about our uncertainties, which helped.

But it was exciting that we knew something was in process.’

After waiting for several months, Barbara heard from her half-sister.

They were reconnected through email, and last month the three sisters saw each other over Zoom.

‘Susan’s birthday was coming up. I told Liz in case she wanted to send her greetings, but Liz suggested that we have a Zoom meeting.

‘I was nervous,’ she admits. ‘But the three of us all got on. We had a laugh and were on the call for a good few hours.

We’ve arranged to do it again. We are absolutely over the moon.

‘It has been a positive experience for us, and we’re grateful that The Salvation Army took on our case and was able to locate Liz.’ The Salvation Army has been tracing lost family members for more than 135 years. In the early 1880s, William Booth, the organisation’s founder,

FEATURE

Mrs Booth’s Enquiry Bureau has grown into a worldwide operation was told about people who had lost contact with their relatives.

So he asked his daughter-inlaw, Florence Booth, to establish a service to help find them.

Mrs Booth’s Enquiry Bureau opened in 1885 and has grown into a worldwide operation, with the Family Tracing Service – as it is known in the UK – regularly linking up with its counterparts in other countries to find missing relatives.

Karen Wallace, who worked on Barbara’s case, is one of a small team of people working in the Family Tracing Service today.

‘I have probably 350 cases at any one time,’ she says. ‘We can’t control

Turn to page 10

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15 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 9

From page 9 what comes in, but we do try to give everybody the same level of service.’

Anyone over the age of 18 can use the Family Tracing Service, if they are looking for an adult relative for the purpose of reconciliation. The team can be contacted via phone or email, and they will then ask users to complete an application form so that they can assess what information is available.

‘If we accept an application, it turns into a case within a few days and then we start to make enquiries,’ says Karen. ‘If it’s declined, we write back to the person to inform them and explain why we can’t proceed. It might be that we need more information or that it doesn’t fit our criteria.

‘Generally we try to find opportunities to use correspondence to reach a person we are trying to trace. We use some of the latest search techniques, and because the Family Tracing Service has been around for over 130 years, we do have various agreements in place with others who are willing to help us, within the law.’

The team will keep searching for as long as it takes.

‘We make sure we do everything we can, sometimes repeating what we may have done several months ago to see if there has been a change. But we can’t try every way at once, because if every approach is successful, it could mean that a person we have traced receives four letters in two weeks.

‘We continue until all avenues are exhausted. Sometimes we can trace somebody within the first few days, but it can also take in excess of a year.’

Once the team has traced the relative, the service gives them the opportunity to consider reconnecting with their estranged family. Whether a reunion happens or not is down to the located individual.

A

t times, the work can be challenging, but Karen’s Christian faith helps her.

‘I remember Christ’s teachings about patience and compassion,’ she says.

‘Even though I’ve got a lot of work to do, I do need to give people my time. When people get upset, you’ve got to be kind, be a listening ear and direct them in the best way you can. I remember that there is pain in their lives, and my faith motivates me to know that there can be healing for that and we can be an instrument to help that person get through the pain.’

Karen has been helping people find lost loved ones for six years now.

‘I was working in financial services at the time I saw the advert,’ she says. ‘But I felt that I wanted to do something less about making profits and satisfying high net-worth clients. So when I saw the job

10 • WAR CRY • 15 May 2021

e ac all W ren Ka

The team will keep searching for as long as it takes

advert and that I would be helping people, it appealed to me.

‘It seemed a unique opportunity.

It’s different from what I thought it was going to be, because it exposes you to what people’s lives can be like and the difficulties they’ve had to deal with. It opens your eyes to the fact that people do need each other.

‘Sometimes people say to us that if we weren’t there to help them, there wouldn’t be anyone else they could turn to. When we do trace somebody and they want contact, the person looking for them sometimes says, “You’ve helped me fill a void that has been there all of my life. All I had to do was

FEATURE

complete a form and now my life has been transformed.”’

The team is able to trace 89 per cent of people it is asked to find. Success stories include Robert, who lost contact with his mother as a young child as a result of the breakdown of his parents’ relationship.

The Family Tracing Service reunited Robert and his mother, who are now enjoying being back in one another’s lives.

Finding people, says Karen, does involve some detective work.

‘Sometimes people use false information that can lead you off the path in locating them.

A high attention to detail is needed. But it’s very special when people are given the opportunity to restore a relationship or begin a new connection because you didn’t give in.’

She says that reconciliation is the tenet of the Family Tracing Service.

‘There is a verse in the Bible about God bringing us back to himself through Christ, and we feel that we’re Christ’s ambassadors in reconciling people. There

is a lot of detail and administration involved in the work, but occasionally we are able to signpost people on to different parts of The Salvation Army for support – to a corps, a community or counselling service, for example. It’s not only about trying to trace their family, we try to be holistic. We’re not just a mechanical findingsomeone service, there’s a lot of pastoral work involved. People can have a breakdown in a call, and you have to find a way to help them.

‘We know how important it is for people to feel that they belong, to know their family and their roots, and to have a chance of reconnection. The message of the Bible is about reconciliation, about our relationship with God and us being reconciled to him.

That’s our motivation – it’s what we aim to reflect in the work we do.’

Reconciliation is the tenet of the Family Tracing Service

l Names of family members have been changed. For more information on the Family Tracing service, visit salvationarmy.org.uk/family-tracing

15 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 11

EXPLORE

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’.

j

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.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

talk ‘ ’ Team talk TEAM TALK Daters are looking for honesty Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

‘HONESTY bombing’ – reported Stylist magazine – is the ‘refreshing postlockdown attitude to new relationships’. According to research conducted by dating site Badoo, 72 per cent of UK daters have become ‘more upfront about who they are and what they want from a partner post-Covid’. No more fudging the truth about the commitment they are willing to give – or not. No more delaying of deal-breaker questions such as: ‘Do you want kids one day?’ As lockdown continues to lift and daters can meet in person more easily, it appears that honesty bombing is the way forward.

‘While lockdown has been a difficult time for everyone, perhaps this new attitude to dating is one good thing to come out of it,’ writes Megan Murray in Stylist. For those wanting to date, ‘there’s a sense that it’s now more important than ever to be upfront about what they want from a relationship to avoid any mixed messages that It takes lead to disappointment further down the road … courage to could Daters are done with time-wasters.’

The idea of being honest with a potential partner be honest makes sense to me. If the strongest relationships are built on trust and communication, then surely speaking honestly about who we are and what we want from a partner right from the start is crucial.

But I also know that maintaining such levels of honesty when part of a couple takes work. That’s why the focus for this year’s Marriage Week – which concludes tomorrow (Sunday 16 May) – is encouraging couples to be ‘uncovered’ when it comes to discussing parenting, work, money, mental health, forgiveness and the future. It stresses how important it is to keep talking, and to keep on speaking the truth.

But whatever relationships we invest in, it takes courage to be honest.

We never know how people – even those we love the most – will respond to what we have to say.

And that’s why I love being a Christian. I know that whatever I say to God, he loves me anyway. I know I can be totally honest with him. When I mess up, there’s no rejection, stony silence or abandonment. There’s just his gentle prompting, reminding me that I can do better. And he’s always right – if I’m honest.

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War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

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 • 15 May 2021

EXPRESSIONS

NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

Q

QUICK QUIZ 1

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Which TV comedy game show is hosted by Greg Davies and his assistant Alex Horne?

In computing, what was the purpose of a floppy disk?

A 3

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Which English archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall includes St Agnes?

Who won the opening Grand Prix of the Formula One season in Bahrain in March?

What is the lightest chemical element in the periodic table?

Who had a No 1 hit in 1987 with the song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’?

ANSWERS

by Barbara Lang

A move in the right direction I

HAVE set myself the task of becoming conversant with a map and compass. My decision has caused my friends and family much amusement, as I have often got lost in the past – even with map apps on my phone.

In fact, in one unfortunate incident, a quite elderly couple asked me for directions in Glasgow city centre. I helpfully showed them the map on my phone and gave them great directions only to realise later that the map was upside down, so I had sent them completely the wrong way.

But I have decided that this is the year in which I stop getting lost. I am purchasing a detailed map of my area and an orienteering compass. As a result, according to many people whose advice can be found on the internet, I shall be able to direct myself from this landmark to that landmark with ease. Well, we shall see.

In our day-to-day lives, we can easily become lost, figuratively speaking. We can lose sight of the person we want to be, confused about what we should be doing and disappointed with the way our life has gone. But if we turn to the Bible, we can find ourselves again through the words and encouragement of Jesus.

In Luke’s Gospel, we can read stories that Jesus told about things and people who were lost. There is a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. Each of these parables ends with great celebrations.

The shepherd, the woman who had lost her coin and the father are overjoyed to find what was precious to them.

Jesus told those stories so that we would know how much God loves us and doesn’t want us to remain lost. He wants us to have a sense of purpose.

We can experience that when we decide to follow Jesus and to live our lives his way. If we do that, we’ll find that life can move in a whole new direction.

This is the year I stop getting lost

15 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 13

1. Taskmaster. 2. To store data. 3. The Isles of Scilly.

4. Lewis Hamilton. 5. Hydrogen. 6. Rick Astley.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Downcast (4) 3. Douse (3) 5. Hunt (4) 7. Multiply by four (9) 9. Pull (4) 10. Understood (4) 11. Mythological young woman (5) 14. Body trunk (5) 15. Decorate (5) 17. Muddle (3-2) 18. Musical play (5) 19. Punitive (5) 20. Obscurely (5) 23. Overcast (4) 25. Touch (4) 27. Child (9) 28. French soft cheese (4)

29. Beam (3) 30. Stumble (4)

8. Meet (9) 11. Wanderer (5) 12. Precept (5) DOWN 13. Joyous (5) 14. Also (3) 1. Deep cut (4) 2. Handle roughly (4) 16. Nought (3) 21. Interior (5) 3. Uncertain (5) 22. Vigorous (5) 4. Corpulent (5) 23. Smear (4) 5. Be sullen (4) 6. Comprehend (4) 24. Adore (4) 25. Exploit (4) 7. Every three 26. Lantern (4) months (9)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

ANSWERS HONEYCOMB 1. Belfry. 2. Wicket. 3. Metric.

4. Prompt. 5. Little. 6. Boffin.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Glum. 3. Dip. 5. Seek.

7. Quadruple. 9. Haul. 10. Knew. 11. Nymph.

14. Torso. 15. Adorn. 17. Mix-up. 18. Opera.

19. Penal. 20. Dimly. 23. Dull. 25. Feel.

27. Youngster. 28. Brie. 29. Ray. 30. Trip.

DOWN: 1. Gash. 2. Maul. 3. Dodgy.

4. Plump. 5. Sulk. 6. Know.

7. Quarterly. 8. Encounter. 11. Nomad.

12. Maxim. 13. Happy. 14. Too. 16. Nil. 21. Inner. 22. Lusty. 23. Daub.

24. Love. 25. Feat. 26. Lamp.

8 4 1 6 9 5 7 2 3

3 9 5 2 7 4 1 8 6

6 7 2 8 1 3 5 4 9

2 3 6 5 4 9 8 1 7

4 1 8 7 2 6 9 3 5

9 5 7 3 8 1 4 6 2

7 2 3 4 5 8 6 9 1

5 8 9 1 6 2 3 7 4

1 6 4 9 3 7 2 5 8

SUDOKU SOLUTION

1 2 5 8 9 4 1 9 7 5 5 2 1

14 • WAR CRY • 15 May 2021

2 3

6 2

9 7 5 1

ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH ORDSEARCH

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Place where bells are housed 2. Cricket target 3. Standard of measurement 4. Supply a forgotten word or line to an actor 5. Small in size 6. Person in scientific research

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

WORDSEARCH

Look up, down, forwards, backwards

8and3diagonally 6 2 on 4 the 9 grid 7 to5find1 these Bob Dylan songs 4 9 7 3 1 5 2 8 6 DESOLATION ROW 1 5 2 6 8I S E V O L M Y 7 3 9 4 A N U R A Q F Q D K C EVERY GRAIN OF SAND N A Z O Y P D N S Q M M L I U I Z D F 6 2 8 5 7 3 4 1 9 FOREVER YOUNG N M L Z Y D E S O L A T I O N R O W I 9 7 1 4 2 8 5 6 3 I GOTTA SERVE A E I Y E T G Y J K G L N Y V B D Z SOMEBODY H N K Z Y C N L H Q Y H G N E A F C S 5 4 3 9 6 1 8 2 7 O I E Q C O A A N M I Y W M P O G Z H HURRICANE 7 1 5 8 9 4 6 3 2 I SHALL BE RELEASED J R A Q P R H M W V D Z O V R Y Z H A F U R Z S W C H D 2 8 4 I 1Q S Z E E N U D L 3 6 9 7 5 I WANT YOU O O O R P H E V D V E Z V N T R F C L 3 6 9 7 5 2 1 4 8 JUST LIKE A WOMAN S B L B I U V V U V P E A U R N Y Y B

LIKE A ROLLING STONE N M L F X F A Q R F R D O I S Z G K E LOVE SICK O A I Q D N H E Q Y L D C I S F J Z R

I T N D N A S F O N I A R G Y R E V E MR TAMBOURINE MAN

S R G B G A G U V R N G R E F P L E L I M S V T A N G L E D U P I N B L U E TANGLED UP IN BLUE V Z T T L G I A I F I Q P A V D N I A M R O T S E H T M O R F R E T L E H S THINGS HAVE

G G N J U S T L I K E A W O M A N Q E CHANGED B N E H D P P Y I W R Z D Q Z H E U D SHELTER FROM THE STORM

VISIONS OF JOHANNA

D Vegetarian meatball and tomato soup Ingredients

Method

1tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

1 large onion, finely chopped

In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the onion for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add the pepper and fry for a further 3 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.

1 red pepper, deseeded and diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 400g can chopped tomatoes 800ml low-salt vegetable stock 150g dried red lentils 2tbsp tomato purée 300g vegetarian Swedishstyle meatballs Black pepper, to taste 15g fresh basil, roughly chopped, plus 5g whole leaves, to garnish

SERVES

4

4 slices seeded bread 1tbsp Italian-style hard cheese, grated (optional)

Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock, followed by the lentils and tomato purée. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and lower the heat. Simmer for 25 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Place the vegetarian meatballs on a lightly oiled baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Once the soup is ready, remove from the heat and season with black pepper.

When cool enough, whizz the soup for a few seconds in a blender, keeping the texture. Stir it through the vegetarian meatballs and chopped basil.

Serve the soup in warm bowls, with the whole basil leaves, a slice of seeded bread and a sprinkling of cheese, if using, over each bowl.

Tenderstem broccoli, pea and spinach frittata Ingredients

Method

1tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

3 spring onions, finely chopped

Line a 24cm square tin with baking parchment.

300g tenderstem broccoli, trimmed and roughly chopped

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and gently fry the spring onions and broccoli for 3 minutes. Add the spinach, in handfuls, and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Remove the pan from the heat.

200g baby spinach 200g frozen peas, defrosted 10 large free-range eggs 250g low-fat cottage cheese 12g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 12g fresh mint, finely chopped Black pepper, to taste

Spread some of the vegetable mixture evenly over the base of the tin. Scatter the peas over, then spread the rest of the vegetable mixture over the top.

In a large jug, whisk the eggs together, then stir in the cottage cheese, mint and parsley.

Season with black pepper.

Pour the egg mixture into the prepared tin, ensuring that the mixture is evenly distributed over the vegetables. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the eggs are set. Allow to cool slightly in the tin before cutting into squares, to serve.

SERVES

4

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Vegetarian Society website vegsoc.org 15 May 2021 • WAR CRY • 15

Love is not a feeling we have, but a choice we make about how we will treat people Joyce Meyer

WAR CRY