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