What is The Salvation Army?
From the editor’s desk
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.
LET’S be honest – at the beginning of 2022, not many of us would have known when Easter would fall this year without consulting our diaries. The four-day bank holiday weekend can take us by surprise as its date changes. Easter is not like Christmas, for which the date of 25 December is rigidly set. It’s also not like Christmas in that it doesn’t seem to generate the same excitement, familiar songs or traditional food. Easter also doesn’t burn such a hole in the bank balance. In many ways, it seems a far more low-key festival than the one celebrated at the end of each year. So the Rev Canon Kate Bottley’s comments in an interview in this week’s War Cry may come as a bit of a surprise. ‘I love Christmas, but Easter is more important to me,’ the TV and radio presenter tells us. ‘Easter is the central message of Christianity. It’s a story about love.’ The love that is shown in the Easter story is a love that led Jesus to die on a cross, where he took the punishment for all the things that people had done wrong and would do wrong. The miracle of Easter is that, after Jesus had died and been placed in a tomb, he rose to life so that his followers could know with certainty that they would experience an eternal life with him. The events remembered at Easter give Christians hope. They also motivate them to display God’s love to others. It’s a motivation that leads The Salvation Army to help more than 3,000 people experiencing homelessness every single night. As we report this week, the church and charity not only helps with accommodation but also offers them the support they need to move forward in life. The events of almost 2,000 years ago that are commemorated at Easter continue to impact ad the War C people’s lives throughout the world. That is why e re ry u’v Easter means so much to Christians and why it’s a date worth noting.
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 7572
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Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN
CONTENTS
Tel: 0845 634 0101 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
FEATURES
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in TV drama
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Women of the word
Authors explore the Bible’s accounts of Jesus’ female disciples 7
An expression of love
Broadcaster Kate Bottley on why
INFO
Easter matters
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2 • WAR CRY • 16 April 2022
Dying to be reborn Life gives Ursula another chance
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
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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
10 Homed and helped
The Salvation Army’s support for vulnerable people REGULARS 12 Team Talk 13 Now, There’s a Thought! 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: JOHN MANNELL