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 7547
A PICTURE is worth a thousand words, or so the saying goes. And if that’s correct, then in this week’s War Cry we feature two people with an awful lot to say. First of all, we speak with artist Bokani Tshidzu. In her interview, Bokani explains how, through her art, she is able to ‘articulate feelings that she could not express with words’, adding that she wants people to recognise the dignity of others in the world through her work. Also in this week’s issue, we feature photographer Steve Radley. Just like Bokani, Steve wants people to fully engage with his pictures. ‘I encourage people to look at images, to see the light, colour and composition, and notice the emotions they feel,’ he tells us, adding: ‘Photography’s deeply spiritual and soulful. Spirituality is a hard word to define, but I tend to think of it as that which helps us make sense of life.’ As well as their art, one other thing that helps both Bokani and Steve in their understanding of life and spirituality is their Christian faith, despite both having to face challenging times in the past. ‘God is everywhere, in the harder experiences as well as the happier times,’ Steve says. ‘God accompanies us through the whole of life. He walks with us, listens and shares in our concerns.’ Millions of Christians share this experience. In the War Cry, people regularly tell of their encounters with hardship and pain. They explain how God has not only helped them through those times, but has also enabled them to know a better and more fulfilled life in spite of those challenges. God offers to accompany everyone through life, to share in their concerns and to guide them into a better future. All we have to do is commit to put our trust in the War read Cr him and we can know his presence with us. y ’ve u Picture that.
Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 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 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
INFO Your local Salvation Army centre
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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
From the editor’s desk
When yo
What is The Salvation Army?
CONTENTS 5
FEATURES
3
Branched out
Family trees explored in Who Do You Think You Are?
5
Creative campaigning
Artist’s work has a message for the world
8
A developed skill
How an RAF chaplain became a photography expert
10 ‘I’ve become proud of my heritage’
10
The importance of Black History Month explained
REGULARS
4
War Cry World
12 Team Talk 13 Puppy Tales
15
14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: BBC/WALL TO WALL MEDIA/STEPHEN PERRY