War Cry 18 March

WAR CRY

Doing the rounds

Hospital play Allelujah gets cinema release

‘Science and Christianity are deeply connected’

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 7619

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 United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

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 Julian Watchorn

WATCHING nature, as well as humans, reveals that ‘it is hard work being a parent’, writes War Cry contributor Barbara Lang ahead of Mother’s Day tomorrow (19 March).

Fans of wildlife documentaries may agree. The popular shows often focus on mother-offspring relationships in the wild. A tiger tries to manage her ‘challenging’ cubs. A hippo protects her new calf from a ‘quarrelsome’ older calf. An elephant is prompted by ‘her instinct’ to stay with her dying baby.

Some aspects of such documentaries have, however, attracted criticism. Two years ago a group of academics looked into the BBC series Dynasties and, while not rejecting entirely the recognition that humans and animals share certain traits, queried whether a preoccupation with the personalisation of individual animals gave a distorted view of wildlife. They argued that it was possible both to entertain and educate.

There are many ways of exploring the world. But need they be at odds?

Research published only last year by think tank Theos found that ‘the British public are more likely, by a proportion of 2:1 to think that science and religion are incompatible (57 per cent) than compatible (30 per cent)’.

Science writer David Hutchings has explored why such a longstanding mistrust exists – and he tells us in an interview why it is false. The truth, he says, is that there is a ‘very strong link between Christianity and scientific progress’, and, when engaging in science or faith, people need to employ their hearts and their minds. He believes that ‘God loves science, because he has – for some reason – designed a world that is discoverable. And he has given us the ability to make discoveries.’

Perhaps even the news that faith and science are compatible will be a new discovery for some people – or perhaps there is another discovery, or rediscovery, to be made in what Barbara Lang writes, that, whatever our family past, ‘each of us is loved and cherished by God’.

INFO INFO

Carry on caring?

A hospital is threatened with closure in screen adaptation of a play

Film preview by Emily Bright

ATELEVISION crew visits Bethlehem Hospital in Wakefield to film a documentary – and there is a lot riding on it for the specialist geriatric facility. In Allelujah, which was released in cinemas yesterday (Friday 17 March), the hospital has just been issued with a closure notice, but volunteer fundraisers and staff are working tirelessly to keep ‘the Beth’ running.

Dr Valentine (Bally Gill) arrives for work, buoyed at the prospect of the documentary. He has a compassionate and caring bedside manner that wins over his patients. He describes looking after the elderly as ‘my work, my joy and my purpose’.

From taking an interest in their past careers to making sure that they are kept comfortable in the present, he sees them as more than the frail patients that they’ve become. His daily duties are made more manageable by nurses Pinkney (Jesse Akele) and Gilpin (Jennifer Saunders), who is about to be awarded a medal for her many years of service.

and recalls his past as a coalminer; and the more reserved former librarian Mary (Judi Dench) watches on quietly.

Before long, Colin Colman (Russell Tovey), a consultant to the health minister, arrives to visit his father, Joe. Theirs is a strained relationship. Colin is a reluctant visitor and at work he has been pushing for the closure of the Beth. But where he sees inefficiency and cost, Dr Valentine sees the caring that goes on at the hospital as deserving of praise.

As Valentine explains later, NHS staff ‘are here for your first cry, your last breath. We are love itself, and love has no charge.’

Whether in or out of a hospital setting, love in its truest form can be a balm for many things. It can give people who are going through difficult times the strength to face a new day. It can ward off loneliness. It can forgive and put a fractured relationship back on the road to recovery.

Love has no charge

Throughout the centuries, many observers of the human condition have put pen to paper to encapsulate what love looks like in practice.

The love that the Bible writer describes, though, is not just human – it reflects the nature of God.

As the film – based on an Alan Bennett play – continues, the personalities and passions of the patients emerge. Ambrose (Derek Jacobi) is a former teacher who loves poetry; widower Joe (David Bradley) reminisces about his wife

One of the best-known of such writings is found in the Bible, which says that ‘love is patient, love is kind… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails’ (1 Corinthians 13:4, 7 and 8 New International Version).

Christians believe that God gave everything he had – even sending his Son Jesus into the world with his message of love – to ensure that our relationship with him could be restored. The love of God that Jesus revealed offers us forgiveness for our tendency to hurt others with the worst parts of our character. It can guide us in our choices. It can help us every day, throughout our highs and lows.

God cares for us as no one else can. If we put our faith in him, he will transform the rest of our lives with his compassion and assure us of the support that we need to get through whatever lies ahead. Allelujah!

Mary watches on during the filming of

Nurse Gilpin and Dr Valentine are on the staff at ‘the Beth’

‘

j TEA M TALK

When Rowan talked to Nick, it was fascinating

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

A ROCK star and a former Archbishop of Canterbury walk into a church to talk. Perhaps this sounds like the set-up for a joke – but there was no punchline in The Sunday Times when it featured an interview that Dr Rowan Williams conducted with singer and songwriter Nick Cave.

‘I’ve not been a particularly spiritual person,’ admitted Nick, who opened up to the former Archbishop about finding comfort in churchgoing after the death of his teenage son. ‘I haven’t had that 21st-century “spiritual” journey at all. But as far back as I can remember I’ve had a fascination with the figure of Jesus.’

Nick didn’t elaborate on the aspects of Jesus’ character which he found captivating, but his admission of a lifelong interest in Jesus struck me. Fascination has often been a key motivator for people exploring and analysing faith. In Bible times, being fascinated was how at least some people came to follow Jesus in the first place. The Gospels point out that crowds and individuals were ‘amazed’ by his teaching, and their faith grew from there.

I also believe that Jesus encouraged people’s fascination by teaching them in stories with underlying messages, responding to their questions with more questions, and engaging in public debates with respected figures on the validity of religious commandments. His behaviour invited wonder and admiration from those who hadn’t got their faith neatly tied up but who wanted to examine it, test it and see its impact.

The more I think about what Jesus said and did, the more I believe that fascination plays a significant part in exploring, finding and developing faith in God. Jesus said: ‘Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened’ (Matthew 7:8 New International Version).

When it comes to exploring spiritual matters and seeking answers, there’s no telling where a fascination in Jesus will lead us. But it’s always a journey worth making.

Team talk Team talk

4 • WAR CRY • 18 March 2023

talk talk ’

AN audio Bible voiced entirely by women was launched last week on International Women’s Day.

Seventeen women have been recording the New Testament for the first phase of the Her Audio Bible UK project. It initially comprises the Gospels and Revelation, and more books will be released each month. Recording of the Old Testament is scheduled to start later this year.

The project was conceived by the Rev Katy Partridge, a curate based in Bath. She says: ‘A woman’s voice is particularly helpful to those for whom male voices can be triggering, such as women who have experienced domestic abuse or human trafficking.’

The audio Bible is accessible through its own website heraudiobible.org.uk and via streaming services.

Uni church service ends – after 13 days

WHAT began as a normal chapel service at a Christian-based university in Kentucky lasted for 13 days and was attended by thousands of people.

For nearly two weeks, people travelled from near and far to Asbury University, after clips of the service garnered attention on social media platforms. On one day, as many as 20,000 people arrived in Asbury, which has a population of 6,000.

The ‘Asbury Revival’, as it has been called, was covered by numerous news outlets.

Bob Smietana, a US-based reporter, told the Religion Media Centre: ‘Revivals come when people feel like something’s been lost, and if you look at American religion right now, there’s a sense that it’s on the decline and especially younger people are not interested in religion. So, there’s been a lot of people praying for a revival. What’s fascinating about this one is that, for all kinds of people who disagree politically and who have looked at it, it has been a unifying event.’

Bridgerton actress praises ‘every emotion’ Psalms

ACTRESS

The star of Netflix drama Bridgerton, who attends St Saviour’s Church in Herne Hill, south London, told the paper: ‘I love that there’s a psalm for every occasion. I love how the Psalms express every emotion, from great joy to complete rage and despair. That’s how life is.

‘I love the songs that are about “Where does my help come from?”, all the songs about God stiffening us in our moments of wobbliness, the notion of comfort, literally meaning “with strength”. When we turn to God for comfort, we are turning for strengthening. There’s something utilitarian and good about that.’

Drastic plastic action needed, say protesters

n THE shadow secretary for work and pensions

Jonathan Ashworth learnt more about a national Salvation Army service to help people into work when he visited one of the church and charity’s centres in east London.

During his visit to the Employment Plus centre run by The Salvation Army in Stratford and East Ham, the minister spoke with Nick Read, who heads the scheme across the UK, and with Jordan Williams, who uses the service locally. Jordan explained to the MP how he benefited by working with his employment development co-ordinator to try to achieve his goals. Mr Ashworth said that Employment Plus was ‘an excellent example of how people can get into and thrive at work if only they are given the right support’.

TWO MPs joined a protest by representatives of a Christian relief and development charity outside the Houses of Parliament to highlight the issue of plastic pollution.

Shadow minister for climate change Kerry McCarthy and former development minister Vicky Ford attended Tearfund’s hour-long protest, in which participants held giant yellow cardboard cut-outs spelling out ‘plastic pollution kills’.

Tearfund is campaigning for legally binding plastic reduction targets, for the UK to enter the UN plastics treaty by 2024, and for an end to illegal dumping and burning of waste, which it says causes up to one million deaths a year.

It also wants the UN plastics treaty to enshrine rights and fair wages for waste pickers across the globe, and to ensure

access to waste management for the two billion people globally who don’t have safe rubbish disposal.

Among those taking part in the protest was climate activist and Tearfund ambassador Laura Young.

Ahead of the event, she said: ‘The reality is that plastic pollution kills, and this is being experienced first and hardest by the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, who are most exposed to the toxic burning and dumping of rubbish.

‘What’s more, the people doing the most to address this crisis – the 20 million people working as waste pickers – are often mistreated and underpaid. This is a huge injustice, especially given that it’s them who collect 60 per cent of the plastics that are recycled globally.’

Former development minister Vicky Ford joins campaigners outside parliament

Adjoa Andoh spoke of her love of the Bible’s Book of Psalms in an interview with the Church Times

TEARFUND

ASSOCIATED PRESS/ALAMY

Teacher gets faith down

This

by Sarah Olowofoyeku

DAVID HUTCHINGS had a eureka moment some years after his physics studies had begun. As a result of investigating the history of science, he discovered a connection between the discipline and another important matter.

The theme of this year’s British Science Week is Connections, and one link – that of faith and science – is significant for David. Today, he is a physics teacher at a secondary school in York and the author of several books about science and faith, including his most recent academic title Of Popes and Unicorns, written with historian

Sunday

March),

James C Ungureanu and published by Oxford University Press.

‘What’s amazing is how deep the connection is between science and Christianity,’ says David when we speak over a connection facilitated by science – the phone. ‘If you’re going to do science, you’ve got to believe certain things about the world, that it has some kind of order. You’ve got to believe that there are laws, that if you do an experiment on a Monday and get a particular result, it will also be true on Tuesday and Wednesday.

‘Science requires the world to have a certain sort of shape and structure to it, and it requires that our brains are capable of figuring that out. You have to have quite a lot of assumptions sitting in the background. If the world was fundamentally chaotic, you would never get any scientific results or patterns.’

That the world has a structure, says David, should lead to questions about where such an idea has come from. And the thought has its origins in the JudaeoChristian tradition of one God having

year’s British Science Week, which runs until

(19

is analysing connections. Physics teacher and author DAVID HUTCHINGS describes the links between faith and science, and reveals the story behind the widespread belief that they are in opposition

Interview

to a science

Human beings need feeling and intuition

something like, ‘I just felt that I was going to find something’ or, ‘In my gut, I knew that there was something going on here’. Those aren’t very science-y phrases.

‘Likewise with faith, the responsible Christian isn’t acting only on their feelings. Our feelings can be helpful, but they can confuse us. We’re called to think.

and the first widely accessible schools. The Christian tradition is one of studying God, thinking about God and asking questions that are still asked today –about suffering, eternity, the nature of God or how science tells us about the Creator of the universe.

David Hutchings

a mind and creating the world and of humans being made in the likeness of God, so that ‘there is something about our brains that is like God’s brain’. It’s why David rejects another idea: that science is based on facts, and faith is more about feelings.

‘Human beings need both in any area of life,’ he says. ‘We are complex creatures. We need feeling and intuition. But we also need to be rational and to think. Science takes the best of both those things. If you were to ask a top scientist why they’d done an experiment, they might say

‘In his Gospel, Luke says that he has studied and carefully interviewed people. He has done his research to make sure that the events that he is writing down are the correct ones. That tradition has carried on all through Christianity.

‘The Church opened the first universities

‘We want our hearts and heads involved in science and we want our hearts and heads involved in Christianity too.’

Not only does David reject the idea that the spheres of faith and science are opposed; he also insists that they are

Turn to page 8 f

From page 7

deeply connected. One of the books he has co-authored, Let There be Science, claims that God loves science and science needs God. I ask him to explain what this means.

‘Clearly God loves science, because he has – for some reason – designed a world that is discoverable,’ he says. ‘And he has given us the ability to make discoveries. That strikes me as a very generous thing for God to have done. He didn’t have to make the world this way. He could’ve made the world in such a way that we just already knew everything about it, but the fun of discovering things is like a gift from God.

a subject that he was good at. But when he began to look back through history, he saw the connection between science and God.

Science is a gift from God

‘I looked at how science developed over the years,’ he says, ‘who the people were who laid the foundations for it, what arguments they used to put those foundations down and who made the breakthroughs. In the history of science you see a very strong link between Christianity and scientific progress – which is ironic, because that’s the exact opposite of what people typically believe.’

Where did this false belief come from, I wonder.

and misrepresentations, which were only discovered by historians of science in the 1970s and ’80s. By that time, the stories had been in circulation so long that they sort of stuck in public consciousness. The first chapter of our book is called “Fooling the World”, and that is essentially what happened.’

David speaks at schools, conferences and churches on the topic, helping people to see that Christianity and science need each other. He is also interested in the question of whether humanity needs science to be saved.

‘There are only two answers to that question,’ he says. ‘Yes or no. And it depends on what is meant by the question.

‘At the same time, science needs God, because it would be hopeless to try to do science in a world that had not been created by a rational mind. In such a world, what hope would you have of understanding anything or being sure that what you’re understanding is true? We would just be objects of chance. We’d have no reason to trust our faculties or to think that the world was ordered. The science we do is based on these foundations.’

David says that in his early years of studying physics to degree level, he pursued science simply because it was

David responds: ‘Our book Of Popes and Unicorns looks at exactly that question. Why is it now so commonplace? Why did people think that the Church taught everyone the Earth was flat when it never did? Why do people think that the Church banned Greek and Roman learning, when they were the ones that kept it going?

‘Largely responsible for this are two American gentlemen called John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White. In the 1800s they both wrote books claiming that science and Christianity had always been opposed. Their books became bestsellers, but they were full of fabricated quotes, misunderstandings

‘Science saves millions of lives every year, and improves the quality of life for billions. It’s a wonderful thing, it’s a gift from God. But if the question is whether science can make it so that there’s no problem with humanity any more, the answer is no.

‘The fundamental problem with humanity is not a lack of technology, it’s a problem in our hearts – we are selfish, we can be cruel, unkind and greedy. No amount of science will change that. Christianity offers a unique solution: forgiveness and help to change your heart, which aren’t on offer in science. I love science, but I’m not relying on it to be my saviour. My saviour is Jesus Christ.’

‘Talking about my son helped me cope with my grief’

Mum of four SARAH BERGER was devastated to say goodbye to her teenage son after he was in a fatal car accident. But, while she wrestled with sorrow, the hope of new life in Heaven gave her comfort and peace

Interview by Claire Brine

IN the summer of 2009, Sarah Berger’s teenage son, Josiah, was full of excitement at the thought of leaving the family home in Tennessee to begin the adventure of university life in a new city. Days before he was due to commence his freshman year, he arranged to go out for the evening with some friends who would be departing for their different colleges. As he prepared to head out, he gave his mum a quick kiss on the cheek, said his goodbyes, then grabbed the car keys and was out the front door.

Twenty minutes later Josiah was rushed to hospital after suffering a severe head injury in a car accident. For the next few days his family and the wider church community prayed for him to be healed. But on 14 August, Josiah’s 19th birthday,

Sarah faced the news that her son had, as she says, ‘gone to live in Heaven’.

‘Seeing Josiah lying in that hospital bed was devastating,’ Sarah tells me over a transatlantic call. ‘Here was our beautiful son, looking perfect, with hardly any signs of injury. But he had been on life support, and right from the start, the doctors didn’t give us a lot of hope that he would pull through. As a family, we prayed for his healing, but I also understood that, quite probably, my son would be going to his eternal home. I sat by his bedside, whispering in his ear: “Josiah, do what the Father is telling you to do.” And in the end, God chose to take my son home.’

As Sarah faced the all-consuming grief of losing a child, she felt compelled to

Turn to page 10 f

Seeing him lying in hospital was devastating

Sarah and her son Josiah in 2008

From page 9

cling on to hope wherever she could find it. Prompted by her Christian faith, she decided not to focus her attention on learning the details of Josiah’s accident, but instead trusted that God would provide her with the healing comfort she needed.

‘We know very little about what happened to Josiah,’ she says. ‘No other vehicles were involved in the accident

and he was the only person in his car. He was driving down a familiar yet foggy country road and hit a tree. He had his seatbelt on, he wasn’t speeding and the airbag in the car inflated at the point of the crash. Maybe he hit a deer, as we have a lot of deer in this area. But we will never know what happened.

‘Although I had limited information, I felt instructed by God not to look back over the accident in an attempt to find more answers. I felt him saying to me: “You don’t need to know these things. What’s important for you is to move forwards in the knowledge that your son is alive in Heaven.”’

Though Sarah found peace and hope in the belief that Josiah was with his loving Father God, she still missed her son. Every morning, for 10 months, she wept ‘bitter tears’. She prayed constantly for help to get through each day.

‘What helped me to cope was talking about him,’ she explains. ‘It was so life-giving to hear Josiah’s name spoken aloud. As a family, we talk about him all the time because he is still part of the family – not “was”. He is still hilarious, brilliant, the life and soul of the party, but he’s just living on the other side of a very thin veil.’

Sarah believes that the decision to refer to her son only in the present tense, and to talk about him as being ‘alive in Heaven’ rather than using the word ‘dead’, has been crucial in helping her to navigate her grief. In her book

We will never know what happened

Hope in the Eleventh Hour, she says that the language people use around the subject of death is important for those who are mourning. I ask her to explain.

‘Within days of Josiah going to Heaven, a verse from the Bible kept going round my head, and it talks about “the body of Christ”, which means the Church,’ she says. ‘The word of God is very explicit about there being just one body of Christ, and when I realised that, I understood that God was saying to me, “You are still connected to your son. He is still part of the body of Christ, and so are you.”

of Heaven, a place in which God ‘will wipe all the tears’ from people’s eyes. Today Sarah wants to encourage other bereaved parents to turn to God to find hope and joy through their pain.

‘It’s OK to be angry in grief and to tell God about it,’ she says. ‘God can handle that. But it’s also worth challenging God.

Josiah is alive in Heaven

‘Josiah may be on Heaven’s side of that body and we, as his family, are living on the earthly side – but he is still alive. Believing that we are all together in one body of Christ brought healing to the huge wound of grief and separation that I had.’

Over the next weeks and months, Sarah drew on her faith to help her cope with the most painful bereavement she had ever experienced. She found peace in God’s all-encompassing love. She took comfort from the Bible’s description

‘The Bible talks about the importance of seeking God, asking for his help and “knocking on the door”. It’s about being relentless. You may not think you have the strength to go on when you’re grieving, but in Jesus Christ, you do. Maybe your prayer is just a groan, but eke it out. Beg God to help you. Knock. And watch him come through.’

Although 13 years have passed since her son’s accident, Sarah’s love for Josiah remains as tangible and strong as the love she has for her other three children. She enjoys talking openly about him and reflecting on precious memories the family shared together. She can recall with clarity the sound of Josiah’s voice. And, although she knows that she will never ‘get over’ her loss, she finds that

she is able to live each day with a heart full of joy.

‘Today the tears come far less frequently,’ she says. ‘Our culture suggests that I should, perhaps, feel guilty about that. But I believe that my tears come less frequently because I know that Josiah is linked to the body of Christ. He is alive in Heaven. One day, I know I’ll see him again in a place filled with joy, activity and peace.’

Sarah describes Josiah as ‘the life and soul of the party’

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’.

jBecoming 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

a thouNow, ther NO W, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Barbara Lang

Bringing up baby takes commitment

ONE thing I have learnt from watching nature, as well as people, is that it is hard work being a parent. The decision to have and then bring up a child needs to be taken seriously, as it is an enormous commitment to take on – a truth that many people will reflect on when Mother’s Day arrives on Sunday (19 March).

No matter how much medical science advances, each baby still needs to have a mother in order to grow until there is a chance of life outside the womb. But once that baby is born, their experience of their mother can be radically different from another baby’s. Some mothers are able to keep and cherish their babies. Others have to hand them over. Still others are too ill or did not make the journey through childbirth. Our experiences of mothers are all unique, whether wonderful and life-affirming or disappointing and cold.

But, whatever our relationship with our mother may have been, our life matters. It is important that we were born and that we were given the gift of life.

Some people don’t feel that assurance. They may feel sad and as if their life is unimportant or wasted. Sometimes a day such as Mother’s Day can remind them of those feelings. The sense of other people enjoying a happy day celebrating close relationships reinforces their feeling that their own life is joyless and, perhaps, even useless.

If that is you, I want to encourage you to take heart. I believe that each one of us is loved and cherished by God, who has known us not just since the day we were born, but even before that.

Praying to God, one Bible writer acknowledged, ‘You knit me together in my mother’s womb’ and, ‘Your eyes saw my unformed body’ (Psalm 139:13 and 16 New International Version).

But God’s interest and care for us does not stop once we are born. Regardless of what people may do, he is always there for us throughout our lives. His is a commitment we can always rely on.

Each one of us is loved

QUICK QUIZ

1 2 3 4 5 6

But hark!

Schools engage with the works of Shakespeare

Feature by Claire Brine

THERE will be much ado in primary schools across the UK when Shakespeare Week begins on Monday (20 March). Launched in 2014 by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the annual celebration was created to introduce children to the treasures of the Bard through fun events, such as interactive performances of his plays and dance and drama workshops.

To coincide with the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio – the original collection of his plays put together in one book – organisers of this year’s Shakespeare Week are running a writing competition. In Write Till Your Ink Be Dry, children are encouraged to record their Shakespeare-inspired writings in their own homemade books. Winning entries will be shared in an online exhibition, alongside the homemade books of children’s authors Michael Rosen and Marcia Williams.

If, rather than writing, the performed play’s the thing to enthuse young audiences, theatre groups are visiting schools to stage some of the Bard’s dramas. As actors bring the stories of Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello to life, children are prompted to explore the thoughts, motivations and words of some of the greatest characters in literature.

Which celebrity won Strictly Come Dancing last year?

Which football team is the subject of David Peace’s novel The Damned Utd?

In the periodic table, which element is represented by the letters Mg?

What was the name of William Shakespeare’s wife?

What was the first non-English language film to win best picture at the Oscars?

In which European city is the Rijksmuseum?

Children explore some of the greatest characters

‘If we can make Shakespeare’s work as accessible as possible, then children’s creativity can be unleashed and any barriers can be lifted,’ says Andy Reeves of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. He hopes children’s first encounter with Shakespeare will leave them wanting more throughout their lives.

Though penned more than 400 years ago, William Shakespeare’s work endures because it continues to inspire people with its insights into the world, as does all great literature – none more so than the Bible. Written thousands of years ago, the Bible contains revelatory words spoken by the historical figure Jesus, who taught people that God loved them, that he offered forgiveness for whatever they had done wrong and that he wanted them to access the gift of eternal life.

ourselves, we can receive God’s direction in every scenario, and a whole

1. Hamza Yassin. 2. Leeds Utd. 3. Magnesium.

4. Anne Hathaway. 5. Parasite. 6. Amsterdam.

The First Folio, which was published 400 years ago

Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon

PUZZLES

Quick CROSSWORD

Apple flapjacks

SERVES 4

MONEY WISE MEALS

EQUIPMENT

Scales

Potato peeler

Grater

Medium or large pan

Chopping board

Greaseproof paper

Oven tray,

INGREDIENTS

1 cooking apple, plus 1 for optional topping

50g butter

50g sugar

2tbsp golden syrup, plus 1tbsp for optional topping

1tsp cinnamon

200g porridge oats

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Peel and grate an apple and set aside. Melt the butter and sugar in a pan, then add 2tbsp golden syrup and cinnamon. Take the pan off the heat, then add the porridge oats and the grated apple to the mixture.

Cut the greaseproof paper so that it covers the tray, leaving enough to enable you to lift the flapjacks from the tray when ready.

Pour the mixture into the tray, spreading the mixture to the edges, then flatten to level. Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, checking occasionally.

Remove from the oven and slice into as many pieces as desired while hot, then allow to cool completely. For an optional topping, slice the remaining apple into as many thin slices as flapjack pieces and, when the flapjack has cooled, place 1 slice of apple on each slice of the flapjack.

Pour the remaining golden syrup into a pan on a medium heat and stir to heat through. Pour over the sliced apples on each flapjack piece and serve.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing