War Cry 20 January 2024

TV’s Vera has a cold case to solve

WAR CRY

20 January 2024 50p/60c

Searching for safety Film centres on new mum trying to survive disaster

How a chaplain supports her team

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 7662

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 FOR football fans, a season’s excitement is not only made up of who will win the cups or league titles – there is also plenty of drama to be found in the relegation scraps For players, though, relegation can have serious consequences. When Reading were relegated from the Women’s Super League last year it meant that the players could not be kept on in a full-time capacity. The drop down to the Championship had serious financial and professional implications for the squad. Some of the players had to consider their future as internationals as well as the need to pay the bills.

There were significant decisions to be made, and at such times players sometimes speak to the club’s chaplain, Angy King.

‘It’s often when people are having to make decisions – such as at the end of last season – that they will come to a chaplain,’ she tells us in an interview in this week’s War Cry. ‘Because we are neutral, we work for the people at the club rather than the club itself. Obviously we want the club to do well, but our top priority is the welfare of the people who are there.’

Angy has been the chaplain at Reading for a decade, and she offers support to people ranging from first-team players through to members of the younger teams and their parents. The issues she handles are varied too and include bereavement and internet grooming. She believes that working as a chaplain in football is something God wants her to do.

‘Being a chaplain is about taking God’s love and compassion into an environment and seeing how he wants to use you,’ she says. ‘I’m there to be a support for the players and the staff in whatever way I can.’

A non-religious workplace or any secular organisation may seem a surprising place to find someone working for God. But the reality is that God is interested in all areas of life, and he wants people to know that he is there for them, whatever their daily routine.

When you’ve read the War Cry, why not pass it on ➔ ➔ ➔

Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ Tel: 0845 634 0101 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Lyndon Buckingham Territorial leaders: Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn 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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FEATURES

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Dramatic escapism New mum faces apocalyptic peril in film

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Enterprisingly good Community interest company brings positive change

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Helping to tackle challenges The work of a football club’s chaplain

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INFO 15 Your local Salvation Army centre

CONTENTS

13 Batter investigations TV detective has a chip shop murder to solve REGULARS

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War Cry World

12 Hands Together, Eyes Closed 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: SIGNATURE ENTERTAINMENT

The couple on their first date

SIGNATURE ENTERTAINMENT

Together for ever?

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HE arrival of a baby is often one of the happiest moments of a person’s life. But in dystopian drama The End We Start From, out now in cinemas, the birth of a couple’s first child is tinged with sadness and anxiety. London is disappearing under apocalyptic floodwater, and when the woman (Jodie Comer) and man (Joel Fry) realise they can’t return to their flat, they flee the city.

The man builds a new home for his wife and son, Zeb (the only character named in the film), in his parents’ outhouse in the countryside. For a while they survive off hoarded supplies, but after a few months they have to travel to the city to restock.

However, the trip reveals the worst in humanity.

After the man experiences extreme trauma, he and the woman decide to relocate to pastures new. But it won’t be without challenges. The army-run shelter that they find won’t accept the whole family as the space is already overrun with other refugees. They’re forced to split up.

When her husband doesn’t visit, the woman becomes worried. What happens next sets her on a quest for survival for herself and her son.

Along the way, she makes friends with a fellow single mum (Katherine Waterston).

Apocalyptic events overtake one young mother in new dystopian drama featuring Jodie Comer Film feature by Emily Bright

Together, they try to get their lives back on track and find somewhere safe to bring up their children.

The woman will have to process her past trauma and pain and rely on others to see her through.

Jodie explains that her character ‘gets to where she gets to because of her strength, but also because of the people she meets along the way’.

She says: ‘As a society, we do need other people to get through things, to get through times of trouble.

Especially with the pandemic over the past couple of years, there is definitely a sense that teamwork prevails.’

Many people would agree about the power of teamwork. It often helps us to have the support and encouragement of others as we embark on the toughest challenges in our lives.

The help of another person can

strengthen us, but there is someone in particular who can provide us with everything we need: God. No one knows the names of the person or people who wrote it, but one Bible passage highlights the truth that God can be relied upon. ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble,’ it says. ‘Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea’ (Psalm 46:1 and 2 New International Version).

It speaks of a certainty that God would remain faithful and always be there for those who trusted him, even when hard times came. The same can be true for us today too.

If we let God into our lives, we’ll find a companion who will support us through our darkest days. He’ll never leave us and will provide everything we need to survive.

It’s a relationship worth discovering.

The help of another can strengthen us

20 January 2024 • WAR CRY • 3

Warm welcome at Salvation Army THE Salvation Army’s church in Sheringham has joined the list of centres across the country that offer a warm space.

Opening every Thursday from 10am to 1pm, the space enables people not only to keep warm, but also to have a free hot drink or snack and meet new people. It also provides opportunities to take part in board games, read the papers, use wi-fi, speak to church leaders or enjoy a time of quiet reflection.

Simon Fenn, a community manager for the church and charity in Sheringham, said the initiative would complement the centre’s existing community programme and ‘offer a comprehensive, person-centred approach’ that demonstrated ‘God’s unconditional love and compassion’.

KUDOS FILM/ITV1

WAR CRY

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Poverty ‘neglected’ by politicians TACKLING poverty at home and overseas should be a priority for political leaders ahead of the general election later this year, according to a statement issued by Christian leaders.

The statement, signed by church ministers – including Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main, leaders of The Salvation Army in the UK – and representatives of charities Tearfund, Christian Aid and Cafod, states that the cost of failing to take action immediately is ‘too big and damaging to ignore’.

It argues that the root causes of poverty ‘have been neglected by our political leaders in the UK parliament for too long,’ saying: ‘We know that poverty is not inevitable – it’s a consequence of political choices and priorities. With a general election on the horizon, we call on our political leaders to make tackling poverty a priority.

‘In line with our existing commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this should include setting out clear plans to eradicate extreme poverty and reduce overall poverty by at least half, in both the UK and globally, by 2030.’

Actor’s role prompts rethink ACTOR Shia LaBeouf has made a commitment to the Christian faith by being received into the Catholic Church in a ceremony of confirmation.

In a YouTube interview with Bishop Robert Barron in 2022, the 37-year-old spoke of how he had developed a love for the faith while playing Franciscan friar Padre Pio in a biopic. He had been going through a dark time, but after he had completed filming he took weekly formation classes in the Catholic Church.

In the interview, he described how, before coming to faith, he was suicidal. He said: ‘My life was a complete mess, I’d hurt a lot of people. I felt deep shame and deep guilt.’

The star of the Transformers film series had been in trouble several times with the law. He is currently facing a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, who has accused him of being physically abusive.

He was confirmed by the Capuchin Franciscan Friars’ Western American Province, which announced the news on its social media accounts. It said that the actor had ‘embarked on a profound spiritual journey’, adding: ‘We believe in the transformative power of faith and the incredible impact it can have on one’s life.’

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TV vicar has dramatic crisis of faith A MOTORCYCLE accident is leading to a ‘crisis of faith’ for the Rev Will Davenport, played by Tom Brittney, in the ITV1 crime drama Grantchester, which continues next Thursday (25 January).

Before the launch of the latest series, Tom revealed that a devastating action was set to send countryside vicar Will ‘down a dark path’, causing him to question his religious beliefs.

‘This thing happens,’ says Tom. ‘It just destroys the way Will thinks of himself, because this action, whether it was an accident or on purpose, in the eyes of God and everyone else, he believes it’s unforgivable. He’s questioning whether God or anyone can ever love him again.’

Despite Will’s spiritual struggle, ITV says that the eighth series of Grantchester will tell stories of ‘faith, forgiveness and redemption’.

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

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Social enterprises rebuild lives

Richard Beard

RICHARD BEARD, CEO of Jericho, explains how and why a church group decided to create a different kind of business empire Interview by Emily Bright

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RED-LIGHT district in south Birmingham – the territory of kerb-crawlers, drug dealers and other criminals – is perhaps an unexpected place for a churchgoer to take a stroll. But 35 years ago, that’s exactly where members of a Baptist church chose to walk.

‘They felt called by God to reach out to the folks in Balsall Heath,’ explains Richard Beard, CEO of community interest company Jericho. ‘They were inspired by the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho to walk round and round the red-light district, praying for people within it.’

The Bible tells how God instructed a leader called Joshua to march his men around the walls of an enemy city, Jericho, for seven days. On the seventh day, the priests were to blow their trumpets and the people were to shout. God promised that the walls would fall, enabling Joshua to take the city. While the strategy seems bizarre, it worked.

Richard says that, having walked in Balsall Heath, the church members then decided to ‘turn prayer into action’ by opening a drop-in centre where people working in the drugs or sex trade could go for a shoulder to cry on, a cup of tea and a piece of cake.

‘It became our mission to break down barriers to employment,’ he says. ‘Many of the people who walked into the drop-in centre wanted to escape the sex trade, a life of crime or dependency on benefits.

‘They wanted to be earning an independent income, but they couldn’t, because they couldn’t get a job. What started as a drop-in centre gradually morphed into a job club.’

Many of the people attending the job club were trapped in unemployment: they couldn’t get a job because they had never been employed or they had no relevant work experience.

The church group decided to set up Jericho, a series of social enterprises which could provide work experience, employment

They were inspired by the story of Joshua

Turn to page 6 f

20 January 2024 • WAR CRY • 5

From page 5 and support for those people. In the late 1990s, Jericho bought a building along the road from the Baptist church and opened a supermarket, textiles project and printing business.

‘We employed some of the more hardcore clients who couldn’t get a break,’ says Richard, ‘and we started mentoring them, helping them with their family situations and their debt. We would help them put together a CV and with applications, write them a reference, and then support them in their transition into mainstream work.’

Jericho has run many different social enterprises over the years. Construction is now their biggest business.

‘We do extensions, house refurbs and a bit of new build,’ says Richard, who is also managing director for the construction business.

‘We refurbish churches, we build community centres and doctors’ surgeries.

We’ve done lots of kitchens and bathrooms and social housing. There are a whole range of regular building projects. We’ve got a track record of doing high-quality work.’

Jericho Construction offers apprenticeships to young people, enabling them to become qualified plumbers, electricians and carpenters. One beneficiary of the enterprise

was a young man with ADHD, who struggled to sit still and learn in a classroom. His head teacher referred him to Jericho after striking a compromise with him.

‘The school recognised that mainstream education wasn’t really for him,’ explains Richard. ‘They basically told him: “If you come to school three days a week and do your maths and English, we will let you go and work for Jericho Construction two days a week on a building site.”

‘That gave him the enthusiasm to stick at school, and he ended up getting his GCSEs in English and maths. We then brought him on full-time in an apprenticeship programme with Jericho.

‘Over the course of the next couple of years, he got himself through a carpentry apprenticeship. He went on to work for somebody else, and he’s now working successfully as a freelance carpenter.’

Jericho also runs other enterprises.

Re-users takes second-hand items that would otherwise end up in landfill, scrubs them up and sells them in its large department store. Wood Shack, a wood recycling business in Sutton Coldfield, charges builders for taking away waste wood. Its employees process the wood and sell it as DIY material or make it into something else – such as a bird box or

We’ve got a track record of high-quality work

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bench – for people to purchase.

There’s also Jericho Cleaning, which holds contracts with construction site offices, social housing and churches, and Miracle Laundry, a laundrette site which provides employment training and apprenticeships.

Richard says that Miracle Laundry is planning to open an eco-laundrette, which he hopes will be ‘the most environmentally friendly in the country’. The aim is to use energy-efficient dryers and low-energy washing machines, and to offer chemicalfree dry cleaning.

Another sector in which Jericho works is hospitality.

‘We’ve got Change Kitchen, a joint venture which does vegetarian and vegan event catering for weddings, corporate buffets and the like,’ says Richard. ‘It reinvests some of the profits into providing free healthy cooked meals for people who are struggling with food poverty.

‘We do some healthy-eating training, particularly focused on vulnerable people and those living in hostel accommodation, and run some contracts to cook meals for kids during school holidays.’

As part of a surplus food network in Birmingham, Change Kitchen is also keen to reduce the amount of food that ends up in landfill.

A core aim of Jericho is to provide not just employment, but also practical

support. Richard cites the example of Jericho’s employment-focused recovery programme, Equiano Plus, for survivors of modern slavery.

‘Once someone has completed their time in a safe house, some of which are run

by The Salvation Army, they need to move on and start to rebuild their life,’ he says.

‘We help survivors of modern slavery with a whole raft of different things – accommodation, setting up bank accounts, registering with GPs, English language, trauma recovery.

‘We’re the antidote to slavery because people are in a properly paid job in a supportive, nurturing social enterprise environment, which is exactly the opposite of what they knew while they were in slavery. Then we can support them into work elsewhere.’

At the heart of all Jericho does is the faith that helped found it.

Richard says: ‘Jesus came for those at the margins of society, the lost, the people struggling with poverty, poor mental health and low self-esteem. Our main purpose is to be Jesus to people, and to express God’s love and redemption. We believe in a God of second chances.’

As he works to give other people a second chance, Richard has relied on his faith to keep him going when business has looked bleak.

‘Over the years, there have been many times when we’ve thought about giving up,’ he says. ‘That really drives you to your

knees, literally and metaphorically. And that’s the point at which the most amazing things have happened.

‘Money would appear from nowhere.

We’d stare at the figures, thinking: “There’s no way out of this, we’re going to have to close.” Then God responds and an anonymous donation drops into place.

Suddenly there’s hope.

‘God always provides. I believe God wants to prosper Jericho. He has been so faithful in sustaining us and helping us to flourish.’

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She believes As chaplain of Reading FC Women, ANGY KING aims to support players, staff and others connected with the club, which has experienced highs and lows at a time when the women’s game has been going through huge changes.

She tells how being a chaplain ‘is about taking God’s love and compassion into an environment’ NEIL GRAHAM AT NGSPORTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Interview by Philip Halcrow

Angy King

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N the role she plays at Reading FC, Angy King covers a lot of areas.

Sometimes she will be pitchside at training, talking with parents of players in the younger age groups. At other times she will be in the gym, checking on the wellbeing of members of the squad who have been sidelined by injury. On an away match day, she will be travelling on the bus with the team.

‘Like all chaplains, I will help out in whatever way I can,’ she says.

As chaplain to Reading Women for the past decade, Angy has been supporting players who are trying to make their way in a game that has been going through big changes domestically and at international level.

Before moving into chaplaincy, Angy worked as a PE teacher, although she says she always thought of her main role as being that of a mother. When her children

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left home, she became aware of a feeling that she needed to move into a different field.

Angy had become a Christian 40 years earlier, discovering a purpose for living at a time when pressures had led her to contemplate ending her life. So, when trying to work out what to do instead of teaching, she prayed for direction.

After her footballer son – Welsh international Andy King – began his illustrious Leicester City career, she got to know those who served as the club’s chaplains. One of them would talk excitedly about a parttime master’s degree in sports chaplaincy and pastoral care that he was taking at the University of Gloucestershire. Angy listened with interest, but without any thoughts of becoming a chaplain herself.

‘Then my husband and I were driving back from Wales early in the morning after watching my son play,’ she remembers.

‘We were on the M4 and went past a sign for Gloucester – and I heard a light click on in my head and God say: “You’re going to do that course.”’

Angy signed up. She came into contact with other chaplains, who spotted her potential. They knew that she understood the footballing world. She was introduced to the chaplain of her local league side, Reading, who invited her to join a weekly prayer meeting at the stadium.

Those who attended the prayer meetings began to press for Angy to become chaplain to the women’s team. Eventually the club asked Angy to do a presentation to players, who could decide whether she should be brought into the set-up.

I’ll visit the injured players in the gym

NEIL GRAHAM AT NGSPORTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Reading Women in action against Lewes in the Championship earlier this season ‘I got them to ask me questions,’ says Angy. One of them asked, “Have you done a lot of this?” I said: “Absolutely none.

I have no idea what I’m doing. We’d be learning together.” They seemed happy with that. So I went into the club just to listen and to see what God wanted me to do – which is still the approach I take every day.

‘Being a chaplain is about taking God’s love and compassion into an environment and seeing how he wants to use you. I’m there to be a support for the players and the staff in whatever way I can.’

To be a support, Angy builds relationships with those around the club. Often the conversations are casual catch-ups, but sometimes football brings an important issue into focus.

‘For instance, injuries are big things in professional sport, because you want to play,’ she says. ‘If you have a long-term

injury and are out between 9 and 12 months, it can be very difficult. An injured player is not out of the club – because they’re doing rehab – but it’s hard for them to be stuck in the gym day after day when everybody else is out on the pitch. So usually first thing in the morning when I go in, I’ll try to visit the injured players in the gym.

‘As in every situation, some people will want to talk to a chaplain; others won’t. I don’t force myself on people.

I just try to make sure they know they can come to me.

‘When it comes to performance issues, I get people coming to me who aren’t playing but feel they should be.

‘It helps that chaplains are neutral. If one of the girls isn’t playing, they can ask the manager why, but they can’t rant and rave at the manager and let their feelings out. They may be able to talk with their

families, but their families aren’t in the club and so don’t know what it’s like.

But I stand and watch training and games, so players know that I see what’s going on in the club, and they also know that I don’t have any say in whether they play or not. They know that they can chat to me, they can rant if they’re cross about things, and I will understand and listen to them.

‘Sometimes I can maybe help them see a different perspective; sometimes I can’t. But I can sympathise.’

Angy highlights another issue that players have had to confront as the women’s game has gone through changes as part of its growth.

‘When I’d been chaplain about three years, we won the Championship, which meant that we went into WSL,

Turn to page 10 f

20 January 2024 • WAR CRY • 9

PA IMAGES/ALAMY

From page 9 so we went full-time.

‘The problem that players had was that when we were in the Championship, we were part-time. We just trained in the evening, 8 till 10. Some of them had very good jobs and were well paid. Now they were being given the chance to play full-time professional football. It’s what they all would want to do. But it would mean they would have to give up their well-paid careers and take a massive pay cut, because women’s football is not very well paid.

‘For some of them, going professional was a big decision. Most of them did it and took the pay cut.

‘We’d stayed in WSL until last year, when we went back down to the Championship, and that presented another problem, because we went back to being parttime. Most players in WSL also play at international level, and international teams want their players to be training full-time, not part-time. So some of our players left because they needed to be playing full-time football and others left because they needed to earn full-time money. They couldn’t afford to go part-time.

‘It’s often when people are having to make decisions – such as at the end of last season – that they will come to a chaplain. Because we are neutral, we work for the

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people at the club rather than the club itself. Obviously we want the club to do well, but our top priority is the welfare of the people who are there. So when players have wanted to talk about their futures, I wouldn’t tell them to leave or stay – I would just try to help them see things from as many perspectives as possible.’

Although when Angy started her Royals appointment she was focused on the first team, she has been happy to fill other roles. When she turned up to watch the first team train in the early days, another opportunity presented itself.

‘When we were only part-time, the development squad – those aged from about 16 to 20 – would have training just before the first-team players. So when the development squad finished training, I would sit round and chat to them, and I began to watch their training. I’d pick up cones, collect balls and hang around after training in case anyone wanted to chat about anything. I ended up being chaplain to both those teams.

‘Then they introduced a regional talent centre for various age groups, from under-10s to under-16s. When I went along and introduced myself to some parents, they said it was lovely that I was going to be their new chaplain – it wasn’t what I had intended but I carried on doing it!

‘Our academy is now a full-time programme with fulltime school alongside full-time football, and I try to go in and see everyone there.’

Her link-ups with the younger sides are different from those with the first team.

‘The contact tends to be more with the parents, because

Players have wanted to talk about their futures

NEIL GRAHAM AT NGSPORTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

the parents arrive with their daughter, who then goes straight on to the pitch,’ she says. ‘I do watch the girls train and learn their names, but I don’t get a lot of chance to chat with them unless they’re injured. I mainly chat to the parents who are watching.’

And, as she is with everyone else at the club, Angy is ready to help with the challenges they may face.

‘I chatted to one family for about four years. We talked about anything and everything – holidays, family life, seemingly nothing significant. I was just building relationships.

‘Then out of the blue, their daughter was groomed on the internet, and they had to let the club know, because on one occasion she was wearing the Reading logo on her shirt. The person who was organising the younger teams asked if they wanted me to contact them, and they said yes.

‘For two weeks, I spoke with her mother every day.

She was traumatised by what had happened to her daughter, because they were a very close family.

‘Parents also sometimes ask me to see their child if they’re particularly anxious about anything, whether it’s to do with football or school. I meet the daughter with their parents, either at the club or at a coffee shop, and we chat about whatever is making them anxious.

‘One girl lost her mum, so the coach and I went to the funeral, and I have stayed in contact with her dad since then.’

Angy emphasises that she is sensitive to what people want to talk about. She does not routinely raise the subject of God with people who would not want to talk about such matters. There are, however, some at the club who make a point of combining faith with football.

‘We have three Christians in the team this year,’ says Angy.

Reading Women, who play their home games at the Select Car Leasing Stadium

‘Because we play on a Sunday, they can’t make church, so we meet for a little Bible study and prayer once a fortnight.

‘And on match days, when they walk round the pitch to see what it’s like before a game, I usually go with them and we pray. We don’t pray to win – God might have other plans – but we do pray that they will play well, that there won’t be any bad injuries, that they’ll be positive and that they’ll be respectful towards the opposition and to the referee, because sometimes in the heat of the moment that can be quite hard. And we pray that fans will have safe journeys.’

Whether or not someone wants to talk about faith, Angy aims to stay alert to pick up on their needs.

‘Everyone has different issues at home and at the club,’ she says. ‘Every day before I go in, I pray: “Lord, show me who you want me to speak to, show me who needs support, help me be a good listener and give me the words to speak into their situation.”’

20 January 2024 • WAR CRY • 11

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, 1 Champion Park, Lon­don SE5 8FJ. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

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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.

Hands together, eyes closed Andrew Stone looks at the Lord’s Prayer

Which art in Heaven IN the film Top Hat Fred Astaire sang that he was ‘in heaven’ when he danced cheek to cheek with Ginger Rogers. He did not mean that he had died, just that he thought there was nothing better than to dance with a beautiful woman in his arms.

Fred is not the only one to have spoken in such terms. Sports fans are ‘in heaven’ when their team wins an important game. For others, heaven is eating their favourite food or enjoying the company of good friends. We may sometimes imagine that Heaven is a place where we are able to do our favourite things and have all the important people in our lives with us.

The Bible writers picture Heaven in a number of ways. They seem to be trying to describe the indescribable. In the Book of Revelation, for instance, the writer paints scenes with angels, cherubim and incredible creatures on seas of crystal. There are also emerald rainbows and a city of pure gold.

In the Lord’s Prayer, though, we are reminded about the most important aspect of Heaven – that God is there. And if God is there, we can be certain that it is the perfect place to be. Jesus described Heaven as his Father’s house and told his followers: ‘My Our Father, which art in Heaven, Father’s house has many rooms…

Hallowed be thy name, I am going there to prepare a place Thy Kingdom come, for you’ (John 14:2 New International Thy will be done, in earth as it is Version). in Heaven.

If we become one of Jesus’ Give us this day our daily bread; followers, he promises to prepare And forgive us our trespasses, a place for us in Heaven, as well as As we forgive them that being a constant companion in the trespass against us; here and now. We may not know And lead us not into temptation, exactly what Heaven will look like, But deliver us from evil. but we can be certain that it is a For thine is the Kingdom, place of true happiness, where Jesus the power, and the glory, will be – a place without ‘mourning For ever and ever. or crying or pain’ (Revelation 21:4).

Amen Doesn’t that sound heavenly!

It is the perfect place to be

Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

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Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Or email your name and postal address to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 20 January 2024

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Detective chips away at investigation Vera faces a chilling case TV feature by Claire Brine

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HE body of a man who owned a chippy is found in the shop’s freezer. Locals knew the victim as a successful entrepreneur and committed family man. But secrets, lies and some shocking behaviour are about to be uncovered in the last episode in the latest series of the long-running ITV1 crime drama Vera, due to be broadcast on Sunday (21 January).

As this new investigation gets under way, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) begins to unwrap some unsavoury truths about the owner of the chip shop. He had debts. He broke promises. He ruined people’s lives. He interfered in family business that had nothing to do with him. But the question of who’s responsible for his death is proving difficult to answer.

Despite the puzzling elements of the case in front of her, Vera is determined to continue in her search for answers. It’s what she does. Giving up is not in her nature. She knows that if she wants to learn the truth, then she needs to keep looking for it.

The same rule applies when it comes to matters of faith. If we want to know more about who God is and the difference he can make in our lives, then we have to pursue him. Rather than sitting still, we need to be active in our approach.

In the Bible, God says: ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13 New International Version).

When we talk to God in prayer – and invite him to guide us through life – we can begin to uncover the truth of the depth of his love for us. When we say sorry for our past mistakes, he forgives our bad behaviour, keeping no record of wrongs. He offers us the strength to become better, kinder people. He promises to bring us joy in difficult times and peace in troubles.

Those who investigate the truth of God with a pure heart, an open mind and a willing spirit are bound to find him.

Giving up is not in her nature

20 January 2024 • WAR CRY • 13

1. Julian of Norwich. 2. Ed Sheeran. 3. The Elizabeth Line.

4. 1863. 5. Holy Island. 6. Albert Square.

PUZZLES Quick CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Walk heavily (5) 5. Pal (5) 8. Also-ran (5) 9. Frighten (5) 10. Pending (5) 11. Spanish farewell (5) 12. Gentlewoman (4) 15. Rotten (6) 17. Sword (5) 18. Tantalised (6) 20. Jest (4) 25. Interior (5) 26. Circus jester (5) 27. Live (5) 28. Similar (5) 29. Not drunk (5) 30. Bestower (5) DOWN 1. Cushion decoration (6) 2. Astounded (6) 3. Fold (5) 4. Savoury jelly (5) 5. Abrupt (7) 6. Deviation (6) 7. Bawled (6) 13. Consumed (3)

SUDOKU

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

9 7 6 3 4 8 4 1 2 3 3 4 8 9 9 2 3 6 9 7 2 2 3 4 1 7 2 9 5 3 5 14. Possessed (3) 15. Snoop (3) 16. Irritate (3) 17. Study group (7) 18. Pathways (6) 19. Poise (6)

21. Choice (6) 22. Newspaper manager (6) 23. Forge block (5) 24. Dogma (5)

M O B HONEYC

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

1. State between solid and gas 2. Untidy mixture 3. Make a journey 4. Optical illusion 5. Big wheel inventor 6. Burnt piece of coal

ANSWERS 8 7 9 2 1 6 5 4 3

2 6 4 3 9 5 7 8 1

5 3 1 4 7 8 2 6 9

3 4 2 7 6 9 8 1 5

1 8 6 5 2 3 9 7 4

9 5 7 8 4 1 3 2 6

6 2 3 1 5 7 4 9 8

4 9 8 6 3 2 1 5 7

7 1 5 9 8 4 6 3 2

HONEYCOMB 1. Liquid. 2. Jumble. 3. Travel.

4. Mirage. 5. Ferris. 6. Cinder.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Tramp. 5. Buddy. 8. Loser. 9. Scare.

10. Until. 11. Adios. 12. Lady. 15. Putrid. 17. Sabre.

18. Teased. 20. Joke. 25. Inner. 26. Clown. 27. Exist.

28. Alike. 29. Sober. 30. Donor.

DOWN: 1. Tassel. 2. Amazed. 3. Pleat. 4. Aspic.

5. Brusque. 6. Detour. 7. Yelled. 13. Ate. 14. Had. 15. Pry. 16. Irk. 17. Seminar. 18. Tracks. 19. Aplomb.

21. Option. 22. Editor. 23. Anvil. 24. Creed.

14 • WAR CRY • 20 January 2024

W RDSEARCH 8 2 5 3 1 9 6 4 7 7 6 3 4 8 5 2 9 1 9 4 1 2 6 7 3 8 5 Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid 2 to 3find 4these 7 Abba 5 songs 8 1 6 9 1 9 7 6 2 4 5 3 8 EUGACQX ANGE L E Y E S S X M R Z F N X6C T5 S 8J U9O 3 Q M1U U 7 O 2R 4 MQ G H H X Q I V P Y Y A Q F Z QO 5 7 2 8 9 3 4 1 6 I Q I A V V Z T Z QOMY O K V G N G W S F N Q4N 8 I Q 6M M1 D 7 E H2N Y9 Z 5E 3 E Z UWB R Z UWA Z N N N Q F F S 3 1 9 5 4 6 8 7 2 M F P Z P A QQME O E O A S Z L F M B E C Z O C I Y R S B MM N Z Q C I DRGBX AHNDZ P Y EQRNZ GQ T A K E A C H A N C E ONME P E S RKDB S V C E U V N F SWV F MOOQ P R T J Z V Z V O T D D O I MS U Z F Z Z V Q A K QM L C HMS I RP V J NX F I HRE Y E F F DC GHE ZRQZKQ I ZQEGKZ PQ QSRNE EUQGN I CNAD T J Y U L V O A P Q H D K A X OM F K K C R OO L R E T AWK R I N G R I N G

ANGELEYES CHIQUITITA DANCING QUEEN FERNANDO GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! I HAVE A DREAM MAMMA MIA

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY ONE OF US RING RING SOS SUPER TROUPER TAKE A CHANCE ON ME WATERLOO

5 7 2 9 5 3

SERVES 4

Gardener’s pie INGREDIENTS

METHOD

1tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

1 onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 400g can chopped tomatoes 400g can haricot beans, drained and rinsed 300g frozen mixed vegetables 150ml reduced-salt vegetable stock

Stir in the tomatoes, beans, vegetables, stock, thyme and some pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Tip into an ovenproof dish and arrange the potatoes over the top.

Sprinkle with the cheese and place under the grill for 7 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve immediately.

2tsp dried thyme Freshly ground black pepper 2 x 550g cans new potatoes in water, drained and sliced lengthways 50g reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated

SERVES 4

Minestrone soup INGREDIENTS

METHOD

100g wholewheat spaghetti

Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until al dente, then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside until needed.

Oil spray 1 medium onion 2 courgettes, diced 2 large carrots, diced 400g can chopped tomatoes 500ml reduced-salt vegetable stock ½ tsp dried mixed herbs

Spray a large non-stick saucepan with the oil and place over a medium heat to warm.

Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to soften, then add the courgettes and carrots and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce the temperature, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Tip the spaghetti into the saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

410g can cannellini beans, drained 100g kale or Savoy cabbage, finely shredded Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the World Cancer Research Fund website wcrf-uk.org 20 January 2024 • WAR CRY • 15

The end of one thing opens the door for the beginning of another Joyce Meyer

WAR CRY