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.
QUESTIONS come thick and fast when Anne Hegerty appears on ITV’s quiz show The Chase. Yet Anne – one of the show’s Chasers – usually wins the race with contestants to give enough correct responses to questions on history, science, art, sport or whatever else comes up. Not for nothing is she known as ‘the Governess’. In this week’s issue of the War Cry, Anne talks about how, when she was in her teens, she read up on one particular subject. She tells us: ‘I started reading CS Lewis books, including The Screwtape Letters, Miracles and Mere Christianity.’ These works of popular theology had a lasting effect. She says: ‘I thought: “This is all true!”’ Over time, Anne explored the subject further and became a Christian. ‘My faith isn’t about a strong emotional pull,’ she says. ‘I don’t think I could trust a faith that I found too congenial. If everything about it really suited me, I’d start to think I had made it up. I think faith has to be slightly abrasive. It has to ask me to do things I don’t want to do.’ It is likely that every Christian finds some aspects of their faith easier than others – however, one thing they know is that it is not some abstract piece of knowledge untethered from reality, but is instead something that motivates them to ‘do things’. The Rev Pat Allerton did something during the first Covid-19 lockdown last year. He went round London’s streets with a speaker system, praying the Lord’s Prayer and playing a recording of Judy Collins singing ‘Amazing Grace’. He tells us: ‘I wanted to do something beautiful and momentary that would bring us together when we were in lockdown and couldn’t leave our homes – a visual and audio statement of hope… It seemed to connect with a lot of people, showing the power of the gospel when they needed it most.’ Life can be challenging. But the gospel ad the War C e re ry continually inspires people to ‘do things’ v ’ u to try to ensure that others’ needs are answered.
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 7552
When yo
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 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
6
INFO Your local Salvation Army centre
2 • WAR CRY • 20 November 2021
PASS IT ON f
not hy ,w
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
8
O 15
FEATURES
3
Don’t look back in anger
Tension and joy in Beatles series
5
The young ones
World Children’s Day
6
Street life
The priest who played ‘Amazing Grace’
during lockdown
8
Right here, right now
Chaser is answering questions
REGULARS
4 War Cry World 12 Team Talk 13 Keys of the Kingdom 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: IMAGE FIRST