War Cry 22 June 2024

WAR CRY

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

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major

Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow

Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku

Staff Writer: Emily Bright

Staff Writer: Claire Brine

Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk

Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston

Graphic Designer: Mark Knight

Graphic Designer: Natalie Adkins

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

weekly by The Salvation Army © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory ISSN 0043-0226

The one where it all began for Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross was in 1994, when the very first episode of the classic TV comedy Friends was broadcast.

In the three decades since, millions of people have been enthralled and entertained as they’ve watched the show’s characters navigate their way through the ups and downs of their twenties and thirties over its 10 series.

Perhaps part of the show’s success is that friendship is something most people can relate to. Having people who are there for us is important, and we do well to place a high value on those special relationships.

As we discover in this week’s War Cry, it was the special relationship Shani Akilah has with her friends that inspired her to write her debut book, For Such a Time as This – a collection of short stories that cover themes such as friendship, community, mental health and, most importantly, faith.

‘As a writer I really wanted to write stories which people that I know could relate to,’ she tells us. ‘In terms of Black British contemporary fiction in particular, I hadn’t really read many stories about characters who have faith and are not weird. There are often stories of people who have grown up in church, and the negatives of that. But I’ve never seen characters who are cool and strong in their faith, and I wanted to show that.’

As Shani says, it is possible to be a Christian and not be weird –despite the stereotypes we sometimes see in popular culture. People of all personality types and all sorts of backgrounds have decided to follow Jesus and seen it make an incredible difference in their lives.

Being a Christian, though, does make a person different from those who aren’t. Faith gives them new purpose and direction. It helps them to live their life in a certain way. Best of all, when they put their trust in Jesus, they have found a friend who’ll always be there.

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 INFO

Your local Salvation Army centre

Culture shock

Newsreader’s joke lands him in trouble in ITV series

TV preview by Claire Brine

Arespectable man tells a joke at a family wedding. A guest who overhears it takes offence at the punchline they claim to be sexist. When they post on social media about the joke, it leads to massive consequences in ITV1’s new drama series Douglas Is Cancelled, which begins on Thursday (27 June).

After making his daily broadcast on Live At Six, newsreader Douglas Bellowes (Hugh Bonneville) steps off set to be met by his concerned producer Toby (Ben Miles), who alerts him to the fact that ‘there’s been a tweet’. It’s about the alleged sexist joke that Douglas told at the wedding. And it’s highly likely that the post will make national headlines.

Douglas explains that he can’t remember making any inappropriate jokes. And even if he did, he suspects the content was ‘completely harmless’. Unconvinced by the newsreader’s assurances, Toby urges Douglas to remember that when he’s in public, his job is to be ‘balanced, boring and bland’. Later that night, when Douglas arrives home, his wife, Sheila (Alex Kingston), wants to talk about the post. As a tabloid

editor, she knows that it’s gaining attention – and she blames Live at Six co-presenter Madeline (Karen Gillan).

‘By commenting on the tweet, she retweeted the tweet to two million people – most of whom would never have seen it any other way,’ she points out to her husband. She wonders what Madeline’s intentions are in drawing attention to the story. And she explains to Douglas that if people don’t believe that he’s innocent, he stands a chance of being ‘cancelled’. Will his career as a national treasure be over?

Commenting on the exploration of cancel culture in the series, screenwriter Steven Moffat explains that history is full of examples in which society engaged in the collective shunning of individuals who were perceived to have done something wrong.

‘We’ve always had cancel culture, but we didn’t have a name for it,’ he says. ‘It is literally thousands of years old. Tell Socrates or Jesus that it’s new. There’s nothing new about it at all.’

Steven’s right. But the ancient text of the Bible also features stories in which Jesus responded to cancel culture by

Douglas and Madeline are co-presenters –but can he trust her?

offering the world a different option. When people made mistakes, he said, society had the choice to grant them forgiveness. After all, no one is perfect. Everyone gets things wrong sometimes. Jesus emphasised his point further when he encountered a woman who had been caught in adultery. Just as the authorities were about to stone her to death for her wrongdoing, he said: ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her’ (John 8:7 New International Version).

Faced with their own mistakes, the accusing men fell silent, then walked away without condemning the woman. Jesus didn’t condemn her either – but forgave her wrongdoing and told her to leave her life of sin behind.

Similarly, when we make mistakes, Jesus will never cancel us if we turn to him and seek forgiveness. And once our mistakes have been wiped clean, he urges us to show the same level of forgiveness to others. He asks us to show love instead of judgement. Mercy instead of exclusion. Imagine the impact on our culture if we did.

j TEA M TALK

’

Windrush stories hit home

Claire Brine gives her take on a story that has caught the attention of War Cry reporters

The talk entitled ‘Archiving Black women’s experiences’ caught my eye. Held at Queen’s House in Greenwich to mark Windrush Day on Saturday (22 June), it’s one of many nationwide events designed to showcase the legacy of the Windrush generation in the UK.

The head of research and curatorship at the Royal Museums Greenwich, Helen Mears, will be taking to the stage with several expert speakers to discuss the failure of mainstream museums and archives to fully reflect the voices and perspectives of black women. The panel will also explore the creative strategies that can be applied to ensure that future historical accounts are more equitable than those of the past.

As a journalist, it sounds like the kind of a talk I’d want to go to. I love hearing stories about women from history. And as a white British woman, I find it inspiring to learn about a generation of women whose lives were shaped by different cultures and traditions to mine.

Clicking a little more around the Royal Museums Greenwich website, I stumbled across Shirley’s story.

As a teenager, Shirley Fox travelled from Jamaica to the UK in 1956 aboard the SS Irpinia. Despite facing racial prejudice at school, she excelled academically and went on to become the principal educational psychologist for Bexley. Impressive achievements for sure, but it was the way that Shirley described her love for both Jamaica and Britain that interested me the most. Both countries she considers as her home.

‘When I’m in Jamaica, I try to be Jamaican,’ she said. ‘I’d think I was Jamaican. But I’d come back to England [and it’s] different. I’m British.’

The fact that Shirley feels a sense of belonging in two countries, despite the difficult experiences of leaving one place and experiencing racism in another, warms my heart.

Feeling ‘at home’ is something we can take for granted, and it’s often said that people make a place. So I wonder if home is really about the connections we make. After all, humans were made to be together. Some of God’s earliest words in the Bible are that it is not good for people to be alone.

Perhaps we would be wise to see every day as an invitation for us to seek connection with others – no matter where in the world they come from.

Church wants birds in the belfry

A church is hosting nest boxes to boost the bird population, BBC News reports.

Bird enthusiasts have built a series of swift nest boxes for St Michael and All Angels Church in Bampton, Devon.

According to the RSPB, the swift population had declined by 53 per cent between 1995 and 2016.

Stuart McFadzean, a swift expert for Mid Devon Wildlife group, said a lack of nest sites was to blame.

Bampton resident Fiona Clark had the idea for the project after seeing swifts flying around the church tower and wondered ‘if maybe years ago they had access, and thought wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could again’.

Volunteers built the boxes and squeezed them up the narrow Victorian staircase of the church tower, to the belfry.

WAR talk talk Team talk Team talk

Common swift in flight

WAR CRY

Farm goes wild for environment

The Salvation Army’s Hadleigh Farm is teaming up with environmental regulator Natural England to undertake an ambitious rewilding project.

On nine areas of land on the farm in Essex, organisers of the scheme will introduce a number of plant species that are native to wet grasslands, as this is the preferred habitat for birds such as sparrows, skylarks, linnets, yellowhammers, grey partridges, wintering waders and wildfowl.

The Salvation Army also hopes that the restoration of the grasslands will encourage protected invertebrates – including the great crested newt and slow worms – to make Hadleigh Farm their home. It is intended that the project will transform 240 hectares of the 360 hectare estate.

Work on the rewilding project is set to last until the end of this year, and visitors should be able to enjoy the new space from various viewpoints early next year.

Community wardrobe clothes 300 people

A Salvation Army community wardrobe in central London has provided clothing to more than 300 people since last summer.

The church and charity’s Regent Hall centre has been distributing donations of pre-loved and new clothing and shoes to those who couldn’t otherwise afford them.

More than 90 children have been given school uniforms, with higher demand expected before the start of the new school year.

Open two days a week, the community wardrobe operates through referrals from Westminster council, food banks and community centres.

It has received support from high street store John Lewis and not-for-profit housing association Peabody. Commercial real estate company CBRE and property group Grosvenor Estates have also supplied volunteers for the project.

Personnel from Regent Hall display some of their stock

Michael Palin’s pew to pew tour

Sir Michael Palin is auctioning his services as a church tour guide to raise funds for the National Churches Trust.

The Monty Python star and his son Will Palin will guide the winning bidder and their guests around the Sheerness Dockyard Church in Kent, a 19th-century grade II listed church on the Isle of Sheppey. There will also be an opportunity to eat lunch with them afterwards.

Will Palin, who oversaw the church’s complete restoration after it was gutted by a fire in 2001, will bring his first-hand knowledge to the tour. Michael will draw on his many years of experience as vice-

Michael Palin

‘I wanted to write stories people could relate to’

Author SHANI AKILAH talks about the inspiration for her debut short story collection

Interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku

On a summer’s evening with a slight chill in the air, I joined one of my best friends, Shani Akilah, for the event that marked the start of her book tour. With another of our closest friends, we laughed and cried as we discussed friendship, community, mental health and faith.

These are all themes found in Shani’s debut collection of short stories, For Such a Time as This. Hailing from Woolwich, South London, Shani was inspired to write her stories by her hometown, her friends and family, and by the chapters of her own life, which include a stint as a serial bridesmaid, dating experiences and workplace challenges.

Her road to writing began about a year before the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time her stories are set. Prior to the book tour, we catch up on a video call and I ask Shani to tell me about her journey.

‘I’ve always loved writing,’ she says, ‘but in 2019 I met a writer called Bernadine Evaristo at a question and answer session at my local library. I was really inspired by what she shared and when we spoke afterwards I asked how I could develop my craft as a writer.

‘She said that writing short stories is great way to develop your craft and eventually write a novel. She suggested the importance of doing courses. She invited me to a masterclass she was running in the area. In the first session of that, I was like: “Oh my gosh, this is what I want to do.”

‘I took a short story course at City Lit, and then in the pandemic, I was inspired to write a story by one of my friends about a

Shani Akilah

character who has the sickle cell trait and meets a potential partner on a dating app. At the same time I was mentoring a young girl at my church who had sickle cell, so I learnt a lot about how the condition was affecting her.

‘That was the first story that gave me the inspiration to write a collection exploring how black millennials were navigating dating and love during the pandemic, and then over the years it broadened to include themes such as friendship, faith and mental health.’

While Shani had been encouraged to start writing short stories as a developmental practice, she ended up falling in love with the form and stuck with a collection, rather than a novel, for her debut book.

Though each story could be a standalone, each of them is connected and they have overlapping characters, with everyone gathering in the final story for a birthday celebration – much like the ones Shani hosts for her friends every year.

Some of those characters are inspired by people in Shani’s own life who she wanted to represent, including Christians like me and her.

‘As a writer I really wanted to create stories which people that I know could relate to,’ she tells me. ‘In terms of Black

British contemporary fiction in particular, I hadn’t really read many stories about characters who have faith and are not weird.

‘There are often stories of people who have grown up in church, and the negatives of that. But I’ve never seen characters who are cool and strong in their faith, and I wanted to show that.’

The character is a reflection of me

The title of the collection itself, For Such a Time as This, comes from words found in the Bible. I ask Shani to explain the meaning behind them.

‘There’s a story in my book featuring a character who is a Christian and speaks up during the height of Black Lives Matter and the period in Covid where there were reports that black people were four times more likely to die from the disease,’ she says.

‘The character uses her voice to bring about change in her organisation. The words come from Esther 4:14 in the Bible, a verse which has always resonated with me, and to some extent the character is a reflection of me and something I experienced in the workplace. I really

wanted to show how she uses her faith to strengthen her in a difficult situation. I also found that those words reflected the collection more widely in terms of the pandemic being a unique time in history.’

Shani’s Christian faith has strengthened her in many a difficult situation. She describes it as being ‘everything’ to her.

‘It’s been a really difficult few years post-pandemic,’ she says. ‘I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without my faith and my friendships. I’ve grown up in church, but as an adult I’ve really come to know God for myself in a way that you can take for granted. It’s only when you’re tested and you go through challenging times that you actually realise the significance of Bible verses or songs that you’ve grown up singing, actually realising that God is your strength for example, that God is your refuge. I owe everything to him.’

l For Such a Time as This is published by OneWorld Publications

Shani and her friends, Sarah and Akil

Seeing and

Two hundred years after the National Gallery opened in London, people queue up every day to see Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Turner’s Rain, Steam and Speed and Constable’s rural landscapes. But, wherever in the gallery a visitor finds themselves, somewhere in the background could well be a painting exploring a recurring theme in the collection.

‘I don’t think we can shy away from the fact that we’ve got a heavily Christian art collection, because that is part of the story of art in western Europe,’ says Dr Siobhán Jolley, the Howard and Roberta Ahmanson research fellow in art and religion at the gallery.

As part of her role, Siobhán helps put people in the picture about the religious art on its walls – on Monday (24 June), for instance, she will be giving a talk on a martyr at the centre of a Caravaggio painting.

‘We’re a European old masters collection, and for a long time Christianity was normative for the people who were commissioning these paintings and for those who were engaging with them,’ she says. ‘That’s not necessarily the case for us as a picture gallery in the UK in 2024, which means that the subject matter in many of our works can seem strange.

‘But we can help make sure that people don’t need to have an in-depth knowledge of theology to engage with them. One of the challenges and opportunities of my role is to meet people where they’re at –whether they are on a faith journey of whatever religious tradition or whether they have just popped in off the street

This year is the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery, where many of the images on display explore Christian stories and beliefs. Dr SIOBHÁN JOLLEY from the gallery gives some insights into its works, which offer a record of ‘the entanglement of Christianity and culture, and the entanglement of art and culture’

Interview by Philip Halcrow

and happen to find one of these works particularly beautiful.’

Art, says Siobhán, has been important in Christianity since the religion’s early years.

‘We know that depictions of Jesus start happening around the year 300. Images were being used in catacombs and private funerary contexts well before we start seeing mosaics in public settings.

Wealthy families wanted Christian art

‘Eventually, though, a reciprocal relationship developed. The significance of Christianity meant that there was a huge amount of patronage from churches and from wealthy families who wanted to commission Christian art.

In turn, the patronage drove the innovation of artistic practice, because artists were motivated to please their patrons and their own creativity while tackling the theological questions of the day.’

Siobhán says that there are two main types of Christian art represented in the gallery’s collection.

‘Firstly, there are works that were commissioned to sit on the altar of a church or a private chapel.

‘These altarpieces could communicate something of the nature of the setting –so quite often we’ll see altarpieces with depictions of the saints to whom the church is dedicated – but they could also be a jumping-off point for preaching.’

The second main type of images are the ones created for private devotion.

‘These can be the smaller objects that were designed to give people something

Dr Siobhán Jolley

believing

to focus on while they were praying,’ says Siobhán. ‘A nice example is a work by Federico Barocci, which we think was made for the room that’s actually shown in the painting.

‘We see trends for depicting the Virgin and Christ child in images made for women’s spaces and children’s spaces. In Italy there was also a huge uptake in subjects like the young Christ and the young John the Baptist, because treatises

The Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca c 1437–1445

‘Piero is one of the greats,’ says Siobhán. ‘He’s really excellent at maths and perspective, and that’s at play here: this is the central panel of an altarpiece, and, when you approach it, Piero has placed you in the river with Christ.

‘This painting is a nice example of one of the reasons that images of Christ’s baptism became so popular. There had been a trend of Christians waiting until just before their death to be baptised – their thinking was that they could get their sins removed and then not get into any more trouble. The Church was concerned by the trend and was saying: “No, you can get baptised sooner. Come and participate.”

‘So there was a resurgence of depictions of John baptising Jesus as a kind of call to other Christians. Piero knows this – and he has placed us in the water with Christ.

‘There are a few other things I love about this. You can see Piero’s home town, Borgo Sansepolcro, in the background, which was founded by two pilgrims on their way back from the Holy Land. It was said that they sheltered under a tree and had a religious vision and so founded the town.

‘Piero uses the tree in a clever way in his depiction of Jesus’ baptism as a moment of divine revelation. The Gospels say that when Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens open, the Spirit descends on him like a dove and a voice says, “This is my Son”, but they are ambiguous about who hears that, who sees that. So, in some sense, it’s an internal moment – and what is happening is obscured from us by the tree, because the dove is descending from behind it. By painting it in this way, Piero captures the tension between the belief of Christ as human and divine.

were being published about how children should model their behaviour on them.’

So much of the art in the National Gallery’s collection represents ‘a record of Christianity’s interactions with culture’, says Siobhán.

‘The entanglement of Christianity and culture, and the entanglement of art and culture, mean that it’s impossible to understand the history of one without understanding the history of the other.’

‘What is also interesting, though, is that the type of baptising that John is doing in the painting is not the type of Jewish baptism that the historical John would have performed, which would have required a full immersion and self-immersion. The Christian practice of pouring water is what Piero’s audience would recognise.’

Noli me Tangere by Titian c 1514

‘This is a moment that’s repeated time and time again across the history of Christian art – so many works are derivative of this composition,’ says Siobhán. ‘It’s the moment of encounter between the risen Christ and Mary Magdalene in the garden after his resurrection.

‘The title Noli me Tangere is Latin for “Do not hold on to me” – which is a Latin Bible translation of a Greek phrase which really means “Do not cling to me”. The Gospel of John tells us that Mary Magdalene at first mistakes the resurrected Christ for a gardener, but that, after she recognises him, he tells her, “Do not cling to me” – and Titian does a really nice job of representing the physical and emotional resonances of that. Mary Magdalene’s hand is sort of recoiling, and Christ is gathering that cape around himself. Titian puts us in that moment.

‘Titian knows his Scripture, so he has given Christ the gardener’s staff, but it seems an unusual tool and I think it looks a little like a shepherd’s crook. There are also sheep in the field behind. So we’ve got resonances of Christ as being like a good shepherd – which is what is shown in really the first formulated images of Christ that we see in the history of art.

‘If you look at the tree, it’s returning to life on the side where Christ stands – a nod to his resurrection.

‘And Titian has given us this Italian countryside and town in the background. So he has painted this extraordinary moment of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene but set it as if it could happen to anyone – as if anyone could wander a little bit out of town and happen upon the risen Christ.’

The Madonna of the Cat by Federico Barocci c 1575

Siobhán says that some people find Barocci ‘a little bit too saccharine’, but she thinks he is ‘savvy and does a good job of adapting to his audience’. Some of his other works ‘are very different in terms of depth and tone’.

Siobhán explains: ‘We think this is commissioned for a domestic space, for a family room where women and children would be, so he has really amped up the pastel tones. The room in the background is probably where this painting would have been placed when originally commissioned.

‘It’s a very domestic scene with this beautiful interaction between the infant John the Baptist and the Christ child. It’s a smart work, because if you wanted it just as something nice on the wall of your palazzo, then it’s very sweet, with the children playing. But when you look at the detail, you start to pick up some dark tones.

‘The pole in the background to the left is a “reed cross”, which you usually see being held in paintings by the adult John the Baptist as the forerunner of Christ. In this painting he’s holding a goldfinch, which, according to tradition, gets the red spot on its face from having been splashed by the blood of Christ at the crucifixion.

‘The cat serves a double purpose. The family’s crest was a rampant lion, so Barocci is maybe playing with that idea. But also the cat is about to pounce – and the fact that this moment is tearing the infant Christ away from the Virgin suddenly gives depth and darkness to the scene. It reveals the tension at the heart of the Christian story which – according to the Gospels –is one of utter love and utter sacrifice.’

The Supper at Emmaus by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio 1601

Asked which one National Gallery work sums up best what Christianity is about, Siobhán chooses The Supper at Emmaus – which, as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations, is one of the paintings that has been sent out to different parts of the UK as a ‘national treasure’.

Caravaggio’s masterpiece –currently at the Ulster Museum in Belfast – ‘captures a few key points’ about the Christian faith, says Siobhán, in its depiction of how the resurrected Christ was recognised by two disciples at the moment he broke bread with them.

‘Christ is at the centre of the painting. And he’s not as we

expect to see him. He is depicted without a beard, which caused a scandal when it was first presented – the sort of scandal that Caravaggio loved. So it’s an immediate challenge to the viewer to recognise him and not recognise him.’

Siobhán says that the painting depicts ‘the heart of Christianity’ that Christ is with people in the world.

‘The whole scene is set in the dayto-day world. There is an innkeeper in the scene who doesn’t know what’s happening and is confused. The two disciples are reacting in different ways.

‘And they are all around a table in fellowship with one another – but there’s space at the front of the table, which invites the viewer to join in.’

Christ is at the centre of the painting

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’.

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

BOO K REVIEW

Choosing to Float

Clare Campbell-Cooper C3 Publishing

A book about someone’s experience of grief will most likely be a difficult read, but Clare Campbell-Cooper tells her story with such a beautiful lyricism and poignancy that you can’t put it down.

In some 150 pages, she recounts the experience of getting married in her 20s to the love of her life, David, and shortly afterwards discovering that he had a brain tumour. Over the next 13 years, Clare and David went through periods of relative stability and intense times of great suffering when David’s condition most acutely took its toll.

The couple welcomed a son into the world and navigated parenthood in the face of severe illness. Clare writes in incredible detail about the love and strength of their relationship, but also about the devastation of seeing her husband’s decline in health, and all the griefs that occur along the way, even before somebody dies.

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

What stands out in the book is the appreciation she holds for the friends and family who supported her throughout the challenges. She writes of them all tenderly, listing the specific ways in which they showed care in her most difficult days. As David experienced seizures, procedures and the loss of certain functions, he needed increasing support from Clare. Throughout those times she found that her loved ones stepped in with practical, emotional and spiritual help.

She, and especially David, were strengthened by their Christian faith. She writes: ‘The deep bedrock of David’s faith was a saving factor for us on many occasions and something we both clung to.’ It also gave them hope and belief for what was to come: ‘the afterlife; where love triumphs and our souls are cleansed.’

Three years on from David’s death, Clare has known that grief comes in waves. In her work as a clinical doctor, she has shared the insights learnt through David’s illness, to help others living with his conditions. She is still held by her friends and family, and is still holding on to faith.

Now Clare has written this book, a beautiful testament to her late husband and the difficult road they walked together, that will no doubt touch people’s lives, inspire their thinking and fuel their faith.

To receive basic reading about Christianity and information about The Salvation Army, complete this coupon and send it to

War Cry 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ

Name

Address Looking

Or email your name and postal address to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

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

Sarah Olowofoyeku

QUICK QUIZ

1 2 3 4 5 6

Who directed the two most recent Dune films?

Which band had a No 1 hit single in 1964 with ‘Little Red Rooster’?

How many member countries make up the United Nations Security Council?

Who wrote the novel You Are Here?

Which country won the women’s Six Nations grand slam this year?

Bing and Yahoo are what type of websites?

All together now

Glastonbury unites fans under the banner of music

Feature by Emily Bright

Glastonbury – the UK’s biggest music festival – is back from Wednesday (26 June). Pop musician Dua Lipa, rock band Coldplay and soul singer-songwriter SZA are headlining the event, which draws a crowd of 210,000 fans every year.

With 3,000 performances across dozens of stages, there’s something for everyone. There are sets from long-established names such as country star Shania Twain, Noughties acts such as Keane and Avril Lavigne, and those who have risen to popular acclaim more recently, including rapper Little Simz.

Whether fans are young or old, looking for rock or rap, they all share a love of music. Glastonbury is a unifying event where everyone is welcome. In a world marked by division, that’s noteworthy.

Music has always held the power to bring people together and offers a way to express and evoke strong emotions that we all experience. Festivals such as Glastonbury set the stage for a sense of belonging, whether that’s with friends or other fans.

But milestone musical moments are nothing new. People have always appreciated the power of song. In the world’s bestselling book, the Bible, songwriters waxed lyrical about how their faith meant everything to them and how they found a sense of belonging in it.

Through their lyrics, one such musician encouraged people to ‘Worship the Lord with joy; come before him with happy songs.’ They said the reason for such joy was that God ‘made us and we belong to him’ (Psalm 100:2 and 3 Good News Bible). They found fulfilment and a sense of identity in their relationship with their Creator.

The resounding truth, which has echoed throughout history, is that God loves and accepts us completely, regardless of who we are or what we may have done.

He invites us into a joyful relationship with him, based not on our circumstances, but in the truth that he treasures us as his children. If we put him centre stage in our lives, we’ll experience a resounding love which will transform our world view for the better. That’s surely music to our ears.

PUZZLES

Quick CROSSWORD

(5)

Jealous. 5. Petty. 7. Censure.

Spasm. 10. Nail. 11. Accident. 13. Prying. 14. Clutch. 17. Reporter. 19. Tame. 21. Droop. 22. Sadness. 23. Greed. 24. Relayed. DOWN: 2. Annuity. 3.

Vegetable tagliatelle

INGREDIENTS

100g mangetout, sliced

METHOD

100g broccoli, diced

100g asparagus, roughly chopped

100g broad beans

½ bunch spring onions, thinly sliced

75g red onion, thinly sliced

25g butter

1 garlic clove, minced

75ml double cream

125ml milk

10g fresh parsley, finely chopped

10g fresh oregano, finely chopped

200g cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and ground black pepper

200g tagliatelle pasta

10g fresh basil, finely chopped, to garnish

Steam the mangetout, broccoli, asparagus, broad beans and spring onions using a heatproof basket in a pot, or place in a steamer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and rinse the vegetables in cold water, drain and leave to dry. Mix in the red onion, then set aside.

To make the sauce, gently sauté the butter and garlic in a pan over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the double cream and milk and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the parsley, oregano and half of the cheese. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with the salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente, then drain. Add the cooked pasta and vegetables to the sauce in the pan and cook on a low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring until combined and warmed through.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of some of the remaining 100g cheese and the basil over each.

Marmalade cake

INGREDIENTS

3 medium eggs

200g self-raising flour

175g caster sugar

175g salted butter or margarine

250g orange marmalade

200g 70 per cent

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170C/Gas Mark 5. Line a 20cm baking tray with parchment paper. Break the eggs into a bowl and add the flour, sugar and butter. Whisk together until light and fluffy. Tip the mixture into the baking tray. Smooth out the top of the mixture, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until risen and slightly firm. Remove and leave to cool.

Tip the marmalade into a bowl and whisk briefly with a fork to break down and make smooth, then pour over the top of the sponge. Place the cake on the tray in the fridge to set.

Melt the chocolate by placing it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring

Remove the cake from the fridge and pour the chocolate over it, ensuring the chocolate is evenly spread on top.

Leave to set, then remove from the tin by lifting the edges of the parchment

We get one shot at life; so live it boldly. Life is an amazing gift

Bear Grylls