War Cry 24 June

WAR CRY

Oh hippy day

Film shows a time when outsiders found faith

‘Windrush generation faced struggles but succeeded’

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 7633

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

LAST week newspapers reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook joked at a press conference that he thought he spotted an iPhone in a 17th-century painting by Pieter de Hooch.

However, the name of the painting – Man Handing a Letter to a Woman in the Entrance Hall of a House – suggested that it was the earlier form of communication that the man was holding and that people could enjoy the picture knowing it was historically accurate.

Historical accuracy is important for two people who speak to us in this week’s War Cry

On the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush to Britain, Richard Reddie tells us about the people from Caribbean countries who were looking to start a new life in the ‘mother country’. Many of them, though, did not receive a warm welcome, as Richard knows from his own family’s experience.

‘I remember my mum saying that they just couldn’t get a house anywhere,’ he says. ‘People wouldn’t sell them their houses because it would be a case of “There goes the neighbourhood”.’

Sadly, these new arrivals weren’t welcomed in all churches either.

In another interview this week, film producer Jon Erwin tells us about his latest release, Jesus Revolution, which depicts a Christian revival amongst hippies in California in the late 1960s and early ’70s. The film portrays the tensions that existed between the newly converted hippies and the established church congregations.

‘The response to hippies was, “Take a bath, cut your hair, get a job and then maybe you can come to church,”’ Jon says, before telling us how one pastor ‘threw his doors open to a group that he didn’t understand’. His welcoming church, Jon says, ‘was where God was moving’.

The film is a reminder that the message of Christianity is that people are accepted, loved and valued by God, whoever they are and whatever their history.

INFO INFO

Games on

PLAY on! That’s the message behind National School Sports Week, which promotes to young people the importance of keeping active in school so that they are able to reach their full potential. Since Monday (19 June) organisers at the Youth Sport Trust have been encouraging children aged over five not only to ‘play for fun’, but also to ‘play for 60’ – which is the government’s recommended number of minutes for exercise per day.

This year, to help jazz up their ordinary PE lessons, a number of schools have invited athletes to visit their gyms and sports fields to share their passion for fitness with pupils. Former British boxing champion Rachael Mackenzie and former world champion inline skater Jenna Downing are among those taking part in special assemblies, sports days and Q and A sessions. By encouraging the young people to get moving each day, they are hoping to help them develop healthy habits that last a lifetime.

Schools see fit to encourage sport among pupils

Feature by Claire Brine

say, daily physical activity ‘should be an integral part of every childhood’ as it helps young people ‘lead happier and healthier lives’.

As well as benefiting kids, keeping fit is vital for adults too – and not only in terms of our physical and mental health. Rob Moye, a sports mission specialist for The Salvation Army (and a keen runner), says that exercise is helpful for people spiritually.

‘Sport brings people together and is great for creating that sense of belonging,’ he tells the War Cry. ‘But it can also help us as individuals to find sanctuary and restoration.

Children are leading sedentary lives

‘Children are leading increasingly sedentary lives,’ says Alison Oliver, the chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust. ‘Screen time is up and time spent in nature is down.’ But, she goes on to

If you’re running, for example, out in the forest, on the beach or by a river, you have the opportunity to take time out of this busy world. There’s space to stop, pause and reflect.

‘For me, running is when I encounter something of who God is – and I can feel his Holy Spirit working in my life.’

Rob also believes that the connection between faith and keeping active is explored in the Bible. He refers to a story in which the early Church leader, Paul, taught a group of non-believers about the love of God.

Urging them to discover the truth themselves, Paul said that God is close to everyone, so much so that it is in him that ‘we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28 New International Version).

Rob adds: ‘Whether our movement is fast or slow, God can speak to us as we live out our daily lives.’

He’s right. On a walk, in the pool, at home with dumb-bells and even if we’re just at rest, God is always with us, waiting for us to connect with him. When we work on strengthening our relationship, we can experience his power, peace and purpose as we face any obstacle ahead. And in the times when we underperform or make mistakes, his gentle coaching will help us get our life back on track.

Whether we’re sports fans or not, teaming up with God is a move we can all make. The ball’s in our court.

Gemma Howell took part in last year’s sports week

j TEA M TALK

‘ ’

Grave stunt made a point about connection

Sarah Olowofoyeku gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

SOME of us may have thought it would be interesting to attend our own funeral – just to see who came and what they said about us. I certainly have. But my attention was piqued when I read about one TikTok user who actually did show up at his own funeral.

David Baerten, a TikToker from Belgium, faked his own death ‘so he could be filmed turning up at his funeral in a helicopter to teach his wider family a lesson about staying in touch’, reported The Times

He pulled off the stunt with the help of his wife and children, and it elicited a range of reactions from his extended family – and from social media users all over the world when a mourner posted a video that went viral, showing David being embraced by emotional family members.

Nobody wants to feel unseen

The report recounted David’s explanation of his actions. He said: ‘What I see in my family often hurts me. I never get invited to anything. Nobody sees me. We all grew apart. I felt unappreciated. That’s why I wanted to give them a life lesson and show them that you shouldn’t wait until someone is dead to meet up with them.’

While I don’t know how I would have reacted if I had been one of David’s family members, a part of me can understand his motivation.

Nobody wants to feel unseen or unappreciated. In the age of social media, it is easy to like someone’s post on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok and feel as though we have connected with them. It is easy, too, to get caught up in our own lives – bogged down in our work or focused on what’s going on in our own homes, whether repairs or raising children.

But it’s important to work on our relationships with other people; to do our best to make sure that no one in our lives feels unseen or unappreciated while they are still here.

Jesus said it best when he gave his golden rule to his followers: ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12 New International Version).

It’s a precept rooted in love, an encouragement to reach out and show kindness and grace to others, because wouldn’t we want the same done to us?

Team talk Team talk

Recycled help for transport service

A DONATION from The Salvation Army’s trading arm has allowed a bus service for vulnerable people to resume operations, reports the Northamptonshire Telegraph.

The Wellibus is a door-to-door transport service that helps vulnerable people get around Wellingborough.

Rachael Underwood, transport co-ordinator at Shire Community Services, said: ‘Eighty per cent of our passengers come and do their shopping, or they go on a trip or out for Sunday lunch. That’s the only time most of our passengers leave the house and see other people.’

The £1,299 donation came from the nine SATCoL clothing banks placed across Wellingborough and its surrounding areas last year, collecting nearly 17 tonnes of clothes, shoes and textiles.

Old church makes reappearance

RESEARCHERS have discovered a church that disappeared under floodwater almost 700 years ago, reports Newsweek.

According to the online magazine, the medieval church was thought to have been part of the trading settlement of Rungholt, which was submerged during a storm in 1362. It lies off the coast of Germany, beneath the Wadden Sea.

Rungholt’s exact location – and its existence – had been the subject of debate, and the discovery of the church, which may have sat at the centre of the settlement, has provided a fuller picture.

Researcher Hanna Hadler, of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, said: ‘The sheer size and central location of the church confirm and strengthen the political, clerical and also economic importance of the settlement.’

WAR talk talk

WAR CRYWnRLD

Robbed food bank receives royal ‘love and support’

THE Prince and Princess of Wales offered to restock a food bank run by a church in Swansea after its supplies were stolen, ITV News reported.

The Rev Steven Bunting of St Thomas Church said that the theft had left the food bank unable to meet demand. But since it was reported, support has been flooding in from the community and further afield.

He told ITV News: ‘It’s been crazy, the response. It’s been so hard to be discouraged when we’ve been surrounded by so much love and generosity.

‘The Prince and Princess of Wales contacted us earlier to offer their love and support as well. They would like to replace the food that was taken.’

William and Kate last year stopped by the church during their first visit to Wales after being named Prince and Princess of Wales.

When asked what his message would be to whoever took the supplies, Mr Bunting said: ‘My message would be to come here, have a cup of tea on us and we’d really like to help you change your life, to turn it around from the desperate situation you’re in.’

Workshop gives byte-sized training

DIGITAL skills workshops run by The Salvation Army in Norfolk are helping people to complete online applications for jobs, education, housing and healthcare.

The church and charity holds classes during its Employment Plus sessions in Thetford twice a week, providing a welcoming and safe space with internet

access to those lacking confidence in computer skills.

Lahra Kravitz, who oversees the sessions, was able to support a woman who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Lahra said: ‘She was tearful and told me that she feared she would need to terminate her employment, and that she felt unsure about the future. I spoke to her and explained how cancer treatment plans are created, and what support is available. I supported her with her universal credit application and cost of living support.

‘Her cancer treatment is going well, and her treatment plan tells us that she will be able to work September or October time. When the time comes, I will be ready to support her with setting and achieving job-searching goals.’

Digital skills workshops are also taking place across the county in other Salvation Army churches in Diss, Norwich, Sheringham and Stowmarket.

nPROFESSOR Peter Hennessy selected the choral piece ‘How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place’, from Brahms’ Requiem, when he appeared as a guest on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs

The contemporary historian and former Times journalist –who grew up in a Catholic family – said of his chosen track: ‘It’s to remind me of my faith, if I need reminding. And I don’t want to say something facetious or silly on the threshold of the pearly gates. It might offend people, you see. So this will get me in the right frame of mind, rather than upsetting the archangels with some wisecrack.’

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The royal couple with the Rev Steve Bunting at St Thomas Church

PA IMAGES/ALAMY

Interview by Sarah Olowofoyeku

Singing the

THEY often feature at events marking significant milestones, such as weddings and funerals. Some children still sing them at school each morning. In 2019, ‘Jerusalem’ was voted the nation’s favourite.

Hymns have accompanied many people in their lives at different times.

Pippa Cramer, the pastoral care and seniors minister at Holy Trinity Claygate Church in Surrey, played on the familiarity of hymns in her work with older people by creating a resource to help them.

The idea for Hymns We Love arose when Pippa was in the Hebrides and learnt about the revival experienced in the region in the mid-20th century. She discovered hundreds of people had attended church services that lasted through the night, encountering God and having their lives changed for good.

‘I met a couple of older ladies who

remembered those extraordinary times,’ says Pippa. ‘One of them said that in the Hebrides, families would have what they call family time, where they would read the Bible together and learn Scriptures by rote. When the revival hit, those Bible verses somehow came to light and people really understood, perhaps for the first time, what they meant.

‘I wondered if this could work with hymns, whether these wonderful old hymns that many learnt when they were children could help convey the gospel to older people.’

Pippa has been ministering to older people for many years.

‘We’ve got so much to learn from them; they’ve lived such interesting lives and my heart breaks that this precious generation

seem to be overlooked and marginalised,’ she says.

Having felt the need to reach out to older people, Pippa, with her husband Steve, set up a group at their church called Connections.

With the idea of songs from childhood stirring in her mind, Pippa came up with a resource called Hymns We Love, a series of videos, each based on a different hymn. In every video, Pippa interviews an older person who has found the hymn to be helpful, the hymn is sung, then Steve gives a talk, the hymn is sung again and Pippa says a closing prayer.

‘One example is “The Lord is my Shepherd,”’ says Pippa. ‘The lady in the video talks about how, when she was struggling with cancer and in awful pain, she used to hum the hymn and sing the

The hymn was a help when she was in pain

Pippa Cramer

PIPPA CRAMER, the pastoral care and seniors minister at Holy Trinity Claygate Church, has created a resource to help older people find comfort, using the hymns they may have sung as children

praises of hy mns

words, and it was a comfort and a help.

‘There are lots of wonderful messages behind each of the sessions and hymns,’ Pippa says, ‘but that hymn particularly resonates with our older friends. It is based on Psalm 23 and it shows how God cares for his people like sheep. He travels every step of our lives with us, through the good and the hard times, and he brings us safely to our eternal home. As we get older, life can get increasingly hard and the message behind this hymn can be such a support.’

them. So the circle of people around them shrinks dramatically.

‘I’d also say ill health and frailty are issues. Since the pandemic, lack of confidence has been a biggie. I’ve known so many people struggling because they have just got used to being at home, and that leads into the loneliness and isolation.’

Loneliness and isolation is a huge issue

In her work with older people, Pippa has found some common struggles.

‘Loneliness and isolation is a huge issue,’ she says. ‘As they draw closer to the end of their lives, lots of their friends, as well as spouses, might die before

The Hymns We Love series gently introduces its audience to the Christian faith or moves them along in their faith journey. Pippa believes that Christianity can ‘bring God’s hope and comfort’ to those areas in which older people may be struggling.

She says: ‘I long for those who are older and perhaps nearing the end of their lives to be given the opportunity to hear the gospel and discover how amazing God is. I’m in admiration of

people who don’t know Jesus, because life is so hard and I can’t imagine life without him. Knowing that he is with me always, helping, guiding, supporting and comforting me is the best news ever. He is everything to me.

‘I want to share the news of Jesus with others. Through the series we are offering people the opportunity to have a relationship with him, to discover more about how much he loves them and to gain comfort, peace and strength from that relationship.’

l Hymns We Love is available from thegoodbook.co.uk

Pippa welcomes guests to a ‘Hymns We Love’ session

California Dreamin’

Film producer JON ERWIN explains why his latest release Jesus Revolution, which tells the story of Christian revival amongst hippies in the US, can speak to our society today

Interview by Emily Bright

‘AGENERATIONAL quest for truth and for meaning’ is how US film producer Jon Erwin describes the Christian revival that took place in California in the late 1960s and early ’70s. It inspired his film, Jesus Revolution, which was released in cinemas yesterday (Friday 23 June). Based on a true story, the film follows the lives of pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer) and a young man called Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney), who were transformed by the movement.

Chuck is pastor of a prim and proper congregation, and rails against a generation which ‘casts off authority, casts off traditions, casts off morals’. But

when he is introduced to a Christian hippy called Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), he reassesses his world view.

Meanwhile, teenager Greg is searching for something more in his life. He falls in love with a girl called Cathe Martin (Anna Grace Barlow). Together they get caught up in the hippy movement. But their encounter with Christianity transforms their lives in ways that neither of them could have imagined.

Jon recalls the real-life inspiration for his film: ‘I remember when I read the Time magazine cover article from 1971, I was

blown away by the hope and optimism that leapt off the page. I couldn’t help but think that the times we live in now are similar.

‘We live in a divided world, where we’re asking: “Where are the answers, where is hope?” The spiritual awakening that swept America and eventually spread around the world brought a sense of hope, purpose and love with it. We need that today.’

Jon believes that, at its heart, the countercultural revolution in the ’70s was a quest for truth.

‘To me,’ he says, ‘what I love about it is Christianity’s power to change lives. It is a life-changing truth, and for people like Greg and Cathe, it radically transformed their lives.’

While the story of the Californian revival has since resonated around the world, Jon explains

Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee meet for the first time

CTMG. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Jon Erwin

that churchgoers at the time were cynical about sharing the gospel with hippies.

‘The response to hippies was, “Take a bath, cut your hair, get a job and then maybe you can come to church”. But Chuck Smith threw his doors open to a group that he didn’t understand, and it was where God was moving.’

Jon believes that, like Chuck, people should remain open to how God can shape their lives in the most surprising ways. In the Californian revival, for instance, God brought together two very different groups: Christians adhering to traditional values and countercultural hippies.

in Jesus Revolution, which thought they had nothing in common, came together in a movement, and it was a spark that lit the fire of a nationwide revival.

God uses flawed people

‘The Bible says: “Behold, I am doing a new thing.” And sometimes God moves in unexpected ways and in unexpected places. Bono’s spiritual adviser once told him: “Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Just find out what God is doing and get involved in it.” God was moving in America in places that were unconventional, with hippies.’

his wife’s cancer diagnosis in I Still Believe and singer Bart Millard learning to forgive his abusive father in I Can Only Imagine

‘I want to tell stories that are authentic,’ Jon says. ‘I love the story of Jesus Revolution and felt it was deeply personal and relatable in that God uses flawed people to do extraordinary things together. Many of us think that we’re ordinary, or we’re not talented enough, or there’s something we’ve done or struggled with that prohibits us from being used by God. But that’s just not true.

‘The Bible is full of a bunch of curious characters who were very flawed but who just said yes to God’s calling. That’s a liberating thing to realise.’

‘If we want God to move in our time, we need to be prepared to get outside of our comfort zone,’ he says. ‘The two groups

Jon and his brother Andrew, who co-produced Jesus Revolution, are no strangers to creating films based on the true stories of US Christians. Their previous film credits include the accounts of musician Jeremy Camp grappling with Turn to page 10 f

So, in Jesus Revolution, Jon didn’t want to shy away from showing all aspects of

Chuck invites hippies into his church

From page 9

the characters’ lives: good and bad.

‘I really wanted to dive into the humanity and flaws of the characters. There’s power in true stories, because you instantly start thinking that if it happened for them, it can happen for me.

‘I hope that many people, including myself, can engage with a story like this and that God can use me too, through my talents and abilities, imperfect as they are. His plan is much bigger, and I have a part in it.’

Jon hopes that any support of Christians for the film will help it to reach cinemagoers. ‘The best way to get the gospel to the world through entertainment is when Christians go and see the movies,’ he says.

‘Film is the second-largest export of the US, so when the Christian community rallies around something and makes it into a hit in America, it goes all round the world. If something becomes popular, people go and see it.’

The film’s cinematic release in the US has encouraged people to explore faith.

‘There have been more than 400,000 responses from people seeing the movie and asking for spiritual help afterwards. The film is being pushed out to the globe in ways that continue to surprise and astound us.’

Jon thinks that this interest in finding out more about Christianity may echo a wider spiritual hunger, which has been charted by research in the States. ‘A couple of surveys which just came out in America show that there is this sudden surge in spiritual hunger,’ he says. ‘Even though there’s a decline in church attendance, there’s a real hunger for answers, hope and meaning.

‘I believe that the ultimate answer to that hunger is in the gospel and in Jesus Christ. And there’s never been a better

Hippy Lonnie Frisbee becomes one of the movement’s leaders

opportunity to share that, because we’re able to make these films better and better, spend more money on them and get movie stars in them, and they can be seen by more people.

‘There is this moment where we’re finally able to get up on our feet in faithbased entertainment and I think that that’s matching a moment of spiritual hunger in culture.’

Jon’s own spiritual hunger for knowledge about Jesus began at a young age, growing up in Birmingham, Alabama.

‘My parents are great and incredibly devout,’ he says. ‘I was in church every time it was open and accepted Christ into my life at the age of five. Faith has always been a huge part of my life, and I try to bring that into my work.’

Jon and his brother began their film-

making careers as sports cameramen, before becoming music video directors. Then, while he was directing action sequences on a Christian film called Courageous, Jon was approached by the director of the film, Alex Kendrick. ‘He asked me: “Jon, what’s the purpose in the purpose of your work?” That was the moment I really fused my career with my life’s calling, and I began to pour my beliefs into the work.’

His vocational approach to film-making and faith shapes the stories he wants to tell on screen.

‘If you’re going to put 18, 24 months of your life into something, you want it to matter,’ he explains. ‘So I’ve got to fully believe in the stories that we tell and what they can do in people’s lives.

‘The truth, message and meaning of the gospel – the word means “good news” –

is that there’s hope, and that there’s something that could change your life for the better, as it did in the lives of the characters. It certainly has in mine as well. That’s what I love communicating in the story.’

Jon hopes that, as UK cinemagoers watch Jesus Revolution from this weekend, they will enjoy the film. ‘But beyond that, I hope that this movie leaves audiences with a deep sense that if revival happened before, it can happen again, and maybe that some of the answers that we need were in the pages of that Time magazine cover story, so many years ago.

‘It is a privilege to entertain audiences and to tell stories. But there is this extra layer of being able to infuse these stories with something we deeply believe in. The greatest thing that I can infuse my work with is the gospel, because it is the ultimate manifestation of hope. I think that’s what people really need.’

Greg Laurie and Cathe Martin fall in love

There’s a real hunger for answers

YOUR prayers are requested for Henry, that he will be safe.

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

se a change

Interview by Philip Halcrow

LIFE for the people who disembarked from HMT Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948 and for those who followed in their wake was not always easy. They experienced discrimination when looking for housing and employment. They encountered in-your-face racism. ‘Yes they struggled,’ says Richard Reddie, ‘but they succeeded.’

As the 75th anniversary of Windrush approached, Richard, who is director of justice and inclusion at ecumenical group Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, was invited to join the steering group of the Windrush 75 network, which has been bringing together organisations to celebrate this moment in UK history. Churches are among the groups holding events throughout the week and into the weekend, and Richard also helped arrange the national service of thanksgiving at Southwark Cathedral.

The Windrush 75 network, says Richard, wants to recognise that the arrival of the ship, which brought more than 800 passengers from the Caribbean, was a ‘pivotal moment in the rise of multi-ethnic Britain’. In his eyes, there is a lot to celebrate.

‘I always say that the three greatest immediate beneficiaries of the Windrush generation were London Transport and the National Health Service – which were actively recruiting people from the Caribbean to leave their countries to come to Britain to work – and the Church.’

Not everyone, however, welcomed the arrivals. Richard has heard ‘too many stories’ from people about the prejudice they experienced. His mum and dad, who arrived in Britain from Jamaica in 1957 and 1959

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

RICHARD REDDIE of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland has been part of a nationwide network co-ordinating celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of Windrush. He reflects on what sustained the Windrush generation when they faced prejudice and how they have helped shape modern Britain for the better

respectively, would furnish him with tales of those times.

‘They’d never left their country before. They’d heard a lot about Britain. It was the mother country and they came on British passports, so they expected a warm welcome. But my mum said that she arrived in February, and the welcome she received was as warm as the weather.

‘I remember my mum saying that they just couldn’t get a house anywhere. Eventually they got one from a Polish guy. People wouldn’t sell them their houses because it would be a case of “There goes the neighbourhood”.’

The Caribbean newcomers had to be resourceful. For example, Richard explains how, encountering an unwillingness by banks to lend them money, they formed ‘pardner’ schemes, in which people would put aside a certain amount of money each week and pool it. They could then borrow from the pool, ‘for instance, to put down on a deposit for a house or to pay for a family member’s passage from the Caribbean’.

As well as having to face prejudice in wider society, the Windrush generation were sometimes given the cold shoulder even in churches.

‘There are stories of people who went to the historical churches and were told not to come back,’ says Richard. ‘At other times they were under-utilised. They had talents and gifts that were not put into practice.

‘Don’t get me wrong – there were elements of good practice. But churches do need to recognise that they let a lot of the Windrush generation down. And, while it would be too simplistic an explanation to say that the Black churches were born because of racism, it was a factor.’

But Richard believes that the Windrush

generation have ‘revitalised the Church’. He says: ‘I’m a member of the Church of England, and, just talking demographically, if you look at its churches in London, for instance, many of them could be described as being Black majority churches. They also made a contribution because they came with their own way of worshipping, and that has been incorporated into British churches – think of the influence of Black British gospel music.’

Through the revitalised Church, the ripple effects of Windrush can be seen in wider society, says Richard. He says that churches ‘are doing some real remedial work when it comes to serious youth violence, education and mental health. They are running food banks and helping people who are homeless.’

The faith motivating such church work today is the same faith that sustained many of the Windrush generation during their early years.

‘I know from my mum that she was

helped by her faith – this sense that wherever she went, God was with her,’ says Richard. ‘She had left the Caribbean, but she knew that God is everywhere and would go ahead of her.

‘Virtually every Caribbean person travelled with a Bible and a hymnal. You were coming to a new land that was often unwelcoming. So you turned to the God who had sustained you, who had been with you in the Caribbean and who would be with you in Britain.

‘And when you met with other people who loved the Lord as you did, you were able to pour out your heart about all the kinds of things that you would face Monday to Saturday.

‘Some of the songs that that generation sang reflected what they were experiencing in Britain. “Press Along Saints” talks about “trials and crosses in our way” and “the hotter the battle, the sweeter the victory”. They had a sense of being on a journey and there being obstacles in the way. It wouldn’t be easy, but by God’s grace and power they would be able to overcome.’

Richard Reddie

Windrush arrives at Tilbury docks 75 years ago

My mum knew that God would go ahead of her

PUZZLES

Quick CROSSWORD

7.

13.

14.

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these

SERVES

4

Summer crab tacos

INGREDIENTS

200g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped

1 lime, zest and juice

1 green chilli, chopped

8 taco shells

300g brown and white crab meat

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Little Gem lettuce hearts, shredded

2 avocados, peeled, stoned and sliced

Handful coriander, torn

MAKES 20

INGREDIENTS

325g icing sugar

125g ground almonds

3 large egg whites

75g caster sugar

Violet or pink food colouring

75g strawberries

100g butter at room temperature

METHOD

To macerate the strawberries, combine the fruit with half the lime juice and all of the chilli and set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the tacos according to the packet instructions. Combine the crab with the lime zest and some salt and pepper.

To assemble the tacos, fill the shells with lettuce and avocado, top with the crab, strawberries and a scattering of coriander. Serve immediately.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas Mark 1. Line 3 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. Grind 175g icing sugar and the ground almonds to a fine powder in a food processor or liquidiser, then press through a sieve into a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form moist peaks, then gradually whisk in the caster sugar a little at a time. Whisk for 2 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy, then whisk in a few drops of food colouring.

Spoon half the icing sugar and ground almond mixture into the bowl with the egg whites, then gently fold together. Add the remaining mixture and continue folding in until just mixed. Don’t overfold or the mixture will become very runny and be difficult to pipe.

Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large plain tube and pipe 2.5cm rounds on the paper-lined trays. Give each baking sheet a sharp tap to ensure a good ‘foot’. Make 40 rounds and leave to stand for 20 minutes to dry out.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the macaroons can be lifted easily off the paper. Leave to cool.

For the filling, purée the strawberries until smooth, then press through a sieve into a bowl. Beat the butter and remaining icing sugar together in a food processor until smooth, then gradually beat in 2tbsp the fruit purée. Use the mixture to sandwich the macaroons together in pairs. Arrange on a serving plate or in a box.

Pray about everything

Philippians 4:6 (New Living Translation)