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.
IN the world of reality TV, a celebrity getting their lifts wrong on Strictly Come Dancing or a gateau collapsing in The Great British Bake Off can easily qualify as a ‘disaster’ – and it is for the people involved at that particular moment. The problem with describing a burnt crust or some misplaced footwork as a disaster, however, is what then to call a situation where, for example, a couple who have been married for less than five years and have two small children are told that the husband has stage-four cancer. That was the unimaginable situation that Louise and George Blyth faced back in 2015. In this week’s War Cry, Louise talks candidly about that time and the years that followed. ‘Nothing can prepare you for a life-altering diagnosis like that,’ she tells us. ‘You know it’s going to change your life but you don’t know how. And you lose all control over what your life previously was.’ Understandably desperate to receive any help she could, Louise, despite not being a Christian, accepted someone’s offer to pray for George. The result was that both she and George experienced God’s presence and his love. ‘I felt I’d been shown such tenderness, kindness, peace and love in such a horrible time,’ Louise says. ‘I also had this realisation that God was real.’ If someone is a Christian, it does not mean that they are immune to the real disasters that can confront us all. Having faith is not a fast-track pass to perfect health, recovery from debt or freedom from the conflicts that can impact important relationships. Instead, being a Christian means we can face such challenges knowing that we are loved by a God who will allow us to experience his peace and tenderness in the worst of times. And through that experience, we can become aware that God is ad the War C e re ry a reality who is able to make a difference for v ’ u good in our lives.
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 7565
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Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk
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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
FEATURES
Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies
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in Cyrano 5
Old favourites
There’s a chance to re-evaluate on National Old Stuff Day 6
Ageing well
Doctor speaks on recognising people’s
INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 26 February 2022
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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
Your local Salvation Army centre
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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
value as they get older
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‘It was heartbreaking and harrowing’
The shock of a husband’s cancer diagnosis REGULARS 4
War Cry World
12 Team Talk 13 Keys of the Kingdom 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen