War Cry 27 May

WAR CRY

Steering group

Vin Diesel and his crew ride on family values in Fast X

Former footballer helps others tackle life

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.

THIS weekend marks the end of the football season for the Women’s Super League and the men’s Premier League in England and the Scottish Premiership.

For those fans and players whose teams have struggled, the end of the campaign cannot come quickly enough. But for those players who are contemplating retirement at the end of the season, the games may seem to have been speeding towards the final whistle sounding on their playing days.

In this week’s War Cry, we speak with former Premier League footballer Julio Arca, who explains the challenges players can face when they hang up their boots.

‘In football you see a lot of mental health issues, especially when footballers retire,’ he tells us. ‘People forget that footballers are still human beings and have problems. And people I know have gone through mental health issues.’

Because of this, Arca was keen to take up an invitation to support the work that The Salvation Army carries out at Swan Lodge, one of its centres in Sunderland which help people who are experiencing homelessness.

WAR CRY

Issue No 7629

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

As we report, Arca – who now manages South Shields FC – gives up his time every week to run football and fitness sessions for residents facing some of life’s toughest challenges. Jack is one of the participants benefiting from the sessions, and he says that they are helping his self-esteem. He also describes the other help he receives as a resident at Swan Lodge.

‘You get a basic room with a lounge and you get three meals a day and wi-fi and everything you need. I’m living there currently, but I’m looking to move on,’ he says.

At Swan Lodge, and other centres across the country, The Salvation Army works tirelessly to help people move on in their lives. It has been doing so for more than 150 years, and that seasoned support will not be ending any time soon.

INFO INFO

DRIVING FAMILY HOME

Franchise is coming to the end of the road

Film feature by Sarah Olowofoyeku

BUCKLE up. It’s the beginning of the end. Fast X, in cinemas now, is the start of the saga’s final chapter, which will take them all over the world.

Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his fearless family have faced many a foe in the past 22 years, and outsmarted them with their physical feats, their high-speed racing and the strength of their bonds. But this time, their villain has a fair few tricks up his sleeve and is determined to tear them apart.

The pent-up wrath of Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) has been brewing since his own family was destroyed years ago. In 2011, Dante’s father, a druglord, was killed in a high-speed car chase with Dom and his crew.

Unbeknown to them, Dante was witness to it all, and has been planning his revenge ever since. Finally he has set his mission in motion, and he calls Dom, saying: ‘You took my family and my future from me, and now I’m gonna break yours, piece by piece.’

And he will do everything he can to defend the family he has built.

The concept of family has played a big part in the popularity of Fast and Furious. Not only has the franchise entertained audiences, with its fast cars and fight scenes, but its theme of friends who became family has warmed hearts.

Such a bond has existed both on and off screen. Long-running cast member Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges says: ‘When we come together as a cast and crew, it shows people that everything comes down to love and family.

He will do everything to defend his family

It’s a threat Dom takes seriously. ‘I don’t care about dying,’ he says. ‘I only care about protecting the people I love.’

‘That’s what matters the most. We need family and love now more than ever in the world.’

As the franchise storylines have highlighted the importance of family and friendship, so a reallife character has demonstrated how powerful such bonds can be.

People who have chosen to be children of God have also chosen to become part of a global family of believers.

In their relationships with each other, they are called to follow the example of

Jesus, who saw his friends as family and gave up everything – even his life – to save them.

‘My command is this: love each other as I have loved you,’ he said. ‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’ (John 15:12 and 13 New International Version).

Anyone can be part of God’s family and experience the sacrificial love of Jesus. It’s a love that forgives us for our past, promises to defend us against the things that threaten to hurt us and ensures that our story will never end.

WAR CRY WnRLD

Coffee growers face climate challenges

COFFEE farmers in poorer countries require financial support from richer countries to help them cope with the problems of climate change, according to a new report by Christian Aid.

Analysis published by the international development agency in Wake up and Smell the Coffee shows that coffee farmers are facing a variety of climate-related effects. The report notes that ‘as temperatures rise and droughts and excessive precipitation become more common, some regions will no longer have growing conditions that make coffee farming a viable livelihood’.

Groups who work in partnership with Christian Aid are helping coffee producers make adaptations to help them deal with climate change.

Jessica’s concept album is on motherhood

ACTRESS, singer and filmmaker Jessica Oyelowo has released an album centred on motherhood and believes Jesus has made her the mother she is, reported US online newspaper The Christian Post M(other) is based on Jessica’s experience of motherhood and feeling ‘other’.

‘I became a mama young; I married very young,’ she said. ‘I was still working. I’m an actress. I’m a Christian. So I’ve always had this feeling of otherness.’

Jessica wed fellow actor David Oyelowo when she was 20, and they had their first child when she was 23. She described becoming a mother as ‘extremely fulfilling’ and said that she always wants to follow God’s plan and direction in every part of her life, including motherhood.

Yadira Lemus, a farmer in Honduras, told Christian Aid that coffee would previously be produced ‘almost by itself’, but that now unpredictable weather patterns make it more difficult to know when to plant crops. She said that, in a search for suitable land, ‘people are now deforesting higher zones’.

The report also says that the ‘loss and damage fund’ agreed at last year’s Cop27 summit must be put into action and that richer countries need to cancel poorer countries’ unpayable debt to free up resources to tackle climate change and poverty.

Workshops highlight modern slavery

THE Salvation Army is hosting free workshops across England to help people learn how they can help tackle modern slavery.

Workshops will be held in Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Southampton, Bristol, Leeds and Peterborough over the next few months.

Experts will explain what modern slavery is and the key signs to look out for. A volunteer will also talk about how they contribute to The Salvation Army’s modern slavery support services.

Sarah du Heaume, a London-based volunteer whose role involves interviewing potential victims of modern slavery, said: ‘Before I started volunteering I had only a dim understanding of what modern slavery entails. It has been very eye-opening. Most of all, I’m struck by how easy it is for lives to be derailed by war or debt or by smooth-talking exploiters. It could so easily happen to any of us.’

Study gauges teens’ keenness on Jesus

BRITISH teens have a positive perception of Jesus, according to a new study.

The Open Generation is an international research study to help church leaders understand teenagers’ attitudes to faith. More than 25,000 people aged between 13 and 17 from 26 countries were interviewed for the study, which was conducted by Barna Group.

The UK figures revealed that 34 per cent of teenagers say that Jesus offers hope to and cares about people, but only 15 per cent say he ‘makes a real difference in the world today’. More than one

in three teens report some level of motivation to learn more about the Christian Scriptures.

Phil Simpson, youth development lead of the Christian course Alpha, said: ‘Teens in the UK seem to have a positive view of who Jesus was, with a third believing that he cared for people and carried hope. However, there is a significantly small percentage who believe Jesus is active in the world today. The Church needs to help them begin to see Jesus as someone who is alive, someone who can be encountered and someone who is active in the world in 2023.’

CHRISTIAN AID/ROSAMELIA NUNEZ

Coffee grower Yadira Lemus

A v isi ona r y s to r y

This month marks 650 years since the medieval mystic Julian of Norwich experienced her remarkable visions of God, which she recorded in Revelations of Divine Love, the first English-language book written by a woman. Author

CLAIRE GILBERT – who found comfort in Julian’s words as she faced cancer –explains why she felt inspired to write a novel about Julian’s life

Interview by Claire Brine

Claire Gilbert

‘IN a dry-as-dust theology degree, Julian of Norwich was a vibrant and bright light,’ says Claire Gilbert, the director of the Westminster Abbey Institute and author of the novel I, Julian. ‘When I first read her Revelations of Divine Love at university, I fell in love with her. It was a book in which she wasn’t trying to organise God or present systematic theories about who God is and how we relate to him. Instead, she gave a frank account of some mystical visions that she had and shared her reflections on them.’

Although very little is known about Julian’s life, historians are confident that her text, Revelations of Divine Love, is the first work in the English language to have been authored by a woman. It documents the 16 visions of Jesus and God that she had 650 years ago, in 1373, during a period when she was suffering with illness and was close to death.

‘Julian’s work was radical because she talked about being shown a God who could be nothing but love,’ explains Claire. ‘In the 14th century, the Church talked a lot about sin and the wrath of God, but

page 6 f

A sculpture of Julian at Norwich Cathedral Turn to

From page 5

Julian emerged as a quiet, steady voice of comfort, telling people that the meaning of God was love.

‘She describes it well in her vision of a little thing, the size of a hazelnut, lying in the palm of her hand. She wonders what it is, and the answer comes to her: “It is all that is made.” Then she wonders how it sustains itself. Again, an answer comes, which says that it lasts for “God loveth it”.

Julian walked through deep pain

late 14th and early 15th centuries are helpful in shedding light on the later years of her life. Evidence suggests that she lived in solitary confinement as a hermit, or anchoress, at the Church of St Julian in Norwich, from which she possibly took her name.

maid. Their days were spent seeking God in prayer and giving counsel to anyone who came to see them.’

‘Her point was that God’s love sustains constantly – and if he were wrath, even for a moment, then all that was made would fall.’

Although Julian wrote extensively about her visions and the meaning she found in them, her text reveals next to nothing about her family life and background. Historians remain unclear as to whether she was married or had children – but a handful of ancient documents from the

‘We know that there was an anchoress called Julian of Norwich, due to some legacies,’ says Claire. ‘And the 15th-century author Margery Kempe writes about meeting Julian in 1413. She had been advised to seek her counsel and describes it as wise and helpful – so scholars believe that Julian was probably a famous anchoress in her day.

‘Anchoresses’ homes were a one-room cell attached to a church, and they lived there until they died. Some anchoresses’ rooms were bricked up, leaving only a window looking into the church, a window to the outside world and a window to their

Inspired by Julian’s dedication to her faith, Claire decided to write her doctoral thesis on the medieval mystic, exploring her connection to ecological consciousness. Then, when Claire developed cancer, she turned to Julian as ‘a spiritual companion’, drawing comfort from her revelations as she endured two and a half years of gruelling treatment.

‘After that, I felt called to tell her story in homage to her,’ says Claire. ‘It felt audacious, to say the least, because we know nothing for certain about Julian’s life. But the act of writing her story in the first person felt like a prayer. Narrating the visions was a bit like having them for myself. It was powerful.’

In her novel I, Julian, Claire imagines the events, conversations and experiences that shaped Julian’s life and calling. She begins by exploring her childhood and how it was affected by a reallife tragedy that took place on a national scale – the first great pestilence.

In one of Julian’s visions, featuring something the size of a hazelnut, she contemplates God’s love

‘The plague hit England in 1348, so I envisaged Julian, at the age of six or seven, losing her father,’ Claire says. ‘Later in my story, when Julian grows up, she loses her husband and daughter in the second wave of the pestilence. Although we don’t know if the real Julian ever had her own family, I think it’s possible because of the references she makes to motherhood in her revelations.

‘What I really wanted to do in my book was show how Julian was formed into this person who had these amazing visions and then wrote about them so beautifully. So, I thought, perhaps she could write about pain as an anchoress because she experienced the pain of losing a child. I tried to take the bare bones of her life and write a plausible story.’

After experiencing her extraordinary visions of God,

the fictional Julian encounters a community of women who introduce her to the idea that a woman’s life does not have to be as a wife or nun.

‘She hears about life in an anchorhold and her soul turns towards it,’ says Claire. ‘She knows it would give her the time and space to reflect on her life-changing visions. It’s also a safe place for her to write about ideas that aren’t entirely in line with what the Church is teaching at the time. For example, in her reflections, Julian talked about encountering Christ without needing church practices of praying with beads or pictures, which might have been thought to be heretical.’

Despite the real Julian’s lifelong devotion to God, her faith is challenged countless times in the novel. Claire describes the moment in Revelations of Divine Love when Julian has a vision in which she moves from joy to woe numerous times.

‘I’ve written about Julian experiencing that feeling of absolute bliss, only for it to disappear,’ she says. ‘And what she comes to understand from that vision is God exists in both of those states. He isn’t just a “nice” feeling. He is with us in the badness too.

‘I remember, when I was undergoing my cancer treatment, getting a taste of what Julian meant as I tried to walk towards the medical centre with an open heart. I tried not to deflect any pain or to fight it, but to receive it and move through it. Julian taught me that it was possible to see my cancer as a source of joy and not bitterness.’

of thing shall be well.’

Though 650 years have passed since Julian experienced her life-changing visions, her reflections on God’s love continue to resonate with modern readers. Perhaps her most famous words, which address God’s response to human pain, are also her most comforting: ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner

‘There’s nothing platitudinous about it,’ says Claire. ‘Julian walked through deep pain to come to such an understanding. And I think she’s on to something. She appeals to people today because there’s a freedom and steadiness to her spirituality.

‘I hope that my book might encourage more people to read Revelations of Divine Love for themselves, because, although Julian’s visions contain highly intelligent theology, they are not written as an

academic treatise. They are alive with the freshness of her encounter with God – and I believe we can experience something of that freshness today.’

l I, Julian is published by Hodder & Stoughton

A stained-glass window at Norwich Cathedral depicts Julian’s devotion to God

Julio puts football sessions in a different league

Having played in the Premier League with Sunderland and Middlesbrough, Julio Arca is now running football and fitness sessions for residents of a Salvation Army centre for people experiencing homelessness

Feature by Philip Halcrow

AGROUP of residents from Swan Lodge – a Salvation Army centre for people experiencing homelessness in Sunderland – used to get together to play football. ‘It would be an hour of just kicking a ball about,’ says support worker Andy Smith. ‘There was no fitness work, and when we went to play a match on a bigger pitch last year, we struggled with our stamina.’ But then Andy’s friend decided to lend a hand. The result is a weekly football and fitness session led by a former Premier League player –because Andy’s friend is Sunderland and Middlesbrough fan favourite Julio Arca.

On a spring day at the Beacon of Light – the community hub just across from Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light – Julio takes the players connected with Swan Lodge through some warm-ups and exercises on the 4G pitch.

‘Everyone likes to play football, as you can see. So he asked me if I was interested in helping them and putting on at least one session a week.’

Julio, who made more than 300 appearances in the top two divisions for Sunderland and Middlesbrough before retiring as a player at non-league South Shields, felt motivated.

‘In football you see a lot of mental health issues, especially when footballers retire,’ he says. ‘Some of them don’t know what to do, and that’s when the problems start. Their mind starts working, they wonder what to do and they begin to feel a desperation.

It’s important to exercise to help you mentally

Taking a break from the action, Julio comes pitch-side to tell me how he came to take on this new role.

‘I have been friends with Andy for about 15 years, and he was telling me about what he did at Swan Lodge and what they were trying to do – helping people by providing accommodation and food and in other ways. After a few months, he said they were looking to do some sports activities.

People forget that footballers are still human beings and have problems. And people I know have gone through mental health issues.

‘When Andy told me about the people in the accommodation and what they were going through, I thought that putting on the sessions might be a way of helping them.

‘We have 15 or 16 people every week – sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less – so quite a lot of people seem interested. I know the sessions won’t

change them 100 per cent, but I’m sure it’s going to help them a little bit. They have something to look forward to every week, coming over here to great facilities, having a football session with an ex-professional. They seem to listen, they follow instructions – but the main thing is the exercise. No matter what kind of exercise it is, it’s important to do it to help you mentally.

‘On top of that, it builds their confidence again. They may think they are not capable of doing an exercise, but when you push them, they find that they can do it.

‘I’m not necessarily going to make them better footballers,’ adds Arca, who wowed crowds at the Stadium of Light and Riverside with his skilful left foot, ‘but it’s just about getting running and socialising with other people. And – like everything – it’s a process. They are not going to change in a few weeks. It might take months. But we have some charity matches coming up and they’re excited about that.’

Returning to the pitch, Julio leads

Julio Arca

PHILIP HALCROW

the group in more practice, offering encouragement and giving a resident with additional needs step-by-step help in carrying out a shooting exercise, and then watches over some short games played in a friendly spirit.

One of the players who has clearly appreciated the sessions – and the wider support he has received at Swan Lodge –is Jack Smithson.

‘It’s amazing that Julio takes time out of his day to come and do the sessions,’ he says when we talk after the football has ended. ‘He’s a legend of the game to us. To brush shoulders with someone like that – anyone’s going to be happy. Not so much the handful of Newcastle fans we have, but they take it with good heart and they enjoy it.

‘The sessions are good for your self-

esteem. If you’re feeling low, you come here and everyone picks their heads up. You walk away tired but feeling a lot better from doing something.’

As well as attending the sessions, Jack has been teaming up with Julio to do some sports-based volunteering and he has secured an apprenticeship with the Sunderland Community Action Group to work with teenagers and younger children in schools and the community.

‘It’s about just trying to keep them active,’ he says. ‘So they do football, kayaking, biking, pool. I’m there basically to be the same for them as my support workers at Swan Lodge are for me, helping them when they need help.

Knowing that

I get help, it’s good to give back to the community.’

Jack explains how he arrived at Swan Lodge after a time away from the city.

‘I moved out of Sunderland with a girl, but that broke down, so I found myself wanting to come back to the area I know. I got in touch with an organisation for people aged under 25 who are going through homelessness and they got me a meeting at Swan Lodge. They took my details and put me in a crash pad – which is for one night until a room becomes

Turn to page 10 f

Julio in action for Sunderland against Chelsea in 2005

Resident Jack Smithson

From page 9

Julio demonstrates a football exercise available – and luckily there was a room available the next day.

‘At Swan Lodge you get a basic room with a lounge and you get three meals a day and wi-fi and everything you need. I’m living there currently, but I’m looking to move on.’

Back at Swan Lodge, Andy explains the various kinds of support that the Salvation Army centre provides so that people can move on. He talks of the maths and English courses that it runs so people can gain qualifications as well as the tenancy course which helps people develop skills for independent living. He describes how support workers help with residents’ practical problems, such as universal credit applications or GP visits. He says that groups such as Wear Recovery visit to help any residents who have problems with alcohol misuse.

‘We deal with people who may have severe mental health issues or physical

health issues, or who may be battling alcohol or drug addiction or who have learning difficulties, or perhaps they just need a little bit of support to help them move forward and eventually get back into society.

‘For some people, their goal could simply be to maintain their benefits and to maintain their accommodation, which – if we can get them into a good routine – can eventually lead to them getting their own property, because they see the advantage of having a safe space. For other people, their goal may be to rekindle a family relationship that has broken down because of alcohol misuse.

‘Everyone will have a different goal, but for us it’s about building trust and getting

to know the individual so that we can help them get back into society.’

Andy says that Julio – who became his friend when the Argentinian moved to the area and played for Sunderland – made sure he began to build relationships with the residents before kicking off the football sessions, which can be attended by men and women.

‘He came down to Swan Lodge on a number of occasions to get to know the residents. He sat with them and listened to their stories. He wanted to find out about them.

‘Hearing what they had been through, he was keen to offer physical exercise which would have a positive impact on their mental health.’

Andy talks of residents ‘being just normal people who need a bit of support’ – and says that the support is available to anyone, whatever their past. He believes that the centre’s aim to offer a fresh start

Residents practise skills and take part in short games

grows out of The Salvation Army’s ethos. Centre manager Christine Ritchie agrees. She is overseeing the creation of a mural inside the centre – an updated version of an image featured in a book by Salvation Army founder William Booth. The original picture of 130 years ago depicted souls being rescued from a stormy sea of individual and social ills, including homelessness, unemployment, addiction and despair.

suffering humanity. We are a Christian organisation, and our values hopefully reflect William Booth’s vision.’

They are just normal people who need a bit of support

‘The poverty is still there. There is still addiction. Nothing has changed,’ says Christine.

‘I liked the way The Salvation Army has sometimes summed up its mission: to save souls, grow saints and serve

Swan Lodge is carrying out its mission through activities within its own walls – and in other locations, including football pitches.

Days after he spoke with me at the Beacon of Light, a new chapter opened in Julio Arca’s football career when he was appointed as manager of South Shields, who have just been promoted to the National League North. However, the move is not set to signal the end of his Swan Lodge sessions, which have simply been transferred to another day to

accommodate his new routine. Andy says: ‘He doesn’t want to let the lads and lasses down.’

Julio senses that the sessions are beneficial.

‘When I retired,’ he says, ‘I don’t think I went through mental health issues, but I was in a state where I didn’t know what to do. As a footballer, from a young age you always concentrate on something. Then, when you retire at 35 or 36, you’ve got a life ahead and you find yourself in a strange position.

‘People say you should be set for life, but it’s not just about money; it’s about what you can do. I found that doing exercises – cycling, running, going to the gym – helped me to relax me and think in a better way.

‘When I talk with the group, I think it does the same for them too.’

Centre manager of Swan Lodge Christine Ritchie

Support worker Andy Smith

Prayerlink

YOUR prayers are requested for Stelian, who is homeless; and for Narinder, who is in pain while awaiting a date for surgery.

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’.

How to…

help someone who’s been bereaved

This week in our series of handy hints, grief specialist GHULAM FERNANDES offers advice on supporting people who are experiencing loss

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

AVOID clichés or platitudes. Sometimes people say things like, ‘Everything happens for a reason’. Whether that’s true or not, it’s not emotionally helpful. It’s fine to express sympathy and compassion and say something like, ‘I can’t imagine how that feels for you’. Avoid saying, ‘I know how you feel’, because the reality is, you don’t. Each person’s grief journey is unique. There are no shoulds or oughts. If you recognise that, you won’t tell people that they shouldn’t cry or you won’t be surprised if they aren’t crying, for example. The important thing is to be there as much as you can to listen and notice what’s going on, to validate their feelings and to remind them that it is natural and normal to feel grief.

If you’re not sure what someone needs, it’s better to ask. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that if we could only say the right thing, we’d be able to fix the situation. But people don’t need fixing. They need to be heard with respect and dignity. You can offer practical help, but work out what you can do and make it specific. It’s more helpful to ask, ‘Can I do some shopping for you?’ than to just ask what you can do to help.

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

A free guide, 10 Common Mistakes When Supporting Someone Dealing with Loss, by Ghulam Fernandes is available from handling-grief.com

Look out for unhelpful behaviours. Some people might turn to drink, gambling or pornography. Or to things that are good in moderation for comfort, such as food. They might become obsessed with exercise or cleaning, or binge-watch fantasy TV shows to distract themselves.

Ghulam was speaking to Sarah Olowofoyeku

Check in on them regularly. We can be very good right at the beginning, but then we might think that, after a couple of weeks or years, they should be over it. Grief doesn’t work that way. Think of it more like a marathon than a sprint. Your support is great, but some people might be struggling with prolonged feelings of sadness and unable to move forward, so may need professional help.

Name

Address

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

QUICK QUIZ

1 2 3 4 5 6

Belief in yesterday

The National Trust has been working like a dog on the ‘birthplace’ of the Beatles

TV feature by Emily Bright

IT was a case of get back in the latest episode of the BBC2 series Hidden Treasures of the National Trust as it featured, among other properties, Sir Paul McCartney’s childhood home in Liverpool.

Who played teacher Mark Thackeray in the 1967 film To Sir, With Love?

According to the proverb, what does ‘a stitch in time’ save?

Who wrote the novel Les Misérables?

At the 2023 Brit awards, who won international artist of the year?

Who captained the England women’s football team in the Euro 2022 competition?

In the traditional UK version of the board game Monopoly, what is the most expensive property?

Yesterday (Friday 26 May) in the documentary series, the spotlight was on a postwar council house, which the narrator described as the ‘birthplace of the Beatles’.

Paul moved in with his younger brother Mike, his mum Mary and dad Jim in 1955, and stayed until the Beatles became so famous that he had to move out. It was in the living room of 20 Forthlin Road that Paul and John Lennon wrote ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, the opening track of their bestselling debut album.

The National Trust bought the house in 1995. Its latest renovation projects at the property – in consultation with Mike McCartney, a musician and photographer – included sourcing a false-brick wallpaper for the living room and restoring Mary and Jim’s bedroom with authentic 1950s furniture.

Heroes come from unexpected places

During the programme Peter Grant, a Forthlin Road guide for the National Trust, gave an insight into the history of the house, adding that touring the property is ‘at times very surreal because you think: this house is so ordinary, yet what it produced was extraordinary’.

Here, there and everywhere it’s true that sometimes people with the humblest beginnings can go on to have the most extraordinary impact. The world’s bestselling book – the Bible – tells stories of heroes who came from the most unexpected places. A songwriter and king called David was an overlooked shepherd boy when he defeated the giant Goliath. And a bunch of fishermen, a tent-maker and a tax collector would go on to spread the life-changing news of Jesus’ death and resurrection and change the world for ever.

All these unlikely heroes were sustained and strengthened by their faith in God.

It can be easy to feel underestimated or disqualified from making a positive difference in our own lives and the lives of people around us. But the truth is that we can do more than we could possibly imagine – we can overcome problems and get through difficulties – if we ask God for help.

Mike McCartney admires the wallpaper installation at 20 Forthlin Road

1. Sidney Poitier.

5. Leah Williamson. 6. Mayfair.

BBC/BLAST FILMS/NATIONAL TRUST/ANNAPURNA MELLOR

PUZZLES

ACROSS

1. Piquant (5)

4. Rescued (5)

8. Electrically charged atom (3)

9. Untrue (5)

10. Planet (5) 11. Rim (3)

12. Healed (5)

13. Ratify (7)

16. Stable (6)

19. Cream cake (6)

23. Quill (7)

26. Of the city (5)

28. Vehicle (3)

29. Raising of glasses (5)

30. Likeness

9. Point of convergence (5)

14. Night bird (3)

15. Travel on snow (3)

17. Bind (3)

18. Astern (3)

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

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

SERVES

Lemon chicken with green asparagus

INGREDIENTS

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, trimmed

1tsp dried oregano

½ tsp red chilli flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, juice

1tbsp butter, cubed

1 lemon, thinly sliced 450g asparagus

spears, woody ends removed

METHOD

Place the chicken breasts on a large chopping board lined with clingfilm. Cover with another sheet of clingfilm and pound out the breasts to about 2cm thickness with a meat tenderiser or rolling pin. Season the breasts with the dried oregano, chilli flakes and plenty of salt and pepper on both sides. Preheat a large sauté pan over a moderate heat until hot. Add the oil, swirl to coat, then add the chicken to the pan, cooking undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, until golden underneath. Flip and cook the other sides for 4-5 minutes, until cooked through. Add the lemon juice to the pan towards the end of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate and loosely cover with aluminium foil. Melt the butter in the pan. Add the lemon slices and cook for about 3 minutes, turning a few times, until lightly coloured. Pour the contents of the pan over the chicken on the plate, then cover again with the foil until ready to serve.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes, until tender to the tip of a knife. Drain well.

Divide the chicken, lemon slices, sauce and asparagus between four plates, to serve.

The way to deal with anger is to engage in reconciliation

Nicky Gumbel