War Cry 30 July 2022

2012 Olympic opening ceremony writer looks back

WAR CRY

30 July 2022 50p

Especially for viewers Kylie, Jason and others return as fans say goodbye to Neighbours ‘I began to play football like a kid again’

From the editor’s desk

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.

‘WHO are yer?’ is often the rhetorical question that football supporters collectively use to deride the opposition. It became a more serious question for footballer John Bostock.

Making his debut as a 15-year-old for Crystal Palace, he was championed as a wonder kid. But, as he says in this issue, ‘if you look only for what people say about you, you’re almost building your confidence on opinions, which is dangerous – because what happens when they start saying that you haven’t fulfilled your potential?’

John found out. ‘When I wasn’t where people expected me to be,’ he says, ‘it could bring issues. I came to a point where I had to build my identity on a solid foundation.’

He says that when he turned to his Christian faith and prayed for guidance, he found he could play with a confidence that was based not on an individual performance but from ‘knowing who I am’. He now uses his experiences of tough times to help other players.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who wrote the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, says in an interview this week: ‘We are the stories we tell.’

Ten years ago, millions of people watched Mr Bean comically perform with the London Symphony Orchestra, a workforce create an Industrial Revolution, NHS nurses care for children and construction workers give a guard of honour as the Olympic torch was brought into the stadium to be handed to young people.

‘There were things about this country,’ says Frank, ‘that we wanted to celebrate.’ He notes that, in the staging of the opening ceremony and in the way individuals have cared for others during the pandemic, people have shown that ‘we bring out the best in each other’.

Frank says: ‘What it comes down to is “Love thy neighbour”.’ ad the War C Seeing the Bible’s command being lived out e re ry v ’ is always worth celebrating. It’s part of who u we are meant to be and who we really are.

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 7587

When yo

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End of the road for Ramsay Street Neighbours says goodbye

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John Bostock Fresh start was game-changing

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Back to the start of London 2012 Frank Cottrell-Boyce on writing

INFO

the Olympic opening ceremony

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

REGULARS 4

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12 Team Talk 13 Wisdom in the Words 14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: FREMANTLE

End of story

Susan (Jackie Woodburne) and Karl (Alan Fletcher) have been through difficult times

FREMANTLE

Fans bid farewell to Ramsay Street TV feature by Claire Brine

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EIGHBOURS. Everybody needs good neighbours. But after 37 years, it’s time for the Ramsay Street residents to say goodbye to their friends across the world.

As Neighbours headed towards its conclusion yesterday (Friday 29 July) – with a special double bill shown on Channel 5 – it was more emotional than Scott and Charlene’s wedding.

For those who have been gripped by the dramas of Erinsborough since the Australian soap’s launch in 1985, the news of the cancellation has been difficult to take in – a bit like Bouncer the dog’s dream. But the promise of the return of some much-loved characters – including Scott and Charlene Robinson, played

by Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue – helped to soften the blow for disappointed fans.

Earlier this month, there were smiles all round when Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien) strolled back into town. However, the same couldn’t be said for Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) who – in the run-up to the finale – stirred up trouble once again for the Kennedys.

Though programme-makers kept the soap’s final moments under wraps, cast member Stefan Dennis, who played Paul Robinson, promised: ‘Neighbours is going to go out with a really good bang. It’s going to go out with a feelgood ending – the ending that it deserves.’

Other stars from the cast prepared for

the finale by reflecting on memorable storylines with gratitude.

Jackie Woodburne, who played Susan Kennedy, remembered the ‘Susan, Karl and Izzy love triangle’.

‘Karl and Susan divorced,’ she said. ‘He fell in love with somebody else. Susan remarried.

So much happened in that two or three-year period. I loved it because the characters got to survive and flourish independently.’

Whatever storyline gripped fans the most – Harold’s amnesia, the plane crash or the mystery of who pushed Paul from the Lassiters Hotel mezzanine – Neighbours covered life from every angle. It showed us that relationships rarely run smoothly, that families are complicated and that good neighbours can be good friends and yet still make mistakes – just like us.

In the real world, no one is perfect. We all get things wrong and do things we shouldn’t. Our actions can cause misery.

But our bad behaviour of the past doesn’t need to be the story of our future, if we let our outlook be shaped by Jesus.

Trying to help people live in the right way, Jesus urged: ‘Love thy neighbour’ (Matthew 22:39 King James Bible). He

Good friends can still make mistakes

Harold (Ian Smith) returned to Erinsborough for the final episodes didn’t mean that we should love only those living next door. He wanted us to show love to everybody we encounter – by helping those who are struggling to make ends meet, caring for people who are ill and standing up for the individuals forgotten or even disliked by wider society. Such love, he said, reflected the all-encompassing love that God has for humankind.

Whatever happens to us in life – whether we are flourishing or only just surviving – the love that Jesus spoke about still has the power to transform those who give and receive it. If we follow his direction, we can play a part in creating streets, neighbourhoods and even a world that is characterised by joy, peace, hope – and the kind of love that God has for us, which is guaranteed never to end.

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THE manager of a Salvation Army centre that supports people experiencing homelessness was among the people who carried the Queen’s baton to mark the start of the Commonwealth Games.

Christine Ritchie, who runs Swan Lodge in Sunderland, was one of 14 people selected to represent the northeast of England as part of the baton’s journey through 68 countries over 294 days in the lead-up to the Games, which began on Thursday (28 July).

She was nominated for being ‘an extraordinary asset to The Salvation Army’ who is ‘selfless and always goes the extra mile and encourages everyone to be the best version of themselves’.

After carrying the baton, Christine said: ‘It was a great honour. I was delighted to be able to take part on behalf of The Salvation Army and Swan Lodge. About 20 staff and residents, family and folks from Sunderland came to watch too.’

Swan Lodge offers supported accommodation for up to 65 people who are experiencing homelessness.

Christine (right) hands on the Queen’s baton

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Chaplains offer support at Knife Angel TO mark the arrival of the Knife Angel sculpture in Birkenhead, The Salvation Army teamed up with other churches in the area to offer chaplaincy support to anyone who had been affected by knife crime.

Located in Birkenhead Park until the end of the month, the Knife Angel is a national monument made from more than 100,000 knives and weapons that have been seized by police across the UK. The 8.2m-high sculpture, created by artist Alfie Bradley, aims to highlight the negative effects of violence and the need for social change.

As visitors arrived to see the sculpture, a team of chaplains made themselves available to offer spiritual and emotional support.

Captain Samantha Hamilton of The Salvation Army in Birkenhead said she hoped the presence of chaplains at the sculpture would ‘provide a healing’ to people whose lives have been devastated by knife crime.

The Salvation Army chaplains are also providing ‘wish for peace’ tags on which people can write prayers and which are then hung on the park railings.

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CHRISTIAN relief and development agency Tearfund is helping people who have been driven from their homes by violence in northern Mozambique.

Armed groups have been torching villages and killing people, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee. The situation has been made worse by extreme weather events and Covid-19.

Working in partnership with the Anglican Church in the region, Tearfund has been providing people who are now temporarily living in host communities with trauma counselling, emergency food and hygiene kits and training in agriculture so that they can feed their families.

COURTESY OF JOHN BOSTOCK

WHO HAS

JOHN BOSTOCK PLAYED FOR?

JOHN BOSTOCK says that as a young player his desire was ‘to build my name, my fame’ and to live up to the expectations of others. When his confidence hit a low, he thought about quitting the game – until he discovered who he really wanted to represent Interview by Philip Halcrow

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HE weather is fantastic, the pitches are immaculate and the fans are excited,’ says John Bostock. ‘The opening day of a season is a special time for players.’

Even as Women’s Euro 2022 reaches its finale, new domestic competitions in the men’s game are beginning.

The midfielder, who left Doncaster Rovers in the summer and is looking to see what opportunities arise next, remembers scoring one of the best goals of his career on the opening day in 2010.

‘It was my debut on loan for Hull City against Swansea. I Cruyffturned away from a defender and hit the top corner from 45 yards out. We won 2-0. It was a day I will never forget.’

John says that a new season is ‘normally a time that feels like a new chapter in a footballer’s story, that is yet to be written’. His own life story has been marked by notable new chapters on and off the pitch.

He rewrote the history of Crystal Palace and Spurs.

John is still the youngest player to have represented Palace. On 29 October 2007 he made his debut,

aged 15 years and 287 days.

‘I had a full day at school and by that evening I was on the bench for my boyhood club,’ he remembers. ‘But it felt natural to me, because I had always pushed for it.

‘I signed for my first Sunday league team in south London when I was five or six years old. Shortly after, an opportunity came up at Crystal Palace and, out of 200 players on trial, two of us were signed.

‘I always played above my age group, so I was testing myself against people more physically developed than me. I was about 12 years old when I heard what the club record for the youngest player was, and I told the club that I wanted to be the youngest player ever to play for them.

‘When I signed for Spurs, I again pushed and trained hard, and Harry Redknapp gave me my debut at 16. Until a couple of years ago, I was the youngest player to have played for Spurs.’

He was being fêted by the footballing press.

‘For any kid at that age, to be labelled the best at

I had a day at school and by that evening was on the bench

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From page 5 anything does a lot for your confidence. I would read articles about me being one to watch for the future.

‘The only negative thing is that if you’re living by people’s approval, then most likely you’ll die by rejection. If you look only for what people say about you, you’re almost building your confidence on opinions, which is dangerous – because what happens when they start saying that you haven’t fulfilled your potential?

‘When I wasn’t where people expected me to be, it could bring issues. I came to a point where I had to build my identity on a solid foundation.’

Although he made his Tottenham debut in a Uefa Cup tie, he did not make a league appearance for them. ‘“Confidence” is probably the biggest word for anyone who is competing, because when you’re confident, you’re more likely to perform well,’ he says. ‘But I had built my confidence on trying to show

everyone that I was the wonder kid that they thought I was. I started not to enjoy football the way I used to. It wasn’t until I left Tottenham and went to Belgium to play for Antwerp that things changed.

‘I was 21, but my confidence was so low that I said to God: “If you want me to finish football, then tell me.” I felt a strong impression in my spirit that God was telling me to play football for him.

‘When I had that revelation, it was like my eyes opened to what football was: an amazing gift, which I could enjoy without any pressure. It was like a fresh start. I tried my best not to be concerned with the opinions of others. I just played like a kid again. I had a confidence that was based not on performance but on knowing who I am. Since then, I’ve been able to rebuild, because I am doing it for the right reasons.

‘As a young player, my whole desire was to build my name, my fame. But then I realised it wasn’t about me. I now know

REUTERS/ALAMY

COURTESY OF JOHN BOSTOCK

I started not to enjoy football

that I’m supposed to make Jesus’ name great.’

The faith that was pivotal in helping John make a fresh start in the game had not always played a part in his life.

‘I wasn’t raised in a religious house,’ he says. ‘But then I noticed a huge change in my sister, whose life had previously looked like a real rollercoaster. It was almost like she was a new person. I wondered what had happened. She said: “John, I’m a Christian now. Jesus changed my life.”

‘My immediate reaction was to laugh. I couldn’t believe she was saying it. At the same time, I couldn’t laugh, because I realised something had changed.

‘She asked if I wanted to go to church with her. I was about 15 or 16 years old, and church was probably the last place I desired to be on a Sunday after a game.

‘But the day after our conversation, I saw a newspaper report of Kaka winning the Ballon d’Or, and he said: “I give the glory to Jesus.” He was one of my footballing heroes. I thought that perhaps I would go to church after all, because

John playing for Hull City and his first club Crystal Palace 6 • WAR CRY • 30 July 2022

maybe God would help me win the Ballon d’Or.’ When John went along to the church, his expectations ‘weren’t that high’.

‘At the same time I had a longing to find answers to the questions I had: Why are we here? What’s life about?

‘When the pastor spoke about the good news of Jesus, I was overwhelmed by God’s love for me.

‘I said a simple prayer. I repented of my

sin and confessed that Jesus is lord of my life. That’s how I started my journey as a Christian.’

As well as later helping him rediscover his love for football, his faith motivated him to start Ballers in God. He says: ‘It’s a community where players of faith can come together and grow and receive support. Most of our meetings are online. We have prayer meetings every morning, weekly Bible

Experience is one of life’s biggest teachers

studies and support meetings, but we also have regional hubs that meet in person.

We help footballers to realise that they’re more than players.’

And John believes that the ups and downs of his career help him to assist others.

‘Experience is one of life’s biggest teachers,’ he says. ‘Scripture says that the testing of faith develops perseverance.

There’s no way I’d be the character I am today if my faith or my career hadn’t been put to the test.

‘With Ballers in God, I’m able to sympathise and understand what every player is going through, because I feel like I’ve been through every single one of their situations. If my career had just been one upward curve, I would not have understood what a player is experiencing when he tells me that he has been released by a club, his confidence is low, he wants to give up or he is injured.

‘My faith has helped me to realise that what I went through was not just for me. I went through it so that others can benefit.’

John has founded Christian network Ballers in God, which supports players 30 July 2022 • WAR CRY • 7

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Ten years ago last Wednesday (27 July), the world watched on as the London 2012 Olympics began with an opening ceremony featuring the Queen and James Bond, Kenneth Branagh overseeing an Industrial Revolution, Mr Bean messing things up for the London Symphony Orchestra – and the singing of three hymns. The writer of the opening ceremony FRANK COTTRELL-BOYCE looks back on a night designed to be more than a pageant Interview by Philip Halcrow

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T 8.59pm on 27 July 2012, 80,000 people in a stadium in east London and 900 million more watching round the world were about to – if Danny Boyle, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and other members of their team had got it right – ‘feel things’.

‘Danny’s watchword was “visceral”,’ says screenwriter and author Frank, as he describes the months of preparation for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, which he worked on as the writer with director Danny Boyle and the rest of a small core team. ‘He had put the word up in Sharpie writing on the noticeboard.

It wouldn’t be a pageant. It would make you feel things.

So it would be scary and funny and mad and surprising.’

Danny Boyle, explains Frank, had been asked to direct the opening ceremony

by Lord Coe, chairman of the London Olympic organising committee, who had seen his Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

‘He asked Danny, and I’ve no idea really

why Danny asked me. He had a very small team of five or six people – there was the set designer Mark Tildesley, Rick Smith, who was the music guy, and Suttirat Larlarb, the costume designer.’

They brought in a cast that included 7,500 volunteers, who, Frank remembers, rehearsed ‘mostly out on this big, empty space in Dagenham, usually in the rain. Most of the performers wouldn’t have got into the stadium until three or four days before the event and it was quite hard to imagine what it would look like. The only thing we had in the can was the Bond sequence with the Queen, because that was pre-filmed.

Everything else we didn’t see work until a few days before. It was nerve-racking.’

Frank says he is not sure what remit Danny had been given for the opening ceremony.

‘But his remit to us was clear. We watched the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, which had been

The cast rehearsed in this big, empty space, usually in the rain

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Frank Cottrell-Boyce absolutely enormous and very much a state product. They could call on endless resources of manpower and money. Ours was never going to be on the same scale, so we were going to make a virtue out of that and reflect the opposite: rather than demonstrate uniformity, it would be eccentric, voluntary – and it would be visceral.’

The ‘visceral’ concept, says Frank, influenced the team’s approach to one of the requirements of an opening ceremony.

‘You need to show the Olympic rings at a certain point, and Danny’s watchword was how we ended up with the idea of

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surprising

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physically making those rings. That led us into the whole celebration of work – with the sweat and molten liquids – and the Industrial Revolution.

‘I brought in this amazing book Pandaemonium by Humphrey Jennings, who had made all the great propaganda films of the The opening ceremony included a ‘celebration of work and the Industrial Revolution’ Second World War, which were kind of collages.

He had put together this book of what he Kenneth Branagh led a group of modern-day building industry were described as witnesses to the Industrial industrialists and workers in building among those who supplied ideas for other Revolution. It had been out of print, but chimneys in a green and pleasant land sections of the ceremony.

I bought Danny a copy as a present and and forging five Olympic rings, which Frank remembers: ‘As we began to said that we should look at it. He said: linked together in the air above the awed rehearse, Danny would call together “Oh, thanks.” I said: “No, this cost me workforce. volunteers and some of the people 45 quid – you need to sit down and read it.”

Frank says that, when putting together working on the physical making of the ‘I think one of the reasons that the the sections showing the transition from stadium and say things like: “We’re going ceremony was a success was that as meadows to manufacturing, they drew to celebrate pop music – what are the a country we had collectively forgotten on ‘a bank of images’ associated with the 10 greatest British pop singles?” It was we’d created the modern age, with all the poet William Blake – writer of the words interesting because some of the people contradictions of that – with exploitation that came to be known as the hymn were immigrants, they were from all but lots of innovation.’

‘Jerusalem’ – and painter of the Industrial over the world, and we’d ask them what So at the opening ceremony, in a Revolution Joseph Wright of Derby. section titled Pandemonium, actor Meanwhile, people working in the Turn to page 10 f

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Danny Boyle wanted the ceremony to be ‘visceral’

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part of the whole ceremony’.

‘I’ll tell you something about “Abide with Me”,’ he says. ‘It needed a lot of defending. It was strange. In particular, I remember Boris Johnson, when he was mayor of London, coming in once and, when he saw that “Abide with Me” was going to be in, asking, “Why have you got that?” I remember saying that it was because it’s indelibly associated with great sporting occasions – we sing it at the FA Cup and the rugby.

‘It was always a bit controversial. I know that the Americans switched off during it, because it was a commemorative thing and there were lots of references to death.

‘The Olympic ceremony took place on the anniversary of Danny’s father’s death, so it was significant for him. But there is an association of sport and death, going right back to the Colosseum – you celebrate the supremacy of the athletes and the frailty of the human body at the same time.

‘All this pomp and circumstance takes place under the figure of our own fallibility.

It’s an important part of it. It was called an opening “ceremony”. What we call ceremonies are inherently religious, and we shouldn’t shy away from that.’

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Mr Bean (Rowan Atkinson) plays the ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme with the London Symphony Orchestra

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aspects of British culture had landed with them. For instance, I don’t think any of us in the core group would have naturally gravitated towards including Mr Bean, but we were amazed that Mr Bean and James Bond were two of the biggest cultural icons globally.’

As well as acknowledging humour through Rowan Atkinson’s comical Chariots of Fire sketch, paying tribute to the NHS with a volunteer cast of nurses and celebrating pop culture through a boy-meets-girl story punctuated by the Beatles, the Sugababes and Tinie Tempah, the ceremony evoked another arena of life. It contained three hymns.

Two stood as unofficial national anthems for countries of the UK. ‘“Jerusalem” was there because we wanted a national song that wasn’t nationalistic for England,’ explains Frank.

‘I think “Jerusalem” was thematic for Danny, because while we were creating the opening ceremony he did create a little utopia – it was a very sharing, caring environment with people from all over the world involved in one purpose. ‘“Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer” was the song for Wales, because – well, you just have to, don’t you?’

The third hymn, however, did not announce a country. Instead, sung by Emeli Sandé, it followed a pause during which people remembered ‘family and friends of those in the stadium who could not be here tonight’.

Ten years later, articles on Emeli Sandé still remark on her singing of the church hymn ‘Abide with Me’ – a musical prayer for Jesus’ presence to be known when facing death. Frank describes the segment, which included a dance choreographed

by Akram Khan, as ‘probably my favourite

rank was pleased the following year when the transmission of the event won a Sandford St Martin award for religious broadcasting.

‘The opening ceremony was the biggest platform I’ll ever have to witness to my faith a little bit, and I’m glad it landed with some people,’ he says.

‘I’m a Catholic. Danny is from a similar background, although he’s not practising, whereas I am. I think the ceremony was only going to work if we put ourselves into it. With the benefit of hindsight, I can see that those industrial landscapes we portrayed are the landscapes Danny and

WENN/ALAMY

Emeli Sandé sings ‘Abide with Me’

I grew up in, and the spiritual geography is the spiritual geography we grew up with.’

Frank says that he drew on his faith during the process of putting the opening ceremony together.

‘It could be very fraught, it was long-winded, there could be political problems and it was not in any way materially rewarding. So having a faith meant I knew why I was doing it and could put up with the rough and tumble of it.

‘The older I get, the clearer I am that the message of the Gospels is about how to be happy. All the commandments are not really about “don’t be naughty”; they are effectively saying “this will make you happy” or “this will make you sad”. It’s a huge thing to know why you are doing a job and how to be happy.’

Frank was working on the ceremony because ‘there were things about this country – some of them that are often questioned – that we wanted to celebrate’.

Although, during the memorable weeks

that followed the evening of 27 July 2012, athletes went faster, higher, stronger than they had done before, people still also talk about the opening ceremony itself. It suggests that the ceremony became a touchstone for a host country that has asked itself a lot of questions about its identity in the intervening decade but has also continued to celebrate institutions such as the NHS, which has come further to the fore in the past two years.

‘For me, though,’ says Frank, ‘the most important thing about the opening ceremony wasn’t anything that it said, but what it actually was: a lot of volunteers coming together and doing something because of loyalty to each other, love of country and just wanting to be up for it.

‘We are the stories we tell. There’s one set of stories that we tell about society under pressure, which we get from Lord of the Flies or Contagion. Those stories said that, during the pandemic, people would burst into supermarkets and club each

What it comes down to is ‘Love thy neighbour’

other to death with toilet rolls. But that didn’t happen. Instead, people formed WhatsApp groups, checked on each other, did each other’s shopping. That story says that we need each other, that we bring out the best in each other, that there is such a thing as society, that the bonds that bring us together are resilient and creative and that we fulfil ourselves by helping each other.

‘The opening ceremony was a telling of that story. When you’re looking at the opening ceremony, you’re looking at people who turned up and rehearsed for hundreds of hours in the rain with no payment. It’s a story that can never be told enough.’

In Frank’s eyes, the story of London’s Olympic opening ceremony has a familiar ring.

‘What it comes down to is “Love thy neighbour”. It really means: “Love thy neighbour and you’ll be happy.” You’re not just loving the neighbour for your neighbour’s sake – you’re loving the neighbour for God’s sake. When you do, both you and the neighbour will be happy.’

30 July 2022 • WAR CRY • 11

Prayerlink 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’.

j

Becoming 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.

talk ‘ ’ Team talk TEAM TALK Heading out of football?

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

IN the run-up to the new football season, the FA announced that it would be trialling a ban on heading during matches for under-12s. The BBC reported that the decision had been made after research suggested that former footballers who repeatedly headed the ball ‘are more likely to die from brain disease than other people’.

As someone who knows little about the game, I found it interesting to read what people thought about the trial and how it could change football.

Dr Adam White, senior lecturer in sport and coaching sciences at Oxford Brookes University, described the move as a ‘watershed moment’, adding that ‘it will help prevent concussions’ and more serious brain disease. Dawn Astle, the daughter of former West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle, who died from accumulated brain trauma linked to heading footballs, said she hoped that the ban would enable children to play matches more safely.

‘Football has a duty of care to continue to mitigate against the risks of heading a ball,’ she said. ‘This obligation includes youth football but also applies to care of players in the elite professional game.’

In 2018, Dr Bennet Omalu – who discovered the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is caused by repeated head trauma – told Radio 5 Live that heading should be restricted in the professional game because ‘it is dangerous’.

‘I know this is difficult for many people, but science evolves,’ he said.

‘Society changes. It is time for us to change some of our ways.’

Some football fans may disagree with me, but I think Dr Omalu has the right attitude. When a particular action is discovered to be damaging to people, it needs to stop and an alternative strategy should be discussed.

Whichever side of the footballing debate we find ourselves on, we can’t deny that there are serious consequences to heading. People know things now that they didn’t know in the past.

And in all areas of life – not just football – when we know better, our goal must always be to do better.

People know things now that they didn’t in the past

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

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War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Looking for help?

Name Address

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

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • WAR CRY • 30 July 2022

Mal Davies explores song lyrics that have a note of truth about them

Wisdom in the

Q

QUICK QUIZ 1

Who plays Dr Jimmi Clay in

2

What is a group of owls called?

3

In which landmark building are

4

Last year, Fireboy DML had a

5

Who plays romance novelist

long-running TV series Doctors?

A the Crown Jewels kept?

hit with which song?

Loretta Sage in this year’s comedy action film The Lost City?

What does a bibliophile like?

ANSWERS

1. Adrian Lewis Morgan. 2. A parliament.

3. The Tower of London. 4. ‘Peru’.

5. Sandra Bullock. 6. Books.

6

words Wake me up inside I

N 1995, having met a year earlier at a Christian youth camp, Ben Moody and Amy Lee formed the band Evanescence. Ben was a guitarist and singer, while Amy was a classically trained pianist. After releasing some independent albums, the Little Rock outfit signed a major contract in 2003 and then released the album Fallen.

It sold 17 million copies, and Evanescence had arrived.

It was a Top 10 album worldwide, largely as a result of the success of the first single from it, ‘Bring Me to Life’.

The song reached No 1 in the UK and US and won a Grammy. With deeply introspective lyrics, the song expresses the thoughts of someone who feels as though they’re dying inside: ‘I’ve become so numb,/ Without a soul,/ My spirit’s sleeping.’ Yet they long to be reinvigorated: ‘Wake me up inside/…

Save me from the nothing I’ve become.’

The plea continues: ‘There must be something more,/ Bring me to life.’

It’s a song that’s quite ambivalent in its outlook: it pessimistically says that life is soul-sapping and empty and hollow, but then optimistically states that salvation is possible. There is hope!

This has been the experience of billions of people over the past two millennia. Life has seemed somehow empty or meaningless. But at the call to be saved, a saviour arrives. People have found that a relationship with Jesus offers the wake-up call that they crave. They are brought ‘to life’ and given fresh hope in a way that had not previously seemed possible.

One Bible writer said: ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (Romans 10:13 New International Version).

Note that little word ‘will’ – it’s a promise.

No matter what our background or experience, we may recognise this urge to be saved. There is more to life, and Jesus can bring it to us. He can wake us up to the reality of a completely new life.

Life has seemed somehow empty

30 July 2022 • WAR CRY • 13

PUZZLES Quick CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

ACROSS 1. Taunts (5) 4. Force (5) 8. Also (3) 9. Scent (5) 10. Type of tree (5) 11. Expel (3) 12. Entice (5) 13. Deed (7) 16. Picked (6) 19. Embrace (6) 23. Owing to (7) 26. Retains (5) 28. Quill (3) 29. Clutch (5) 30. Plumped (5) 31. At this time (3) 32. Earn (5) 33. Approaches (5) DOWN 2. Brush (5) 3. Surprise (7) 4. Meditate (6) 5. Puppy (5) 6. Wireless (5) 7. Charred (5) 9. Loft (5) 14. Conducted (3) 15. Unwell (3) 17. Garden tool (3)

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

7

3 8 1 4 3 8 1 9 6 2 2 8 5 1 4 5 3 8 4 5 1 9 7 8 2 7 9 5 6 1 18. Health resort (3) 20. Anonymous (7) 21. Soothed (5) 22. Regret (6) 23. Start (5) 24. Demand as due (5) 25. Higher (5) 27. Additional (5)

WORDSEARCH

7 2 5 6 3 8 1 4 9 1 9 backwards 6 2 7and4diagonally 3 5 8 Look up, down, forwards, on the grid to find these photography terms 4 8 3 1 5 9 7 6 2 2 A4K M 8 K7R 9E F5 X 6Q Y1 J 3 P NMS B F GQ A N X T V D D 9 Z R3Y 1 R T8Y 4I K6M 5X C2 P 7 E I H E U I E T QO Y V N Q VWS I V 6 Q5Y 7J A3V 2 8 Y9 F 4 MN U F L N E Y N R1 Z W S T V G T Q PW N S9E 8 V C7O 2S L3 Q 6 5 Z1L 4 X WW X K U S V F I M R W D O Q U D X 2 R4G 1Z M3 L 9K W7 Z 5 MZ U VWT R 8 S I6 I M E H K D H G E 3I Q7G 9 N Q5E 6J P2D 4 X F8 I 1

M O HONEYC B

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

P N M A A F H M Z W Q

1. Made from pressed curds 2. Unhappiness 3. Long-eared burrowing mammal 4. Walk awkwardly 5. Senior member of clergy 6. Oily lubricant

ANSWERS 2 9 8 4 3 5 1 6 7

7 1 4 2 9 6 5 8 3

5 6 3 8 1 7 4 2 9

6 2 1 7 8 3 9 4 5

3 7 5 9 4 2 8 1 6

2 7 9 5 6

8

8 4 9 5 6 1 7 3 2

1 3 7 6 5 8 2 9 4

4 5 6 1 2 9 3 7 8

9 8 2 3 7 4 6 5 1 1

HONEYCOMB 1. Cheese. 2. Misery. 3. Rabbit.

4. Hobble. 5. Bishop. 6. Grease.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Jibes. 4. Power. 8. Too. 9. Aroma.

10. Elder. 11. Rid. 12. Tempt. 13. Exploit. 16. Chosen.

19. Cuddle. 23. Because. 26. Keeps. 28. Pen. 29. Grasp. 30. Opted. 31. Now. 32. Merit. 33. Nears.

DOWN: 2. Broom. 3. Startle. 4. Ponder. 5. Whelp.

6. Radio. 7. Burnt. 9. Attic. 14. Led. 15. Ill. 17. Hoe. 18. Spa. 20. Unknown. 21. Eased. 22. Repent.

23. Begin. 24. Claim. 25. Upper. 27. Extra.

14 • WAR CRY • 30 July 2022

B X Q Z R O Z R K A F

MO R Q C J O N EM C A P Q O S Q F H E V C

I T E B A L A N C E A

N T B T R U MH C S L E VM E S R P S K P E

L Z S Y S N Z E R Q R

L E O A E G C G M S T

Z Q P T L T N A E Z U

N Z X H R H P M G I R

D E E A O H Q I A O E

K E T U R T M D P M K

F I R T R H O H I N C

O S I T I O N L X D E

U F X D M N Z Q E D B

B I L F S I G P L N K

L H A U T O F O C U S

APERTURE

MEGAPIXEL

ASPECT RATIO

MIRRORLESS CAMERA

AUTOFOCUS

SHUTTER SPEED

COMPOSITION

TELEPHOTO LENS

EXPOSURE

VIEWFINDER

FOCAL LENGTH

VIGNETTING

IMAGE SENSOR

WHITE BALANCE

V X A P E I Q F Y F I

BBQ beef, mushroom and redcurrant burgers Ingredients 450g beef mince 1 small onion, peeled and grated 75g button mushrooms, finely chopped

Method Preheat an oven grill to a moderate heat or prepare a barbecue grill.

Mix the mince, onion, mushrooms and redcurrant jelly together in a large bowl.

Use your hands to shape the mixture into 8 burger patties. Cover and allow to chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Lettuce leaves

Cook the patties on a moderate heat under the oven grill or on the barbecue grill for 6-8 minutes on each side, until thoroughly cooked and any meat juices run clear.

Potato wedges, to serve

Fill the buns with the patties and lettuce and serve with potato wedges.

2tbsp redcurrant jelly 8 burger buns

MAKES

8

Warm steak salad with mango and noodles Ingredients

Method

150g wholewheat noodles

Preheat the grill to a moderate heat.

4tsp olive oil

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.

1 small red onion, peeled and finely sliced 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into fine strips 1 small red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into fine strips 100g kale, chopped 1 small mango, peeled, stoned and cut into thin strips 1 lime, zest and juice Salt and ground black pepper 200g thin-cut beef steaks

Heat 3tsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok. Add the onion, carrot and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the kale and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir through the noodles.

Add the mango, lime zest and half of the lime juice to the pan.

Toss gently. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Put the steaks on a chopping board, season and rub with the remaining oil on both sides. Grill the steaks for 1-2 minutes on each side. Leave to rest on a warm plate, then cut into slices and toss into the noodle salad.

Spoon on to a warm plate, drizzle with the remaining lime juice and serve immediately.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board website simplybeefandlamb.co.uk Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Vegetarian Society website vegsoc.org

SERVES

2

30 July 2022 • WAR CRY • 15

To love at all is to be vulnerable CS Lewis

WAR CRY