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 7549
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 The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 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 Mal Davies 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
INFO Your local Salvation Army centre
2 • WAR CRY • 30 October 2021
AN environmental summit is not about to start in Glasgow – that is to say, Cop26 is not just an environmental summit. This week’s War Cry features a variety of people talking about climate change, yet one idea keeps recurring. In an interview in this issue, Canadian scientist Katharine Hayhoe describes how she had been planning to become an astrophysicist before she took an eye-opening university class on climate science. ‘I had always thought of climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation and air pollution as environmental issues that people like Sir David Attenborough and Jane Goodall worked on while the rest of us just wished them well,’ she says. ‘But in that class I learnt that climate change is not just an environmental issue, but also a health issue, an economic issue, an issue of food and water and, most of all, a humanitarian issue. It affects the poorest and most vulnerable people.’ The Salvation Army’s UK-based international development team is seeing the effects of climate change on people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is supporting projects to help communities. Team member Violet Ruria tells us that weather patterns have been disrupted, which ‘is problematic, as farmers are only really able to plant with regular rainfall’. Rachel Mander, who has helped to co-ordinate a Young Christian Climate Network relay walk to Glasgow, is concerned at the way climate change is causing countries to take on more debt. Katharine, Violet, Rachel and others featured in this issue share another perspective. It’s one they have in common with other Christians the world over – and which is echoed in The Salvation Army’s newly published official viewpoint on the environment. ‘The Salvation Army believes people are made in the image of God,’ it says. ‘He has entrusted us to reflect his personality by caring for the Earth and everything in it.’ God cares for us all. The Salvation Army statement also describes environmental ad the War C degradation as ‘affecting us all’. e re ry v ’ u We are all invited to join those who are doing all they can to fix it.
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Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk
From the editor’s desk
When yo
What is The Salvation Army?
CONTENTS 4 8
FEATURES
3
Global events
Countdown to Cop26
4
Pilgrims farther
Young activists stage relay walk
6
Money to burn?
Campaign encourages divestment from
fossil fuels
8
‘Each of us has a role to play’
Scientist on fixing the climate crisis
12 Bee here now
12
Honey and forestry in the DRC
REGULARS
14 Puzzles 15 War Cry Kitchen