11 June 2022 NZFTS War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION 11 JUNE 2022 | Issue 6793 | $1.50

Women in Leadership Spotlight on Corps in Southern Division Cook Strait Swim Star

Restoring Choice and Dignity: Queenstown ‘Supermarket’ The Search for Kingdom Treasure

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WAR CRY The Salvation Army

New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Julie & Mark Campbell | GENERAL Brian Peddle | FOUNDERS Catherine

& William Booth

The Salvation Army’s message is based on the Bible. Our ministry is motivated by love for God. Our mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human need in his name without discrimination. War Cry exists to support and advance The Salvation Army’s message, ministry and mission.

EDITOR Vivienne Hill | GRAPHIC DESIGN Sam Coates, Nicole Gesmundo, Lauren Millington | STAFF WRITERS

Hope Burmeister, Holly Morton, David Youngmeyer | PROOF READING Major Colleen Marshall OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street,

PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141, Phone (04) 384 5649, Email warcry@salvationarmy.org.nz, salvationarmy.org.nz/warcry SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department, Phone

(04) 382 0768, Email mailorder@salvationarmy.org.nz, $75 per year within NZ PRINT MANAGEMENT makeready.nz | PAPER Sumo Offset

is an environmentally responsible paper produced using Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) FSC® certified Mixed Source pulp from responsible sources and manufactured under the strict ISO14001 Environmental Management System.

Member of the Australasian Religious Press Association.

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From the Dining Table to the Boardroom Table Gender equity has been a frequent topic in War Cry over many years. We are still highlighting this as an issue because it is a work in progress. There is a nod and an acknowledgement to equity, but in everyday practice this balance is often not realised. In this edition of War Cry, Major Christina Tyson highlights this topic in her article, ‘Women in Leadership’, on page 6, particularly inequity in officer roles.

The Salvation Army was at its founding considered radical in its call for equality.

Catherine Booth, co-founder of The Salvation Army, would have first laid the groundwork of equality within her own marriage and family before extending her beliefs into the faith space. The fact that her husband William supported her and upheld equality of women in his teachings and practice is testament to Catherine’s ability to negotiate and unpack this against a backdrop of Victorian constraints.

Gender bias can happen as much around the dining-room table as around the board-room table, but we are individually called by God to examine our own beliefs and actions in light of Scripture, which teaches us to put others before ourselves and defer to one another, no matter what our gender.

Let us be intentional in our examination of gender equality in our own beliefs and thinking because there can be no change in our Movement if we still do not believe and champion gender equality in our own thinking and our own lives and relationships.

I recommend checking out the resources offered in our Women’s Ministries space, particularly the gender-equity resources at tinyurl.com/TSAGenderEquity.

Vivienne Hill Editor

All Bible references from the Holy Bible, New International Version, unless otherwise stated.

SalvationArmyNZFTS

For it is not our natural reasoning powers that will guide us correctly, or give us right judgement in all things. No, Christ alone is our Wisdom.

@SalvationArmyNZ

Al Bryant

Articles are copyrighted to The Salvation Army, except where indicated, and may be reprinted only with permission.

Publishing for 138 years | Issue 6793 ISSN 0043-0242 (print), ISSN 2537-7442 (online) Please pass on or recycle this magazine Read online issuu.com/salvationarmynzftwarcry

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2 WarCry 11 JUNE 2022

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.

1 Timoti 2:5 Kotahi tonu te Atua, kotahi te takawaenga o te Atua, o ngā tāngata, ko ia anō he tangata, arā ko Karaiti Īhu.

The Best Five-Letter Word of All

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ave you been bitten by the Wordle bug? This word game, which you play on your phone or computer, is deceptively simple. All you have to do is find the five-letter word within six guesses. It sounds easy, but there are absolutely no clues to help you. Could it be drain or train, baker or joker, chunk or clunk, mints or mince? Trying to decide on a sensible solution without any hint about how best to begin—it’s just like life!

Wordle creator Josh Wardle designed the game for his puzzle-loving girlfriend and launched it to the world in November last year. Within two months there were 300,000 players; now, there are millions.

There is only one puzzle each day, but completing it becomes addictive. One Salvation Army officer (you know who you are) recently admitted in a Facebook post to waking up at 11:50pm with the sudden realisation she hadn’t done Wordle and only had 10 minutes before it disappeared!

For me, the appeal with each new day’s empty grid is the almost limitless number of possible solutions. After all, there are apparently 13,000 five-letter words in the English language. I also challenge myself to find the correct word in as few guesses as possible.

Wordle fans—myself included—think about five-letter words more often than they should (there are five in this sentence).

Rich, positive, life-affirming five-letter words keep jumping off the page when I read my Bible.

Words such as: quiet, peace, value, worth, watch, learn, trust, serve, share, stand, brave, loyal, loved, saved, given, touch, renew, birth, waken, begin, right, paths, guide, heart, house, altar, angel, speak, shout, happy, thank, blood, bless, alive, raise, great, power, mercy, world, plant, light, bread, prize, crown, reign, sweet, drink, kneel, fruit and faith.

Of course, Jesus is a wonderful five-letter word too, but unfortunately his name can’t be used in Wordle.

I know—I tried! I’ve been using faith as my opening word recently. It’s a great way to start the word game and begin each new day.

Because we are a diverse lot, Christians will no doubt have different ideas about the best fiveletter word of all from the Bible. For me, it is saved.

Knowing God loves me enough to send Jesus to die for me, accepts me, forgives my sins and gives me the certainty of eternal life with him after my days on earth are over is huge. Romans 5:8 says: ‘…God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful’ (CEV).

What’s even more mind-blowing is that the free gift of salvation is available to everyone. All you have to do is ask.

‘So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death’ (Romans 10:9, CEV).

BY ALLISON BECKHAM

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QUIKQUIZ 1 What is the study of truth called?

2 What was the first name of Vincent van Gogh’s art dealer brother?

WARCRY INHISTORY

The Salvation Army’s Territorial Headquarters (THQ) is 32 years old! This issue’s War Cry in History features a photo of the front entrance of THQ, in Wellington, on the day it opened, from the 16 June 1990 edition. So let’s eat some cake and celebrate this special birthday!

Source: The Heritage Centre & Archives at the Plowman Resource Centre, Booth College of Mission.

3 Which country beginning with ‘L’ is positioned between Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south?

Lemon Delicious 80g butter, softened 3 tsp lemon zest ½ cup caster sugar

4 Chichén Itzá is located in which country?

3 eggs, separated

5 In the Bible, where did Job live?

⅓ cup lemon juice

Answers on page 22

Whipped cream, to serve

¼ cup self-raising flour 1⅔ cup milk Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish.

Beat the butter, lemon zest and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until pale. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until thick.

Add the flour, milk and lemon juice.

Stir well to combine.

Beat the egg whites in a clean small bowl with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. Lightly fold through the lemon mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is golden and just firm to the touch.

To serve, dust with sifted icing sugar and whipped cream.

Source: countdown.co.nz

Weird of the Week: The 100 folds in a chef’s toque (hat) represent the 100 ways to cook an egg.

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Non-fiction Index, A History of the: A Bookish Adventure by Dennis Duncan, 2021, Allen Lane/Penguin Books When you are looking for something particular in your Bible, what is the one place to go to that will save time and lead directly to the relevant page?

The answer: the index. Duncan does an excellent job of charting the fascinating history of the index, beginning with its precursors—the codex and alphabetical order. Effectively born in the thirteenth century at universities and mendicant orders, the index proved itself a vital tool in efficient teaching and preaching. The replacement of handwritten manuscripts with printed books and the adoption of page numbers both worked in favour of the index. Academic, literary and political criticism and satire led to surprising uses. Take for example the amusing ‘Index to tears’ that catalogues every type of weeping in a particularly sentimental eighteenth century novel. While indexes in novels did not catch on, a professional index has become an indispensable part of every modern non-fiction book. (Reviewed by David Youngmeyer)

TOPFIVE

It may not be popular nowadays, but in yesteryear the best way to send secret messages to friends, loved ones or enemies was through flowers. Each flower had a particular meaning, expressing love or admiration, or the opposite. Here are five plants to watch out for or avoid next time you decide to give a gift: 1. Basil—this one is a little complicated: sweet basil conveys best wishes, whereas common basil signifies hatred. Either way, the recipient will still appreciate it on a pizza.

Winter blanket collection in Christchurch

2. Tansy—with its little, rounded yellow flower heads, this plant was given to opponents to declare war and offer hostile thoughts.

3. Yellow carnations— specifically in yellow, carnations symbolise disdain, disappointment and rejection. Best not to show up to a date with these flowers.

A Christchurch radio station and car dealership teamed up to collect blankets for The Salvation Army to distribute to local families in need this winter.

The four-week ‘Mustang Sallies’ campaign—which collected over 200 blankets—was a partnership with The Breeze Canterbury, Team Hutchinson Ford and The Salvation Army in Christchurch.

Radio personalities Hilary and Fitzy, who host the 6–10am show, told listeners about the campaign, and encouraged them to drop off donated blankets at a variety of locations around Christchurch City.

At intervals during the campaign, Hilary and Fitzy drove a campaign-branded Mustang car to the collection points to pick up the latest donations and help further promote the campaign.

The donated blankets were a mixture of used and mainly-new blankets.

‘We are pleased to have the support of The Breeze and Team Hutchinson Ford in this initiative, along with the many members of the public who took the time to donate blankets,’ says Salvation Army regional relationships manager in Christchurch, Jade Zeina.

There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveller.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

4. Buttercup—there may be something about yellow flowers: these delicate blooms represent childishness and immaturity.

5. Rhododendron— these flowers mean beware, and for a very good reason. The whole plant is poisonous and ingesting any part of it could be lethal.

‘The donated blankets will be distributed through our Salvation Army network to vulnerable families in the Christchurch community.

‘At a time when many families are struggling with the rising cost of living, along with increased rents and other costs, these donated blankets will be really welcomed as we move into the colder temperatures of winter.’

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Women in Leadership: Is The Salvation Army Settling for Less?

Major Christina Tyson contributes to the continuing conversation about how we can honour the vision of gender equity that The Salvation Army was founded on, particularly for our female officers. As a member of the Gender Equity Committee, she makes suggestions on how we can encourage women in their leadership potential.

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he Salvation Army believes both men and women are called to serve at all levels of the church and that leadership should be based primarily on gifting, not gender.

Founders William and Catherine Booth held radical egalitarian views for their time, with Catherine a strong influence in shaping these views. Catherine’s argument for women’s equality had three simple points, writes John Read in his book Catherine Booth: 1. Women were originally created equal with men.

2. Their subjection was part of the curse.

3. In Christ, the equality of women has been restored.

Even today, the foundations laid out in 1895 feel aspirational and prophetic: ‘One of the leading principles upon which the Army is based is the right of women to an equal share with men in the work of publishing salvation to the world …

Let it therefore be understood that women are eligible for the highest commands— indeed, no woman is to be kept back from any position of power or influence merely on account of her sex,’ says the 1895 Orders and Regulations for Staff Officers of The Salvation Army.

Are we walking our historical talk?

In Janet Munn’s seminal study on Theory and Practice of Gender Equality in The Salvation Army she reported The Salvation Army had more females in leadership than any other church, denomination or Christian organisation.

As an international organisation serving in countries where females are kept from educational and employment opportunities and can be exposed to situations of abuse simply because they are considered of less worth than males, our strong proportion of female leadership is something to be proud of.

In many countries, The Salvation Army is an oasis where females who might otherwise be marginalised come to realise their God-given potential and right to partner equally with men in all aspects of church life and mission— including as leaders. In such environments, Salvationist women are role models and change-makers.

However, digging deeper into those same statistics, Munn uncovered cause for concern. Despite the large number of female officers, there was not equality of appointment at senior level. In 2011, of the 518 officer appointments ‘involving the highest responsibility’, only 47 (9.07%) were female. These numbers were largely the same in 2016.

Of course, Munn is focussing on positional leadership in her analysis—which is not the whole story. The issue of females in leadership is, thankfully, far broader and deeper than these few ‘highest responsibility’ appointments. In an organisation founded by Jesus, who turned positional leadership on its head with his strong depiction of servant leadership, we naturally adopt a view of leadership beyond positional leadership to one that encompasses leadership influence. All Salvation Army female officers, like our male colleagues, are 11 JUNE 2022 WarCry

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released as influencing leaders. In addition, we have many valuable women contributing as soldiers, staff and volunteers— who are equally rich in leadership potential.

There has also been progress in gender equity. The focus of the Accountability Movement includes a focus on greater development of leadership skills in women and men. This brings hope that the Accountability Movement will help position us better for the future.

Our territory recently had a married female Chief Secretary in Colonel Suzanne Fincham, and last year we launched the Gender Equity Committee. Australia has appointed a National Gender Equity Advocate. There are discussions being held at International Headquarters and in this territory about leaving behind the idea of ‘default appointments’ (traditionally given to married women officers when their husbands receive a more senior leadership role). At the same time, we are grateful that so many non-officer women exercise their considerable leadership skills to strengthen the Army’s mission in headquarters, corps and centres. There are real signs of progress. However, there is still a road to travel.

THE SALVATION ARMY ESPOUSES AN EQUALITY OF PURPOSE FOR MEN AND WOMEN—BUT THERE ALSO NEEDS TO BE EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY. General Brian Peddle has said that ‘gender equity is an issue we can’t celebrate to the level we want to celebrate it …

The reality is that we have leaders at present who were not afforded that opportunity. What we are dealing with is the consequences of that inequity.’

In the meantime, we need to recognise that there is a gap between the bold vision in 1895 of gender equality in ‘the highest commands’ and present-day reality. This cannot be explained away by pointing out that females have many wonderful leadership opportunities within Women’s Ministries, or that female officers are routinely exercising leadership in joint roles alongside their husbands, or that 8 WarCry 11 JUNE 2022

female staff may prefer to operate more in mid-level roles, or that upskilling is on the way to enable more females to step into more senior/governance roles. All of these things are undoubtedly true, but it is also true that when it comes to mobilising our female force, we have not yet delivered on our pioneering vision.

Let us never forget that on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out on men and women. The work of the Spirit is always a work of equality!

Narrowing the gap In her 2016 lecture on ‘Breaking the Stained Glass Ceiling’, Rev. Jo Kelly-Moore commented that once female representation reached around 30 percent, this seemed to be regarded as ‘equal’ across society, with people thinking, We’ve done it now; everything is okay.

Such thinking was also evident in Church circles. KellyMoore offered some helpful questions to reveal the obstacles that keep females from senior positions: • Is female leadership trusted as much as male leadership in the Church?

• Do we see females as ‘aggressive’ when they put themselves forward for a role, rather than simply ‘confident’ (as a male would typically be described)?

• Is there structural space for female voices to be heard and for their gifts to help shape the organisation?

Over its history, The Salvation Army has given many women the opportunity to serve God. But we must also recognise we have not yet delivered on the bold view of gender equality advocated by pioneer Salvationists. Is it possible the same obstacles identified by Kelly-Moore also hold the Army back from mobilising more women, particularly in senior leadership?

Gender neutral Ideally, The Salvation Army could operate in a ‘gender neutral’ fashion, where leaders are based on passion, skills and suitability—not gender. This would be a fair and wise approach where we endeavour to be good stewards of the people-assets God has placed at the Army’s disposal. However, we are still a long way from operating in such a fashion, and so there is still a need at this time for an affirmative-action approach, with a corrective bias in the way we develop and appoint women.

Kelly-Moore identifies four things to address if we are serious about gender equality:

1. Intentional choices on the part of the organisation.

2. Increased training opportunities for women.

3. Conscious awareness on the part of the Church.

4. Male allies prepared to support an advancement of leadership opportunities, and thereby a normalising of women in leadership.

If we have had the door of equality in leadership opened for us, we must be proactive about keeping that door open for others. With that encouragement in mind, here are a few of my own suggestions of how we might more intentionally increase gender parity within The Salvation Army: 1. Acknowledge there are seasons when it is appropriate for females to take ‘lesser’ leadership roles, such as when children are young. But recognise that a ‘returnto-work’ development plan may be necessary to bridge any knowledge/skill gap that may have resulted from this season.

2. Consider options such as Salvation Army-funded childcare (if parents of young children choose this) to prevent a later knowledge/skills gap.

3. Encourage married officer couples to pursue their individual areas of passion and gifting, recognising that individual appointments rather than joint appointments may be required and that they therefore need to be equipped for that eventuality.

4. View separate officer appointments as a development pathway that will ready some females to one day move into more senior appointments, including governance roles.

5. Promote the expectation that all personnel—male and female, officers and non-officers—will speak up and let their managers know where they might see themselves serving and how they would like to be developed.

The Salvation Army espouses an equality of purpose for men and women—but there also needs to be equality of opportunity.

And it is the latter that is the biggest obstacle to releasing more females into the leadership of The Salvation Army today.

In challenging the prevailing male norm, we could ask, how are individuals appointed to senior roles? When it comes to officer couples, we might ask, which individual is best suited to the more senior role?

To make change, we must ‘keep the story that we have inherited alive’, says Kelly-Moore. She is, of course, thinking of the story of the equal rights that women justly deserve across society, but in The Salvation Army we need to also keep alive our story of equal rights for women leaders. None of us fought this battle ourselves, but we are its recipients. If we agree there is a gap between The Salvation Army’s practice and our professed beliefs in the area of gender equality, it is not enough to blame others or to complain that this situation is not what Catherine Booth or other pioneers would have wanted. It is our duty—female leaders and our male allies—to take up the unfinished story we have inherited and craft the next chapter.

Do you have questions or feedback on gender equity? Please contact Commissioner Julie Campbell, chair of the Gender Equity Committee: Julie.Campbell@salvationarmy.org.nz

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is The Salvation Army walking the talk of gender equality?

Have we become complacent and accepting of today’s norm, which is still a largely male one?

Keep telling the story

Does our practice still match our beliefs?

Kelly-Moore observes that today’s women are generations removed from the experiences of the early women’s rights campaigners. We do not have a direct connection to their experiences and so have perhaps become complacent and even apathetic about what those struggles delivered. As women, we may even have become complicit in the marginalising of female leaders, settling for less than God’s divine imperative.

Have we been lulled into believing ‘everything is okay’ when a significant cultural shift is still long overdue?

Where do you see the largest discrepancies?

What could be done to address these?

And, whether you are female or male, what will YOU do in your own ministry and leadership to make change?

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Stand against bullying Pink Shirt Day (20 May) started when a male student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt and instead of standing by, two students decided to stand up and wear pink shirts in support of this student.

Bullying can come in many forms, such as physical, verbal and online abuse. It’s not always easy to notice, but whether you witness it, or someone confides in you about it, bullying is never okay and should be addressed.

WAYS TO SUPPORT SOMEONE BEING BULLIED • Be a listening ear. A person who is being bullied often feels vulnerable and isolated, so if you are the person they choose to trust and confide in, that’s important. Even if it’s too painful for them to talk about, make time to go out for coffee or a walk just so they have someone there.

• Speak up if you witness bullying. Sometimes a bully can hide behaviour. At other times it can be more confrontational, or it may even be subtle remarks. If you witness it (and feel safe doing so), be direct and calm so as not to worsen the situation, but be clear in expressing to them that what they are doing or have done is not right and you will not support the behaviour.

• If appropriate, tell someone in authority. If you’re at school, tell a teacher. If you’re at work, tell a manager. If you’re at church, tell a leader.

Look for the person who can best deal with the bullying. If the bullying is taking place at home, share this with a trusted family member or friend.

• Save messages if it’s online bullying. If the bullying is online, encourage the person to take screenshots of the messages or save any inappropriate photos, and tell them to report it. Having evidence is important if they choose to make a formal complaint against a person.

If the behaviour persists, it may be helpful to encourage them to block the bully on all social media platforms.

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IT’S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT SOMEONE WHO IS BEING BULLIED, TO SHOW THEM THEY ARE NOT ALONE AND IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL STAND BY AND LET HAPPEN. • Build them up. The person being bullied may have negative thoughts about themselves, given the abuse that has been targeted at them. Make sure to replace this with positive affirmations and encourage them to be proud of who they are.

It’s important to support someone who is being bullied, to show them they are not alone and it’s not something that you will stand by and let happen.

In an institutional setting, it’s imperative to create a culture where bullying is not tolerated and is called out as bad behaviour. Let everyone know without hesitation the expectations of your workplace or team, then gather around in support of the person being bullied.

Source: mentalhealthfirstaid.org

TESTIFY! Brett Richardson, from Johnsonville Corps, recently swam across Cook Strait. He shares with us his adventure and the significant role that prayer had over this time.

I’ve been at Johnsonville Corps since 2005, and even met my wife there.

Before that, I was involved in an Anglican church in Christchurch where I had done an Alpha course. This is how I got connected to faith. Since then we’ve actually held many Alpha courses at our corps, and I’ve helped to run those. So in that way, it’s been nice to sort of close that loop.

I’m part of the leadership team at Johnsonville; my role is prayer coordinator. I love to pray for people and see people healed through prayer.

I’ve attended a lot of conferences around the place on prayer and healing.

So that’s my role and my passion within our church. We can be so blasé about prayer sometimes, but it can make a big difference.

When I was training for my swim, my coach mentioned that a woman in our swim squad, Catherine, had been praying with her workmates at a Catholic school where she worked that I would have a successful swim. Then during the swim, the memory returned to me that she and her workmates had been praying for me, and I felt so uplifted in my spirit.

A while later, I saw her at the pool and just gave her a big hug. I told her that I’d like to go to her school to thank the staff for their prayers and share the effect that had on me. When I went, I was invited to share in their school assembly about swimming Cook Strait and also got to share about prayer with the students.

I’m what I’d describe as a lifestyle swimmer; I swim all year round, usually five or six times a week—more if I’m training. They say Cook Strait is the

…I WAS INVITED TO SHARE IN THEIR SCHOOL ASSEMBLY ABOUT SWIMMING COOK STRAIT AND ALSO GOT TO SHARE ABOUT PRAYER WITH THE STUDENTS.

away. There’s a lot to it, as you’re out there for so long in a hostile environment, and it’s 26 kilometres—which takes about the same amount of energy as running two and a half marathons back-to-back.

My own swim was from the North Island to the South, on 24 November 2020; my time was 10 hours and 20 minutes—but you can really only achieve this swim if nature lets you.

When you finally get out of the water, every swimmer has hypothermia to some degree, but the organiser of the swim—who is a paramedic—described my situation as severe.

second hardest strait in the world to swim because it’s incredibly deep and very tidal, as well as being very windy, like Wellington. There are only a few days a year where conditions are suitable to swim it.

When we got back to Wellington on the boat that night, there were about 30 people on the dock to greet me. Usually so late at night you’re lucky if anyone’s there, but to have so many people on the dock who appreciate and are excited by your challenges was really something.

The idea of doing the swim has been in the back of my mind for a long time, I remember hearing about other people’s swims as a child and just being blown

My next adventure is going to be Foveaux Strait between the South Island and Stewart Island early next year, which is about two kilometres longer.

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Confidence and the Christian Confidence can be a strange concept to grapple with, especially for Christian women. There can be conflicting ideas of what it should be, particularly our outward expression. The concept of ‘confidence’ in a woman from a biblical perspective can also be confusing, particularly if verses from the Bible are taken out of context. So how should we express our confidence?

BY HOPE BURMEISTER

The way women perceive themselves has both inward and outward aspects. Being a more outwardly confident person may be measured by our ability to speak up in unpopular or unjust situations, or looking well-dressed and put together. Inwardly our confidence may exhibit itself by our values and beliefs, but this is much harder to measure. There can be the temptation to define confidence in both a negative and positive sense, for example, the belief that being prideful and humble are mutually exclusive. But is there a more holistic way to view confidence?

HOW OUR OUTWARD CONFIDENCE IS SILENCED

Children can have a fearless confidence to speak up at any given moment, even if it’s deemed inappropriate in the eyes of society, such as speaking loudly in a church service, or giving their opinion of someone who is right in front of them. The social cues of society are often not recognised at a young age, but as a child ages, they learn what is socially appropriate and acceptable. Imposing social norms on children can contribute to dampening a child’s confidence by telling them to stop being too loud, or to do a task ‘properly’.

An article published in The Atlantic, titled ‘How Puberty Kills Girls’ Confidence’, states that under the age of 12, there’s almost no difference between boys and girls levels of confidence. However, at age 14 a girl is much less confident than a boy. Also, the number of girls who believed they weren’t ‘allowed’ to fail, rose from 18 to 45 percent from the age of 12 or 13. ‘In their efforts to please everyone, achieve more and follow rules, many girls are actually nurturing traits in themselves that set them up to struggle in the long run.’

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CONFIDENCE IS EXPERIENCED FROM THE INSIDE OUT; WHETHER YOU’RE FEELING HAPPY, SAD, NERVOUS OR EXCITED, IT SHOWS. HOW INWARD CONFIDENCE AFFECTS OUTWARD CONFIDENCE

CHRIST IS OUR CONFIDENCE (AND WE SHOULD BE CONFIDENT TOO!)

Confidence is experienced from the inside out; whether you’re feeling happy, sad, nervous or excited, it shows.

Imagine you’re afraid of public speaking and about to give a speech in front of the entire school, university or work place. What physical signs might there be that you’re afraid? You might be stuttering, your mouth might be dry, you may be fidgeting with your clothing. We can psych ourselves up to be confident but the signs of nervousness can be subconscious. Most of us aren’t good at pretending. If you’re not feeling inwardly confident about yourself, you won’t project it on the outside.

However, if you’re feeling genuinely confident, it will show in the upright, but relaxed way you hold yourself.

It’s encouraging to know that we can have confidence because Christ is our confidence. We can have confidence in ourselves because he has confidence in us. Our self-worth comes from the fact that we are children of and have a relationship with the living God. In 2 Timothy 1:7 it says, ‘For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of selfdiscipline’. While some translations have it as ‘spirit of fear’, ‘timidity’ is more accurate. REV Bible commentary says, ‘The Greek word translated “timidity” … means lack of mental or moral strength, cowardice or timidity. It is not the standard word for “fear,” … many Christians do not rise up and do what they should do in the Church, not because they are “afraid,” but because … they “just don’t feel comfortable” doing it’.

ISN’T A WOMAN SUPPOSED TO BE A ‘GENTLE AND QUIET SPIRIT’?

In the Bible, 1 Peter 3:4 talks about having a ‘gentle and quiet spirit’ and not focussing on ‘outward adornment’.

This could be viewed as a call for women to be quiet and not dress up, as the best way to please God and others.

In a blog post on Faithfully Planted, blogger Ashley says, ‘having a gentle and quiet spirit is nothing more than simply becoming more like Christ and humbly letting his work in your heart shine through to the world’. She says she was afraid that she would have to change her entire personality after initially reading this verse. However, she was encouraged to know that God didn’t require her to be silent and withdrawn. She could be bold and vocal outwardly, but humbly listening to Christ inwardly. ‘Your gentleness and tender love towards this world will speak much louder than the volume of your voice or the fervour behind your argument,’ she says. Clearly having a ‘gentle and quiet spirit’ is about the attitude you have and the way you treat other people.

OUR SELF-WORTH COMES FROM THE FACT THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF AND HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIVING GOD. As women and as Christians, we can shy away from confidently speaking our minds, because it can be uncomfortable. We worry our opinion doesn’t matter, it won’t be listened to, or that it won’t make a difference.

But God wants us to instead rise up in confidence in his strength and speak out!

THE NUMBER OF GIRLS WHO BELIEVED THEY WEREN’T ‘ALLOWED’ TO FAIL, ROSE FROM 18 TO 45 PERCENT FROM THE AGE OF 12 OR 13.

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Blenheim Corps.

Southern Division Corps Gathering in the face of Covid-19 Last edition of War Cry we caught up with a representation of corps in the Central Division to see how they maintained relationships with their community and corps through the pandemic. In this edition we feature Southern Division’s initiatives.

Blenheim Corps Corps leadership made the decision early on that it was important for them to create spaces where their corps whānau (family) could continue to have meaningful in-person connections with each other. During the red traffic light setting, this saw them meeting for Sunday worship as one gathering in three parts: auditorium worship (vaccine pass required), café-style worship (no vaccine pass required) and online worship (via Facebook and YouTube). This meant that all members of their corps whānau could gather with others for Sunday service.

The content of their Sunday service was also pared back to around 30 to 45 minutes as they found the wearing of masks for a long time challenging, particularly for their older people.

‘This has seen us focussing on what we will add to bring across the message, ensuring that every component within our Sunday service has a point and draws us more deeply into worship,’ said Captain Emma Howan, corps officer at Blenheim Corps.

Under the orange alert level, Blenheim Corps are meeting together again for one in-person Sunday worship service.

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However, their online worship remains available for those who are isolating or unable to attend in person for another reason.

‘When we entered into this season as a corps, we felt that our meeting together might be more time for content rather than the fellowship we were used to,’ said Emma. ‘But as we’ve journeyed, we’ve been able to grow meaningful connections with each other and with our community, and we’ve found greater meaning in what we do and why we do it.’

Mosgiel Corps The corps is currently meeting in person because they are a small congregation. However, they continue to take precautions such as wearing masks and using tongs to serve biscuits at morning tea, particularly because they have a more mature congregation.

Captain Phillipa van Abs, corps officer at Mosgiel Corps, said that given they have people who are at risk, ‘we want to be able to behave like adults and be responsible. Let’s be responsible for one another.’

They were not able to meet during lockdowns because most of their congregation are not online. This has brought an

appreciation of being able to meet in person, and to look out for each other even more.

‘They’re quicker to express their concern for one another and to follow up with each other, which I think is a really beautiful expression of being Jesus to people,’ Phillipa said.

During lockdowns, she regularly sent out encouraging messages on email and a Messenger group for those who have internet access. For those without access, she sent out a physical newsletter.

During this time, people’s personal relationships with God deepened. ‘The emphasis has changed from “we come to church and experience God and then we get on with our life”, to, “we come to church to enhance our own personal walk with God that’s been strengthened through this time”,’ she said.

Phillipa also emphasised the desire to step back and allow others in the congregation to step up, and more people are now having the confidence to step up, preach and serve at Mosgiel Corps in various ways.

‘THEY’RE QUICKER TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN FOR ONE ANOTHER AND TO FOLLOW UP WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH I THINK IS A REALLY BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION OF BEING JESUS TO PEOPLE…’ and then hand-delivered. The kids had a blast, and the families knew they were really cared about!

Recently when Omicron caused a stay-away for six Sundays, leadership prioritised the need for corps to continue to see weekly Sunday ministry ‘in music and word’ by people of their own corps family. Music sections recorded elements at sociallydistanced rehearsals, and they were matched with the officers bringing a brief reflection, which was shared by an emailed private YouTube video link.

The corps’ growing-edge groups—Music-and-Movement, Just Brass, 7 Up and youth group—are now back to strength and glad to be back. They are celebrating a return to in-person worship gatherings, with a need to re-establish and prioritise worship and fellowship in their services.

Dunedin City Corps Mosgiel Corps.

Christchurch City Corps Major Alan Bateman, corps officer at Christchurch City Corps, doesn’t think that they have discovered any amazing secrets along the way for their corps in recent months, but suggests that they have rediscovered the value of simple connections, such as intentional phone calling. ‘Time and again, people have spoken of their appreciation; and those doing the phone calls have found themselves being trusted with parts of people’s stories they never knew before.’

Christchurch City Corps family worker, Lynley Robertson, poured her energy into ‘Kids’ Church in a Bag’ for their people.

Each child in their Sunday school areas had a bag dropped off to them with all the elements for a Kids’ Church activity and learning at home. Parents took photos of their children fishing, making bubbles, eating croissants (loaves and fishes), pinning a tail on the donkey at Easter and watching a weekly video. It was a huge weekly effort with 15 or so individual bags to be made up

THE KIDS HAD A BLAST, AND THE FAMILIES KNEW THEY WERE REALLY CARED ABOUT!

For about six weeks during the red traffic light setting of the pandemic, Dunedin City Corps decided to stop meeting in person. During that time, they borrowed an idea from Captains Rachel and Simon Montgomery (Ōamaru Corps) and created a church-at-home resource. It was emailed out to those in their email group and then they printed and delivered these to those who didn’t have a computer.

Where possible, this resource was linked in to the sermon content, although sometimes it was a little different. They included links to songs for those without internet capability and gave a song book to those without internet. When they weren’t meeting in person, they also included a kid’s section in the resource.

‘The actual content of the resource varied,’ Captain Christina McEwen, corps officer at Dunedin City Corps, explained, ‘Sometimes it was a couple of stories with reflection questions; sometimes it was the actual sermon. We tried to keep it as bright and colourful as we could.’

At their busiest, the officers were delivering this resource, along with their weekly newsletter and War Cry (when it was War Cry week) to 13 people spread across Dunedin.

Christina noted that ‘the exciting thing is that when we started meeting again in person, we kept this resource going for those who are unable to attend on a Sunday. This has been a great way of connecting with those we don’t see on Sunday.

People who have been receiving it really appreciate the fact they are remembered.’

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Queenstown Sallies ‘supermarket’ helps struggling families The Salvation Army in Queenstown is changing the way it operates its food services with the aim of increasing the sense of agency and dignity experienced by people struggling to get by.

The traditional Sallies foodbank—where families are provided with groceries selected by someone else—has been replaced in Queenstown by a new approach that is more along the lines of a supermarket.

Lieutenant Andrew Wilson, director of Queenstown Community Ministries and corps officer says, ‘With the rising cost of living, many households are struggling to afford the basics. Our “supermarket” model enables people who access our service the opportunity to decide for themselves what food and household items they need. It means we can provide a sense of agency and dignity to those who often feel they’ve lost a degree of control over their lives.’

People presenting to the food service will continue to be assessed by a support worker, but will be invited to pick items off the foodbank shelves that best meet their needs.

‘Our clients come with a range of dietary and cultural needs.

By enabling them to choose their own items, we can help ensure that everyone leaves with what they need and nothing they do not,’ says Andrew. ‘This helps us make the best use of the food and other grocery items we hold and helps us better understand the specific grocery needs of our community.’

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The Salvation Army has been supporting the Queenstown community for over 100 years. They see this ‘supermarket’ model as continuing the tradition of serving the community alongside financial mentoring, counselling and other support services. ‘We have continually adapted our services to provide the best outcomes for those who find themselves in a vulnerable situation,’ says Andrew.

Andrew is thankful for the generous support from the Queenstown community for helping make the supermarket a reality.

The Salvation Army response to mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, USA

After the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on 24 May, The Salvation Army responded to a request for assistance and deployed a mobile kitchen and disaster response team from San Antonio to serve first responders and the community. Throughout the first evening and overnight, first responders and law enforcement received sandwiches, snacks and coffee.

Now a full-size mobile kitchen from San Antonio with the capacity to serve up to 2500 meals per day has been deployed, along with a Rapid Response Unit from New Braunfels with a 12-person bunk house and shower unit. The Army continues to provide around the clock assistance to first responders, impacted families and the community of Uvalde.

‘This tragedy has impacted so many people in the area.

Even before we arrived in Uvalde, I had the opportunity to pray with someone affected by the shooting,’ said Major Carolyn Webb, incident commander for The Salvation Army response. ‘We were buying supplies at a grocery store and another shopper offered to help with our heavy load. As soon as they learned that we were with The Salvation Army and headed to Uvalde, they explained that a close friend had lost their child in the shooting. We prayed together right there in the store.’

A Family Resource Center has been set up, specifically for the families affected by the shooting. Three Army officers, from San Antonio and San Angelo, will serve as Emotional and Spiritual Care Specialists at the centre, and will be available to listen, support and pray with family members. Canines 4 Christ, a newly fostered partner organisation, will provide six teams including therapy dogs and trained ESC specialists as additional support.

‘This has been a very challenging and emotional week for everyone connected with Uvalde, and of course our

thoughts and prayers go out to the families impacted by the shooting at Robb Elementary,’ said Major Webb.

On Thursday, Salvation Army leadership met with DHS Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships Executive Director, Melissa Rogers, who visited Uvalde.

Rogers spent some time discussing the ongoing response efforts and shared encouraging words with team members.

‘I was privileged to stand alongside some of the finest Salvation Army volunteers, employees, officers and countless first responders during these last couple of days in Uvalde,’ said Lt-Colonel Ronnie Raymer, divisional commander for The Salvation Army Texas Division. ‘The opportunity to pray with residents who witnessed this tragic event unfold right in front of their homes was as much as a blessing to me as I hope it was to these brave people. It has been an incredible opportunity for The Salvation Army to serve and minister in circumstances that I pray will never be repeated.’

COMPILED AND REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM PHILIP BURN, TEXAS DIVISIONAL HEADQUARTERS. MORE INFO | for the latest disaster response information, go to www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org

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Sponsorship for Southern Africa Territory For the Southern Africa Territory, child sponsorship has been essential to providing basic needs to those in disadvantaged communities, particularly in corps and crèches. The funds provided by the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory have helped various children in settings across the Southern Africa Territory.

Sponsorship funds for the Barberton Crèche have helped provide food hampers, balls and kitchen utensils for children from disadvantaged families. They also had a fun day eating hot dogs and playing games in order to show the children they are loved and cared for.

In Eastern Cape, Mount Frere and Mdanstane Corps, the funds helped 17 orphans and their caregivers with necessities, such as stationery. They also set up spiritual mentorship for the caregivers, with home visitations and Bible study groups in their homes.

Pienaar Crèche built a shelter outside their building so the children could play while being protected from the sun. They also purchased new chairs and stationery for inside the crèche.

For Pietermaritzburg Corps, the funds provided seven children with uniforms and stationery and helped pay their school fees. They also organised a Christmas party for the children who attend Sunday school and for others in the community. At the party, children received a pack

with a gift and snacks. Another event was also organised with a barbeque and games.

For Thohoyandou Crèche, the funds were used for the annual graduation ceremony for children moving on to primary school. They have also started fundraising for a new jungle gym and a better outdoor area and aim to start building it soon.

The Southern Africa Territory extends their thanks to donors for continuing to give, as it is making a visible difference to these children’s lives.

If you would like to support the work in Southern Africa Territory, please email childsponsorship@salvationarmy.org.nz

GAZETTE Birth: We are pleased to advise that Lieutenant Cassandra Henderson has given birth to a baby girl, Aurora Jaye Henderson. Aurora was born at 5.05am on Wednesday 18 May 2022, weighing 3.7kg (8lb 3oz). May God bless Lieutenant Cass Henderson, husband Chris and children Shane, Neihana, Faith, Shiloh, Samuel and CJ. Promotion to Glory: Major Eva Medland, on Tuesday 24 May 2022, from Flat Bush, Auckland, aged 92 years. Eva Margaret Gibbs was born in Invercargill on 28 October 1929. Eva entered Training College from Invercargill Corps in 1956 as a cadet in the ‘Sword Bearers’ session. After an initial appointment at Training College, she was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and continued in that appointment until her marriage to Captain Samuel (Sam) Medland in 1959, joining him in Te Araroa Corps where they served for the next 14 years. In 1973, Eva and Sam were appointed as corps officers, Naenae Corps followed by Masterton (1978), Thames (1979), Rotorua (1982) and Ōtāhuhu (1984). In 1986, Eva and Sam were appointed to Invercargill Social Services Centre, Eva as matron. This was followed by appointments as corps officers, Masterton Corps, with additional appointment in 1991 for Eva as matron, Masterton Family Care Centre. It is from this appointment that Majors Eva and Sam Medland retired from active service on 1 May 1994, with Eva having completed 37 years of active service. Eva and Sam held appointments in retirement serving as corps officers, Thames Corps (1996); managers, Nelson Family Care Centre (1997); corps officers, Woodville Corps (1998); managers, Invercargill Social Services Centre (1999); corps officers, Tokoroa Corps (February 2000); Flaxmere Corps (September 2000); Kaitaia Corps (2003); Tīmaru Corps (2006 and 2007); Cambridge Corps (2008) and relieving on

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several occasions at Masterton Corps. Major Sam Medland was promoted to Glory on 9 July 2021. Please support Eva’s children Christine, Jennifer, David, Elizabeth, Stephen and other family members in your prayers in this time of grief and loss. Well done good and faithful ‘Sword Bearer’ of Jesus Christ!

Major Litiana Lewetuitovo, on Friday 27 May 2022, from Fiji, aged 61 years, having given 15 years, 4 months and 8 days service as an officer. Litiana Waganisau was born on 29 April 1961 and, following school, Litiana qualified with a Bachelor of Technology-Ordinary Diploma in Construction Studies and Diploma in Architectural Drawing and used her skills with the Fiji Government. In 1987, Litiana married Tevita Lewetuitovo, and in 2005 they entered the School for Officer Training in Suva, Fiji, as cadets in the ‘Heralds of the Good News’ session. On 20 January 2007, Cadets Litiana and Tevita were commissioned as lieutenants and appointed as corps officers, Saweni Corps. In 2010, Captain Litiana was appointed to Fiji Regional Headquarters as property officer. Appointments followed as corps officers, Raiwai Corps (2012) and Captain Litiana as manager to the Girls Hostel (2014); chaplains, Community Services Western Region (2016); and corps officers, Nadi Corps (2017); Sigatoka Corps (2020) and on 20 January 2022 were promoted to the rank of Major. It is from this appointment that Major Litiana has been promoted to Glory. Please support Major Tevita Lewetuitovo, their daughter Lavenia and extended family members in your prayers at this time of grief and loss. Sa kerei me da na laveta tiko na bula nei Talatala Tevita, nodrau gone yalewa ko Lavenia, rau na makubudrau kei ira na lewe ni nodrau matavuvale, vua na Kalou ena gauna ni lolosi oqo.

‘Everyone Everywhere’: Countering Modern Slavery The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission (ISJC) in New York City is launching a report on our global response to modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT). The report hopes to acknowledge the hard work being made in this space across the Army, while highlighting four main global goals: strengthening systems, growing leaders, educating and equipping, and mobilising to respond holistically.

In 2021, The Salvation Army supported 9795 survivors of MSHT, and there is a focus to further expand inclusion and engagement globally for those survivors.

There has also been a focus on providing translated resources for non-English speakers and communities; and the Global Resource Library was launched as a centralised hub for all MSHT resources.

There are eight focus areas involved in the Army’s MSHT response: Prayer, Prevention, Participation, Protection, Partnership, Prosecution, Policy and Proof. These are highlighted in the report, detailing what the Army is currently doing to address each of these areas both globally and specifically across all five geographic zones.

Priscilla Santos, International MSHT response coordinator for The Salvation Army, said of the work of the Army that ‘from corps officers in Uganda Territory practising restorative justice by providing counselling sessions to offenders of MSHT, to Sweden and Latvia Territory assisting with Sweden’s largest case of human exploitation in modern-day history, The Salvation Army has a unique role in partnering with God and others to help make justice, freedom and shalom a reality in the communities we are a part of’.

To read the report, ‘Everyone Everywhere’, visit the ISJC website: salvationarmy.org/isjc/ everyone-everywhere

THE SALVATION ARMY IS SPENDING TIME REFLECTING ON WHAT IT WANTS TO BE… When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut. There was something about space, about the adventure of it all that I longed for. I would lie outside at night looking at the stars and dream of being among them.

The question ‘what do you want to be?’ is sometimes one that we put aside when we reach our adult years. But should it be? Isn’t there still something valuable about thinking about who we are and who we might be? About qualities we want to grow into?

The Salvation Army is spending time reflecting on what it wants to be: more empowering; more transparent; more focussed on the needs of people and communities; more faithful and more faith-filled. We want leaders who will collaborate. Leaders of humility and grace. Leaders with a heart for others.

This week’s issue addresses the question of gender equity, and here’s another area where The Salvation Army aspires to be something more. We have always believed in the equality of women in the church and in all areas of life, but we know we have never quite lived up to that ideal. How do we provide safe spaces for women? How do we equip women to participate fully in all areas of our work and every part of our faith communities? How do we develop practices that genuinely provide an equal opportunity for all?

The danger of dreaming about what we want to be is that we can lose sight of what’s good about who we are. I am still impatient sometimes. I make mistakes. I want to do better. But we are all made in God’s image. We are all loved and worthwhile. Despite our flaws, much of the time we are loving and kind and generous. The Salvation Army is achieving good each and every day. Women are leading, participating, belonging in our midst.

So maybe part of our challenge is not trying to be something altogether different, or trying to be someone or something we aren’t. Maybe it’s cultivating those qualities that we long to have so that each day we are a little more loving. Maybe it’s being more patient today than we were yesterday. Maybe it’s aspiring to be more open to others in the coming weeks than we have allowed ourselves to be until now.

For The Salvation Army, maybe it’s doing a little bit better in developing practices that reflect the strengths that our women bring, or that give our front-line workers that little bit more freedom to respond to the need around them.

God give us the wisdom and grace to grow into who we were made to be.

(And yes, I still want to be an astronaut.)

Major Ian Gainsford Territorial Secretary for Mission

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The Kingdom of Incomparable Worth: IN PURSUIT OF THE ETERNAL CAUSE

In a pandemic and warravaged age of uncertainty and misinformation, it can be confusing as to what we should be looking for and what we should value. This is the first instalment of a threepart series written by Major Mat Badger, who believes we are all called to search for something deeper within the craziness of the days in which we live.

I love listening to a good story. In fact, I believe that storytelling is one of the best methods of communication. This was a tool that Jesus used effectively, so much so that in Christian literature he is often referred to as ‘the master storyteller’. His parables have an amazing way of drawing the attention of the listener by using a familiar medium to make his point.

Recently I re-watched the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. It is the story of how the main character, pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean having lost his ship and crew. However, the timing of his arrival is bad. Not only is he arrested and imprisoned, but later that evening Port Royal is attacked and raided by 20 WarCry 11 JUNE 2022

other pirates. The marauders kidnap the governor’s daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who’s in possession of a valuable coin that is the key to a vast treasure. A brave blacksmith (Orlando Bloom), who is in love with Elizabeth, joins forces with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates in the hope of finding a vast hidden treasure.

Buried treasure The excitement and adventure of this story always captivates me, as there is something about the idea of risking all to find hidden treasure that appeals. I also think it is something that everyone can relate to. The enormous popularity of playing Lotto and watching internet gameshows is at least partly because they tap into the human desire to obtain ‘all at once’ a huge fortune that would otherwise take a lifetime to earn.

Maybe that’s why Jesus told stories about finding hidden wealth. Jesus compares the experience of the kingdom of God to finding hidden fortunes in two of the well-known kingdom parables from the Gospel of Matthew. The first parable is about buried treasure: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went

and sold all he had and bought that field’ (Matthew 13:44).

In the first parable, a man accidentally finds a precious cache of immense wealth buried in farmland. This man is probably an agricultural worker, a poor man hired by a large landowner on a day-to-day basis to work his property. He is probably ploughing, and we know that when he makes his discovery he doesn’t own the field. We can also assume that the owner of the property doesn’t know that this treasure exists, otherwise the owner wouldn’t have let the labourer work in that area of the property.

Dr Chris Marshall, in his book Kingdom Come, writes that because of the high frequency of invasions in Ancient Palestine, people often buried their treasure in the ground for safe keeping.

In this case, the treasure could have laid in the ground for centuries.

J Duncan M Derrett continues this theme in his book Law in the New Testament. According to Jewish law, the man or the owner of the property had no legal claim to the treasure until it was hauled out of the earth. The treasure trove would only become his once it was on the ground’s surface. As a result, the day labourer was well within his legal rights to leave the wealth undisturbed in

OUR RESPONSE MUST BE RADICAL AND COSTLY AND ONE THAT ALIGNS ITSELF TO THE PRICELESS REALITY AND VALUES OF THE KINGDOM. the dirt and to cover it up again. When he bought the field, the man would then lift the treasure trove out of the earth, making it legally his.

The pearl of great price The main character of our second parable is an entrepreneur. He’s a businessman, an opportunist, a wholesale dealer who would travel far and wide throughout the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea negotiating deals with the pearl fishermen.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went

away and sold everything he had and bought it’ (Matthew 13:45–46).

the most expensive and costly response from those of us who happen upon it.

In the ancient world, pearls fetched astronomical prices. Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, wrote that the famous Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, owned two pearls worth about 60 million sestertii, which is roughly $100 million in today’s New Zealand currency. This is one example of how much pearls were highly cherished at that time. The parable, of course, tells us that on one of his business trips, this merchant comes across a pearl so amazing that he simply had to have it. So exquisite, so magnificent, so priceless was this one pearl, that he sold everything he had to purchase it. This was his deal of a lifetime.

As readers of these parables today, we are called upon to do two things. The first is to discover the remarkable nature and priceless value of God’s kingdom.

Once we have discovered it, the second thing for us to do is make a response to it. However, there is a warning. Our response must be radical and costly and one that aligns itself to the priceless reality and values of the kingdom.

The priceless kingdom of God Jesus uses both the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great value to make the same point. When a person discovers something of exceptional value, he or she will go to tremendous lengths and make any sacrifice necessary to obtain it. This reaction is inherent within our humanity. Jesus’ goal is to persuade his audience that God’s kingdom is also like this. It is the most precious thing imaginable and, as such, it necessitates

Everyone is looking for a cause, but are we looking for the right one? Misinformation is the curse of our age. However, while it can be hard to trust what we encounter online and read in the news, there is one source which is trustworthy: the Bible is dependable and unchanging. And central to it is this theme of the kingdom of God that continues to work quietly in the world today.

When I was a young man, I stumbled across this priceless and costly kingdom, and it changed my life. Amongst all the noise and uncertainty of this age, this eternal kingdom—and the values and certainty it stands for—is my cause.

Have you discovered the kingdom of God for yourself?

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TE OPE WHAKAORA

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS Commissioners Mark (Territorial Commander) and Julie Campbell (Territorial President of Women’s Ministries) 16–19 June: Visit to Midland Division Colonel Gerry Walker (Chief Secretary) No official engagements at this time.

Major Liz Gainsford (Territorial Secretary for Spiritual Life Development) No official engagements at this time.

PRAY We continue to pray for the people affected by war in

Ukraine; for the Kingdom of Tonga rebuilding after the eruption; Newtown Centre; Northern Division Corps and Community Ministries programmes and Divisional Headquarters; Nuku’alofa Corps; Ōamaru Corps; National Oasis programmes in New Zealand and The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda.

THE ARMY THAT BRINGS LIFE A COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS ON THE SALVATION ARMY & MAORI 1884–2007 EDITED BY HAROLD HILL

$30.00

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Quiz Answers: 1 Alethiology, 2 Theo, 3 Latvia, 4 Mexico, 5 In the land of Uz. Sudoku Answer: Row 1 1 6 4 5 3 2, Row 2 2 5 3 1 4 6, Row 3 4 2 5 3 6 1, Row 4 3 1 6 2 5 4, Row 5 6 3 2 4 1 5, Row 6 5 4 1 6 2 3.

dinoHow do s theiraurs pay b ill s ?

T y r a W it h nn o s Cheq aurus ue s !

Draw the missing half of this leaf Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree to better see Jesus over the large crowd.

Finish drawing the other half of this leaf and colour it in! Pay attention to the lines, colours and marks on this leaf and try to copy them.

‘But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount”.’

Luke 19:8

large oak Fun fact: A 10,0 rop ,000 tree can d one year! acorns in

er s lkeepney ? a o g o m do Why so much are e v hey g! ha use t at savin a c e B good y r e a ll

But when Jesus spoke to him, Zacchaeus was moved and wanted to fix everything he had done wrong. He promised to give half of what he had to the poor and to pay everyone back more than what he took from them!

Sudoku Source: www.sudokuonline.io/kids

You can do this at home with any leaf you want!

1. Collect some leaves that you like and flatten them under some heavy books.

2. Once the leaves are flat, ask an adult to help you cut them into halves.

3. Glue half of the leaf onto a sheet of paper.

4. Paint or draw the other half of the leaf! Now the leaf is whole again.

One day Jesus met a man named Zacchaeus, who was really excited to see Jesus. Zacchaeus was not well-liked because he was a tax collector and people thought he was taking money and keeping it for himself.

6

5

2

4 3 6 3

5 1

2

HERE’S HOW TO PLAY: The numbers 1 to 6 must occur only once in each column.

The numbers 1 to 6 must occur only once in each row.

The numbers 1 to 6 must occur only once in each block of 2x3.

Answer on page 22.

Jesus noticed Zacchaeus and cared about him, and that made Zacchaeus want to change his actions. Even when the town didn’t believe that Zacchaeus could do any good, the love of Jesus encouraged him to be kind and generous, and it ended up helping everyone!

We often know what the right thing to do is, but it doesn’t feel easy. Sometimes we can worry that our friends won’t forgive us, or we will have to give up things we enjoy. But, like Zacchaeus, when we understand that Jesus loves us no matter what, we can be encouraged that doing the right thing is always the best choice, and it can bring us closer to others.

THINK ABOUT...

What is a way you can be generous with what you have this week, just like Zacchaeus? Is there something you need to make right?

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