21 October 2017 NZFT War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION 21 OCTOBER 2017 | Issue 6678 | $1.50

Help! I Don’t Like How My Partner Parents

Just Action 2017: What’s Love Got to Do With It? Divisional Brass Festival: Brass on Fire

On the Spot with 14 Hours Homeless Farewell to Colonels Willis & Barbara Howell

How Far Would You Go to Be a Fool For Christ?

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WAR CRY The Salvation Army

Te Ope Whakaora New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Andy & Yvonne Westrupp | GENERAL André Cox | FOUNDERS William

& Catherine 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 Major Christina Tyson | GRAPHIC DESIGN Sam Coates, Lauren Millington | STAFF WRITERS Ingrid Barratt, Major Shar Davis, Robin Raymond | PROOF READING Major

Jill Gainsford

OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street, PO Box

6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141, Phone (04) 384 5649, Fax (04) 382 0716, Email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org, www.salvationarmy.org.nz/warcry SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department, Phone

(04) 382 0768, Email mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org, $75 per year within NZ

PRINT MANAGEMENT www.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.

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Be an original Hanging on the wall in our house is a large framed photograph that reads: ‘In a world of copycats, be an original.’ To me, those words capture the meaning of Romans 12:2, ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’

A commitment to non-conformity in order to reflect the will and character of Jesus Christ can sometimes appear to others as ‘weirdness’. And there are times when perhaps we feel that living life God’s way does make us stand out as ‘weird’—perhaps as weird as the odd-looking dog on this edition’s cover.

There are some great words of reassurance, particularly for young people, in Ingrid Barratt’s article on page 12. What I’d add is that in the long term, we’re more likely to regret going along with the crowd, fading into the background, settling for less, or even—by our passivity—allowing wrong to flourish, than standing out. In fact, we are useless to God if we don’t stand out from the crowd.

To stand out with confidence and conviction, we need to allow God to change us from the inside out. Paul describes this as being ‘transformed by the renewing of [our] mind’. That makes sense, since thinking drives action. If you want to be a stronger influence for godly values in the world, ask God to influence your thinking.

Let God work in your life from the inside out. And then … be willing to be weird.

Christina Tyson Editor

Member of the Australasian Religious Press Association.

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

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

Publishing for 134 years | Issue 6678 ISSN 0043-0242 (print), ISSN 2537-7442 (online) Please pass on or recycle this magazine Read online www.issuu.com/salvationarmynzftwarcry

www.salvationarmy.org.nz salvationarmyNZFijiTonga @salvationarmynz salvationarmynzft

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Being a Christian isn’t for sissies. It takes a real man to live for Christ—a lot more man than to live for the devil.

Johnny Cash

1 Corinthians 4:10 (The Message) We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We’re the Messiah’s misfits.

1 Koriniti 4:10 Ko mātou he kūware mō tā te Karaiti, ko koutou ia he hunga whai whakaaro i roto i a te Karaiti; ko mātou he ngoikore, ko koutou ia he hunga kaha; tō koutou he korōria, tō mātou ia he hōnorekore.

Awkward family photo: Jim and Tammy Bakker with their cat.

(Photo by Douglas Kirkland/Corbis via Getty Images)

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ele-evangelists might be up there with lawyers and reality TV stars when it comes to people we love to hate. The sleazy, money-hungry caricature of the TV evangelist was epitomised—and possibly in part created—by the notorious Jim Bakker.

He, along with his wife Tammy Faye, exemplified the excesses of the 1980s with their television network PTL (Praise the Lord), which attracted 12 million viewers and requested about a million dollars a week in donations. They even had a theme park, Heritage USA, which was the third largest in the States. It would have seemed like an appalling parody—except you couldn’t make this up. (I mean, check out their cat in this photo!)

So far, so dubious. But things took a far more sinister turn in 1987 when it was revealed Jim had paid off a woman who alleged he and another man drugged and raped her. A year later, Jim was convicted of 24 counts of fraud after a scam that took the money of hundreds of thousands of supporters.

At best, Jim and Tammy Faye were a laughing stock. At worst, they were a cancer on Christianity.

Recently, in Others magazine—an Australian Salvationist publication—Danielle Strickland told this story: Jim was in solitary confinement (for his own protection). The most hated man in the United States, the despised TV evangelist crook. His wife had divorced him and married his ‘best friend’, his kids didn’t want to see him and his ministry had been split up and divided among bidders. He was at rock bottom.

A prison guard collected him to meet a visitor.

Jim assumed it was his lawyer, the only person who ever paid him a visit. When he entered the visitation room what he saw took his breath away. Sitting there, waiting for him, was Billy Graham. Jim was speechless—ashamed. He described the feeling he had as ‘dirty’ and he desperately wanted to tell Billy to run away from him as fast as he could …

But Billy broke the silence and simply said: ‘I’ve come to see how you are doing, Jim. Ruth and I are praying for you every day and we wondered if when you get out of here you’d like to come for dinner.’

Suddenly the story of Jim Bakker becomes not so much about his sin, as about my sin. I feel angry that tele-evangelists give Christianity a bad name. I laugh at their ridiculous big hair and consumerist Christianity. I scorn their prosperity gospel. But it would have never, ever occurred to me to show them compassion.

In that moment, within that jail, Billy Graham teaches me what it means to follow Jesus—he showed love to the worst of sinners. Just like Jesus would have done.

Why is it so easy for us to accept that Jesus befriended prostitutes and tax collectors (and what was Jim, if not a modern-day tax collector?), but so hard for us to reach out with compassion to the sinner in front of us? Embodying Jesus means taking the harder path—not judging from a distance, but loving from up close—perhaps around our own dinner table.

BY INGRID BARRATT 21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 3

Do you have a complaint about your electricity or Christian Fiction gas provider?

Rooks at Dusk Chick Yuill

Writer Chick Yuill is a popular figure on the UK Christian speakers’ circuit and a former Salvation Army officer. In his first fiction novel he introduces Ray, a Christian leader of 30 years whose marriage—like his faith—has PO Box 5875 stagnated. After Ray falls for a colleague on a radio project, he’s confronted Wellington 6140 192682 by son Ollie, who’s trying to make his name as a stand-up comedian and has women problems of his own. That tragedy follows is no surprise, but Ray’s info@utilitiesdisputes.co.nz limited options as he tries to make good present more obstacles than most www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz ‘mid-life crisis’ tales. An honest and well-crafted tale. (Instant Apostle)

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Before you start throwing stones, get help from an independent service called Utilities Disputes. They will help you fight the power (ah, so many puns). The service is free and helps resolve complaints about utilities such as electricity, gas and fibre broadband installation.

Beryl switched power companies, but after a year she decided to go back to her old power supplier. They put her on a different plan than before, and Beryl felt she was being overcharged for her power use. She took it up with the power company who offered her $1500 in compensation, but Beryl felt they hadn’t gone far enough.

Instead, she brought a complaint to Utilities Disputes who looked into her case. They found Beryl had indeed been overcharged and that the information she’d received was poor. Beryl was awarded around $4000 in compensation.

Utilities Disputes recommends you take up any issues with your power or gas company first. But if you haven’t heard back within 20 days or can’t get any joy, you can make a complaint. Utilities Disputes will look into it and the Commissioner may make a legally binding ruling.

They can’t do anything about the price of power and gas (unfortunately!) but they can make sure you have been given the right information, and that you have the best pricing plan for you.

Find out more | utilitiesdisputes.co.nz

Weird of the Week: The first use of an emoji can be traced back to 19 September 1982, when Scott Fahlman was chatting on a computer science forum and suggested the symbols :-) be used to indicate a joke—forever dumbing down changing the way we communicate :-P 4 WarCry 21 OCTOBER 2017

ONTHESPOT Liva Kiliona Liva is one of New Zealand’s homeless population. He joined in on The Salvation Army’s 14 Hours Homeless, held on 13 October to raise awareness of the issue.

Secret indulgence: If I could choose anything right now it would be raw fish.

Celebrity crush: Will Smith—he seems like a good husband and dad.

What I'm reading: I don’t have anywhere to watch things at the moment, but the one book that I carry in my pack is the Bible, so that is what I'm reading.

One thing I love: Spending time with my kids.

I wish I could see them more, but it is hard at the moment.

One thing I hate: Fake people! They seem to build themselves up so they are at the top—but they are all talk, no action a lot of the time.

Something that would surprise us about sleeping rough: I see so many people who are just released from the mental health system; they are all dosed up on their drugs, but have nowhere to go and no one looking after them. They quickly become victims on the street. It’s scary.

What you would like New Zealanders to know about homelessness: A lot of us are homeless because of family and relationship breakdown. When you do see the homeless boys on the street, show us love, have a conversation with us and please treat us well. We are just people who are in a hard place at the moment.

QUIKQUIZ

1 What New Zealand insect has over 70 different species, 16 of them endangered?

2 What creature did Air New Zealand create to help promote their brand?

3 What Pacific Island nation is made up of 333 islands?

4 What is the official language of Brazil?

5 Who did Abraham banish to the desert?

Answers on page 22

GOODSTUFF

Countdown and New World have announced they will trash plastic bags by the end of next year. This will reduce the number of bags that end up in rubbish tips by well over 400 million—out of a mind-boggling billion that Kiwis use each year. Plastic waste has been called a pandemic, and Kiwi environmental group Sustainable Coastlines says it has cleaned up more than 91,000 plastic bags on New Zealand beaches.

In 2012, an endangered green turtle was found dead off the Hauraki Gulf, with 58 pieces of plastic in its gut. Congratulations to these large companies for leading the way. If they can stop using plastic bags, so can we!

Asian Pork Rissoles This twist on the classic burger is infused with Asian flavours.

450g pork mince 2 spring onions, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 Tbsp grated ginger ¼ cup oyster sauce 2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce 1 Tbsp fish sauce 7g fresh coriander, roughly chopped ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp oil for cooking 8 slider buns

‘We don’t change.

We help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.’

Pink, popstar.

To serve: lettuce, coriander, aioli

Into a kitchen processor place the spring onions, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, sweet chilli, fish sauce, salt and coriander. Blitz until well combined. Place the pork into a large bowl and add the marinade.

Using your hands, mix well.

Shape the mixture into eight rissoles the same size. Refrigerate until needed.

Preheat a BBQ grill to a medium heat. Cook the rissoles for four minutes each side or until cooked through.

Split the buns and fill with lettuce, coriander, aioli and a rissole.

Tip: Dampen your hands before rolling each rissole to make the job easy, as the mixture won’t stick.

To add a crunchy outside to your rissoles, dust in flour before cooking.

Recipes at shop.countdown.co.nz/shop/recipes

Kids The Emoji Movie (PG) Tony Leondis

My mummy didn’t want to take me to The Emoji Movie because she said she couldn’t sit through a 90-minute app advert. But I said, ‘I love ads!’ She took me to see another kids’ movie, but it turned out to be too scary because I’m only five, so we left and my mummy got us tickets for The Emoji Movie instead. I was so excited, it was the best day ever! I liked this movie more than any other cinema movies because the main character—the Meh emoji—wasn’t supposed to do other expressions, but he actually did lots of cool faces. I liked all the emoji, but I didn’t like the Poop emoji [played by Sir Patrick Stewart] because he was too poopy. Well, my mummy said the movie wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, but I actually think she liked it because I saw her laughing. (Reviewed by Jacob Barratt, with his mum) 21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 5

What will it take for New Zealand to build a just future? The ideas put forward at this year’s Just Action Conference had a common theme.

BY SHAR DAVIS

T

he Beatles said ‘all you need is love’, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warner told us that ‘love lifts us up where we belong’ and the Pretenders promised, ‘I’ll stand by you, won’t let nobody hurt you.’

Love-song lyrics aren’t words to live your life by because they are often lofty statements that appear unattainable to the everyday person, or are simply undeliverable when push comes to shove.

And when it comes to addressing our nation’s failures around poverty, mental health, affordable housing, suicide rates and the growing list of societal concerns, the promises and solutions offered by government agencies can feel as empty as love songs on repeat on a gloomy Saturday night.

So … why did I start thinking of these love songs when economist Shamubeel Eaqub began to talk at The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit’s Just Action conference in Auckland last month?

Because he mentioned the ‘L’ word.

Just housing Speaking about the possibility of a just housing future, Shamubeel suggested the key ingredient that has been lost from our politics and public policy—and which could turn things around—is love!

I found myself thinking of Tina Turner as I considered, ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ It sounds like such a cheesy thing to say, but does love really hold any merit when we’re thinking about something as serious as housing?

The housing crisis didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. ‘The way we have this conversation as if it happened yesterday and we can fix it in a jiffy is, of course, completely and entirely wrong,’ Shamubeel told Just Action’s 220 delegates.

But if we had paid more attention to the kind of policies, attitudes and politics we have been living by as a nation, we might have picked up the warning signs before it became such a mess, he added. It was a ‘human right to have secure housing, to shelter … and we have sacrificed that for a bunch of other policies and goals. That’s not right!’

It was comforting to hear an economist of Shamubeel’s reputation say the economic stuff around housing can be solved. It was sobering to also hear him say, ‘It’s the social stuff that lasts for decades and decades and is much harder to solve.’

He acknowledged that public policy was difficult and said it required a collaborative approach across central and local government, iwi and churches, with philanthropists and others. ‘But none of that is going to work unless we as individuals have a much greater sense of love and empathy for people that need help.’

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A housing panel chaired by Alan Johnson, a social policy analyst at the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, attempted to unpack some of what Shamubeel had said and to address questions from delegates.

Claire Szabo, CEO of Habitat for Humanity New Zealand, said New Zealand had a problem with how it thought about housing. ‘We don’t conceive housing being about people, we don’t conceive housing being directly related to mental health, directly related to drug addiction services, problem gambling, etc, and all of the things we need to achieve and sustain housing.’

AS A NATION WE HAVE FAILED TO ACTUALLY CARE FOR PEOPLE. WE HAVE FAILED TO BE PEOPLE OF LOVE, WE HAVE FAILED TO BE PEOPLE OF JUSTICE AND WE HAVE FAILED TO BE PEOPLE OF TRUTH. Major Campbell Roberts, founding director of the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, agreed that vision around housing was lacking and had been for some time. ‘As a nation we have failed to actually care for people. We have failed to be people of love, we have failed to be people of justice and we have failed to be people of truth. For me, that was the challenge [in Shamubeel’s presentation]: we need to be engaged in whatever way [we can] to do something about it.’

Continuing to raise the importance of love in the housing equation, Vanessa Kururangi, a community housing activist, said, ‘Humanity needs to override everything we do. Aroha needs to be present in how we action change.’

Claire Szabo agreed, saying, ‘I think the other part of the equation is the humanity inside the habitat, and the roles we all need to play in achieving sustainable housing.’

Greg Foster, National Director of Salvation Army Social Housing, reflected on the changes he’d witnessed in the way New Zealanders view housing. People never used to view housing as their means to retirement, he said, but after 26 years overseas Greg said, ‘Every dinner party, people are 8 WarCry 21 OCTOBER 2017

talking about housing. It’s in our psyche; created by a system that has encouraged this sort of speculation.’

Just landlords The role and responsibilities of landlords was also discussed as the panel unpacked changing views around rental housing in New Zealand.

‘I am a landlord and my obligation is to be the best landlord I can be to people who are living in my home,’ said Greg. ‘I need to make sure it’s warm, dry and safe.’ The situation had changed for people so that there was now huge inequality in housing provision. ‘This inequality is evil,’ Greg said. ‘We need to bring back a system of love and encouragement.’

Claire also highlighted this, particularly when it came to accessing affordable housing. ‘There is overwhelming discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, disability, health outcomes, people living with HIV—all sorts of people will have a great deal of difficulty for no good reason whatsoever.’

Claire believed landlords didn’t need to behave in such a discriminatory way; in fact, they shouldn’t. ‘As a system we need far more options for people who can be at the mercy of a heartless market,’ she said.

Justice for Māori Prue Kapua, National President of the Māori Women’s Welfare League, continued the conversation about New Zealand’s housing track record in her keynote address as she reflected on the first State housing offered 80 years ago. ‘State housing was not offered to Māori, as officials considered that Māori could not afford the rents and that the mere presence of Māori would lower the tone of State housing areas.’

In 1944, a separate pool of Māori houses was made available, but these houses were not designed for the Māori way of living, she said. This accommodation was known as ‘Māori Affairs houses’.

As Prue painted a picture of how politics and public policies had impacted Māori, she suggested that ‘the most debilitating legacy of colonisation is the effect it has had on our perceptions of ourselves, because that is the legacy’.

‘To lose hope and belief in ourselves is a devastating consequence,’ she said. ‘And to lose faith in the systems that should be there to help, that is what deficit reporting without context does.’

To provide a just future for children, they must become the priority, because their wellbeing was too important to be

left to chance, Prue concluded. ‘We all Shamubeel Eaqub. benefit from children doing well and striving for their potential—and we are all responsible for making that happen.’

She called for change in how New Zealand addressed this. ‘We cannot continue with structures that privilege the majority and punish those not within that privileged group.’

Speaking from that position of privilege was former New Plymouth Mayor and self-confessed recovering racist, Andrew Judd. His honest account of how his worldview shifted as he owned up to his own privilege, bias and racism towards Māori was both confronting and moving.

Addressing the statement ‘we’re all one’ that people unwilling to entertain Māori representation sometimes used, he responded: ‘If we’re all one, let’s all be Māori. We’re in New Zealand, we’re all one—so let’s be Māori!’ Although it was true to say that all New Zealanders were citizens of one country, to say that they were all one people was to deny Māori the right to be and identify as Māori. ‘Who gave you the right to take that away?’ Andrew asked.

He shared how his personal stand for Māori representation —a voice at the table—brought out all kinds of responses from the community. One man paid for Andrew’s lunch because he was so grateful for what Andrew was trying to do. And within five minutes another man was telling him how much ‘they’ hated him for what he was trying to do to their community.

Andrew says a realisation came: ‘I couldn’t judge this angry man, for he is me and I am him—both Pākehā, with an unjust fear deep within.’

In the end, Andrew says he chose not to seek re-election, because ‘I couldn’t be the bait for hate’. ‘This wasn’t a question of rates, potholes, art galleries or roads; this was a question of who we are, how we care and love each other. How we acknowledge, respect and celebrate our differences in the context of New Zealand, which is a treaty-based nation.’

Once again the idea of love being the answer was being offered—this time by a man who had experienced a personal paradigm shift from hate to love. ‘If I’d stood [for re-election], it would have just kept us simply divided and, worst of all, the children are watching—and the children are learning,’ Andrew explained.

Prue Kapua.

Andrew Judd.

Tim Costello.

Justice for refugees Tim Costello, former CEO of World Vision in Australia, shifted the focus from home to abroad as he described how refugee children from Mosul in Northern Iraq who could talk but wouldn’t (because of the trauma they had experienced in their war-torn country), were being ‘literally loved back with play and dance and painting.’

World Vision staff were loving these children back ‘into just the thought that the world isn’t evil—that they can trust, that there are adults they can trust’. He challenged delegates with the statement: ‘If we lose love and the ideal of Jesus’ love in this world, we won’t know who we are … we are made for community.’

Just Action 2017 was focused on ‘creating a just future’— and while there was no collusion among its speakers, there was a definite consensus that love was vital to this objective.

If we make our decisions from the basis of love as Shamubeel and other speakers suggested, our housing, welfare services, education, politics and public policies will shift from their current state of lack, and the future for the next generations will look very different.

One more song …. Leona Lewis sang, ‘When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again.’ That sounds like a really good start!

A just future? Sounds like something New Zealand urgently needs. And what’s love got to do with that? Everything!

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I Don’t Like the Way My Partner Parents Different parenting styles are as common as the different families we come from. But you can find a happy medium on the ‘big three’ issues that cause tension.

We all come from different families, yet are often surprised to discover that our parenting style is very different from our partners’. Most of us unconsciously inherit our parents’ methods, unless we make a conscious effort to do things differently. According to Lisa Kadane, a writer for Today’s Parent, there are three big topics parents often disagree on: food, sleep and discipline.

Food: Kayla feels it is important to give her children healthy food. But every day, when the kids get home from school, her husband Andy opens a packet of sweets and shares them with the kids. Mum has become the mean parent, while Dad has become the fun parent.

YOU MAY BE DIFFERENT PEOPLE BUT YOU HAVE A COMMON GOAL—YOU BOTH WANT WHAT’S BEST FOR YOUR CHILD.

Kadane suggests parents find a compromise. There is nothing wrong with offering rewards and treats, but they can be through fun times, such as going to the park. Another option is ‘settling on an acceptable number of goodies per week. That way, Good Cop gets his way, while Bad Cop is still able to set limits.’

Sleep: Dad wants their four-year-old to learn to settle in his own bed when he wakes up in the night. But Mum allows him to come and sleep with them. Sleep can be a fraught issue for parents from birth. One wants to use ‘sleep training’, while the other feels that’s cruel. Again, this can feel like playing Good Cop/Bad Cop. ‘The key is to talk about the differences (after the kids are in bed),’ says Kadane. Get your differences out in the open and come to a compromise that works for you both. For example, agree that your child can come into bed for a little while, but will be carried back to bed once they’re sleepy again.

Discipline: This is a biggie. Mum gives her boy time-out only if he is violent, but Dad disciplines ‘every lesser violation, from whining about bedtime to begging for candy.’ Mum feels Dad is too tough.

‘Unfortunately, this is one parenting issue where parents must be on the same page,’ says clinical counsellor Allison Bates. ‘If you’re total polar opposites in terms of the way you discipline

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the kids, they will end up going to one parent and not the other, or just having a stronger relationship with one, and they can also pit the parents against each other. It can get really complicated.’

You’re likely to think your natural parenting style is the most balanced, healthy approach. But rather than relying on your instinct—which is notoriously unreliable—agree to do some research together and take advice from modern parenting experts. If you tend to be tough, examine this and see how you could compromise.

If you’re a soft touch, examine how you can be kind but firm.

Most importantly, don’t let differing parenting styles drive a wedge between you. You may be different people, but you have a common goal—you both want what’s best for your child. Keep this in mind as you navigate the ‘push and pull’ of parenting.

It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.

L.R. Knost

TESTIFY! Celia King championed having sign language interpreters at The Salvation Army’s Just Action conference for the first time.

‘Hi, my name is Celia and I am deaf.’

Most people are shocked when they learn I’m deaf because I speak so well and bluff my way through most situations.

My father led me to Jesus when I was six after my parents became Christians at a Billy Graham crusade. This was a real experience for me—I knew Jesus had become my Saviour! I’m grateful for the grounding in my faith I received in the Open Brethren church while growing up. Through this I came to love apologetics, which is about defending my Christian beliefs and knowing how to back them with what the Bible says.

I’ve always been interested in overseas mission. I read books about missionaries when I was a child and thought, ‘I’d love to go overseas and do that sort of work.’ When I was 15 my parents said, ‘We’re thinking of going to Nepal as missionaries, what do you think?’ I said yes straightaway, because that’s what God had already put in my heart.

I attended boarding school in India, where I was in the minority because almost everyone was dark skinned and of another culture. It was a really good experience for me to be in the minority, to have my beliefs and values challenged.

I was diagnosed as deaf when I was 12 and was told what little hearing I still had could disappear at any moment.

Later I met a lovely Christian man, and even knowing I might one day be completely deaf, he wanted to marry me. We’ve been married 43 years.

Around 1994, my hearing eventually completely disappeared overnight. I went to hospital where they gave me drugs to try and restore some of my hearing loss. People prayed for me and I regained a little hearing, but am still profoundly deaf, needing to rely

I AM USING MY VOICE AND MY HANDS TO SPEAK UP FOR THE RIGHTS AND INCLUSION OF DEAF PEOPLE. on hearing aids and interpreters. I also learnt sign language at that time and moved into the Deaf community where I felt at home.

Not long after, I saw an advert for a chaplain for the Deaf and at first I wasn’t interested, but God kept prompting me. I accepted the job and spent three-and-a-half years in that role. I loved it and it gave me a passion for working with Deaf people. I visited them in prisons, hospitals and mental health facilities when there were very few interpreters. I often found myself taking on an interpreting role between staff and clients.

God was preparing me for my current role as chairperson of Deaf Interpreting NZ, which is trying to establish a training pathway for Deaf people to become interpreters and work in similar situations as hearing interpreters.

Throughout my faith journey I’ve become more open to listening to others’ perspectives and hearing their beliefs and values, sifting it through what I believe, sometimes finding a compromise and sometimes finding we’re not so different after all.

I am using my voice and my hands to speak up for the rights and inclusion of Deaf people in a hearing-centric world.

I am the only Deaf person at my corps (Salvation Army church) in Glen Eden, and it feels like God has me in a waiting room regarding ministry. He’s saying, ‘Not yet, but it will happen’—which is hard for me as a person of action.

Having New Zealand Sign Language interpreters at the Army’s Just Action conference has begun to open things up. I think there’s greater awareness of Deaf issues, and people were challenged about how we can build equity within our churches. How can our corps do things differently so the Deaf aren’t excluded or pushed to the sidelines of their faith community?

I’m passionate about supporting and advocating for Deaf people because I see how much they miss out on. I want to leave a legacy. I want my life to have counted for something. I believe God has called me to this. And I’ve said yes!

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why am i w If you’ve ever felt that being a Christian makes you weird, you are absolutely right!

Back in my youth-group days, we used to try and make Christianity seem cool. You know, by making giant banana splits or running around town in our pyjamas.

It was so much fun, but somehow, it never got cool.

The so-called ‘cool kids’ at school still went to parties and got drunk. And we were still ‘nerds’. And you know what? That is okay. In fact, it’s more than okay. Time and time again in the Bible, the people who were closest to God were also the weirdest.

Weird and wonderful One of the strangest stories in the Bible is about the prophet Ezekiel. God told Ezekiel to build a mini version of the city of Jerusalem. Then to lie on his left side for 390 days looking at the city. When he was finally allowed to get up, God told him to turn over and lie on his right side, where he lay for another 40 days.

In all, Ezekiel lay on his side for a year and two months.

The days symbolised the years of Israel’s sin, and lying down symbolised ‘the sin of the people of Israel upon [himself]’ (Ezekiel 4:4).

WHAT IS WEIRD IN OUR EYES, IS OFTEN WONDERFUL IN GOD’S EYES. I don’t know what’s weirder—the fact that God told Ezekiel to do this, or that he actually did it! But Ezekiel was called ‘the Son of Man’, and when Jesus came, Jesus adopted that name for himself. More than that, this wacky prophesy is an image of how Jesus bore our sins upon himself. What is weird in our eyes, is often wonderful in God’s eyes!

The Bible is jam-packed with stories like this— there’s David who was so overjoyed about being in God’s house that he stripped naked and danced. I warn you, if you try this in church, you will be kicked out! But God loved it. John the Baptist wore seriously wrong clothes and ate locusts. A woman washed Jesus’ feet with tears and then dried them with her hair.

And then there was Jesus himself …

12 firezone.co.nz 21 OCTOBER 2017

BY INGRID BARRATT

The wrong way round There wasn’t much about Jesus that was normal. The Kingdom of God is often called an ‘upside-down’ kingdom, because just about everything Jesus taught was back-to-front and the wrong way around.

We try to prove our worth in this world by making the most money, being the most beautiful, wearing the right clothes, listening to the right music, having a good job or good grades, being talented … and being cool.

But then Jesus came along, and he said the poorest would come first. Those who suffer the most are closest to God. The richer you are, the harder it is to become part of the Kingdom of God. He said the beggars and outcasts would have the best seats at God’s party.

To the rest of the world, this is totally weird. And Jesus knew this.

In fact, he taught his disciples that if they followed him, they would never be cool (but he used way stronger

weird? language): If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (John 15:19) The world will never fully understand the teachings of Jesus, because they are so different to the way we naturally think. And if we try to follow the footsteps of Jesus, there will be times when we are misunderstood as well.

Fools for Christ But guess what, that is actually good news. Jesus’ teachings and his life tell us that there is nothing we can do—or need to do—to be loved. We are loved because God chooses to love us.

This is what people find strangest about being a Christian: that everyone is equally loved. It’s offensive to people that Adolf Hitler and Mother Theresa were both loved equally by God. That doesn’t mean they will be judged as equally ‘good’. But loved?

Yes. Strange but true.

We who belong to Jesus’ Kingdom— his alternative way of doing life—know that this is the most radical and real form of love. It’s a love that sets us free from striving and having to prove ourselves.

It also sets us free to love as radically as God loves us. As Christ loved us, we are called to love others. There’s a warning here for us modern-day Christians: sometimes we’re known for not showing enough love to people who don’t act or look like us.

So … if people are going to think being a Christian is weird, let it be for this: because we love people too much and too radically.

Isn’t it wonderful to stop caring about what others think? So what if you look like an idiot running around town in your PJs? You are having fun and you know that you are fully accepted by God. Just like you accept all the other weirdos around you. That’s freedom!

Perhaps the only thing better than being ‘cool’ in the world’s eyes, is being weird in God’s eyes.

A Weirdo for Christ David Pierce was the dreadlocked lead singer of a band when God called him to ministry in Amsterdam’s notorious red light district. This seemed cool, but to David’s embarrassment, he ended up being part of a street preaching group.

As I stood there, I thought: no wonder no one wants to be a Christian. And I felt really embarrassed for God. So I came up with a strategy: I decided to stand off to the side and act like I wasn’t with the group. Wearing my black leather jacket, I would just act cool and talk to people as they walked by.

But then suddenly, one night, I felt a strong conviction from God. ‘You’re not concerned about my reputation; you’re concerned about your reputation.’ I felt God was saying to me, ‘You’re not willing to be foolish for me.’

This made me very angry. And I thought, ‘Okay, if you want me to sing, I’ll sing.’ So I sang so loud that my voice echoed off the surrounding buildings.

Adding to his embarrassment, the ministry moved into dance and David ended up leading a dance troop.

Since then, David has taken the message of Jesus to some of ‘the darkest corners of society’, including closed Islamic countries, terrorist clubs, squatter villages, anarchy festivals, brothels, junkie joints, punk and goth music festivals, satanist clubs and New Age gatherings. His efforts have grown into a global missions organisation called Steiger International that aims to reach and disciple the global youth culture for Jesus.

David attributes his ministry today to the moment he was willing to embarrass himself on that bridge.

For more on David | www.steiger.org

21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 13

BRASS ON FIRE IN WELLINGTON

BY SELWYN BRACEGIRDLE

One hundred and twenty musicians performed before an enthusiastic audience at the Central Division’s Band Festival.

This event was always going to be ‘Brass on Fire’—the fire of the Holy Spirit blended with brass players’ fire for God. That was the expectation for this divisional band festival, and the six bands participating were firing on all ‘cylinders’—although in this case ‘cylinders’ were replaced with ‘valves’, ‘slides’ and ‘mouthpieces’.

Held at Wellington City Corps on the afternoon of Sunday 17 September, the bands represented were: the Brass Academy Band of the Wellington City Corps (Bruce Roberts), Levin Corps Band (Trish Windley), Palmerston North Corps Band (Mike Fletcher), Seniors Band of the Central Division (Dixon McMillan), Wellington City Corps Band (Jim Downey), and Wellington South Corps Band (Trent Hamilton).

After welcomes and introductions, the first band to play was Wellington City Corps’ Brass Academy Band, formed in 2005.

What an ideal starter with ‘Bind Us Together’ (arranged by Paul Sharman) reminding us we are a community of believers working together for God. This was followed by Trevor Davis’ ‘Deep and Wide’, and this segment completed with ‘Sunday School Medley’ (Nick Simmons-Smith), which included the songs ‘Stand Up and Shout It’, ‘This Little Light of Mine’, ‘Jesus Loves Me’, and ‘I’m In the Lord’s Army’.

The second band in the concert’s first half was Levin Corps Band. The highlight from their selection of five pieces had to be the Welsh lullaby ‘Suo Gân’ (Stephen Ponsford). This piece in particular was testament to a competent and committed band.

Its beautiful melody was played sensitively, with the wonderful musical line of the euphonium weaving in and out throughout 14 WarCry 21 OCTOBER 2017

the piece—a real blessing! Another work of note was ‘Locus Iste’ (translated ‘This Place’), a challenging, classically-styled composition handled well, with some very solid bass playing.

The final band before intermission was Palmerston North Corps Band, which began in 1884 after borrowing instruments from the local town band. Various band members took turns to conduct their six pieces, commencing with the bright march ‘Highland Praise’ (Paul Sharman), followed by a beautiful rendition of the hymn tune arrangement ‘Precious Name’ (Eric Leidzen). The graphic displayed on the wall during this piece featured a photograph of a dirt road with a young man kneeling, bowed in prayer, on the rough dirt. ‘Precious Name’ is a setting of Lydia Baxter’s ‘Take the Name of Jesus with You’. Its chorus reads: ‘Precious name, oh, how sweet! / Hope of earth and joy of Heaven.’

Other Palmerston North contributions were the male voice number ‘O Love Divine’ (words by Colonel Maureen Jarvis and arranged by Tony Grant) and the trombone feature ‘Peter, James and John’ (Ray Steadman-Allen).

The second half got underway with the Seniors Band presenting the hymn tune ‘Crugybar’, associated with the words: ‘When Jesus from Calvary called me / Unfolding its meaning to me / The life which he offered enthralled me / Abundant, enduring and free / I hungered to make a beginning / My meeting with Jesus to show / And ceasing that moment from sinning / Salvation’s full measure to know.’

Another special moment from the Seniors Band came with a lovely rendition of Wilfred Heaton’s arrangement of the hymn tune ‘Martyn’. This was presented to honour the life and contribution to The Salvation Army of Lieut-Colonel Peter Savage, promoted to Glory just a few weeks earlier.

Two great marches concluded this segment, with the band in

its element with ‘Good Old Army’ (Nick Simmons-Smith). The audience appreciated good music from this experienced group of brass players.

Wellington South Corps Band brought a bracket bookended with the marches ‘Temple 85’ (Norman Bearcroft) and ‘ARC Centennial’ (Stephen Bulla). They also played the delightful trombone duet ‘Now Let Us Praise the Lord’ (Erik Silverberg), featuring Fay Bateman and Trent Hamilton.

But probably the band’s most precious contribution was the beautiful playing of ‘Sacrament’ (Kenneth Downie). Trent introduced this by saying, ‘The Salvation Army believes that it is possible to live a holy life and receive the grace of God without the use of physical sacraments and that they should not be regarded as an essential part of becoming a Christian.

Salvationists see the sacraments as an outward sign of an inward experience, and it is the inward experience that is the most important thing.’ This piece evoked awareness of the importance of living a sacramental and sacrificial Christian life.

The final segment was brought by the Wellington City Corps Band (formed in 1883). The fiery ‘Telling It!’ (Sam Creamer) got the band underway. This was followed with a wonderful new arrangement ‘And My Soul Overflow’ (David Chaulk); its words

by Albert Orsborne: ‘From a hill I know / Healing waters, flow / O rise, Immanuel’s tide / And my soul overflow!’

‘The Adventurers’ (Martin Cordner) provided drama and pathos. Raiders of the Lost Ark-esque themes contrasting with the beautiful melodies of ‘He leadeth me!’ (O blessèd thought!), ‘By His Hand’ and ‘Saviour, Lead Me’ (lest I stray).

The finale was unexpected—an arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s ‘All You Need Is Love’ by Dorothy Gates, but with a twist at the start. In this arrangement, the anthemlike introductory bars are based on the melody ‘My Jesus, I Love Thee’. But what better way could there be to finish this celebration of God’s music than to make that statement: All you need is … God’s love!

The hard work, dedication and commitment required for such a wonderful presentation of God’s music in this ‘Brass on Fire’ festival was evident. The audience was truly appreciative of the musicians’ efforts, the quality of their performances and— most importantly—each group’s sensitive and thoughtful choice of music in what was a powerful worship experience.

SpiritSong Delights Audiences

SpiritSong, the national vocal group of The Salvation Army, visited Christchurch from 11 to 13 August to take part in ongoing celebrations of the new Christchurch City Corps complex on Colombo Street.

While in Christchurch, SpiritSong took the opportunity to visit two residential aged-care centres where residents enjoyed singing along to some familiar songs as well as hearing new songs and testimonies.

SpiritSong was encouraged to hear its visit had brought real blessing to residents, said Lieut-Colonel Lynette Hutson, the group’s executive officer. ‘The nurse manager from the first centre contacted me after our performance to say SpiritSong was the best choir they’ve had perform there. Residents were sad we couldn’t go back every week.’

After a combined Saturday afternoon rehearsal with the Christchurch City Corps Songster Brigade, the two groups performed in a Saturday evening concert.

Sunday’s events included a devotional time with musicians ahead of Sunday worship.

The overall theme of the weekend was ‘The Whole World Mobilising’, the international theme for The Salvation Army. ‘It was clear Christchurch City Corps is committed to continue reaching out to its community, with God's help, and SpiritSong enjoyed being able to encourage them in that aim,’ said Lynette.

SpiritSong draws its members from Salvation Army musicians across New Zealand. The group usually schedules around three to four engagements per year, supported by an intensive four-day rehearsal weekend. Maree Downey of Wellington City Corps is SpiritSong’s musical director.

Top left: Wellington City Corps Brass Academy Band.

Above: Fay Bateman and Trent Hamilton of Wellington South Corps Band. Photography: Selywn Bracegirdle.

Inquire about becoming a member or invite SpiritSong to visit | email: CMD@nzf.salvationarmy.org

21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 15

Howells Farewelled: We Won’t Forget You Colonels Barbara and Willis Howell were farewelled for new appointments as territorial leaders in their home territory of USA Southern in a meeting at Wellington City Corps on 1 October. The couple had served as Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries in the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory since September 2014.

Both paid tribute to the blessings they had experienced over the past three years. Willis said, ‘We are infinitely richer in the things that matter—the things that last—for having been accepted into the whānau of New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. Thank you for taking in a couple of strays!’

‘We came to a new family,’ said Barbara. ‘When we look at each of you, we see people of God who love each other and want to make a difference in people’s lives. You have poured that love out to us.’

Commissioner Yvonne Westrupp, Territorial President of Women’s Ministries, thanked God for his call on the Howells' lives. She introduced Rosy Keane, who had worked alongside Barbara to reinvigorate women’s ministries across the territory.

Rosy presented a spoken word piece ‘An Ending, A Beginning, A Farewell,’ with the lines: ‘We know Jesus draws you right by his side … we send you off knowing God’s got you in tow.’

Many of the afternoon’s representative speakers noted the Howells’ sense of fun, their encouragement and mentoring of others, their skills in communication and organisation, along with their integrity and passion for mission.

Selena Thomson, executive assistant to the Howells, spoke on behalf of Salvationists and staff. ‘You have impacted people in a profound way, embracing the cultures that are a big part of who we are. You are appreciated for your ministry and the godly example you have set.’ Selena presented the gift of a carved kauri waka (canoe) on behalf of the territory.

Southern Division leaders Majors Glenda and Ivan Bezzant said the Howells’ leadership had been inspiring and left a legacy of momentum sure to further grow the Kingdom of God. After others had shared their farewells, Territorial Commander Commissioner Andy Westrupp added his own.

‘What you see—which is good!—is what you get [with the Howells]. They have consistent hearts for people and mission.

We will miss Willis’s preaching, his sayings and one-liners.

Barbara, we will miss your legendary organising skills. We honour you for your kind spirits. It is with gratitude to God and a tinge of sorrow that we say goodbye and God bless you.’

Many around the territory had appreciated Willis’s musical skills, so his duet of ‘I’ll Fly Away’—playing banjo alongside Andy on guitar—was enthusiastically received. Willis thanked the Soul Praise choir from Tawa, the couple's New Zealand ‘home corps’, for taking part in their farewell.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to ask for God’s blessing on Lieut-Colonels Jenny and Rod Carey and Captain Miriama Simanu, who will provide leadership for expanding The Salvation Army’s ministry into Samoa in the new year.

From Top: Selena Thomson presents a farewell gift; Col Willis Howell plays ‘I’ll Fly Away’; Prayer for Capt Miriama Simanu and Lt-Cols Jenny and Rod Carey; Col Barbara Howell with children during the Tonga Region’s farewell at Kolovai Corps on Sunday 24 September.

16 WarCry 21 OCTOBER 2017

Ready to Serve in NZ, Fiji & Tonga

Lomaivuna Hosts Youth Rally A group of 120 young people and supporters from four corps in the Fiji Eastern Division gathered for a long-awaited youth rally in August.

Youth from Suva Central, Raiwai, Nasinu and Lomaivuna Corps spent the day at Lomaivuna Corps, enjoying fellowship, worship and sport. The day started with get-to-know-you activities led by Captain Jerry Naviko from Lomaivuna Corps and Asilika Dalivalu from Suva Central Corps, before a time of praise and worship. Bale Tuinaceva from Lomaivuna Corps led the worship meeting, with Captain Jerry speaking about John 3:16 and the priceless love of Christ.

Colonels Suzanne and Melvin Fincham will take up their appointments as new Territorial Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Programme of the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory on 1 November 2017. Suzanne follows on from Colonel Willis Howell, with Melvin taking up the mantle from LieutColonel Rod Carey.

Suzanne and Melvin have been officers since 1981, serving as corps officers, divisional youth secretaries and divisional leaders in the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland. In their most recent roles, Suzanne served as Territorial Assistant Secretary for Mission, with Melvin serving as Territorial Assistant Secretary for Programme and Territorial Secretary for Communications. Melvin will add the same communicationsrelated role to his responsibilities from January 2018, in addition to being Territorial Secretary for Programme. Suzanne has also served as Divisional Commander in the London Central Division and the South London Division.

Suzanne and Melvin have two children, Rebecca and Steven, and three grandchildren. Although they have served in the UK throughout their officership, they have links to the South Pacific through their children. Suzanne and Melvin visited New Zealand in 2012 while Rebecca and her husband were living in Auckland for a year, thoroughly enjoying their time in the country. Their move to New Zealand will also bring them closer to Steven and his wife, who live in Queensland, Australia.

In their down time, Suzanne enjoys crafts and sewing, and together they enjoy walking, swimming, gardening and spending time with family.

The couple are passionate about sharing the message of Christ and bringing souls to the Kingdom, as well as promoting the mission of The Salvation Army and Salvation Army officership. They are looking forward to working together with the people of all three countries that comprise the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory and excited to hear of the territory’s new work in Samoa. They says their overall focus will be to share their passion for building the Kingdom of God.

The young people then enjoyed a volleyball competition, competing for a trophy donated by Captain Amanda Kennedy. They were joined by a team from the Lomaivuna Sports Ministry. This sports ministry was started by the Lomaivuna Corps youth to reach out to other young people in their community. This team was very glad to be part of the Eastern Youth Rally. The competition was won by the Lomaivuna youth team, who beat Suva Central Corps in the final.

Divisional Youth Secretary Captain Seru Napolioni said everyone had been looking forward to the rally, which encouraged the young people to stay strong in their faith and put what they had heard into practice.

‘Even though it was raining, that didn’t dampen the spirit of getting together and having fellowship. We are looking forward to another new month, and for the youth there will be challenges from every angle of life. But as it says in Joshua 1:6, “Be strong and courageous.” ’

21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 17

Salvation Army Stronger in Mainland China The Salvation Army’s work in mainland China has been given a boost with news its regional offices in China have received official government recognition and registration.

The offices in the capital cities of Kunming (Yunnan Province) and Chengdu (Sichuan Province) have received official recognition and been given legal approval to conduct activities that include disaster relief and recovery, community development, social services, educational programmes and—at the invitation of Provincial Christian Councils—permission to partner with local congregations in religious activities.

This achievement is the direct result of 30 years of patient, transparent and consistent relationship with government departments and Christian councils as well as partnerships with a multitude of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Lieut-Colonel Ian Swan (Officer Commanding, Hong Kong and Macau Command) says, ‘Over the years there have been many hands and hearts joined in this process. However, we would acknowledge with gratitude the following individuals in particular: Lieut-Colonel Alfred Tsang, Envoy Simon Wong, Major Tommy Chan, Major On Quang-dieu, Major Jeremy Lam and Dr Chan Pui-si.’

The Salvation Army’s ministry in mainland China began in 1916 and quickly expanded across the northern and eastern provinces until 1949, when it withdrew from the mainland—although ministry and social services were retained in Hong Kong.

In 1985, at the invitation of the Yunnan Provincial Government, The Salvation Army provided disaster relief and recovery in mainland China. This opened the door to further collaborations and partnerships that resulted in a wide geographical distribution of service and a greater recognition of the organisation’s presence. These programmes included health education, HIV/AIDS awareness, education sponsorship, income-generation projects to alleviate poverty, infrastructure and capital projects, consultation and training.

In 2015, the Central Government of China reviewed its registration expectations and procedures, which resulted in the establishment of a new law in January 2017. Significant meetings in 2016 with the government and Christian councils during the visit of international Salvation Army leaders General André Cox and Commissioner Silvia Cox explored ways in which The Salvation Army could comply with these new regulations while expanding its partnerships and scope of work to better serve all the people of China.

These discussions were very productive and opened new approaches that have now borne fruit.

‘God has richly blessed our efforts and desire to serve the mainland and its peoples,’ says Lieut-Colonel Swan. ‘We now have further opportunities and responsibilities to build on these foundations so the next 30 years will produce results for future generations.’

18 WarCry 21 OCTOBER 2017

Celebrating 130 Years in Italy General André Cox and Commissioner Silvia Cox travelled to Rome to celebrate 130 years of Salvation Army ministry in Italy. They were joined by Salvationists and friends from all over the country and a group from Greece.

The message of the gospel was proclaimed in an open-air concert at the Colosseum. Representatives from the press and television stations lined up to interview the General.

A thanksgiving meeting in the afternoon featured a youth drama item of key moments in the Italy and Greece Command’s history. The General urged Salvationists and friends to recall God’s faithfulness with a view to committing themselves to making a difference in the world.

In the afternoon, the General and Commissioner Cox took part in a march of witness through the streets of the San Lorenzo district where the Army has a complex that is home to a guesthouse, a social centre with a wide variety of programmes, a corps and the command headquarters.

On Sunday morning, the General invited people to place themselves into God’s hands to bring salvation and healing to a broken world.

GAZETTE Bereaved Mjr Heather Rodwell of her step mother, Lady Joan Wilson, from Christchurch on 21 Sept. Please uphold Heather and other family members in prayer.

Mjr Ken Smith of his father, Max Smith, promoted to Glory from Oamaru on 23 Sept. Please uphold Max’s wife Lois, Mjrs Ken and Denise Smith and other family members in prayer.

Mjr Afolau Toluono of her eldest brother, Mulivaitoloa Reopoamo (Toluono Feti), on 25 Sept. Please uphold Afolau and family in prayer.

Conclusion of Officer Service Lt Sandra (Sandy) Galvin, effective 12 Oct. Following her commissioning on 10 Dec 2011, Sandy was appointed Corps Officer, Whakatane, with the additional appointment of Chaplain, Employment Plus Whakatane. In April 2013, Sandy was appointed Assistant Corps Officer, Flaxmere Corps, followed by an appointment as Assistant Officer, Auckland City Corps from Jan 2015. We thank Sandy for her service and pray God’s blessing on her in the days ahead.

Accepted into Training 2018

WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF PIONEERING THE SALVATION ARMY’S WORK IN SAMOA.

Cass and Chris Henderson, Invercargill Corps

My father and Ole Kirk Christensen, the founder of Lego (the world’s favourite toy), have something in common. They share the same motto: ‘Only the best is good enough.’

We have been married for almost 18 years and have six children. Shane (not pictured, 19), Neihana (16), Faith (13), Shiloh (6), Samuel (3), and Christopher Junior (CJ) who is 10 months.

Although we have lived in many places, we both call Christchurch home. Chris was brought up in a Christian home and first gave his life to God at age 10. Cass was 19 when she became a Christian, shortly after the birth of our first child.

We have served in many areas of ministry over the past 18 years. We share a love of building the local church and have had many opportunities to experience God at work in different kinds of ministries.

In 2011, Chris began work for The Salvation Army Supportive Accommodation Service in Invercargill.

He was encouraged by some of the local officers to come along to the church and began exploring what it means to be part of The Salvation Army. We then began attending the Invercargill Corps, where we were enrolled as soldiers.

We both currently serve as part of the leadership team at Invercargill Corps. Cass oversees the Youth Ministries and Chris works with the Reintegration Service.

The call to officership is something our whole family feels strongly about. Having shaped our lives around the call of God to ‘Go and Make Disciples’, this is not so much a new path, as a new twist in the path we have been on as a family for many years.

Though we love our Invercargill Corps family and feel privileged to have been able to serve in our roles here, we are looking forward to the next chapter of our journey with God.

I’d love a dollar for every time Dad said to me, ‘Rod, if it’s worth doing a job; it’s worth doing it properly’, or his challenge to ‘always put your best foot forward’.

Jenny and I have received a change of appointment and will conclude in our current roles at the end of October. The past five years as Programme Secretaries has been an amazing privilege. We have loved advancing our territory’s mission: to be an Army that brings life, through living like Jesus and doing mission together.

Whether we’ve been in the board room, prayer room, pulpit or pew, we have endeavoured to give our very best for the Lord in achieving our mission. We conclude this period of our service with grateful hearts for every mission success.

But there is still much to do. We will continue to pray for more people to be saved, new soldiers to enlist in the fight, the curse of poverty and injustice to be broken, and for an army of youth and children to rise up.

Working alongside the dedicated people in the Programme Section at Territorial Headquarters and with our nationally-managed programme teams across the territory has been a real blessing. Every person is giving their best in the Lord’s service, working tirelessly to resource corps and centres. We commend them to you as people worthy of praise.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:15, ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed and correctly handles the Word of truth.’ Paul says workers for Christ fall into two categories: approved and ashamed. ‘Approved’ has the meaning of ‘being tested and proven genuine’.

I believe that whenever we give our best to the Lord, we can be confident his smile of approval will warm our hearts and light up our pathway of service.

Next year, we have the privilege of pioneering The Salvation Army’s work in Samoa. We are excited by the opportunity and also daunted by the enormity of this task. Please pray that the Army will quickly take root in Samoan soil and grow into a mighty force for God and good. We value your prayers for our planting team, for suitable properties for officers’ quarters and corps, for our Samoan drug and alcohol case workers, and—above all else—for God’s best to be done.

William Carey’s famous quote says: ‘Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.’ Let’s keep giving our very best to the Lord because God freely gave his dearest and best for us! Fa’amanuia le Atua ai oe! (God bless you!)

Lieut-Colonels Rod and Jenny Carey Territorial Secretaries for Programme 21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 19

The Old Testament book of Daniel has a lot to teach us about resolving the tension of choosing whether to resist or adapt as we engage with the culture around us.

BY CARLA LINDSEY

Well, hasn’t it been an interesting time in New Zealand politics! If there’s one thing I learnt during our recent election, it’s that when you don’t like people and fear they might gain too much power, you should dig up dirt on them. I’m being sarcastic, of course. That’s not what you should do, but it is what we have witnessed recently.

Times haven’t changed much. This was precisely what Daniel’s colleagues tried to do to him 2500 years ago.

When we arrive at Daniel chapter 6 we find a new king and a new empire. The Babylonian empire has gone and now the Persians and Medes together rule the world. The new king in Babylon, King Darius, has set up a new system for keeping control of his large and diverse empire. He’s installed 120 satraps (provisional governors) to each rule over 20 WarCry 21 OCTOBER 2017

an area—and over those 120 sat three administrators, with Daniel one of the top three.

Daniel, by this time would have been well in his eighties. Chapter five indicates he had been in retirement, but he was needed again, and so his retirement was put on hold. Darius, like King Nebuchadnezzar before him, seems to have recognised that while Daniel was advanced in years, with those years came wisdom, experience and exceptional qualities that made him stand out from the others. This had been the case for Daniel right from chapter one, when he arrived in Babylon as a teenage captive to be re-educated by the king. Throughout his life God gave Daniel wisdom and led him to places of influence. Chapter six is the culmination of a life of service.

showed them up. Perhaps they knew that if Daniel was over them they wouldn’t be able to get away with certain activities— after all, when they examined Daniel’s life they saw he was a man of integrity.

When they looked for a way to discredit Daniel, there was simply no dirt to dig up. He was not corrupt or negligent. So if they were going to stop Daniel from getting the top job, they would need a different approach.

Out to get Daniel

The main point of difference between the other leaders and Daniel was his religion. Daniel’s loyalty was to his God first, not his king. And so the other leaders went to Darius and persuaded him to create a law that for 30 days the king was the only object that could be prayed to. The idea of being seen as a god appealed to the King’s ego, so Darius didn't even ask any questions. He simply signed off on their idea.

Because Daniel distinguished himself from the other civil leaders, Darius planned to set him over the whole kingdom. This did not go down well with Daniel’s colleagues. Perhaps they were jealous. Perhaps they didn’t like that Daniel was a foreigner. Perhaps Daniel

When Daniel heard about the law he did what he always did. Three times a day he went to his upstairs room, where the windows opened towards Jerusalem, he got down on his knees and he prayed.

Why he prayed in this fashion we are not sure. Nowhere in Jewish Law do

we find instructions to pray kneeling, facing Jerusalem, three times a day. But it seems the Jews in exile developed their own devotional practices. Back in Jerusalem, religious routines centred on the temple and were administered by the priests, but in Babylon they were on their own. So people developed their own ways to stay connected to God. Well, the spies were out, and Daniel got caught praying. The leaders took great delight in going to Darius and reporting that Daniel had broken the law. We’re told three times in this chapter that the laws of the Persians and Medes couldn’t be repealed, so Daniel’s actions were no small thing and could not be simply overlooked. In the Babylonian Empire, the king was above the law—he could do what he liked. But not so in this new empire. Here, even the king had to come under the law. That meant Darius was stuck. The law was set in concrete. Daniel had broken it and had to face to the consequence. And the consequence was a den of lions.

Facing the consequence ‘When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him’ (Daniel 6:14).

The New King James version translates it that Darius was ‘greatly displeased with himself’, but Darius may well have been annoyed at Daniel—after all, Daniel was silly enough to go ahead and pray after hearing about the new law. The king could have been angry at his leaders who had clearly set him up! But the king knows he is at fault. He allowed this to happen. He was sucked in by flattery, and now it looked like Daniel, his trusted friend and advisor, would die.

Darius recognised his mistake and tried to fix it, but nothing could be done.

Daniel was put inside the lion’s den and the entrance sealed.

The narrator then takes the reader back to the palace with Darius for the night.

Like the king, we don’t get to find out what happened in the den until the next morning. Instead, we see Darius spending a sleepless night anxiously pacing and refusing distractions.

First thing the next day, Darius rushed to the den and called out in an ‘anguished voice’: ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God … been able to rescue you from the lions?’

Daniel answered: ‘My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.

They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty’ (6:19–22).

Now, the fact that Darius had hope Daniel might still be alive, and Daniel’s response that he had been ‘found innocent’ suggests more was going on here than the execution of someone who had broken the law.

WHEN THEY LOOKED FOR A WAY TO DISCREDIT DANIEL, THERE WAS SIMPLY NO DIRT TO DIG UP. What had happened was a ‘trial by ordeal’. An ordeal was when a person charged with a crime was put through intense pain/torture to determine if they were innocent. One example of a type of ordeal was trial by fire. In this, the accused would have to walk across fiery coals for a certain distance. If they survived, they were innocent. If they died, they were guilty and had received their punishment. This was a way of recognising that people were not always the best judges, so judgment was left in ‘the hands of the gods’.

This helps us understand why Darius still had hope that Daniel might survive.

It also helps us understand why the next morning Daniel was taken out of the pit. If this had been a typical ‘execution’, Daniel should have been left there until the lions got hungry, but an ‘ordeal’ was limited to a set amount of time (or distance, in the case of a trial by fire.) Daniel’s survival was interpreted as signalling that greater forces had declared Daniel’s innocence. He was cleared of any wrong.

In contrast, the other leaders were not found innocent … which leads us to the part of the story that was likely left out when we heard about ‘Daniel in the Lion’s Den’ at Sunday school!

The leaders who had conspired against Daniel received the fate they had

planned for him. Not just them, but their families too, were all thrown into the lion’s den. This seems incredibly cruel to us, but punishments being given to whole families were attested to in Persian times. As horrible as this part of the story is, it’s a reminder that our wrongs impact others. The fallout from our mistakes may affect the innocent.

In the final verses of Daniel 6, the account of Daniel's life is brought to a close with Darius praising Daniel’s God. Darius concluded that Daniel’s God had an eternal kingdom and that he was the living God, directly involved in the world.

He had come to realise that Daniel’s God wasn’t some far-away distant deity.

God had directly intervened to rescue Daniel—Darius had seen this for himself.

In many ways, this sums up the first six chapters of Daniel. God had been involved throughout Daniel’s life, even when it didn’t look like it. Even when it must have seemed to Daniel that his world was falling apart, still God was putting Daniel in the right place. Even when it seemed that the earthly kings had all the power and when they thought they were god, the one true God was still in control. Even when Daniel and his friends had to stand alone in the world amongst the cut and thrust of politics, God did not abandon them. God always gave them what they needed so they could do well.

I pray that we will each know Daniel’s God and also find reassurance from Daniel’s story—that God is not just involved in the world, but is in control of the world.

Read Daniel chapter 6 • What lessons/challenges/ warnings do you take from: – the civil leaders?

– Daniel?

– Darius?

• Thinking back over Daniel chapters one to six, which narrate Daniel’s life of service, what encouragement do you find for yourself as you serve God in today’s world?

21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 21

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS Commissioners Andy (Territorial Commander) and Yvonne Westrupp (Territorial President of Women’s Ministries) 21–23 October: Queenstown and Alexandra visit 28 October: Re-opening of Linwood Corps Building 29–31 October: Midland Division visit 4–11 November: International Leaders Conference, Pasadena, USA 26–27 November: Fiji Divisional Governance visit Colonel Suzanne Fincham (Chief Secretary) 19 November: Palmerston North Corps

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Zacchaeus' story

Read Luke 19:1–10 to learn about Zacchaeus, who met Jesus and was changed forever!

‘Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to your house.” ’ Luke 19:9 NIRV

1 Where did

Zacchaeus live?

2 What was his job?

3 Was he rich

or poor?

4 Who did he want to see?

5 What was in

the way?

6 How did Zacchaeus 8 How did Zacchaeus sh ow solve his problem?

count and colour

his life had changed?

7 What happened next?

Have you ever been somewhere where you can’t see what’s going on because tall people are standing in front of you? Well, that happened to a man called Zacchaeus.

When Jesus came to town, Zacchaeus—who wasn’t very tall—couldn’t see over the huge crowd. So he climbed a tree to see Jesus.

Jesus spotted Zacchaeus right away. He knew Zacchaeus was a greedy man who used his job as a tax collector to steal from people. But Jesus loved Zacchaeus and knew Zacchaeus’s life would be happier and kinder if he became friends with God. Instead of ignoring Zacchaeus or telling him off, Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’s home.

This showed he was interested in Zacchaeus and saw the best in him.

Because of the meal they shared, Zacchaeus learnt about a better way of living and decided to follow Jesus. He proved this by giving back the money he had stolen and helping the poor.

Dear Jesus, help me to see people with eyes of love, not hate. Help me be brave enough to spend time with hurting people so that they can learn about your love through my life. Amen.

21 OCTOBER 2017 WarCry 23

ANSWERS: 1. Jericho; 2. Tax collector; 3. Very rich; 4. Jesus; 5. Crowd of people; 6. He climbed a tree; 7. Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’s home for dinner; 8. He paid back what he had stolen and gave extra money to the poor.

LOVE

recognises no barriers.

It JUMPS HURDLES, leaps fences,

PENE TRATES WALLS to arrive at its destination

FULL OF HOPE. – Maya Angelou