12a

War Cry THE

Est 1879 No 7042

OUT OF THE SLUMS IN INDIA Fighting hunger and leprosy

FIGHTING FOR HEARTS AND SOULS

3 December 2011

salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

CLASS ACT Mr Wormwood (Paul Kaye) provokes his daughter Matilda (Cleo Demetriou)

Page 8

20p/25c

BUT WHO CAN BE TAUGHT A LESSON? asks CLAIRE BRINE

‘SOMETIMES you have to be a little bit naughty.’ Well, that’s according to Matilda Wormwood, star of Matilda the Musical.

Based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl, the toe-tapping show – now captivating audiences at London’s Cambridge Theatre – tells the story of a little girl with magical powers.

MANUEL HARLAN

On the day Matilda is born, her father describes her as an ‘ugly little thing’. Her mother feels that having a daughter has made it the ‘worst day’ of her life. As Matilda grows up, she continues to suffer Turn to page 3

NEWS

The War Cry 3 December 2011

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CHURCHES URGE ACTION ON PROBLEM GAMBLING

‘Bookies are becoming mini casinos’

PROBLEM gambling is increasing and must be tackled by the Government, church groups told Parliament last week.

The groups, including The Salvation Army, pointed out to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee that, according

to the British Gambling Prevalence Survey, the number of problem gamblers in the UK has risen from 284,000 in 2007 to between 360,000 and 450,000 in 2010.

During the latest session of the committee’s inquiry into gambling, Gareth Wallace

of The Salvation Army cited examples of problems caused by fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs). He quoted the words of a gambler who had told The Salvation Army that he had been dealing with a previous problem until FOBTs ‘came along and changed everything’.

The gambler said that ‘the atmosphere changed in our betting shops when FOBTs came along, and they were turned into mini, soulless casinos’.

The church groups – which also included the Evangelical Alliance and the Methodist Church – say that they are concerned by new research which has shown that gaming machines tend to be clustered in poorer areas.

The groups want the Government to introduce a compulsory levy on the gambling industry NO MUG: Milton Jones to fund education and (centre) launches treatment for problem Roll on Christmas gambling.

FACEBOOK NATIVITY GOES ONLINE

Milton doesn’t mock Christmas MOCK the Week comedian Milton Jones has provided the narration for an interactive nativity cartoon on the social networking site Facebook.

The Roll On Christmas animation – produced by Bible Society and Christian online magazine Ship of Fools – enables Facebook users to impose their friends’ faces onto nativity characters, which are designed in the shape of toilet rolls. The characters present a three-minute comedy version of the Christmas story, which users can then email to each other.

‘There’s something about comedy that gets through to people,’ Milton Jones told The War Cry at the launch of the project in London.

‘And by changing the angle of the Nativity, we are hoping to encourage people to see some new relevance to a timeless story. I’m not interested in retelling the Christmas story in an old way. I want to shed new light on it. Everyone can understand cartoons.’

THIS ISSUE: NATIVITY RETOLD p4

PLUS

MEDIA/COMMENT p6

The comedian explained why he decided to take part in the project: ‘Christmas means the birth of Jesus.

The story has the potential to touch everyone. I’m not interested in getting people simply to admire a nice baby, or shepherds with tea towels on their heads. But if I can influence people in any way to encounter God, then that’s a good thing.’

Ben Whitehall of Bible Society commented: ‘Part of our mission is to make the Bible accessible within contemporary culture. We were keen to bring a project to light around Christmas which fits naturally into social media.’

For more information visit rollonchristmas. com

Annual Q subscriptions to The War Cry can be ordered online at sp-s.com GARDENING p7

LETTERS

Alderney challenges tax change MANY people who work for businesses on Alderney will be affected by the Government’s decision to reduce the threshold for VAT-free imports to the UK from the Channel Islands – a decision called ‘great news’ by Church Action on Poverty (‘Tax change pleases poverty campaign’, 19 November).

Businesses, set up in good faith to work within the taxation rules of the UK, have brought muchneeded work to the islands. They are able to employ many low-skilled workers, giving them the opportunity to earn a modest living.

The tax regulations

PUZZLES p12

INNER LIFE p13

have also meant that they are able to offer low-value goods with a saving because no VAT is charged. I am sure that many low-income families benefit from those lower prices.

Channel Island companies are not ripping off the poor.

Poor people will lose jobs, while good-value essentials, gifts and

treats will become less affordable for people in the UK. What assurances do we have from the Government that the extra income will go to needy people? We know for sure that the tax change will harm lowincome families on the islands.

John Charlton Alderney

Carol singers can’t have silent nights HOW ridiculous that some parish councils are insisting carol singers need to apply for a permit, according to The Daily Telegraph. Have the trick-ortreaters got a licence when they frighten and annoy people, especially the elderly!

Pat Braddock By email

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

p14

RECIPES p15

3 December 2011 The War Cry

3 MANUEL HARLAN

The pupils from Matilda’s school

From page 1 verbal abuse from her parents. Mr Wormwood calls his daughter a bore, telling her she should learn to shut her ‘pie hole’.

Fed up with how she is treated, Matilda decides to get her own back on her father by being a little bit naughty. She swaps his hair oil with her mother’s platinum blonde hair dye, leaving him with bright green hair. He’s not happy.

On Matilda’s first day at school she impresses her new teacher, Miss Honey, with an intelligence beyond her years.

Matilda likes Miss Honey. But she does not feel the same way about the headmistress, a bully named Miss Trunchbull.

Miss Trunchbull hates children and calls them maggots. Sometimes she punishes them for no good reason by locking them up in a tiny cupboard known by the children as the chokey. She is also horrible to her staff – including Miss Honey.

Miss Trunchbull’s cruel behaviour makes Matilda angry. One day her feelings consume her so much that she starts to possess magical powers. She discovers that she can move objects just by focusing her eyes on them.

Once again, Matilda considers being a little bit naughty.

Should she use her powers to teach Miss Trunchbull a lesson?

After all, Matilda feels fed up. Her life isn’t fair. But she has known for a long time that her situation will not change unless she does something about it. She sings: ‘Nobody else is going to put it right for me. Nobody but me is going to change my story.’

She is right.

On stage and off, the words are true. Bad situations are difficult to deal with, but people facing them have a choice. They can sit still and

We can sit still and do nothing.

Or we can take action to make life better

Matilda considers being a little bit naughty

Miss Trunchbull (Bertie Carvel) is a scary headmistress

do nothing. Or they can take action to make life better.

When facing life’s ups, downs and mundane bits, it is important to have someone to turn to – for courage, for guidance, for understanding. Some people do not know where to find such help. But many find their source of strength in Jesus.

Life may not suddenly become easier through knowing Jesus, but a relationship with him provides us with a fresh outlook. The way he lived – loving the unloveable and forgiving those who hurt him – shows us that we can do the same. If we want to, we can live by Jesus’ example and become more like him.

We can change our story.

Jesus said: ‘Everything is possible for the person who has faith’ (Mark 9:23 Good News Bible).

The love and forgiveness of Jesus is available to everyone.

But nobody else can cultivate our relationship with him. We have to get to know him for ourselves. When we believe in him, we can replace our hate with love, our sorrow with joy. Our life can be different.

The choice is ours. Follow Jesus, or not. End of story.

4 The War Cry 3 December 2011

It’s

not the same

‘T

HE world was about to change for ever. And it almost went by unnoticed…’ That is how children’s author Sally LloydJones feels when she thinks about the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and that is how she begins her new picture book, Song of the brates that idea. She tells the Stars.

‘When Jesus came to earth, most of the people were very busy bustling around Bethlehem,’ Sally tells The War Cry. ‘Obviously, Mary and Joseph knew that the Son of God was about to arrive, but everyone else was too preoccupied to notice his coming.

‘But I thought: What about God’s creation? Did nature and animals realise that the one who made them was about to break into history, to enter the world he had made?’

In Song of the Stars Sally cele-

Children’s author SALLY LLOYDof the Stars, before Jesus is JONES has born,In Song the birds sing, the lions roar and flowers lift their heads. All creation a Christmas the cries out: ‘It’s time! It’s time!’

‘God loves his world. He created message everything that lives in it,’ says Sally. writes Claire Brine

story of Christmas from the point of view of how creation might have responded to the birth of Jesus.

‘The Psalms tell us that creation declares the glory of God. So I began to imagine the animals and stars sensing and rejoicing in the coming of Christ.’

‘Nature is beautiful and it is telling us something about God: he is beautiful, strong and wise. And he made everything.

‘When my publishers asked me to write a story for Christmas, I thought it would be a challenge because there are already plenty of festive books on

3 December 2011 The War Cry

5

old story! the market. I wondered how I could do something new and fresh. How would I catch the reader by surprise? Suddenly I was a child again in Africa, where I grew up – surrounded by jungles and a creation that had no argument with its Maker.’

Sally believes that growing up in Africa contributed to her lifelong love of nature. It was also during her childhood, she says, that she became a Christian.

She believes that children can grapple with complicated truths – such as the meaning behind the Christmas story.

‘I think children understand a lot more than we give them credit for,’ she says. ‘We do not need to dumb down our stories for them. In fact, we dare not.

Children respond to mystery and wonder. When I was a child, I loved the fact that I didn’t understand every single word I read.’

When asked if she tries to include a moral or lesson in her books, Sally says: ‘My only aim in writing a book is to tell a good story. If you have a lesson that you are trying to teach, it may be a good lecture, but it won’t be a good story. In Song of the Stars I wanted to take a familiar story and

Did the animals realise that God was about to enter the world he had made? capture the majesty of that first Christmas. I also wanted to explore what it meant when the Creator of the world came to live on earth as a baby.’

Writing her book prompted Sally to consider the meaning of Christmas and its impact on the world.

‘H

umans have made a pretty big mess of the wonderful world God created, but instead of giving up on us, God, through Jesus, came to earth to live with us. God broke into history. The joy of the Christmas story is that God can’t stop loving us. He will move heaven and earth to be near us. Christmas is the season when we give and receive gifts; but the greatest gift of all is the baby born in

G Song of the Stars is published by Zonderkidz

Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus changes everything.’

One of Sally’s previous books was the award-winning The Jesus Storybook Bible, which was produced as an audiobook, narrated by Poirot actor Sir David Suchet. She hopes that God will use her writing to help people.

‘My job is to tell the truth and to tell the best story that I can,’ she says. ‘If God can use my stories to bring joy to a child’s heart – even in the smallest way – then that is a great honour.’

Although Sally enjoys a successful career, there are times when she questions her ability. During those instances she takes encouragement from her faith.

‘Occasionally I ask myself: “Am I a good writer?” That’s a mistake. It’s the wrong question, because it puts the focus on me. The only question I should be asking myself is: “Am I telling a good story?”’

Sally’s next book Just Because You’re Mine is about a family of red squirrels and explores the nature of love. She says that the story ‘comes from the wellsprings’ of what she believes.

‘God is the centre of my life. Joy, redemption and hope are at the heart of everything for me. Whatever I write always comes from my heart and my hope is that it reaches the hearts of others.’

The animals make their way to the manger in one of Alison Jay’s illustrations Zonderkidz

MEDIA

6 The War Cry 3 December 2011

Comment

Access all areas

IN THE PRESS

Art puts stable on the piazza

NATIVITY – a high-tech work of art created by awardwinning director Martha Fiennes – has been installed in London’s Covent Garden, reported The Daily Telegraph.

Visitors to the installation on the piazza can watch the characters from the nativity story move in front of their eyes. The paper explained that human figures ‘are placed in the multilayered canvas of a computergenerated stable and backdrop’.

Fiennes described her work as ‘an image that is alive, that brings together ideas, creativity and technology’.

She also told the paper that she was inspired by the nativity creations of artists from the Renaissance period.

Bell rings off for repairs KENNETH BRANAGH listened Q to recordings of Laurence Olivier reading the Bible as he prepared to portray the actor in the film My Week with Marilyn, said The Daily Telegraph.

The paper reported that Branagh listened to the Bible recordings in order to emulate Olivier’s way of speaking.

‘His dramatic reading of the Bible was quite the most wonderful vocal performance,’ he said.

JOE SEER/Shutterstock.com

Despite the credit squeeze, shopping malls and precincts are likely to be chock-full of bargain-hunters looking to get the right gift for the right person in time for the big day.

Those who hate being trapped in a bustling crowd shuffling its way along a street or having to inch laboriously towards the checkout either have to bite the bullet or find a smarter way to shop.

The difficulty of access that Christmas shopping often throws up is a pertinent reminder of some of the obstacles that millions of people face every time they go to the shops. Likely to get lost in the gift-grabbing mêlée is the fact that today (3 December) is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Proclaimed by the UN in 1992, the day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and wellbeing of people with disabilities. It also highlights the advantages that are gained from integrating people with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

It is tempting to think that such a day has no place in the UK calendar.

Over the years, disability discrimination legislation has addressed access issues – to public transport, public buildings and to jobs.

But the bigger battle is an area that legislation cannot change – attitude.

Installing a ramp is easier than elevating the status of those with learning difficulties in some ‘normal’ people’s thinking.

On all levels this is wrong. The guy who tidies supermarket trolleys is more than he appears. He may also be a gifted musician who would put our attempts at ivory-tickling to shame.

Now who’s disabled?

NIGEL BOVEY

LOVE it or loathe it, the Christmas shopping season is in full swing. While in recent years online shopping has taken an increasing share of the seasonal cash, millions of people prefer to browse high street shops rather than the internet.

RADIO

Radio announcement BRIAN D’ARCY reflects on the angel Gabriel’s news to Mary that she is expecting a child in Radio 2’s Sunday Half Hour tomorrow (Sunday 4 December 8.30 pm).

To continue his Advent series, the presenter talks about the world’s hope for peace and harmony. Hymns include ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’.

A CATHEDRAL’S bell has been silenced for the first time in 177 years in order for its springs to be repaired, reported the Daily Mirror.

According to the paper, Lincoln Cathedral’s 17 smaller bells will continue to chime, but Great Tom – which sounds the hour – will take six weeks to fix.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

3 December 2011 The War Cry

LEE SENIOR

Spruce up your Christmas AFTER one of the warmest autumns on record, it is time to turn our attention to the Christmas festivities. If you intend having a real Christmas tree in your Stand tree home, one of the best choices is the the in water Norway spruce. If possible, buy the tree to reduce in a pot. It may cost slightly more, but if needle you have quite a large garden, doing so drop can be a cost-effective option. The pot will enable the tree to be transferred to the garden after serving its purpose indoors. You can then reuse it in future years, indoors or out.

by LEE SENIOR While the tree is indoors over Christmas, there are several things that can be done to keep it healthy. service after Christmas to Position the tree away from dispose of it. heat sources, such as fires or When you first get a tree radiators. Cooler tempera- with little or no roots, take tures and regular watering it home and stand it in a of the rootball will reduce bucket of tepid water. This the rate at which the needles will temporarily reduce fall. rapid needle drop. In natural If you buy a tree without surroundings, a 6ft tree can roots, find out whether your take up to two pints of water council offers a recycling daily.

and don’t forget…

Harvest Asparagus Apples and spuds

Once asp a foliage ha ragus s turned ye ll cut the sp ow, e foliage do nt w ground le n at vel.

Child-proof your garden LAST month, I had the best present of all when my daughter was born. This lovely baby girl has made me reassess the garden from a different perspective. Do I have any poisonous plants or any sharp, thorny shrubs or roses in areas that are near to paths? Is there any other hazard? Everything needs extra consideration now. At the same time, there is no need to start ripping the garden to shreds. There is time to make changes next year, if they are needed, before my daughter starts crawling.

Beware harmful plants Library picture posed by model

7

Check the condition o stored ap f ples and potato any signs es for of rot.

Continue to parsnips a harvest sprouts a nd ft first frosts er the . swedes, w Leeks, in savoy cab ter b cauliflowe ages and rs are also sti t ll in seas on.

Greenhouse

In the gre e lasting tra nhouse, remove an c y clean you es of summer crop r glass an s d check p , staging fo o r clean gre overwintering pes ts and e ts the lifecyc nhouse in winter ca . A le of pests n break .

Pruning Winter-pru neglected ne any and pear apple tr to shape thees opening u em, p centre, re the m the dead oving o diseased r parts and crossing b Avoid pru ranches. n trees – pru ing plum allow the ning will d silver leaf eadly d to strike. isease

Trees

Check the condition o tree stake f s and tree guard Inspect g s. a fences, w rden alls and outbuildin g any struc s for tural damage a n according d repair ly.

8 The War Cry 3 December 2011

Canon fires on all cylinders for India’s street children T O many people in and around the Diocese of Norwich, the Rev Canon Pat Atkinson MBE is a highly respected Anglican minister and recently retired hospital chaplain. But to the hundreds of street children in India who have received food and education through her ministry, she is simply ‘Patamma’ – ‘Pat Mother’.

Pat says she has had‘a fascination for India since childhood’. She explains how it developed.

‘My family weren’t churchgoers, but I had a big crush on the Anglican vicar who took us for Scripture lessons at school. So when I was nine years old I started going to church. The first couple of weeks I went because of the vicar.

But people befriended me and made me feel at home, so I stayed and gradually got involved in the activities.

‘I was about ten when a missionary from India spoke at the church. It just hit me between the eyes: from that moment onwards, I knew what I was going to do with my life. I decided to train as a nurse so that I could do missionary work.’

But then disaster struck. Pat became very ill with Still’s disease – a childhood type of rheumatoid arthritis – and was in hospital for four months. At one point her parents feared she would never walk again.

‘No one wanted to accept me for training with my medical history. I thought that was the end of a nursing career. Eventually, I got into the British Army to train as a State Enrolled Nurse.

But six weeks before qualifying my illness flared up again, and I was medically discharged with a caliper on my leg. I had already applied to go to India with the Church Missionary Society, but that plan stopped too.

‘The only other thing I could do was play the trumpet, so I got a job with a dance band in a holiday camp at Gorleston in Norfolk, because they also wanted someone with medical experience. I was very cross with God, and anti-church for quite a while. The only good thing that happened to me was getting married.’

One day, Pat read a library leaflet about deaconesses, an order of ministry in the Church of England.

Deaconesses work with the poor and sick.

Pat says: ‘I started training in 1977, and was eventually ordained a deaconess and priest.

‘For seven years, I worked full-time as an unpaid hospital chaplain at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital until my family needed more income, which meant I had to get a paid job. I already had a teaching qualification, so I started training care workers at Norwich YMCA. In 1990, the general secretary asked if anyone would like to go to India to visit our boys’ home – and, of course, I jumped

I saw the look of utter hopelessness in the eyes of a young beggar boy.

I knew I had to do something for him

at the chance.’

That visit, which she had dreamt of for so many years, had an unexpected outcome.

‘I hated it – the overwhelming poverty, the smells – and couldn’t wait to get away. But then I saw the look of utter hopelessness in the eyes of a young beggar boy living on a rubbish tip. I knew I had to do something for children such as him. I had a strong feeling that it was where I was supposed to be.

‘The YMCA was about to close its boys’ home, so I decided to take it over myself, initially with another colleague.

‘O

ver a nine-year period, I went out to India in eight-week blocks. I had to leave my YMCA job, and did all kinds of things to raise money – cleaning toilets, working in care homes, washing glasses, anything I could get. As news about my work with street children got round, the local hospital contacted me again about being a parttime paid chaplain.

PAT ATKINSON talks to Rosemary Dawson about her work with some of the world’s poorest children

3 December 2011 The War Cry

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PAT ATKINSON

Children at the Mavelikara children’s home and (left) ‘Pat Mother’

We negotiated special leave for when I needed to go to India.

‘At first, I spent hundreds of hours on the streets, just getting to know what life was really like for homeless people. I decided to concentrate on children’s work, because education is important: it gets them out of poverty and into jobs.

‘Three generations have passed through our homes now. Fifty children have gained degrees – one has a Master’s degree and another is about to finish theirs. One has become a pastor.

Others work as carpenters, electricians, mechanics, bank staff, textile designers, and machinists. A significant number of them also help as volunteers at our centres.’

The plight of India’s ‘untouchables’ – the lowest class of society – is very close to Pat’s heart.

‘The women, many of whom have

leprosy, scavenge on rubbish tips to survive. When their families can’t afford to keep them, they are turned out onto the street.

‘W

e did a year-long survey of people living on rubbish tips. The government estimate is 1,500. We found at least that number in the first two and a half hours.

The tips are periodically destroyed, and bodies are sometimes found in the rubbish.

‘We set up a feeding station near the tip, so that these people would get at least one good meal a day. The first group that came were so sick, we could not possibly let them go back. Before we knew it, we had a home with 19 residents. Over the door of each centre we put the

I spent hundreds of hours getting to know what life was really like for homeless people

Turn to next page

10 The War Cry 3 December 2011

From page 9

Our feeding centre helps people who live in slums Pat with two first-time visitors to the seaside

words that Jesus spoke from the cross when he committed Mary to the care of one of his disciples: “Behold your mother.” I just can’t get those words out of my mind when I look at the women. That’s my motivation for this work.

‘Eight years ago, I set up the Vidiyal Trust in India and the UK. Its name means “new beginnings”. The charity buys land and builds on it without fear of corruption, which is our worst enemy.

Our centres are run by local people I have known and worked with for many years, and our trustees are all from Christian churches.

We don’t spend money on publicity or waste our resources, 95 per cent of which is raised by Norfolk churches. Every penny goes towards God’s work. I pay my own fare when I go out twice a year.’

The trust bought an acre of land at Mavelikara, which now houses a home for 22 boys, another for 19 girls and a school. About 126 children from the rural slums go there every day for breakfast and tuition, and again after school for an evening meal and another two hours’ tuition. The criterion for attendance is that the family’s income is less than £50 a year.

‘Three miles away another feeding centre helps 52 people who live in the slums and who have no water, sanitation or electricity.

‘We rent a shack and one room in Madurai, which enables us to run a tuition and care centre for another 76 children. They arrive at 6 am for breakfast, and again after school when they receive an evening meal in the form of nutritional supplements. When the children have gone, it’s the turn of the elderly. We have about 15 women who come at 10 am, stay for lunch and go home in the afternoon. They receive medical care and access to a doctor.

‘We also have a training and development link with an Indian cancer centre in Kerala. We supply, equip and fund two ambulances for outreach clinics (held in church premises) for 300 people who can’t afford bus fares to hospital, and give pain relief for 60 terminally ill patients in their homes.

‘O

Vidiyal Trust

ur newest project is a leprosy clinic, where blood tests determine who needs treatment. This service also shows up a great variety of other illnesses.’

The Vidiyal Trust also has projects in Sri Lanka.

‘After the 2004 tsunami, I met a priest who had lost half of his congregation.

The school was destroyed, so we now sponsor 45 children to help make up for a year’s lost education. We also have two tuition centres for another 46 – one

There were times when I thought that I would die

3 December 2011 The War Cry 11

PAT ATKINSON

Above: children enjoy breakfast

Left: leprosy close-up PAT ATKINSON

in a shack on the beach, the other in a city. We pay the priest a small allowance; he now works in a refugee camp without a salary.

‘Our work in India is a model of what should be going on in the UK, where “community” has become a bad word.

We’ve got to go out here too and give God’s love unconditionally.’

Pat – who in 2006 was appointed MBE for her work with street children – has suffered dysentery and malaria, and has endured appalling living conditions during her ministry.

‘There were several occasions when I thought I was going to die,’ she admits.

‘But it has been a privilege to reach out to people in God’s name. I get such amazing love back from the children and my old ladies, and that makes it all worthwhile.’

G For more information visit vidiyaltrust.org.uk

PUZZLEBREAK

SUDOKU

12 The War Cry 3 December 2011

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 Solution on page 15

S E WORDSEARCH J N E Look up, down, forwards, backwards E and diagonally on the U Q grid to find these characters from Roald E H Dahl stories T R AUGUSTUS GLOOP E AUNT SPIKER AUNT SPONGE M BADGER K BFG S CHARLIE BUCKET GRANDPA JOE JAMES TROTTER

QUICK CROSSWORD

by Chris Horne ACROSS 1. Colour (5) 4. American folk music (5) 8. Previously (3) 9. Vegetation (5) 10. Picture (5) 11. Type (3) 12. Wan (5) 13. Worldly (7) 16. St ______, winter resort (6) 19. Arid (6) 23. Welsh castle (7) 26. Ancient Peruvians (5) 28. Tall vase (3) 29. Reluctant (5) 30. Indicate (5) 31. Express derision (3) 32. Late (5) 33. Courage (5)

ANSWERS

T I I A G R A N D P A J O E A H

D O O W M R O W R M T L I U U E

W A M I K E T E A V E E G A N M

I G A R H K S P G T D U F A T U

L B A D G E R T E A S E O M S B

L L U B H C N U R T S S I M P E

Y G B H R R A J U O N M G K I N

JENNIFER HONEY MATILDA MIKE TEAVEE MISS TRUNCHBULL MOLE MR FOX MR WORMWOOD

W V E R U C A S A L T U K P K M

O V O B F U G B E U M T B L E A

N C H A R L I E B U C K E T R T

K O L B O E O E T I H L B R S I

A E E O A E I G E R T F E W G L

L E P L P H I N L M G U V O D D

A D D T P E G N O P S T N U A A

Y E N O H R E F I N N E J M T E

L E S A E W X E V R N M R F O X

RABBIT SOPHIE THE QUEEN VERUCA SALT VIOLET BEAUREGARDE WEASEL WILLY WONKA

HONEYCOMB Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Colour of the rainbow 2. Son of a monarch 3. Large bird of prey 4. Nauseous 5. Dish where pieces of food are dipped into hot sauce DOWN 2. Conifer (5) 3. Group of senior politicians (7) 4. Reserved (6) 5. Higher (5) 6. Hanging mammal (5) 7. Harry Corbett’s puppet (5) 9. Tic (5) 14. Sailor (3) 15. Garland (3) 17. Eggs (3) 18. Poorly (3) 20. Viewpoint (7) 21. Alluring (slang) (5) 22. Plump (6) 23. Gustav, composer of The Planets (5) 24. Respond (5) 25. Anaesthetic (5) 27. Gambol (5)

6. Fit to be eaten

QUICK QUIZ 1. Who plays Norman Clegg in the TV series Last of the Summer Wine?

2. What is the name given to the metal ridges running across the neck of a guitar?

3. Who wrote the Mr Men and Little Miss books?

4. According to the nursery rhyme, what colour was the pear on the little nut tree?

5. What was the name of Bob Geldof’s band?

6. What does a square with a circle inside mean on a clothing label?

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Lilac. 4 Blues. 8 Ago. 9 Scrub.

10 Photo. 11 Ilk. 12 Ashen. 13 Earthly. 16 Moritz.

19 Torrid. 23 Harlech. 26 Incas. 28 Urn. 29 Loath.

30 Imply. 31 Boo. 32 Tardy. 33 Nerve.

DOWN: 2 Larch. 3 Cabinet. 4 Booked. 5 Upper.

6 Sloth. 7 Sooty. 9 Spasm. 14 Tar. 15 Lei. 17 Ova. 18 Ill. 20 Opinion. 21 Dishy. 22 Chubby. 23 Holst.

24 React. 25 Ether. 27 Caper.

HONEYCOMB 1 Orange. 2 Prince. 3 Osprey. 4 Queasy. 5 Fondue.

6 Edible.

QUICK QUIZ 1 Peter Sallis. 2 Frets. 3 Roger Hargreaves.

4 Golden. 5 The Boomtown Rats. 6 May be tumble dried.

INNER LIFE At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth, as he often did. He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah’s writings and invited to read to the assembled congregation. What he read described his forthcoming mission so precisely that he said: ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:21 New International Version)

3 December 2011 The War Cry 13

MAN with a MISSION In this series, PHILIPPA SMALE looks at how Jesus saw the work God had given him to do

IN 2009 The Salvation Army helped nearly 390,000 prisoners worldwide. It also assisted almost 200,000 prisoners on discharge and about 250,000 people who had to attend a police court. That year – as published in the Salvation Army Year Book – some 840,000 people had reason to be grateful to The Salvation Army for its caring for prisoners.

Every person these figures represent is an individual, someone whose soul is precious to God. They might be a fifth-time offender facing a long sentence or a young person, fallen in with the wrong kind of friends, arrested for stealing a car.

They might be a prisoner whose wife has just filed for divorce or someone leaving prison with no one to turn to and nowhere to go.

All these people have turned to The Salvation Army for help.

Stone walls, as the 17th-century poet Richard Lovelace said, ‘do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage’. There are many other The hand of friendship kinds of prisons – can be the means of addictions, fears, release mental illness and loneliness, to name a few. Sometimes category sinners. He allowed a people are trapped in these prisons, prostitute to wash his feet with her desperate for escape but not hair. He allowed lepers – outcast knowing where to turn. and untouchable – to touch him.

It is all the worse because very He listened to people who were often such people are invisible to demon-possessed. He did more others. But when someone offers than heal – he cared. Unconditional the hand of friendship, a listening love. Forgiving love. Love capable ear, fellowship and understanding, of breaking into all kinds of prisons release is possible. and setting captives free.

Jesus talked and ate with people Is it time for us to break free? society looked down on as special-

Prison break ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners’ (Luke 4:18) LOOKING FOR HELP? Just complete this coupon and send it to The War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN Please send me Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army Contact details of a Salvationist minister Name Address

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

14 The War Cry 3 December 2011

Does

change drive us

THE woman we met in the car park was confused. She wasn’t sure which coins she required for the ticket machine. As we tried to help her, she explained that she had just become a grandmother and was overwhelmed with the good news, hence her confusion. We congratulated her and wished her much joy as she went to meet the new baby.

Not long afterwards, I met another confused woman in a shop. She was having difficulty in buying her items.

She explained: ‘I’m not myself at the moment, as my mother has just died and I can’t think straight.’

Two women. Two life-changing experiences.

The first woman’s confusion was prompted by feelings of joy and hope. The second woman’s confusion was a result of loss and pain.

I left the shop thinking of these women and how their lives were changed in an instant. It made me consider how we respond to times of change. Many of us find change uncomfortable. Even a change that is for the good – such as the birth of a new baby – can create stress.

We cannot escape change. But how do we cope with it?

When I have struggled in my own

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life to adapt to new situations, three things have always helped me: my family, my friends and my faith.

In times of difficulty, I take comfort from the love and support of my family. I turn to friends for a listening ear and an understanding heart.

And I have faith that God is with me at all times.

The Bible has always brought me strength as I’ve gone through ups and downs. I believe it always will. God said: ‘I am the Lord, and I do not change’ (Malachi 3:6 Good News Bible).

She was Even when change overwhelmed with surrounds me, I trust God to remain consistent in his the good news love and presence.

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Editor: Nigel Bovey, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Stephen Pearson Editorial Assistant: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Renée Davis Chief Designer: Gill Cox DTP Operator: Denise D’Souza Secretary: Joanne Allcock War Cry office: 020 7367 4900

by BARBARA LYNE

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The War Cry

Library picture posed by model

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LVATION

WHAT’S COOKING? SWEET TREATS

3 December 2011 The War Cry 15

Jewelled fruit and nut treats

by Sue Ashworth Ingredients: 200g butter 250g caster sugar 100g walnuts, chopped 100g blanched almonds, chopped 50g sultanas 50g glacé cherries, chopped 2tbsp single cream 100g Divine white chocolate 100g Divine plain chocolate

Divine Mont Blanc roulade

by Linda Collister Ingredients: For the meringue 4 large free-range egg whites, at room temperature Large pinch of cream of tartar 225g caster sugar 1tsp cornflour For the chocolate and chestnut cream 200ml whipping cream 100g Divine dark chocolate 1 x 250g can Crème de Marrons (sweetened chestnut purée) Divine cocoa powder, for dusting Marrons glacés, grated chocolate or chocolate curls to decorate Method: Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2. Lightly oil a 20cm x 30cm Swiss roll tin and line with baking paper.

Put the egg whites into a large bowl and whisk until frothy.

Add the cream of tartar and continue whisking until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

SUDOKU SOLUTION

Melt the two types of chocolate in separate bowls, placed over pans of gently simmering water. (Take care that the chocolate does not get too hot.) Spoon the white chocolate and the plain chocolate into separate piping bags. Drizzle the chocolate over the surface of the biscuits and leave to set.

Tip: If you don’t have piping bags to decorate the biscuits, use a teaspoon to drizzle the chocolate over them instead.

Makes 45

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

Melt the butter over a low heat, then add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Boil the mixture for exactly 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Stir in the walnuts, almonds, sultanas, cherries and single cream.

With a teaspoon, drop the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, allowing plenty of room for the mixture to spread. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Leave the biscuits to cool for a few minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Mix together the sugar and cornflour and whisk into the egg whites, 1tbsp at a time.

The mixture should be stiff and glossy. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and spread evenly. Put 1tsp of cocoa powder into a fine sieve or tea-strainer and lightly dust the top of the meringue.

Bake for 50 minutes until the meringue is puffed and crisp to touch. (The centre of the meringue will still be slightly soft). Turn out the meringue onto a cooling rack covered with a sheet of baking paper.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then carefully peel off the

lining paper. Leave until completely cold.

For the chestnut cream, break up the chocolate and place in a bowl with 100ml of the cream. Set the bowl over a pan of hot but not boiling water and allow to melt gently. Stir until smooth.

Remove the pan from the heat and leave the chocolate to cool at room temperature.

Whip the remaining cream in a bowl until thick and bring to room temperature. Fold in the melted chocolate mix, then fold in the Crème de Marrons until evenly blended.

Spread the creamy mixture

Photography by Ian Garlic

evenly over the meringue.

Roll up the roulade from the long end, using one hand to guide the meringue into shape and the other to use the paper to support the meringue. Pull it into shape as it rolls up. Don’t worry if it cracks. Once it has become a ‘roulade’, use the paper around it to hold it in shape, wrapping it firmly.

Chill for an hour or so before serving.

To serve, roll the roulade onto a serving platter, discarding the paper. Decorate with marrons glacés and grated chocolate or chocolate curls.

Recipes reprinted, with kind permission, from the Divine Chocolate website divinechocolate.com

STYLE-conscious ads are taking a key look at the season.

Radio commercials are previewing the clothes of a famous couple, and a poster featuring fashion and treasures of modern culture is refashioning the traditional nativity scene.

The poster is due to go up at UK sites from Monday 12 December. Francis Goodwin, a founder member of ChurchAds.Net, the group behind the adverts, says: ‘In the poster we’re trying to represent the Nativity in a modern context. We’re asking: If the Nativity happened in 2011, how might it look?’

So in the new nativity shoot, Mary and Joseph are wearing clothes from designers and the high street.

The wise men have been turned into three successful entrepreneurs carrying, among other gifts, a replica Damien Hirst skull. The shepherds have been transformed into a cycle courier and a plasterer.

The characters in the

IT’S A

NEW-LOOK NATIVITY writes PHILIP HALCROW

2011-style nativity may have been given a makeover, but the centre of their attention remains a baby. The poster says: ‘However you dress it up, Christmas starts with Christ.’

Francis says: ‘There are so many people who have no links at all with Christianity

YOUR LOCAL SALVATION ARMY CENTRE

and barely know who Jesus Christ is. This poster is designed for people who don’t know Jesus. Obviously we’re not going to tell the whole Christmas story in one poster. What we’re trying to do is to inspire them enough to say: “OK, I’ll go and find out a bit more.

I might go to a carol service.”

It’s meant to be a catalyst.’

Over the years, many people who have decided to find out more about Christmas

have discovered that the baby has changed the way everything looks.

Reading about the words and actions of Jesus throughout his life, they have learnt about God’s love for the world. They have decided to try to follow Jesus’ direction. They have accepted his assurance that they can be forgiven for the times they fail.

However we dress it up, underneath the layers lies the truth about Christmas.

It’s meant to be a catalyst

The Salvation Army (United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland) on behalf of the General of The Salvation Army.

Printed by Benham Goodhead Print Ltd, Bicester, Oxon. © Linda Bond, General of The Salvation Army, 2011