Salvationist 15 May 2021

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A year in the life of WBC PLUS

THE ARMY’S COVID-19 RESPONSE IN INDIA

SEE PAGE 7

QUOTES FROM THE MEDIA

CANAL-BOAT VACCINE CENTRE FOR BOATERS UNLOCKS OPPORTUNITY FOR SERVICE Two church people who live on a narrowboat are travelling the Kennet and Avon canal using their craft as a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination clinic for boaters.

Rob Munday and his wife, Trish ... are part of the Canal Boat Ministries group, which offers support to the population of the waterways of Britain. Their home is the boat Ocho, and they use a second craft, the 38foot Litania, as a floating classroom taking vulnerable people for day trips.

During lockdown, it was employed as a food bank and, last winter, public health officials used it for flu vaccinations.

‘Then they had the idea to use the boat to travel up from Bath into Wiltshire to do Covid-19 jabs,’ Mr Munday said. ‘They provided the vaccine, and we were the crew.’ For two weeks, they steered their two craft 40 miles up the canal into the Vale of Pewsey, near Marlborough...

‘We went to 11 different locations where clinic staff came to the boat; people could just [turn] up and get vaccinated.’ Along the way, they … were able to help inoculate more than 300 boat people. They plan to start the return leg in a month’s time, allowing people to receive their second vaccine dose.

‘Boaters are a disparate group,’ Mr Munday said. ‘Some are not registered with a doctor ... and there is a proportion who are vulnerable.’

NSPCC CHILD ABUSE HELPLINE HAS RECORD CALL NUMBERS IN PANDEMIC Children’s charity the NSPCC says calls and messages to its helpline have risen to record levels during the pandemic.

In the year to March 2021 the helpline was contacted almost 85,000 times, up 23 per cent on the previous year.

The figures amplify fears that children who could not go to school during the lockdowns were more vulnerable to abuse and neglect, says the NSPCC. Chief executive Sir Peter Wanless says government recovery plans must address the harm children may have faced.

‘We’ve been hearing first-hand about the immense pressures families have faced ... and the heavy toll that has taken on children and young people.

‘For some children this has included experiencing abuse, bereavement and other harm,’ said Sir Peter.

The names of both parents, not just the father, will now be included on marriage certificates in England and Wales, after changes to the registration system by the Home Office.

A new electronic system ... will also modernise and speed up the process, helping to ease the backlog of marriages.

Marriages are at present registered by the couple signing a book, which is held at each registry office, in churches and chapels, and at religious premises registered for marriage.

The Home Office said that the creation of a single electronic marriage register would save time and money and be more secure, as it eliminates the need for data to be taken from hard copies.

The department said that in addition to simplifying the registration system, the changes would ‘correct a historic anomaly’ by allowing for the names of both parents to appear on the marriage entry.

BBC News

The Times

UK CHURCH STEPS UP INTERNATIONAL GIVING IN RESPONSE TO INDIA’S OXYGEN CRISIS The UK church is being praised for its response to aid India with its current acute lack of oxygen as a result of the surge in coronavirus cases.

UK-based charity Feed the Hungry raised over £9,000 within hours for their ‘Oxygen for India’ campaign. The money will go to Kachhwa Christian Hospital, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, which serves people from 90 local villages.

Gwyn Williams, operations director for Feed the Hungry said: ‘The UK Church is a mighty force for good, in both this country – as we have seen especially over the last year – and overseas. When the Church steps up to help crisis situations many miles away, we know God is at the heart of this work and will multiply our offerings...

‘We can all follow Christ’s call to “love our neighbours” and fulfil the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others.’

Church Times

Premier

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Salvationist 15 May 2021

END TO WRITTEN MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES

ISSN 2516-5909

THE SALVATION ARMY FOUNDER William Booth GENERAL Brian Peddle TERRITORIAL COMMANDER Commissioner Anthony Cotterill EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND PUBLISHING SECRETARY Major Mal Davies

CONTACT SALVATIONIST 020 7367 4890 salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk Find Salvationist on Facebook SalvationistOnline Find Salvationist on Twitter @SalvationistUK

CONTENTS

VALUING THE OVERLOOKED A CLEANER who walked out of her job made the news recently when the note she left for her boss and colleagues at a bank was posted on social media by her son.

Julie Cousins, who had cleaned bank branches for 35 years, left a handwritten note referring to her manager’s ‘aggressive and cruel’ words. She wrote that she was quitting ‘after the way you dressed me down in the office’ and said to the other staff members: ‘Please all of you remember, in a world when you can be anything, be kind – because you are all no better than the cleaner.’ It clearly struck a chord with people on Twitter, where the message received more than 160,000 ‘likes’ and almost 3,800 comments.

The story highlighted one of the lessons of the past year: that those we rely on the most – cleaners, shopworkers, health and social care workers and others – have often not been valued as highly as they should be. In his message this week, the territorial commander touches on this point, saying we need to ‘respect and honour all people – especially those who … were previously taken for granted or ignored’.

There are areas of Salvation Army life and ministry that we sometimes overlook as well. Perhaps William Booth College is one of them. To coincide with Candidates Sunday (16 May), this week’s issue includes a four-page feature highlighting the work of different parts of the college and how they have adapted during the past year of pandemic: the Candidates Unit, the School for Officer Training, the School for In-Service Training and Development and the Business Services Unit, which includes the cleaners.

This week’s article in our Be Willing series is by Cadet Jamie Jones, who is due to be commissioned in July. Having built a successful career, he felt God calling him into spiritual leadership. He writes about the importance of being willing to surrender to God and trust in him, and says that in fulfilling his calling, ‘God has opened my eyes to a world that is so easily missed.’

While it’s essential to emphasise full-time spiritual leadership, we sometimes overlook the importance of every Christian’s calling. In her ‘Faith at work’ article Lyn Woods writes about how her calling to help others in matters of social justice is being fulfilled through an organisation set up last year to support victims of sexual abuse.

Salvationists used to sing a chorus with the line, ‘Everybody has a part to play in the great salvation war.’ That’s true. And it’s not just those whose work is obviously aimed at saving souls, growing saints or serving suffering humanity who should be valued. Every kind of work – as long as it is not illegal or immoral – can be a vocation and a means of furthering the Kingdom of God. Every workplace can be a front line in the great salvation war.

One of the replies to Julie Cousins’ note on Twitter said: ‘Treat [people] in the same way you would like to be treated – with respect.’ That’s great advice, echoing words of Jesus: ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12).

May we never take people for granted or overlook their roles, but value and support them – just as we would want to be valued and supported.

Quotes from the media

2

Message from the territorial commander

4

News

5 and 6

Prayer matters

6

News feature 7 Army responds to deadly second wave The Jericho road Part 6: Go and do likewise

8

by Lieut-Colonel Gilbert Ellis

Feature Willing to surrender and trust

9

by Cadet Jamie Jones

Feature 10 to 13 Learning and serving in a pandemic Faith at work Passionate about justice

14

by Lyn Woods

Viewpoint Is a daily devotional worth my time?

15

by Major Paul Robinson

Bible study Your will be mine

16 and 17

by Major Janet Robson

Through the week with Salvationist

16 and 17

by Major Lynda Levis

Reflection Losing spiritual face

18

by Ron Thomlinson with the Rev James Macfarlane

Reflection Getting your feet wet

19

by Jim Burns

Letters

20

Territorial structure update

21

Announcements

22 and 23

Adverts

23

The Salvation Army and me

24

featuring Major Yvonne Findlay FRONT-PAGE PICTURE Andrew King Photography SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (2011), unless otherwise stated.

CORRECTION The front-page picture for the 1 May SALVATIONIST Salvationist was incorrectly assumed to be of the 19th-century Eastbourne riots.

The picture appeared on the cover of Le Petit Journal on 20 February 1892. The caption read: ‘L’Armée du Salut á Paris The battles of – Désordres dans la rue’ (‘The Salvation Eastbourne Army in Paris – Disorders in the street’).

Salvationist apologises for the error.

For everyone linked to The Salvation Army

From the Editor Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

PLUS

REMEMBERING ABERFAN

SEE PAGES 12 AND 13

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Salvationist 15 May 2021

No.1805 Price 70p

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26/04/2021 17:06

A MESSAGE FROM THE TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Taking hold of opportunities

S

OME time ago I discovered that the Chinese word for ‘crisis’ is made up of two characters: the first signifies danger and the second means possibility or opportunity. On further research recently, I discovered that President John F Kennedy used this thought quite widely in his election campaign in 1959 and 1960, and a number of other politicians have also referenced it since.

However, I also discovered that this interpretation is not quite right. The first character does mean ‘dangerous’ or ‘precarious’, but the second doesn’t mean ‘opportunity’ – it means something more like ‘change point’. Either way, I like the thought: a crisis comprises danger and opportunity or a change point.

There is no doubt that we have been in crisis and danger. Sadly, coronavirus is still spreading across some vast populations. Our thoughts and prayers continue in the direction of countries such as India and Brazil. If you happen to be reading this in one of those 4

Salvationist 15 May 2021

countries, please know of our love and prayers for you.

As we here in the United Kingdom begin to emerge from our restrictions and frustrations, we are arriving at a time of opportunity and a point of change. This will be true for us as individuals, as families and as work and neighbourhood communities. Many of us have realised the need for a much better work, home and family balance.

And we all need to take forward into the future the lessons we learnt from 2020 regarding the way we should respect and honour all people – especially those who, to some degree, were previously taken for granted or ignored. That includes care workers and NHS staff, bus drivers, shopkeepers, cleaners, teachers, children’s workers and many others.

There are also big questions and challenges for churches, including The Salvation Army. As we come out of the crisis, the most precarious thing is that we miss the greatest opportunity in centuries to grasp possibilities and miss the fruit of this significant change point.

It’s why leaders and congregations, employees and volunteers will need to reassess who we are, what we should be doing and what is of utmost importance in the Kingdom of God, ensuring that we realign ourselves and prioritise with respect to our time and our energy around such things.

Jesus, reading from the scroll of Isaiah in the Nazareth synagogue, said it was about the Spirit of the Lord being upon us and anointing us to preach good news. It was about proclaiming freedom for those who are captive, recovery of sight for those who cannot see, releasing the oppressed and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favour. Then he finished that reading by saying: ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:21).

Today – proclaiming, welcoming, embracing, standing up for and being with the marginalised, the poor, the vulnerable, standing for righteousness and truth. Now is the time for us to be contemplating, if we haven’t already done it, and planning how we can increasingly be effective in our call to be servants of God in The Salvation Army.

Boldness is a value that we hold dear in the Army. All too often it is an aspirational value rather than a lived one, but now is the time for us to decide again to follow Jesus with boldness and honest intent.

‘Forward! be our watchword,’ we used to sing.

If there is to be any going back, let it be radical and let us be radical. That doesn’t mean throwing everything up in the air or throwing everything out. ‘Radical’ literally means going back to our roots. If we’re to talk about going back, let’s go back again to our roots.

Paul, writing to the church of Philippi, said we should be ‘like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose’ (Philippians 2:2 NIV 2001).

He went on: ‘Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant’ (vv5–7).

We’re to go back to our roots, back to God, in order that we will love others unconditionally, serve unselfishly and give generously – and to do whatever it takes to bring glory and joy in Heaven, by allowing the Spirit of God to fill us and overflow into the lives of the people around about us.

Crisis? We know all about that now.

Danger? We’ve already come through much. Opportunity? It lies before us, let us take it.

In Deuteronomy 31:6, we read of Moses, who has come through many crises, encouraging Joshua and the children of Israel with these words as he sends them forward: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified … for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’

Now that’s an opportunity. Hallelujah!

ANTHONY COTTERILL COMMISSIONER TERRITORIAL COMMANDER O This

message is based on a video that can be viewed at facebook.com/ SalvationistOnline or youtube.com/ salvationarmyvideo

NEWS

COMMUNITY

Steps to Work steps up a gear STRAWBERRY FIELD THE Steps to Work programme has evolved to become ‘Steps at Strawberry Field’, which now offers increased inclusivity and a wider range of accessible training to more people.

The new scheme will create opportunities for people across Liverpool. It comprises four individually tailored programmes, providing employment skills, work experience and opportunities to volunteer.

Steps to Work was previously only available to those aged 18 to 25, but the team recognised the need to increase the portfolio of programmes, which are now open to those of all ages who may have learning difficulties or other barriers to employment.

Alongside Steps to Work, the new scheme includes ‘Steps to Work lite’, a condensed version of the original Steps to Work, ‘Steps to Volunteer’, for those who want to take the next step in their volunteering journey and receive a formal qualification, and ‘Recycles’, a hands-on programme based at the Recycles project in Liverpool city centre.

Strawberry Field Mission Director Major Kathy Versfeld said: ‘The expansion of the programme will, we hope, prove a godsend to the many individuals whose aspirations of gainful employment have been pushed even further out of reach by the pandemic. We want them to know we are pulling out all the stops to support them in realising their dreams and in harnessing their unique potential, so that together we can build better, more inclusive and diverse workplaces.’ – AR

LEEDS CENTRAL The corps served its 10,000th hot takeaway meal during the Easter period. When the pandemic hit, many support services offering emergency food were forced to close but the corps began preparing hot daily meals for young families finding it difficult to make ends meet, as well as people experiencing homelessness and those with mental health or addiction issues. Corps officer Major Cliff Allchin said: ‘So many people have found this past year particularly tough. Recently we supported a family of four with hot takeaway food after they were down to a tin of beans to feed them all. It’s heartbreaking. We might only be able to offer people a simple meal but we hope that they take from that a reminder of God’s love and care for them as individuals as well as the offer of support and hope for better days ahead.’ – AR

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COMMUNITY MIDDLESBROUGH CITADEL In addition to Sunday meetings the corps is working hard to nurture the congregation and the wider community, spiritually and physically.

The aim has been to keep the doors open every day of the week during the pandemic.

The weekly drop-in has continued and regularly attracts up to 100 people, including those who are simply in search of company.

Acting as a bridge between food bank vouchers and regular shopping, the Loaves and Fishes economy shop is open to anyone on benefits. It offers a variety of tinned and fresh foods and costs £5 per year, then £2.50 per shop. The charity shop has also grown considerably. Other projects in the pipeline include a debt advice service, scheduled to open in September. – AR

KILMARNOCK As part of a class project, the pupils of Primary 6, Hillhead Primary School, nominated the corps as ‘Covid Superheroes’. Corps officers Captains Emma and Les Heal met the class in the school playground for the presentation of individual thank-you cards and badges for all those who helped with the extensive community support throughout the pandemic. Captain Emma and soldier Margaret Evans proudly wore their badges at the weekly drop-in. – EF Salvationist 15 May 2021

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NEWS

ARMY NEWS

TC joins call for fair Covid-19 vaccine distribution TERRITORIAL Commander Commissioner Anthony Cotterill has joined global faith leaders in calling for an end to vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations to ensure people in all corners of the world can be protected from Covid-19.

He signed a statement, along with 144 other religious leaders, calling for the fair distribution of vaccine doses to low and middle-income countries. It also called for the production and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to be ramped up to meet global demand.

The religious leaders’ statement, gathered by Christian Aid, read: ‘If one part of the world is left to suffer the pandemic, all parts of the world will be put at ever-increasing risk.

‘The access of people to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines cannot be dependent on people’s wealth, status or nationality.’ – AR

CORPS BOSTON The high sheriff of Lincolnshire, Michael Scott, has acknowledged retired officers Majors Ann and David Radford for volunteering to take on the leadership of the corps as well as running vital community support services in Lincolnshire during the coronavirus pandemic. The majors were commended for working tirelessly, ‘providing pastoral and support care to both the corps folk and the wider community … [including] overseeing the distribution of Christmas food hampers and children’s toys for those in need’. The couple served at the corps between 1997 and 2003 and returned to the town in retirement. They will oversee bringing the corps back into operation as the lockdown measures ease and will prepare to hand over leadership to the new corps officer in July. – AR

OUTREACH STOWMARKET The recently opened Café on the Rec is serving takeaway coffee, snacks, bacon rolls and pastries at the town’s Recreation Ground. The Salvation Army had previously taken on temporary leases of the unit – situated next to the skate park and public playground – but has now gained a year-long lease. Café co-ordinators Sandra and Steve Ambrose hope it can become a community hub. The café will be run by volunteers, including people who want to get back into the workplace, young people looking for experience and those who have retired and want to give back to the community. – AR 6

THY KINGDOM COME FOCUS

by Captains Christianne and Tim Swansbury (Carshalton)

THQ

Salvationist 15 May 2021

SATURDAY 15 MAY – FAMILY (JOSHUA 24:15) Loving Father, we thank you for your wonderful idea that is family.

Please use me to bring more of your life, joy and peace into my family through your life in me and my decision that ‘as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord’. Thy Kingdom come; thy Kingdom come in my family, and our kingdom go.

SUNDAY 16 MAY – FRIENDS (PSALM 86:11) Jesus Christ, thank you for calling me your friend. May the friendship that you and I share be the means by which your Kingdom comes among my circle of friends. Jesus, use me, start with me. Teach me your way, Lord; I will walk in your truth. Thy Kingdom come; thy Kingdom come in my friends, and our kingdoms go.

MONDAY 17 MAY – NEIGHBOURS AND COLLEAGUES (JEREMIAH 6:16) Holy Spirit, may your Kingdom come among my neighbours and colleagues. May we find rest for our souls as we ‘stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it’. Thy Kingdom come; thy Kingdom come among my neighbours and colleagues, and our kingdoms go.

TUESDAY 18 MAY – CORPS AND CHURCH (2 CORINTHIANS 4:5) Lord God, how we long for more of your Kingdom to come in and through our church. Let this be so as we commit to preach ‘not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake’. Thy Kingdom come; thy Kingdom come in and through our corps, and our kingdoms go.

WEDNESDAY 19 MAY – COMMUNITY (ISAIAH 2:3) Spirit of God, today I ask for your blessing on my community, my village, town or city. Give me opportunity in some way to say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord’ that he may ‘teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths’. Thy Kingdom come; thy Kingdom come in my community and our kingdoms go.

THURSDAY 20 MAY – NATION (ISAIAH 55:8 AND 9) Creator God, we remember that you have said, ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… As the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ May your Kingdom come in our nation as we look to you for wisdom and guidance. Thy Kingdom come; thy Kingdom come in our nation, and my kingdom go.

FRIDAY 21 MAY – WORLD (1 CORINTHIANS 2:16) Our Father in Heaven, may your will be done on Earth as in Heaven, for ‘who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’

Strengthen me today with the knowledge that I can ‘have the mind of Christ’. Thy Kingdom come; thy Kingdom come in this world, and my kingdom go.

O A PDF of the Prayer Matters booklet is also available to download from salvationarmy.org.uk/resources

Salvationist Salvationist1310March April 2021

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NEWS FEATURE

Army responds to deadly second wave INDIA THE Salvation Army has responded to the recent surge in daily recorded cases of Covid-19 in India, which have reached unprecedented levels. Salvation Army hospitals in several areas have admitted large numbers of patients with coronavirus symptoms, as demand has exceeded capacity in the government’s national health system.

Latest data from the World Health Organisation reports more than 22 million coronavirus cases in the country to date, with the number of daily reported fatalities due to the virus at an all-time high.

The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters Covid-19 task force has discussed up-to-date situation reports from around the country and considered what further steps could be taken to strengthen the response and build on capacity improvements as well as equipping those that have already been implemented.

WEST In Maharashtra, Evangeline Booth Hospital (EBH) is one of relatively few non-government facilities caring for coronavirus patients.

Hospital administrator Major Devdan Kalkumbe said: ‘EBH is giving free treatment to Covid-19 patients. At present [we have] 155 patients. Ninety per cent of patients are discharged when recovered and the local government appreciates what The Salvation Army is doing. Our concern is that the second wave is more serious and deadly [than the first], and the risk is that we won’t have enough oxygen for the higher demand.’

Local government has given the hospital some extra oxygen and IHQ has provided an additional ventilator and essential personal protective equipment.

Emery Hospital in Gujarat has prepared 50 fully resourced beds for coronavirus patients.

SOUTH The government has asked Catherine Booth Hospital in Nagercoil to accept up to 40 Covid-19 patients. With patients unable to receive visitors, Salvation Army workers are endeavouring to provide meals and other essential support, as well as therapeutic care.

NORTH Although primarily an ophthalmic specialist centre, MacRobert Hospital in Dhariwal, Punjab, has worked hard to prepare a 150-plus bed facility for coronavirus patients to help reduce pressure on government hospitals. The Army’s nurse training programme has also been put to good use, with groups of 10 student nurses going out into the rural community to carry out testing for the virus and other health checks.

Salvation Army clinicians have also

supported the rollout of the government’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

CENTRAL While the Evangeline Booth Hospital in Andhra Pradesh awaits official permission to open, a new ambulance service in the Nidubrolu community began in March.

Trained staff in full protective gear are supporting civic government public health initiatives.

India National Executive Officer Colonel Lalhmingliana Hmar said: ‘At present, what we can do is bring hope as a reality to the people who are losing hope.’

In a letter to Salvationists in India, General Brian Peddle stated: ‘Our hearts are moved, and I write … assuring you of our prayers and practical support… I am proud of the work being done at our hospitals and am hearing stories from your leaders of courage and great faith.’ He also reiterated the importance of co-operating with government public health instruction and following sound hygiene practices.

‘I have had my vaccination,’ he wrote.

‘I encourage you to receive yours.’ – AR

Salvationist 15 May 2021

7

The Jericho Road Part 6:

Go and do likewise

Lieut-Colonel Gilbert Ellis concludes a six-part reflection on the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10)

A

S discussed in part 5, the details of the Samaritan’s compassion and help are indicative of the saving work of Christ himself. The Samaritan did not just feel sorry for the victim – his compassion was such that he did something that the man could not do for himself. This is a picture of Christ’s loving approach to fallen humanity.

The first thing the Samaritan did was pour oil and wine on the man’s wounds. The wine, an antiseptic, was to clean the wounds and the oil was to soothe the pain and heal the injuries. The Samaritan did not limit the help he gave. He poured the wine and the oil into the man’s wounds to cleanse and relieve.

There and then, he provided from his own supply generously, which indicates the initial work of salvation.

We have a generous Saviour who said: ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10). The grace and power of God are not measured out in small quantities – they are poured out so that we have all we need and more.

Having done so much for the stricken character, the Samaritan did not leave him in a place where he could be exposed to more danger.

He lifted him on to his own donkey.

Note the expression that is used here. He put him on ‘his own’ donkey (v34). Not any donkey, but his own 8

Salvationist 15 May 2021

donkey. It was perhaps a way of saying that Christ, through his own body on the cross, would complete the work of salvation, of carrying the world from damnation to the place prepared.

The Samaritan took the injured traveller to an inn, where the work of caring for him could continue. It is natural to interpret this as being the Church, the place where those who have been saved can continue to receive help and care.

The Samaritan gave two denarii to the innkeeper. In Scripture a denarius is a day’s wage for a labourer. For example, in Matthew 20 we read in another parable that a landowner hired workers for his vineyard and ‘agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard’ (v2). So the Samaritan’s two denarii were two days’ wages, perhaps showing that Jesus gives the Church enough for its service today and tomorrow.

Finally, the Samaritan told the innkeeper: ‘Look after him, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have’ (Luke 10:35).

The inn was not the final home of the traveller, and the Church is not the final home of the believer who has accepted Christ. We read in John 14:2 and 3: ‘My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you

that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’

That is the final home prepared for all who accept Christ.

We, who were once on the way to Jericho, to destruction and a curse, do not end up in a temporary inn.

Thanks to the grace of Jesus Christ, we can look forward to being with him for ever in our eternal home.

In the meantime, we have the challenge and example of Christ.

We are not to pass by without showing any concern but to take care of those who have come to faith in Christ and bring them into the caring fellowship of his Church until he returns again.

We are also on the Jericho road.

We will meet other people, either beaten by life or, at best, still on the downward way. We should accept the master storyteller’s challenge: not to pass them by but to seek, in Christ’s name, to bring them help and hope.

Go and do likewise!

LIEUT-COLONEL ELLIS LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN NORWAY

FEATURE I Candidates Sunday

Cadet Jamie Jones Willing to surrender and trust In the lead-up to Candidates Sunday (16 May) and beyond, different Salvationists explain what the theme Be Willing means to them

H

OW is God speaking to you today? I had been asked that question many times but, during one Sunday meeting at my home corps of Skewen, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the challenge.

Even after the meeting I could not shake the challenge, so I decided to do something about it. I started spending more time with God in prayer, trying to listen intently to what he was saying.

I felt called into a leadership role but never did I feel that I was the right person or that I was good enough. Each year I would see a new session of cadets enter the training college and over time my calling grew.

In contemplating my calling I could not see a way forward. At the time my wife, Clare, and I were in good jobs and set up comfortably. Our two boys were still living at home. Not academically minded I had left school at 16 with no thought of furthering my education and, as a hands-on person, I found myself building a successful career in retail.

The last thing on my mind was to go back to school. So I continued to pray, and God did not leave me alone.

After many discussions with friends

and family, I approached DHQ to explain what I was experiencing. Until then I was not aware that I could serve as a territorial envoy, but I felt that this was what God was calling me to make myself available for.

In September 2016 I started my first appointment as associate leader at Carmarthen. This was an incredible time as I was doing what I felt I had been called to do by serving in my home division. But as I continued spending time with God I recognised that I was still not fulfilling my calling. I knew somehow that, even though I had given up many things in order to serve, I still needed to lay everything before God to be used for his Kingdom and his glory.

After grappling with these thoughts in conversations and prayers, I finally entered William Booth College as a distance learner with the Messengers of the Kingdom session. I will be commissioned this year as part of the Messengers of Grace session.

One of my many fears relating to ministry was of public speaking. In Philippians 4:13 we read, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (English Standard Version), and to lead

or preach I understand that I have to trust and rely on the Holy Spirit to empower me to overcome this fear.

As I reflect on my journey so far, I know that being willing has not always been easy. But I can be sure of one thing: in being willing to surrender to and trust in him, God is always there and guides me, even when I question him.

In my decision to give myself fully to God my life has been turned upside down. With the help of tutors, I have gained further educational qualifications.

A passion has been ignited in me to share God with those who are yet to know him. I have been enabled to challenge the way marginalised people are mistreated and I have gained a deeper love for those whom the world has disowned.

My main discovery during my training has been how to read Scripture and use it in a contemporary setting. This has given me a deeper knowledge of God’s plan for my life and a better understanding of God’s redemptive plan for the world. When I look back at my life in retail and then at my daily role now, I sense that I am finally fulfilling my calling. God has opened my eyes to a world that is so easily missed.

Along the way there have been some challenges and opportunities, but the highlight for me has been experiencing God’s mission in practice. I look forward to seeing what else God has in store for Clare and me.

I wonder what journey God may have in store for you. How is God speaking to you today?

Next week Territorial Envoy Kim Whyard

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FEATURE I William Booth College

Learning and serving in Staff and cadets at William Booth College share how they have adapted their ways of working during the past year

Online doctrine class MAJOR JANET ROBSON TERRITORIAL CANDIDATES DIRECTOR Wednesday 11 March 2020 was a Spiritual Day at William Booth College.

Colonels Lee and Debbie Graves, the then chief secretary and territorial secretary for leader development, had spent the morning sharing with cadets and officers in the Assembly Hall. With the impact and scale of the Covid-19 pandemic becoming clearer, a hastily arranged meeting took place that afternoon with Lee, Debbie and the college leadership team to discuss the need to cancel one of the Candidates Unit’s key events of the year.

The Exploring Leadership Day was due to take place just a few days later.

Everything was in place for the event: the guest speakers were prepared, seminar leaders had organised their sessions and the children’s venue was all set. We realised we had no choice but to cancel the day and worked quickly to make sure everyone planning to attend knew they should not be travelling to London.

As the weeks unfolded, the work of the Candidates Unit continued. One of the 10

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most significant pieces of our work was to migrate the Assessment Conferences to an online format. Ordinarily, applicants for officership and territorial envoyship attend an Assessment Conference on site at William Booth College. With this no longer an option we were blessed to be able to reschedule the conferences and hold them online. The Candidates Unit was well supported by colleagues across the territory as we worked to ensure the online format ran as smoothly as possible. As part of our work we appreciated being able to have some great conversations with people as they responded to challenges shared around Candidates Sunday and Commissioning.

The summer months saw two longstanding employees placed on furlough.

Sadly, towards the end of the year, restructuring meant that their roles no longer existed – painful realities shared with good people who had served for years.

Like many others, the Candidates Unit has become well acquainted with online conferencing and we’ve seen God move powerfully across it. I’m so thankful for the ways in which technology has

We have developed new practices and resources that will serve us in the future Marcus Luckett enabled us to continue with our work, including offering another of our key events, Design for Life, in an online format.

God has been, is and will remain faithful. We’re praying that we will step into the future armed with new learning as we reflect on God’s goodness to us over this past year.

CAPTAIN STEPHEN OLIVER TUTOR AND PASTORAL SUPPORT OFFICER In March 2021 the nation paused in silent reflection to remember lives lost and lives permanently altered by Covid-19. It was a significant milestone.

At the time I was preparing lessons to be delivered online, and I realised that I was working on one of the first units to be moved from the classroom to online

a pandemic

Cadet Nazia at Hoxton delivery 12 months previously. In the spring of 2020, hurrying to adapt from in-person teaching to remote learning for the first time, few of us in the School for Officer Training team would have imagined that we would still be delivering remote learning a year later.

The switch was not as simple as just delivering the classroom material as a video conference. Timetable changes were made to prioritise activities that could be done remotely over those that needed to be done face to face. At the same time, with the help of THQ’s Video Production Unit, we transitioned the Commissioning of the Messengers of the Kingdom to a live-streamed event. The summer placements for the cadets of the Messengers of Grace session were deferred to the autumn, and teaching that would normally take place in September and October was brought forward to the summer.

Several of us undertook additional training in effective online teaching, and time that would normally be dedicated between academic years to course revision and research was absorbed into an extended academic year that

rolled into the live-streamed territorial welcome to the Messengers of Reconciliation session.

The officer training programme is built on a three-pronged strategy of being, knowing and doing – giving equal weight to a cadet’s spiritual formation, academic attainment and practical experience.

Each aspect has been adapted in different ways to ensure cadets are as prepared as they possibly can be for the realities of ministry.

The spiritual programme has seen prayers live-streamed to the college community and parts of Spiritual Days, such as the one recently led by our territorial leaders, divided between online meetings and private reflection.

Cadet Matthew Stone said: ‘I’ve appreciated the time and space that we’ve been given to explore different spiritual practices and disciplines in greater depth.’

Cadet Stephanie White, when asked about how she has responded to online learning, said: ‘Although I miss being with my session in a real classroom, I have responded well to online learning. I am thankful for the technology and the

tutors’ adaptability that allow our training to continue.’

Preaching placements have not been able to operate as they normally would.

Instead, a series of in-house meetings have been held online, enabling the cadets to receive ministry from one another.

Cadet Thomas Morgan notes: ‘Online preaching has helped us consider how to expound Scripture in an appropriate manner for the medium, but also how to encourage a meaningful response when people are gathered virtually.’

Continuing to give practical skills experience has been challenging, with a number of community activities where cadets undertake their weekly personal initiative projects not operating. However, some outreach and ministry has still been possible.

Cadet Nazia Yousaf says: ‘I have been able to work with the Faith House team at Hoxton, keeping in touch with people and helping to deliver food and essential items. We don’t just stop but look for new ways to connect with and serve our communities.’

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 X Salvationist 15 May 2021

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Online Spiritual Day W CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 MARCUS LUCKETT TRAINING CO-ORDINATOR – CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING DESIGN (SISTAD) When the UK locked down in response to the coronavirus pandemic, there were immediate consequences for the School for In-Service Training and Development’s provision of learning and development.

We had to cancel all face-to-face learning, our course programme was significantly curtailed and our ability to advise and assist other departments was substantially diminished. Many in the department were furloughed and the few that were left were only able to meet urgent and essential learning needs.

As people began to return from furlough, we could not just pick up from where we left off; we had to work together in order to navigate the new circumstances and challenges.

SISTAD is all about learning, and naturally this meant we had to find ways of offering learning opportunities to meet the needs of the territory in the challenging situation in which we found ourselves. However, this was not the only consideration. The relationships that we build and sustain are a significant factor in our effectiveness and it was important to find ways to maintain these at a distance when there were so many demands on the time and resources of 12

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the employees and officers we serve.

Like many others, we have used online conferencing technology. While it cannot replace all face-to-face interaction – nor would we wish it to – there are certain types of meeting for which it is suited.

Despite the disruption and limitations to how we work, we have been able to develop new practices and resources that will serve us well in the future, such as the development of remote courses, resources and learning events. We have provided online courses through our iLearn platform for a long time, but until the pandemic we had not developed our ability to hold large, synchronous learning events online. Now we are able to get people together from all over the territory and provide high quality teaching and learning opportunities with many of the obstacles to attending in-person events removed. We are also able to provide more small learning units and short-term learning activities via videos, which are especially helpful when people need a quick and easy method of refreshing a skill, deepening understanding or reminding them of a process.

One of the most powerful changes could be to do with mindset. We have fanned a greater enthusiasm for trying new ways of working and learning, and I believe the whole organisation has found a greater confidence in our ability to make important effective changes, and to make them promptly.

We don’t stop but look for new ways to connect with and serve our communities Cadet Nazia Yousaf

GARY ROBB BUSINESS SERVICES DIRECTOR The Business Services Unit covers all the support functions of William Booth College, such as the library, finance, catering, housekeeping, maintenance and administration. As director of the unit I was appointed to the Territorial Silver Pandemic Response Team in February last year. Initially we met daily to discuss the latest updates and their potential impacts, and to start planning for the additional measures that would later enable us to easily meet Covidsecure safety standards in buildings.

Sadly, we lost a much-loved and long-serving member of the catering team to Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic. This shock to the whole college community emphasised the importance of the additional measures that we needed to take to keep the campus safe.

Picture: ANDREW KING PHOTOGRAPHY

Commissioning of the Messengers of the Kingdom

Welcome to the Messengers of Reconciliation The essential nature of the work that the team does meant social distancing measures had to be put in place in work areas, classrooms, the dining room and the library. This included reducing the numbers of staff physically working in any one area, such as reception, and initiating new cleaning processes to enable essential working to continue.

The pandemic has had a huge impact on how the team operates. Workloads have increased significantly. As well as providing a safe environment for our residents – cadets, staff and their families – we have additional work to maintain empty bedrooms that would normally be occupied for courses or conferences.

Each week we flush more than 200 unused water outlets to keep bacteria such as legionella at bay. Throughout, a

Staff member Timothy sprays furnishings with an antiviral product number of staff have been placed on furlough, a situation that persists today.

College librarian Winette Field says: ‘One of the big misconceptions of the pandemic is that all libraries are closed.

The government policy has been that higher education libraries should be open and providing, at bare minimum, some sort of electronic service. For us, services such as postal loans and ebook provision became ever more important. Three words sum up the year: forecasting, innovation and safety.’

That goes for the wider campus as well. During the pandemic we have continued to make the college available to the territory as far as possible, supporting various departments with the facilities needed for online training and adopting and implementing new technologies.

CAPTAIN STEPHEN CONCLUDES… As we look to the next stages of this journey, there are reminders of God’s faithfulness and constancy all around us. The spring flowers in our well-kept grounds bring daily reminders of new beginnings.

Nazia’s comment will be echoed

by Salvationists everywhere who have continued to serve their communities throughout the pandemic and have endeavoured to enable people to encounter Jesus: ‘We don’t stop. We look for ways to connect and serve.’ May it always be so.

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13

FAITH AT WORK

Passionate about justice Lyn Woods shares how her experiences and faith have shaped her life and work

I

USED to work in marketing and finance within banking, local authority and school settings. Last year, however, I felt an overwhelming sense of being directed towards helping others in matters of social justice and the community. I remember clearly being reassured by God not to worry about finances and that I would be provided for if I followed the path he was guiding me to.

I already had a keen interest in these matters and completed a degree in social policy and criminology in 2011, but it wasn’t until all these years later that my studies and life experiences are finally being used.

I was born and lived in Luton where, from the age of 11, I attended Luton Citadel until moving to East Anglia in 2000. Having been taken to many churches as a child, and never feeling they were right for me, it was such a joy when we were drawn as a family to The Salvation Army through an open-air meeting in the park. I never looked back. I was finally home, and the genuine love and compassion of the folk there will stay with me always. It really was one big Christian family, where people, filled with the love of a living God, went out of their way to give of their time and care for and nurture others, especially young people. Their example made me strive to live like Christ for others.

During my late teenage years and early twenties I was no model Christian.

I allowed the temptations and trappings of the world to infiltrate my life and made some poor choices, a pattern that would 14

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re-emerge later in life after being widowed in 2012 at the age of 42. My husband of only two years had battled alcoholism all his adult life, and the deep reasons behind his dependency are partly why I am now so passionate about justice and seek to advocate for others, especially in relation to abuse and mental health issues. I had little experience of the effects of substance abuse, sexual abuse and mental health problems until that point and I was filled with guilt that I was unable to get through to, or save the life of, my own husband.

In time, with the help of counselling and through studying for a qualification in understanding mental health problems, I gained a greater knowledge and perspective on these issues. In 2018 I returned to worship at the Army and, since 2020, have discovered a renewed faith and strength, which equip me daily for the challenges I face.

Early last year I followed my calling and responded to an advert in a local classified paper asking for someone to help work for justice for victims of sexual abuse – especially those suffering with mental health issues, which can make them particularly vulnerable to predators and prevent them from recognising or reporting their abuse. I met with the elderly Christian man who had placed the advert. He had been researching the issue for three years, having extensive personal knowledge of such a case, and needed someone to get things moving and do the technological and social media side of the work.

We formed a professional partnership in February 2020. Since then we have

worked tirelessly in our aims, forming a nationwide not-for-profit organisation – Confidential Action Against Abuse – promoting our work and seeking help from authorities, government, royalty, celebrities and similar groups and communities.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the number of responses we have received and the extent of our new organisation’s outreach. And, because our cause is not a topic that people like to acknowledge or discuss, it has been challenging.

God has remained true to his word and, despite working unpaid since the start of 2020, all my needs have been met and I have been extremely blessed.

I now also work as a freelance writer, and hope to use my writing skills working for charities and Christian publications and organisations.

I am hugely privileged and humbled to be part of the community outreach programme at Great Yarmouth Corps, helping feed those in the community who are in need. I look forward to all that God has planned for me in the future.

O For

more information on Confidential Action Against Abuse, email confidential. aaa.group@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page @ConfidentialAAA

LYN IS AN ADHERENT AT GREAT YARMOUTH

VIEW POINT

Is a daily devotional worth my time?

Major Paul Robinson explores the value of spending time with God’s word

L

IKE many Christians, I enjoy daily devotional readings. Sometimes they are a gentle and cosy couple of passages, at other times they are from a more serious tome or a Bible commentary.

During Lent I read Heavenly Humour for the Chocolate Lover’s Soul: 75 Chocolate-Covered Inspirational Readings. In the book Janice Hanna gives the following thought: ‘The Bible isn’t a box of chocolates for us to rip apart, choosing only what feels right at the moment. God desires that we eat every word. Savour it. Let it change us. Sure, there are some things that are harder to swallow than others. Turning the other cheek. Doing good to those who hurt us. Placing the needs of others above our own. But the sweetness far outweighs the difficulty, especially with the Spirit of God leading the way.’

Janice argues that chocolate is an important part of our diet – at least that’s how I read it – but picking and choosing the ones we like means we sometimes neglect others that may become our favourite. It is necessary to eat every single chocolate in the box to gain the full experience. I prefer the toffee and nut ones; my wife, Susan, prefers the soft centres. Yet if I only partake of the hard caramels, I will miss out on the Turkish delights, which I also love.

Janice fears this is how some Christians treat their devotional time: picking and choosing verses they like and ignoring the ones that may bring the most blessing. Who enjoys reading the long lists of families in 1 Chronicles?

And yet, when we reach Jabez in chapter 4, we see all the other people in a different light. If we avoid the list, we miss out on an inspirational reminder that God answers prayer.

In Heart Talks on Holiness, Samuel Logan Brengle comments: ‘Most people give about 10 hours a day to their bodies for eating, drinking,

dressing and sleeping, and maybe a few minutes to their souls. We ought to give at least one solid hour every day to restful, loving devotion with Jesus over our open Bible, for the refreshing, developing and strengthening of our spiritual lives. If we would do this, God would have an opportunity to teach, correct, inspire and comfort us, reveal his secrets to us and make spiritual giants of us.’

Brengle is advocating quality devotional time. Our days are split into hours for eating, sleeping, working and so on. Is it possible that our Christian life can be squeezed into a couple of minutes a day or less?

When learning to play an instrument I was encouraged to spend 20 minutes a day practising. I was not guaranteed a place in the International Staff Band, but I was in my corps band where I could minister. Regular practice enabled progression and further opportunities.

Susan and I were once facing a difficult decision, so we opened a promise box to see what the Lord had to say on the way forward. Our decision was precise, the promise box was not. We found comforting words about death and the promise of Heaven, but not much about our situation.

Yet, when we spend time in God’s word the

way forward can become clear and meaningful, even though it may not be what we want to hear.

If I eat a bar of quality chocolate, I can have one or two squares and let their flavour and texture bring me enjoyment. If I eat cheap chocolate, it’s gone in seconds and any pleasure goes with it.

Is a daily devotional worth my time?

It is if it brings me closer to the Lord, enables me to become more like him and places me where he can use me.

We can put our feet up or our knees down, we can put on some worship music or listen in silence, as long as we open his word, chew on it and let it help us grow as Christians.

If there were one person in Scripture who needed to eat a bar of chocolate, it would be Jeremiah; he was not known for being happy. However, this is what he had to say about God’s word: ‘When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s armies’ (Jeremiah 15:16 New Living Translation).

Enjoy your time with the Lord – it is worth it.

MAJOR ROBINSON IS CORPS OFFICER, NORWICH MILE CROSS

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15

BIBLE STUDY

Your will be mine Major Janet Robson reflects on Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer in the second of three studies by the Candidates Unit

LUKE 22:39–46

T

HE ‘Devotion’ section of The Song Book of The Salvation Army (song numbers 563 to 635) includes some challenging lines. They are challenging because they are ‘all in’ – there are no buts or maybes, no ‘please, send someone else’. Rather, there are real and raw expressions of love and longing to be, and do, all that Jesus is calling us to be, and do, for him.

Consider the following lines: ‘My heart is thine, now thee obeying,/ Speak all thy will, dear Lord, to me’ (SASB 589); ‘Make thy demands on me; I’ll not refuse’ (SASB 600); ‘My all is in the Master’s hands/ For him to bless and break’ (SASB 610). Such words can spill from our lips before we’ve had the opportunity to stop and think and wonder if we really mean the words we sing.

Through the week with Salvationist – a devotional thought for each day

by Major Lynda Levis

As we look again at the prayer that Jesus said in Gethsemane, let’s stop, think and wonder whether we really could pray it: ‘But no matter what, your will must be mine’ (Luke 22:42 The Passion Translation).

and to finish his work’ (John 4:34).

When Jesus was teaching on the Bread of Life in response to a request for a miracle – when he had just fed more than 5,000 people – he confirmed what he was here to do: ‘For I have come down from Heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me’ (John 6:38).

QUESTION O To what extent are we willing to say the words Jesus said in Gethsemane and pray that prayer?

Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus encouraged and challenged people to understand the significance of doing God’s will. When people asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, his response included the words ‘your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10).

When the disciples were debriefing after Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman, Jesus made one thing clear: ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me

QUESTIONS O If you have a clear sense of God’s will for your life, what is it?

O If not, how might you discern it?

The Gethsemane prayer came at the end of a draining week, with the mess and stress of the events in Jerusalem.

With our perspective today we call it Holy Week. I wonder what Jesus would have called it.

Towards the end of that week, our study passage finds Jesus alone, on his

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 3:5 and 6)

Take my will and make it thine,/ It shall be no longer mine;/ Take my heart, it is thine own,/ It shall be thy royal throne.

(SASB 623)

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

(Psalm 143:10)

Prayer Loving Lord, I submit my life to your will – a submission that is both joyful and purposeful, knowing that this is the way that you alone have planned for me. May your grace keep me faithful in my following.

16

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knees in a garden. Some of his friends are nearby but he is on his own and is talking to God. He knows what God’s will is. He wonders if there’s any other way but recognises that this isn’t a moment of negotiation. Scripture tells us that Jesus was ‘in anguish’ (v44). As we peer into this Gethsemane prayer, we see something of the agony of someone struggling with the will of God. QUESTION O In what ways do you struggle with the will of God? In the middle of the stress and struggle of this prayer, we see Jesus being strengthened by an angel (see v43). We’re not given any more details of the dark-night encounter. However, we know for certain that Jesus was able to get up and get on with the business of doing his Father’s will.

I wonder if you have ever had a moment when you’ve felt strengthened and encouraged to get up and get on with God’s will for your life. I wonder what helped you move forward in that moment. Was it an angel, a verse of Scripture, an encounter with the Holy Spirit, a word of encouragement or challenge from another person, a line of a song, a piece of art or a piece of music?

I wonder if you’ve ever felt stuck in Gethsemane – stuck in that place of struggle and anguish – caught between knowing what God is asking you to do and feeling unable to get up and get on with doing it.

QUESTION O As you reflect on these moments where you see Jesus on his knees in prayer, how willing are you to follow his example?

‘Be the change’ is the Candidates Unit strapline that has inspired many people to respond to the call of God to spiritual leadership. The theme for this year’s Candidates Sunday (16 May) is ‘Be Willing’.

Let’s be willing to allow God to help us. Let’s be willing to strengthen and encourage each other to do God’s will.

Let’s be willing to say and mean: ‘But no matter what, your will must be mine.’

MAJOR ROBSON IS TERRITORIAL CANDIDATES DIRECTOR

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

My all is in the Master’s hands/ For him to bless and break;/ Beyond the brook his winepress stands/ And thence my way I take,/ Resolved the whole of love’s demands/ To give, for his dear sake.

(SASB 610)

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ( Jeremiah 29:11)

Though few the gifts I have that thou canst use,/ Make thy demands on me; I’ll not refuse;/ Take all there is of me,/ Take what I hope to be;/ Thy way at last I see,/ Thy way I choose.

(SASB 600)

‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’

(Isaiah 43:1)

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17

REF RE REFL FL LEC ECT TIION ON REFLECTION

Losing spiritual face

by Ron Thomlinson with the Rev James Macfarlane

I

N retirement, my mother became the home league secretary at Batley Castle Corps. She was in her element. The divisional home league rally being really important, she always hired a coach for the event.

One year, with a bus full of happy women on board, just before the driver turned on the ignition, Mum called for quiet to ask God’s blessing on the day ahead.

Among the items brought before the Eternal was that the journey would be safe and without incident. As they made their way merrily along the motorway, a malfunction forced the bus to pull over on to the hard shoulder. Silence reigned. The only one who dared speak was the driver. His house not having been built on the Bible, he used some poetic phrases to point out that Mum’s prayer hadn’t helped very much at all.

She was mortified: she had been named and shamed.

Seriously embarrassed, she had suffered loss of face as a spiritual leader. The Eternal, too, seemed to have lost face by not doing what was publicly asked of him.

Jim, I worry about what the impact of unanswered prayer can do to us: our emotional and spiritual response to not getting what we asked for. A loss of face and perhaps some loss of faith, too?

Where do I hurt the most when my bus breaks down? What does my hurt say about me, my prayer and my picture of God? Is my hurt justified? Do I create my own hurt after my bus breaks down?

‘Ron, I can shout “Snap!” to your story.

When I was about 13 I went on a Sunday school outing. The teacher 18

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prayed for a good day. About 45 minutes later Jodrell Bank radio telescope detected a burst of magnetic radiation emanating from the planet Jupiter. The radiation charged the ionosphere above the UK, cleared a dense band of hazy cloud and produced a day of brilliant sunshine. Though the prayer was offered, the rest of that account is, of course, made up – just scientific and theological fiction. Hoping for a good day out is one thing, praying for it is another.

‘We are familiar with the “we-just-askyou-Lord” prayer, which introduces a shopping list of requests that have a tendency to spiral down to the trivial, or worse. In public prayer we are bringing people before the throne of grace, not leading them round the aisles of a prayer supermarket.

‘Extemporary prayer should be deeply thoughtful, dignified and inspiring. Keeping different types of prayer in mind helps us to make spontaneous prayer more structured and more meaningful to those listening and following. This discipline can avoid seemingly “unanswered prayers”, which diminish faith and do disservice to the glorious God and Father of Jesus Christ.

‘For me, there are six kinds of legitimate prayers. Four are orthodox, the fifth is risky and not often used.

The sixth is sublime.

‘The first three need no explanation: adoration, confession and thanksgiving.

The fourth, petition, brings us back to where we started. What can we rightly ask of God? We can bring before God our own deep personal need and the

pressing needs of others. We can bring before God the demands of justice and wellbeing for ourselves, for our nation and for the oppressed, even if very distant.

‘Always, of course, we should then be prepared for unsettling possibilities opening up to us. To the terrified Hebrews and the desperate Moses, all dreading a pursuing army, the divine word comes, “Why are you crying out for help? Tell the people to move forward” (Exodus 14:15 Good News Bible).

‘The dangerous fifth kind of prayer is the expression of our rage. It takes a unique kind of relationship with the Almighty to pray: “I am sickened of life...

I shall say to God… Why did you bring me out of the womb? Better I had expired, and no one had set eyes on me… Is not my life short and fleeting?

Let me be, that I may be happy for a moment!” (Job 10:1, 2, 18 and 20 Revised English Bible). This prayer is also frequently found in the psalms.

However, beneath the rage is a final trust that God will hear and act.

‘The sixth type of prayer is sublime.

It is one of acceptance and absolute trust, as when Jesus said, “Father … not my will, but yours” (Luke 22:42).

When our bus breaks down, shall we not also drink the cup our Father has given us? Prayer and communion are at one, and no one loses face either.’

RON IS A CHRISTIAN WRITER IN THE NETHERLANDS AND JIM LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN DUNOON. THEY BECAME FRIENDS IN 1966 WHILE CADETS AT DENMARK HILL

RE R EFL FLEC ECTION TIION T ON REFLECTION

Getting your feet wet Jim Burns encourages us to remember God’s faithfulness and step out in faith

M

ANY of us are familiar with the story about God parting the Red Sea so that Moses and the Israelites could escape from the Egyptian army. Years later God helped Joshua cross the River Jordan (see Joshua 3 and 4), but with one major difference: the priests had to put their feet into the river while it was in flood before it stopped flowing, whereas with Moses everyone crossed on dry land.

If I had been one of the priests I would have said to Joshua, ‘How come Moses managed to get the people across without anyone getting their feet wet?’ And I would have tried not to be the priest at the front, in case the water kept flowing!

The Jordan was the gateway to the Promised Land for the Israelites, so they could either trust God and cross the river or turn back and wait until later in the year when the flood water had subsided. But then they would have missed out on seeing God do something miraculous, a miracle that they could talk about with their children and grandchildren.

Isn’t there a lesson for us too – that sometimes God won’t help us until we have stepped out in faith, out into the water if you like? How often do we wait for God to do the miracle before we’ll do our part?

In Essential 100, a collection of 100 Bible readings, Whitney Kuniholm mentions symbols that were important in the story of the crossing of the Jordan, namely the Ark of the Covenant and stones.

The Ark contained the two tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten

Commandments and, strange as it may seem to us now, it was also where they believed God’s Spirit lived when he travelled with the Israelites. But before we jeer, how often do we put God in a box and only get him out when we have tried to deal with a problem ourselves and failed? If he’s small enough to fit in a box, does this indicate our limited view of his power? Do we only pray small prayers, rather than put our faith to the test by ‘going large’?

Joshua ordered the Israelites to take 12 stones from the river and build a monument when they got to the other side. This was to remind them of the miracle God performed in stopping the flow of the Jordan. He ordered this twice to reinforce the point, perhaps realising how fickle we are, and apt to forget God’s help once the danger has passed or the problem has been solved.

A few months ago, in the Our Daily Bread devotional booklet, Jennifer Benson Schuldt wrote: ‘While looking to the past can bolster our faith in God’s provision, living in the past can blind us to all the fresh work of God’s Spirit today.’ It’s good to remember times when God has helped us and thank him again for his help, but not to live in the past, hankering after the good old days.

I wonder if we will look back on the time before the pandemic as the good old days. When life returns to normal, what should The Salvation Army of the future look like? Will we be content to go

back to how things were before or are we looking for something different, something better? Are we going to be bold and step into the river while the water is still flowing, or will we wait for the water to stop and miss out on playing our part in the great things that God wants to do? What do we need to do to make the change, to be the change?

It won’t always be easy, and we may come up against our own Red Sea or River Jordan, but will we turn back or will we trust God? Reminding the Israelites about the time their ancestors crossed the Red Sea, the Lord said through Isaiah: ‘Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago. Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already – you can see it now!’ (Isaiah 43:18 and 19 Good News Bible). Can we see it now or are we too busy looking back? What do we want God to do now – in us, for us and through us?

Are you ready to get your feet wet?

JIM SOLDIERS AT DUNSTABLE Salvationist 15 May 2021

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LETTERS

HELP AND COMFORT

HANDS-ON CARE IT was lovely to read the article ‘Treasure in jars’ by Nicola Walmsley (Salvationist 20 March). It’s great to hear of someone else who takes delight in working in clay. I have enjoyed clay since being introduced to it at art college many years ago. Lockdown has been a challenge to all of us and part of my answer to dealing with it has been to work in clay: I’ve never made so many bowls in my life as during the past 12 months! But the thing that has given me the greatest pleasure has been to inscribe my work with favourite verses of Scripture. I love Psalm 121, which tells us that God watches over us constantly. In this one short psalm we are told at least five times that God, out of love, is watching over us. What a blessing and comfort to know that the Lord is never absent from us, in the day and in the night.

Keith Wallis Major Symonds Yat Rock

SOLDIERSHIP DILEMMAS I READ with interest the two ‘Viewpoint’ pieces about soldiership (Salvationist 23 January). The dilemma described in the articles is crucial in all territories. A year ago, I wrote an article in Salvationist about democracy. There was hardly any response, except for two articles by John Coutts about the history of democracy within The Salvation Army.

How do soldiers view their roles in The Salvation Army?

How do leaders view the soldiers’ roles?

The decline in the number of soldiers is evident in quite a few territories. It is surprising, then, that this is not debated in those territories. It should be a question for us all.

Transparency, accountability and integrity are values in The Salvation Army. There is quite a lot of written material on them from IHQ. These values are important to any organisation in the free world. If The Salvation Army wants to recruit members, people need to meet these values in their contact with the Army. If not, such recruitment will be very difficult.

Tor Martin Ødegaard Oslo, Norway 20

Salvationist 15 May 2021

MY mother, Lilian, came from Scotland. When we were children she had a poem or song for just about everything. I particularly remember that at the first glimpse of the hills of Scotland when we travelled to see her family, she would sing the hymn ‘To the Hills I Lift My Eyes’ (sung to the tune of ‘Ochills’). I recall she said she was among the first to sing this hymn because when she was at a music school, the director that year wrote the music and words and rehearsed it with them.

Sadly, my mother died recently and when my siblings and I were planning her funeral I suggested we include the song. Not only are the words beautiful and fitting and the tune evocative, it was also meaningful to Mum. However, while my siblings could remember her singing it, they could not remember the background story. As a long shot, I emailed IHQ asking if anyone knew when the song had been written. To my utmost amazement I received a reply the same day! Paul Mortlock, the literary secretary, had passed my enquiry on to Gordon Taylor, author of the Companion to the Song Book of The Salvation Army. Gordon told me he had known the composer, Ernest Rance, and the song had been written at the Salvation Army conference centre in Alloa, Scotland.

It was a huge blessing that the Army was so immediately responsive at such a raw time for me. I was particularly sensitive because I live overseas and was unable to return to the UK for my mother’s funeral due to Covid-19 restrictions. My contribution to the service was therefore of particular importance to me. To have the Army respond so positively was both helpful and of comfort.

Elaine Pickering Hong Kong

FAITH IN SUFFERING MANY thanks to Captain Tracey Bale for her Bible study on suffering (Salvationist 20 March). She observed that Christians may lose their faith because of their suffering and nonChristians may find faith in suffering. Perhaps we have not trained our churches to be communities that suffer well and provide compassion (literally ‘to suffer with’). We have forgotten how to lament – a practice important both for the suffering individual and for the faith community that surrounds us. We may wonder where God is in our suffering, or why God is not offering healing or comfort. At such a time, bringing our sorrow, confusion and even anger to God may be the most faithful thing we can do. Job is someone from whom we have much to learn.

Aimee Patterson Winnipeg, Canada

LETTERS Readers’ letters are a popular and well-read section of Salvationist. Many years ago General Frederick Coutts said letters for publication in the Army’s press should be ‘carefully thought out, logically presented and charitably expressed’. Letters may be edited and should ideally be no more than 300 words.

TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE UPDATE

Improving processes and structures Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant begins a series of monthly updates on the work of the Structure Co-ordination and Design Group

A

S we come out of the pandemic, we face many challenges, choices and opportunities for The Salvation Army.

In February, the chief secretary wrote about the need to review our structures to ensure they support all aspects of Army work. One of our greatest strengths is our ability to adapt our mission on a community-by-community basis to respond to local needs.

To ensure our processes and structures support such a flexible and ever-changing mission the Structure Co-ordination and Design Group (SCDG) has been set up to ensure all voices are heard and everyone is properly consulted.

The group first met in February but did not start from scratch. Extensive work was done in 2020 by a previous group, the Structural Development Working Group, to develop the recommendations of the Fit for Mission Review. The Cabinet received this group’s report with gratitude and agreed that more work was required.

To achieve our mission we need to fully understand what processes and structures are required by local Salvation Army personnel. This requires detailed discussion, reflection and planning by people most directly involved.

DESIRED OUTCOMES Three desired outcomes have been agreed by the Cabinet: Transformation Increase the capacity of locally based Salvation Army work to contribute to the five marks of mission: share the good news; nurture disciples of Jesus; care for creation; serve others without discrimination; seek justice and reconciliation.

O Integration Build strong and effective collaboration between all aspects of Army work in a geographical area.

O Streamlining Design appropriate, effective, efficient and sustainable services for people engaging in local mission by streamlining processes and structures.

O

These build on the TIDE strategy (Transformation, Integration, Discipleship and Effectiveness) that has been used in the UKI Territory since 2015.

LISTENING AND LEARNING TOGETHER Although we are not starting from scratch, neither do we have ‘oven-ready’ solutions. Much more work is needed to ensure these outcomes can be achieved.

The SCDG will co-ordinate groups across the territory that will include a wide range of people who are committed to the Army’s growth.

We must make sure that any recommended changes are deliverable, sustainable and effective across the territory. Much has changed during the pandemic, so we cannot assume that the support provided in the past by DHQs and THQ, including centralised support services, is appropriate for the future.

These groups will start their work gradually in coming months.

CO-DESIGN Every group will start with the question: ‘What support is needed for local mission delivery?’ This starting point will give people space to see what is already working and reflect on what needs to change to make mission more effective.

The Faith-Based Facilitation process is the methodology being used throughout this project.

The groups will be encouraged to refer relevant issues and insights to the SCDG, which will ensure these are appropriately addressed. We are developing a common set of resources that will be used to co-ordinate the co-design process across the territory.

The groups will work with these resources to make recommendations to achieve the three key outcomes for this project: transformation, integration and streamlining.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EMPLOYEES? At this stage, the groups will be exploring options and inviting people to speak into their deliberations. We want people’s

views around the three desired outcomes in the broadest possible terms.

After listening, analysing, praying and reflecting, the groups will make recommendations to the SCDG, which will review them before the Cabinet and other decision makers are involved. This will feed into how our processes and structures may look in the future.

There is a lot of work to do before we are at the stage of having draft proposals. We will involve affected employees if we reach this stage and ensure there is meaningful employee consultation.

WHAT ABOUT THQ? There have already been some changes in THQ processes and structures. THQ wants to be responsive to the priorities identified by people directly involved in local mission delivery. In other words, THQ – including centralised support services – and DHQs must be responsive to the support requirements of people in corps, centres, shops and other ministries across the territory. The groups will provide critically important insights that will shape headquarters processes and structures.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? There are many opportunities for The Salvation Army in your area and everyone is invited to participate.

First, please pray for this work. While organisational processes and structures may sound boring, they make a big difference to our work. When they go wrong, we all know about it. Please pray that this project will go well and achieve the desired outcomes.

Second, if you have thoughts about what is needed to improve local mission delivery, please write to transformation@ salvationarmy.org.uk. We’d love to hear from you.

LIEUT-COLONEL PALLANT IS SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS, THQ Salvationist 15 May 2021

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

ARMY PEOPLE

WHAT’S ON

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES Diamond O Majors John and Julia Partridge (20 May) O Brian and Janet Pavis, Kirkcaldy (20 May) Emerald (55th) O Majors Alistair and Rosemary Dawson (28 May) Golden O Majors Patricia and Stuart Risdale (29 May) O Majors Norman and Susan Waddington (29 May) O Majors Christine and Michael Sebbage (29 May)

ALL TERRAIN PODCAST The latest All Terrain Podcast features Dr Kate Middleton, a director of the Mind and Soul Foundation and project director of Headstrong, an online wellbeing space for teenagers and young people. She’s a speaker, author, wife, mum and a keen cyclist.

O Listen via Podbean, Apple Podcasts or Spotify

RETIRED OFFICERS Birthday congratulations O Colonel Margaret White (90 on 23 May) PROMOTED TO GLORY O Bandsman Kenneth Horne, Leighton Buzzard O Bandsman Terry Andrews, Barnstaple on 2 May O Major Alex Hyndman from University Hospital of North Tees on 4 Mays O Joan Haworth, Rock Ferry, on 8 May BEREAVED O Major Margaret Hyndman of her husband Major Alex Hyndman O Major Alan Frederiksen, Colchester Citadel with Colchester Mount Zion, of his father Samuel Frederiksen OFFICIAL GAZETTE UKI Territory LONG SERVICE 35 years O Major Linda Perkin, Gatwick Airport Chaplaincy RETIREMENT FROM ACTIVE SERVICE Effective 1 May O Major David Ryder out of Spennymoor in 1975 and last appointment Personnel Service, THQ

ANTHONY COTTERILL Commissioner Territorial Commander 22

Salvationist 15 May 2021

LET THERE BE PRAISE Reading Central Band will feature on Faith FM’s monthly Salvation Army music programme at 7pm EDT on 23 May (12am UK time on 24 May).

O Listen to the broadcast live on kitchener.faithfm.org or catch up online at citadelpromotions.co.uk

TRIBUTES EMMANUEL DENSU, WOOD GREEN EMMANUEL was born in Nsawam, Ghana, in 1950. He was one of five children born to Afia Adjei and Gideon Kankam. He became head steward on a commercial ship which sailed from the Volta River to various parts of Africa and Europe.

Emmanuel believed that God led him to the UK in 1978 where he worked as a minicab driver and then bus conductor in Haringey, London. Just before lockdown last year he gave a powerful testimony in the meeting, relaying how a life-saving miracle while working on a bus led him to dedicate his life to God. Emmanuel was a reliable member of the welcome team and enjoyed door-todoor collecting for the annual appeal.

Despite many health problems in the last few years, he maintained a positive attitude towards life.

He is greatly missed by his church fellowship, family and friends. – PK WILLIAM SCOTT, RUSHDEN BILL was born into a dedicated Salvationist family in 1938. He was proud of his Welsh heritage and served in the Band of the Welsh Guards. With his talent for brass music,

he also played in the Salvation Army band.

A fellow Welsh Guard introduced Bill to Dorothy, a Salvationist at Penge. They married and worshipped at the corps while raising their family, before moving to Rushden in 1969. In July 2020 they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Bill was well known and loved in the community as a postman and for distributing Army papers in pubs for more than 50 years. The community’s affection for him was demonstrated by the hundreds of tributes posted online after his death on 7 January.

Bill was a true soldier and gentleman whose greatest gift was to show love and be loved. He is sadly missed by his wife Dorothy, their five children, grandchildren and all who knew him. – WI ROY PAYNE, BRIGHTON CONGRESS HALL ROY was born in 1940 in Horsted Keynes.

He lived there with his parents until their passing, then moved to Lewes to live with his auntie Mabel.

He attended Lewes Corps and then Brighton Congress Hall. Roy married Maureen in 1965 and they moved for his work to Sutton where their eldest son, Mark, was born. In 1969 they moved back to Brighton where their youngest son, Jonathan, was born.

Roy was a faithful bandsman for more than 60 years and a member of the South London Fellowship Band. He was YP band leader for more than 15 years, and deputy bandmaster for more than 10 years.

Promoted to Glory on 22 February, Roy is survived by his wife, Maureen, his youngest son and daughter-in-law, Majors Jonathan and Mimmie Payne (Southern Africa Territory), and his grandchildren, Zacary, Amandla, Jamie and Siyamthanda.

He is missed by all who met him. – BW HEATHER JONES, PENGE HEATHER was born to Brigadiers Roland and Phyllis Beavan in Chichester in 1939.

She was the eldest sister of Brenda Bullock and Major Cynthia Friday.

Heather met her husband, Donald Jones, at Marylebone, where her parents were the corps officers. Work

ADVERTS postings for Donald meant they soldiered at a number of corps, including Newry, Harwich, King’s Lynn, Norwich Mile Cross, Paisley Citadel, Penge and Horsham, while Heather served as a qualified nurse and songster. After retiring due to mobility issues, she served at Territorial Headquarters for more than 20 years until 2004.

Donald and Heather celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 2008 with their sons, Ian, Stuart and Alastair, and surrounded by family and friends.

Heather greatly valued the corps fellowship after Donald was promoted to Glory unexpectedly in 2012.

She was proud of her grandchildren, wider family and friends. They miss her but believe her generous faith has reunited her with Donald. – AJ JOAN WOODS, SUNDERLAND MILLFIELD JOAN was born in Sunderland. As a child, she went to Sunderland Millfield Sunday school and

ADVERTS

eventually joined the singing company.

This commenced a lifetime of interest and love for the development of young people in their Christian journeys.

She taught in the Sunday school, looked after the Cubs and became singing company leader in 1971, a position she held faithfully for 25 years.

Joan met her husband, Jim, at Sunderland Millfield where they continued to worship and serve actively all their lives.

For more than 70 years, Joan was a dedicated member of the songster brigade. An accomplished vocal soloist, she always brought great blessing with her rich contralto voice.

Family was her greatest love and Joan gained immense pleasure from spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Joan’s promotion to Glory was very sudden but her gentle disposition and Christian influence upon family, friends and neighbours will remain with them. – PA Please note that soldiers’ and adherents’ tributes submitted for publication should be no longer than 150 words. Good quality pictures will be included. Copy should be sent to salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk.

RECRUITING NOW CHAPLAIN HOLYWOOD, BELFAST

Job summary The Salvation Army believes that all people have unique and absolute value regardless of their age, cognitive or physical ability. Spiritual care is an important part of the care provided at Sir Samuel Kelly Memorial residential care home where we improve the quality of the lives of older people by providing excellent person-centred services. The chaplain is a key member of the team – supporting residents, relatives and staff and embodying the ethos and values of The Salvation Army.

Key responsibilities With training and support, you will be responsible for the delivery of the spiritual programme. This includes, but is not limited to, arranging and leading meaningful, relevant and dementia-friendly weekday and Sunday worship and ensuring Christian festivals are celebrated. You will work alongside the home manager to ensure that the Christian ethos is maintained throughout the general management of the home.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate: O An understanding and empathy for older people and their needs O Be an active Salvationist O A good communicator and experienced at leading public worship O Willing to engage in training

SALARY £24,024 per annum WORKING HOURS 40 hours per week – will consider part-time for the right candidate; may include unsocial hours CONTRACT Permanent DETAILS 25 days’ annual leave + bank holidays (pro rata for part-time); a contributory pension scheme; season ticket loan; an employee assistance programme CLOSING DATE 28 May INTERVIEW DATE 8 June

This role has an occupational requirement that the successful candidate must be a committed and practising uniformed Salvationist

ADVERTS

FAIRHAVEN CHRISTIAN HOTEL (LLANDUDNO) Andrew and Paula offer you a warm Christian welcome, a relaxed atmosphere, good home-cooked food and a high standard of cleanliness overlooking Llandudno bay.

All bedrooms are en suite. For colour brochure and information phone 01492 878447 or email fairhavenchristianhotel@gmail.com. fairhavenhotel.com

STALHAM, NORFOLK Self-catering chalet. Sleeps up to six.

Walking distance to the Broads and local shops. Clubhouse and outdoor heated pool on site. Tel: 07946 154212 Email: stalham.chalet@yahoo.com

Do you have an online event, virtual concert, classified listing or opportunity you would like to promote?

Email advertising@salvationarmy. org.uk for more information.

RECRUITING NOW CHAPLAIN WESTON-SUPER-MARE

Job summary The Salvation Army believes that all people have unique and absolute value regardless of their age, cognitive or physical ability. Spiritual care is an important part of the care provided at Dewdown House residential care home where we improve the quality of the lives of older people by providing excellent person-centred services. The chaplain is a key member of the team – supporting residents, relatives and staff and embodying the ethos and values of The Salvation Army.

Key responsibilities With training and support, you will be responsible for the delivery of the spiritual programme. This includes, but is not limited to, arranging and leading meaningful, relevant and dementia-friendly weekday and Sunday worship and ensuring Christian festivals are celebrated. You will work alongside the home manager to ensure that the Christian ethos is maintained throughout the general management of the home.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate: O An understanding and empathy for older people and their needs O Be an active Salvationist O A good communicator and experienced at leading public worship O Willing to engage in training

SALARY £24,024 per annum WORKING HOURS 40 hours per week – will consider part-time for the right candidate; may include unsocial hours CONTRACT Permanent DETAILS 25 days’ annual leave + bank holidays (pro rata for part-time); a contributory pension scheme; season ticket loan; an employee assistance programme CLOSING DATE 20 May INTERVIEW DATE 28 May

This role has an occupational requirement that the successful candidate must be a committed and practising uniformed Salvationist

For further details and to apply please visit salvationarmy.org.uk/jobs

For further details and to apply please visit salvationarmy.org.uk/jobs

Appointment subject to satisfactory references, proof of right to work in the UK and PVG Disclosure. CVs will not be accepted. Promoting equality in the workplace.

Appointment subject to satisfactory references, proof of right to work in the UK and PVG Disclosure. CVs will not be accepted. Promoting equality in the workplace.

Salvationist 15 May 2021

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‘‘‘ All kinds of people attend, join, volunteer with or work for The Salvation Army.

We’ve asked some to tell us about themselves.

This week…

MAJOR YVONNE FINDLAY Arbroath How did you first come into contact with the Army?

A Salvationist selling the Army papers in the local bingo hall invited our children to Sunday school.

What made you want to become an officer?

Watching officers at my corps and how they conducted themselves.

What is the most interesting thing about being retired?

Meeting new folk and sharing with them, and them sharing with me.

And the most frustrating thing?

My age.

What one thing would you change about the Army?

That officers would be given more opportunities to learn new skills.

If you could be in a film, which would it be and what character would you play?

I would be Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’ y s, who was played by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film.

If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?

Chocolate.

Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son n (SASB B 279)

’’

If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose?

Mother Teresa. There is so much I could learn from her.

What is your favourite hymn or worship song?

‘To God be the Glory’ (SASB 279), in particular the third verse.

If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?

Be yourself.

Is there something about life or the world you’ve never understood?

Inhumanity.

What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?

It would need to be a marathon. I’ve always wanted to take part in one but never had the opportunity.

If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be?

Inequality.

What is your favourite kind of holiday?

City breaks and tours.

What is your favourite meal?

A roast dinner with all the trimmings.

What do you do in your spare time?

Knitting, walking and visiting coffee shops.

If you could bring back any fashion trend, what would it be?

Sixties fashion – mini skirts, drainpipe jeans and capri pants.

What was the first record, tape or CD that you ever owned?

Living Doll by Cliff Richard, released in 1959.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

I have two favourite passages. Matthew 4:18–22, the call of the disciples, and John 13 13:1–17, where Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. These were the verses shared by the principal on my first Sunday y at the training college.

Which Bible figure would you like to meet an nd what would you ask them?

Peter. I would ask how he felt about denying g Jesus.

If you had to be handcuffed to one person for a day, who would it be?

Singer-songwriter Gary Barlow.

If you could invent a gadget, what would it be?

One that extracts all the calories out of food before you eat it.

Apart from the Bible, which book would you want on a desert island?

Considering I can’t swim, the book I’d want is If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boatt by John Ortberg.

If you had a ‘theme song’ that played whenever you walked into a room, what would it be?

‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ by Cher.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Put your trust in the Lord.

What is the most valuable thing you possess?

Family and friends.

Something interesting that people might not know about you is…

On my 70th birthday I was privileged to have the International Staff Songsters sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me personally.