Salvationist 23 April 2022

For everyone linked to The Salvation Army

70p / 23 April 2022

SALVATIONIST

EXPLORING LEADERSHIP

IN GREENEST INDIA PAGES 12 TO 14

QUOTES FROM THE MEDIA

PARISHES NAVIGATE OBSTACLES TO HELP REFUGEES ARRIVING IN UK Churches across the UK are continuing their efforts to assist refugees from the war in Ukraine…

In rural North Yorkshire, the Rector of the Whorlton Benefice, the Rev Dr Robert Opala, has been involved in helping several Ukrainian families find sanctuary.

Dr Opala ... has been working with the Middlesbrough-based charity Investing in People and Culture...

The application process, Dr Opala said, has proved ‘difficult and complicated’, and has created ‘a lot of frustration and even anger’...

In the diocese of Portsmouth, a campaign is under way to match refugees with prospective hosts.

The diocese is aiming to find 50 households willing to host refugees from Ukraine...

Canon Nick Ralph, the diocesan social-responsibility adviser, said: ‘The government’s scheme was helpful, but the issue that remained was how hosts or sponsors in the UK could be linked with specific refugees who needed help...’

Individuals who were not able to host but who wished to support refugees when they arrived could do so in several ways, Mr Ralph said, such as providing help in applying for jobs or gaining access to medical services, teaching English or simply making refugees feel welcome.

Church Times

SALVATIONIST

CHRISTIANS JOIN PROTESTS AT UK’S OIL TERMINALS

NEWS BRIEFING: PRAYING FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE

Anglican clergy and other Christians are among protesters who have blocked oil facilities in the UK in response to the urgent recommendations of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…

As climate-heating carbon emissions continue to rise, despite warnings from scientists that the world is in danger of breaching the globally agreed goal of limiting average temperature rise to 1.5C, the protesters are calling for a shift away from fossil fuels.

The Rev Helen Burnett ... said: ‘Compared to the horrific bloodshed in Ukraine, the fight for 1.5C may seem abstract, but it is, in reality, all too real.

It is the fight for all those on the front line of the climate crisis.’

Churches Together in England marked Sunday 3 April with a joint act of witness to pray for peace in Ukraine. Christians of all denominations lit candles and joined in prayer at 2pm. The organisation’s president, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, said that in praying together ‘we witness to the possibility of unity and the promise of reconciliation’. Church leaders including Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, the Ukrainian Catholic eparch, and John Sentamu, the former Archbishop of York, offered prayers outside the Ukrainian embassy. The Ukrainian colours were broadcast onto Westminster Abbey and Methodist Central Hall in London.

Church Times

The Tablet

STUDY SHOWS CHURCH BUILDINGS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC DESPITE ONLINE SHIFT Research has shown that the need for church buildings remains just as prevalent following the [coronavirus] pandemic as it did before the [pandemic] began.

A study from the National Churches Trust, as part of a debate about the future of UK places of worship, found that 80 per cent of people asked believed that the building played a crucial role...

Of the reasons given, the need for in-person meeting and community was the most common...

Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, said: ‘Our consultation shows that people really value church buildings. That’s because they are the ultimate all-purpose building, available for everyone to use. Churches are places for worship and reflection, vitally needed community centres and are packed with history and heritage...

‘With over 900 churches on Historic England’s “Heritage at Risk Register”, and with many more in poor condition in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, more funding for the repair and maintenance of church buildings is urgently needed. The Church of England alone estimates that it will need to find £1 billion to pay for the upkeep of its churches over the next five years.’

Premier

salvationarmy.org.uk/salvationist Issue No 1855

CONTACT US 020 7367 4890 (main) / 020 7367 4901 (editor) salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk

EDITOR Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

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MANAGING EDITOR Ivan Radford EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Simon Hope, Melita Day-Lewis, George Tanton, Major Margaret Bovey ART DIRECTOR Hannah Holden GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Mark Knight, Louise Phillips PROOFREADER Chris Horne Published weekly by The Salvation Army and printed on paper from sustainable sources by CKN Print, Northampton. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory.

ISSN 2516-5909.

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Salvationist 23 April 2022

DISTRIBUTION AND SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Publishing and Supplies (Periodicals), 66–78 Denington Road, Denington Industrial Estate, Wellingborough NN8 2QH 01933 445445 / subscriptions@satcol.org @SalvationistOnline

@SalvationistUK

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

FOUNDER William Booth GENERAL Brian Peddle TERRITORIAL COMMANDER Commissioner Anthony Cotterill EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND PUBLISHING SECRETARY Major Mal Davies TERRITORIAL HEADQUARTERS 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN 0845 634 0101

A WORK IN PROGRESS AS most readers will know, Territorial Headquarters is situated in the Elephant and Castle area of London. In recent years the area has undergone significant change.

When I arrived here in 2016 there was a network of underpasses beneath the roundabout, but within a couple of years the entrances were filled in and paved over, and trees were planted to create a much more pleasant environment. Around the same time, an apartment block was built on Newington Causeway, rising to 34 floors and overshadowing THQ. After the Covid-19 lockdowns, staff members returning to THQ were surprised to see that a Travelodge had shot up right next door to the building. And, next to the railway station, where there used to be a shopping centre, was a massive hole in the ground ready to be built on as part of a new ‘town centre’ with shops, an upgraded Tube station and nearly 1,000 homes. Changes are also happening elsewhere in the capital, with cranes dotted along the skyline. Someone joked, ‘London will be nice when it’s finished!’ Like many other towns and cities, it is in the process of becoming.

Becoming was the theme of Exploring Leadership Day at William Booth College, which is featured in this issue. Those who attended were reminded: ‘You are a work in progress.’ Through worship together and seminars on a range of topics, they were given opportunities to explore what that meant and what next steps God might be calling them to. Closing the day, Principal Lieut-Colonel Judith Payne said: ‘It’s exciting to know that God isn’t finished with any of us yet.’

Major Vivienne Prescott is also excited about the idea of ‘becoming’. She contributes the second article in our series on that theme as we approach Candidates Sunday, and says every day is ‘an opportunity to discover more about who I am becoming in my ministry’. Past experiences have helped make her who she is now and prepared her for ministry – but she is convinced that God has more work to do, not just in her but in all of us. Echoing Lieut-Colonel Judith, she says: ‘He has not finished with you yet.’

That was certainly the case with the apostle Peter, who features in Major Roger Batt’s Bible study. Having denied Jesus before the Crucifixion, Peter may have wondered whether the risen Lord would have any further use for him. But Jesus invited him and the other disciples to share breakfast on the seashore, a sign of acceptance and grace. Peter’s experience shows that, in the process of becoming, there are sometimes lapses and missteps, but God still has a purpose for us.

The development of the Elephant and Castle area is not haphazard – it has been thought through. There’s a vision of what the area can become and a plan for the builders to follow. There’s also a pattern to our process of becoming. The ‘who we are to be’ part of that is clear – we are to be like Jesus. But the ‘what we are to do’ part often needs to be discovered as we grow in our relationship with him by listening, learning and responding. May we always be ready to hear and willing to become, with the understanding that he hasn’t finished with us yet.

CONTENTS Quotes from the media

2

News

4 to 7

Prayer matters

7

Feature 8 Becoming... who God made us to be

by Major Vivienne Prescott

Viewpoint Exploring faith and spirituality

9

by David Newstead

News feature 10 and 11 Exploring Leadership Day asks what God has in store

by Ivan Radford

Feature In greenest India

12 to 14

by Ruth Macdonald

Stories of transformation Sheree Osborne: Finding peace

15

by Major Rosemary Dawson

Bible study 16 and 17 Come and have breakfast

by Major Roger Batt

Through the week with Salvationist 16 and 17

by Major Sheila Smith

Review Comfort in Uncertain Times

18

reviewed by Major Catherine Wyles

Preview 18 Together 2022: Love God, Love Others

by Colonel Paul Main

Interview Unveiling our values

19

Major Beverly Baker talks to Emily Bright

Letters

20

Adverts

21 and 23

Announcements

22

The Salvation Army and me

24

featuring Emma Bryan

From the editor Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

FRONT-PAGE PICTURE

by Captain Petr Janoušek SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (2011), unless otherwise stated

Salvationist 23 April 2022

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NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

MUSIC

World leaders wow in Washington USA SOUTHERN GENERAL Brian Peddle and World President of Women’s Ministries Commissioner Rosalie Peddle visited the Potomac Division in Washington DC. Supported by the territorial leaders, Commissioners Willis and Barbara Howell, and accompanied by divisional leaders Lieut-Colonels Allan and Fiona Hofer, they visited Landmark (Korean) Corps and Fairfax Corps in Virginia. The internationalism of these two corps was evident as parts of the meeting were in Korean, Spanish, Gujarati and English.

The General shared a brief outline of the Army’s work around the world, including in response to the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

‘

THE GENERAL

STAPLE HILL The band joined Leweston Choral Society for a concert in Leweston School’s concert hall in Sherborne. The band presented ‘Be Still’, ‘Living Power’ and ‘All Creatures Praise’, with soloists Mark Dickens and Haydn Brown playing ‘Glorious Venture’ and ‘You Are Always There’ respectively.

A moment of reflection for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine followed the piece ‘World in Union’.

The band were invited to take part after the society’s musical director heard a recording of them playing ‘And Can It Be?’ from a previous concert. The programme concluded with the choir and band performing the song together. The evening raised almost £2,000, which was divided between a nearby hospice and the Army’s Ukraine crisis response appeal. – VW

EVENT

ENROLLED 39

TWICKENHAM Corps officers Lieutenants Emily and Joel Watson visited a primary school to speak to a Year 1 class about what it means to be a Christian and why Jesus is important to them. They shared a Bible story, taught the class an action song and five children had a go at playing the cornet. The children were engaged and had the opportunity to ask questions. – EW

JUNIOR SOLDIERS AND 51 SOLDIERS

After music numbers by Landmark Songsters and Praise Band, Commissioner Rosalie brought the morning message.

‘With the Holy Spirit helping us, God sends us into our neighbourhoods, our workplaces, our schools and our families to live as holy people in an unholy world,’ she said.

Hundreds of Salvationists crowded into Schlesinger Hall for an area-wide soldiers rally with the theme Battle Ready on Our Knees. The General enrolled 39 junior soldiers and 51 senior soldiers.

Many prayers were answered as the mercy seat was crowded several rows deep. The USA Southern Territory, including the Potomac Division, declared it was ‘battle ready’ for the mission ahead. – AS 4

Salvationist 23 April 2022

NEWS IN BRIEF

MORRISTON The emergency response unit supported a multi-agency training exercise at Severn Tunnel Junction station.

With the help of five volunteers from the corps, they provided refreshments for more than 100 firefighters from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. – AR

PLYMOUTH CONGRESS HALL Nearly 40 people of all ages gathered for an evening of skittles, food and fun at the first fellowship night in a number of years. Several people attended for the first time. – MB

GATESHEAD Thanks to financial support from Gateshead council, the corps has launched a free community podiatry service. The need for this service was identified after talking to members of the community, including people who attend events at the corps. A translation service is also provided where necessary. – AH

EMERGENCY AID

COMMUNITY

Army expands Ukrainian refugee work EUROPE SALVATION Army teams are continuing their work to support Ukrainian refugees across Norway and Denmark.

In Norway the Army took on the responsibility for one of the country’s largest refugee emergency accommodation centres. It will shelter 700 refugees for two to three months at a time. They will then be offered permanent housing in the surrounding towns.

The centre, situated in a recently closed college, offers four meals a day, health services, children’s activities and primary and elementary education. The Salvation Army has a one-year contract with the government for the operation of the centre.

Corps across the territory have welcomed refugees into their fellowships and continue to support them with essential material needs.

The Army in Denmark is preparing to extend its project for disadvantaged families in Tønder, a city on the border with Germany.

Many Ukrainian refugees have arrived there seeking assistance.

The Army is supporting them through social programmes and the provision of basic aid. – DF

SLEAFORD Sleaford Speaks, an initiative that encourages community welfare projects, has awarded a grant for new toys and craft materials to Play and Stay, the corps parent-and-toddler group.

Group leader Recruiting Sergeant Lynda Tasker and volunteer Florence Ormesher are pictured receiving the cheque for £500 from a police representative. – NM

MEETING

OUTREACH

READING WEST The newly appointed corps prayer co-ordinator, Julie Meek, led themed prayers during a meeting based on Psalm 139, which is her favourite. She and corps officer Lieutenant Portia Stirling-Mack sang ‘How Precious Are Your Thoughts’. Julie leads a fortnightly prayer time and prays for individual needs that are placed on a prayer board in the hall. ‘We are so blessed by her anointed prayers and encouraged when we see answers to those prayers,’ said Lieutenant Portia. – AR

PLYMOUTH CONGRESS HALL To celebrate Mother’s Day, the corps partnered Plymouth Vineyard Church to give out 300 bunches of daffodils to women in the city. Along with the flowers there was a card attached with the simple message: ‘Jesus loves you, and so do we.’ – MB

FUNDRAISING

WELLING Corps officer Captain Katy Shubotham was invited to a primary school to talk about the Army. The students tried on uniforms, looked at flags and played timbrels. They asked about how being a Christian impacted daily life and if The Salvation Army only helped Christians. There was also a conversation about homelessness. The corps hopes to build a deeper relationship with the school in the future. – KS BELLSHILL The band played in the arrivals hall at Glasgow airport and raised more than £460 for the Army’s work in eastern Europe, including Ukraine. They presented a programme of up-tempo and reflective music, with items including ‘Love Changes Everything’, ‘Every Time I Feel the Spirit’, ‘Be Still and Know’, ‘The Ashokan Farewell’ and ‘The Prayer’. Soloists Alex Ramsay (cornet) and YP Band Leader Chris Shanks (euphonium) presented ‘Share My Yoke’ and ‘Annie Laurie’ respectively. Parts of the morning were livestreamed, reaching a much wider audience. Airport Chaplain Major Chris Connelly and band members had a number of meaningful conversations with people who stopped to listen, including a Ukrainian woman whose parents are in Ukraine. – MS Salvationist 23 April 2022

5

NEWS

ANTI-TRAFFICKING

PRESENTATION

MUSIC

Army protects Ukrainian refugees from human traffickers MOLDOVA SALVATION ARMY workers are protecting people seeking safety from the Ukraine-Russia crisis from further abuse and exploitation by human traffickers.

Teams from Moldova rushed to the Ukraine border in the first days of the conflict and have remained in place, providing accommodation, transport and food.

Galina Chetroi, modern slavery and human trafficking response consultant for the Army’s Eastern Europe Territory, said: ‘What we have seen during this crisis is that human trafficking is real and it is high risk. First, we saw whole families fleeing Ukraine but after a few days it was just women and children coming across the border to safety.

‘Many of these women were leaving Ukraine for the first time, didn’t know where they were going and had no contacts outside the country.

They were scared, anxious to protect their children and worried for their husbands, dads and brothers who were left back home – in all that the last thing on their minds was human trafficking and that it could happen to them.’

As well as providing practical assistance and sharing information translated into Ukrainian to alert those fleeing to their rights and the risks, Salvation Army teams have been sharing updates from the front line with antitrafficking networks and using their contacts to get women and children to a safe place.

Major Kathy Betteridge, the UK and Ireland territorial director of Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery, said: ‘Conflict places people at greater risk of human trafficking.

The impact can continue long after war has ended as traffickers prey on displaced people.

In recent years we have supported hundreds of people from places like Sudan, Eritrea and Iraq.’ – AR

FUNDRAISING LYMINGTON Churches Together in Lymington held a concert that raised more than £2,600 in support of the Army’s work in response to the Ukraine-Russia crisis. This was in addition to more than £3,000 raised in a street collection and the Rotary club donating £3,500, bringing the total raised last month to more than £10,000. – DB/RB 6

Salvationist 23 April 2022

KETTERING CITADEL Bandmaster Richard Phillips was presented with a retirement certificate by corps officer Major Nigel Govier. He also received a framed score of his band composition ‘Lord, with My All I Part’, which had been signed by the band members. Before they played this favourite piece of his, Richard expressed his thanks to the many people who had influenced and supported him through the years, especially his parents. His mother and two sisters, along with friends and associates from other corps, were among the congregation. ‘Music has given me enjoyment, employment and not least an avenue of service for the Lord,’ said Richard. That service included more than 26 years as a bandmaster, first at his home corps of Chatham, then at Enfield and – for the past 17 years – at Kettering Citadel, where he is also the corps pianist. – TH

INTERNATIONAL

CLOWNE The corps hosted an evening concert to raise funds for the Army’s work in response to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

A packed hall heard a range of music from the East Midlands Fellowship Band, led by Bandmaster Dean Coates, and two items from the songsters. The band pieces included ‘Finlandia’, ‘Highland Cathedral’, dedicated to a bandsman recently promoted to Glory, ‘Jubilation’, ‘The King of Kings’ and ‘He Lives’. Divisional Mission Enablers Majors Mark and Sarah Price attended in support and Major Paul Hilditch (William Booth College) acted as compère. The soloist was Keith Lawson (cornet), and a thought was shared by Band Sergeant Brian Colley. Corps officer Major Elaine Holder spoke about the work of The Salvation Army in and around Ukraine. A total of £1,200 was raised. – GH

MEETING

CARNFORTH Councillor Rowland Parker made a visit to the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, and took with him the wreaths laid by the corps and the council at the town cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

The corps remembers the men and women of Carnforth and The Salvation Army who gave their lives for people's freedom in the First World War. – GT

STAPLE HILL The corps held a service of celebration to provide an opportunity for the corps family to commemorate loved ones lost during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Between March 2020 and December 2021 corps officer Major Colin Hylton-Jones supported 24 bereaved families within the corps fellowship who were unable to say goodbye surrounded by family and friends due to the restrictions in place at the time.

The service included hymns, Bible readings and medleys of music that were used at the funerals. The band and songsters presented ‘Guardian of My Soul’ and ‘Just Where He Needs Me’. Each person’s name and photograph were displayed on a screen for the congregation to remember them, and the families were presented with spring bulbs for their gardens. – VW

FUNDRAISING EARTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

by Major Jo Moody (Balham) SUNDAY 24 APRIL – GENESIS 2:3 Dear Lord Jesus, you lived a holy life with a grace-filled rhythm of action and rest.

Show me how to live a healthy and balanced life, with times of Sabbath rest and rejoicing which will re-energise me for the work you have given me to do. We pray for peace for those people and places that are without rest just now, and we pray that you, Lord, who promised us the renewal of all creation, will bring rest and peace to the whole Earth. Amen.

One of twelve collectors from Lymington Corps helps to raise more than £3,000 for the Army’s Ukraine crisis response appeal

MEETING

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND FOCUS

by Captain Tim Lennox (Dublin City) MONDAY 25 APRIL – CORPS There are two corps in Ireland – Dublin City and Dublin South. Dublin City is a multicultural corps in the heart of the city that runs a café. Dublin South has many community groups, particularly among families. Pray that both would grow and that the Lord would help both corps in adapting to life in the new normal.

TUESDAY 26 APRIL – FRESH EXPRESSIONS A fresh expression of church is being nurtured in Limerick. There are also fresh expression opportunities in other places such as Wexford, Galway and Tralee. Pray that there would be a great vision to reach the nation. Pray also for the Lord to provide the people and resources to make the vision a reality.

WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL – LIFEHOUSES There are two Lifehouses (Granby Centre and York House) and a night shelter (Coleraine Street) in Dublin. More than 200 beds are used each night. Pray that many of the service users would be supported into independent living. Pray that our amazing staff would have strength, wisdom and grace every day. Pray specifically for the ministry of the chaplain, Major Eleanor Haddick.

BRIGHTON BEVENDEAN Corps folk enjoyed a Mothering Sunday meeting with a difference. They were encouraged to make a potato head to highlight the influence mothers and others have had and some of the qualities they have shown – such as ‘having eyes in the back of their head, hearing everything and forgetting nothing’. It was also highlighted that everyone has the responsibility of caring for each other. Major Pauline Fingland, who had nurtured many in the corps, joined the congregation for the meeting. – DT

Salvationist wants to hear your news Corps press representatives can email reports to salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk.

Good quality pictures may be included.

THURSDAY 28 APRIL – FAMILIES Ireland is experiencing rising levels of homelessness among families. The Army now runs three family hubs in Dublin (Clonard Road, Houben House and Greencastle Parade). Each hub homes between 30 and 90 families. Pray that the government and communities would find solutions to end the crisis. Pray for the families and staff within our centres. Pray for the chaplains, Majors Gordon and Margaret Fozzard.

FRIDAY 29 APRIL – IRISH PEOPLE Ireland is a beautiful country full of warm and welcoming people. Pray that the Army would have a special attentiveness to the history and culture of this land. Pray that all our expressions of church would be shaped by this Irishness. Pray that in these days we would see many Irish people come to faith in Jesus.

SATURDAY 30 APRIL – CONNECTION It is estimated that there are more than 300 Salvationists living throughout the Republic of Ireland. They are often isolated and unaffiliated to a corps, so we want to connect with and form a broader fellowship. Pray that we would be able to connect with and support Salvationists living throughout the country. Pray that the Army would discern creative ways to cultivate fellowship.

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

Salvationist Salvationist Salvationist 29 26 5January March 2022

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FEATURE I Candidates Sunday

Becoming…

In the weeks before Candidates Sunday (8 May), Salvationist asks people what the theme Becoming means to them

who God made us to be

Major Vivienne Prescott

I

AM one of those infuriating people who get up each morning with a bounce, anticipating a good day.

Much of that is because I absolutely love what I do.

As a Salvation Army officer in a rural pioneer setting, each day is an adventure and a delight. That doesn’t mean that there are not challenges, difficulties and problems to work through.

What it does mean is that every day is different, something of an adventure and an opportunity to discover more about who I am becoming in my ministry.

I once heard a sermon that was based on Jesus calling his disciples to follow him. The preacher focused on the line: ‘Follow me, and I will make you…’

(Matthew 4:19 King James Version).

Make you what? The answer, ‘fishers of men’, always struck me as a little too simple – not in the profound nature of the commission, but in that it seems to swiftly ride over the transformational process of following and making. Do we just answer the call and arrive as a fisher of men? It is the becoming part that gets me excited.

When does that becoming process commence? I believe it starts with our very first breath. Everything we have been, everywhere we have travelled, all that we have experienced is part of it. Even those days before we became committed to Jesus are part of it. All can be redeemed, all can be relevant, all can be used – nothing is wasted in our journey of becoming.

One of our adherents, Jacqui, and I recently sat with a man who had called into our Foodshare Café. He came for the groceries and his breakfast bap, but we took the opportunity to talk with him.

He told us how life had spiralled and 8

Salvationist 23 April 2022

how he had lost his relationship, his business and his self-esteem.

‘I long to be the man I used to be, but he no longer exists,’ he told us.

We explored the promise of life in all its fullness and the opportunity to start again, of thriving rather than surviving, of becoming who God made him to be.

I watched the light go on in his eyes and my heart sang. Oh, how I love this work!

I have always enjoyed nature. I come alive when I am in the great outdoors. In recent years this has become increasingly important to me. Part of my becoming has been a new awakening to worshipping my creator God right in the midst of his garden and a new understanding of how our other-than-human family can be partners in ministering to a broken world.

In the Forest of Dean where I am privileged to serve, we run an equinefacilitated programme. Our herd of five horses provides an environment for building confidence, demonstrating non-judgemental acceptance, resolving issues and generally experiencing joy.

Our horses, sheep and goats form a therapeutic community, which has grown into a place of becoming for many vulnerable and precious souls.

As I look back over my life, I can see how my own journey of becoming has been shaped by bringing all that I am to Jesus. My past career as a riding instructor, my passion for nature and the animal kingdom, my indignation at the treatment and misunderstanding of

marginalised groups, my pioneer spirit, my love of The Salvation Army and my need of a Saviour – all these elements have been poured into the pot of a calling to ‘follow me’.

The ‘and I will make you’ continues to amaze me. Philippians 1:6 says: ‘I am confident that the creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you’ (The Voice).

God, who began the great work, keeps drawing out all that is unique in us – each broken part as well as every strength – as we move towards the completion of his work and the fulfilment of his mission.

My prayer for you, as you read this, is that you will not hesitate to throw your lot into the pot of your calling – every little bit that is you.

However young or old you are, God is continuing his great work in you. He has not finished with you yet. He has not lost interest or abandoned his great work of you becoming everything he wants you to be. In fact, I dare to suggest that the best is yet to come.

‘Follow me, and I will make you…’

Make you what? Your adventure awaits!

MAJOR PRESCOTT IS CORPS OFFICER, FOREST OF DEAN Next week Territorial Envoy Lee Highton-Nicholls

VIEW POINT

Exploring faith and spirituality David Newstead continues a monthly series looking at how the Christian faith relates to aspects of life

I

N the 1960s a group of young men from Liverpool were regularly topping the charts with their music and being mobbed by hundreds of teenagers whenever they appeared in public. One of their members, John Lennon, boasted that they were more popular than Jesus.

Despite all their wealth and fame, there was a void in their lives and they sought to fill it by exploring transcendental meditation, taught by the Indian yoga guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. According to its supporters, the ordinary thinking process is transcended and is replaced by a state of pure consciousness, which helps to create greater self-awareness.

Meditation can take many forms. For some it can be related to religion while for others it can be a non-religious experience, such as connecting with nature, art, music or yoga. Many are based on Buddhist teaching or eastern mysticism. They can seem attractive because the human spirit craves spiritual answers, but most of these merely focus on the mind and the self.

The premise is that what you think you become, because you are shaped by your thoughts. It supposedly leads you to free yourself from the illusion of selfhood. Many people who follow these techniques describe themselves as being spiritual, but in a non-religious sense.

Today, such forms of meditation seem to have given way to mindfulness. This practice is intended to promote a calm and clear awareness of your thoughts and feelings in the present moment and encourages you to accept them without judging them as right or wrong.

Mindfulness is a practice of purposely

living in the here and now by bringing one’s attention to the present moment without evaluation. Definitions and techniques are wide-ranging but, like transcendental meditation, it derives from elements of Buddhist traditions and techniques, such as how past, present and future moments arise and cease as momentary sense impressions and mental phenomena.

There has been an important debate in recent years, particularly within the Roman Catholic Church, about mindfulness and its benefits or otherwise. A document written in 1989 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, entitled Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation, acknowledged that there can be positive benefits from techniques that are similar to mindfulness – such as those used in eastern Christian meditation that ‘range from a specific bodily posture to the basic life functions, such as breathing or the beating of the heart’.

However, the document warned of some limitations: ‘Understood in an inadequate and incorrect way the symbolism can even become an idol…

It can degenerate into a cult of the body and can lead surreptitiously to considering all bodily sensations as spiritual experiences.’

Tom Wright, in his book Broken Signposts, makes a shrewd comment: ‘For many people today you can have any variety of spirituality you like, as long as it is not Christian.’ However, it is Christian spirituality and meditation that can take you closer to God than any manmade religion, because it stands for something greater in life than the

physical or material world. True spirituality is the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in a person’s life: ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control’ (Galatians 5:22 and 23 Revised Standard Version).

In the context of Christian worship, prayer and meditation are integral to each other. In prayer we speak to God and in meditation God speaks to us.

In a sermon preached at the Lambeth Conference in 1930, Archbishop William Temple said: ‘Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of the mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose.’

There are many meditative practices that can be helpful for Christians, including contemplative reading of the Scriptures and hymns. Salvationists have a treasure trove of music that is an excellent aid for reflection. In the foreword to the 2015 Song Book of The Salvation Army General André Cox wrote: ‘Through our songs we gain insight into the wonder of salvation and the beauty of holiness, fuelling our deep desire to live in the presence of God and in a manner that brings glory to his name.’

DAVID SOLDIERS AT CANNOCK Salvationist 23 April 2022

9

NEWS FEATURE

Exploring Leadership Day asks w Picture: Ivan Radford

WILLIAM BOOTH COLLEGE ‘YOU are a work in progress’ was the message at the heart of this year’s Exploring Leadership Day, reports Managing Editor Ivan Radford.

The annual event, which is led by the Candidates Unit, invites people to explore spiritual leadership. This year it took the theme Becoming, inspired by Philippians 1:6: ‘I am confident that the creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus … returns to redeem the world’ (The Voice).

Delegates of all ages from across the territory gathered to consider what God wants them to become and how they can become more through him. Territorial Candidates Director Major Janet Robson welcomed everyone, before Principal Lieut-Colonel Judith Payne began worship by paying tribute to the late General John Larsson as a model of leadership, celebrating his influence and legacy.

The way leaders influence others was a recurring thought, with Lieut-Colonel Judith remembering ‘Auntie Nelly’, a woman she knew when she was only six years old but who had an impact upon her. She also shared her memories of going to divisional youth councils as a teenager in the 1970s.

‘I knew that God had called me for more than that,’ she recalled with excitement. She testified to still having that excitement several decades on: ‘At every single stage of my life, I have known this truth: God’s got more.’

Guest speaker Major David Alton (Boscombe) focused on the story of Daniel and the influence that he had upon others. He considered the way that the word ‘becoming’ can mean ‘attractive’, but emphasised that this 10

Salvationist 23 April 2022

does not have to be in a physical sense. He used Daniel as an example of someone being compelling, engaging and authentic, highlighting the importance of living within the culture of today yet staying true to one’s identity in God. He invited everyone present to ‘dig deep into who we are’, not just personally but as a collective.

Speaking about The Salvation Army as a movement, as well as a group of individuals, he challenged: ‘We are comfortable and settled and we’ve come out of huge change.

We need to come to God and say, “What do you want of us?”’

Several people came forward to testify about who they are becoming, illustrating their journeys with two words written on opposite sides of a sign.

Cadet Thomas Morgan (pictured on the front cover) said: ‘I was willing to accept that God’s plan for me was not to stay in education as a teacher but to become a Salvation Army officer. Through that I was willing to serve, to do challenging things, to tell people all about God’s love.’

Singing group Una Voce, led by Music Editor Karl Westwood (THQ), provided music throughout the day that resonated with these testimonies, from the covenantal ‘Take My Life’ and ‘Song of Sacrament’, featuring soloist Megane Moki (Birmingham Citadel), to the affirming ‘We Believe’, featuring soloist Bethany Grimshaw (Norwich Citadel), and ‘We Are Not Ashamed’.

A moment for response led many to step forward to the mercy seat in prayer, while the William Booth College band played ‘Guardian of My Soul’ and the worship band, led by Lauren Westwood (Bromley Temple), brought the congregation to their feet to sing ‘Goodness of God’.

Major David drew the time of worship to a close reminding people their purpose is to enrich the world in Jesus’ name where they are, leading, serving and influencing others.

A range of seminar options helped people further consider Becoming in a range of contexts.

Some delegates explored the ministry opportunities available in The Salvation Army, from envoyship and officership to pioneer work and chaplaincy, or reflected on the importance for spiritual leaders to develop a spiritual rhythm in their lives. Others reflected on their spiritual gifts, focused on living out God’s calling in their community or gained insight into life at William Booth College. The highs and lows of ministry in local leadership were also discussed.

One inspiring and thought-provoking seminar focused on inclusivity, asking how everyone can feel welcome in The Salvation Army. People were prompted to think about what including everyone means and looks like. They reflected on the way that being multicultural can cover a range of different aspects of people’s lives and experiences, such as age, interests, ethnicity, sexuality, socio-economic background and whether someone is a survivor of trafficking or abuse.

Another seminar discussed ministering to and influencing people in a digital age. It emphasised that ‘church’ is not a service but the people who go to the service, with connection points not just weekly in one location but possible anywhere throughout the week.

Delegates were prompted to consider the opportunities and challenges of digital interaction and to ask whether they view the online world as a tool for one-way broadcasting or a community within which they can engage with others.

The main seminar was led by the Youth and

what God has in store Pictures: Captain Petr Janoušek

Children’s Ministries Unit, with Children’s Specialist (Leader Development) Tracy Wood speaking about how good leaders develop leaders.

She introduced ‘withness’, a model of being with young people and providing support alongside them. Highlighting the resources available to youth workers, including the Raise training course, Tracy advocated for the need to invest in the Church of now and tomorrow, helping young people to become leaders with purpose, character, confidence and humility.

Tracy, who is also the YPSM at Chatham, shared personal anecdotes of young people carrying out successful fundraising efforts, while videos showed young people helping at corps and taking on responsibilities.

One video featured Courtney, a member of Chatham Sunday school, who said: ‘I can be a leader and that’s who I want to be. I don’t need to be who someone else tells me to be.’

‘We shouldn’t try to mould young people to be like us,’ Tracy emphasised, before highlighting young people in the Bible, such as Esther, Samuel and Josiah, who went on to become leaders and influencers.

‘As the world changes, we shouldn’t be content with leading as we’ve always led,’ said Tracy. ‘What does it look like to build a world of vibrant and passionate young leaders?’

Youth activities and sessions took place during the afternoon, helping children and teenagers discover who God has created them to be. In the final worship meeting of the day some of the young people shared what they had learnt about God’s presence and protection.

They led the congregation in singing ‘Be Bold, Be Strong’, complete with actions.

It was a fitting climax to a day that had begun with Lieut-Colonel Judith recalling a line from the animated Disney movie The Lion King, when Mufasa tells his son, Simba: ‘You are more than what you have become.’

‘It’s exciting to know that God isn’t finished with any of us yet,’ she said, as she brought the day to a close. She thanked the college team and the music sections for making the day possible, before thanking everyone who attended for ‘being who they are’.

The congregation meditatively sang ‘In Thee, O Lord, Do I Put My Trust’ before guest Colonel Jenine Main shared a prayer.

As people exited the hall, words from the final congregational song, ‘Build Your Kingdom Here’, summed up the day: ‘You made us for much more than this.’

Tracy Wood

YP testimonies

Lieut-Colonel Judith Payne

Major David Alton and Major Janet Robson

Una Voce

DELEGATES’ TESTIMONIES ALI JAMES, THETFORD TERRITORIAL ENVOY APPLICANT After previously attending Design for Life at William Booth College, I came back for Exploring Leadership Day to soak in the atmosphere. It’s great to know that there are all these people you are willing on, and to know that they are willing you on as well. That’s what I love about The Salvation Army – it’s a family that grows.

DANIEL JONES, BOLTON CITADEL ACTING CORPS SECRETARY I have long felt God’s calling on my life but I hardened my heart and kept saying ‘I’ll do it later’. Today was an opportunity to surrender myself anew and turn my ‘not now, Lord’ into a ‘here am I, send me’. I’ve spent my career to date on the railway, where the focus is on making journeys better. Today really underlined for me that I can still make journeys better – the life journeys of the people my ministry brings to Jesus.

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FEATURE I Tree planting in India

S

In greenest India

Ruth Macdonald looks back at a tree-planting initiative undertaken

by The Salvation Army in India and Sri Lanka

ALVATION Army work began in India in September 1882 in Bombay (now Mumbai). The Army in India developed along unique lines with its own distinctive characteristics and features that were introduced in response to the context.

Foremost among these was the uniform, which was designed to suit the climate in the subcontinent and conform to local expectations of religious preachers. This was closely followed by the practice of assigning Indian names to officers serving there from Europe, Australasia and North America.

As time went on, the Army’s work extended into social work, but India was the only country to have its own variant of General William Booth’s Darkest England Scheme – the ‘Darkest India’ Scheme, launched in 1896. Many of the forms of social institutions that were established in India were firsts for the Movement and, in some cases, remain unique to India: general hospitals, day and boarding schools, village banks, a silk farm, a hand-loom factory, weaving industries, and settlements for so-called ‘criminal tribes’.

The leader of the Indian pioneers was Major Frederick Tucker, a former member of the Indian Civil Service who joined The Salvation Army while in England on leave in 1881. Tucker would go on to be one of the most senior and trusted Army officers for nearly five decades until his death in 1929. He married William and Catherine Booth’s second daughter, Emma, in 1888 and took the surname Booth-Tucker, which cemented his membership of the Booth family. He remained connected with India for much of his career, serving as leader of The Salvation Army there until 1891 and then as special commissioner for India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1907 until 1919. This was quite a privilege, even among senior officers, who were usually required to change appointments much more regularly.

It was during his spell as special commissioner that Frederick BoothTucker – or Fakir Singh, as he styled himself – launched Arbour Day, a campaign to get Salvation Army corps and institutions across the two countries planting and caring for thousands of new trees. Its announcement occupied the full front page of the March 1910 issue of the India and Ceylon War Cry.

The initiative was proposed as a practical way of celebrating Empire Day on 24 May, the birthday of the late Queen Victoria. Tree planting, it was argued, would bring prosperity to individuals, to corps and to all of India – and thereby the British Empire – by shaping the environment in beneficial ways and providing a long-term source of income, provided the trees were managed and used wisely.

In recent decades historians have documented how scientific observation and experimentation in 19th-century India formed the basis of concepts in conservation and environmentalism that continue to influence thinking today. This can be seen in Booth-Tucker’s claim that India’s ‘water supply depends largely on the abundance of her trees’.

‘Wipe these out and India would in a few years become a howling wilderness,’ he wrote in The War Cry. ‘Multiply them and you will increase the regularity and abundance of her rainfall and lessen the likelihood and severity of famines.’

Booth-Tucker was ambivalent about popular agrarian knowledge and practice, apportioning it criticism and praise, but in both regards his position was carefully articulated so as to support his tree-planting project. On the one hand, he argued that ‘India’s soil is much impoverished from another cause, which the planting of trees would quickly mitigate and in time remove’. ‘The manure which should be utilised for the fields is used for fuel,’ he added. On the other hand, he contended that the 90 per cent of people in India whose lives

and livelihoods were at that time directly connected with the land ‘love trees, and know their value, and to a large extent understand their management’.

Arbour Day was given extensive promotion in The War Cry in the months leading up to Empire Day, with promises of significant cash prizes for those who ‘distinguished themselves’ and free silkworm eggs offered to those who provided evidence of having planted mulberries or castors with a view to starting a sericulture (silk farming) industry.

To ensure that trees and shrubs continued to be cared for after planting, only half the prize would be awarded immediately with the balance paid ‘as soon as possible after 1 December, on condition that not less than 50 per cent of the number planted are doing well, those that may have failed being replaced’.

Participants were encouraged to plant mulberry, mango, coconut, shisham (rosewood), castor, cassava and babul, which had been chosen for ‘their utility’ and ‘their wide diffusion’.

Copious advice was printed on where and how to plant the trees, and the support of government agricultural experts was enlisted. Ultimately, however, the campaign was hampered by unfortunate timing, as the chosen day closely followed the death of King Edward VII on 6 May and coincided with the late arrival of the monsoon in some areas.

Despite these difficulties, The War Cry reported the following May that ‘a splendid beginning had been made’ and gave a supposedly conservative list of

some 8,000 trees and 800,000 shrubs that had been planted as part of the first Arbour Day campaign. A much greater variety of trees had been planted than those on the official list, including casuarinas, palmyras, nim (neem), jackfruit, cork, pipal and other fruit trees.

The lessons of the previous year were learnt and a more flexible approach was chosen for the 1911 Arbour Day campaign: each Salvation Army territory within India was permitted to select a suitable date to hold its Arbour Day celebrations between Coronation Day on 22 June and the Delhi Durbar on 12 December.

Another new feature was the introduction of 20 varieties of eucalyptus to the approved list of trees. The main reason given for this addition was that eucalyptus was ‘well known for its great value as a malaria fighter’, but the financial value of its timber, oil and gum (kino) was also noted. The fact that it was fast growing and had varieties suitable to a range of climates further enhanced its appeal. In all subsequent years that Arbour Day was celebrated, eucalyptus continued to be one of the main trees promoted for planting, principally for its health benefits, alongside mulberry for silkworms, ‘cassava as a famine food, thornless cactus and variegated alfalfa for fodder, and the best kinds of fruit trees’.

From its first year, Arbour Day was promoted as an initiative in which to involve children. The idea was for pupils at the Army’s day and boarding schools to do the lion’s share of the planting and

First detachment to India, with Tucker seated right CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 X Salvationist 23 April 2022

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W CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

‘The War Cry’, March 1910

each school was encouraged to appoint a jemadar (junior official) or Arbour Day corporal to be responsible for ensuring the care of the young plants. In 1913 the date selected for Arbour Day was 20 June, the birthday of Viceroy Hardinge, which had been designated a national Children’s Day to celebrate his and Lady Hardinge’s recovery from the assassination attempt made on them the previous year.

The breakdown of the 1911 Arbour Day results shows that more than 60 per cent of the total were planted by two Army ‘settlements’: Kot Mokhal, which planted a staggering 102,584 trees and shrubs, and Moradabad, which planted 20,163. The Salvation Army received government subsidies to run these settlements under the (now controversial) Criminal Tribes Act, which designated certain Adivasi, or indigenous ethnic groups as ‘habitually criminal’.

Recent scholarship has shown that colonial land management policy in India was closely linked to policies that sought to impose sedentary settlement on itinerant groups.

The criminalisation of nomadic people who traditionally lived in forested areas made way for both the commercialisation of forests and the incorporation of these people into the systems of agricultural and industrial production. It is noteworthy and little known that for a decade the tree-planting initiative was a significant feature of The Salvation Army’s sedentary settlement work.

As the years passed, the advice published in The War Cry built on the experience of previous years, although difficulties relating to rain and droughts were repeatedly reported. After 1913, Arbour Day attracted less and less coverage in the paper. The last mention of it that I have managed to trace was in May 1918.

Most of the promotion of Arbour Day was penned by Frederick Booth-Tucker himself, and he even created an ‘Arbour Day Catechism’ to guide the celebration of the event. In 1919, though, Frederick Booth-Tucker received a new appointment as travelling commissioner, which saw him leave India and seems to have spelt the end of The Salvation Army’s Arbour Days.

However, in July 1947, civil servant and botanist MS Randhawa organised a week-long national tree-planting festival, which has since become an annual event called Van Mahotsav.

O Keep

up with the International Heritage Centre blog at salvationarmy.org.uk/internationalheritage-centre-blog

Tata silk farm 14

Salvationist 23 April 2022

RUTH IS ARCHIVE ASSISTANT AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL HERITAGE CENTRE

FEATURE I Stories of transformation

Sheree Osborne Finding peace Major Rosemary Dawson continues a series in which she remembers some of the inspirational people she met while working on the War Cry

S

HEREE Osborne has no happy memories from her childhood. All she remembers are her father’s violent beatings and physical abuse. The violence began after her mother left home with Sheree’s month-old baby sister.

‘My father took his anger out on me and my brother,’ said Sheree. ‘My sight and hearing suffered from continually being hit, punched and kicked around the head. I was only six then, but had to do all the housework and laundry.

‘Sunday was bath day. My father made us get into very hot water and scrubbed us hard with a nylon brush till we hurt all over. Then he cut our nails till he drew blood.’

At the age of 13 Sheree was growing up and needed new underwear. Her father insisted on going with her to buy it, then watching her try it on. That night the sexual abuse began.

‘We were having sex education classes at school,’ she recalled, ‘so I knew it was wrong, and punished myself by cutting myself with razor blades.’

Sheree first heard about the love of God when she was given a Gideon’s Bible containing the New Testament and Psalms at school.

‘I didn’t understand it,’ she said, ‘but somehow the words sank in. When I read verses like Psalm 46:1, where God is described as “an ever-present help in trouble”, I wondered why he didn’t help me escape from my miserable existence.’

One day her father suddenly announced that they were going to Pakistan to meet his family.

‘It was my first experience of a loving family and opened my eyes to the possibility of something better.’

Back home, her father refused

permission for Sheree to attend nursing college.

‘That made me hate him more than ever,’ she said. ‘I started work in a department store, but he took most of my wages.’

The sexual abuse stopped when she was 16: ‘My brother was growing up and beginning to sense that things were wrong, and I developed a stronger attitude.’

Sheree met her husband, Mick, an apprentice electrician at work.

‘I felt the same safety with him as I’d felt with male relatives in Pakistan,’ she explained, ‘and Mick proved himself by standing up to my father. Bit by bit we secretly took my belongings to his parents’ house, then I moved in with them.’

They were kind and welcoming, but Sheree lived in fear in case her father discovered her whereabouts. The couple were later offered a job and a house somewhere far enough away to feel safe.

‘Then God sent me this lovely Christian person called Cath,’ Sheree said. ‘Here was someone who believed that the God I’d read about in my little Bible was real and talked about him as a friend. Initially, I rejected that idea. Why hadn’t God rescued me when I needed him?

‘But as we talked, my interest grew.

I wanted her peace of mind, her serenity and calmness, and went to church to find out more.

‘I’d developed severe eyesight and hearing problems from all the beatings I’d received. I went to a prayer meeting at someone’s house and couldn’t distinguish the shapes in a fish tank.

So I asked for healing prayers – what had I got to lose?

‘At the next meeting, I could see the fish! My sight, hearing and tinnitus were

all healed. That was my first experience of God’s power and it helped me believe.

‘At first I found it hard to pray the words “Our Father”. That was a male figure, a father-image. When you’ve only known violence, you still see yourself as the child cowering in a corner, waiting for the next blow.’

While recalling such an episode, Sheree sensed a presence in the room, a light and peace she’d never known before. She recognised herself as that cowering child and the light as Jesus.

This experience finally allowed her to commit herself to God without reservations.

Sheree symbolically laid her past to rest by placing flowers in a park near her old home. She said: ‘I hadn’t had contact with my father since I was 19. I can pray for him without anger or fear, without anxiety or bondage. I’m free!’

She had this message for other abuse victims: ‘God is offering you, the hurting child, a new way of life so that the adult inside can begin to grow. Forgiveness doesn’t condone the past, but lets you move on into the future.

‘He is the one person you can trust wholeheartedly. If we take the first step, he helps us the rest of the way.’

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood provides support for adult survivors in the UK. Call 0808 801 0331 or visit napac.org.uk.

MAJOR DAWSON LIVES IN RETIREMENT IN ST AUSTELL O Based

on an article published in the War Cry, 30 September 2006 Salvationist 23 April 2022

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BIBLE STUDY

Come and have breakfast Major Roger Batt reminds us of Jesus’ gracious preparation and provision

JOHN 21:1–14

QUESTIONS was the last time you experienced or expressed waiting love?

O How did it make you feel? What came from that time?

O When

L

IVING back in Wales means that I sometimes get to visit or drive through the village where I was born.

Recently, as I drove down the main street, I recalled a memory from my childhood.

It was late one evening and both sides of the street were lined with people. It felt like the whole village was there waiting for the arrival of four local heroes, who would be treading their last steps of a walk from London to the village. Their arrival would complete their sponsored walk to raise money for a new corps building.

I can say with pride, as Welsh comedian Max Boyce used to say: ‘I know because I was there!’ I was there not only as part of the crowd, but also with waiting love because one of those men was my dad.

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

by Major Sheila Smith

In our study passage, we see or sense the evidence of waiting. The disciples had fished all night. They were waiting, hoping for a catch of fish that did not come. Jesus was standing on the shore waiting to tell the disciples specifically where to throw their nets. The disciples did not recognise him, but they did not wait around, questioning his advice; they did what he said and were rewarded with nets that became full of fish.

One of the disciples said: ‘It is the Lord!’ At that declaration, Peter put any sense of waiting aside as he quickly and

spontaneously jumped into the water to go to Jesus. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the nets of fish.

QUESTION O When was the last time you made a spontaneous response to Jesus?

John paints us a picture of a fire with fish cooking on it. He specifically mentions a coal fire. This suggests that Jesus had not just walked along the shoreline picking up driftwood; this was a fire waiting for them. It had been especially prepared by Jesus to show an act of loving kindness to his friends. The last time John mentioned such a fire was in John 18:18 – when Peter stood and warmed himself by the fire in the courtyard and denied knowing Jesus.

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Come to the Saviour, make no delay,/ Here in his word he’s shown us the way;/ Here in our midst he’s standing today,/ Tenderly saying: Come!

(SASB 413)

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go ahead and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’

Come to the Saviour!

O hear his voice!/ Let every heart leap forth and rejoice,/ And let us freely make him our choice;/ Do not delay, but come.

(SASB 413)

(Luke 22:7 and 8)

Prayer Lord Jesus, Bread of Life, thank you for feeding us with your word.

Each day may we be filled with nourishment for our souls so that we can feed others with your word.

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Salvationist 23 April 2022

When impetuous, instinctive Peter rushed to Jesus at the shoreside fire, I wonder if any memories were rekindled for him. This shoreside fire would later become the breakfast fire, a place of warmth and hospitality. Did Peter sense and see that was what awaited him, because that is what Jesus always offers and gives? Or did the aroma of the charcoal fire rekindle the memory of when he stood by that other fire, when, in the heat of the moment, he became hostile to the thought of being identified as one who belonged to Jesus?

QUESTIONS you look at life around you, and the world you live in, what fire do you feel drawn to?

O When

O Are

you standing close to warmth and welcome or hostility and hopelessness?

Jesus did not come to the shore with the intention of reminding Peter of that previous fireside moment and what it had meant for them both. He said to Peter and the other disciples: ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught’ (v10). His invitation allowed them to bring what they had and join it with what he had ready to give them.

have breakfast’ (v12). When Jesus served them breakfast at that fire, the fish and bread were a provision of his mercy to them and an expression of his waiting love for them.

Today, Jesus offers us such a gift of grace, ‘to burn up every trace of sin’ and ‘bring the light and glory in’ (SASB 326).

When was the last time you heard Jesus clearly say ‘come and have breakfast’ and you dined on his mercy and grace?

QUESTION might Jesus’ invitation mean for you?

O What

In response, Peter went back to the boat and dragged his net, full of fish, to the shore. Then Jesus said: ‘Come and

MAJOR BATT IS DIVISIONAL COMMANDER, WALES

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’

(Matthew 11:28 and 29)

Think once again, he’s with us today;/ Heed now his blest commands, and obey;/ Hear now his accents tenderly say:/ Come to your Saviour, come.

(SASB 413)

Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. ( John 21:12)

Joyful, joyful will the meeting be,/ When from sin our hearts are pure and free,/ And we shall gather, Saviour, with thee/ In our eternal Home.

(SASB 413)

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PREVIEW

REVIEW

Together 2022 Love God, Love Others Chief Secretary Colonel Paul Main gives an overview of July’s territorial celebration

T A valuable tool in family life Major Catherine Wyles (Rutherglen) reviews Comfort in Uncertain Times by Rachel Turner

M

OST of us know that children love to talk. They ask ‘why’ and ‘what if’ as soon as they can form sentences and it is important to give time to listen and understand their hopes, anxieties and fears.

Rachel Turner recognises this need and, in Comfort in Uncertain Times, helps create space for conversation about God’s working in our lives. She writes: ‘In uncertain times we can help [children] connect with the God who is powerful, who loves them and is with them, whatever they are going through.’

The book is made up of 15 stories, imaginatively told, and covers a variety of Bible passages and issues, ranging from moving house and disappointment to death. It is set out with a simple format that outlines the truth of the story and the narrative, followed by questions for discussion.

I can see it being a valuable tool in family life, but it would also work well alongside Godly Play and Messy Church.

Some of the conversations could take place through arts and crafts.

My favourite line in the book is found in every chapter: ‘Let’s connect with God and chat with him about this.’

Surely that is what we all need to do.

in Uncertain Times is available from sps-shop.com priced £8.99 (plus postage and packing)

O Comfort

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Salvationist 23 April 2022

OGETHER 2022 is the new territorial celebration weekend that takes place from 15 to 17 July. It will bring together Commissioning, congress and Symphony Sounds for an exciting weekend of worship, teaching, music and sport in a celebration of living life with Jesus.

The Salvation Army will take over the International Convention Centre and surrounding sites in Birmingham for the event. It will bring people together under the theme of Love God, Love Others – based on Jesus’ greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37–39 to ‘love the Lord your God’ and ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.

Loving God and loving others underpins, inspires and motivates everything we do in every part of The Salvation Army. At Together 2022 we’ll consider that we must not simply love God while ignoring others, but neither should we love others and behave as if God does not exist. As we gather, either in person or online, this theme will be the focus of our Bible study, teaching and worship.

Together 2022 will begin on Friday night with a prayer walk, asking the Lord to bless and use our weekend for his purposes. This will be followed by a festival from the International Staff Band and International Staff Songsters with guest soloist Charlie Green.

On Saturday there is a packed day of events planned for young and old, including a park run and Bible study in the open air and in the main venue.

There will be a marketplace where people can meet up with friends, make

new ones and learn more about Salvation Army mission and resources.

There will also be an SP&S stall as well as workshops on everything from communications to candidates. Fringe events will take place outside the venue, including choirs, buskers and plenty of activities for children and youth to enjoy.

Saturday evening will take the form of three festivals featuring local worship groups, the international staff sections, video presentations of Salvation Army mission around the UK and Ireland and Bible teaching from our territorial leaders.

On Sunday the commissioning and ordination of the Messengers of Reconciliation session of cadets will be a significant element of our corporate worship. Cadets will feature throughout the weekend, but Sunday morning will be a special opportunity for everyone to connect as we celebrate their commitment and give glory to God for them and their families.

Sunday afternoon will feature the sending out of our newly commissioned officers and a recognition of all those within the territory who have taken on new leadership roles.

The weekend will conclude with more opportunities for celebration and personal commitment as we prepare to go back into our communities to love God and love others. Plan to be there.

You won’t want to miss out.

O For

more information and to book tickets go to salvationarmy.org.uk/ events/together22

INTERVIEW

Unveiling our values Major Beverly Baker talks to Emily Bright about the new book Big Questions for Small Groups: Our Values

B

OLDNESS, passion, respect, compassion, integrity, mutual accountability – these are the core values of the UK and Ireland Territory, as highlighted in the 2 April Salvationist. First developed in 2009, they lie at the heart of the Army’s mission. They are also the subject of the latest Shield Books release, Big Questions for Small Groups: Our Values.

‘The values are being promoted as helpful tools for us to think about how we fulfil our mission and how we build good relationships,’ explains Personnel Officer Major Beverly Baker (THQ), who has written the foreword in the book. ‘It’s really important that there’s time, focus and intention given to not just what we do but how we do it.

‘Sometimes, there might be an unintentional incongruence between what we say and what we do, and this is about helping us to notice that. The values aren’t just something that we should aspire to or take for granted, but something we are actually checking in on.’

Beverly says that promoting those values is key to ensuring that everyone across the Movement – whether they are a Salvationist, employee or volunteer – is united in understanding what the Army stands for.

‘We’ve got lots of people working and serving with us who are not Christian,’ she says. ‘If we talk about living out Kingdom values, they will not know what we mean. But outlining the ways we should be behaving and demonstrating our mission of loving and living is a

helpful way to bind us together. It can help us understand and be accountable together for how we’re doing that.’

The new book devotes a chapter to each of the six values, written by Salvation Army contributors. There are questions at the end of each chapter to spark further thought and discussion.

‘Big Questions for Small Groups: Our Values is about trying to provide a resource that helps us to talk more and think more about how we live,’ says Beverly. ‘It’s a tool for reflective practice and conversation, as we challenge ourselves about how we’re behaving.

Hopefully it’ll help us gain courage to work it out together and have difficult conversations when our values aren’t being lived out.’

The book can be used to stimulate discussions in different contexts.

‘It’s designed for small groups,’ explains Beverly, ‘but people could use it for reflection on their own. It could form a series of sermons or even feature in a corps newsletter.’

One of the things Beverly most appreciates about working on the book is ‘that there are different perspectives from different people’. She continues: ‘We need to listen to more diverse voices and open up our conversations so we’re not living by our own exclusive way of seeing and hearing the world.

‘However hard we try, we’re not the finished article – God is still working on us, so let’s be open to his shaping.

Some of the perspectives offered by the writers can maybe help us with that.’

She adds that the values complement each other, so each one shouldn’t be

seen in isolation or work to the detriment of other values: ‘We can be strong in one area but weak in another, such as when being passionate about what we believe means we show a lack of respect for people, or when we’re so bold in what we’re doing that we lack sensitivity and compassion. But if we are engaged in our mission in ways that lack respect, compassion or integrity, we’re not going to be very effective.’

What anchors these Salvation Army values, Beverly says, is the faith that defines them. The book contains a table setting out the scriptural basis for each of the six values, as well as the desired behaviours and outcomes.

‘As Christians, we know the source of these values – they are grounded in Scripture,’ adds Beverly. ‘We should be careful to look at all of Scripture and particularly the words and life of Jesus as he calls us to live a life of love.

Hopefully these Bible references can call us to live in ways that demonstrate the love of God.’ O Big

Questions for Small Groups: Our Values is available from sps-shop.com priced £3 (plus postage and packing) or by calling SP&S on 01933 445 445.

A Kindle ebook is available from amazon.co.uk priced £2.

EMILY IS PROMOTIONS AND MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR, THQ PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT Salvationist 23 April 2022

19

LETTERS

A SONG A DAY ALMOST three years ago, prompted

by God, I began to read one song a day from the Salvation Army songbook. What a treasury we have!

It is an inspiration, from songs of praise and commitment to prayer growth and challenge, to name but a few. Often the words have been just what I needed on that particular day.

Having reached the end of the songbook, I’m going to start again, knowing that God will speak to me through the inspired words and Bible references. I invite others to consider sharing this experience. You will not be disappointed!

Pat Charlesworth Major Whitby

STAYING IN TUNIC I READ in Salvationist (12 March) that a new minute has been issued on uniform wearing. I fully accept that in life everything moves on but I was very saddened to hear of the change. As a lifelong Salvationist, the wearing of tunics (formal jackets) has been a very outward sign of inner beliefs, and for this reason I believe the tunic should still be paramount in our proclamation to the public.

If we look at the worldwide situation, there is not an army that has not got its own identifying uniform, so why should we shun the wearing of uniform when we are in God’s Army? Many people you see coming to Sunday meetings may have their uniforms on underneath, but they are scarfed and coated up to make sure nobody knows they are Salvationists. It’s in these matters I believe we are not giving God all that we know he deserves.

We should wear our uniform and be proud of it. On many occasions I still wear my Army cap while driving and I am sure it makes people think.

Long may we be active as a beacon in the night.

Raymond Jackson Dunstable

20

Salvationist 23 April 2022

A TALE OF TWO FAMILIES THROUGH my family, I have knowledge of Army history that reveals a contrast between two families of which I am a part.

Elsie Parry, my paternal aunt, was ‘Ewen’ before marriage. Her father, Ben Ewen, was converted at an Army meeting and, despite being deformed as a result of polio, he became a successful businessman and was a generous donor to the Army.

Evangeline Booth gave a signed photo of herself to Elsie, as a token of thanks for conveying her around the UK in an open-top vehicle, provided by Ben. The photo bears the inscription: ‘Elsie Parry, with affectionate appreciation, Evangeline Booth, June 1938.’ The yellow, red and blue pennant that was attached to the vehicle is in my possession.

Sadly, Elsie did not remain in the Army, and these items came to me through my paternal grandmother. Elsie’s older sister, Doris, also did not remain in the Army, although she once served as the songster organist at Salisbury Corps. I find it sad that, apart from a cousin residing in Switzerland, there are no relations on my father’s side with whom I am in touch.

I married into a family who are descendants from the Lockyer family from Whiteparish. In contrast to my family, they were not wealthy, but were devout Christians, worshipping at a Primitive Methodist church. Some of that family joined the Army and attended Salisbury Corps. Alice Lockyer was one such, and she married Charles Bennett, also from Whiteparish. It is believed that Charles joined The Salvation Army due to the influence of the Lockyer family.

Charles became a Salvation Army Assurance agent, which took him away from Whiteparish, eventually to Bournemouth, where he linked up with Winton Corps. He later became the corps treasurer. The family are still active in that corps and have had great influence extending over five generations.

Patricia Bennett Thame

A CHANGING SOCIETY I RECENTLY started volunteering at my local Army corps in Canterbury. I’m not a Salvationist but, as a disciple of Jesus, I strongly identify with The Salvation Army’s core values. I think the article ‘Living out our Salvation Army values’ (Salvationist 2 April) was well presented and refreshingly honest about where the Army currently is and where it aspires to be.

I hope there will be an opportunity for all Army officers, members, volunteers and attendees to discuss and reflect on this vision, so with God’s help we can all move forward together.

Our society has gone through, and is going through, enormous changes. Christian beliefs, values and traditions are being challenged and attacked as never before.

The article rightly highlights the fact that the Army needs to respond to racism in our world. One of the greatest changes in our society, however, has been the tolerance and now outright embracing of sexual immorality.

My opinion is that The Salvation Army needs to challenge with love and truth what are ungodly lifestyles in a non-judgemental way as we show the love of Jesus to others. Jesus forgave, but he also warned us about the consequences of deliberate sinning and continuing in ungodly behaviour.

Alex Ewing Canterbury

ADVERTS LISTINGS

READING CENTRAL

RUSHDEN Salvo Brass. Friday 6 May, 7.45pm. Tickets £5.

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FOR SALE 30-piece boxed breakfast/dinner service commemorating 1878–1978 Salvation Army centenary. Offers to mbrice1@talktalk.net.

Saturday 21 May 7pm

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ARMY BONNET available for free on request from Mrs Margaret Foster, 71 Crowland Road, Hartlepool TS25 2JN. Tel: 01429 293088.

Tickets: £10

AS THEY RETIRE Majors Jennie and John McCombe thank everyone who has supported them on their journey. Greetings can be sent by 6 May to nicky.twyman@salvationarmy.org.uk or Nicky Twyman, William Booth College, Champion Park, London SE5 8BQ.

Sunday 22 May 10am and 12.30pm Please contact CSM Carol Clarke on 07787 516998 Email carolanne57@hotmail.com

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What does The Salvation Army stand for? Last year, the territory’s leadership published a new framework defining six of its key values. In study guide Big Questions for Small Groups: Our Values, authors associated with The Salvation Army unpick the practical applications of: O Boldness O Compassion O Passion O Respect O Integrity O Mutual

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Salvationist 23 April 2022

21

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ARMY PEOPLE

TRIBUTES

LOCAL OFFICERS APPOINTED O CPR CS Edward Beach, Williamstown

KAY AND IAN JOHNSTON, CARLISLE

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES Blue Sapphire (65th) O Anne and Rtd BM John Ranner, Felixstowe (27 April) Diamond O Songster Norma and Raymond Howe, Ipswich Citadel (28 April) DEDICATED TO GOD O Jude Arran Noble-Gresty, son of Bandsman/Songster Calum and Songster Jess Noble-Gresty, at Winton by Major Claire Hill O Otis Frankie Cooke, son of Lisa and Simon Cooke, at Wrexham by Major Sandy Davis O Leo and Charlotte Still, son and daughter of Captains Chris and Lucy Still, at Birmingham Citadel

by Major Adrian Allman PROMOTED TO GLORY O Marion Bruce, Paignton O Tony Dumper, Exeter Temple O S/Reservist Margaret Vincent, Exeter Temple O Irene Wilson, Lurgan, on 13 March O Lieut-Colonel Jean Issitt from King’s College Hospital on 12 April BEREAVED O B/Reservist Ronald Wilson, Lurgan, of his wife Irene Wilson O Joan Thompson, Bourne, of her sister Lieut-Colonel Jean Issitt

KAY was an only child born to Salvationist parents in Hillingdon in 1945. Her musical talents were nurtured throughout her youth at Uxbridge Corps, and she was invited to sing soprano with the National Songsters. It was her beautiful voice that first caught the attention of a young RAF serviceman and musician, Ian Johnston, on his first visit to the corps.

The couple married and lived in Weston-super-Mare, before returning to Carlisle, Ian’s home city. A son, Wayne, made the family complete and both Ian and Kay settled into local leadership roles at the corps. Kay’s last role was as corps secretary and Ian’s was as songster leader.

A cancer diagnosis for Kay in 2019 was followed by a confirmation of lung cancer for Ian. Throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns they supported one another through endless rounds of treatment.

After Kay’s death in November 2021 Ian returned to worship, resuming his place in the band alongside Wayne. On his last Sunday, he insisted on attending the meeting even though it was his first attendance in a wheelchair. ‘Where else would I be?’ was his response to

ENGAGEMENTS GENERAL BRIAN PEDDLE AND COMMISSIONER ROSALIE PEDDLE O Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Territory, Tue 19 Apr – Mon 25 O Congo Brazzaville Territory, Wed 4 May – Mon 9 THE CHIEF OF THE STAFF (COMMISSIONER LYNDON BUCKINGHAM) AND COMMISSIONER BRONWYN BUCKINGHAM O Riga, Latvia (Europe Zonal Conference), Mon 2 May – Fri 6 THE TERRITORIAL COMMANDER (COMMISSIONER ANTHONY COTTERILL) AND COMMISSIONER GILLIAN COTTERILL O Riga, Latvia (Europe Zonal Conference), Mon 2 May – Fri 6 THE CHIEF SECRETARY (COLONEL PAUL MAIN) AND COLONEL JENINE MAIN O WBC (spiritual day), Wed 27 Apr O Riga, Latvia (Europe Zonal Conference), Mon 2 May – Fri 6

22

Salvationist 23 April 2022

enquiries about how he was feeling. Ian was promoted to Glory just 10 weeks after Kay. As friends to many, Ian and Kay are greatly missed. They influenced generations with their music, and their duets will long be remembered.

But it is the strength of their faith and commitment to God that remain as testimony. Rest in peace, good and faithful servants. – MS DAVID ALSTON, SALE BORN in 1941, David attended Manchester Clayton Corps. When the corps closed, the family transferred to Manchester Openshaw Citadel, where David moved through the junior sections into the band and songsters.

It was here that he met and married Eileen. They later had three children, Heather, Jonathan and Karina. He continued his service at Manchester Citadel and Sale, where he was known for his fine euphonium playing.

David held the positions of YP band leader and band librarian but will mostly be remembered for carrying out the unofficial role of welcome sergeant.

For many years, faithfully every Sunday morning, he would greet people with a smile, handshake and welcoming word.

Although during the last few years he was severely restricted by ill health, he continued to witness and demonstrate his strong faith in his Lord. He is greatly missed by all his family and friends. – CW PERSONAL THANKS FOR MESSAGES My family and I have been touched and overwhelmed by reading the many kind and thoughtful messages, cards and letters we have received over recent weeks, since the promotion to Glory of my husband, General John Larsson. Some of these contained stories that we had never heard before and were so very heart-warming.

It is simply not possible to respond to all of these personally and so we wish to take this opportunity to say a very warm collective thank you to everyone who has been in contact or shared in the Thanksgiving Service – either in person or online.

Freda Larsson Commissioner

ADVERTS

‘Our actions as Salvationists are determined by what we believe. So it follows that we should take time to study our own calling, to reflect upon these beliefs and consider the implications for how we live.’

(General Brian Peddle) In 2021 the General launched Called to Be a Soldier and Day by Day, two new resources to help Salvationists explore what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

Beginning on 1 May, Salvationists around the world are invited to read Called to Be a Soldier together. There will be a reading plan with a focus on one chapter each week.

The International Spiritual Life Development Facebook and Instagram pages will have thoughts and reflection/discussion questions.

These resources can be used as a corps, within small groups or as a personal discipline.

Look out for more information in next week’s issue of Salvationist.

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Salvationist 23 April 2022

23

‘‘

My nan took me to the Salvation Army café at Wakefield Corps

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…

Leeds Service Centre How did you first come into contact with the Army?

My nan took me to the Salvation Army café at Wakefield Corps.

What made you want to work for the Army?

I know The Salvation Army does a lot of work to help people in need, and the role of regional accounts assistant seemed interesting.

What is your favourite kind of holiday?

Staying in isolated cottages that are surrounded by fields and where I can enjoy spending time with my family without modern distractions.

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

Rosa Parks – to tell her she helped change the world for the better just by sitting at the front of a bus.

’’

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

The live-action Beauty and the Beast.

I would like to play Madame Garderobe, as I have a love of fashion.

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

Cliff Richard’s Mistletoe and Wine.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

‘Dear friends, let us love one another, for llove comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God’ (1 John 4:7). I think a lot of people nowadays forget that they are loved. If they knew, their lives would feel less of a burden.

What is the most interesting thing about your role?

Meeting corps officers and supporting them with their duties.

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

Always treat people how you wish to be treated.

… and the most frustrating thing?

The finance system. It doesn’t always do what you want it to!

What is your favourite food?

Pizza.

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

Sarah – I would ask how she kept her faith in God despite being unable to conceive until she was 90.

What one thing would you change about the Army?

The inclusion of LGBTQ+ community members as soldiers and officers.

What do you do in your spare time?

I spend time with my husband and son discovering new places.

What is your favourite hymn or worship song?

‘We Plough the Fields, and Scatter’.

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

Nice pens.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I am a senior black belt in karate.

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

The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson.

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

Breathe. No matter what is bothering you, a few deep breaths can help put things into perspective.

What is the most valuable thing you possess?

My marriage certificate.