15 minute read
Quotes from the media
NUMBER OF HOMELESS FAMILIES IN ENGLAND UP 11 PER CENT IN A YEAR, FIGURES SHOW The number of families considered homeless in England has surged by 11 per cent, with a household found to be without a home every four minutes, according to new figures. Government data shows in the first three months of this year, there were 25,130 families with children identified as homeless, compared with 22,700 the previous quarter. The number of children living in temporary accommodation, such as B&Bs, hostels and councilowned properties, meanwhile hit a 13-year high at 126,020, up 83 per cent since its lowest point in June 2011.
Campaigners said the rise… was the result of ‘cripplingly expensive’ private rents, frozen housing benefits and lengthy waiting lists for social homes. The Independent
CHURCH SETS UP SAFE HOUSES FOR GANG MEMBERS WANTING TO LEAVE LIFE OF CRIME A church group in London has set up 23 safe houses for gang members who are willing to turn their life around and escape from a life of crime.
Pastors from Spac Nation church have spearheaded the new project.
There have been 63 fatal stabbings in the capital this year.
Senior pastor Tobi Adegboyega told Sky News many of the youngsters he sees are missing out on a real childhood.
So far more than 100 young people have taken part in the scheme. They are also helped with education and employment while they’re there. Premier
Suspects charged with criminal or immigration offences could be victims of modern slavery who have been forced to break wthe law, solicitors have been told.
The Law Society has published guidance on what solicitors should do if they believe they are acting for a suspect who appears to have been exploited.
It warns solicitors to look out for clients with false identity documents and few possessions, who are unsure of their address or other personal details or who show signs of fear and anxiety, distrust of authorities or evidence of violence.
More than 70 million people worldwide are in some form of modern slavery, including child labour, forced marriage and forced commercial sex acts, according to the Global Slavery Index. The Times SUSPECTS COULD BE VICTIMS OF MODERN SLAVERY, LAWYERS TOLD ‘HIGHER NEED FOR FOOD BANKS THE LONGER UNIVERSAL CREDIT EXISTS’ The need for food banks increases in areas where universal credit has been in operation the longest, according to new research. The Trussell Trust’s food banks in areas where the benefit has been rolled out for at least a year have seen a 30 per cent increase in demand.
The charity said demand jumps to 40 per cent where universal credit has been in place for at least 18 months. The Trust urged the government to end the fiveweek wait for the benefit, warning that its study showed the longer it was rolled out in an area, the more people were ‘plunged into poverty’.
The Trussell Trust’s chief executive Emma Revie said: ‘Universal credit should be there to anchor any of us against the tides of poverty, but the five-week wait fatally undermines this principle, pushing people into debt, homelessness and destitution.
‘In a society that believes in justice and compassion, this isn’t right, but it is something that can be fixed.’ Wales Online
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PUTTING ON THE L-PLATES
THE public welcome meetings for the cadets of the Messengers of Grace Session take place at William Booth College this weekend. The cadets are pictured on the front cover, and they tell us about themselves and God’s work in their lives on pages 12 to 15.
The cadets are a diverse group, with different nationalities, backgrounds, life experiences, personalities and skills. But they also have things in common: they are called by God, committed to serving him, aware of his grace, ready to trust him for the future and willing to learn. In a Salvationist interview earlier this year (29 June) I asked the training leaders, Lieut-Colonels Mike and Wendy Caffull, what cadets learn at the college. Mike replied: ‘The easiest way to sum it up is in three words: knowing, being and doing.’ It’s a mixture of academic study, practical training and spiritual formation. Those will be the essential ingredients not just for their time in college but for the whole of their officership as well.
One of the first steps to being a successful learner is knowing how to learn. That’s essential for all followers of Jesus. As former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said, ‘Learning to be a disciple is learning to be a learner.’ Educationalists say that there are various ways of learning and that some are better than others. It is thought that we remember only 20 per cent of what we hear and 50 per cent of what we see and hear, but 80 per cent of what we do. Interactive learning is the most effective.
As a follower of Jesus, learning to be a learner means learning to have this interactive approach in which listening and lifestyle intermingle. It’s more than simply listening to sermons or reading the Bible and hoping it will all sink in. It’s about putting the teaching of Jesus into practice in everyday situations – trying to love our neighbour, trying to forgive, trying to be humble, trying to be courageous – then coming back prayerfully to God’s word to see if what we’ve done helps us understand it better. The best lessons are learnt through living, because the real tests are in real life.
But learning to be a learner is also about our appetite for, and attitude towards, learning. A good disciple is one who wants to learn and who remains humble and teachable. Maybe that’s what Jesus had in mind when he said, ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart’ (Matthew 11:29). We learn to be learners by reflecting the humble attitude of Jesus. In his book, The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard says, ‘One can be a professing Christian and a church member in good standing without being a disciple.’ Being a follower of Jesus is about more than just turning up and looking good. We need to have the L-plates on, ready to be a learner and ready to learn to be a learner.
Let’s support the new cadets with our prayers as they do this, and challenge ourselves to do the same. CONTENTS
News 4 to 7
Preview 8 Choosing to shine by Justin Reeves
Feature 9 Naming new heights by Garth Hentzschel
Interview 10 and 11 Airwaves of love: Broadcasting the good news by Melita Day-Lewis
Cadet cameos 12 to 15 Glimpsing grace at William Booth College
Bible study 16 and 17 The parable of the rich fool by Major Liesl Baldwin
Through the week with Salvationist 16 and 17 by Major Melvyn Knott
New commitments 18
Letters 19
Announcements 20 and 21
Adverts 21 to 23
The Salvation Army and me 24 featuring Major Peter Mylechreest
Territorial Commander filmed for BBC documentary POPLAR TERRITORIAL Commander Commissioner Anthony Cotterill took part in an upcoming episode of BBC Two’s Inside The Factory at the community café.
The series follows presenters Cherry Healey and Gregg Wallace as they explore the secrets behind large-scale production in
Welcome and farewell MERTHYR TYDFIL TWO cadets were farewelled and two officers welcomed at a South and Mid Wales divisional celebration.
Cadet James Jones (Carmarthen) led the way into the hall, carrying the divisional flag for the new cadets, accompanied by the Divisional Fellowship Band playing ‘O Boundless Salvation’.
Cadet Katie Sinclair (Newtown) shared her testimony, which highlighted the way that Newtown had become her family, and Cadet Dean Brill (Merthyr Tydfil) conducted the songsters.
Captains Helen and John Parry (Williamstown) and their children were welcomed into the division after taking up their new appointments.
Major David Emery (chaplain to the Welsh Assembly) received a long-service award for 35 years as an officer, and Majors Neville and Yvonne Andrews (Morriston) were admitted to the Fellowship of the Silver Star.
some of Britain’s biggest factories and investigate the journey of everyday items from source to supermarket.
Each episode includes a historical segment presented by Ruth Goodman, which explores the origins of a featured item. The TC was filmed meeting with Ruth to discuss the episode’s item and its links to The Salvation Army.
The episode will be broadcast in 2020. – J. L.
Major David House (Woking) presents Norwich City Football Club shirts to Lieutenant David Ontieno, a youth and children’s ministries officer in the Tanzania Territory; the shirts were donated for the children at Matumaini Primary School in Temeke
The capacity congregation were challenged and blessed by the message brought by Divisional Commander Major George Baker. The evening concluded with a rousing rendition of ‘I’ll Go In The Strength Of The Lord’. – D. M-A.
DEAL: Corps folk enjoyed a summer celebration, which included a visit to Minster Abbey, a Royal Marines heritage walking trail, a creative worship afternoon based on Psalm 8, and an afternoon tea and flute recital by corps officer Captain Kate Gregory. – K. G.
CLOWNE: The corps hosted a series of outreach events, including a pudding night, an urban ramble, a film night and a summer barbecue. The events were hailed a huge success, with the many visitors often outnumbering corps members. – G. H.
Govan’s Lewis Mullen receives the Pauline Banks Vocal Award in acknowledgement of his musical and spiritual development in the past 12 months; also pictured are Pauline’s husband and daughter, Commissioner Keith Banks and Alison Gillespie, and corps officers Majors Mark and Tracy Bearcroft
CIRENCESTER: A family service led by Regional Children’s Specialist Richard Prescott included the annual YP prizegiving for the Sunday club, led by Corinne Walters. The children enjoyed a number of varied activities. The same weekend the band provided music for the village fête at Poulton, to raise funds for the village church and hall. – M. G.
Community comes together GUERNSEY FIFTY people from the community gathered to enjoy a three-course summer lunch. The Corps Community Mission Action Group planned the outreach event, which brought
together regular users of the community centre, people linked to the corps Christmas Day programme and members of community groups supported by the corps. The young people entertained everyone with music items, and gift bags and copies of the War Cry were handed out. – J. H.
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SATCoL Managing Director Trevor Caffull presents Territorial Commander Commissioner Anthony Cotterill with a cheque towards The Salvation Army for £8,701,756, the trading profit for the year 2018–19; also pictured are SATCoL Finance Director Beverley Phillips and Chairman Lieut-Colonel Alan Read
Members of Hucknall’s over-60 club enjoy a one-year anniversary tea; Corps Programme Co-ordinator and group leader Divisional Envoy Colin Ward led Sunday worship
Student’s achievements recognised by government LIBERIA A STUDENT from a Salvation Army school has received a national award, recognising her as one of the 13 highest-achieving students in the country.
Junita Sangare came top of her class of 236 students from William Booth High School in Paynesville, just east of Monrovia.
The school is one of three Salvation Army high schools in Liberia. They all performed well in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, a standardised exam for the anglophone countries of the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone: the 2019 pass rate was 97.46 per cent at William Booth High School, 96.32 per cent at Len Millar High School and 92.31 per cent at John Gowans High School. These compare favourably with the national average pass rate of 68.85 per cent.
Junita also won a prestigious United World Colleges inter national scholarship, beating more than 450 applicants from high schools across the country. She is now studying in Japan, with travel, tuition fees, accommodation and living expenses fully paid. – D. M.
LEADGATE: After conversations with the community about food poverty, several corps members wanted to support children and families during the school holidays. They decided to provide lunches on Wednesdays, free of charge. They were joined by three enthusiastic volunteers from outside the corps and welcomed many visitors who had never entered the hall before. – D. P.
6 Salvationist 28 September 2019 Students raise funds for The Salvation Army CHATTERIS STUDENTS from Cromwell Community College raised more than £133 for the corps as part of the National Citizen Service programme.
Ten students visited the Sally Ann’s charity shop as part of the government-funded scheme, which encourages 15 to 17-year-olds to challenge themselves with new experiences. With the help of shop manager Ann
Matthews, they created a well-fitting, attractive outfit from items totalling £5.
The students were then tasked with choosing a charity to benefit from a fundraising exercise, after presentations from various organisations about their work. As the staff in Sally Ann’s had been so helpful, the students elected The Salvation Army as their chosen charity.
They planned a litter-pick and a cake sale, and presented the money raised to corps representatives Gerald Day and Ann Matthews. – R. C.
EDINBURGH GORGIE: FourHymn began the Edinburgh Festival weekend by leading an open-air meeting in Princes Street Gardens. The congregation joined them in singing well-known hymns. Sunday worship, led by FourHymn and supported by the sections, brought blessing, encouragement and challenge. – L. C.
George Jacob from Brighton Congress Hall walks from Rottingdean to Brighton West Pier, supported by Linda Pallett; he raised more than £300 for a YP working visit to the Army’s School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Jamaica
Celebrating 130 years BRAINTREE CORPS folk and friends, including the parent-and-toddler group and lunch club communities, celebrated the 130th corps anniversary with an afternoon tea.
New Direction Lifehouse helped to supply an abundance of cakes and scones, Bocking Concert Brass provided music, and everyone enjoyed two songs presented by a ‘scratch’ gospel choir, comprising singers from churches and a primary school in the area.
Lieut-Colonels Alan and Val Hart led worship on Sunday and Noel Sparrow, No 1 on the roll, cut an anniversary cake made by his granddaughter, Claire Johnson, who used to attend the Sunday school. – C. M.
Ipswich Citadel Band accompanies the annual united churches Songs of Praise at Aldeburgh Carnival
HINCKLEY: The band and singing group presented well-known hymns in Hinckley and District Museum’s cottage garden to support an exhibition celebrating the corps, which has been in its present building for 90 years. More than 60 people were present and many requested items. Fourteen ladies enthusiastically played tambourines after corps officer Major Carol Evans asked for volunteers. Many contacts were made. – B. A.
WELLING: A party for families who attended the summer programme included singing, dancing, chocolate making, creating a new church banner, games and a photo booth. A nearby McDonald’s provided refreshments and everyone received gifts from a sweet shop. The party celebrated the relationships built over the summer. One of the families now attends worship on Sundays. – K. S.
PARKGATE: Twenty-five people from the community attended Messy Church, enjoying a brilliant time of intergenerational praise and worship. Cadet Emily Price led the event, which took the theme Wonderfully Made. – E. P.
ST IVES: Members of Addlestone visited for a mission week to ‘plough, sow seed and reap a harvest’. God brought hundreds of people through the doors for a pop-up community café and worship sessions. The team gave practical assistance to residents of the community and were recorded for the ITV local news while leading an open-air meeting in Newquay. Two people gave their lives to Jesus after the final celebration. – M. L.
Harwich corps officer Lieutenant Shawn Moye presents Bev and Ian Alderton with the Fellowship of the Silver Star badge and certificate in recognition of their daughter, Lieutenant Victoria Moye
