LETTERS
HAPPY SHOPPING
NECK AND NECK
IN these times when the Army needs every penny, readers may be interested to know that they can raise funds for free when they shop online. Register at giveasyoulive.com, nominate The Salvation Army to receive donations and then use their portal to purchase goods from retailers. It’s as easy as that. The same applies to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.co.uk). For those who regularly order online this is a good way to get funds for free. It may only be pennies at a time, but they can soon mount up if we pass the word to friends and family. Jim Burns Dunstable
SINCE summer uniform was introduced, an open-necked blouse has been part of the ladies’ uniforms but there is nothing like that for men. It has been said that summer uniform for men looks a lot smarter when they’ve got ties on, which is also my opinion for ladies in regards to having a brooch on. I’ve been watching videos on Facebook of the Army where all the men wore ties and all the ladies wore open-necked blouses. I have to admit I very seldom wear a tie with my summer uniform because I feel uncomfortable, so I think if ladies’ summer uniforms should mainly be open-necked blouses then men should not be made to wear ties so that every Salvationist has got equal rights. It did say in a Salvationist last year that men do not have to wear ties with their summer uniform, but if I were a section leader keen on everyone looking the same, then it would either be everyone with ties and brooches or everyone with opennecked blouses and no ties. Gwyn Morgan Penarth
INSIDE OR OUTSIDE? ADRIAN Lyons’ article ‘Crossing the Threshold’ (Salvationist 15 August) raises some important issues for the Army at corps level when a new normal is established. For far too many years we have ‘prioritised our own comfort and seen growth in terms of outsiders fitting in with the way we do things’. The article identifies some of the peculiarities that we take as normal for the time we spend together as the gathered church and, while I do not particularly like using words such as ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ they do seem appropriate for the discussion. Two questions come to mind. First, is the current meeting format outsider-friendly? The format of an Army meeting has hardly changed since the days of the Founder, although instead of three meetings it has been reduced in most corps to one. In practice this tends to mean that all the elements have been amalgamated into one meeting, which we call euphemistically a ‘worship meeting’. The meeting’s content is now overcrowded and much less conducive to quiet reflection. Would an outsider recognise this as worship or just a musical service? Through changing circumstances salvation is no longer a meeting priority specifically for the outsider. I wonder, too, if we are losing holiness teaching for the insider. Second, is the corps welcome team outsider-friendly? Are outsiders helped to find a seat not reserved for an insider’s friends or relatives? Is the outsider introduced to an insider who can guide them through the meeting or are they left to themselves? Many insiders love to join in action choruses, which is fine, but would an outsider feel comfortable? It appears that during the coronavirus pandemic more people have tuned in to religious services than would normally have attended a church service. I wonder if it is because the services and sermons are shorter and more focused, so the outsider feels more comfortable. David Newstead Birmingham
PROMOTERS OF FAITH THE editorial (Salvationist 29 August) took the humanistic view that would have us believe Creation was a lot longer ago than the Bible clearly states. That the first humans were hunter-gatherers is also in dispute because this suggests that they were not made in the image of God but evolved from something primitive. Could it not be that so-called Stone Age people were separated from those with more skills after the tower of Babel? It would be helpful if the Army publications took the approach that we are promoters of faith, not purveyors of doubt. There are still many, including scientists, who believe in the authority of the Bible, and would take a different point of view. Young people are being told at school and university that the Bible cannot possibly be true. We must help them defend their faith. Bryan J Snell Major Coventry
A UNIVERSAL CHALLENGE EVERY year, suicide is among the leading causes of death globally for people of all ages. It is responsible for over 800,000 deaths, which equates to one suicide every 40 seconds. Every life lost represents someone’s partner, child, parent, friend or colleague. For each suicide approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. This amounts to 108 million people per year who are profoundly impacted by suicides. There are many factors that cause suicidal feelings and these can include mental health problems, bullying or discrimination, domestic, sexual or physical abuse, bereavement, the end of a relationship, financial distress, being in prison, feeling inadequate or like a failure and other forms of trauma. Following World Suicide Prevention Day in September we should remember that preventing suicide is often possible and everyone is a key player in its prevention. You can make a difference by raising awareness of the issue, educating yourself and others, showing compassion and care for those in distress in your community, questioning the stigma associated with mental health problems and sharing your own experiences. Handsen Chikowore London Salvationist 3 October 2020
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