Salvationist 5 October

SALVATIONIST For everyone linked to The Salvation Army

No.1725 Price 70p

www.salvationarmy.org.uk/salvationist 5 October 2019

Time for a tattoo for Anti-Slavery Day

PLUS WELCOME TO THE MESSENGERS OF GRACE

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QUOTES FROM THE MEDIA

BIBLE SECOND MOST LIKELY BOOK TO BE REREAD ON HOLIDAY

NEW PRISON PRAYER BOOK

The Bible has almost topped a list of books adults are likely to revisit while away from home.

The Harry Potter series came top, with Fifty Shades Of Grey third on the list.

The survey of 1,000 people, by Stena Line, asked people what their favourite book to read on holiday was.

The Bible was top of the list among men and remained second among women…

Olivia Warburton, the head of content creation from the Bible Reading Fellowship, told Premier… the Bible provides a varied and exciting holiday read: ‘The hunger is there.

It’s a fascinating book, it’s actually a collection of many, many different books, all different sizes and styles.’

The Catholic Truth Society has launched a special edition of its Simple Prayer Book designed for prisoners, which is to be made available free to chaplains around the UK. Fr Paul Douthwaite, National Prisons Chaplain, said the resource was long awaited, explaining: ‘When someone asks… “How do I pray?” there is neither a quick nor a simple answer. The prison chaplain is often asked this question in the most extreme of situations, at times of crisis and when the prisoner is looking for spiritual strength and guidance. This edition of A Simple Prayer Book For Prisoners gives the prison chaplain a collection of accessible prayers that can enable and guide those who seek to embark upon or deepen their relationship with God.’

Premier

The Tablet

SCIENTISTS FIND STATE OF EDOM WHICH THEY THOUGHT WAS A BIBLE STORY

A Christian comedian is encouraging churches to take a more joyful approach to their services and shed their sombre image.

It comes after churches were named as one of the most common places to inappropriately chuckle.

New figures by Netflights have revealed that nearly one in five people admitted to laughing during a service.

Seeing someone hurt themselves and watching a serious moment in a film were top of the list of the worst times to laugh.

Church leader and author of The Sacred Art Of Joking, James Cary, told Premier giggling in church is more common because many people associate religious settings with a sober posture…

He went on to say that churches need to shake their ‘rather serious’ image and instead focus on reflecting the joyful message of the gospel.

A remarkable piece of scientific detective work has found evidence of the state of Edom that flies in the face of many historians who have dismissed the idea as a myth.

Scientists and archaeologists have analysed slagheaps left by the copper mines in Edom, an area encompassing parts of what is now southern Jordan and Israel.

They found signs that mines in different parts of the region made the same advances in smelting techniques at the same time in the 11th century BC, just before the age of the biblical kings Saul, David and Solomon.

They argue that these simultaneous innovations mean the mines must have been run by one central authority – the state of Edom. Just as the Bible claimed, the team of Israeli, Jordanian and American archaeologists said, there was a powerful and technologically advanced rival standing in the way of the early Israelite kingdom.

Premier

The Times

ONE IN FIVE ADMIT TO CHURCH GIGGLES: COMEDIAN URGES CHRISTIANS TO EMBRACE LIGHTER SIDE OF FAITH

SALVATIONIST (tel) 020 7367 4890 (email) salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk (web) www.salvationarmy.org.uk/salvationist EDITOR Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts – (tel) 020 7367 4901 MANAGING EDITOR Ivan Radford – (tel) 020 7367 4891 EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Shanelle Manderson – (tel) 020 7367 4894 Simon Hope – (tel) 020 7367 4892 Melita Day-Lewis – (tel) 020 7367 4887 Major Margaret Bovey ART DIRECTOR Hannah Holden – (tel) 020 7367 4883 GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Mark Knight – (tel) 020 7367 4895 Louise Phillips – (tel) 020 7367 4896 PROOFREADER Chris Horne

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Salvationist 5 October 2019

ADVERTISING (tel) 020 7367 4883 (email) advertising@salvationarmy.org.uk DISTRIBUTION Salvationist Publishing and Supplies (Periodicals), 66-78 Denington Road, Denington Industrial Estate, Wellingborough NN8 2QH (tel) 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) (fax) 01933 443006 (email) subscriptions@satcol.org TERRITORIAL HEADQUARTERS 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN (tel) 020 7367 4500 (tel) 0845 634 0101 Published weekly by The Salvation Army and printed on paper from sustainable sources by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland. The Salvation Army is a Christian church and a registered charity. The charity number in England and Wales is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

ISSN 2516-5909

THE SALVATION ARMY FOUNDER William Booth GENERAL Brian Peddle TERRITORIAL COMMANDER Commissioner Anthony Cotterill SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant

Find Salvationist on Facebook www.facebook.com/salvationistonline

Find Salvationist on Twitter @SalvationistUK

CONTENTS

GETTING TO KNOW YOURSELF I WAS once asked to fill in a questionnaire to discover my personality type. After answering a long list of questions my personality was summed up in four letters that stood for four words, which I’m not going to reveal in public! Known as the MyersBriggs test it measures your tendencies across four pairs: introversion versus extraversion, intuition versus sensing, feeling versus thinking, and perceiving versus judging.

These tendencies are combined in various ways to produce 16 different personality types. Apparently, we all fall into one of these types, and by acting on these tendencies we develop patterns of behaviour. So, for example, if your combination is introversion, intuition, feeling and perceiving – or INFP – you like being on your own, have a calming effect on people around you and spend your life pursuing ideals and sharing them with others. On the other hand, you’re not too keen on details or practicalities, and often leave things to the last minute.

It was a fascinating exercise, but it’s only one of a number of ways of analysing personality. I came across another recently that identified nine different personality types in a typical office: peacemaker, artist, perfectionist, achiever, enthusiast, carer, genius, loyalist and leader. As I work in an office I was interested in these, and I think they’re quite accurate.

There is so much about ourselves that we don’t understand – tendencies, preferences and motives that we often don’t even know we have.

This thought comes across in Captain Ben Cotterill’s challenging article on pages 14 and 15. He considers the issue of racism and poses the question: ‘What if, albeit unwittingly, through prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and stereotyping we are marginalising others?’ He takes a good look at the Army in this territory and points to occasions when unwitting racism might have taken place, situations in which the people involved might not have realised what they were saying or doing.

According to the Greek philosopher Socrates, it’s important to ‘know yourself ’.

God can help us to do that as we spend time in prayer and with his word. Other people can help too, if they’re honest and brave enough to share their thoughts about us – and if we’re willing and humble enough to listen.

Of course, we could overdo it and spend all our time looking inwards. But that would be almost as bad as not getting to know ourselves at all, because we could be so inwardly focused that we forget about other people and never do anything useful. It’s a balancing act: knowing ourselves and loving our neighbours.

Getting to know ourselves is a lifelong process, and that’s probably a good thing. To know everything in one go would be quite a shock. CS Lewis said he preferred to receive self-knowledge in ‘little daily doses’. That’s how self-discovery normally happens, which means we get the opportunity to deal with what needs our attention

by God’s daily grace.

Whether our little daily dose of self-knowledge reveals something good, bad or ugly, let’s be encouraged by the fact that God already knows us inside out, and still loves us.

Quotes from the media

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News

4 to 7

Preview 8 Making a mark for Anti-Slavery Day

by Rachel Emmett

More rear-mirror views The Hallelujah Jailbird

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by General John Larsson (Retired)

News feature 10 and 11 Cadets welcomed with messages of grace

by Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

Feature 12 and 13 Footprints: Stepping on to the stage again

by Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

Viewpoint 14 and 15 Showing racism the red card

by Captain Ben Cotterill

Review A Fruitful Life

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reviewed by Lieutenant Rob Westwood-Payne

Bible study 16 and 17 The parable of the shrewd manager

by Major Mike Lloyd-Jones

Through the week with Salvationist 16 and 17

by Lieut-Colonel Ray Oakley

Announcements

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New commitments

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Adverts

20 to 23

The Salvation Army and me

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featuring Captain Yasmin Allahlok

From the Editor Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS Scripture quotations in Salvationist are from the New International Version (2011), unless otherwise stated

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NEWS

Salvation Army deployed for ‘longhaul’ hurricane relief BAHAMAS THE Army’s Bahamas hurricane response team has received reinforcements from Barbados and further afield, as it continues to serve people impacted by Hurricane Dorian.

The team was activated before the hurricane arrived and has been involved in the response and relief effort since the ‘all clear’ announcement was made.

Collaborating with the National Emergency Management Agency, the Army is one of two charitable organisations that the government has highlighted for the

public to channel their contributions through.

The immediate focus has been on providing essentials such as food, water, clothing, personal hygiene supplies and shelter. The Army is also working with the

government manager of relief efforts for the Abaco Islands. He will assist in the development of a long-term plan for relief and rebuilding – current estimates foresee this taking between three and five years.

‘Relief items have been provided by a huge number of incredible donors,’ says Deputy Co-ordinator for The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services Damaris Frick. ‘International Emergency Services is grateful for Salvation Army leadership teams in various countries releasing experienced emergency disaster response personnel, as we work together to meet significant human needs across the islands.’

The Salvation Army has a strong presence in the Bahamas, with more than 90 years in Nassau and 30 years in Freeport.

‘We are committed not only to providing immediate relief but are here for the long haul,’ adds Damaris. – A. R.

LEEDS CENTRAL: New officers and cadets on summer placement were welcomed to the Yorkshire North with Tees Division with a celebration of ministry. Divisional Commander Major Jane Cowell challenged the congregation to consider what it would mean for ‘all Heaven to break loose’ and opportunity was given to focus on the varied expressions of ministry and mission throughout the division. – S. F. facebook.com/ salvationistonline twitter.com/ @SalvationistUK

Please do not send your copy to any individual’s email address as this could delay publication. Copy should be sent to salvationist@salvationarmy.org.uk

GOVAN: The corps presented a Stage and Screen Spectacular.

The theatre experience provided an eclectic choice of music and a ‘healthy’ supply of popcorn and ice cream. The evening concluded with the songsters, singing company and soloists contributing to a powerful medley from Les Misérables. The night was a huge success and £400 was raised for the corps building fund. – D. G. 4

Salvationist 5 October 2019

WATFORD: Older people enjoyed the benefits of a vacation without packing their suitcases at this year’s Holiday At Home programme. Themed All Aboard, the three-day event included a murder mystery, a ukulele band, pampering sessions, arts and crafts and afternoon tea, and the entire church was decorated like the Orient Express. It was popular with residents from the area and helped to alleviate loneliness during the summer holidays. – M. S. TANZANIA: Students and staff at Matumaini, The Salvation Army’s primary school for children with disabilities, expressed gratitude towards Majors David and Margaret House (Woking) for their work with the school.

Alongside repairing and renovating parts of the building, the majors also donated sewing machines and football T-shirts, which were eagerly received by the children. – W. B.

Young people engage!

WILLIAM BOOTH COLLEGE A GROUP of young people from Yorkshire South with Humber Division’s 4:12 Youth Forum gathered with Territorial Youth and Children’s Secretary Major Helen Schofield and Youth Specialist for Leader Development Matt Perkins to share their agenda for the rest of the year, and to inform the Youth and Children’s Ministries Unit (YCMU) about issues affecting their lives.

The forum is one of only a few in the territory and gives young people a voice in decisions that impact them. It often involves issues relating to school, work and relationships.

In the morning Helen took the young people on a tour of the college, explaining its history.

Gen Shaw, a forum member, led devotions on the theme God’s Love. Mentioning previous discussions the group had had about the LGBTI community, she spoke of God loving everyone, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, and reminded everyone ‘to love our neighbours as ourselves and show God’s love through our own’.

In a discussion session, Divisional Youth Specialist Mark Elliott, who facilitates the forum, proposed online meetings once a month, as well as quarterly face-to-face meetings to accommodate group members going to university. The young people also questioned whether their Facebook group was still relevant, as younger teenagers do not seem to be using the platform.

In two smaller groups, the members spoke about wanting to see more sports ministries, new social gatherings that are accessible for everyone and events that involve faith conversations and worship, but are easy for

Afternoon trip on the London Eye

non-Christians to participate in.

LGBTI, uniform and soldiership were the most popular topics chosen to unpack over the coming months.

‘We want to be a growing church and get non-Christians involved,’ said forum member Jeneka Palmer. ‘These are the sorts of things that are creating a barrier for them to enter into our community. We just want to break those barriers down!’

Plans were discussed for the forum’s next event, Engage 2020, which will allow people of all ages to talk openly about their faith and voice questions to a selected panel.

Speaking on the importance of the forum, Elliot Lister, another member, said: ‘It’s nice to feel like we matter. On a corps level, sometimes we feel like we don’t have an influence.’

‘We are the future, and without us there isn’t an Army,’ added Gen. ‘We really need to figure

out what the Army means for us and what we want it to look like when we become the older generation. The forum gives us the platform to do this.’

The YCMU is currently writing a resource to help more divisions and corps create youth forums. They hope this will grow in future years, inviting youth forums from across the territory to meet with senior leaders and discuss topics affecting them and their peers.

‘It is so important we create safe spaces and opportunities for our young people to be having deeper and influential conversations,’ said Matt. ‘The resources we produce for young people and youth and children’s workers will only be relevant if we talk to young people directly. We want them to be picked up and used and talk directly into young people’s lives, so they are spiritually and mentally equipped.’ – S. M.

Watford’s Back To School Supply Drive ensures that children in most need receive vital equipment; the scheme was run in partnership with nearby schools and a supermarket

Barrow-in-Furness corps folk open doors and strengthen relationships by giving out flowers to friends and neighbours; a nearby retailer donated the flowers in abundance

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NEWS

Gates open for good STRAWBERRY FIELD THE world-famous Strawberry Field, immortalised by the Beatles, is now open to the public for the first time.

For more than 50 years Beatles fans have only been able to stand outside the iconic red gates of the former children’s home, which The Salvation Army ran from 1936 until 2005. Now they can enter the grounds and gardens that inspired John Lennon to write the 1967 classic hit, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’.

Thousands of fans already visit the site and the Army saw an opportunity to channel that

interest into a responsible tourist attraction that will support local people and businesses.

Community-led charities can apply to use the space too.

The site is open every day and it is free to see the original gates, visit the café and explore the grounds, where stones from the old Victorian house have been used to create seating. A calm garden space also provides an area for spiritual reflection.

Within the grounds is the interactive Strawberry Fields Nothing is Real visitor exhibition, which costs £12.95 (concessions £8). Money raised from the site will support Steps to Work, an Army project that helps

Liverpool’s young people into employment.

‘I’ve been really impressed with The Salvation Army’s vision,’ says Julia Baird, John Lennon’s

sister and honorary president of the Strawberry Field project.

‘There is huge potential to make a real change in the lives of young people.’ – A. R.

PENARTH: Welsh assembly member Vaughan Gething visited the lunch club, meeting regulars and learning about the range of services provided to the community. ‘It was a pleasure to meet people enjoying lunch, friendship and support,’ he said. ‘The volunteers are committed to making a difference and people attending clearly took great comfort and enjoyment.’ Also pictured is Aux-Captain Faith Perry. – I. R.

WICKFORD: The food bank was overwhelmed by support from the town’s young carers. After visiting the food bank, which is supported by the town’s churches, the young people raised funds by selling homemade cakes and biscuits, and used the proceeds to purchase a large suitcase of food and several bags of essential items. They donated the remaining £188 to support the project. – M. W.

Julie Fox and Wendy Lay join the Bridgwater herald team after thoroughly enjoying the Herald Challenge in July; they are pictured with the corps ‘War Cry’ and ‘Salvationist’ co-ordinator Graham Box

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Salvationist 5 October 2019

Bridgwater Home League Secretary Pauline Pereira and friends turn an unused vegetable patch into a prayer garden

Hope and hospitality at Fringe Festival EDINBURGH CITY THE corps hall was an official venue for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival once again, welcoming hundreds of people through the doors for concerts and events.

John Coutts and Ayman Jarjour presented a night of poetry and music. Salvation Army homelessness services choir Voices of Hope brought an excellent evening of singing, supported by a local Crisis music group and Serenity Strings, an ensemble comprising people in the recovery community.

Warrington knitting group created and presented The Knitted Bible Stories Exhibition, alongside a knitted First World War commemorative exhibition.

The corps offered hospitality through vintage afternoon teas and provided a dedicated quiet space for Fringe performers and staff.

More than £4,000 was raised over the two-week period, which supported Voices of Hope and the corps mission, and many conversations about the gospel and the Army were shared among those that visited. – J. G.

CHESTER-LE-STREET: Ladies from nearby churches met with the corps home and family group for café church. Afternoon tea was served and soloist Ashley Stirling delighted the gathering with show tunes. The day was one of happy fellowship, and more than £350 was raised for the Big Collection. – G. C.

DUNSTABLE: More than 30 children enjoyed a week of fun, activity and learning at the summer holiday club. Using the theme Backpackers, they embarked on a virtual tour of Europe, visiting Paris, Rome, Zermatt and London. They also followed Jesus through the final week of his life on Earth. The young people – many new to the Army – were reminded of God’s love and invited to encounter and respond to his plan of salvation. Family members and friends joined them for an allage celebration, after which everyone enjoyed a barbecue. – S. B.

Youth leaders consider how to reach Generation Z SUNBURY COURT NINETY-FIVE leaders in youth and children’s ministry from 67 regions across the world gathered for the Right at the Heart conference 2019 to consider how The Salvation Army can better reach Generation Z – young people who, particularly in the West, are considered the first truly non-Christian generation.

The eight-day conference began with a twofold affirmation from General Brian Peddle: God’s hand and blessing are still on The Salvation Army; and the world still needs the Army’s message of hope through Jesus Christ.

With open hearts, delegates soaked in the expertise and experience of plenary session speakers.

Blake Lanier addressed understanding gender identity in youth work and welcomed discussion on

real-life scenarios. Delegates were challenged to step out of their comfort zones and embrace LGBTI individuals who are seeking community and connection.

Captain Swetha Vincent carried the baton of social justice, which she urged people to consider not as an afterthought, but as a first-thought.

Having shared statistics about a variety of social issues, Captain Swetha encouraged delegates not to lose the stories or faces of individuals in the numbers.

Kevin and Sheryl Slous helped consider the bigger picture by addressing how to develop a holistic youth ministry with vision driving and strategy in the front seat. Sheryl spoke about being proactive not reactive in reaching Generation Z. Ideas on how the Army can give young people a voice today were gathered and presented by youth delegates, before the General concluded the week with a call to action for everyone to stand up and fulfil their purpose in the world. – P. M. Salvationist 5 October 2019

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PREVIEW

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Making a mark for Anti-Slavery Day

BUY A TATTOO Tattoos cost £1 each. You can order by going to sps-shop.com and entering ‘tattoo’ in the search box.

SELL THEM AT YOUR CORPS Corps members can buy tattoos at a 50 per cent discount on quantities of more than 50. This provides corps with an opportunity to raise funds for their own activities through tattoo sales, as well as the Victim Care Fund.

To support corps shops, alongside SATCoL shops, the tattoos will be available at cost price (15p each). This offer is only open to corps shops via the SP&S mail order service: email sales@ sps-shop.com or phone 01933 445445.

WEAR THE TATTOO Most people wear them on their wrist or the back of their hand.

Wearing the tattoo will encourage questions from others you come into contact with and give you an opportunity to raise awareness of modern slavery.

SHARE IMAGES ONLINE Use corps social media channels to share pictures of members wearing the tattoos. Let your followers know they can pick them up at your corps or any SATCoL charity shop. Please use the hashtag #WeAreNotForSale and tag @salvationarmyuk.

ADD THE FACEBOOK FRAME TO YOUR PROFILE PICTURE A Facebook frame is available at facebook.com/profilepicframes.

Enter ‘#WeAreNotForSale19’ or ‘The Salvation Army United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland’ in the search box.

Select the frame and adjust your profile picture to fit. Click ‘Use as Profile Picture’.

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Salvationist 5 October 2019

PR and Communications Officer Rachel Emmett (THQ) highlights the Army’s campaign ahead of 18 October

E

VERYBODY needs good neighbours.

It might be a cliché, but Michael (not his real name) might not be alive if his neighbours hadn’t made his business theirs.

Michael was experiencing homelessness when he was befriended by a younger man.

The man’s family were kind and offered him work and a place to stay in their caravan. But soon things changed. Everything he did was controlled, he was used as a punchbag and made to work long hours for no pay and very little food.

Michael’s ordeal only ended when neighbours reported their concerns to the police, who arrived at the yard to find him hiding, badly beaten and covered in blood. He was rushed to hospital to receive emergency treatment and care for multiple old wounds and untreated injuries. The Salvation Army’s support staff worked with him and his mother, and he is now living back home and being helped to come to terms with his enslavement.

The Salvation Army has been supporting adult victims of modern slavery, like Michael, over the past eight years in England and Wales, as part of its government contract – he is among more than 8,000 people helped after escaping slavery.

Modern slavery is a problem hidden in plain sight across the UK, and victims rely on people living in their own communities to spot what is going on. We know from the insight our support staff and volunteers have from working with victims that this is a problem in cities, towns and villages, and everyone has a part to play in looking out for those who live around them.

The Salvation Army is helping to raise awareness of modern slavery, and the signs to look out for, by asking people to buy and wear a

temporary tattoo ahead of Anti-Slavery Day. Each tattoo is designed like a barcode, in reference to how slavery treats people as little more than a commodity. Sales will raise money for The Salvation Army’s Victim Care Fund, which provides additional help to survivors of modern slavery, above and beyond the support provided under the Army’s government contract.

Territorial Commander Commissioner Anthony Cotterill says: ‘If Michael’s neighbours hadn’t contacted the police he could still be in slavery or worse. And yet it’s frightening that a recent survey commissioned by the territory found three quarters of people are not confident they could spot that someone was being forced to work as a slave.

‘That’s why I’m asking people to buy, wear and share temporary tattoos as part of the #WeAreNotForSale campaign. This is the latest part in our ongoing battle against trafficking, which goes back to the 1880s, when we successfully campaigned to raise the age of consent to protect girls as young as 13 who were being trafficked for sex. Our fight continues today.’

This call to action comes as a poll commissioned by The Salvation Army found a quarter of people did not think slavery was happening in the UK or were unsure whether it was. You, your corps, your home group or your workplace can join in raising awareness of modern slavery by buying and selling the temporary tattoos and sharing photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #WeAreNotForSale.

O For more resources and advice on how to support #WeAreNotForSale visit salvationarmy.org.uk/wearenotforsale

MORE REAR-M MIR RRO OR

THE HALLELUJAH JAILBIRD General John Larsson (Retired) shares fascinating glimpses of the early Army – 1890-1912

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TTRACT attention’ was William Booth’s maxim for the early-day Salvationists as they ventured into the streets. Nobody took him more seriously than Joseph Garabed, a six-foot-two Turkish-born Armenian, with flashing, mesmeric eyes and the physique of a prizefighter. Converted at San Francisco 1 Corps, USA, this shoemaker by profession was commissioned as an officer in 1887, and became an extraordinary soul-winner who specialised in attracting attention.

He styled himself as ‘Joe the Turk’ and adopted a uniform of shimmering crimson pantaloons and a matching jacket trimmed with gold braid, topped by a fez.

When he paraded the streets of Los Angeles, loudly playing his cornet, he attracted so much attention that the police clapped him in jail. In the seven days while he was awaiting trial he converted most of the 30 drunks locked up with him. When the judge heard that Joe the Turk had been arrested for ‘blowing a horn’ he snorted that every circus that came to town did that, and threw the case out. Such was the local press outcry in support of Joe the Turk that three days later the entire police force of Los Angeles was discharged and new officers were drafted in.

This first court victory led Joe the Turk to what became a primary part of his life’s work: defending the right of Salvationists to hold open-air meetings.

Where local authorities opposed the Army, Joe the Turk would arrive with his cornet or saxophone, get arrested, refuse to pay a fine and insist on a trial by jury. The local press would blow the

trial into a sensation and, when Joe the Turk won, the local authorities and the police would no longer dare arrest Salvationists for proclaiming the gospel in the streets.

This ‘hundred-carat extrovert with a booming guttural voice like the Bull of Bashan… was soon a byword across the length and breadth of America’, wrote historian Richard Collier.* Whenever Joe the Turk was jailed he held revival services, sang, prayed aloud and, with his ink pad and rubber stamp, franked the walls, furniture and even linen with the motto ‘Jesus Saves’. He also painted slogans on the walls of his cell, which became so notorious that in one town the railroad company allowed stopover tickets for those who wanted to visit the cell where he had stayed.

When the shady gun-toting mayor of

the Midwestern town of Macomb, Illinois, jailed the corps officers for holding open-air meetings, Joe the Turk took over the running of the corps. Each day he led the Macomb Salvationists to the prison to cheer the officers with their singing. A sympathetic editor gave Captain Joe a daily forum in the local paper to denounce the mayor’s corrupt regime. The citizens’ hostility towards the mayor became so pronounced that on the day the corps officers were released, the mayor and the chief of police hurried out of town, neither to be seen again.

Joe the Turk now made Salvation Army history. To popular acclaim he declared himself mayor of Macomb and appointed the corps officer as chief of police. For six weeks, until a new mayor was appointed, Macomb was the only town in the world ever to be run by The Salvation Army!

By the end of the century Joe the Turk had been arrested and jailed 57 times.

He was feared by prosecutors because, if convicted, he would appeal – and keep on appealing until he had won his case.

The Hallelujah Jailbird, who was often stoned and beaten by mobs, did more to secure the freedom of speech for Salvationists in the USA than anyone else. William Booth called him ‘one of the most courageous men in the organisation’. And when Staff-Captain Joseph Garabed was promoted to Glory in 1937 everyone agreed that he had been ‘a daring Salvationist extraordinary… and an evangelist with methods bizarre, startling and effective’. * The General Next To God: The Story Of William Booth And The Salvation Army

Salvationist 5 October 2019

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NEWS FEATURE

Cadets welcomed with messages of grace WILLIAM BOOTH COLLEGE THE public welcome to a new training session is the territory’s opportunity to support and affirm cadets in their response to God’s calling, writes Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts. That support and affirmation was expressed with loud enthusiasm at the start of Saturday’s welcome meeting for the Messengers of Grace. The congregation clapped and cheered as the cadets, to the accompaniment of the Southern Divisional Youth Band, marched into the Assembly Hall, saluted Territorial Commander Commissioner Anthony Cotterill and Principal LieutColonel Mike Caffull, and took their places on the platform.

Congregational songs ‘And Can It Be?’ and ‘Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)’ led into an opening prayer by the Principal, who thanked God for the cadets and for those who had nurtured and supported them.

The TC welcomed everyone before thanking Major Janet Robson for the important work of the Candidates Unit.

In formally handing the session over to the TC, Major Janet said the cadets were ‘called to live out and share the grace we find in the saving love of Jesus Christ’. The TC received the cadets, who then sang their sessional song, written by Lee Fisher (Droitwich Spa).

As the college worship group led a congregational song, children handed out

Commissioner Anthony Cotterill

gift tags showing photos of individual cadets. Major Sue Pegram invited people to pray silently for the cadet on their tag and for a situation or person for whom they themselves could be messengers of God’s grace. The youth band concluded the time of prayer by playing ‘Vision’.

During three testimony periods at various points in the meeting each of the cadets spoke for 30 seconds about God’s gift of grace, revealing the varied ways in which he had worked in their lives. As they testified, some of the cadets held large gift boxes, which they placed on a ledge at the back of the platform. Once the final box was in place, they turned them all around to display the word ‘grace’.

The cadets sang ‘Your Grace Still Amazes

Cadet James Pegg

Cadet Katie Sinclair

Pictures: ANDREW KING PHOTOGRAPHY

Me’ before the TC brought the Bible message based on John 1:1–18, which Territorial Leader for Leader Development Commissioner Gill Cotterill had read earlier in the meeting. The TC said that Jesus came to Earth ‘overflowing with grace’, and that when he enters our lives we are overwhelmed by grace, which ‘starts flowing out from us’ and ‘has the power to change the world’.

‘Could grace, this week, be splashed about by you and me?’ he asked, before inviting people to renew their relationship with Jesus.

The meeting concluded with moments of prayer and response, and a song of praise, ‘All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name’.

The note of praise resumed on Sunday 10

Salvationist 5 October 2019

Cadet Nazia Yousaf with Colonel Lee Graves

Lieut-Colonel Karen Shakespeare

morning with ‘Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven’.

Major Malcolm Martin spoke words of welcome on behalf of the WBC staff to officers recently appointed to the college, as well as to the cadets and to territorial envoys beginning their first training seminar.

Later in the meeting the TC mentioned that Assistant Principal Lieut-Colonel Wendy Caffull was due to take up an appointment at International Headquarters.

He thanked her for her work and ministry at WBC. There was a colourful pipe cleaner on each seat and, in a creative prayer time, Captain Ben Ellis invited people to bend one into a shape that represented God’s love and to thank God for that love.

The session sang ‘Grace Alone’ and two cadets gave testimonies on the theme of the song. Cadet Nazia Yousaf, who was welcomed from the Pakistan Territory by Chief Secretary Colonel Lee Graves, spoke about experiencing God’s grace at a time of family tragedy as well as during her journey to officership. Cadet James Pegg declared: ‘By grace alone I am loved, I am redeemed and I am called by an almighty God.’ Introducing the youth band’s piece, ‘Worship’, Territorial Secretary for Leader Development Colonel Debbie Graves encouraged the band members to witness the commitment of the cadets and consider God’s calling in their own lives.

In her Bible message Assistant Principal (Development) Lieut-Colonel Karen

Shakespeare explored the story of the woman who was healed after touching Jesus’ cloak.

‘The grace the woman received surpassed her expectations and contained a promise for the future as well as a gift in the present,’ she said. ‘Our experience need not be so different... We can find ourselves cherished, healed, blessed and kept whole.’

During the singing of ‘Lord, I Come To You’ a steady stream of people moved to the mercy seat and picked up a small piece of white cloth to help them reflect on, or claim, God’s grace in their lives.

The final chorus of the closing song assured everyone that this grace would have a lasting impact: ‘Master, thou wilt keep us,/ By thy grace divine,/ Always on the Lord’s side,/ Saviour, always thine.’

Salvationist 5 October 2019

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FEATURE I Solid Rock Band reunion

Footprints: Stepping on to the stage again

Members of the Solid Rock Band speak to Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts about their reunion concerts and look back at their ministry

1981: Royal Albert Hall youth rally

O

N the first weekend of November Gloucester’s Salvation Army hall will be rocking to the sound of the Solid Rock Band (SRB). The group disbanded in 1984 but its five members have remained close friends and are getting together again to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their album, Footprints On The Water.

Stuart ‘Spud’ Ellsmore, Cliff Matthews, Colin Fletcher, Roger Severn and Julian ‘Jidd’ Brand are enthusiastic about their Footprints reunion concerts, which have attracted a huge response. The Sunday evening concert sold out within two weeks but, at the time of writing, tickets are still available for Saturday 2 November.

‘It started off as just another event for the 140th corps anniversary this year,’ explains Cliff. ‘We thought it would be low-key, and look where it’s ended up!’

Footprints On The Water was released in 1979. Cliff remembers clearly how it came about: ‘We went to buy some equipment and we were offered either a reduced price or a free 12

Salvationist 5 October 2019

eight-hour recording session. We decided to do that: we recorded four songs and made a cassette. About a week later the owner of the studio, Rob Andrews, rang and said that he’d set up a studio to help Christian bands get a foothold and he wanted us to do an album.’

‘Chapel Lane Studios had just started and we were the first to record,’ adds Colin. ‘It took about a week.’

‘The prospect of going into a studio and having to put down a track was a very far-out concept for me,’ admits Roger. ‘But it all came together with the encouragement of Rob, a wonderful Christian man. He’s planning to be at the concert.’

All but one of the songs on the album were original. SRB members wrote the lyrics for three, various other people contributed the rest, and SRB wrote the music.

‘We always classified the songs as being by SRB,’ explains Spud. ‘Nobody took individual responsibility for them.’

‘Cliff might have a basic idea and it would evolve from that,’ continues Colin.

‘Jidd would say, “Why don’t we start with this riff?”, then something else would be added and we’d put some harmonies together.’

As well as celebrating the album’s 40th anniversary, the Footprints concerts will look back to the beginning of the band.

It was originally formed in 1964, one of a number of Army groups inspired by the Joystrings.

‘We wanted to follow in their footsteps,’ says Spud, who also explains how the group got its first name: ‘Gloucester is corps number 125, so our rhythm group became the 125s [pronounced one, two, fives]’.

‘The members were Spud, Cliff, me and five girls,’ recalls Colin. ‘We started doing some Joystrings songs in Sunday afternoon meetings. It sort of evolved from that.’

Over the years there were changes of personnel and the band adopted a rock style as electric instruments replaced acoustic in the late 1960s. The group changed its name to Inspiration in 1971, then to Solid Rock Band five years later. They had already performed concerts around the country, but after becoming SRB their popularity grew.

There were visits to corps, churches, cathedrals, schools, prisons and open-air

venues, as well as divisional and territorial events. One highlight was performing before a match at the Norwich City football stadium to an audience of 20,000. The SRB website, solidrockband.org.uk, lists all the concerts they performed.

‘We never really played anywhere where the halls were anything but full,’ says Spud. ‘That was due to the corps and churches promoting us.’

The group remembers one corps,

‘We all had responsibilities in the corps,’ remembers Colin, ‘and we concluded fairly early on that the corps wouldn’t suffer from our commitment to the group. Even if we got home way after midnight from a Saturday night concert, we would make every effort to be at the open-air meeting at 10 o’clock the next morning.’

Cliff adds: ‘We had terrific support from the corps in all sorts of ways.

They felt part of it.’

2019: Spud, Cliff, Colin, Roger and Jidd though, where hardly anyone turned up.

‘That was the night Jaws was on TV for the first time,’ says Colin.

‘Our audience was somewhat eaten away,’ chuckles Jidd.

Supporting the band were sound engineers Des Jackson and Jeremy Curtis, who will both be involved in the reunion concerts, and Lincoln Parkhouse, who looked after the lighting and special effects.

Some unintended effects happened on one occasion, remembers Jidd: ‘At one concert there was a confetti canon followed by a pyrotechnic shower of sparks, which immediately set fire to the confetti on the floor. The Musician report said we were a band that set platforms alight!’

Not everyone was positive about SRB. ‘Somebody wrote to The Musician saying that what we were doing was anathema to Christ,’ says Cliff.

‘We didn’t need to reply,’ adds Roger, ‘because a lot of people wrote letters in favour of our kind of ministry.’

The band was also supported by the corps folk at Gloucester.

Being part of the group was a big commitment, but they knew they had to do it.

‘There was plenty of evidence that what we were doing was meant to be,’ says Cliff. ‘We came down to the hall one Sunday morning and on top of the organ was an envelope. I’d been trying to write some music but I couldn’t think of any words. In the envelope somebody we’d never met had sent us three sets of words, two of which fitted the two tunes that I’d written.’

These days most contemporary groups focus on leading worship but SRB’s main aim was outreach.

‘We were always an evangelistic band,’ insists Spud. ‘We’d give an invitation for people to make a decision for the Lord, and if they wanted to do that it was our job to answer questions and pray with them. It was a humbling experience to know that God could work through us.’

Cliff believes there is a need to recover that approach.

‘We’ve lost that ability to face

outwards,’ he suggests. ‘If you have a band doing a concert it’s easier to invite people. If you have a worship band in a church you’ve got to invite people to church, and that’s not quite the same thing.’

The Footprints concerts will include that emphasis, as well as looking back.

But there’s also another purpose, reveals Colin: ‘All of us have been touched by cancer in our families, so we want to make a difference to other people who are dealing with it. All the proceeds will go to Cancer Research UK.’ As the concerts approach, Spud sums up the feelings of the group: ‘We want to give thanks to God for what we’ve been able to achieve in his name. It’s been a privilege to be able to minister. It may be slightly dated now but God is relevant today and we’ve been blessed with this task. It’s wonderful.’

O Tickets for the Footprints concert on Saturday 2 November at 6 pm are £5.

For details visit facebook.com/ solidrockbanduk or email sumatt@blueyonder.co.uk Salvationist 5 October 2019

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VIEW POINT

SHOWING RACISM THE RED CARD Captain Ben Cotterill considers why The Salvation Army has so few black and minority ethnic officers in the UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland

T

HE new football season has shone a spotlight on the ugly fact that racism is still common in the beautiful game, with Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba each receiving online racial abuse after missing penalties. The issue in football is not just a question of racist insults, though, but also the distinct lack of black and minority ethnic (BME) coaches in top jobs.

Why does it matter that there are only five BME managers in the top four divisions? For the same reason it matters that there are no BME officers in middle or senior leadership positions in our territory: representation matters.

That is to say, people may feel they cannot become what they cannot see.

The problem is compounded by there being such a small pool of BME officers in the first place. There was only one BME cadet among the roughly ninety I trained with in the three sessions between 2012 and 2014, and a recent 200-strong gathering at a pioneer leaders conference had scarcely a handful of BME delegates.

I have recently taken up an

Flags on display at THQ representing staff nationalities

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Salvationist 5 October 2019

appointment at Territorial Headquarters and the diverse range of staff heritage is striking: more than 60 nationalities are represented. I suspect that THQ, located in the heart of London, one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, might be one of a few exceptions in the territory.

Clearly God is not in favour of calling one ethnicity over another to positions of church leadership. So what might be behind the fact that there so few BME officers in this territory?

Here’s a flavour of what friends and colleagues told me at a recent Salvation Army Intercultural Mission Conference, where more than half the delegates were BME Salvationists.

One said, ‘We don’t feel like we “own” The Salvation Army.’ Essentially, Salvationists of BME backgrounds can often feel like visitors in a broadly white Salvation Army.

There was also a reluctance to live the relatively less economically advantaged life of an officer when, in many cases, grandparents or parents had given up everything to leave their homelands and make lives here for their families.

Some said that many BME Salvationists are attending charismatic and pentecostal churches where the worship is more spontaneous and services are longer.

So what can we do in response?

One answer to a lack of ownership is to ensure corps leadership teams represent BME members of their corps so that decisions are significantly more representative. This will lay the groundwork for further routes into leadership.

Intercultural Mission Conference (2018)

The answer to officership being more ‘on the radar’ for people who dream of ‘making it’ after the sacrifice of previous generations is not simple. It lies somewhere between respecting people’s stories and supporting more people to break through the glass ceiling to become examples and, in one sense, cultural pioneers.

The answer to genuinely creating spaces in our corps for more diverse expressions of worship is to embrace it and do it – and keep doing it. Last year I led a worship band at a large Salvation Army gathering. We sang a Shona version of a song and suddenly 20 Zimbabwean members of the congregation spontaneously danced their way to the front. It was amusing to see the meeting leader nervously glancing at their watch but the whole room came alive. Time didn’t matter. It was great!

However, I believe we must look even deeper.

What if there is an underlying issue detected in our processes, attitudes and behaviours that might amount to discrimination? What if, albeit unwittingly, through prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and stereotyping, we are marginalising others?

I heard of a corps officer who accompanied two members of their congregation to divisional candidates interviews. The first question posed to the white applicant was about their calling. The first question posed to the black applicant, who had migrated to the UK, was about eligibility to work in this country. That’s unwitting prejudice in action, although without any malice aforethought. Presumably the questions were being asked with good intentions.

‘

What if, albeit unwittingly, through prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and stereotyping we are marginalising others?

REVIEW

’

Another corps officer once told me, ‘We do the collection at the start of the meeting when the African members of the congregation haven’t arrived yet. We don’t want them to feel bad about not being able to give much, as they send money back home.’ Well-intentioned but, again, unwittingly prejudiced – not to mention seemingly ignorant of Jesus’ message in the story of the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41–44.

The Salvation Army’s international positional statement on racism reminds us that racism ‘is fundamentally incompatible with the Christian conviction that all people are made in the image of God and are equal in value… Racism is not only the result of individual attitudes, but can also be perpetuated by social structures and systems. Sometimes racism is overt and intentional, but often it is not.’

The statement goes on to say that the more subtle forms of racism can only be recognised with effort. I think people in every part of The Salvation Army need to pause and ask: Is there anything in the way we operate that doesn’t recognise everyone as equal?

It goes without saying that racism is unacceptable but my suspicion is that more subtle forms may have found a foothold in our ranks, perhaps even in my own attitudes and practices.

If they are there and we deal with them, can you imagine the unleashed potential for the Kingdom? But, more important than that, this is first and foremost a matter of basic justice, and justice is the heartbeat of the one who called this Army into being.

We know Paul said we are all one and equal in Christ Jesus (see Galatians 3:28). Awareness of Scripture, though, isn’t enough: we must act and embody Scriptural principles every moment of every day for his glory.

O The international positional statement on racism is available at salvationarmy. org/isjc/ips CAPTAIN COTTERILL IS SUPPORT OFFICER, INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS OFFICE, THQ

Returning to the essence of Christian life Lieutenant Rob Westwood-Payne (Basingstoke) reviews A Fruitful Life by Tony Horsfall

I

N a post-Christian society, the key to winning new people for Christ and arresting the numerical decline in our churches is to return to the essence of Christian life: one of union with Jesus Christ himself.

So concludes Christian author, trainer and retreat leader Tony Horsfall in his clear, accessible book A Fruitful Life. His desire is to point us back to ‘the simplicity of a life lived out of relationship with Jesus Christ’.

The book is based on Jesus’ allegory of the vine and the branches in John 15.

Tony concludes that fruitfulness occurs only if we give ourselves fully to God’s purpose and to his dealings in our lives.

The book includes chapters titled

‘Seasons Of The Soul’, ‘Cleansing’ and ‘Pruning’, which set out more fully how God deals with us and remind us that the Father is a loving vine dresser, willing us to bear fruit for him.

The section discussing spiritual disciplines is particularly helpful. These are not tick lists of things to do, but ‘holy habits… the channels by which God’s life is communicated to us’.

The chapters on the disciplines of dependency, receiving love and intimacy are a welcome antidote to our Salvationist tendency to believe holiness is about following rules and regulations.

Salvationists will need to be careful how they handle Tony’s teaching on eternal security – the idea that once a person is saved, they are always saved – as it contradicts our ninth article of faith. But this doctrinal difference does not detract from the book.

A Fruitful Life was originally published in 2006 and this new edition includes two additional features: questions for personal reflection and for use in

groups, and a poem at the end of each chapter by Barbara Parsons, which I found moving and enlightening.

This book can help us become the Spirit-filled, Christ-centred, fruitful Salvationists the 21st century needs.

O A Fruitful Life is available from eden.co.uk priced £8.94 (plus postage and packing) Salvationist 5 October 2019

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BIBLE STUDY

The parable of the shrewd manager Major Mike Lloyd-Jones reminds us to use our resources for the glory of God STUDY PASSAGE: LUKE 16:1–15

N

EWSPAPER headlines often shout with incredulity about the conduct of some managers. Enron mismanaged more than £60 billion. Lehman Brothers lost more than £40 billion. Cambridge Analytica mishandled masses of private data.

In the middle of Luke’s Gospel, there is an account of a manager who mismanages and mishandles his way through, yet gets commended for it.

QUESTIONS Does Jesus commend dishonest behaviour?

O How do you think Christians should behave?

O

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

by Lieut-Colonel Ray Oakley

Here’s the story: A dishonest manager is fired. Before he leaves, to secure his future, he negotiates a series of shady contracts with dodgy dealers. His boss, when he finds out, thinks something along the lines of: ‘That’s clever! How shrewd!’

The tale seems fairly simple, even if it is a bit unorthodox. In most of Jesus’ parables, the central individual is a positive character, perhaps representing God himself, or an earnest seeker after God. However, in this parable, all the characters are rotten, unethical and dishonest – the manager, the master, even the clients who receive cut-price bills. With all the characters looking like baddies, the outcome doesn’t look good.

Perhaps Jesus is using the characters not only as an example of what we should do, but also as a way to illustrate an important principle. It is sometimes said

that Christians need to be counter-cultural and not people who blend in. It’s so much easier to lower our expectations and settle for excuses, but being transformed as Christians isn’t about our lives continuing exactly as they did before.

Jesus said: ‘The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings’ (vv8 and 9).

Jesus comments that the people of this world are shrewd in their dealings, but that we should look for a larger, longer-term investment. Effectively, Jesus is saying they’re investing in the wrong things.

This isn’t about buying our way into

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

A charge to keep I have,/ A God to glorify,/ A never-dying soul to save,/ And fit it for the sky.

(SASB 946)

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money.

(Luke 16:13)

To serve the present age,/ My calling to fulfil,/ O may it all my powers engage/ To do my Master’s will!

(SASB 946)

Prayer

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Salvationist 5 October 2019

Lord Jesus, thank you for saving me and choosing me to be part of your Kingdom-building team. May I be faithful to your teaching and serve you with a willing and loving spirit.

Heaven. Jesus tells us how to invest: ‘Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in Heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (see Luke 12:33 and 34).

We are to use our resources to do as much good as we can for the glory of God and the benefit of other people.

The making-friends-with-money concept that Jesus is talking about has to be about using our money, resources and time to meet other people’s needs and not our own.

We are not to focus on being shrewd investors who plan for futures that will inevitably fail. Rather, we should be shrewd investors who invest in other people’s lives.

The instruction doesn’t stop there.

Jesus issues a challenge that is highly appropriate for this generation: ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money’ (v13).

At a Roots weekend some years ago, I was challenged by a speaker to look at the way I spent my money, planned our family finances and organised the corps budget to see where my heart truly lay.

The challenge for each of us is to serve God with our tithes of time, life and skills. Those who have financial responsibilities within The Salvation Army need to ensure that we are serving God with the resources entrusted to our care.

QUESTIONS O How many of us are driven by money?

O How often do we work hard for our daily bread rather than the bread of life?

O How often do we, the Army, make decisions based on financial security rather than the purposes of God? Jesus’ point is to ask what money is really for. When we answer that question, we might think of ourselves first. However, Jesus invites us to realise that ‘our’ money isn’t really ours.

We are simply managing it for its real owner: God.

MAJOR LLOYD-JONES IS CORPS OFFICER, CROYDON CITADEL

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

(Matthew 25:23)

Arm me with jealous care,/ As in thy sight to live;/ And O thy servant, Lord, prepare/ A strict account to give!

(SASB 946)

He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.’

(Luke 16:15)

Help me to watch and pray,/ And on thyself rely,/ Assured, if I my trust betray,/ I shall for ever die.

(SASB 946)

Salvationist 5 October 2019

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

ARMY PEOPLE MARRIAGE O Cameron Barker to Callie Ferguson at Gateshead by Majors Kim and Nigel Gotobed WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES Diamond O John and Pat Gregory, Rushden (10 October) O Bandsman Gerald and Gwen Newton, Tunstall (17 October) Golden O Roger and Linda Plastow, Gainsborough (27 September) DEDICATED TO GOD O Daisy Georgina, daughter of Paul Smith and Jessica Howell, at Stockton

by Major Nicola Barker RETIRED OFFICERS Birthday congratulations O Major John Travers (80 on 14 October) O Major Jean Dimbylow (90 on 19 October) BEREAVED O Major Rosemary Cowdery and Bandsman/Songster Melvyn Thomas, Southsea, and Martyn Thomas of their mother Vera O Graham Williams, Norwich Mile Cross, of his mother Aux-Captain Evelyn Williams O Captain Karl Carpenter, Lewisham, of his mother Christine

Lieut-Colonel Brian Knightley OF of his wife Lieut-Colonel Dorothy Knightley OF, Major Malcolm Knightley, Graham Knightley and Helen Cleary of their mother O Peter Belcher, Staple Hill, of his sister Hazel Willis O

PROMOTED TO GLORY O Aux-Captain Evelyn Williams from Brooklands Care Home on 22 September O Lieut-Colonel Dorothy Knightley OF from Luton and Dunstable Hospital on 23 September O May Adair, Belfast Citadel ICO DELEGATES The 243rd session of the International College for Officers begins on 9 October The delegates are O Captain Nari McGifford, Australia O Major Kelly Rideout, Canada and Bermuda O Lieut-Colonel Jennifer Lyons, Caribbean O Major Isaac Tweneboa-Kodua, Ghana O Captain Latha Cheeli, India Central O Major Moses Sairengpuia Sailo, India Eastern O Captain Anita Ajeet, India Northern O Major Samson Macwan, India Western O Major Shinji Ishizaka, Japan O Captain Mika Katsuno, Japan O Major Izumi Motomura, Japan O Major Kazue Nishimura, Japan O Major Yoshio Takabatake, Japan

ENGAGEMENTS GENERAL BRIAN PEDDLE AND COMMISSIONER ROSALIE PEDDLE O New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory (congress), Mon 30 Sep – Mon 7 Oct O Democratic Republic of Congo, Th 10 – Sun 20 O Asbury University and USA National Headquarters, Mon 21 – Fri 25 THE CHIEF OF THE STAFF (COMMISSIONER LYNDON BUCKINGHAM) AND COMMISSIONER BRONWYN BUCKINGHAM O ICO (welcome to session), Th 10 Oct O ICO (lecture), Tu 15 THE TERRITORIAL COMMANDER (COMMISSIONER ANTHONY COTTERILL) AND COMMISSIONER GILLIAN COTTERILL O ICO (welcome to session), Th 10 Oct O William Booth College (Territorial Advisory Council), Fri 11 O Sunderland Millfield, Sat Sun 13 O Cardiff Canton, Sat Sun 20 O Harrogate International Centre (Territorial Officers Councils), Wed 23 – Wed 30 THE CHIEF SECRETARY (COLONEL LEE GRAVES) AND COLONEL DEBORAH GRAVES O William Booth College (Territorial Advisory Council), Fri 11 O Harpenden, Sat Sun 13 Oct O William Booth College (spiritual day), Tu 15 O Harrogate International Centre (Territorial Officers Councils), Wed 23 – Wed 30 INTERNATIONAL STAFF SONGSTERS O Bristol Easton, Sat Sun 13 Oct

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Salvationist 5 October 2019

Captain Stephen Nguru, Kenya East Captain Diana Campos, Latin America North O Captain Chrissie Mahata, Malawi O Major Albertina Jige, Mozambique O Major Mathew Badger, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa O Major Ifeanyi Obi, Nigeria O Major Wenche Midjord, Norway, Iceland and The Færoes O Major Fozia Columbus, Pakistan O Major Tauge Kuriki, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands O Major Jimmy Barredo, The Philippines O Major Divinia Yaun, The Philippines O Major Ewa-Marie Kihlagård, Sweden and Latvia O Captain Pamela Tingo, Tanzania O Major Liesl Baldwin, United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland O Major Elizabeth McCaw-Aldworth, United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland O Major David Woodman, United Kingdom with the Republic of Ireland O Major Scott Shelbourn, USA Central O Major Todd Mason, USA Southern O Major Darren Norton, USA Western O Captain Matilda Simamba, Zambia The translators are O Lieutenant Jun Aibara, Japan O Captain Yuko Hiramoto, Japan O O

Did you know Salvationist is on Facebook?

WE UPDATE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, GIVING YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO O Catch sneak peeks at upcoming features O See the new cover early O Comment on articles O Ask us questions O Get advance notice on important news stories O Read the Editor’s comment and our article of the week Like our page at facebook.com/ salvationistonline to keep up to date Find Salvationist on Twitter @SalvationistUK

NEW COMMITMENTS

NORTH WALSHAM: Thirteen adherent members, aged from 14 to 91, were welcomed by corps officer Major Richard Durrant. Heather Roberts visited for the first time at Christmas after an illness; Doreen Rose and Janet Grimes linked up with the Army through the lunch club; Frank Taylor started attending after his wife’s death; Wendy McManus joined her Salvationist parents when they moved to the area; Dee Hubbard helps as a volunteer; Graham Smith, Richard Jacob, and David and Gillian Jarrel play in the community band; and Joshua, Madeline and Nathan Siggins have grown up in the corps. From left to right are (seated) Frank, Doreen, David, Gillian, Janet and Dee, and (standing) Wendy, Heather, Joshua, Madeline, Major Richard, Nathan, Graham and Richard. – R. D.

EDMONTON: Kwasi Brew, Brigitte Mvuta and Flo Konda were enrolled as soldiers. All three testified to God’s love and protection in their lives. The congregation joined in as Brigitte sang ‘All To Jesus I Surrender’ (SASB 636). Pictured with them are corps officers Lieutenants Dawn and Glenn Roden and CSM Ephraim Gunundu, who is holding the flag. – G. R.

IVYBRIDGE: Sharon and Rolf Baro and John Bowser were enrolled as soldiers by corps officer Lieutenant Ian Hammond. – R. H.

BOSTON: When Ruth Baldwin was enrolled as a soldier she testified powerfully about God’s faithfulness and how he is leading her to new paths. She is pictured with corps officers Majors Ged and Jayne Nicoll. – G. N.

SHIREMOOR: Mark and Michelle Henderson and Heather Mills were welcomed as adherent members. The Hendersons linked up with the corps just before their wedding and felt they had found a friendly and welcoming church. Heather, whose granddaughter was involved with the rainbows group, started attending community evenings and felt God had placed her in a new spiritual home. Mark, Michelle and Heather are pictured with Allen Wright, who is holding the flag, and corps officers Lieutenants Faith and Keith Scales. – F. S.

STAPLEFORD: Ruby Stallion was enrolled as a junior soldier by associate officer Captain Vicky Owen. – F. T. Salvationist 5 October 2019

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Salvationist 5 October 2019

20-23

‘ Employees, friends, members, officers, volunteers – we have them all in The Salvation Army!

We’ve asked some of them to tell us about themselves. This week…

CAPTAIN YASMIN ALLAHLOK Associate officer, Southend Southchurch and Southend Citadel How did you first come into contact with the Army?

My parents were Salvation Army officers in Pakistan, so I came into contact with the Army when I was born.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul (Psalm 23:1–3)

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

Fanny Crosby. She is an inspiration to me. I would talk to her about her faith, expressed in her statement, ‘If I had a choice, I would still choose to remain blind… for when I die, the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed Saviour.’ I also would love to talk with her about the inspiring songs she wrote.

What is your favourite food?

From Pakistan, qeema mutter (curried mince and peas). From the UK, fish and chips or a roast dinner.

What made you want to become an officer?

I participated in almost every church activity and people thought it was because I wanted to become a Salvation Army officer, but I always denied it. God then spoke to me directly and I realised how ungrateful I was for the things I had and how I complained about what I didn’t have. These made me decide to give God all my talents and blessings and become an officer.

What is the most interesting thing about your role?

I can learn to do multiple jobs and interact with many different people, not only within the corps but outside as well, such as when I sell the papers in the high street, or go to hospital to visit someone and people recognise me, or when I travel on a bus and people start talking to me.

What is your favourite kind of holiday?

Spending quality time with family. Earlier this year I spent time with my family after more than a year. It was so precious.

What languages do you speak?

Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and English.

’

Did you have a nickname growing up?

Josie, but I didn’t like it and asked people to stop calling me it. Some of my relatives still do, but I like it now so I don’t mind.

Which book would you want on a desert island?

An Amish Family Christmas by Murray Pura or God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew.

What is the most valuable thing you possess?

My dad’s sermon diaries. I don’t copy them, though!

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

Miracles From Heaven. I would like to play Anna’s mother, Christy Beam.

What is your favourite hymn or worship song?

‘Will You Come And Follow Me?’ (SASB 695).

Will you come and follow me If I but call your name?

Will you go where you don’t know And never be the same?

Will you let my love be shown, Will you let my name be known, Will you let my life be grown In you and you in me?

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

Knife crime.

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

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Whatt iis your ffavourite Bible Wh it Bibl passage?

Psalm 23. It is so comforting that, no matter what, God’s tender care is always around. I have experienced it.