Aiming high
Warren Furman on being up for the challenge of The Summit
Baskets for babies bring help to parents
What is The Salvation Army?
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity seeking to share the good news of Jesus and nurture committed followers of him. We also serve people without discrimination, care for creation and seek justice and reconciliation. We offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK. Go to salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church to find your nearest centre.
What is the War Cry?
The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.
From the editor’s desk
Warren Furman did not know exactly what he was taking on when he signed up for a mysterious reality TV show – but he recalls that, when they approached him to take part, the programme-makers told him that it would be the ‘ultimate challenge’. It was a while before he discovered that he would be travelling to New Zealand to climb a mountain.
In this week’s issue of the War Cry, Warren – formerly Ace in the 1990s version of Gladiators and now an Anglican priest – talks about his experiences of being a contestant on ITV1’s The Summit, which ends on Tuesday (17 March).
Alongside 13 other contestants hoping to win prize money, he took on the physical adventure of climbing the mountain. But he suggests that he was also being given another challenge.
‘I went on The Summit to draw close to God and to share my faith,’ he says. Warren talks about feeling that God had given him the task of bringing peace to the group. And – while acknowledging that he was capable of getting things wrong and that he needed to pray for direction and forgiveness – he wanted to demonstrate that ‘we needed to show love to each other’.
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major
Managing Editor: Philip Halcrow
Staff Writer: Emily Bright
Staff Writer: Claire Brine
Staff Writer: Ewan Hall
Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk
Graphic Designer: Mark Knight
Graphic Designer: Natalie Adkins
Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk
The Salvation Army
United Kingdom and Ireland Territory
1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ
Tel: 0845 634 0101
Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org
Founders: Catherine and William Booth
International leaders: General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham
Territorial leaders: Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main
Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn
This week’s War Cry also highlights a Salvation Army project whose volunteers are at work on the ground, helping people who are going through tough times. Barnsley Baby Baskets distributes Moses baskets full of essential items to parents who are struggling to provide for their babies.
The co-ordinator, Jayne-Claire Trent, explains that the project receives referrals from professionals including midwives, social workers and the police. It provides baskets to, among others, parents on low incomes and survivors of trafficking and domestic abuse who are staying in a safe house.
Explaining her motivation, Jayne-Claire refers to words found in the Bible. She says: ‘I keep coming back to the commandment, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”’
It’s a commandment that leads countless people to take up the challenge of meeting needs and changing lives for the better.
INFO INFO
That’s a whole mother story
It’s a day to say thanks to mums
Feature by Ewan Hall
Mothers, this one’s for you. On Sunday (15 March) people young and old will be pausing to celebrate mums and other maternal figures, recognising the women whose care has left a lasting mark on their lives. The day may now seem to be established as an occasion for cards, flowers and breakfasts in bed – but over time it has undergone several changes.
In the UK, what is now often called Mother’s Day is based on the older tradition of Mothering Sunday. In the Middle Ages, workers had the opportunity to return home on the fourth
Sunday of Lent to visit their ‘mother church’ – the church where they were baptised or raised. While making the visit, many people who had moved away for work at a young age saw their families again, creating an important day of reunion.
Some time later, in the 17th century, the focus shifted slightly, becoming an occasion when servants would be given the day off specifically to visit their families.
In the US, Mother’s Day has a different history – and a different date, falling as it does on the second Sunday of May. It was the brainchild of Anna Jarvis, who organised the first such celebration of mothers in 1908 after the death of her own role-model mum. By 1914, the US president had made it a national holiday, though Anna would later come to believe that the day – full of shopbought cards and flowers whose prices had been inflated – had become too commercialised.
One spin-off of Anna’s creation, however, was that it inspired a renewed interest in celebrations on this side of the Pond. After seeing the growth of the US Mother’s Day, in 1921 Constance Adelaide Smith published The Revival of Mothering Sunday, in which she argued that internationally there was a strong tradition of honouring mothers on the fourth Sunday of Lent but that it needed greater recognition.
Whenever the day falls, what really matters is that it is an opportunity to stop and thank the mothers and other influential women in our lives for the love and support they give us.
Having said that, it is a day that can stir up emotions that are far from simply joyful. For some people, it highlights an absence – someone who was never there, a relationship that never quite healed or a loss that still hurts no matter how much time has passed.
Mother’s Day can prompt gratitude, anger or grief – or a mixture of all three.
The good news is that God meets us in all that complexity, offering us a love that doesn’t depend on our family background. The Bible records how he reassured people who were going through tough times: ‘As a mother comforts her son, so I will comfort you’ (Isaiah 66:13 Christian Standard Bible). Whether the day brings celebration, sadness or something in between, we can all draw on a steady source of love. If we choose to follow God, we can know that he will celebrate with us in joyful times, comfort us in grief and be there for us in every other situation every day.
talk talk Team talk Team talk ‘ ’
j TEA M TALK
High stakes with deepfakes
Emily Bright gives her take on a story that has caught the attention of War Cry reporters
Viral TikTok videos show footballing greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi embarking on a Titanic-inspired experience together, dressed in period clothing. Meanwhile, Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé is accompanied by a turtle on his skiing holiday. But these images, as the BBC Sport website reported, are fakes known as ‘AI slop’.
‘AI can be asked to deliver pretty much anything. By anyone,’ explained football correspondent Dale Johnson. ‘The tools are becoming ever more sophisticated and easily accessible. It will become even harder to spot what is real and what is, in AI terms, deepfake.’
Dale said that while AI slop may seem like ‘harmless fun’, some cases can become more serious. Fake images have previously depicted players signing deals with clubs when they hadn’t. He added that, during the Euros in 2024, AI-generated interviews falsely portrayed England manager Gareth Southgate as ‘making derogatory remarks about his players’. The videos were removed, but not before being seen by millions.
The Bible offers wisdom that rings true
The dangers of AI are also highlighted in BBC1 drama The Capture, which returned last weekend. DCI Rachel Carey, acting commander of counterterrorism command, implements technology designed to catch deepfakes in real time. But after a terror attack, Rachel is the only eyewitness to a conspiracy. She asks: ‘How do we sort fact from fiction? How can we believe what we see?’
In a world of deepfakes, knowing what to trust is becoming more urgent. In my experience, the Bible offers genuine time-honoured wisdom that rings true.
Crucially, the story of Jesus, the Son of God, hasn’t been changed to be more convincing. It’s refreshingly authentic about the failings of his ragtag bunch of followers. And interestingly, the most radical event in Jesus’ story – his resurrection – was revealed first to women, whose gender would have disqualified their testimony at that time.
There are also witnesses pointing out how Jesus is at work today. I’ve interviewed countless people who have been able to tell how he has transformed their lives. And he has certainly transformed mine. In a world of competing narratives, I know one thing to be true – Jesus is the real deal.
WAR
Charts have new entry
The Official Charts Company has launched a UK Christian and gospel singles chart.
The chart, highlighting home-grown releases, will be announced weekly alongside the regular singles and album charts and other specialist listings, such as the rock, hip-hop and dance charts, as well as the long-running Christian and gospel albums chart.
According to the Official Charts Company, UK streams of Christian and gospel music have increased sevenfold since 2015.
The new singles chart – which has been developed in collaboration with Christian media organisation A Step FWD – was published for the first time on 6 March, with ‘Kumbaya’, an original composition performed by Nottingham singer and songwriter Jerub, in the No 1 spot.
Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said the chart was ‘designed to bring new attention to this fast-growing sector’ of Christian and gospel music.
Service added
Shrewsbury Cathedral had to hold an extra service because so many adults are preparing to join the Roman Catholic Church in the area this Easter. The number of people choosing to join churches in the diocese has nearly doubled in three years. This year, 171 adults from 31 communities took part in the services – where they publicly confirmed their decision to join churches during Easter celebrations – compared with 100 last year. Many were younger adults.
warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk
WAR CRY n
BBC aims to keep track of belief
The participants in the forthcoming series of ‘Pilgrimage’
The BBC’s chief content officer has said that the corporation takes its commitment to religious broadcasting ‘incredibly seriously’.
Introducing a BBC religion showcase at Broadcasting House in London, Kate Phillips said: ‘We are passionate about not just representing faith and world beliefs, but in recognising the vital role that religion, faith and beliefs play in connecting communities and providing solace and support at the most difficult of times.
‘Now more than ever, we can see the huge importance in providing a platform to explore questions of morality, meaning, belief, and offering different perspectives on some of the biggest questions of the day.’
She was joined for a panel discussion by the respective heads of religion and ethics for radio and for TV, Tim Pemberton and Daisy Scalchi.
Daisy highlighted the return of BBC2 reality TV series Pilgrimage this Easter, which will feature celebrities of various religions and none trekking together, as ‘a really rare and precious opportunity that exemplifies how respectful dialogue between different faith and belief perspectives can be done’.
It’s always Gunner be faith for Eze
Arsenal footballer Eberechi Eze (pictured) has spoken about the importance of his Christian faith in his career.
Reflecting on how he coped after being released from Arsenal’s academy aged 13, he told footballing podcast Men in Blazers: ‘The love for football is always there. That’s always been the constant thing. And my faith, faith in God and trust in that, and my mum telling me that it’s gonna be fine.’
Asked how he felt after scoring the winning goal for Crystal Palace in last year’s FA Cup final, before his move to the Gunners, the forward said he was ‘grateful to Jesus that he gave that to me’.
He expressed his hope that Palace fans would say of him that ‘in everything that he did, he thanked Jesus, he glorified Jesus’. He added: ‘I feel like that’s my only mission, if I’m honest.’
MOTHER CARE
To mark Mother’s Day on Sunday (15 March), JAYNE-CLAIRE TRENT, co-ordinator of The Salvation Army’s Barnsley Baby Baskets project, reveals what inspires her to help struggling parents
Interview by Emily Bright
Jayne-Claire Trent
Jayne-Claire Trent had no idea of the scale of need in the community when, in September 2023, she began a baby baskets project at her Salvation Army church, Wombwell with Barnsley. Within the project’s first week, all six Moses baskets that she’d filled with baby items had been given away.
Jayne-Claire says that the Barnsley Baby Baskets project was a ‘natural expansion’ of the help that was already being offered by the church’s food bank, where she volunteered. She and her husband applied their skills and experience of working in the NHS to the new initiative.
‘We both knew how the NHS works and how much midwives and patients struggle, often not knowing where to turn for help,’ she says. ‘We found that people come to The Salvation Army because they don’t know where else to go.’
Right on cue, our phone call is interrupted by someone who has come to pick up items for a threemonth old baby.
‘At The Salvation Army,’ Jayne-
Claire explains, returning to our conversation after supplying the items, ‘we interact with any professional, whether that’s a midwife, health visitor, social worker, police officer or an under-19 team which looks after teenagers. If they’ve got an NHS or government email, we will take a referral from them.
As I gave her everything, she stood there and cried
‘W e also support the Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS) as well. If somebody has been moved because of domestic abuse or human trafficking, they can be in a safe house for a couple of weeks before the social services bring their professional input. We have emergency baskets so that IDAS can phone us and pick up a basket on the day.’
Filled by a group of volunteers, each Moses basket contains essential items for any parent with a newborn baby, such as all-in-ones, vests, blankets, sheets, cardigans, coats, bibs, muslins, socks and hats. To source donations, Barnsley Baby Baskets partners with The Salvation Army’s trading arm, SATCoL, and with other volunteers at its Barnsley donation centre and charity shops.
‘We work with Goldthorpe Salvation
and her
volunteers sort donations that will be packed into
Army as well,’ Jayne-Claire explains. ‘We give them clothing that we don’t use for the baby baskets, and in return, they collect Moses baskets and send them to us.’
Barnsley Baby Baskets also receives items from craft groups who knit and crochet cardigans, booties, mittens, hats and blankets.
Apart from a new Moses basket mattress, which is bought by The Salvation Army, every item is donated, and Jayne-Claire has relied on her Christian faith to ensure that the project is well stocked with the essentials.
‘If we’re running short on something, we pray about it,’ she says. ‘Then we have an amazing abundance. For instance, I had no hooded baby towels at all, prayed about it, and then the following week someone donated an entire bag of them.’
Jayne-Claire has seen the dire need for Barnsley Baby Baskets first-hand.
‘You do occasionally get midwives phoning up from labour suites, when the baby has been born and the mother has got absolutely nothing for them,’ she
says. ‘Or health visitors have been into visit somebody and seen that they’re in a really horrible situation.
‘Some families are living in bedsits. One health visitor found a family using a supermarket cardboard box for their baby basket. She phoned me, and I told her to come and get whatever she wanted. As I gave her everything, she stood there and cried.’
Jayne-Claire’s voice cracks with emotion while recalling the health visitor’s reaction.
‘It touches me even now,’ she says. ‘We’ve got so much that we could give to people who’ve got nothing.’
Jayne-Claire has observed that there has recently been a marked increase in demand for the baby baskets and community assistance.
‘We used to get referrals for families in really bad crises – people that were moving into bedsits or teenage pregnancies,’ she recalls. ‘Now, nearly every referral is because of low income.’
But she believes that the problems of poverty cannot be solved by giving people extra money. ‘What you’ve got
to do is give them a way out,’ she says. That can be through practical help, but there is another dimension to what the project offers.
‘We pray for these people,’ she continues. ‘Every basket that goes out is prayed over before it gets delivered. We include a leaflet with our details in the basket so people are aware that The Salvation Army is there for them and that they can contact us in future.
‘We find through our work in Goldthorpe, which is a very deprived area, that we meet some people further down the line. They’ll say that they’ve had a basket from us and come in because they need additional help.’
In all that she does to help others, Jayne-Claire is inspired by her Christian faith.
‘I keep coming back to the commandment, “Love your neighbour as yourself,”’ she says.
‘If I had got nothing and I needed all these things, I would want somebody to be showing enough love to provide them for me. People don’t need judging, they need loving.’
Jayne-Claire
fellow
Moses baskets
‘God does a lot of business on mountains’
Star of ITV1’s The Summit the Rev WARREN FURMAN reveals why he agreed to climb a peak in New Zealand and how his faith gave him strength for the journey
Interview by Claire Brine
When ITV producers asked the Rev Warren Furman to take part in a new and mysterious ‘ultimate challenge’ TV show, the former star of Gladiators asked God what he should do.
‘To begin with, I was really sceptical,’ says Warren, who found fame in the 1990s as the Gladiator Ace but now serves as an Anglican priest based at St Kat’s Church in west London. ‘I don’t pursue television work any more, so why would this programme want me? I decided to pray about it, saying: “Lord, if this is you, then open the door. But if it’s not right, then slam it shut.”’
After discerning that the door was being flung wide open, Warren found himself flying halfway across the world to take part in The Summit, an adventure reality series in which 14 strangers are given 14 days to reach the peak of one of New Zealand’s most spectacular mountains. As viewers would expect, there’s a hefty prize pot on offer, but the group must
navigate treacherous terrain, endure wild conditions and tackle extraordinary challenges if they want to take the cash home.
Speaking to me before the programme’s final episode is broadcast on Tuesday (17 March), Warren confesses that he is ‘sworn to secrecy’ about whether or not he makes it to the top of the mountain. But he can reveal the reasons why he signed up for the show.
I wrote some verses of Scripture in my coat
‘Ithink
that one of the biggest problems for Christians can be comfortable complacency,’ he explains. ‘I’d been getting a bit lazy. But Christian life begins at the end of our comfort zone – and if we’re not stretching, we’re shrinking. So when I was offered this opportunity for an adventure, I was intrigued by it.
‘On the other side of that, I know that reality TV can be toxic. There’s a lot of jeopardy, arguments and back-stabbing. So I said to the producers that I didn’t want to bring the Church into disrepute if they were going to set me up in situations that would undermine my ministry. Their response was that they wanted the programme to have heart – to show that there can be goodness in people and how much we need a moral compass in extreme situations. After that, I felt assured that the programme was going to be one of integrity.’
Once he’d signed up for the series, Warren undertook fitness and psychological tests to ensure that he could handle the challenge in front of him. He had no idea what the adventure would entail.
‘I didn’t know I’d be going to New Zealand until my plane ticket arrived,’ he says. ‘I didn’t know I was going to be climbing a mountain. I didn’t meet any of the contestants until the challenge actually
started. We’d been kept apart, isolated in our hotel rooms for a week, while the production crew set things up.’
Feeling fed up with staring at the same four walls, Warren read his Bible in preparation for the mysterious fortnight ahead.
‘I used a fabric marker to write some verses from Scripture inside my coat,’ he says. ‘I thought that if there came a point over the next two weeks where I was coming to the end of myself, I’d have words from the Bible to help me.’
Once the 14-day climb began, the contestants learnt more about the trek that lay ahead of them and how the competition would play out.
Presenter Ben Shephard gave each individual an equal share of
the £200,000 cash prize to carry up the mountain in their rucksack – but added that money would be taken away from the group if any contestants were to quit the climb. There would also be physical challenges en route, designed to highlight the weakest team-mates, before they all had to vote on who should be sent home.
And the ominous Mountain’s Keeper – represented by a black helicopter –would be hovering nearby, monitoring the group’s actions and dropping instructions that were designed to present them with moral dilemmas.
‘Straightaway I knew that people would be competing with each other – not just for the money, but for airtime too,’ says Warren. ‘Here was the chance for fame. But that was a direction I’d been in before, as a Gladiator, and it took me away from
Warren faced tough physical challenges in ‘The Summit’
God. I didn’t want that to happen again. So I thought I’d take a back seat and watch what was happening around me.
‘As for the life-changing prize money, I knew that winning it would come with
Turn to page 10 f
From page 9
great responsibility. I believed that God would get me to the summit, as in the Bible he does a lot of business on mountains, so I kept asking him: “Lord, what do you want me to do with this cash?”
‘While the money was on my mind, it’s not the reason I took part in the show. I went on The Summit to God and to share my faith. I wanted to show the group that fame for five minutes isn’t as important as serving the God who created them – a God who wanted to give them an incredible adventure in this lifetime and the next.
‘I also tried to point out that if we’re loving money – and using people to get it – then we’re getting things back to front. We needed to show love to each other in this group.’
In The Summit, I tried to put others first
Butloving his neighbours wasn’t something that Warren always found easy – especially when he was hungry, tired, pushed to his physical limits, sleeping in sub-zero temperatures and missing his family. For all the climbers, when the going got tough, tensions emerged.
‘When you’re separated from the group to do an on-the-fly interview to camera, the paranoia can be difficult to deal with,’ Warren explains. ‘You’re asked leading questions in the hope that you’ll respond with something juicy. People in the group start playing mind games and attacking one another. You don’t know if you’re going to be betrayed.
‘But this is where my faith helped me, because I could pray: “Lord, I don’t know if I can trust this person. But I know I can trust you.” That helped me to stay focused.’
On hand to stir up trouble was the Mountain’s Keeper. Warren describes its presence as a ‘malevolent force’, designed to cause chaos and create division.
‘It was like the beast in the story Lord of the Flies,’ he says. ‘You think the Mountain’s Keeper is this big scary thing, but actually the darkness it represented was within us all – and that’s what we should be afraid of.’
When a particular moment during the
‘Later that night, I was in tears. I prayed: “Lord, you put me here to bring peace, and yet I’ve nearly had a punch-up with this fella. I’ve sinned against him and against
changed between us.’
When Dockers discovered that Warren had been Ace on Gladiators, he was full of admiration for his team-mate – and the
Before becoming a priest, Warren was on TV as the Gladiator known as Ace
pair developed a mutual respect. Others, too, showed an interest in Warren’s former TV career, and then the questions also started coming about his life as a priest and the God that he believed in. Unofficially, Warren says, he’d found himself a new congregation. Cameras even showed him leading the group in prayer.
‘Nothing of significance happens without praying,’ explains Warren. ‘So for me to pray God’s blessing and protection over us meant everything. And I sensed that, after I had prayed, there was more peace in the group. It brought a unity that wasn’t there before.’
Warren also enjoyed sharing his faith in one-to-one conversations. He was grateful for the ‘incredible opportunity’ he had to chat with fellow contestant Drew about God’s life-changing love.
‘We’d had a few chats about the gospel, and he asked me for prayer. I said: “There comes a point when you can talk to God yourself. What are your objections to inviting him into your life?” And he said he had no objections. So Drew and I prayed together. He became a child of God on that mountain.’
Another of Warren’s standout moments occurred when the group were told by the Mountain’s Keeper that they needed to run across a valley to the helicopter in order
to secure their survival in the competition. But there weren’t enough seats for everyone on board, meaning the slowest team-mate to reach the chopper would be going home.
‘Initially, I thundered towards the helicopter like a racehorse,’ says Warren, ‘but then I remembered Jesus’ words: “Those who are last will be first in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Being a Christian isn’t about getting, it’s about giving. So when I looked back and saw Tara scrambling along, I thought: “I’m supposed to be a man of God! I can’t trample over her and fly off.” So I ran alongside her and let her reach the helicopter before me. I have zero regrets about listening to God in that moment.’
Warren’s decision to put himself last meant his place in the competition was in jeopardy – but a surprise twist ended up keeping him on the team. Though the group were astounded by the selflessness of Warren’s actions, he saw it as just another opportunity for him to share his faith.
‘Actions speak louder than words,’ he says. ‘And people don’t care what you know, until they know that you care. In my time on The Summit, I tried to put others first, apologise when I got things wrong and show forgiveness. And then when my team-mates saw that I wasn’t just talking
the talk, but walking the walk, I could say to them: “It’s not me that’s doing these things – it’s Jesus in me. This is what it means to be a Christian.” To have the opportunity to share the gospel in this way has been fantastic.’
Though Warren remains tight-lipped about how the show is going to end (and who takes home the prize money), one subject he says he will never stop talking about publicly is the love of God. It changed his life – and he hopes it will change others too.
‘Life is not a game of Monopoly where you’ve got to claw your way to the top,’ he says. ‘The message of the gospel is that God is with you and he loves you. He created you for an incredible adventure. And all of us are invited to respond to him.’
Presenter Ben Shephard
Your prayers are requested for Henry, who has hurt his foot.
The War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their circumstances, for publication. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.
Becoming a Christian
There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God
Nigel Bovey gives chapter
and
verse on each book of the Scriptures
1 Thessalonians
Paul’s missionary visit to Thessalonica (the modern-day Greek city of Thessaloniki) is recorded in Acts 17. While there, in the synagogue, he used the Jewish Scriptures in ‘explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead’ (Acts 17:3 New International Version). Some Jews and many Greeks became Christians, but others chased Paul out of town.
In the first of two letters to the city’s Christians, Paul reminds them that they ‘turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God’ (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Their faith is well known and they are ‘a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia’ (1:7). He is grateful for their response to, and partnership in, the gospel (chapter 2).
Paul’s main topic is the second coming of Jesus.
Lord Jesus Christ,
I know that I have done things in my life that are wrong and I’m sorry.
Thank you that I can ask you for forgiveness because of the sacrifice you made when you died on the cross.
Please forgive me and help me to live a better life in the future as I learn how to love you and follow your way of living.
Thank you, Lord Jesus.
If you’ve prayed this prayer, scan the QR code or contact us using the coupon on this page
The day of Christ’s return – the ‘day of the Lord’ (5:2) – will be unmistakable. He writes: ‘The Lord himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God’ (4:16).
God will then gather two groups of Christian believers: those who have died and those who are alive.
God will raise the dead (those who have ‘fallen asleep’) to life (4:14). Indeed, they will be raised before Christ attends to the living (4:16). To the bereaved, this offers the hope of an eternal reunion.
The living will then be ‘caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air’, after which they will be with him for ever (4:17).
Paul goes on to say that such insight requires a twofold response: the avoidance of speculation and a constant state of readiness. Times and dates are not the issue (5:1).
To the unprepared, though, Christ’s return will be as unannounced, unexpected and unwanted as the workings of a thief (5:4).
Paul, therefore, urges his readers to be alert and alive in their faith (5:6–22). He prays that God will keep them ‘blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (5:23).
To receive basic reading about Christianity and information about The Salvation Army, complete this coupon and send it to
War Cry 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ
QUICK QUIZ
1 2 3 4 5 6
Which Shakespeare character’s last words are ‘The rest is silence’?
Who is the author of the novel When the Cranes Fly South?
Social media platform X was formerly known by what name?
The US English spelling of the word ‘colour’ excludes which letter?
Which singer won international artist of the year at last month’s Brit awards?
Dry ice is the solid form of which gas?
Ready to go
English Tourism Week highlights how
holidaymakers
don’t need to look too far
ANSWERS
Feature by Ewan Hall
The peak holiday season may still be some distance away, but many people are already dreaming of their next break. And English Tourism Week aims to show that a getaway doesn’t always require a plane or passport.
The event, which runs until Sunday (22 March), is designed to kick-start the spring and summer holiday season by supporting businesses and highlighting the positive impact that tourism has on communities around the country. VisitEngland – which leads the campaign – reports that the tourist industry generates £127 billion annually for the economy and provides more than 2 million jobs.
Of course, the positive effect of holidays is felt not only by those running attractions, accommodation, shops and eateries, but also by those exploring the location – and VisitEngland wants to raise awareness of the quality and variety of experiences available. Like the other UK nations, England offers historical landmarks to stir emotions, countryside that inspires awe and cities where visitors can discover all kinds of culture.
Home or away, a holiday is often a welcome distraction – a time when people escape life’s problems for a while. Sadly, though, for those who can get away from it all, even a holiday comes to an end, and any worries that were momentarily put aside return.
Yet what many desire from a break – a sense of relief and renewal – is not limited to a particular season or destination. The Bible says that rest is found not in a place but in a person. It describes how Jesus gives us all an invitation that doesn’t require travel, money or favourable circumstances.
Assuring people that God cared for them, Jesus told his listeners: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28 New International Version).
If we accept that invitation, we will receive a sense of peace that isn’t dependent on our situation. It doesn’t mean that our problems will suddenly disappear, but it does mean that we’ll be helped – wherever life takes us.
1. Perception (7) 5. Young dog (5)
Bewildered (7) 8. Spacious (5) 10. Eager (4)
11. Dead end (3-2-3)
13. Vibration (6)
14. Help (6)
17. Tied (8)
19. Compact (4) 21. Slack (5) 22. Elucidate (7) 23. Arouse (5) 24. Theft (7)
2. Be enough (7)
3. Festival (4)
4. Boredom (6)
5. Heaven (8)
6. Religious (5)
7. Very pretty (9)
9. Sailor (9)
12. Expected (8)
15. Copy (7)
16. Disclose (6) 18. Startle (5) 20. Incentive (4)
HONEYCOMB
Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number
Charlie Brown’s dog
American biscuit
Ten years 4. Deliver a religious message 5. Middle Eastern market 6. Distress signal
Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9
Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these synonyms for ‘caring’
Larceny.
Tikka turkey balls
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1 yellow pepper
1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1tbsp ground cumin
20g fresh coriander, finely chopped
2tbsp mango chutney
3tbsp masala curry paste
500g turkey mince
2tbsp low-fat natural yogurt
Wash the pepper, slice in half and remove the seeds and white pith. Chop finely.
Put the pepper and onion in a mixing bowl, along with the cumin, coriander, chutney and curry paste.
Add the turkey mince and yogurt and stir well, so that the mixture sticks together.
Mould the mixture by hand into 24 small balls, each about the size of a golf ball. Leave them in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
Barbecue tomato sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 red pepper
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
3tsp brown sugar
2tsp light malt vinegar
2tsp soy sauce
METHOD
Wash the red pepper and cut it open. Remove any white pith and seeds, then roughly chop into 1-2cm pieces. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 2-3 minutes, until soft.
Add the pepper and continue to cook until starting to soften. Stir in the garlic.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce.
Simmer gently for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Serve the sauce as a topping for burgers or on baked potatoes, or blend until smooth to use with cooked meat, sausages or pasta.
The
steadfast of the Lord never ceases
Lamentations 3:22 (English Standard Version)