Doctor’s appointment
Viewers find time and space to watch sci-fi series finale
‘We had our own Salt Path experience’
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
The train first took the strain for passengers 200 years ago, when Locomotion No 1 picked up people, as well as freight, as it made its inaugural journey in the North East of England.
Today – points failures, leaves on the line and power outages aside –trains carry passengers on more than a billion journeys every year in the UK. But, while the people who work on the railways take the strain in getting passengers from a to b, who looks after them?
As we discover in this week’s War Cry, Railway Mission is a Christian organisation that provides chaplains across the rail network. Those chaplains are there to provide support to the people who work on the railways as well as to those who travel on it.
‘Thirty-one per cent of what the chaplains deal with is work-related trauma, and that can be assaults, fatalities – including assumed suicides and fatal accidents – or major incidents,’ Liam Johnston, Railway Mission’s executive director, tells us. ‘To me, that figure shows an industry in which there is a real need for pastoral support.’
One of the chaplains offering such support is John Roe. He explains that the chaplains try to do as many routine visits as possible as well as handing out cards and putting up posters so that, if anyone does want a chaplain, they know how to make contact.
John explains that, once contact is made, the chaplains are happy to chat about anything.
Editor: Andrew Stone, Major
Deputy 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: William and Catherine Booth
International leaders: General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham
Territorial leaders: Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main
Editor-in-Chief: Major Julian Watchorn
‘There’s nothing off-limits that you can talk to us about,’ he says. ‘And that includes – if you want to – spiritual matters. I’ve never had so much opportunity to share my faith.’
It is the chaplains’ faith in a loving God that motivates their work with Railway Mission. They believe that he is interested in every single person on the planet and cares about what is going on in their lives.
It doesn’t matter where our life’s journey has taken us. We can always experience God’s love the minute we get on board with him.
Your local Salvation Army centre
INFO INFO
Time is of the essence
The Doctor and his companion face their biggest challenge yet in series finale
TV feature: Doctor Who Saturday BBC1 and iPlayer and selected cinemas
By Ewan Hall
To use the Doctor’s own words, it has been a ‘timey-wimey wibbly wobbly’ second series for his 15th regeneration, played by Ncuti Gatwa – that is to say, its plot has been jumping forward and backward among different places and different eras. But this weekend it comes to an end. And Whovians can catch the Doctor Who finale at home or in more than 450 cinemas.
The series has introduced fans to the Doctor’s new, albeit reluctant, companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), a nurse who lives on Earth in 2025. Her life was turned upside down when she was abducted by robots from the star system of Missbelindachandra.
It turned out that a star certificate given to Belinda several years previously by her boyfriend, which bought ownership rights to a star he named after her, had unintentionally made her queen of the star system. Learning of her abduction, the Doctor gave chase in the Tardis to save her.
After defeating the robots, the Doctor tried to return Belinda to Earth, as she wished, but the Tardis was not able
to land.
So for the rest of the series, the Doctor and Belinda have hopscotched across planets and time, trying to get her home. In the process, they have faced a terrifying and malevolent God of Light as well as a creature that lurks in the shadows, a story-stealing barber and an alien who hijacked an interstellar song contest.
There has also been a brief appearance by the Doctor’s previous companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), who was back on Earth and working with the Unified Intelligence Taskforce (Unit), which defends Earth from extraterrestrial and paranormal threats.
In the series finale, the Doctor faces his greatest challenge yet. And showrunner Russell T Davies can’t wait for viewers to see it play out.
‘The Doctor is doomed,’ he says. ‘Belinda is lost, Ruby is trapped, Unit is powerless, the Unholy Trinity rule supreme and the Underverse is rising. I can promise shocks, scares and revelations off the scale.’
The whimsy of Doctor Who and time-
travelling adventures may sometimes prompt audiences to wonder what they would do if they could control the Tardis. The idea of going back in time to ‘fix’ our lives may appeal.
Whether it’s words that hurt the people we care about, actions we wish we could take back or decisions that spiralled into consequences we never saw coming –most of us have something in our past we would like to go back and change.
The reality is, we don’t have a Tardis, and we can’t change what we have done. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t make a fresh start.
If we confess our wrongdoing to God, who is compassionate, he will forgive us. One Bible writer said: ‘He has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west’ (Psalm 103:12 Easy-toRead Version).
And having forgiven our past mistakes, God will show us how we can move on from them.
Whatever sort of time we are going through, God’s forgiveness is always available, promising us hope as we journey into the future.
The Doctor and his companion Belinda Chandra
An awe-fully good idea
Olowofoyeku
This week, amid a regular dose of bad news, my eyes were drawn to an article on the medicinal properties of awe. The Times reported on research at Yale University which found that a daily dose of awe can ease depression.
‘Very simply, our work demonstrates that finding moments of awe in everyday life can improve depressive symptoms and overall wellbeing,’ said Maria Monroy, who led the study, in which 68 participants living with long Covid were divided into two groups.
We can find something to be
One group was asked to continue to live as usual. Those in the other group were invited to ‘pause a few times a day and seek out experiences that stirred a sense of wonder’. After a month, the latter group reported lower stress levels, fewer depressive symptoms and greater overall wellbeing.
amazed by
‘Awe can be found anywhere and everywhere,’ Maria said. The trick was to make the time to recognise it. ‘Take a few seconds, a few times a day, to slow down, pay attention, and expand on those awesome moments,’ she said.
I’m not surprised at the findings. I’ve known the benefits of awe in my own life – awe being the feeling I get when I see or experience things that I can’t fully understand or explain, but are undeniably wonderful. It’s why I love spending time by the sea.
Staring out into the vast body of water and listening to the rushing of waves always leaves me feeling calmer, more hopeful, less anxious. But it’s not just the object itself that benefits me; the object reminds me of the vastness and power of God, who created all things.
I also try to pay attention to less obvious signs and wonders, such as how my fingers are even typing this article right now, which again reminds me of how amazing God is.
I think the practice of awe benefits everyone. No matter where we are, we can look to find something to be amazed by – whether it’s a beautiful landscape, the gift of new life or simply the weather outside our window.
And it will certainly do us good, especially if we remember God, who is behind it all.
talk talk Team talk Team talk ‘ ’ j TEA M TALK
The Salvation Army is to launch a mobile community space in Ebbsfleet Garden City.
Housed in a specially adapted events lorry, the space will take vital services, such as health workshops, youth activities, employment support and pastoral care, directly to places where people live, work and gather around the new garden city in north Kent.
With support and funding from Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Dartford Borough Council, the vehicle is now being built and is expected to hit the road next spring.
‘We are thrilled to be taking this significant step,’ says Louise Finch, pioneer leader for The Salvation Army in Ebbsfleet. ‘This will enable us to respond flexibly to the needs of this growing community and break down barriers.’
Louise Finch
WAR CRYWnRLD
TV presenter has ‘God to lean on’
Alison Hammond described the Bible as her ‘guide to life’ in an interview with The Times.
The presenter of ITV1’s This Morning told the paper that she always carries her Bible with her, explaining: ‘If I don’t have the book with me, I pull up the Psalms on my phone. Faith is the most important thing in my life and one reason behind my success. Nothing worries me. In good times or bad, I’ve got God to lean on.’
Alison also said that she was grateful for her faith and the things that had happened in her life. ‘You have to give thanks,’ she said. ‘Always.’
Climate change risk to bananas
The global supply of bananas is at risk because of climate change, according to Christian Aid.
In its report Going Bananas, the international development charity highlights how climate change poses a threat to Latin America and the Caribbean, which produce some 80 per cent of the world’s banana exports. It says rising temperatures mean that 60 per cent of suitable banana-growing areas in Latin America could be lost by 2080.
The report also reveals the problems faced by banana growers in Guatemala, who are already finding that high heat caused by climate change is killing crops and threatening livelihoods.
‘We need to wake up to the danger posed by climate change,’ says Osai Ojigho, director of policy and campaigns at Christian Aid. ‘As part of the Paris Agreement, countries will this year update their emissions reductions targets. This is a huge opportunity for countries to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy whilst also ensuring climate finance reaches people in desperate need of it.’
Congregations see church growth
More people are attending church than before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey commissioned by the Evangelical Alliance.
The findings, published in the Changing Church 2025 report, highlight that large churches have been experiencing growth, though smaller churches still face struggles with income and volunteering.
Danny Webster, head of advocacy and research for the Evangelical Alliance, notes: ‘The research demonstrates that churches have changed since they were forced to close in the pandemic. Larger churches are growing and smaller churches are struggling, but churches of all sizes are seeing people join them.’
The report says that church attendance has increased 13 per cent since January 2020, and firsttime commitments to follow Jesus have doubled compared with 2021.
Amelia, a farmer, beside her dying banana plant in Guatemala
Pathfinders
The Salt Path, a film about a couple who embark on an epic walk after becoming homeless, is coming to cinemas. To mark its release, two people who found themselves in a similar situation tell how The Salvation Army helped them through
Feature by Emily Bright
While treating themselves to a cream tea in Somerset, walkers Moth (played by Jason Isaacs) and Ray Winn (Gillian Anderson) get chatting to a man and his family. When he asks them where they are going, the couple tell him that their destination is Land’s End. He asks them if they’re retired. ‘Homeless actually. We lost our home,’ Moth replies, in The Salt Path, a film which is inspired by a true story and is out in cinemas this week.
Based on Raynor Winn’s bestselling memoir of the same name, the film tells how the couple were evicted from their farm in Wales, causing them to lose their livelihood and almost everything they owned, after Moth made a bad investment. To make matters worse, their eviction came soon after Moth was diagnosed with a terminal neurological illness, corticobasal degeneration.
As the couple hid in the house, with bailiffs banging at the door, Ray spotted a copy of a guidebook to the South West Coast Path and suggested that
they start walking the 630-mile route to give them time to process everything that had happened. Taking one tent and two rucksacks, they headed out on their journey.
As their walk unfolds on screen, they camp in harsh weather conditions and survive off sparse food supplies paid for by weekly tax credits. Ray does her best to support Moth as his movement is impaired by his illness.
Along the way, they see both the good and bad in humanity. While some people pass judgement on their living situation, the kindness of strangers offers them hope.
Through their trek – and amid their intense hardship – the couple discover the restorative beauty of nature and what’s really important to them.
A couple in a strikingly similar living
situation, Andy and Jo, were helped by The Salvation Army after their landlord pushed up their rent to a rate that they could not afford. After the no-fault eviction, Andy collapsed with heart failure – meaning that Jo had to leave her job to look after him.
Like Ray and Moth, Andy and Jo decided to embark on a coastal trek. The couple walked the Cornish coast for 297 days, living in a tent during stormy and snowy weather.
To begin with, Andy couldn’t walk more than 10 steps with a backpack without getting out of breath, and the couple had to schedule stop-offs to replenish his heart medication. But their mutual encouragement and support of one another also helped. ‘We would pick up each other,’ Andy remembers.
As winter drew closer, Andy and Jo
Pathfinders
Jo and Andy’s story has parallels to the one told in ‘The Salt Path’
were looking for a place to pitch their tent in Falmouth. But, with the help of council workers, they got more than they expected – they were referred to The Salvation Army, which provided them with breakfast, clothing and washing and drying facilities. The church and charity also signposted the couple to the Health for Homeless service in Cornwall, which gave them free health check-ups.
‘That’s when it came to light that my potassium levels were dangerously high,’ recalls Andy. ‘I was in danger of having a heart attack. If we had still been on the coastal path, I could have been in the middle of nowhere, so we count our blessings.’
The Salvation Army was also able to source and offer some funding for temporary accommodation over the winter. And on Valentine’s Day this year
– Andy’s birthday – the couple picked up the keys to a permanent home in Newquay, not far from the coastal path that they had walked.
Anyone can become homeless
TheSalvation Army supports many other people experiencing homelessness through its churches and centres across Cornwall. It runs community cafés, which offer breakfast and lunch, and provides long-term temporary accommodation at its hostels – known as Lifehouses – which offer specialist support with mental health and addiction issues.
Captain Karen Thomas, who leads The Salvation Army’s church in
Falmouth, says: ‘We’re so glad Andy and Jo found us when they did and that we were able to help with immediate practical support.
‘We’re seeing an increasing number of people walk through our doors who are forced to live on the streets or in precarious accommodation. While not everyone’s backstory gets turned into a book and film, we know that anyone can become homeless, whether through nofault evictions, family break-ups, illness or addiction or job loss.
‘Everyone should have access to a stable and affordable home, and no one should be sleeping on the streets.’
Thanks to The Salvation Army, many people experiencing homelessness across the UK and Republic of Ireland are able to get their lives back on the right track.
New film ‘The Salt Path’ tells the story of a couple who trek a coastal path after being made homeless
AT YOUR
Train travel has come far in the 200 years since the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway – and a group
that has its origins in the early years of the railways is still caring for the people who work and
make journeys on the network
Feature by Philip Halcrow
From Stockton and Darlington to London, Cardiff, Stirling – and Dresden, Budapest and Manila.
Locations around the world are holding events to mark the bicentenary of the first steam-powered passenger service, which signalled – in the words of the organisers of the Railway 200 celebrations – ‘the birth of the modern railway’.
Since 27 September 1825, when George Stephenson’s Locomotion No 1 hauled wagons of coal and picked up passengers in the North East of England, the railway has come a long way. Every year in the UK alone it carries passengers on 1.4 billion journeys between more than 2,500 stations.
And over the history of train travel, a group of people has been offering support to railway workers and travelling members of the public.
The friendly face arriving on platform 1 at Paddington station is John Roe, a chaplain with Railway Mission. He walks through the station, passing the time of day with Andreea, who is helping passengers at the ticket gates. He disappears briefly with a disorientated member of the public to show them how to get to the correct Underground line. He greets another member of staff,
Patrick, who tells me: ‘John is always available, and he’ll always have a solution to a problem.’
We’re all trained in offering trauma support
Before heading to Paddington, John made his first stop of the day in a back office at King’s Cross for a regular monthly meeting of the Railway Mission chaplains, who travel in from the various areas of the country where they carry out their ministry. At today’s meeting, they consider subjects such as how they can best support the people who respond when a person is hit
by a train – and they speak to me about their work.
Showing the data on the kinds of help that the chaplains give, Liam Johnston, Railway Mission’s executive director, explains: ‘Thirty-one per cent of what the chaplains deal with is work-related trauma, and that can be assaults, fatalities – including assumed suicides and fatal accidents – or major incidents. To me, that figure shows an industry in which there is a real need for pastoral support.’
John – a Baptist minister, who lives in the
Liam Johnston
Chaplain John Roe chats with gateline assistant Andreea at Paddington
SERVICE
historic train town of Swindon and linked up with Railway Mission after retiring from church ministry – agrees.
‘We’re all trained in offering trauma support. And mostly,’ he says, pointing at his ears, ‘it’s about using these.
‘We’re party to some quite distressing stories. Then sometimes – because of the impartiality of our support – the people we speak with will open up about other issues that they’re facing.’
Tony Miller, a chaplain for the southern area of the network, says that he finds his work can be challenging.
‘There can be a lot of fatalities, but at the moment I’m also dealing with a lot of death in service. A lot of staff are dying for one reason or another – illnesses or a heart attack. I had a call from a manager at a station this morning, because a member of staff had passed away suddenly. So I went and spoke to all the colleagues of the person who had died. Some of them were crying. It was very emotional.
‘I had another death in service at a different station last week. He had had cancer and was dying, but he didn’t tell anyone. When I got to the station, big strapping men were leaning against the
wall just crying.
‘But the work can also veer off in other directions. I have spoken to a few drivers who had problems in their marriage. I have gone to their house, counselled the driver and his wife, and, by God’s grace, have been able to help them restore their marriage – which is fantastic.’
As well as assumed suicides, attempted suicides and fatal and non-fatal accidents, the chaplains are called out to major incidents. Liam says that Railway Mission chaplains have responded to terrorist attacks – such as the Manchester Arena bombing – as well as to train crashes.
‘We were also at Grenfell Tower – it was not related to the railway, but we were there because British Transport Police
Turn to page 10 f
Tony Miller
An illustration of a guard and fireman talking about faith, from an 1884 Railway Mission magazine
PHILIP HALCROW
From page 9
were helping with the forensic recovery of the remains of the victims.’
Dylis George, who worked as a hospital chaplain before switching to the railways, has been part of Railway Mission’s response to terrorist attacks on London Bridge and Westminster Bridge.
‘I was there to support staff and British Transport Police officers,’ she says. ‘Up to now, I know it has gone down in their history how much Railway Mission supported them during those times.’
Liam talks of being emailed by someone who took part in the disaster victim identification process after the Manchester Arena attack.
‘He said that at the time he hadn’t talked to me, that he hadn’t wanted to talk to me. He said that he didn’t have any religious faith. But he wanted to thank me for being present at Manchester, because having us there enabled him to do what he needed to do.’
The chaplains have also been on hand for railway staff facing stress relating to their employment. Liam recalls spending a day supporting people who were being called to an office to be told that they were being made redundant. He adds that the chaplains are there for all staff –including those in management.
‘Whether I am talking to the chief executive of Network Rail or a cleaner on their first day sweeping a platform, I am on first-name terms, because I’m talking to that person – as all chaplains do – as an equal.
‘Society talks about equality and diversity. The reality is that equality and diversity is at the heart of Christianity. We believe that everybody is equal. We’re there to support all.’
He underlines that Railway Mission’s chaplaincy ‘stands on more than 140 years of our history as a Christian organisation. We are open about that.’
Railway Mission’s history officially began in 1881 – though, as its archivist Dudley Clark has uncovered, individuals and groups had been caring for railway workers for years before.
In a Zoom call with me a few weeks before I meet the modern-day chaplains, Dudley says: ‘The London City Mission, which was formed in 1835,
was ministering to railwaymen and with the navvies building lines out of London. There was also a vicar called Pennefather, who got involved with all sorts of mission, including to railway people, and that was about 1866.
‘What really prompted the establishment of Railway Mission was the number of young men – teenagers, if you like – who were coming to London in their thousands to work on the railway. They were very vulnerable. There were about 1,500 of them around 1874. And that’s when the Railway Boys Mission was created.
‘The committee – which included some senior railway managers, as well as the great and the good, such as the Earl of Shaftesbury – set up social and educational activities, sports facilities
and Bible classes for these lads. Then in 1881 the committee decided that, as well as doing all these good things for the boys, they should spread the work to adults too, and so they created Railway Mission.
There’s nothing off-limits that you can talk to us about
‘That was the official starting point, but you can push the history back further than that. There were individuals and groups that had their own branches all over the country, and they sort of joined Railway Mission one by one.
‘There was a woman called Emma Saunders in Bristol, who was so concerned about the spiritual and physical welfare of the railway employees around her that a plaque at Bristol Temple Meads station pays tribute to her as “the railwaymen’s friend”.
Dudley Clark
London Paddington
Dylis George
‘A similar mission in Brighton was started by a woman called Elizabeth Gates in 1876. She was in contact with the senior management of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and was able to use the premises in their locomotive works to hold meetings for men.
‘Some of the branches of Railway Mission trace their history back to simple meetings held in waiting rooms on stations.’
Wherever they were held, the meetings had a profound effect. Publications of the time tell stories of people’s lives being changed when they heard the gospel.
‘And today,’ says Liam Johnston, ‘every day our chaplains are making a difference to people’s lives. Sometimes that difference may not be noticed immediately. I’m no scientist, but scientists say that when you observe something, you change its state. We’re changing the state of people. We’re moving them towards the point of knowing Christ. They might not realise that they’re on that journey – but then they see that, while at first
they thought we were a bunch of Biblebashers who were going to preach at them, actually we are OK and that God is OK, that God is good, that he cares.’
Later at Paddington station – where tourists wait for their turn to take pictures of each other with a bronze statue of a certain bear – John tells me how, at various times, staff on the railways have sought his help when they have found themselves in pressurised or tense working environments. But he also talks of happier times – such as when he conducted a marriage blessing on board a GWR service from London to Swansea.
As he walks through the offices, he is living out his description of the work of a chaplain.
‘We try to do as many routine visits as possible,’ he says. ‘We also know that if you’re out and about, just saying hello to people, you may have a destination in mind, but then you have to change your plans, because you bump into someone who wants to talk.
‘We hand out cards and put up posters so that, if anyone does want a chaplain, they know how to contact us. And when they do, they’ll become the highest priority for us to follow up.
‘There’s nothing off-limits that you can talk to us about, and that includes – if you want to – spiritual matters. I’ve never had so much opportunity to share my faith. People just ask. And it’s great when we’re invited to talk about what drives us.’
Your prayers are requested for Kathryn, who is working very hard; and for Doreen, who has hurt her back.
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’.
jBecoming 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
Browsing the Bible
Nigel Bovey gives chapter and verse on each book of the Scriptures
Proverbs
A book of moral instruction, Proverbs offers philosophical insight into and wisdom on issues of its time. The Hebrew word for ‘wisdom’ in the original text can be translated as ‘skill for living’. The question under consideration is how to live a godly life in an ungodly world.
Attributed to King Solomon (although other contributors are named), the book states that its purpose is to enable the reader to gain wisdom, discipline and prudence and to do what is right, just and fair (1:1–6).
Addressed to young men, the proverbs cover a wide range of everyday topics, including what makes a true friend (17:17), what kind of wife to choose (31:10–31) and avoid (5:3–14), and how best to bring up children (22:6). There is also advice on finances (11:4), generosity (3:9 and 10) and temperance (23:29–35).
In the book, wisdom is represented in female form as something – someone – to be desired and pursued. The writer extols virtues such as prudence and neighbourliness, and warns against such vices as pride, falsehood and laziness. Wisdom is the mechanism by which God created the universe (3:19). The key to obtaining such life-giving wisdom is to trust in, and honour, him (16:3).
The biggest challenge to the pursuit of wisdom is folly. In the King James Bible, the words ‘fool’, ‘foolishness’ and ‘folly’ occur dozens of times. Many proverbs compare the wise with the fool and point out the respective consequences of their attitudes and actions.
Lord Jesus Christ,
I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.
Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.
Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit.
Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.
Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen
The fool is not necessarily someone who is lacking in intelligence. Rather they are the person who relies on their own insight instead of seeking the will and guidance of God.
As well as deepening a relationship with God, the reader is encouraged to develop a social conscience. Those living in poverty are to be helped (22:9), the unjustly condemned are to be rescued (24:11) and the voiceless are to be given a spokesperson (31:8).
The tongue, though, is to be guarded (18:21). Lying and flattery are to be avoided (26:28), as are anger (15:1) and boasting (27:1).
The bottom-line message is that wisdom is more than the acquisition of knowledge; it is the basis of a lifestyle that honours God.
To receive basic reading about Christianity and information about The Salvation Army, complete this coupon and send it to
Or email your name and postal address to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk War Cry 1 Champion Park London SE5 8FJ
Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International
QUICK QUIZ
1 2 3 4 5 6
In which country is the Great Pyramid of Giza?
Which American children’s TV show features the character Cookie Monster?
Which Premier League football club’s badge includes a depiction of Prince Rupert’s Tower?
Who starred as Spock in the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
What is the lightest chemical element in the periodic table?
Which band had a No 1 hit with their album Kid A?
Martin is feeling down after losing his business
Out of power
Former boss has lost his spark
TV preview: The Power of Parker Fridays BBC1 and iPlayer
By Claire Brine
It’s an exciting day for the staff of Parker’s Power and Electricals. They’re up for a business prize at the Stockport Trade awards 1992. But, in the first episode of the returning sitcom The Power of Parker, former boss Martin Parker (Conleth Hill) is feeling down in the dumps. With no new job in sight, he’s resigned to spending his days on the sofa.
Ever since his ex-wife Diane (Rosie Cavaliero) started running the electricals store, Martin has watched his old business booming, and his morale sinking. His new girlfriend Kath (Sian Gibson) – who happens to be Diane’s sister – tries to encourage him to look for work, but her suggestion that he stops being so picky falls on deaf ears.
‘I’m Martin Parker – I can’t just do any old job,’ he tells her.
Then the electricity is cut off at home, and Martin realises that he must begin his job search in earnest. He heads to Oakvista Lodge retirement home, where he explains that he is looking for work because ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’.
After outlining what the role of a care worker entails, the centre manager leaves Martin to get on with his new job. But how will he cope with the fact that his life isn’t turning out as he planned?
Perhaps his feeling of disappointment is something that many of us can identify with – life doesn’t always go as we hope. We may be in the middle of a good day, then something happens to make it a bad day. Perhaps we are facing a painful present or worrying about an uncertain future.
Though life is unpredictable, Christians believe that God’s presence is not – rather he promises to stick with anyone who puts their trust in him, through thick and thin.
During a time of change and uncertainty, one figure in the Bible received the assurance: ‘The Lord will lead you... He will always be with you and help you, so don’t ever be afraid’ (Deuteronomy 31:8 Contemporary English Version).
Whatever difficulties we may be facing, God’s presence provides us with an everlasting hope – and a power that helps make life better every single day.
ACROSS
1. Grade (5)
4. Scarper (5)
8. Entire (3)
9. Notes (5)
10. Pulsate (5)
11. Nap (3)
12. Ledge (5)
13. Protrude (7)
16. Sweepstake (6)
19. Drink (6)
23. Not move (4, 3)
26. Shifted (5)
28. Golf drive-off point (3)
29. Hospital photographs (1-4)
30. At no time (5)
31. Take a seat (3)
32. Brushed (5)
33. Senior (5)
2. Church passage (5)
3. Full bag (7)
4. Slipshod (6)
5. Proportion (5)
6. Signalling code (5)
7. First appearance (5)
solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round
Simple drawing
9. Skinflint (5)
14. Front sail (3)
15. Male swan (3)
17. Appropriate (3)
18. Insect (3)
20. Keepsake (7)
21. Type of duck (5)
22. Confirm (6)
23. Three score (5)
24. Accumulate (5)
25. Ski run (5)
27. Very colourful (5)
Nationality of Hans
Pork and chicken picnic pie
INGREDIENTS
500g plain flour
125g lard
125g butter
4 eggs
Salt and pepper
150g sage and onion stuffing mix
250g onions, finely chopped
1kg pork sausage meat
15g fresh thyme, chopped
250g apples, cored and sliced
2 chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
250g onion chutney
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5.
Put the flour, lard and butter in a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Beat 3 of the eggs and add them to the food processor along with a little water and a pinch of salt and pepper, then pulse a few times to bring the pastry together. Turn it out on a floured worktop and knead a couple of times to bring together. Add more water if it is too dry.
Reserve a third of the pastry. Roll out the other two thirds on a floured worktop and use it to line a 23cm springform tin. Leave an overhang around the edges.
Place the stuffing mix in a bowl and add enough boiling water to make a thick stuffing. Add the onions and mix well, then leave to stand.
Place the sausage meat in a bowl and add half the thyme. Season with salt and mix well.
Cover the bottom of the pastry with an even layer of the stuffing mix, gently pressing it down, then spoon half of the sausage meat mix over the top.
Add the apple in a layer over the top of the sausage meat and sprinkle over the remaining thyme. Layer the chicken over the apple and thyme and cover with a layer of chutney. Put the remaining sausage meat over the chutney and press gently.
Beat the remaining egg.
Roll out the remaining pastry to make a lid. Brush the edges with the egg wash, then place the pastry lid on top of the filling and fold over the overhang. Seal by crimping the edges and make a hole in the middle.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/Gas Mark 3 and continue to bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the filling is piping hot. Remove from the oven and slice into portions, to serve.
Diane E Arnold