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.
WAR CRY Issue No 7550
Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org
GLOBAL pop superstar Dua Lipa’s invitation in the song ‘Levitating’ to ‘come on, dance with me’ may have sounded like instant nostalgia when clubs closed last year. No one was dancing with, meeting with or listening to the music with anyone. Lockdowns have been difficult for the club scene, says Luke Rollins, a DJ who is part of a ministry that prays with and supports DJs. ‘All the jobs, events and revenue streams dried up,’ he says. ‘We’re still witnessing the fallout from last year, when people were getting through lockdowns by using alcohol or drugs.’ He tells us that, at any time, the joy of DJing can come with a flipside: ‘You can be playing in front of thousands of people one minute, and the next minute you’re in a hotel room on your own with no one to talk to.’ Luke is aware that some people may not understand why he wants to mix with the club scene, which is ‘rife’ with drugs and people who have ‘openly rejected’ church. But he takes his cue from what he reads about Jesus in the Bible. He says: ‘I’m always encouraged when I see Jesus interact with people who others thought he shouldn’t.’ Ann-Marie Wilson works in a very different environment. The HR consultant retrained as a midwife to learn more about female genital mutilation and campaign against it. At times she felt unqualified for the task, but she ‘thought about Jesus, believing that if he was around today, he’d be sat talking and eating with women who had suffered FGM’. ‘With’ is a tiny word, but has huge implications. Luke and Ann-Marie know that Jesus made a difference to people by being with them. And, through their actions, Christians want to live out the reality they have discovered – that ad the War C e re ry v the love of God, revealed by Jesus, is still ’ u with us.
CONTENTS
Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies Published weekly by The Salvation Army © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton, on sustainably sourced paper
INFO Your local Salvation Army centre
2 • WAR CRY • 6 November 2021
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Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight
From the editor’s desk
When yo
What is The Salvation Army?
6 8
FEATURES
3
Let the games begin
Alex Scott hosts The Tournament
5
No need to shout
Campaign aims to improve
communication 6
Cans do
DJ’s ministry to DJs
8
Eradicating FGM
‘I just knew I needed to do my best’
REGULARS
4 War Cry World 12 Team Talk 13 Past Times
15
14 Puzzle 15 War Cry Kitchen Front-page picture: BBC/QITV LTD/GRAEME HUNTER