The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church
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 7516
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 Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 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 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 Territory with the Republic of Ireland 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 Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper
Your local Salvation Army centre
INFO 2 • WAR CRY • 13 March 2021
EDITOR From the editor’s desk TOMORROW (Sunday 14 March), many mothers will be receiving the traditional burnt-toast-and-cold-coffee breakfast in bed from eager young children who want to show their mum how special she is. However, with lockdown restrictions still in place, Mother’s Day this year will be very different for some mums. There will be no big family get-togethers with bouquets, chocolates and cards. Sadly, though, for other mums and their children, a Mother’s Day spent apart won’t be any different from previous years. Mother’s Day is not easy for everyone. It can bring back memories of family break-ups or bereavement and reinforce emotions of loneliness. It can be a day that reminds us how tough life can be. Leslie Gray Streeter has certainly experienced tough times. In an interview in this week’s War Cry, she describes how her husband Scott died one evening after suffering a heart attack. The couple were in the process of adopting a son – something Leslie continued to do despite her heartache. Now she shares her life with her son, Brooks. Hers is a story of a woman who has overcome challenges. Father Daniel Alkhory has faced very different tough times in his life. He was only 16 years old when he and his family had to flee their home in Baghdad or risk being killed by al-Qaeda. Since then, he explains this week, he has helped hundreds of people in Iraq who have also lost their homes because of the extremists of the selfstyled Islamic State. While the struggles Daniel and Leslie have faced are different, they have shared a common way of dealing with them – by turning to their faith. ‘My Christian faith meant I felt I was never alone, and that was comforting,’ Leslie tells us. That comfort is available to anyone who asks. Whatever the problem may be, however desperate the situation, God is able to help – there are no restrictions on what he can do.
CONTENTS
What is The Salvation Army?
FEATURES 3
Positive parenting
Film features the family who love to say ‘yes’
5
Adoption through the heartache
A mum’s determination despite her loss
8
Attacked for their faith
The plight of Christians in Iraq
REGULARS 4
War Cry World
12
Team Talk
13
Now, There’s a Thought!
14 Puzzles 15
5
War Cry Kitchen
8
Front-page picture: MATT KENNEDY/NETFLIX ©2021
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