War Cry 14 September

SINCE

1879

14 September 2019 20p/25c

S YEAARRCRY 140 W THE OF

RESTYLES FOR THE FUTURE Fashion upcycling to save the environment

HOPE AND GLORY? Royal Albert Hall hosts Last Night of the Proms

Many Abbey returns

WRITER JULIAN FELLOWES ON REUNITING THE DOWNTON ABBEY CAST FOR NEW FILM

What is The Salvation Army?

2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR CRY • 14 September 2019

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

From the editor’s desk THE Prince of Wales and punk fashion designers Vin and Omi may seem an unlikely match, but visitors to London Fashion Week are due to see the results of their collaboration on Tuesday (17 September).

At a time when the prickly issue of sustainability in the clothing industry is at the forefront of many campaigners’ agendas, the designers, who class their style as 1980s Camden punk, have used nettles from Prince Charles’s Highgrove estate to produce a new range of clothing.

‘Nettles are perceived to have no value,’ says designer Omi, adding that he aims to challenge thinking within the fashion industry.

‘We want to start people thinking about how fashion can work with what the environment has on offer, rather than forcing itself on the environment in harmful ways,’ he explains.

That concept is echoed by Christina Dean, the founder of fashion charity Redress and clothes brand the R Collective. In this week’s War Cry she tells how she was inspired to start the upcycling charity and label after seeing the amount of waste and pollution within the industry.

‘The beauty of upcycling,’ Christina says, ‘is that creativity can change something that’s deemed to be worthless into something beautiful.’

It is hard not to be inspired by stories of positive transformation – whether the change is to weeds, inanimate objects or people.

This week we also hear from Mary, whose life was transformed with help from The Salvation Army. For more than 20 years, Mary experienced homelessness and lived with heroin addiction.

That changed after she received support from The Salvation Army’s William Booth Centre in Birmingham, which helps people leave the streets and move into more sustained accommodation.

Mary no longer sleeps rough and is not taking heroin. In the article she speaks of the positive attitude that her transformation has brought about.

Reading her story should give us all hope that it is possible to experience positive life changes, whatever challenging situations we may face.

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.

SINCE 1879

140 YEARS

OF THE WAR CRY Issue No 7440

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Claire Brine Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight War Cry office: 020 7367 4900 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

Contents

Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Secretary for Communications: Lieut-Colonel Dean Pallant

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 and Wales 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

FEATURES 3

Words and music Poet behind a Proms anthem

5 Abbeyness

Julian Fellowes on the joys of writing Downton 8

Transforming lives How The Salvation Army helps people with addiction

10

Care with style Charity works to make the fashion industry more environmentally friendly

REGULARS 4

News and media

12

Browsing the Bible

13

Now, There’s a Thought!

14 Puzzles 15

What’s cooking?

Front-page picture: © 2019 Focus Features LLC

5

10

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BBC/CHRIS CHRISTODOULOU

14 September 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 3

Noteworthy words

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The Royal Albert Hall and Tate Britain display William Blake’s art and soul, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku

USICIANS will be pulling out all the stops tonight (Saturday 14 September) for the Last Night of the Proms. The excitement will be scaled up as thousands gather for the event, which takes place every year to mark the end of the BBC’s summer festival at the Royal Albert Hall.

Over the past eight weeks, orchestras, ensembles and soloists have come from all over the world to perform diverse evenings of classical music. This year’s Proms also featured other genres, including afropop, jazz and electronica.

Tonight, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers will perform a programme that includes music from Bizet’s Carmen and a specially commissioned composition by Daniel Kidane. True to tradition, the audience will join in with rousing renditions of four patriotic pieces – ‘Rule, Britannia!’, ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, ‘Jerusalem’ and the national anthem.

The inclusion of some of those four songs has caused discord in the past. But still their lyrics are loved by many and sung with gusto, flags in hand, at the Proms finale – usually a time of great celebration.

This week, one of the lyric writers is being celebrated in another way. An exhibition looking at the life of William Blake opened at Tate Britain on Wednesday (11 September).

William Blake, which runs until 2 February 2020, features more than 300 original works of the artist, who was also a poet. Blake is the man behind the words of ‘Jerusalem’.

However, while he did write a poetic book called Jerusalem, the words to the song of that title are from the preface to another long poem of his, Milton.

The words are Blake’s musings on the legend that Jesus, the Son of God, once visited ‘England’s mountains green’.

At the time when Blake was writing, England was in the

middle of the Industrial Revolution and beginning to be filled with what he calls ‘dark Satanic mills’.

Witnessing this development and the negative impact he believed it was having on society, Blake expressed his hopes for building another Jerusalem, the place portrayed in the Bible as God’s special city, in the green and pleasant land of England. He wanted the country to be a place of peace and liberty.

Blake recognised that all was not right with the world, as have many other Christians, past and present. And, motivated by their faith, they have created art, campaigned for justice and changed laws to try to make it a better place.

Such actions show that the news of Jesus can be good news for everyone. Being led by his example, his followers use

Blake recognised that all was not right with the world the gifts they believe God has given them for the benefit of others.

While it may be no more than a legend that Jesus visited England, the truth is that he did come into the world to live among us and to bring us peace, freedom and God’s love.

He sent his followers to share that good news with others, telling them: ‘You received these gifts freely, so you should give them to others freely’ (Matthew 10:8 The Voice).

We can be assured that Jesus’ gifts to us have no end and that there are plenty to go around. It’s news that calls for a celebration.

4 NEWS AND MEDIA • WAR CRY • 14 September 2019

Modern slavery documentary highlights Salvation Army care A BBC documentary about the biggest modern slavery network found in the UK highlighted the involvement of The Salvation Army in protecting its victims.

Panorama: The Hunt for Britain’s Slave Gangs followed the investigation of West Midlands Police, which discovered a human trafficking ring that made £2 million by exploiting an estimated 300 victims in Birmingham through forced labour.

The programme documented the work of prosecution barristers as they sought to convict five offenders of trafficking, conspiracy to require another to perform forced labour, and money laundering. Three further members of the gang were later convicted.

As well as conducting interviews with victims of the slavery network, Panorama spoke with Isobel Macfarlane from The Salvation Army about its work in looking after them in safe houses.

‘There’s no discrimination from the sort of places that people can be exploited in,’ she explained. ‘They might come in with injuries, no documents or with the clothes they’re standing up in and nothing more.’

A SALVATION Army food bank in Preston is facing soaring demand n for supplies despite plummeting levels of donations, reported The Guardian.

Open Doors International

The paper said that the church and charity’s centre is distributing summer food supplies almost as fast as it receives them. More than 1,000 food bags have been given away and 180 individuals and families helped by the food bank since 20 July.

Claire Bowerman, co-ordinator of The Salvation Army’s centre in Preston, said that since July last year, donations had fallen by 80 per cent while referrals had risen by 150 per cent. She attributed the increased demand to the rollout of universal credit, but wasn’t sure why donations had dipped.

‘At the moment, we’re seeing more and more families, and more of them are working,’ she said. ‘We’re helping so many people that the food coming in is not lasting.’

The food bank has not yet had to turn away any referrals.

n

HISTORIAN Ruth Goodman met with The Salvation Army’s Commissioner Anthony Cotterill to film a segment for BBC Two series Inside the Factory.

Ruth spoke to the leader of the church and charity in the UK and Republic of Ireland for an episode expected to be aired next year.

The series, presented by Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healey, explores the large-scale production of everyday items, from the sourcing of raw materials to the distribution to supermarkets.

CHRISTIANS across the globe are working together to n promote biodiversity as part of a festival of prayer and community action.

Running until 4 October, the Season of Creation is encouraging churches and communities to host sustainability events, including tree planting and the cleaning of waterways.

People can also photograph and share images on social media to highlight the biodiversity that surrounds their church.

The Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Rev Nicholas Holtam, who chairs the Church of England’s environmental work group, said: ‘Season of Creation is a chance once again to pray and act in ways that care for God’s creation and address the issues of climate change and the depletion of species.’

Cameras go behind the scenes at Vatican

n

SYRIAN churches are organising educational programmes for children from various religious backgrounds in collaboration with Christian charity Open Doors UK. Sixteen Centres of Hope are already established across Syria, with Open Doors providing additional aid to 12,000 families.

The war in Syria has interrupted schooling for many children, meaning that they are below age-related expectations. Consequently, extra classes are being offered across the country to help them catch up, including Arabic, French and chemistry.

One Centre of Hope based in Mashta al-Helou (pictured) supports about 250 children, offering English classes three days a week, music lessons and spiritual instruction. There are also games and activities.

‘We want to invest in the children, in their future but also in their spiritual life,’ explained one of its volunteer teachers, Noura.

A TWO-part documentary with behind-thescenes access to the Vatican is starting on BBC Two next Friday (20 September).

Filmed during Pope Francis’s fifth year in office, Inside the Vatican explores how he is introducing reforms, overhauling the clerical establishment and tackling the fallout of the church’s sex abuse scandal.

The first episode features the Vatican’s preparations for Easter, highlighting the work of skilled craftsmen and the Vatican gardeners.

It follows the Pope as he undertakes his personal Easter ritual of visiting inmates at a prison to wash their feet, and as he later meets some pilgrims during his weekly audiences.

Viewers will also see the work of the team responsible for the Pope’s online presence.

14 September 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 5

© Universal Pictures

© 2019 Focus Features LLC

‘I hope fans will feel that it’s a bigger, better, brighter Downton’ As Downton Abbey debuts on the big screen, writer JULIAN FELLOWES tells Emily Bright what cinemagoers can expect from the film ILMGOERS are being cordially invited to attend screenings of Downton Abbey, Finvitation which arrived in cinemas yesterday (Friday 13 September). Those who accept the will see the Earl of Grantham and his aristocratic family host an unexpected

© 2019 Focus Features LLC

Julian Fellowes

visit from King George V and Queen Mary. But, when the royal servants seize control of preparations and usurp the roles of Downton’s loyal staff, chaos downstairs may jeopardise the historic event. Meanwhile, romance, intrigue and drama upstairs set the scene for the momentous visit.

Acting royalty Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter and Penelope Wilton return to the starstudded line-up, with Imelda Staunton and Stephen Campbell-Moore making guest appearances.

Downton Abbey graced UK television screens on Sunday nights for six series from 2010 until 2015. Set between 1912 and 1926, it charted the levity, love and loss experienced by a Yorkshire-based aristocratic family and their servants. Episodes featured witticisms, scandal, romance, scheming characters and loveable rogues. It reigned supreme, scooping up fifteen Primetime Emmys, three Golden Globes and a Special Award at the Baftas.

So what can fans expect from Downton Abbey in a film format?

The cinematic version includes a military parade and a grand ball complete with an orchestra.

‘I hope fans will feel that it’s a bigger, better, brighter Downton,’ says screenwriter and producer Julian Fellowes.

‘When you’re writing a film, you know that you can do more. You don’t have to be afraid of the battle and the ball; you can get them done properly. Watching the parade was thrilling for me.’

Julian explains that creating a screenplay for a film proved to be a completely different challenge from writing for TV. ‘In a series, you don’t have to complete every story in every episode; you can have stories that run for multiple episodes. You’re not racing against the clock, whereas in a film, any story you start

The aristocratic Crawley family reunite

Turn to page 6

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6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 14 September 2019

From page 5

© Universal Pictures

you must finish. So I was fitting the pieces together like a jigsaw.’

Despite the years that have elapsed since the last series was recorded, Julian says that the team adapted admirably and picked up where they’d left off.

‘There was a kind of reunion element, sitting round an enormous table at Twickenham Studios, all together for the read-through.

‘It must have been quite strange for the actors to find themselves back in costume, standing in the hall of Highclere Castle [the filming location] as if they’d never left. But I think they’re all at the top of their game.’

So is there scope for a sequel?

‘When I wrote it, I thought it was the end.

But I’ve been in this business too long to say never about anything. If there is a very strong response to the film, then I suppose there might be another. But all success in showbusiness is a mild surprise: nothing is guaranteed.’

The surprise of any success means it is hard for Julian to explain why Downton Abbey has become such a hit.

‘It really comes down to whether or not the audience is interested in the characters,’ he says. ‘When you’re making a first series, you just have to do it as well as you can, and get the best actors, designers and locations.

‘It was clear, after the show had started to be transmitted, that we had acquired quite a large following fairly quickly. It did seem that there would be more.

‘When you write for an

© 2019 Focus Features LLC

await the Downton Abbey servants eagerly Carter) (Jim royal visit, with butler Carson called out of retirement

There was a kind of reunion element, sitting all together for the read-through ongoing series, you’re writing for performances you’ve already seen. I got to know the actors and tried to write for their strengths.’

The idea for Downton Abbey was first conceived about ten years ago. Julian had won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Gosford Park in 2002. (‘It’s pretty good fun, winning an Oscar, I can tell you!’ he says.) The film inspired producer Gareth Neame to get in touch with Julian and ask if he wanted to work on a similar period drama for television. He agreed.

One day, Julian was reading a book about the ‘dollar princesses’ – American heiresses who travelled abroad by boat to marry English aristocrats, which planted the seed of his first character.

‘All we know about these girls is about them tripping down the gangplank into the arms of a waiting nobleman. But no one’s ever really

14 September 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7 © 2019 Focus Features LLC

gone into what their life was like after that. So from that I started to invent Cora.’

He explains how he dished up Downton Abbey drama for series after series.

‘I was the sole writer. I would write a synopsis for each episode, then my wife, Emma, would read it and give me notes. And I would put her notes into action. Then I would send it to the producers and work on their notes. And then, only once we were all happy to shoot it, we sent it to ITV.’ Some of the most memorable moments he wrote for Downton Abbey were based on the dramatic departures of its characters.

One of the standout examples for Julian was the death of one of the sisters in the family, which he thought came across very well on screen.

‘I remember watching Sybil’s death, and I was crying. I said to myself: “You wrote this – what did you think would happen?”’

An episode that was aired on Christmas Day in 2012 also left fans choking back

I enjoy the fact that a lot of people come to half-believe in the reality of the show tears when Downton Abbey heir Matthew died in a car crash. Matthew was played

by Dan Stevens, who had told the programme’s producers that he wanted to leave the show because he had been offered a part in a play on Broadway.

‘He didn’t decide to leave until I’d already written half the episodes of the series,’ Julian recalls. ‘I understood his decision, but I had to think pretty fast on my feet.

‘You should have seen the letters I received, which were along the lines of: “I’ll never watch anything with your name on it again.” But I enjoy the fact that a lot of people come to halfbelieve in the reality of the show.’

Another particularly emotive episode featured eldest daughter Mary desperately praying for the safe return from the trenches of the First World War of Matthew, whom she loved.

Servants Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and John Bates (Brendan Coyle) with their son

‘That was an illustration of the fact that in extreme moments of fear and crisis, it feels natural to turn to prayer,’ reflects Julian.

‘I think it’s a fairly deep instinct in people who would describe themselves as not being religious at all.’

As a churchgoer, Julian has been on his own journey of faith.

‘I did have a period of being an atheist years ago, but I was uncomfortable with the presumption of that. It seemed like a very large decision for a very minor individual to make. So I retreated from atheism to agnosticism, and finally I would say I came back to the Church.’

He says that during his career as a screenwriter and novelist, his faith has kept him grounded.

‘I think when you have a religious faith, it is much harder to be self-important and allow your ego to get in the way of things, because God has a way of putting you in your place.

‘Faith offers a rationale and sense of proportion, which makes my life easier to live.’

And Julian feels that he has enjoyed some extraordinary moments in his life.

‘I’ve been caught up in a lot of high points,’ he says. ‘And I think that launching this film will be pretty good fun too.’

8 FEATURE • WAR CRY • 14 September 2019

Life

after drugs Andrew Stone discovers how The Salvation Army helps to bring hope to people struggling with addiction

M

ARY was only 19 years old when her boyfriend offered her heroin.

It was not long before she was addicted and begging for money in Birmingham’s city centre. One of the biggest challenges Mary faced was that, to start with, the drug made her life seem better.

She recalls: ‘I took it and realised: “I don’t feel nervous, I don’t feel anxious, I’m not having panic attacks any more. I’m not feeling scared.”’

But drugs were not the solution that Mary initially thought they were. Heroin took hold of her life, which, as a result, began falling apart. She experienced periods of homelessness and, when she gave birth to a girl, Mary’s mother had to take care of the baby as Mary lived on the streets.

‘I bussed into town and just stayed there,’ she says. ‘I never came back. Heroin numbs out every single emotion.

You don’t cry, you don’t laugh.

‘If someone told you your whole family had been wiped out, you’d just go: “Oh, right. Well,

Mary

14 September 2019 • WAR CRY • FEATURE 9

Mary valued the help given by support worker Andrea these things happen.”’

The addiction has also had an effect on Mary’s ability to remember all that happened to her while she was in her twenties and thirties, including the birth of her daughter.

‘I feel like I went to sleep when I was 19 and woke up at the age of 40,’ she explains.

It was a painful awakening.

‘I used to have epileptic fits. One night I was begging, and I fell asleep sitting up. When I woke in the morning, there were paramedics all around.’

Mary had suffered a fit that resulted in damage to her teeth and caused both her legs to break.

‘When I broke my legs, that’s what saved me,’ she says. ‘I thought: “I’ve got to stop. I’ve got to.”’

I feel like I went to sleep when I was 19 and woke up at the age of 40 Mary’s determination to reclaim her life from her addiction led to her being offered a place at The Salvation Army’s William Booth Centre in the city. The centre provides temporary accommodation for men and women.

‘We’re first-stage accommodation,’ explains service manager Edward Dixon. ‘That means, a lot of the time, people come to us straight off the street.

‘We offer support and advice to start people’s journey from coming off the street into, hopefully, more sustained accommodation.’

During their time at the centre, residents are helped to identify their particular needs and aspirations. Support is then provided, sometimes linking them with other agencies, for these needs and aspirations to be met.

Much of the help is provided by designated support workers. In Mary’s case, that was Andrea Barnett, who committed herself to work with Mary despite the fact

that the centre had tried to help her before.

‘Mary had been in the centre quite a few times,’ Andrea says. ‘But it didn’t work out for her. When she appeared again, I wanted to try my best because Mary said that she was really ready to start her journey.’

It is clear that Mary appreciated and valued the support Andrea offered her.

‘I’ve had loads of support workers over the years,’ she says. ‘I’ve never clicked with any of them. But Andrea was the most lovely person.

‘I stayed because of Andrea. She didn’t judge me, she didn’t tell me: “You’ve got to start doing this, you’ve got to start doing that.”

‘She used to bring me plants and stuff for my room.

She was lovely.’

Through the centre, and with Andrea’s support, Mary learnt to cook, shop, wash laundry, budget her income and eat healthily. She was also helped in claiming the benefits to which she was entitled.

It has been two years since Mary left the streets and, in that time, she has made great progress. She no longer takes heroin, and she lives in supported accommodation run by another charity. Her goals are to live independently and to restore relationships with family members.

‘I’ve got more confidence,’ says Mary. ‘When I wake up in the morning I always think it’s going to be sunny today – it’s not going to rain. That’s the kind of positivity I feel now.’

Mary takes one day at a time and enjoys the comfort of living free from heroin and being able to look after herself.

Her story is one that brings great satisfaction to all the staff at William Booth Centre. But, as Edward is keen to point out, it would not have been possible without Mary’s own determination.

‘Mary made the decision that something had to change,’ he says. ‘She had to take steps to change her future, and we’ve seen transformation in her life.’ l See more of Mary’s story at youtube.com/salvationarmyvideo

10 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 14 September 2019

Conscious about fashion

F

To mark London Fashion Week, which began yesterday (Friday 13 September), fashion charity founder CHRISTINA DEAN talks to Emily Bright about redressing the industry’s record on the environment

OR an entire year, Christina Dean fashioned her own wardrobe from garments collected by environmental charity Friends of the Earth.

During this personal experiment in sustainability, she was struck by the diversity of items, and styled a different outfit every day.

‘I had outfits for balls, boardrooms, skiing, the beach and, even though I didn’t need them, I found wedding dresses in their recycling containers,’ she remembers.

‘When I wore all these outfits I realised their transformative power. Now I can look a fashion-loving person in the eye and encourage the fashion supply chain and its customers to adopt more sustainable say I understand the power fashion has, and ethical habits. whereas I couldn’t before.’

Christina took up the challenge after ‘Redress grew beyond my wildest filming on a Hong Kong landfill site for an dreams, I think partly because of the Al Jazeera news piece. timeliness of the issue. Fast fashion kicked ‘I was watching the ugly reality of off in the early Noughties, and we were humankind’s waste unfold in front of starting to see the ripple effect of waste.’ my eyes. I wondered why people were As outsourcing of products grew and their speed to market accelerated, throwing so many clothes away. So I clothing became cheaper, and customers decided to put my own wardrobe away for a year.’ increasingly sought the latest trends. Ellen Christina’s drive to bring fashion’s notorious environmental reputation to heel was sparked by seeing its impact first-hand. In 2004, she moved from the UK to Hong Kong in a career switch from dentistry to journalism. While writing about environmental and human rights issues, she was struck by the waste and pollution created by the industry and how it was affecting people.

MacArthur’s 2017 New Textiles Economy As a result, in 2007, she founded report estimated that from 2000 to 2015, Redress, a charity which focuses on clothing production levels doubled to reducing and reusing textile waste. It aims 100 billion pieces per year, while the to minimise fashion’s water, chemical number of times an item of clothing was and carbon footprint. It also seeks to worn before being thrown away fell.

Designers are not receiving enough education in sustainable fashion design

This has had devastating consequences for the environment. The report estimated that up to 73 per cent of all clothing ended up in landfill or incineration.

Christina admits: ‘If I’m being honest, I feel pessimistic. The reality is we’re in a dire situation. We’re overproducing and overconsuming.

‘But what I hold on to is that 10 of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 can be positively impacted by the fashion industry and the supply chain.’

To strive towards these goals, which include responsible consumption and production, Redress helps to educate the next generation of fashion designers. ‘As much as 80 per cent of the environmental impact of a product is laid down at the design stage,’ elaborates Christina. ‘My own experience is that designers across the world are not receiving enough education in sustainable fashion design.’

Christina has also founded the R Collective, a social impact business and fashion brand, to upcycle textile waste into new clothing items. Up to 25 per cent of profits from items sold are

14 September 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 11

Christina Dean founded fashion charity Redress in 2007

The ethical fashion industry should be the mainstream

Christina wearing an upcycled outfit from her fashion brand the R Collective

donated to the Redress charity.

‘We rescue textile waste that would otherwise go into landfill or incineration,’ she explains. ‘We give design collaborations to award-winning sustainable fashion designers, who decide how to recycle material into a product of higher quality.

‘The beauty of upcycling is that creativity can change something that’s deemed to be worthless into something beautiful.’

Upcycled products are then created by the R Collective’s partners in Hong Kong. Those partners include garment manufacturer Tal Apparel, which seeks to minimise its environmental impact, and social enterprise Splendid Tailors, which runs a small factory to train tailors.

Although the R Collective’s items may carry a higher price tag, Christina says that many shoppers will pay more to ensure ethical production.

‘We, the ethical fashion industry, should be the mainstream. But what we’re doing and fighting for is new. One of the biggest challenges is having the courage to act.’

Christina believes that, throughout her time in the industry, her Christian faith has equipped her to continue to champion ethical fashion in what have sometimes been challenging situations.

‘We all know that fear holds us back, but being a Christian allows you to look at fear with more confidence.

‘For me, sustainability in fashion is an intellectual question of ethics, which transcends any sense of faith, but my faith gives me strength. It’s an extra string to my bow, which means that I can dig deeper when times are tough.

‘Christians have faith and hope, and it’s a wonderful thing to use your closet as something to unlock the power of creativity and good.’

l For more information visit redress.com.hk

12 INNER LIFE • WAR CRY • 14 September 2019

Prayerlink THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances. Send your requests to Prayerlink, War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, Lon­don SE1 6BN. Mark your envelope ‘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 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 Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Nigel Bovey gives chapter and verse on each book in the Scriptures

Habakkuk HE Book of Habakkuk is addressed to T the people of Judah. Although no monarch is mentioned, by which a time frame

could be calculated, God tells the prophet that ‘in your days’ he will be ‘raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people’ (1:5 and 6).

Babylon sacked the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612BC and replaced Assyria as the region’s dominant power. Only a few years later it invaded Judah. It is possible, therefore, to date the prophet Habakkuk as being active somewhere in the time between those events.

In a similar vein to the Book of Job, the first two chapters of Habakkuk are framed as a conversation between the prophet and the Almighty. Like Job, Habakkuk has some questions.

He wants to know why God is silent; why God is not listening; why God doesn’t answer his prayers; why God allows violence and destruction; why justice never wins; and why evildoers prosper while God-fearing people struggle (1:2–4).

Such questions are age-old and have few easy answers. God, though, does have an

Key verse

‘The righteous person will live by his faithfulness’ (Habakkuk 2:4 New International Version)

answer of sorts. Rather than directly address Habakkuk’s personal concerns, God turns his attention to the bigger picture – a day of national judgment is coming.

He is raising up Babylon as his instrument of judgment upon Judah. Babylon will

Habakkuk wants to know why God is silent ‘sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own’ (1:6).

Habakkuk struggles to see how that solves things. If, he argues, God is too pure to look on evil (1:13), why is he using the iniquitous Babylon to do his work (1:12 to 2:1)?

God knows the sins of Babylon. They include: pride, drunkenness, theft, extortion, bloodshed, violence and idolatry (2:2–19).

Precisely because God abhors evil, at the ‘appointed time’ (2:3) he will deal with Babylon (3:16).

Meanwhile, he will bring Judah to account.

He is in charge – end of (2:20).

Habakkuk concludes with a song of praise.

The prophet acknowledges God’s person (3:2–4), power (3:5–12) and plan (3:13–19).

By looking at God and not his own circumstances, Habakkuk is transformed from being restless (1:2) to being able to rest in God’s purposes (3:18).

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14 September 2019 • WAR CRY • EXPRESSIONS 13

NOW, THERE’S A THOUGHT!

by Renée Davis

I was full of uncertainty I

QUICK QUIZ 1. Broca’s area is located in which organ of the human body?

2. Which nation won this year’s netball World Cup? 3. Who wrote the novel Gulliver’s Travels?

4. In which country is the Yangtze River?

5. Who directed the 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof ?

6. Who had a No 1 hit in 2014 with the song ‘Stay with Me’?

ANSWERS 1. In the brain. 2. New Zealand. 3. Jonathan Swift.

4. China. 5. Norman Jewison. 6. Sam Smith.

CBAD a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk Twitter: @TheWarCryUK Facebook.com/TheWarCryUK

B www.salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

HAD a ‘glass half-empty’ attitude a lot of the time while I was growing up. Some people may have put it down to teenage angst, but from an early age, various events negatively shaped how I viewed life. As a result, I often assumed that if things were hard, they just weren’t meant to happen.

So when I achieved only four higher-grade GCSEs (don’t ask), had to delay leaving university to retake some modules for two years in a row, went through a time of depression and experienced problems in relationships, I truly thought that life had it in for me.

I questioned whether God cared or was even aware of what was happening. I wondered whether my abilities were enough to ensure that I would make it.

But, as my dad had always told me, I’m a fighter, and I was always able to find some grit and determination to pull through – some way, somehow.

When I think of determination, I think of Joseph, whose story is told in the Bible.

Despite having dreams that suggested he would become great, Joseph didn’t exactly have the best start in life. In fact, many would have written him off from the get-go. At a young age he was sold into slavery by his brothers, who I learnt that fed up with hearing about his dreams. bleak situations were After being taken by the slave merchants build character to Egypt, Joseph found some temporary stability as a high-ranking supervisor in the household of Potiphar, a government official – that is, until the rug was pulled from under his feet when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of rape. Joseph was thrown into prison, but his gift of accurately interpreting dreams served as his lifeline.

Years later, Joseph was asked to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, and eventually became his second in command.

Joseph maintained the same attitude from the pit to the palace.

Everything that he experienced made him better, and God was with him through it all.

It would seem that bleak situations build strength and character – a truth I came to learn as I matured into a woman and took my self-development seriously. Tough times can show you who God really is, and that, if he is with you, delay does not mean denial.

14 PUZZLES • WAR CRY • 14 September 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD

by Chris Horne

ACROSS

DOWN

3.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

14.

17.

21.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

1. Jenson ______ ,

former Formula One

champion (6) 2. Precious stone (6) 3. Ring road (6) 4. Non-commissioned

sailor (6) 5. Curt (6) 6. Spanish wine

cellar (6) 12. Container for

ashes (3)

Prohibit (3) Nauseous (6) Britain (6) Verse (6) Accustomed (6) Star (3) Joins (6) Cake (6) English Civil War battle (6) Wince (6) Fuel (3) Celtic language (6) Breed of chicken (6) Scottish playwright (6) Doglike mammals (6) Fish (3)

HONEYCOMB

13. Recede (3) 15. Everything (3) 16. Yuck (3) 18. Overseas (6) 19. Restaurant (6) 20. Over there (6) 21. Flamboyant (6) 22. Moved

carefully (6) 23. Trickster (6)

SUDOKU

Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9

3

6

4

7

1

9

2

5

8

9

7

5

8

2

3

1

4

6

1

2

8

4

6

5

9

7

3

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number

5

9

2

1

8

4

3

6

7

4

8

1

6

3

7

5

2

9

1. Writer of a book 2. Fully grown 3. Talks loudly 4. Story of doubtful truth 5. In need of food 6. Attractiveness

7

3

6

9

5

2

8

1

4

8

5

7

3

4

1

6

9

2

2

4

3

5

9

6

7

8

1

6

1

9

2

7

8

4

3

5

WORDSEARCH

ANSWERS

AMSTERDAM BRING UP THE BODIES DISGRACE LAST ORDERS LIFE OF PI LINCOLN IN THE BARDO MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN MILKMAN SCHINDLER’S ARK THE BLIND ASSASSIN THE LINE OF BEAUTY THE LUMINARIES THE SEA THE SELLOUT THE SENSE OF AN ENDING THE WHITE TIGER VERNON GOD LITTLE WOLF HALL

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find 3 these 6 4Booker 7 1prizewinners 9 2 5 8

9 7 5 8 2 3 1 4 6 T H E W H I T E T 1 2I G E R X C A O N P M 8 4 6 5 9 7 3 Z H N T P F H I G A H Q T R Q I D R R N 5 9 F H A L 2 1 8 4L X R Z C B 3 6 7 N I E T J L S W O L Y F R B B L C Z P S E N A G X U A E O G 4 8 1 6 3 7 5 2 9 W V D W L Q H N Z S J S E U Z T B L Z N 7 3 6 9 5 2 8 1 4 Z C L M J I I E E N T K J Q H H E T V D 8 5 7 3 4 1 6 9 2 G N I D N E N A F O E S N E S E H T H P S N H N N D D D R Z 2 4 L 3 A 5 L R B S 9 6 7 T 8 I 1N X L T C R K I L D A G U U K S G E N L O H 6 1 9 2 7 8 4 I 3 D L Y 5 M A S X L F E Z A S M B Y T Q L I W T Y E R R M E I S A N B L L N O H T L P H B S T S C N B W A Z R D O L G P R K D G X J T A A G V D W S I D U O N J E M C I N E R R G P Z T Y J S Q T C O N L A M N R G I K L I F E O F P I Q N N J L N I D S E I D O B E H T P U G N I R B M G A I S B Y T U A E B F O E N I L E H T M D M Z R G Y B M V G K Z J T K L V I Q

HONEYCOMB 1 Author. 2 Mature. 3 Shouts.

4 Rumour. 5 Hungry. 6 Beauty.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 Bar. 7 Queasy.

8 Albion. 9 Stanza. 10 Inured.

11 Sun. 12 Unites. 14 Gateau.

17 Naseby. 21 Flinch. 24 Oil. 25 Breton.

26. Ancona. 27 Barrie. 28 Hyenas. 29 Ray. DOWN: 1 Button. 2 Garnet. 3 Bypass.

4 Rating. 5 Abrupt. 6 Bodega. 12 Urn. 13 Ebb. 15 All. 16 Ugh. 18 Abroad.

19 Eatery. 20 Yonder. 21 Flashy.

22 Inched. 23 Conman.

1

6

4

2

5

8

3

7

8

4

9

5

2

1

7

9

6

3

1

6

4

2

9 3 7 6 1 2 8 5 4

2 5 3 9 6 1 4 8 7

7 9 4 5 3 8 6 2 1

8 6 1 2 7 4 5 3 9

4 7 6 8 5 3 9 1 2

3 8 9 1 2 6 7 4 5

5 1 2 4 9 7 3 6 8

SUDOKU SOLUTION 9 3

2 5

7 9

8 6

4 7

3 8

5 1

14 September 2019 • WAR CRY • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

Tomato, beetroot and watercress salad 80g bag watercress, spinach and rocket salad 2 British large vine tomatoes, cut into wedges 12 British cherry tomatoes, halved 2 cooked, vacuum-packed beetroots, chopped 100g soft goat’s cheese 4tsp mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds 2tsp sesame seeds 2tbsp olive oil

SERVES

2

225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 1tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 50g butter, cut into small pieces 150g mature cheddar cheese, finely grated

Tomato cheese scone pizza

1tbsp lemon juice 1tsp wholegrain mustard Pinch caster sugar Pinch salt and pepper

Split the watercress, spinach and rocket between 2 serving plates. Arrange the tomatoes and beetroot on top. Crumble over the goat’s cheese.

Toast the seeds in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes, then scatter them over the salads.

For the dressing, mix together the oil, lemon juice and mustard with the sugar and seasoning.

Drizzle the dressing over the salads, to serve.

4 British cocktail tomatoes, sliced 6 British plum vine tomatoes, halved

4tbsp low-fat plain yoghurt

1tsp mixed dried Italian herbs

100ml milk

Basil leaves, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and use your fingertips to crumble the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in 100g cheese.

Combine the yoghurt and milk in a small bowl, then gently stir into the scone mixture to make a soft, but not sticky, dough. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and knead lightly for a few moments.

Roll the dough out into a circle with a 30cm diameter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Top with the tomatoes, herbs and remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Sprinkle with basil leaves, to serve.

SERVES

4

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the British Tomato Growers’ Association website britishtomatoes.co.uk

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