What is The Salvation Army?
2 COMMENT AND CONTENTS • WAR cry • 24 August 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 WHAT is the greatest Disney song of all time? It is a question likely to lead to many heated discussions given the number of songs the studio has produced over the years. For some people, trying to pick the best song from just one Disney film is a challenge. For example, is it ‘Feed the Birds’, ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ or ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ from Mary Poppins? However, last month The Guardian published its own list of the 30 greatest Disney songs. At No 30 was ‘Little April Showers’ from Bambi and at No 1 was Pinocchio’s ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’. ‘Nothing about “When You Wish Upon a Star” suggests that it is aimed at kids,’ the article said in explaining its choice. The song, it continued, is about ‘yearning and hope – it could be read as being an allegory for prayer’. Perhaps the popularity of the song is down to the way it reaches out to something beyond the world around us and towards something more powerful than a person. Outside of the world of Disney, there is much music that looks to reach beyond the physical world. Rather than being allegories for prayers, these compositions can be prayers within themselves as composers use their musical abilities to try to encounter God. In this week’s War Cry we look ahead to Thursday (29 August) when Duke Ellington’s sacred music will be performed at the BBC Proms. Although best known as a jazz maestro, Duke wrote three sacred concerts and Peter Edwards, who will conduct Thursday’s performance, describes them as the composer’s ‘gift to God’. ‘Writing music is a deeply personal thing,’ he continues, saying that Duke’s compositions ‘invite people into his world, his faith and his thoughts’ and conveys the ‘comfort in believing’. Whether or not we are musical, God offers each of us that same comfort if we believe in him. Putting our faith in him has the ability to change our lives for the better – and that’s not wishful thinking.
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 7437
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
Contents
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 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
New recruits Dad’s Army returns with a different line-up
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The pits for Poldark? Will Ross have a happy ever after?
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Playing grace notes The Proms present Duke Ellington’s sacred music
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Motown Martha Martha Reeves remembers Hitsville’s early days
REGULARS 4
News and media
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Browsing the Bible
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Expressions and Quick Quiz
14 Puzzles 15
Money-wise meals Front-page picture: UKTV/OLLIE UPTON
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