War Cry 24 Aug 2019

SINCE

1879

24 August 2019 20p/25c

S YEAARRCRY 140 W THE OF

MOTOWN MEMORIES Martha Reeves still has them dancing in the street

More than all that jazz

FAREWELL CAPTAIN ROSS Poldark reaches a thrilling conclusion

Duke Ellington’s sacred music heads for Proms

Changing of the guard

DAD’s army remake has some new recruits

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

5

The pits for Poldark?

Will Ross have a happy ever after?

6

Playing grace notes The Proms present Duke Ellington’s sacred music

8

Motown Martha Martha Reeves remembers Hitsville’s early days

REGULARS 4

News and media

12

Browsing the Bible

13

Expressions and Quick Quiz

14 Puzzles 15

Money-wise meals Front-page picture: UKTV/OLLIE UPTON

5

6

15

UKTV/OLLIE UPTON

24 August 2019 • WAR cry • TELEVISION 3 The new recruits take over from the old guard (below)

AT THE DOUBLE Andrew Stone sees some new recruits in a comedy classic

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ON’T panic! The Walmingtonon-Sea Home Guard are back, in comedy channel Gold’s Dad’s Army: the Lost Episodes, starting tomorrow (Sunday 25 August). But while the troops seem familiar, a closer look will reveal that there are new faces in the platoon.

Penned by David Croft and Jimmy Perry, the comedy classic Dad’s Army first paraded on to television screens in 1968. Millions of viewers came to know and love characters such as the bumptious Captain Mainwaring, gloomy Private Frazer and boisterous veteran Lance Corporal Jones.

Set during the Second World War, the show established itself as a British TV institution. It also introduced catchphrases including Mainwaring’s ‘Stupid boy’, Fraser’s ‘We’re all doomed’ and Jones’s ‘Don’t panic!’

Audiences have continued to enjoy the escapades of the hapless soldiers – even after the last episode was filmed in 1978 – as the show has been repeated on Gold and BBC channels in the decades since.

However, three episodes from the second series were lost when their tapes were wiped. As a result, it has been many years since The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker, A Stripe for Frazer and Under Fire

have been seen.

But that is set to change, as Gold has remade the lost programmes using the original scripts but a completely new cast.

Kevin McNally, Robert Bathurst, David Hayman and Kevin Eldon are among the actors breathing new life into the familiar characters 50 years after the original episodes were made.

Without having to use too much imagination, viewers will be transported back to a time when Arthur Lowe,

Stepping into a new role can be a daunting experience John Le Mesurier, John Laurie and Clive Dunn were bringing their characters to life. But the new cast are not trying to impersonate their predecessors. David Hayman, who plays Private Frazer, told Radio Times that they were aiming to capture ‘the essence’ of what had gone before.

And the cast have worked hard to do that.

‘We’ve all studied our characters,’ Kevin

Eldon, the new Lance Corporal Jones, told the listings magazine, adding: ‘We’ve been quite swotty about it!’

Stepping into a new role can be a daunting experience – and not just for actors in well-loved sitcoms. Taking on something we haven’t done before or entering a different stage in life can bring feelings of fear and anxiety about how things will work out.

The Bible tells the story of Joshua, who had to step into the role of leader of the people of Israel. He was taking over from Moses, who had led them for many years.

As Joshua was about to take on his new role, God said to him: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you’ (Joshua 1:9 New International Version).

God promises his presence and support to everyone who follows him. It does not matter how daunting the future may seem or how many new situations we may face.

God offers to help us through – and that’s no joke.

4 NEWS AND MEDIA • WAR cry • 24 August 2019

UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation

according to Christian charity Cafod, which has stepped up its emergency response in the country.

The organisation’s comments come as the World Food Programme reported that 5.5 million people are expected to experience food insecurity by January 2020.

Cafod’s representative for Zimbabwe, Verity Johnson, explained that economic turmoil, the effects of climate change and Cyclone Idai had all contributed to the crisis.

‘Zimbabwe is in the midst of a devastating food crisis,’ she said.

‘We are delivering grains and emergency food aid to help people on the brink of starvation, as well as helping them to access safe, clean water through pipelines and wells. We are also supporting communities to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change.’

Bishop on slippery slope after giving sermon

BILL SMITH/Norwich Cathedral

ZIMBABWE is n experiencing a ‘devastating food crisis’,

A BISHOP delivered a sermon from a helterskelter at Norwich Cathedral to celebrate the end of the attraction’s 11-day run at the building.

The Right Rev Jonathan Meyrick, Bishop of Lynn, spoke from the stairs of the helterskelter before taking a symbolic final slide (pictured) during a Sunday service before the lights of the attraction were switched off for the last time.

Located in the cathedral’s nave, the 55ft slide, which drew some 10,000 visitors, was designed to generate conversations about faith and help people to see the building in a new light.

Four people spent about 19 hours installing the ride,

using more than 1,000 parts attached with 500 nuts and bolts, and decorating it with more than 2,000 lights.

The attraction drew international coverage from CNN, The New York Times, and travel publishers Lonely Planet.

Chinese take away biblical references in classic literature

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THE Archbishop of Canterbury has added his support for plans to locate the Westminster Holocaust memorial next to the ‘home of our democracy’ in Victoria Tower Gardens, which is overlooked by the Houses of Parliament.

The Most Rev Justin Welby and other UK faith leaders from Anglican, Jewish, Catholic and Muslim communities wrote letters to Nickie Aiken, leader of Westminster City Council, to express their support for the move, The Telegraph reports.

‘The symbolism of this centre, right next to the home of our democracy is profound and hugely powerful,’ said the archbishop in his letter.

‘I believe it will add significantly to the status of the City of Westminster as a place of government that is a world model.’

CHINESE authorities have removed the words ‘Bible’, ‘God’ and ‘Christ’ from traditional children’s books, according to aid agency Barnabas Fund.

Four stories from foreign authors feature in a new Chinese school textbook for 11-year-old children, but three of them have been edited to exclude religious references.

In Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, the three Bibles recovered from his shipwreck are instead referred to as ‘a few books’. Hans Christian Andersen wrote in his short story The Little Match Girl that ‘when a star falls, a soul goes to be with God,’ but the Chinese version now reads: ‘When a star falls, a person leaves this world.’

In Anton Chekhov’s Vanka, a section describing a prayer in church and all mentions of Christ have been removed.

In early 2018, the Chinese authorities published a white paper on religion which asserted that there should be a reinterpretation of Christianity that abides by the state’s socialist values.

‘Robinson Crusoe’ author Daniel Defoe

24 August 2019 • WAR cry • TELEVISION 5 Ross seeks to bring his enemies to justice

CHRISTIAN charity Tearfund n has set up clubs for young Rohingya people to offer a space for

Poor land management risk to climate POOR land management is worsening climate change, according to a new UN body report backed by Christian Aid. Climate Change and Land, produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), says that ‘better land management can contribute to tackling climate change’.

The report also warned that a reduction in greenhouse gases across all sectors was required to keep global warming below 2C. Climate Change and Land says that agriculture, forestry and other types of land use make up to 23 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, with overworked or deforested soil less able to absorb carbon dioxide.

Suggested solutions included using land more sustainably, reducing food waste, adopting plant-based diets and ending mass deforestation.

Christian Aid’s global climate lead Dr Katherine Kramer welcomed the report, and said: ‘The global food system contributes up to a third of our total greenhouse gas emissions and needs to change.

Today’s report is a clarion call for the need for us to manage land better for people, nature and the climate.’

But she also added: ‘The land sector alone cannot be a silver bullet: the IPCC’s report on limiting warming to 1.5C demonstrated the need for rapid emissions reductions across all sectors.’

BBC/Mammoth Screen/MIKE HOGAN

counselling and leadership training in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.

Clubs for adolescents are providing ‘safe spaces’ for teenagers to read, play, talk about their emotional trauma with a trained therapist and learn business skills. The clubs will also offer education on health and hygiene issues.

Up to 800 children will be able to access the 16 centres built by Tearfund, who launched the clubs in collaboration with its local partners Coastal Association for Social Transformation Trust and the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh.

The pits for Poldark?

Time’s up for the Cornish hero, writes Emily Bright OLD on to your tricorne hats as the final episodes of Poldark make HDuring waves on BBC One on Sunday and Monday (25 and 26 August). the past four series, Cornish pit owner Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner)

and his wife Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) have defended the rights of Truro’s oppressed, feeding them, providing them with mining work, and getting them out of legal scrapes.

In this fifth and final series, Ross has partnered up with his military pal Colonel Ned Despard (Vincent Regan) in a campaign to end Britain’s slave networks.

But an elitist landowner, the dastardly George Warleggan (Jack Farthing), delights in plotting new schemes to trigger the downfall of Ross and his loved ones.

George is joined by rich and powerful allies Joseph Merceron (Tim Dutton) and Ralph Hanson (Peter Sullivan). They are invested in colonial slavery and want it to continue, ruthlessly destroying those who oppose it.

When Ned is set up by the trio and wrongly sentenced to hang for treason, Ross is devastated about the injustice of his friend’s imminent death. But Ned urges him to ‘make the world a stronger, fairer, wiser place … and finish what I could not.’ Despite the dangerous Ross defends consequences, Ross is determined to make good on that challenge as the series the rights of the concludes. oppressed In our own lives, we can feel overwhelmed by our circumstances or injustice. Whether it’s being betrayed by others, grieving loved ones or facing financial ruin, we can feel frustrated by our wealth of misfortune.

In the Bible, the Book of Amos outlines a very bleak reality: people were starving, dying from war and disease, and being oppressed by miscarriages of justice. But God despised the corruption and pain he saw and asserted: ‘Here’s what I want: Let justice thunder down like a waterfall; let righteousness flow like a mighty river that never runs dry’ (Amos 5:24 The Voice).

Rather than avoiding suffering, God sacrificed his Son, Jesus Christ, so that all people could be reconciled to God. A relationship with him doesn’t mean we coast through life, but if we follow him we will strike gold with a God who stands for truth, justice and goodness.

6 INTERVIEW • WAR CRY • 24 August 2019

Proms sound

On Thursday (29 August), Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music will be performed at the BBC Proms. Conductor PETER EDWARDS speaks to Sarah Olowofoyeku about the music and the message behind it

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ESCRIBED as ‘the most important thing’ he had ever done, a series of tunes composed by one of the 20th century’s most influential musicians are featuring in this year’s BBC Proms.

Although renowned for his standards and development of big band jazz, Duke Ellington took his compositions down a different path towards the end of his life. In 1965, he performed the first of three sacred concerts as part of the consecration of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The second and third were premiered at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, and at Westminster Abbey in London.

The American was a pianist, composer and bandleader who truly made his mark on modern music, winning 13 Grammys and the Pulitzer Prize, posthumously. His career had spanned almost four decades when he embarked on writing the pieces. Peter Edwards, who will conduct and play the piano at the Proms performance, says that they were Ellington’s ‘gift to God’.

Peter will be performing them along with the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, which he directs, Carleen Anderson and the UK Vocal Assembly, Monty Alexander, the BBC Singers and tap dancer Annette Walker. The concert will be shown on BBC Four on 6 September.

Having become familiar with the music, Peter remarks on the extensive nature of it.

‘It’s an incredible work,’ he says. ‘It’s more than just a jazz suite. It’s got elements of spiritual, gospel, musical theatre sounding moments,

Duke Ellington

and classical choral parts, where it sounds liturgical – Gregorian, like something from hundreds of years ago.

I can’t think of many other 20th-century composers who have put all of those different genres into one work.

‘It shows the importance of the work to him. I think he wanted to take as much music as he had in him, and to write it to make a real impact.’

And it has made an impact on Peter.

‘I compose as well,’ he says. ‘So I’ve been looking at the scores and finding things that I can explore with my own writing.

It’s opened up the idea of using

24 August 2019 • WAR CRY • INTERVIEW 7

a faithful note lots of styles under one umbrella.’

The sacred concerts were a departure from Ellington’s usual compositions. For Peter, they demonstrate what the musician was capable of – something he wants audiences to become aware of after the performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

‘People know Duke Ellington for his hits and big band works,’ he explains.

‘I’d like his reputation as a composer to be given a little boost; he could write all sorts of music.’

While the compositions were significant musically, the spiritual nature of the pieces was also of great importance, especially to Ellington.

‘In interviews Duke Ellington said that he was writing the concerts for him, for his relationship with God,’ Peter says.

‘He didn’t talk openly about

his faith all the time, but it was something that was there for him, something that gave him comfort. From the work, it’s obvious that he read the Bible a lot, because of all these stories he has weaved into the music.

‘The music invites people into his world, his faith, and his thoughts in a way that you don’t really see elsewhere.

Writing music is deeply personal He dug deep and found a way of communicating some of his beliefs in the format that he knew best – through his band.’

And the messages that he wanted to communicate, Peter says, are ‘the importance of freedom, forgiveness, loving your fellow man, and the idea of faith. One of the songs is called “Something ’bout Believing”, and he talks about the comfort in believing, even though scientifically these things haven’t been proven.’

Peter is aware of the link between music and spirituality. ‘Listening to and writing music is a deeply personal thing,’ he says.

‘When you are writing music,

you’re pouring things out of your soul.’

For Duke Ellington, the works were a place to express what was deeply personal to him. ‘He wanted to bring these big themes that have come from teachings of the Bible into his work,’ Peter says. ‘I get the impression that he was quite committed.’

From the three concerts, comprising 34 pieces, Peter compiled a selection of 13 to perform. ‘We chose a repertoire that was varied enough to put on a really good show and to feature different singers, our tap dancer, different soloists in the band and the BBC singers,’ he explains. One of those numbers is ‘It’s Freedom’, which Peter notes is his favourite.

‘It’s a microcosm of the whole work.

It starts out with a bluesy groove, then switches up into a classical choral choir,’ he enthuses. ‘Then he actually speaks over it himself and talks about the importance of freedom to him.

The chorus also say the word freedom in 16 different languages; it’s an international message he’s trying to send out.

‘I understand why this music was so important to him, so I take a lot of care with it. I’m careful to make sure that we honour Duke Ellington and that we honour his beliefs, which are also shared by a lot of people.’ l For more information on Peter’s music visit peteredwardsmusic.co.uk and nucivilisation.com

Peter Edwards

c i s u m e b l l ’ There 8 INTERVIEW • WAR cry • 24 August 2019

As Motown celebrates its 60th anniversary, MARTHA REEVES talks to Philip Halcrow about working at Hitsville USA, creating the Motown sound in ‘Heatwave’ and going on to sing about a ‘holy highway’ and as a solo performer under the name Martha Lavaille when her life took an unexpected turn.

‘I was selected in an amateur show, and the prize was to sing for three nights at a nightclub.

So at 21 years old I sang for $5 a night in the happy hour, between about nine and eleven o’clock when the actual nightclub show would start.

‘I was very pleased when William Stevenson, A&R director at some company called Motown, invited me to Hitsville USA to sing or audition or whatever he gave me the card for.

‘When I showed up the next day, he asked me to answer a phone and he’d be right back. So I started working there in the A&R department. I was showing up every day at

nine, answering the phone, participating in secretarial work but also making demonstration records, hoping for my turn to get a recording contract.

‘After a while, my dad said: “You’ve gone to that company for three or four weeks now, and you’re not earning a salary. I know you’re getting paid for doing demonstration records, but if you’re going to work in that company, then you have to get a salary.”

‘So I went back to William Stevenson and told him that I couldn’t go back unless I got on the payroll. We made an agreement that I would get a small salary along with the money I made doing demonstration records.

Turn to page 10

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UMMER’S here and the time is right for marking 60 years of Motown. Following on from June’s release of an updated box set of Motown: the Complete No 1s, a new Greatest Hits album is offering 60 tracks by acts such as Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, the Four Tops, the Jackson 5 and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. And on Monday (26 August) Radio 2 will celebrate the record label’s landmark year by devoting six hours to a Motown Top 100 Countdown, a roll call of the record label’s successes, compiled by the Official Charts Company.

‘I’m proud to be one of the original artists at Hitsville USA,’ Martha Reeves tells me a few days before a series of shows in the UK. After leaving Motown, she continued to record with other labels, but Martha suggests that the excitement of the days at Hitsville USA, the company’s Detroit studio in the Fifties and Sixties, has had a lasting effect on the acts who sang, handclapped and foot-stomped the Motown sound into existence.

‘It was wonderful just going into that recording house and realising that the record company was growing at such a fast pace with so many artists. When you mention names

I sang for $5 a night in the happy hour like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, the Temptations, the Four Tops and the Supremes, you know it must have been a wonderful paradise. And, although the company has moved on, we’re still Motown artists and we still have that unity of being the producers of the Motown sound.’

Martha grew up in Detroit itself. But her route to becoming one of the top artists at the label, named by Berry Gordy after the motorcar-manufacturing city, was not direct.

She had been performing locally in a group called the Del-phis – who featured future Vandellas Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard and recorded a song for Checkmate Records –

Museum se in Detroit, now the Motown Motown’s former recording hou

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everywhere

24 August 2019 • WAR cry • INTERVIEW 9

Martha and the Vandellas arrive in London in 1966

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10 INTERVIEW • WAR cry • 24 August 2019

Martha and the Vandellas (front row, right) with other Motown arti the Temptations and the Miracle sts the Supremes, s

From page 8 ‘Everything was going along fine. Then we met this guy brought into Detroit from Washington DC.’ Martha’s career was about to go up a gear.

‘He was a drummer by the name of Marvin Gaye. He was working as a road drummer for the Miracles, but he was also writing his own songs and was able to produce himself.

‘The A&R department was commissioned to bring in back-up singers for a song that he had written and was going to produce. The singers that were on the list were the Andantes, who were on Motown and sang on all kinds of records, especially the ones for the Four Tops and the Spinners. But they were not available.’

Martha’s mind turned to her fellow singers in the Del-phis.

I had the thrill of typing up my own contract ‘I called in the girls from their jobs – Rosalind was working for the telephone company, and Annette worked at a soda fountain. They came in and we sang behind Marvin Gaye for his song “Stubborn Kind of Fellow”.

‘He was such a musician. He played the keys, the drums. And we were selected to do his first three hits, “Stubborn Kind of Fellow”, “Hitch Hike” and “Pride and Joy” and his first album. There was a picture of us on the back cover.’

Martha’s hope of becoming a recording artist was gaining momentum.

‘After hearing our voices, Berry Gordy was impressed. We were offered a contract, but the name Del-phis could not be used, so in my reverie I came up with the name Vandellas – after Van Dyke Street, which was in the area of Detroit where I lived, and Della Reese, who was an amazing singer and actress.

‘Being in the A&R department, I had the thrill of typing up my own contract and putting down the name Vandellas.’

An early single recorded by the group – which Martha had initially recorded as a demo intended for Mary Wells – ‘didn’t sell very well’.

But Martha and the Vandellas picked up speed when they were teamed with songwriting and producing team HollandDozier-Holland.

‘They had an appreciation for our voices and how they blended, and they gave us our first hit “Come and Get these Memories”. If you listen to it, it’s basically jazz, but it made wonderful use of our harmony parts.

‘The Motown sound was being established, and Berry Gordy said that the sound he was looking for was there in our next recording “(Love is Like a) Heatwave”.’

Martha and the Vandellas had further hits with songs such as ‘Nowhere to Run’ and ‘Jimmy Mack’ (both also written by Holland-Dozier-Holland) and achieved their highest chart position in the US and UK with ‘Dancing in the Street’ (whose songwriters included William Stevenson and Marvin Gaye).

The Motown Museum describes the label’s classic sound as ‘merging the call-

and-response patterns of black gospel music with the syncopation and improvisation of the be-bop movement in jazz’.

artha certainly thinks that people can sense M the church influence in her singing. ‘My roots are gospel songs,’ she says.

‘Growing up, we all could sing – two of my sisters, Lois and Delphine, sing with me today.

Dad played the blues guitar, but Mom’s music was gospel.

‘My grandfather was a Methodist minister and I started out singing at the age of three with my two older brothers. We sang a song called “Jesus Met the Woman at the Well” – I think the church held a competition to encourage the youngsters to come, and we won candy. I sang background, but as the little bossy person I became, I took the prize and oversaw the chocolate-covered cherries, so that if the others didn’t treat me nice, I wouldn’t give them their candy.’

The Church and the Christian faith have had more than a musical influence on Martha.

24 August 2019 • WAR cry • INTERVIEW 11 Martha onstage in Sheffield in 2015

One of the first songs that I learnt as a child was ‘Yes, Jesus Loves Me’ PA

‘With our grandfather being a minister, our whole life was built around going to church, the choir and Bible study.

‘One of the first songs that I learnt as a child was “Yes, Jesus Loves Me”. I also learnt “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” – and I believe that God has got the whole world in his hands.’

Martha also talks about singing another song, ‘Blessed Assurance’, at a significant time later in her life. She says that the song – about being assured of Jesus’ love – was ‘the first song that I was asked to sing once I was reborn’.

What Martha describes as her rebirth happened at a time of changes for her and Motown.

She remembers: ‘I was raised a Methodist, but I came to know as an adult in my trials and tribulations that I needed to be reborn.

‘Motown Records left Detroit, and my contract expired with them in 1971. I also became a mum, a single parent. I made the choice to move to California to continue my career with Universal Records. In the meantime, I was taken on a prayer retreat by one of Motown’s producers, Frank Wilson, with the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

‘I gave my life to God, I accepted Jesus as my personal saviour and was filled with the Holy Spirit.

‘When I had my son, I had to grow up. I had to become a woman as opposed to just a teenager who could sing. I had to get my act together and become a servant of God.’ Martha says that her decision has had a lasting effect.

‘I know what it’s like to be lost and to be alone. The promise of my relationship with Jesus Christ means that I’ll never be alone.’

Today her faith and music are intertwined – wherever she is singing.

‘First thing every morning, I spend my time singing gospel songs and reading the Scriptures. I ask the Lord: “Please lead me.

Let me walk with you, let me lean on you.”

Whatever happens after that, I know I’m able to face it.’

And Martha’s faith accompanies her on record and onstage.

‘I’m saved by grace, and grace and mercy are what you need in order to withstand the trials and tribulations of this world. I try to share that with people in my performance.

‘I open my show with my song “Holy Highway”, in which I say that “I wanna talk to God, face to face, like David, Isaiah and

Moses did”, and that “I wanna go to Heaven”.

I want to share that I know I’m going to Heaven because I’m reborn.’

Audiences at Martha’s shows can expect a mix of modern songs, such as ‘Holy Highway’, as well as songs from previous decades.

‘I do songs that the audiences want,’ says Martha.

And that, no doubt, means some of the hits made at Hitsville.

‘When Berry Gordy designed the music,’ she says, ‘he wanted it to be for today, tomorrow and for ever.

‘I am overwhelmed at what I’ve been able to do. We still go all over the world singing. For me, it’s all about getting myself prepared and worthy to be onstage. My confidence comes with the talent that God gives. I know that when I do my part, God does his.’

l Martha is on tour in the UK, playing dates in Stockton-on-Tees, Leeds, Stoke-on-Trent and London. For more information visit missmarthareeves.com

12 INNER LIFE • War Cry • 24 August 2019

Prayerlink YOUR prayers are requested for Sheena, who is distressed at the death of her father; for Raymond, who is in financial need; and for Hannah, who is struggling with the isolation of prison.

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

Jonah

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

HIS is not a tale about a man and a T whale. This is an account of God’s compassion extending beyond his ‘chosen

people’ of Israel to their enemy, Assyria.

While no time frame is mentioned in this book, 2 Kings 14:25 mentions Jonah in connection with the reign of Israel’s King Jeroboam II (783–741BC).

The story begins with God calling Jonah to go some 500 miles east to Nineveh, the capital city of the mighty Assyrians.

God is displeased with Nineveh’s wickedness, but rather than summarily destroying it, he tells Jonah to call its citizens to repentance (1:2).

Jonah, though, heads off in the opposite direction. He catches a boat heading for Tarshish, thousands of miles to the west – Jonah clearly wanted to distance himself from the job he had been given.

However, the boat is caught in a storm and the superstitious sailors throw him overboard (1:4–16). Enter, not a whale, but a ‘huge fish’ (1:17).

Symbolic or fin-and-blood, the appearance of the fish shows that God is not preparing to destroy Jonah for his disobedience.

Instead, God delivers him and again tells him to go to Nineveh (chapter 2).

With a change of heart, and now preaching from personal experience, Jonah goes to Nineveh and calls the people to repent or face the consequences. The king calls for a city-wide fast

and mourning. His citizens obey, and God accepts their repentance and spares them (chapter 3).

Not for the first time, Jonah is unhappy.

He wants to curl up and die. He is angry that

Enter, not a whale, but a ‘huge fish’ God could forgive people who, in his opinion, were not worth saving.

Jonah knows that God is ‘gracious and compassionate … slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity’ (4:2). But even when he sees such forgiveness first-hand, he is still a long way from seeing the world as God does.

Key verse ey ‘When God saw what th ed did and how they turn from their evil ways, he relented’ (Jonah 3:10 on) New International Versi

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24 August 2019 • WAR cry • EXPRESSIONS 13

Queries, Doubts and Honest Prayers

Faith doesn’t mean being care less some glossy travel brochure, some Christians seem to advocate Ltheike faith in Jesus as the trip of a lifetime – trouble-free without a care in world, new adventures around every corner, and all in perfect weather!

The message seems to be: Forget the past with its dreary memories, leave behind your everyday responsibilities and relax knowing that your place in Heaven is assured and you have insurance cover against all eventualities.

What nonsense! Not just untrue, but setting the scene for some serious disappointments because, when the euphoria of coming to Christ recedes, the harsh realities of life will re-emerge again. But sometimes when I hear this ‘prosperity gospel’ I can begin to wonder whether I have misunderstood what Christianity is all about.

There can be times when elation is uppermost, with the contentment of knowing I am doing the right thing. There can be the sense of being involved in something important that is far greater than Jesus didn’t myself. But there can also be heaviness of heart, a burden for other people and dark experiences. promise a Along with the joy of our salvation – the pleasure bed of roses of following Jesus and serving him and other people, there is inevitably pain and suffering. It might be physical persecution, being emotionally bullied or receiving criticism for taking a moral stand.

Jesus certainly didn’t promise a bed of roses and so, when I meet well-meaning Christians talking extravagantly about a trouble-free life, I pray that Jesus will help me not to doubt my own standing with him just because of my problems.

Quick quiz 1. In which US city is the Golden Gate Bridge?

2. Who had a hit with the song ‘Tears Dry on their Own’?

3. Which chemical element has the atomic number 8?

4. Who wrote the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?

5. Who played Solomon Northup in the film 12 Years a Slave?

6. The month of July is named after which Roman statesman?

ANSWERS 1. San Francisco. 2. Amy Winehouse. 3. Oxygen.

4. Mark Twain. 5. Chiwetel Ejiofor. 6. Julius Caesar.

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

B www.salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

by Peter Mylechreest

BOOK REVIEW The Desert Nurse Pamela Hart Piatkus SET on First World War battlefields, The Desert Nurse follows the journey of Evelyn, daughter of a country doctor father, who fiercely opposes her wish to be a doctor.

Deciding initially to become a nurse in her native Australia, Evelyn escapes the confines of her father’s expectations, trains in Sydney and heads overseas to dedicate herself to saving lives on the battlefield.

She vows never to marry so that after the war she can enrol in medicine. Inevitably she falls in love with a doctor, but refuses to let go of her dream. By the end, it looks possible that Evelyn may be able to have everything she desires.

Pamela Hart is such a skilled writer that readers are totally immersed in Evelyn’s life.

Overall this is a gripping page-turner.

Julie Houghton

14 PUZZLES • War Cry • 24 August 2019

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 and 23. Royal Air Force rank (5, 7) 4. Part of a roof (5) 8. Vase (3) 9. Earnest (5) 10. Rustic (5) 11. Edgar Allan, author (3) 12. Proportion (5) 13. Sharp (7) 16. Cereal (6) 19. Collects (6) 23. See 1 across 26. Gullible (5) 28. Dance (3) 29. Indicate (5) 30. Loosen (5)

HONEYCOMB Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Damage 2. Push forward 3. Stick used in the game of hurling 4. Reddish brown colour 5. Afternoon nap 6. Auctioneer’s mallet

Answers

Wordsearch BISHOP CAPTURE CASTLING CHECK CHECKMATE CHESSBOARD EN PASSANT RULE EXCHANGE J’ADOUBE KING KNIGHT PAWN PLAYER PROMOTION QUEEN ROOK SQUARE STALEMATE

by CHRIS HORNE

31. Marsupial friend of Winnie-the-Pooh (3) 32. Perilous (5) 33. Repeat (5) DOWN 2. Planetary movement (5) 3. Intention (7) 4. Inspire affection (6) 5. Vim (5) 6. Scour (5) 7. Abdominal pain (5) 9. Rugby formation (5)

14. Cinque port (3) 15. Small hotel (3) 17. Crete’s highest mountain (3) 18. In the Bible, Abraham’s nephew (3) 20. Inactivity (7) 21. Military operation (5) 22. Wound (6) 23. Main (5) 24. Treatise (5) 25. Chasm (5) 27. Bury (5)

SUDOKU

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

8

6

3

2

5

9

7

1

4

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1

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3

1

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9

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1

Look up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally on the grid to find these words associated with chess

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

HONEYCOMB 1 Impair. 2 Propel. 3 Hurley.

4 Russet. 5 Siesta. 6 Hammer.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Group. 4 Eaves. 8 Urn. 9 Sober.

10 Rural. 11 Poe. 12 Ratio. 13 Acerbic.

16 Millet. 19 Gleans. 23 Captain.

26 Naive. 28 Jig. 29 Imply. 30 Untie.

31 Roo. 32 Risky. 33 Rerun.

DOWN: 2 Orbit. 3 Purpose. 4 Endear.

5 Verve. 6 Scrub. 7 Colic. 9 Scrum.14 Rye. 15 Inn. 17 Ida. 18 Lot. 20 Languor.

21 Siege. 22 Injury. 23 Chief.

24 Paper. 25 Abyss. 27 Inter.

3

2

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9

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9 6 8 7 4 2 1 5 3

5 3 7 9 6 8 4 1 2

8 2 9 1 7 4 3 6 5

6 4 1 2 3 5 8 7 9

4 5 6 8 1 3 2 9 7

7 8 2 4 5 9 6 3 1

1 9 3 6 2 7 5 8 4

SUDOKU SOLUTION

9 6

5 3

8 2

6 4

4 5

7 8

1 9

24 August 2019 • WAR cry • WHAT’S COOKING? 15

MONEY-WISE MEALS

Stir-fried rice 250g white rice 3tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, diced 100g aubergine, chopped 50g leek, chopped 50g celery, chopped 1½ fresh tomatoes, chopped 250g broccoli, cut into small florets 1 chilli pepper (optional) Pinch dried lemongrass powder

Serves

4

Garlic granules 2tbsp dark soy sauce Salt

Split peas and parsnip chips 5tbsp vegetable oil 1 small onion, chopped 200g split peas, soaked for 2 hours before cooking 10g fresh ginger, grated Salt Garlic granules 400ml water ½ red pepper, chopped ½ green pepper, chopped ½ tsp paprika 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chips

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from Hortense Julienne NguepnangNtepndie’s book of affordable recipes ‘The Bank Cook’. For more information visit hortensejulienne.com

To make the split peas dish, heat 2tbsp oil in a saucepan and brown most of the onion for 2 minutes, then add the peas, ginger, a pinch of salt, garlic and half of the water. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add the peppers, paprika and the remaining water. Season further with the salt and garlic granules as necessary. Cook for a further 10 minutes on medium heat.

To make the parsnip chips, heat 3tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add the remaining onion for flavour and cook the parsnip pieces for 7 minutes, or until all sides are cooked. Once the chips are ready, remove them from the oil and place in a bowl. Season with salt and serve with the split peas dish.

Serves

3

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onions, aubergine, leek and celery for 4 minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the tomatoes, broccoli, chilli (if using), lemongrass and garlic granules. Stir, then add the cooked rice and dark soy sauce. Mix well and season with salt to taste. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring continuously.

Serve hot.

Corrections needed by ?? June

We choice about the Be have still abefore kind of attitude we apply to the Lord and life. We can moan about what we have, or value it and make wait patiently the most of it

for him

Psalm 37:7 (New International Version)

Chizor Akisanya