War Cry 28 November 2020

The vicar with thousands of online followers

28 November 2020 20p/25c

Aled’s own songs of praise Singer and broadcaster on how music shapes his faith

Trading fairly brings love and justice

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 7502

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 • 28 November 2020

EDITOR From From the editor’s desk

THE Fairtrade mark on produce such as chocolate, tea, bananas and SINGING is goodsight for you.

So say scientists quoted on the coffee is a familiar to shoppers pushing their trolleys round the BBC Future Buying website.goods The experts that singing boost supermarket. with thesaid mark means thatcan consumers our moods and sensesome of social connection. know they are helping of the poorest people in the world to Perhaps is with benefitsthey in mind that people have been receive a fairitprice forthese the produce supply. joining online choirs during lockdown.

In this week’s issue, the In The origins of the fair trade movement go back many decades.

Warweek’s Cry’s Sarah Olowofoyeku joins virtual rehearsal of the London this War Cry we speak to Joea Osman, who spent 40 years International Gospel Choir to discover for herself the pleasures at the forefront of that campaign when he worked for the company people have found of singing yethow together withtoothers.

Traidcraft.

In the interview, Joe alone, explains its work ensure there Meanwhile Austen Hardwick has found similar value in running.and were better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability This week’s War Cry also includes interview world with the marathon fair terms of trade for workers in thean developing was founded runner who found that his sport helped him to regain his life after on the Christian principles of love and justice. he suffered strokes while in his early forties.

‘There wasthree a great deal of injustice,’ Joe tells us. ‘Commodities However, it was not only running that helped recovery. would make their way from developing countries Austen’s to the West in a His unjust Christian faith played a vital part in him taking a positive very manner.’ approach that he faced. today. In this week’s issue we also Traidcrafttoisall still campaigning ‘When I was in hospital,’ ‘I asked God to take report on how it has teamed Austen up with says, 18 other organisations to what I was going through and to transform me through it.’ produce the Injustice Advent Calendar. During December, the online Christians believe that can taketoany situation or anything resource will encourage itsGod subscribers engage in quick tasks that they do or face and use it to make a positive impact others’ designed to help ‘make the world a better place’. The tasksininclude lives or about their own. has been over the experience of painter thinking their That use of plastic Christmas and leavingOliver a Pengilley. saucer of water out for bees.

Oliver had a successful career an artist with some Traidcraft is developed one of many organisations that,asmotivated

by Christian of his work selling for significant sums of money.

But, as he tells principles, has made a significant impact for good on communities in theUK War Cryaround this week, he grew frustrated. the and the world.

Another is The Salvation Army, which ‘I didn’t see the meaning of it,’ he says. Now he travels to produces this magazine. churches the world to paint pictures during This yearallinover particular, Salvation Army centres and worship other church sessions and his faith-based artwork has helped people given in communities have been at the forefront of much ofother the support owninfaith totheir people the journey. wake of the coronavirus restrictions. They have It is to anbring amazing truth love that God can take anytoskill looked Christian and compassion all.a person has or any situation they are facing and can transform it into something that can change their lives and the lives of the people around them.

Contents

What is The Salvation Army?

FEATURES 3

O mother!

JD faces family problems in Netflix film

5

Social service

The vicar who preaches on Instagram

8

Working for a better deal

The early days of the fair trade campaign

remembered 10 Musical connections

How Aled Jones has combined faith and singing

REGULARS

12

Team Talk

13

Bible Series

14 Puzzles 15

War Cry Kitchen

5

8

15

LACEY TERRELL/Netflix

FILM Lindsay and JD want to help their mother

Dream on?

A man pursuing a bright future is still being haunted by dark times, writes Linda McTurk

W

HO does JD Vance want to become? In the Netflix film Hillbilly Elegy, released on Tuesday (24 November), the former US Marine struggles to reconcile the successful future he envisages with his painful childhood.

JD (Gabriel Basso) appears to be on his way to achieving the American dream. Studying law at Yale University, he is on the verge of landing his dream job and is falling in love with Usha (Freida Pinto).

But when his sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett) calls to inform him that their mother, Bev (Amy Adams), has been admitted to hospital because she has overdosed on drugs, JD is launched

back into a past that he has tried hard to forget.

The film flashes back to scenes of a young JD living with his single mother in Ohio, caught up in her bouts of anger as she grapples with addiction.

Fast-forward to the present, and JD drives ten hours from university to his mother, who doesn’t have anywhere safe to go after being discharged from hospital. In the hours after his arrival, as he is figuring out what to do next, his girlfriend rings him. He ignores her call. He is unsure if he wants to tell her the truth about his family.

Despite JD’s best efforts to help his mother into safe accommodation, things do not go well and they end up in a heated argument.

He feels like giving up on her.

But his sister tells him: ‘I’m trying to forgive her. If you don’t, you’re never gonna get out of what you’re trying to get out of.’

Lindsay recognises that forgiveness is a powerful force – both for the person forgiven and for the one doing the forgiving.

Hillbilly Elegy opens with a radio broadcast by a preacher. He is urging listeners

who have pursued the American dream without success to find strength in God and to show faith ‘in ourselves and our character’.

The question for JD is: What kind of character is he? Remembering what his grandmother used to say, he comes to the conclusion: ‘We choose every day who we want to become.’

Hillbilly Elegy is based on a true story, and the truth is that we all face choices about who we want to become. Will we pretend to be who we’re not? Will we be someone who forgives or holds a grudge? And what happens when we make the wrong choices, hurting others and ourselves?

If we want real happiness, we can find not only strength in God, but also reassurance in him that we don’t have to be forever haunted by our mistakes. He showed the extent of his love for us by sending the world his Son, Jesus, who willingly gave up his life so that we could have an eternally better future.

That act of self-sacrifice prompted one of Jesus’ early followers to insist: ‘If we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us’ (1 John 1:9 Contemporary English Version).

Nothing that we have done can disqualify us from God’s love. If we turn to him, he will give us a fresh start and help us become the best people we can be. The choice is ours.

Forgiveness is a powerful force

Young JD (Owen Asztalos) with his grandmother (Glenn Close)

28 November 2020 • War Cry • 3

WAR CRY

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Picture credit

HUGH BONNEVILLE tells the story of the carol ‘Silent Night’ in a new film being released on Digital HD on Monday (30 November).

The documentary Silent Night: A Song for the World, which is narrated by the Paddington and Downton Abbey star, charts the progress of the song from its composition by an Austrian schoolteacher in 1818.

The carol has been translated into 140 languages, it temporarily stopped the First World War during the unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914 and it has been included in Unesco’s Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria.

Joss Stone and Kelly Clarkson are among the artists who perform versions of the carol in the film.

No faith in fossil fuel companies

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COVID-19 is driving people further into debt, with many people struggling to eat or heat their homes while trying to keep up with universal COINCIDING with the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on credit advance payments, according to a Climate Change, 47 faith institutions have announced their divestment Salvation Army report. from fossil fuels.

No One Left Behind reveals that people The churches and organisations who will no longer be investing in on low incomes have increased their level fossil fuel companies are from 21 countries and, in the UK, include five of debt by 191 per cent, and that full-time Roman Catholic religious orders, two United Reformed Church synods workers have an average debt of more and some Anglican and Methodist churches. than £13,000.

The Rev Vanessa Conant, rector of St Mary’s Walthamstow in northeast The church and charity has written a London, said: ‘The climate crisis is the most critical issue facing our planet letter, signed by 16 other organisations, and, as Christians, we must act. People in my parish experience the impacts to the economic secretary to the Treasury, of this crisis every day through ill health related to air pollution and are John Glen, to encourage the government worried about what we will leave future generations.’ not to take universal credit advance In response to the commitments, Inger Andersen, executive director of the repayments automatically.

UN environment programme, said: ‘The economic power of faiths, turned to The Salvation Army believes that the responsible investments and the green economy, can be a major driver of government should include universal credit positive change and an inspiration to others, as we rebuild better.’ advance payments – an interest-free government loan offered while universal credit applications are being processed – as part of its debt respite scheme.

EIGHTEEN organisations in Britain have teamed up with charity Traidcraft Exchange The scheme, which to produce a free digital Injustice Advent Calendar. begins in May next year, Everyone who signs up to the calendar will receive a daily email during December in puts a 60-day pause the run-up to Christmas with various opportunities to help ‘make the world a little bit on enforcement action better’. Each task is free and should take less than five and freezes interest on minutes to complete. debt from creditors to About 1,800 people took part in last year’s initiative, allow people to receive carrying out more than 5,000 actions. This year’s professional debt advice actions include thinking about plastic use over and find a long-term Christmas and leaving a saucer of water out for bees. financial solution.

Traidcraft Exchange CEO Charlotte Timson says: Although the ‘For many people, Christmas in 2020 could be a government plans to painful or lonely experience. For others, it can be include advance payments hard to know how to help, with so many restrictions in the debt respite scheme, preventing social contact. The Injustice Advent it will be introduced in Calendar says that no matter how difficult life gets, phases, with no clear time today we can start to make things better.’ frame. The Salvation Army For more information visit traidcraftexchange.org fears that any delay will force thousands of people into debt.

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4 • War Cry • 28 November 2020

INTERVIEW

Online vicar’s faithful followers The Rev Chris Lee tells Claire Brine why he turned to social media to preach 60-second sermons

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The Rev Chris Lee

HE Rev Chris Lee says that it was never in his plan to set up a Christian ministry on Instagram, but today his account ‘revchris7’ attracts 176,000 followers – more than the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England combined.

‘I feel like this is something I’ve stumbled into,’ says Chris, the vicar of St Saviour’s Church in Wendell Park, London. ‘When I first opened my Instagram account, it was just to share random photos from my life, like everyone else. But now I see it as an opportunity to share hope, light and something of Christ with people. Somehow, over the years, I’ve got thousands of followers from all over the world.’

He has also a book deal with an imprint of Penguin Random House, a Youtube fan base and the nickname ‘the real hot priest’, after the British media likened him to the clergyman character played by Andrew Scott in the BBC comedy Fleabag.

‘That comparison was just a little bit of nonsense,’ Chris says. ‘I didn’t give it too much attention. But if stories like that mean people can find my Instagram account, then I see it as a way in which I can deliver the gospel message.’

Before we get to talking about Chris’s book, The OMG Effect – which was released this week – the Instagram vicar tells me how he landed such a huge social media following.

‘When my wife and I came to St Saviour’s to start the church, we had this big vicarage and no children at the time, so my brother-in-law, Ollie, and his wife moved in with us to offer support.

Ollie and his friend, Josh, had a Youtube channel called Jolly that was slowly gaining momentum, so he asked me if I’d like to film with them. I said yeah, seeing as he was helping me with the church. In the videos I wore my dog collar, which gained some attention. People started talking about me in the comments.

‘In one particular video, I prayed for young people facing exams – that they would know that God loved them and recognise that their life

Turn to page 6

➥

28 November 2020 • War Cry • 5

Videos by Josh (left), Chris and Ollie attracted a Youtube following

From page 5 didn’t depend on their results. That clip went viral, and suddenly my Instagram started to fill up with new followers. At the same time, Ollie and Josh asked me to be part of a new Youtube series they were planning called British Priest Reacts. The idea was that they would show me videos of popular culture and film my response to them.

‘One of the first videos we made was about Ariana Grande’s song “God is a Woman”. I suppose people thought I might say, “This is terrible and sinful”, but I talked in a non-judgmental way and added some theological points about the Trinity. Within a few days, that video had two million hits.’

Although it was unintentional, Chris’s appearances on Jolly – and another Youtube channel, called Korean Englishman – ended up amassing a congregation that spanned the globe. He started delivering 60-second sermons on his Instagram account, keen to tell his growing number of followers that Jesus loved them. Recent sermons have touched on subjects such as anxiety, Heaven on Earth and the US elections.

‘I want people to know with confidence that Jesus is for them,’ he says. ‘And I’m trying to make sure that the church doors are as wide open as possible – to everyone. I want everyone to feel that they have a right to be there.’

It seems that Chris’s sermons are hitting the right note. Every day he receives numerous messages from his Instagram followers,

thanking him for his words which nudge them towards faith.

‘Most of the time the messages I receive are positive,’ he says. ‘People have said that my posts have helped them through experiences like depression, which is amazing.

But I also get people sharing their struggles with me and asking for help and prayer, which is difficult, because I can’t reply to them all.

In those cases, I have to remember that I’m not the Saviour. I’m not Jesus. I cannot adequately disciple 176,000 people. My ministry is simply to let people know that God is real, relevant and that he will carry our baggage in our

God is real and relevant

6 • War Cry • 28 November2020

Chris preaches at St Saviour’s Church in London

INTERVIEW

Instagram is an aspect of my ministry

brokenness – because we are loved.’

It’s a message that comes up constantly in The OMG Effect. Exploring themes of love, grief and forgiveness through a lens of faith, Chris hopes to point people towards a ‘fuller life’.

He says: ‘I feel called to tell people that God is real and that their identity is securely found in him. We are creative – and we are broken. But we are also loved, and I wanted that message to feed into every chapter.’

What helps Chris to get his message across is his honesty, particularly when sharing the personal experiences that sparked an ‘OMG effect’ in his own life.

‘Before I became a vicar, I was working in business and property development, and I was really unhappy,’ he says. ‘I thought: “In ten years’ time, do I want to be running a company and earning a six-figure salary?” This big neon light flashed in my head, saying “No!” I knew it wouldn’t satisfy me in any way.

‘At that point in my life, I would have called myself a Christian, but I didn’t have a deep relationship with God. I realised I needed a change, so I left my job and went to work at

a mission compound in bushland Tanzania.

Suddenly my faith came alive.’

Chris says he was changed by a revelation that he was loved by Jesus.

‘I knew I couldn’t do anything for that love and yet it was there. It brought me a lot of healing. And the sense of being loved allowed me to look at the world differently. I realised that if I was forgiven, then everyone else could be forgiven as well.’

Having recognised that telling the world about Jesus was what he wanted to do with his life, Chris signed up to join the priesthood.

Two years later, he was ordained in the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro. When he returned to the UK three years later in 2008, his passion for preaching the gospel only grew – even when it led him to an unexpected ministry on Instagram.

‘I’ve always been an adventurer for God,’ he says. ‘So while being a priest is about the Church and preaching, it’s also about reaching as many people as possible.

‘Instagram is an aspect of ministry now. I see it as part of my calling.’

l The OMG Effect is published by Century

28 November 2020 • War Cry • 7

We made a difference, to be fair Joe Osman

JOE OSMAN spent 40 years working for a company that was at the forefront of early developments in the fair trade movement. Philip Halcrow asks him about the ambitions and achievements of Traidcraft

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HE pioneering company for which Joe Osman worked from its early days not only left an impression on him, but also made a mark on the wider world – which is why he decided to write a book about it. Joe, who now lives in semi-retirement in Gateshead, tells me: ‘I thought it was important that the legacy of Traidcraft was recorded, because it played a significant role in the development of the fair trade movement.’

Traidcraft had its roots in Tearcraft, a trading arm of Christian relief and development agency Tearfund, before setting up independently in 1979. It was playing its part in the development of fair trade so early that the term ‘fair trade’ was not even in common usage.

‘Back then, we would talk about “alternative trade”,’ says Joe, ‘but in many ways the vision of what we were doing went back even further, because Traidcraft was founded on the Christian principles of love and justice. It wanted those principles to be embedded in everything it did. It simply had chosen to have those principles in the area of international trade, because that was where there was a great deal of injustice. Commodities would make their way from developing countries to the West in a very unjust manner.’

Joe says that Traidcraft’s founder, Richard Adams, created an inclusive culture. ‘Collective decision-making and consultation were part of that culture, as were the relationships we developed with suppliers, who were always regarded as partners.

‘We would only work with suppliers who shared a similar outlook on their relationship with their primary producers, whether in handicrafts or agricultural commodities. The person at the beginning of the supply chain was always important, which is not how businesses tend to be run, even today.’

Joe has seen how fair trade has benefited producers.

‘Fresh water has been brought to communities, roads have been built and streams bridged. Clinics and educational facilities have opened.’

Joe adds that there have also been less concrete benefits.

‘I’ve witnessed spokespersons for farmers use very different language than they did before – now they speak the language of an equal rather than of subservience. Because we met the farmers, their relationship with buyers changed. Now they have a voice.’

Although it grew up in a Christian environment, and sold products to and through church congregations, Traidcraft never wanted to confine its influence to the Church.

‘It would not shirk its Christian principles, but it was going to sell to the mainstream and partner up with people who didn’t share its faith,’ says Joe. In the early 1990s it was one of the four organisations that started the Cafédirect brand of coffee. Traidcraft’s informal connections with likeminded groups began to be turned into formal institutions such as the World Fair Trade Organisation. And its determination that the benefits of fair trade should reach as many people as possible led to another very visible development.

Joe explains: ‘By the Nineties, Richard Adams had left, but he got people together and Traidcraft was one of the key participants in making the Fairtrade mark happen.’

The Fairtrade Foundation’s certified mark began to appear in shops, guaranteeing customers that producers of coffee, tea and chocolate were getting a good deal.

One of the aims was, says Joe, ‘to get the Fairtrade mark to work in supermarkets. Supermarkets and the bigger brands needed to get engaged for there to be a

Suppliers were regarded as partners

8 • War Cry • 28 November2020

INTERVIEW

Traidcraft Shop

Farmer Malita Makina at work on a tea plantation in Malawi wider promotion of fair trade principles. So Traidcraft was telling people to look out for the Fairtrade mark in supermarkets.’

It’s an example of how the company was always ‘looking beyond itself’.

Joe says: ‘We were effectively telling people to shop elsewhere. It was always going to have a detrimental effect on our traditional supporter base, because these guys who supported Traidcraft also supported the Fairtrade mark.

‘You could say that Traidcraft has been a victim of its own success – but it wasn’t a victim of its own success without its knowledge. It wasn’t an accident.’

While Traidcraft nearly went out business altogether, Fairtrade sales in the UK now run into the billions of pounds. With the powerful attraction of fair trade comes the responsibility of ensuring standards are kept. Big businesses come and go from adopting the Fairtrade mark.

Joe reflects that he ‘loves the volume attached to Fairtrade-certified products, because those are the volumes that will make a difference to the monetary benefits for producers.

‘If you want to buy a Fairtrade cup of coffee, you can go into any coffee chain or supermarket. It does mean that the coffee has been traded against the standards that were developed. But it’s quite a big ask to get all of those people doing fair trade to change their culture and their mission.

‘So the role of an organisation such as Traidcraft can still be to keep the original principles alive.’ l Traidcraft: Inspiring a Fair Trade Revolution is published by Lion

28 November 2020 • War Cry • 9

Aled strikes a positive note Singer and Songs of Praise presenter ALED JONES tells Emily Bright why music is such a blessing

A

LED JONES is known for walking in the air, in a manner of speaking. His 1985 Top Ten hit – a cover version recorded 3 years after ‘Walking in the Air’ had featured in the animation The Snowman – propelled the teenage chorister into a lifelong singing career.

As he celebrates his 40th album release, Aled explains that his love of music and his Christian faith have gone hand in hand.

‘I went to Sunday school from when I was four.

From the age of nine, I was a chorister at Bangor Cathedral. I don’t think I’ve ever not been a Christian.

When I was at college, I was less interested, but slowly but surely the music drew me back to faith.

Although I only go to churches to perform if I’m on tour, my faith is still part of my DNA.’ While music remains Aled’s first love, he has also diversified into acting on stage, presenting TV programmes, including Songs of Praise, and hosting his own Sunday morning radio show on Classic FM. Amid his busy work schedule, Aled has found time to record his latest album, Blessings, a multifaith collaboration, which draws on the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim traditions.

‘I’m a firm believer that at the heart of all faiths is kindness, compassion, love, hope and peace,’ he explains. ‘The idea was to reflect that by making an album of songs from different faiths, and from there, the piece has evolved.

‘I wanted to make an album that people can find comfort in and that will also help them reflect on the commonality of life. People are having it very tricky in these lockdowns.’

Aled says that he was keen to get started on his new album project in the summer after months of lockdown.

‘The music is unlike anything I’ve done before. I hadn’t ever done a duet or sung a melody over the phone before, so that was a new experience for me,’ he recalls. ‘By the time I got into the studio I was desperate to pour this out, and I did the whole vocal in about 12 hours.’

He describes creating the album as a heartwarming experience. ‘Through the music, and the half a dozen people on the album, we wanted to send a message: love one another, be kind,’ he says.

‘We featured people like Harry Billinge, a D-Day veteran, speaking about how you should always remember, because we can’t forget. I think every piece has the ability to transport you somewhere

Music has the power to heal you

10 • War Cry • 28 November 2020

else, and that’s what I hope we can achieve with it.’

Among his personal highlights are his duet with Sami Yusuf, in a song called ‘Song of our Maker’, which interweaves a Christian hymn with a traditional Muslim song. But the ‘icing on the cake’ for Aled was working with Dame Judi Dench. He has described how hearing the actress’s voice on ‘How Can I Keep from Singing?’ sends shivers down his spine.

Picking up on the album title, I ask Aled how he thinks faith-inspired music can bless listeners.

‘Music is the biggest blessing of all,’ he says. ‘I probably wouldn’t have the faith I have if it wasn’t for music. If I go to a church that doesn’t have music, then it doesn’t really resonate with me at all.’

He believes that music can have a transformative impact.

‘It has the power to heal you, it has the power to excite you, it has the power to bring hope, and I hope that comes across in the album.’

He says that for him, the major Christian festivals

INTERVIEW

have become synonymous with his time as a chorister.

‘Easter and Christmas for me will always be about music. I’ve been a chorister for so many years that I find music speaks into my soul.’

He is now an author too, having published a partner book to his new album. The book, called Everyday Blessings, provides a daily selection of inspirational quotes and proverbs from actors, authors and activists. Among the famous names featured are Maya Angelou, Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Nelson Mandela, Jimi Hendrix and Steve Jobs.

‘It was a labour of love,’ he says. ‘I had every quote printed out and kept moving them between different chapter piles. Some of the sayings are funny, some of them are difficult, some of them are

thoughtful, some of them are kind. The idea then became that I would bookend each month with my recollections or thoughts of that month.’

He jokes that such recollections took his book to unexpected places: ‘I never thought I’d write a whole chapter on conkers, but that’s what happened! I hope that this book will be a treasure trove of words that will inspire people.’

Aled says that whatever he is working on, an ethos drives him.

‘I think God made us to enjoy our lives and shine.

I try to show that in everything I do.’ l Blessings is released on BMG. Everyday Blessings is published

by Hodder & Stoughton

28 November 2020 • War Cry • 11

EXPLORE

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 Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, Lon­don SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

j

Team talk Team talk

talk ‘ ’ Feeling the love in the Christmas commercials

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

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

‘IS it too early to put up Christmas decorations?’ asked Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi. Apparently not. After a difficult year, many people across the UK have decided that Christmas should start in November. Trees are up. Festive lights are twinkling. ‘We need all the cheering up we can get,’ reasoned Arwa.

I’m inclined to agree. So this week, I’ve been catching up with the festive ads on TV. Yes, it has taken me a bit of time to get round to seeing them all – but watching each advert is like a mini Christmas film, after all. And I’ve got to admit, they made me smile.

The first thing I noticed was the diversity of actors in the ads. Well done to the stores who hired performers and artists from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, showing us that, when it comes to TV and film, representing all lives matters.

The other thing I loved was that a lot of the ads appeared to promote a particular message more than a particular product. A singing bar of soap from Boots highlighted the issue of hygiene poverty in the UK and encouraged people to help fight it. John Lewis and Waitrose used pigeons befriending a hedgehog to put their point across: ‘Give a little love. Together we can make a big difference.’

Explaining the thinking behind the ad, executive director of John Lewis, Pippa Wicks, said: ‘The pandemic has proved that it’s our small acts of love and kindness, particularly in challenging times, that capture what it is to be human; and when one small act of kindness multiplies, it can have a lasting impact.’

Here’s hoping that such acts of kindness last throughout the festive season – because, to quote Lidl’s ad, that’s the kind of ‘Christmas you can believe in’.

Whatever people make of this year’s ads – whether they think they are too early or are too schmaltzy – I can’t help but feel heartened by the kindness, generosity, love and togetherness displayed in them. And if a tough Christmas lies ahead for most of us, surely we need to stock up on these qualities now more than ever.

Representing all lives matters

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War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Address Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk 12 • War Cry • 28 November 2020

EXPRESSIONS

BIBLE SERIES

q

quick quiz 1

2

Known to populate the Farne Islands, what small seabird with a colourful beak feeds primarily by diving in water?

Which EFL Championship team formerly played its home games at the Vetch Field?

a 3

4

5

6

When written out, a billion (a thousand million) is a one followed by how many noughts?

Which Scottish city usually hosts an annual series of military tattoos each August?

What is the name and title of the Queen’s youngest child?

Who had a No 1 hit in 1979 with the song ‘Another Brick in the Wall’?

ANSWERS

by Mal Davies

Waiting for something special W

hat are you like at waiting? Are you naturally patient or impatient? When there is a special occasion coming, such as a birthday or wedding or party, it can be hard not to get excited about what is going to happen.

As we move towards what will be a very different Christmas for all of us, we commence what the Church knows as the season of Advent. The word itself comes from the Latin adventus, meaning ‘coming’, and is used to refer to the lead-up to Christmas, as we wait and prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

Interestingly, for the Jewish people of Jesus’ day, this waiting period hadn’t been a month, it had been hundreds of years! About 700 years before Jesus was born, a prophet (someone speaking for God) said that a child would be given to the people by God and given the title ‘Immanuel’ – meaning ‘God with us’ – as well as several other titles: ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6 New International Version).

Isaiah said that the arrival of Jesus would be a great day for all people and compared it to someone lighting a lamp or the sun rising: ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned’ (Isaiah 9:2).

This symbolism was used 700 years later when Jesus finally arrived. One writer proclaimed: ‘In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind’ (John 1:4). It was even used by Jesus himself, who said: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12).

Can you think of anyone else whose birth was announced seven centuries before they were born? Clearly, this Jesus was special. He was announced; he was expected; he was eagerly awaited; he was to be wonderful, everlasting and mighty. He was to be ‘God with us’.

As this Advent season begins and Christmas approaches, there is time to ponder the question: who is Jesus to you?

The arrival of Jesus would be a great day

28 November 2020 • War Cry • 13

1. Puffins. 2. Swansea City. 3. Nine. 4. Edinburgh.

5. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. 6. Pink Floyd.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Appeal (4) 3. Cut off (3) 5. Counterfeit (4) 7. Grass cutter (9) 9. Entreat (4) 10. Church dignitary (4) 11. Marine mammals (5) 14. Taut (5) 15. Once more (5) 17. Manifest (5) 18. Keyboard instrument (5) 19. Cake topping (5) 20. Clear (5) 23. Be sullen (4) 25. Festival (4)

8. Family members (9) 11. Bend down (5) 12. Stadium (5) 13. Smooth fabric (5) DOWN 14. Light knock (3) 1. Pageantry (4) 16. Horse (3) 2. Not home (4) 21. Recumbent (5) 3. Spear (5) 22. Scratchy (5) 4. Pace stealthily (5) 23. Rebuff (4) 5. Nourish (4) 24. Comprehend (4) 6. Famous school (4) 25. Touch (4) 7. Amusing (9) 26. Jealousy (4) 27. Surrounds (9) 28. Puff (4) 29. Man (3) 30. Idle (4)

SUDOKU

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

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

1 5

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

2 5 9 6 8 1 5 9 3 8 5 4

Wordsearch ARBROATH

BANCHORY

CASTLE DOUGLAS CULROSS DUNBAR

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Plea. 3. Lop. 5. Fake.

7. Lawnmower. 9. Pray. 10. Dean.

11. Seals. 14. Tight. 15. Again.

17. Overt. 18. Piano. 19. Icing. 20. Plain.

23. Sulk. 25. Fête. 27. Encircles.

28. Blow. 29. Guy. 30. Lazy.

DOWN: 1. Pomp. 2. Away. 3. Lance.

4. Prowl. 5. Feed. 6. Eton. 7. Laughable.

8. Relatives. 11. Stoop. 12. Arena.

13. Satin. 14. Tap. 16. Nag. 21. Lying.

22. Itchy. 23. Snub. 24. Know.

25. Feel. 26. Envy.

HONEYCOMB 1. Nettle. 2. Rebate. 3. Banger.

4. Intern. 5. Cousin. 6. Tea set

DUNFERMLINE

4 9 6 2 5 8 3 7 1

1 5 2 3 9 7 4 6 8

7 3 8 4 6 1 9 2 5

8 2 9 6 1 5 7 3 4

3 6 1 7 4 2 5 8 9

5 4 7 8 3 9 2 1 6

6 7 3 5 8 4 1 9 2

9 8 4 1 2 3 6 5 7

2 1 5 9 7 6 8 4 3

SUDOKU SOLUTION

8 1 5 9 3 8 5 4

5 7

14 • War Cry • 28 November 2020

1

5 7

ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch

1. Plant covered with stinging hairs 2. Tax refund 3. Old car 4. Student working to gain experience 5. Child of your uncle 6. Set of crockery for serving tea (3, 3)

Answers

2

5 6 9 4 3 8 5 9 8 2 7 6

EDINBURGH ELGIN

FORT WILLIAM GLASGOW

INVERARAY

KIRKCUDBRIGHT LINLITHGOW MELROSE

PITTENWEEM

Look up, down, forwards, backwards

4 and 1 diagonally 7 8 3on the 5 grid 6 to9 find2 these 9 Scottish 5 3 cities, 2 6towns 4 and 7 villages 8 1 6 2 8 9 1 7 3 4 5 H F M R M D R K B S V A M D S K S Y 2 3 S M Z K W B 4 6 7 8 S 5 J 1I I 9 E Y N S X W U X R Z H K Z N M V B R Y R O H C N A B 5 9 6 1 4 3 8 2 7 M R Q Q I F C J V E Z R B G Q E Q T 8 7 1 I 5 2 I 9R R S Q V L 4 3 6 Y A R A R E V N Q L M N I R S R L G Z U R G A U Q A I G 3 4 9 7 5 2 1 6 8 R A R L A M V U C H N B I B E N L L 7 6 2 3 8 1 9 5 4 W H Z P L L Z S V P N L O N L X F G Z U T H G I R B D U C K R I K T S M 1 8 5 4 9 6 2 7 3 E E A A U N W S D L Q B T D C T S E

P S B K O E T T M I V H E E I P B E C P O X D R J U R R G C Z H G Z B W G C Z R E B B W U O Q Z E M M P J N X Y T Q L A J R W T F K F L O V S E J T P R T E Y L A T Z H J W M X Z T G A A G S V M W J E Q V L D J G X T R S X J A Q L C N S N J G N T J T I L C Q I C L V Z G Q D R R A Y K S P

1

6

D Fruit Scotch pancakes Ingredients

Method

100g plain flour

Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Break in the eggs and add the milk.

Whisk until smooth. Stir in the raisins and apricots.

1tbsp sugar 1tsp baking powder 2 medium British Lion eggs

Fresh fruit, to serve

Heat a large non-stick frying pan and brush it lightly with oil. Drop 4 small scoops of the batter in the pan to make 10cm rounds and cook for 2 minutes, or until air bubbles start to form on the surface. Turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes until golden.

Honey, to serve

Repeat the steps for the next batch.

75ml semi-skimmed milk 50g raisins 50g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped Oil

Serve the pancakes with the fresh fruit and honey.

SERVES

4

Scrambled eggs on toasted wholemeal muffins Ingredients

Method

2 large British Lion eggs

Use a fork to whisk the eggs, milk, seasoning, oil and chives in a microwave-proof bowl.

Place in the microwave and cook on high for 1 minute. Remove and whisk lightly with a fork.

2tbsp milk Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1tsp vegetable oil 1tbsp fresh chives, chopped 1 wholemeal muffin Leafy salad, to serve

Return to the microwave and cook for a further 30 seconds, then stir until the eggs are lightly set. Leave to stand for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, slice open and toast the muffin.

Put on a plate, pile the eggs on top and serve with the leafy salad.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the British Egg Information Service website eggrecipes.co.uk

SERVES

1

28 November 2020 • War Cry • 15

The Christian ideal has not been Tried and found wanting.

It has been found difficult; and left untried GK Chesterton