THE SALVATION ARMY

MAIDSTONE CORPS

Autumn 2013

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Dear All,

‗What‘s cooking?‘

At this time of year it‘s not so common these days to walk

into someone‘s house or kitchen and ask that question. Where have

all the cooks gone? With the availability of so many ready made

products on supermarket shelves the passion for home cooking has

all but died. Or has it? It is said that the many cooking programmes

on television have led to a resurgence of interest in the culinary arts.

Name your favourite. Do the Hairy

Bikers tickle your taste buds, or is it Paul

and Mary in ‗The Great British Bake

Off ‘ who make your mouth water? Per-

haps you‘ve had the privilege of eating at

one of the many Michelin starred res-

taurants that the celebrity chefs run

across the country. It seems that food

never really goes out of fashion!

‗What‘s cooking?‘ might also be a good question for a con-

gregation to think about. When there‘s something good being made

the aroma spreads and pervades the atmosphere, attaching itself to

everything that comes anywhere near it. Last weekend it was our

daughter-in-law‘s onion soup! Delicious, but hard to shake off! If a

church is cooking something good others will know about it and

some will want to find out more about the cooks and the ingredi-

ents, and perhaps where the recipe originates from.

Currently (currantly?) there‘s a lot happening at Maidstone

Corps (kitchen) as we approach our 131st Corps Anniversary, not

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much of which would be recognised by our forebears, but I think

they would appreciate the spirit in which the various ministries are

attempted.

There‘s a lot of work going into ‗Jesus Folk‘, the musical, as

rehearsals are bringing us ever nearer to the performance dates on 6th

and 7th

November. Preparations for the Christmas Present Appeal

are well in hand as we will once again attempt to bring Christ‘s love

into needy homes. Cars and vans are laden to the brim with Harvest

goods as we pick them up from schools, churches and individuals,

ready to meet the pressure of families and individuals without food.

The ‗Women of Worth‘ Course and the Parenting and Cooking

Courses at Willowbrook reach out to younger women who simply

need to know they are valued. Messy Church feeds young families,

not only with an economic meal but with craft and story and song

that tell the Gospel message. Outreach to the homeless and margin-

alized continues to grow. So many people keep coming through our

doors requesting help of one kind or another and we try our best to

respond appropriately and with

love. Add our regular worship,

practices and Gospel Choir to this

and it is a rich recipe that is being

cooked and served in Christ‘s

Name.

God bless you all, and thank you for

your contribution.

Yours in Christ,

Grayson & Janice Williams—Majors

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EDITORIAL COMMENT

I t is an obvious statement to say what we believe in affects how

we react and to situations that occurred recently caused me to

consider this when I was thinking about preparing this com-

ment. The first was the Russian statement at the G20, Political

Conference that , ‗Britain was a small island of which no-one

took much notice‘, and two days later thousands at the Last

Night of the Proms. sang with great gusto , ‗Land of Hope and

Glory, Mother of the Free‘! Surely belief in either of these atti-

tudes affects our reaction - Downcast or Confident.

Reading in the pages of Grapevine the reaction of those tak-

ing part in Jesus Folk, clearly shows the difference it is making to

them. That in itself must gladden the hearts of Hazell and Ra-

chel et al who are working so hard to produce it. But what of

those who will see it at the Hazlitt Theatre? We never know the

eventual outcome of those in the Bible, whose lives Jesus

touched, we only know the result in our own lives. This,

‗everyday story of country folk‘, (borrowing from the Radio

programme, The Archers), has a lasting effect for good so the

more we can do to spread the news that it‘s worth the effort on a

November night the better.

It is good to welcome new contributors to our magazine. I

wasn‘t aware of the extent of the service that Faith‘s Kitchen per-

forms. It is a sad fact that the type of service we perform for the

most needy and for which the organisation is known interna-

tionally is so often the least well known by the ranks within. Ask

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anyone outside the Army world and the response is always about

the ‗good we do‘, to those in need.

They never remark about the music or the meetings or the

Flag or the Uniforms, only about how we care for the poor and

needy. Faith‘s Kitchen also performs another valuable service in

that members of other churches are involved. Christians need

to be seen to work together. Our differences are only the out-

ward trappings, not our fundamental beliefs. So a big thank you

to Joanna and John and their team.

Finally, although lastly, but most certainly not least is my—

rather our—thanks to Wesley for the almost 4 years of blessing

he has brought to us in The Grapevine, by his contributions to

―Words from the Word‖. In these days when he is struggling

with health issues, - and he knows we are praying for him, - it

will inspire him to know how much we have been helped by all

his efforts. If you keep previous copies, read again his writings

on making the Scriptures clear and plain. So Thank You, Wesley

and God Bless you!

It is good to know that Major David Wakefield has so readily

agreed to carry on with that vital contribution to our magazine

and his first choice of a rarely read passage of Scripture is most

helpful.

Violet E Clarke

EDITOR

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THE LOOM OF TIME

Man‘s life is laid in the loom of time

To a pattern he does not see,

While the weavers work and the shuttles fly

Till the dawn of eternity.

Some shuttles are filled with silver threads

And some with threads of gold,

While often but the darker hues

Are all that they may hold.

But the weaver watches with skilful eye

Each shuttle fly to and fro,

And sees the pattern so deftly wrought

As the loom moves sure and slow.

God surely planned the pattern:

Each thread, the dark and fair,

Is chosen by His master skill

And placed in the web with care.

He only knows its beauty,

And guides the shuttles which hold

The threads so unattractive,

As well as the threads of gold.

Not till each loom is silent,

And the shuttles cease to fly,

Shall God reveal the pattern

And explain the reason why

The dark threads were as needful

In the weaver‘s skilful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

For the pattern which He planned.

Author Unknown -

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AUTUMN

There is something special, you can’t deny

In the glow of a late September sky.

The colours merge beneath the artist’s brush,

Orange hue and scarlet blush.

Late in the evening as the daylight fades

The clouds perform their own parade.

They dance above us in a circus ring,

Prancing horses circling.

All the while we sit below

And gaze in silence at the show.

The sun is giving a last goodbye

As it leaves the summer sky.

Giving the clouds bright red clothes,

A little present before it goes.

The end of Summer is on its way,

Two minutes towards a shorter day.

Philip Hudson [re-print from the Daily Mail]

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WORDS FROM THE WORD

Lamentations 3:22 - 25 & 40

We all need encouragement and God is not slow to give us

that through His word, but there is something more we must do to

benefit fully from that encouragement. That is to search our hearts

and to examine ourselves as it says in V40. This is the challenge, to

get alone with God and to ask Him to search us through and through.

David says something of this as well in Psalm 139: 23 - 24. It

is true to say that to much preoccupation with ourselves could lead to

discouragement, but if we don’t look at ourselves carefully and

prayerfully we could so easily become careless and just drift along.

One of the Holy Spirits Ministries is to bring us to a sense of

need and to show us how far short we have fallen of His righteous-

ness and then to lead us to the place of confession and renewal.

Should we ever feel that we are as perfect as we might be, we

should simply obey the command of V40. We should constantly ask

God to put His finger on anything that is displeasing to Him. Only

then can we become as it says in 2Tim 2: 20 - 21, ’ vessels unto hon-

our, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use.” V40 says we must

“try our ways,” not examine others, but ourselves and there are sev-

eral ways that we should do this.

We should do it regularly; 2 Cor. 13: 5 says, “examine yourselves,

whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves.” Not in an at-

tempt to fault or disprove our faith but with a view to receiving

greater blessing, claiming more of His grace and a closer fellowship

with the Lord.

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We should do it thoroughly. How exactly are we to search our ways?

We are to ask the Lord through prayer and the reading of His word to

reveal to us any sin in our lives, especially the secret sins as it says in

Psalm 90: 8 “our secret sins in the light of your countenance.” To

search our lives to remove the most secret of sins is often very pain-

ful and disturbing. Nevertheless necessary if we are to maintain full

and blessed communion with God.

And, we must do it honestly. There are four estimates of our lives,

The Worlds - Our Loved Ones - Ourselves - and Gods. The object of

searching our lives is to see ourselves as God sees us, to see our-

selves as we really are.

We can hide our failures from others, we can at times appear

almost saintly but we can never hide our true selves from God who “

never slumbers nor sleeps” Psalm 121: 4 and is

Omnipresent. Psalm 139: 1 - 4 confirms this for us.

It can be a very disturbing experience to pray the prayer “ search all

my senses and know my heart, and let the deep hidden part of me be

fully shown.” But, it is a wonderful prayer to be able to pray regu-

larly, thoroughly and honestly, for God waits to lead us on to make us

the person He would have us be.

We should ask ourselves

the question, are we what God

would want us to be, is there any-

thing that is hindering His good

work within us, have we searches

our lives thoroughly and honestly

recently? Have we allowed God to

search the deep dark recesses of

our lives

to reveal any hidden secret sins.

David Wakefield

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I write this article on reflection of our Friday night rehearsal [27th]. Except, it

wasn't just a rehearsal! Of course we practised script and songs and choreogra-

phy but we prayed too. We shared together as a cast and chorus in a time of

prayer, a time that you almost didn't want to stop!

Cast members gave thanks for what the musical was doing in their lives,

they prayed that the hearts and ears of those who come to watch might be pre-

pared now. They prayed that we might be true, living, breathing examples of Je-

sus Folk. They prayed that they wouldn't forget their lines and they gave thanks

because it had brought this group of people together in a new way. They were

having conversations with people that they hadn't before and that was all before

we had even sung one note!

And then God answered the prayer prayed during one of our early re-

hearsals, that God would make something beautiful out of the chaos -and he did.

We as a cast group are living and breathing the musical, Jesus Folk. We

are waking up in the night thinking of our part, dreaming of various stories that

the musical teaches, going over and over the moves. I would be lying if I didn't

say that there's been a few nightmares too!

The cast have great faith as to how God will use this musical. He has

moved us to tears in rehearsal, He has challenged us, guided us, prodded us, but

blessed us in ways we could never have imagined and we give him the thanks.

The commitment of the cast members has been huge, the hours taken

immense from the catering team to the scenery and prop builders to the chorus

to the cast, I am so impressed with the enthusiasm and energy of all those in-

volved. Thank you so much, it's going to be fantastic! Please don't miss the op-

portunity to hear the special message that God has for you through this musical.

It really is a 'must see'!

HAZELL BALL

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BIFF and NETTA WAY

O ne of the things that enriches our lives as a Community is all the

differing accents we have.

We would never confuse a Londoner with a Yorkshireman nor a

Scot with the Welsh. It becomes even more interesting to identify accents

from overseas, especially from English speaking countries ; one such

couple is Biff and Netta Way.

Netta and her twin sister were born in what is now known as

Zambia. Whilst still a baby the family moved to Rhodesia, now known as

Zimbabwe. She eventually became part of a large family of nine children.

Her schooling and college was in Rhodesia, where after school, she trained

as a Short Hand Typist. She then worked in the Admin Department of the

Town Council Offices, in Fort Victoria, a town very close to Zimbabwe

Ruins.

It was here that she met Biff on a blind date and they were married

in July 1960. They have two children, Derek now living in Canada and

Karen living in London. They have one granddaughter.

Biff, along with his two sisters was born in Rhodesia. Amongst his

jobs he served in the British South Africa Police in Rhodesia for over 20

years. He then became a Tobacco Auctioneer, before moving into the

Motor Trade where he managed a large Garage, selling new/used cars, new

motorcycles and caravans as well as carrying out general vehicle repairs.

As Rhodesia was a British Protectorate the family all had British

passports but after The Rhodesian Government declared themselves to be

an Independent State, the passports were cancelled. When Mugabe came

to power in 1980, the Police Force came to an end and the rest is history.

The family then moved to South Africa where Biff finally became

The National Security Manager for a large American Company. On the

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anniversary of his 65th

birthday he was advised that as per American

practice, it would be his last day of work. The problems this caused does

not have to be spelled out.

Eventually they arrived in England in December 2004 –

fortunately their daughter had already been in the UK for some time and

had bought a house in East Malling, but as she no longer lived there, Biff

and Netta moved in and have been there since.

Biff and Netta obtained employment in a Security Company in

London, where Netta worked in Admin and where Biff, was the Vehicle

Fleet Manager. Netta later left the Company and became a private

personal carer, until she finally decided to stop work in April of this year.

Biff in the meantime, retired at the end of December last year.

Before leaving Rhodesia, Biff ‘s mother was very fortunate in

occupying a cottage in the Salvation Army complex in Braeside, where she

spent 8 of the happiest years of her life. Due to her living there, they all

began worshipping at the Corps within the Complex, until they moved to

South Africa, where they linked with the Pretoria Corps, and where Biff

and Netta were enrolled as soldiers.

Initially some difficulties in becoming involved in the Maidstone

corps were experienced, but whilst listening to the band playing in Week

Street, contact was made with Wesley, who welcomed them into the Corps.

They both now

find great joy in

worshipping with us and

helping with meals for the

homeless. his is just a brief

resume of a very

interesting story and it is a

pleasure to have them in

our fellowship.

VC

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I t is true to say that when we step out in faith to do our Fa-

ther‘s will and to help others it so often is us who are

blessed alongside those whom we had set out to bless.

Faith‘s Kitchen came into being almost 2 years ago and was

born of 2 people‘s heartfelt desire to reach out and bring com-

fort to the homeless community in our town over the Christ-

mas period.

Since then we have been blessed in so many ways with gifts of

money, clothing, food and people volunteering to help from

many churches in and around our town.

Our Father‘s hand has been so clearly seen on this project and

from its humble concept it has grown to encompass every

bank holiday in our calendar.

I never cease to thank the Lord for the blessing and

privilege of watching my friends grow in ability and faith as

they undertake this work, the enthusiasm and joy that abounds

as we work together is a tangible thing , something that can-

not fail to be conveyed to our guests – the ones we strive not

only to feed physically but to convey the love of God to also

often by the simple act of listening – something that sounds

simple but that can convey a wealth of understanding and of

which is so appreciated by our guests who are often shunned

by society and have difficulty engaging with others.

We do not discriminate between those whom we will

and will not serve, the homeless, needy or lonely, many of our

guests have 4 legged friends (dogs), for company (and secu-

rity) and we strive to feed them also – everyone is welcome at

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Faith‘s Kitchen.

The August bank holiday was a very special day having

just the day before been so blessed by the message given during

our morning worship by Major David Wakefield on Matthew‘s

Gospel (25:31-46) , we had an entire team of 16 come in from St

Luke‘s Church to help; serving food to 32 guests and 5 dogs

Each Faith‘s Kitchen event has built in (before the doors

open to our guests) a time of fellowship and prayer - something

we felt was vitally important, and something I have been blessed

to lead on many occasions.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who responded to our

appeal for towels so that our guests might enjoy the luxury of a

shower – something we daily take for granted. We now have a

good number of ―towel rolls‖ ready for use not only by Faith‘s

Kitchen guests, but which will soon also be available to the

―Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter Project‖.

All of the honour and glory for all that Faith‘s Kitchen is

goes to the Lord our God – we may be physically drained at the

end of each day but spiritually we are always uplifted!

JOANNA SPICE

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THIS month’s viewpoint from a musical expert member of the

Corps:- Rachel Walters

Choosing my favourite Band piece, Songster piece and Con-gregational song has been very difficult because different pieces of music have held significance for me at different times. So I have chosen pieces that evoke memories as well as containing words that have blessed and strengthened me during my life.

BAND PIECE — „Light of the World‟ by Dean Goffin I can remember playing this piece in three different Salva-tion Army bands and on three different parts! The inspiration for this music is Holman Hunt‘s painting The Light of the World, which always challenges me with the bramble covered doorway and the handle on the inside. Revelation 3:20 says, ―I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.‖ Jesus waits for us to open the door and invite him into our hearts. The piece ends meditatively with the reminder of our promise we made when we gave our hearts to him: ―And Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end; O give me grace to follow, my master and my friend.‖

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SONGSTER PIECE - „Don‟t Doubt Him Now‟ by Frank Reynolds (words) and Leonard Ballantine (music) I first sang this song at Central and West Yorks (as it was then called) Divisional Music School, over 20 years ago. As a teenager, naturally concerned about discerning God‘s plan for my life in the coming years, I took comfort from the repeated phrases, Don‘t doubt Him now, Trust in God‘s love and Have faith in Him. When we put our trust in our faithful God, he dispels our doubts, turns our care to gladness and bestows his love upon us. In the years since I have sung this song many times – with singing groups, Songster Brigades and as part of a trio with the ladies who would become my Mother and Sister-in-Law! I am always blessed by the words and feel God reminding through them that He is al-ways with me.

CONGREGATIONAL SONG - „The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended by John Ellerton (words)

Immediately upon hearing the familiar tune St Clements I am transported to the foreshore in Scarborough, on a (sometimes!) warm August evening, watching the sun set onto the sea. I never tired of singing this song – usually every Sunday in July and August – surrounded by holidaymakers from far and near, all gathered to worship the same Lord. I am always moved by the reminders throughout the song that Jesus saves and keeps people across the whole world and the assurance that, ―His kingdom stands and grows forever‖. Around the world and throughout the day and night people are lifting prayers and praise to God and He is always watching over us.

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D octrines 5 to 8 are about ourselves, God‘s highest creation. They spell out what we believe about human be-

ings, our place in God‘s plan; how we have failed by our sinful disobedience to live up to that original plan; how God offers mankind an answer in Jesus and the steps we must take to re-ceive God‘s gift and live out the ―Christlike life‖. 5. We believe that the arrival of human beings on earth was no accident but the deliberate purpose of God so that we might live in harmony with him, with others, and with the world He gave us. We were ―Created in God‘s image‖ to love Him freely without pressure, God did not create us as puppets but as respected, loved individuals with the right to choose our own destiny. We call this ―Free Will‖. Sadly our ―First Parents‖ (Adam and Eve) misused that free-dom in wilful disobedience‘ leading to our estrangement from God, our disharmony with other human beings and with our environment. You could say that ‖We are at the same time specially created, and wilfully fallen” . As a result of this the image of God in us has become distorted and in spite of our vast progress in knowledge and scientific advance - each of us has an inbuilt tendency to sin, in wilful disobedience to God‟s commands. We believe that we need a “Salvation” from this condition. (Anyone with any doubts about this should read the first ten chapters of Paul‘s letter to the ROMANS it makes sobering and very topical reading) 6. God however made provision for our salvation. ―The Cross of Jesus Christ stands at the heart of the Christian faith. It is the greatest revelation of the love of God. Through

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the Cross God overcame the separation caused by (our) sin. Once and for all Jesus’ death and resurrection opened the way for humanity to be reconciled to a loving God” (Page 127) We call this reconciliation ―the Atonement‖ literally making at one, or ―at-one-ment‖. However, whilst God has taken the initiative to make our salvation possible, it is necessary for us to make a personal response by repentance and faith to experience forgiveness and reconciliation with the One who longs for us to have fellowship with Him. Our belief is that the Atonement was ―foreshadowed‖ in the writings of the Old Testament, offering hope to those peoples of history whom God longed to reconcile to Himself, and that He completed and fulfilled the reconciliation prophesied in the Old Testament in and through His Son Jesus. The incarnation of Jesus was God‘s initiative leading to our salvation. We believe that Jesus gave Himself fully to God in life, and in death he laid down his life for us (Matt 26:42) By dying on the Cross. Jesus made the Atonement! “ He bridged the separa-tion between ourselves and God. We are reconciled to God in Christ and our sins are forgiven” (Page 129) 7. Our belief is that there are three steps that must take place for this process to happen:- The first is ―Repentance” Recognising our great need; Christ‘s sacrifice and God‘s provision for us, we become so seriously sorry for our sin that we are ready to confess it and turn away from it so that by God‘s help we regain our fellow-ship with Him. ―This act of repentance is, we believe, the gift of God’s grace to us through the Holy Spirit who stimulates within us a longing to be different and leads us not into self despair, but by becoming aware of our sinfulness, towards God, we are drawn to confess our sins, renounce selfish

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lifestyles and to make restitution for the sins of the past (p146) The second which is closely linked is ― Faith” in Christ. “We may well be sorry for acts of sinning and want to leave them behind us, We can have a deep guilt for the past and want to have a clean conscience, we can even make major changes and turn in a new direction. This can all be called “Repentance”, but it is not the repentance that leads to life in Christ. Salvation results only when repentance is combined with faith in Christ as Saviour” (page 146). These actions of repentance and faith, enabling us to experience forgiveness and a longing to follow Christ unconditionally, lead to what we call ―Justification‖ This is the joyful experience of those who are saved. Repentance and faith are what we need to exercise, but the act of change which we call “Regeneration” is the work of God the Holy Spirit. If ―Justification by faith‖ means that we are accepted by God, “this new relationship brings to life new desires for inward purity and love for others. These desires are signs of the experience of new life, the spiritual transforma-tion that we call regeneration” (Page 147). We say that we are ―Born again‖ Paul uses this idea of a new creation to illustrate what it is like to have the inner revolution which marks the death of our old life and the beginning of a new life (2 Cor 5:17). If Doctrine seven has to do with the process of salvation, Doctrine eight has to do with the nature of salvation:- Doctrine 8. Justification, grace and faith are the pre-cious elements that bring us to the place where we know deep within ourselves the reality of God‘s freely offered forgiveness; the depth of the saving atonement secured by our Lord‘s sacri-fice on the Cross. These are not just a doctrine that we may learn and understand, but a personal transformation that comes from trusting the God who saves.

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Justification describes the act of God which transforms our relationship with him. Even though we are sinners, because of our faith in Jesus Christ God declares us righteous. God accepts us as we are, We do not deserve this, nor can we earn it, or repay it. We can only enjoy the experience of forgiveness through reconciliation with God. We are like the Prodigal in Jesus‘ parable and are treated as one who has the right to the Father‘s fellowship and esteem (Luke 15: 17-24) We say about this new experience that ―we are justified by grace”. It is totally unmerited, it is typical of the way God deals with us, which we can see demonstrated supremely in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:14). “This grace awakens us, convicts us of sin, convinces us of hope and leads to a new life” (p.164).

We also say that we are ―Justified through Faith” We re-spond to God personally in trusting acceptance of the good news of the gospel that God accepts us because of Jesus Christ. “It involves commitment to him, and obedient response to his goodness and a desire to follow him in the way of disci-pleship (Romans 5:1,2)” (page 165).

Well, there is so much more that we can discover as we read ―The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine‖. I have only been able to give a very condensed summary of what we Salvation-ists believe. We will conclude the series in the next issue of ―Grapevine‖ with looking at our last three Doctrines which have to do with how saved people keep ‗saved‘. How the idea of Holiness of life is a part of that process, and how our faith relates to life after death.

NB. Direct quotes are in italics, in most cases with a page number for reference. Colonel Michael Pressland

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I cannot really say that it was just my Father whose influ-

ences steered me away from all religious leanings, not in-

tentionally, but neither he nor my Mother were inclined

in any way towards the Church, or that as I have a question-

ing, logical mind, which feeds hourly on answers to a host of

enquiring questions about everything, that I really needed the

‗scientific answer‘. I even ended up postulating my own the-

ory that Jesus was from another planet, where they had cre-

ated life, just like we have through cloning. However, this

life, being hostile to their world and owing to their code could

not be destroyed thus being advanced beings they eventually

dumped us on this planet, watched over us for a few years and

eventually left.

Hey! that appeased me! I could see the logic in it! It

satisfied my scientific mind, what else did I need? Thoughts

of theology were never even a consideration in my life —until

I started attending the Salvation Army in 1982, basically to ap-

pease my first wife. And eventually, I realised that these weird

beings prattling on week after week actually had something to

say; something very meaningful in their lives, that I certainly

did not—anyway the rest is history.

So you can imagine my consternation, when standing

in WH Smiths a couple of months ago looking at a science-

fiction novel, my mind started wandering and I started think-

ing about space travel/time travel [all of which I am still madly

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passionate about] when

I was suddenly trans-

ported back in time to

1972!!!! And—standing

in the presence of two

Captains in the Salva-

tion Army, and who do

you think these chaps

were? None other than

Captains Gowans and Larsson. And imaging my surprise

when having introduced myself I discovered they were work-

ing on none other than Jesus Folk, the Musical!!! I know it

was first shown in 1973, but they needed a bit of time to put it

together. Well, I explained that I was from the year 2013 and

that Maidstone Corps were in the throes of rehearsing to de-

liver a couple of performances in November, they thought I

was joking when I told them our timescale, but nevertheless,

they eventually thought it possible. They were actually hav-

ing a bit of trouble writing the Lazarus bit, so I let it slip, not

intentionally, but they wrote it so what difference did it make

me telling them what eventually they would come up with ,

anyway.

The weird thing was that all possessions on my person,

manufactured after 1972, other than my apparel, did not re-

turn to the past with me, I had a biro, but my mobile phone

[which had a good camera in it] must have stayed put in

Smiths!! What a shame because, unless you have faith you are

really going to struggle to believe this really happened. Funny

that, - this faith thing, I guess it is what I did not have before

becoming a Soldier in the Salvation Army. Still you are an in-

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telligent lot! And you

have heaps of faith, so

when I tell you this all

happened, you will have

no trouble whatsoever in

believing me—it would

have been nice to put a

picture of me with the

Captains on Facebook, I

might have even won the competition for reading my Jesus

Folk words in the most unusual place!

Anyway, after a couple of hours—Oh! You should have

heard the chorus for Jesus Folk, just did not sound right until

I whistled it to them!! We had such a laugh! As I was saying

after a couple of hours I felt like I could see myself standing in

Smiths looking at a sci-fi book, so I proffered my best to them

and in the blink of an

eye, I was back in

Smiths, and the funny

thing is when I looked

at my watch—no time

had lapsed, whatsoever.

Hazell, that has to win

me the prize, surely!!!

Having had this

wonderful experience,

I decided that as I am

part of Jesus Folk—in

more ways than one, it

Annelies wrote:-

When volunteers were needed at the be-

ginning of the year for the musical Jesus Folk,

I thought it would be fun to take part. Fun it

has been so far, but the pressure is now on

with the performance dates drawing nearer.

I expected it to be a ‗breeze‘, just learning the

words to all the songs. It has been an eye-

opener, how the musical has come to life,

thanks to our wonderful producer, Hazell.

It‘s remembering all the actions (at the right

time!), which I am struggling with. I never re-

alised how difficult it is to do a little 1-2-3

dance!

Lisa‘s individual directing has helped too, she

has turned me into a nasty, mean hoodie! The

part will become my psyche!! Beware, don‘t

cross me before November 7th.

25

would be a good idea to

elicit the thoughts and

passions from members

of the cast and chorus,

to get a feel for what

their own aspirations

are from the Musical.

What effect it has had

on their lives, so far. I

recall when at Winton

in 1990 we aired Glory

to the Corps; this was

played on Thursday;

Friday and Saturday

(twice). Later we were

invited to Butlins dur-

ing the Holiday Fellow-

ship Week and deliv-

ered two further per-

formances on the Sat-

urday. Then to cap it

all I am sure we did an-

other performance a

month later at the

Corps—back by popular demand!!!

Our Officers at the time were Majors Steve and Jean

Russell, and Major Steve was playing the ‗drunk‘, I recall that

at each performance the episode where he related his conver-

sion to four men in the Skeleton Army, their reactions were

more and more exaggerated. I cannot help but laugh to my-

Terry said:-

On a certain Sunday evening, the dream

of ―Jesus folk‖ was launched. We as a congre-

gation were asked to add our names to one of

the various lists awaiting us in the foyer. I

looked at the lists, and added mine to the list

of those wishing to help with stage manage-

ment and props. I knew I was not an actor,

nor was I a vocal musician. Even today I am

not sure what happened to those lists, but the

following Sunday, I was invited by our direc-

tor Hazell, to be the ―Chorus leader‖ which

involved both acting and singing. I managed

to squeeze out a limp ―can I think about it―,

and that evening I said ―Yes‖ What is it about

this lady Hazell, that makes you say yes, when

your head is shouting NO. Maybe I should

have consulted Roy her husband. I am how-

ever, so glad that I did say yes. It has been a

great journey so far, a mix of self-belief ,and

endless encouragement from great leaders,

new friendships, and old ones re-forged by

shared nerves, and walking an unknown way,

stretching limited skills to a point of accept-

ability. I am excited about the evangelical po-

tential of the production,‖ I believe in it ―.If

my part is a success, I will give all the glory to

my Lord, If I am a failure I will hold Hazell

Ball and Rachel Walters accountable.

(probably)!

26

self, even now as I recall it.

With the stage changes at each

scene, the performances were

just over three hours and very

gruelling. So what compari-

sons am I drawing here, well!

Whilst it would be wonderful

to believe that the Jesus Folk

audience would be full of non-

Christians, eager for the mes-

sage we will be delivering, I

can only believe that there may

be a few fitting this category,

who may have been coerced to

attend by their Christian

friends. From my experiences

at Winton and during my time

there we had also done, ‘The

Blood of the Lamb‘, in the

main it cemented the commit-

ment and strengthened the

fellowship within the

Corps folk. Also as it was

performed in the Salvation

Army Hall, and at the end

of a couple of perform-

ances we had a few folk

kneeling at the Mercy Seat.

Whether we may be invited

to stage a version in the

Nathan wrote:-

Jesus Folk for me has changed

my spiritual life as it is putting a dif-

ferent light on the stories in the Bible

and relating them to modern day

situations. It also is affecting my so-

cial life with members of Maidstone

as it has given me more time to meet

up with people that I do not get to

speak to much as we are all very busy

either on practise nights on during

Sundays. It is a lot of pressure and

hard work learning the words and the

actions/dance moves to every song

but it has been very rewarding up to

now and I am sure that it will just

carry on getting better and better the

more I reflect on what is being said/

sung and acted. My aspiration for this

musical is not so much to tell the

community about Jesus but also to

help Maidstone Corps to develop their

own faith and give people the chance

to do something that they possibly

would not have dreamed of doing (I

know I never thought I would be able

to do it).

27

Hall at Maidstone remains

to be seen, I certainly would

not discount it, God works

in mysterious ways, so we

say.

So what have mem-

bers of the Cast/Chorus

given as an insight to their

own feelings regarding Jesus

Folk:- Read the boxes!

So what does the future hold

for Salvation Army Musi-

cals?

Especially now that sadly only one of this great team

exists! Has the Army plans to coerce other members of the

flock to take on this challenging and thought provoking me-

dium? Is there really a place for musicals of this type in this

day and age? Has anybody got any thoughts on this subject?

We attempt, once again to provoke dialogue within our Corps

Folk, and invite comments on this subject, do you have any-

thing to say?

Please; PRETTY PLEASE!!

PHILIP HALES

Toni wrote:-

Jesus Folk has given me the oppor-

tunity to worship in a completely differ-

ent way. I've learnt through the words,

music and cast members a glimpse of

some significant biblical characters and

scenes. It's been great fun getting to

know some people in the corps I would-

n't ordinarily have the opportunity to and

it's really brought us together as a group.

I've been really blessed by the support

and encouragement we have given each

other when rehearsals have been hard or

fun! I'm really looking forward to shar-

ing the message with others and hope

they get as much out of it as I have!

28

Driving down the street looking for a parking spot, Peter was

anxious because he had to attend an important business meeting.

He prayed earnestly, “Lord!, take pity on me. If you find me a

parking place I’ll make sure I go to church every Sunday and give

a tenth of all I possess for the rest of my life”. Just then a car

pulled out from the line of cars a little ahead of him. “Don’t

worry, Lord!, He prayed, “ I’ve found one”.

One strawberry to another, “If we hadn’t been in the same bed, we would both be in this jam we are now”.

A man who had been dating a girl for a number of years took her

to a Chinese restaurant. Studying the menu he asked, “How

would you like your rice, fried or boiled?” Looking him directly in

the eye, she replied, “thrown!”.

“Where will you be on the Day of Judgement?”, said the poster in bold letters outside the church. “Still waiting for the Number 95 bus”, was written under-neath.

Patience is the ability to put up with people you’d like to put

down.

Following a visit to her G.P. A woman told her husband the result of the consultation. “He thinks I need a complete change and recommends a month at the seaside, where should I go?”, “To see another doctor”, came the reply.

29

Show me your ways O! Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me for you are my God and Saviour and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 24 v04—05 I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29 v11 My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. Song 745 v1

30

01) Which herb is regarded as, “The King of Herbs”, by many leading cookery

authors? - PARSLEY!

02) Used generally in the cooking of lamb, which herb is thought to be the herb

of remembrance? - ROSEMARY!

03) From which tree is MACE obtained? - NUTMEG!

04) Which herb combined with onion is commonly used as a stuffing for poultry

and meat? - SAGE!

05) Which spice imparts a yellow colour to Indian cuisine? - TURMERIC!

06) Which herb is commonly used to flavour the tomato on pizza toppings? -

BASIL!

07) What type of flavour does FENNEL have? - ANISEED!

08) Which part of the GINGER plant is used in cooking? - ROOT!

09) Which four herbs did Simon & Garfunkel sing about in the 1960s? - PARS-

LEY; SAGE; ROSEMARY & THYME!

10) Which spice is said to combine the flavours of CINNAMON, NUTMEG &

CLOVES, hence it’s name? - ALLSPICE!

11) By what name is wine that has been combined with a mixture of spices and

often served warm, known? - MULLED!

12) Which spice widely used in Indian cooking is known as “The Queen of

Spices”? - CARDAMOM!

13) Which spice, obtained from the flower of the crocus, is one of the most ex-

pensive? - SAFFRON!

14) Which spice added to soups and stews is usually removed prior to serving? -

BAY LEAF!

15) In the children’s TV series, “The Herbs”, what type of creature was PARS-

LEY? - LION!

16) With over 150 varieties, which common herb is said to provide relief from

an upset stomach? - PEPPERMINT!

17) What is the difference between a HERB and a SPICE? - A HERB IS THE

PLANT AND A SPICE IS THE DRIED SEED!

18) What are the real names of the SPICE GIRLS? - MELANIE CHISHOLM;

VICTORIA BECKHAM; EMMA BUNTON; MELANIE BROWN & GERI

HALLIWELL!

19) In what units are the heat from CHILLIES measured? - AFTER IT’S

CREATOR AMERICAN PHARMASIST WILBUR ‘SCOVILLE’!

20) Which spice, synonymous with Christmas, are the dried flower buds of a

tropical tree? - CINNAMON!

31

Our Weekly Services

You are welcome to join with us for worship & praise:

Sunday Worship: Family Service 10.15 (Sunday School) 10.45 Prayer Meeting 17.15 Evening Service 18.00 Youth Group 19.30

1st & 3rd Monday in month (to be confirmed) The Living Word Bible Fellowship 19.30

Tuesday: Ladies Meeting 13.30 (Home League)

Wednesday: The Parkwood Fellowship Ladies Meeting (held at the Rosemary Graham Centre Sommer Walk, Parkwood). 14.00

Wednesday: Held Fortnightly, please contact the office for the next date Cameo & Crafts 10.00

3rd Wednesday: Ladies Fellowship 20.00 Thursday: The Over 60‘s Club 13.30

Contact Information

Maidstone Salvation Army 74-80 Union Street, Maidstone ME14 1ED Corps Officers: Majors Grayson & Janice Williams Captain Lynne Clifton

Administrator: Mrs Lorraine Munn Address as above. Telephone: 01622 681808

Email: Maidstone@salvationarmy.org.uk Weekly Community Events: Monday & Friday SAM‘s Tots (Salvation Army Maidstone) Parent & Toddler Group 10.00 For information on other mid-week activities please telephone the ad-ministrator on the above number.

Please telephone 01622 681808 for

further information and/or to check

32

Closing date for next issue is 15th Dec, 2013

to be sent to the Editor or Philip Hales at

email: philiphales@blueyonder.co.uk