Christmas 2011 salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

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HOW relevant is the Christmas story for the 21st century? It is cel-ebrated every year with

carols, trees, lights and gifts, but is the coming of Jesus into the world of any significance for such a time as this? More than 2,000 years separate us from the time of his birth. Where are the points of connection?

The answer becomes clear when we look at two groups that played a central role in the first Christmas – the wise men and the shepherds. The two groups have often been contrasted, empha-sising the differences of occupation, religious background and learning. However, what they have in common may be what relates to us now.

Both groups were men of reflection – the wise men studying the heavens, looking for signs; the shepherds with their long evening hours thinking of their occupied homeland and wonder-ing when the promised Messiah would come. Surely there was an expectation that something would happen, must happen, to bring peace to the world. Would such reflection give birth to hope? I think so.

Both groups experienced a divine intervention – a revelation. The shepherds were visited by an angelic host announcing the birth of the Saviour of the world. The wise men saw a star which became their guid-ing light to lead them to the Christ-child.

These two groups of very different men responded to the supernatural events and moved out of their comfort zones. Shepherds and wise men took the divine signs seri-ously. An action of faith was

needed and they took it.God never disappoints. For both

groups, the realisation was all that God had promised. The Saviour-King was born. And whether it was by kneeling at a manger or giving gifts to the child, the shepherds and wise men all saw the face of God, the face of love in Jesus – Saviour of the world.

This past year has been a time of unparalleled natural disasters, economic troubles and political upheavals. For such a time as this, reflecting on this world and perhaps even our own needs, there could be cause for despair. Yet Christmas is about hope, as it was 2,000 years ago. Jesus not only came, he also lived and died for the world. And he lives today. That gives us hope.

We may not see a host of angels this Christmas or a guiding star, but God will come to each one of us in a discern-ible way, as he did to the shepherds and the wise men. We may choose to con-clude that it is just the annual ‘spirit of Christmas’ but it is God making him-self known to us.

How we react to it will be a matter of faith, a case of rising from our watch in the fields or following the star, so to speak. And if we do leave our comfort zone to seek the God who seeks us, we will discover that he is real, just as the

shepherds and the wise men did.

He is love. We are loved. The Saviour of the world came to earth many years ago, but he also comes today to us, to you, to me.

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this‘We may not see angels or a guiding star, but God will come to each one of us in a discernible way’

Good news

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– General Linda Bond

International leader of

The Salvation Army

thisFor such a time as

CHRISTMAS IN

JERUSALEM

PUZZLES p7

INNER LIFE p13

FOOD FOR THOUGHT p14

RECIPES p15

ANITA’S ALBUM p6

Christmas 2011 The War Cry 3

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A bit ofDRAMA

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On the scene

AT 11 am I meet with a groupof Salvation Army musicians

and singers at Elstree Studios, allattired in winter uniform and readyto film the Christmas episodes ofEastEnders. Everyone is chatty:‘Which TV stars will we meet today?I wonder what the main Christmasstoryline will be?’ Some of my colleagues are big fans of the showand are excited about what liesahead.

For the first hour or so we mill around, eatchocolate and drink coffee, waiting to be calledon set. It turns out to be good practice, as we

Back in October, a group of Salvation Army musicians took a trip to Walford, home of EastEnders.Weighed down with brass instruments and carolbooks, they arrived in Albert Square ready topretend it was Christmas. As the cameras focusedon the stars acting out their festive scenes, theband and singers stood in the background,proclaiming the Christmas message through music.War Cry reporter CLAIRE BRINE writes about herexperience on the BBC soap

A group of SalvationArmy carollers gatheroutside the Queen Vic

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Claire Brinetakes ‘TheWar Cry’ tothe Queen Vicand (below)carol singersgather inAlbert Square

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discover that there will be a lot of standing around today. Around lunchtime, third assistant director Craig Topham comes

to meet us. The crew is ready to shoot our first scene, so he leads usto the square. As we make our way through Walford, we take it inturns to point out sights which are so familiar: the fruit and veg stall,Ian Beale’s chippy, Shirley Carter’s caff and, of course, the QueenVic pub. Funny how every bit of the set seems smaller in real lifethan it appears on screen.

Our group huddle together in front of the square’s largeChristmas tree. Assistant director Julie Sykes asks us to ‘give a blastof “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to get the crew in themood’. So we do.

As we play and sing, Patsy Palmer (who plays Bianca) has a littlejig along to the music. Along with Charlie Brooks (Janine) andJessie Wallace (Kat) she runs her lines.The crew check our sound and speedlevels.

Suddenly the director is ready to ‘gofor a take’. But rather than belt out ourChristmas music, we are instead askedto mime the carols, as we will record thesound later on. Trying to get our groupto mime the same words at the sametime is no easy feat – but practice makesperfect! It is funny to see the charactersacting as though they are enjoying ourmusic, when we are not making anysound at all.

The shoot seems to go well. The onlydirection Julie gives us is to ‘look a bitmore wintry please’ – even though it is a

We mimetheChristmascarols

On the scene

From page 3

scene is done and we are thrust backinto reality. Time for us to pack up ourmusic and head up west.

Before we leave the studios, we signsome confidentiality forms in which wepromise not to divulge any of the story-lines we have witnessed. Then we arefree to go.

As we make our journey home, wereflect on the day. Some of us feel asthough the day has flown by. Others areexcited by the thought of seeing them-selves on the telly.

The episodes featuring the SalvationArmy carollers are scheduled for broad-cast during the run-up to Christmas. Ifpast EastEnders seasonal episodes areanything to go by, there is plenty moredrama yet to be revealed. But for now,and for The Salvation Army at least, theshow’s over. That’s a wrap.

sunny October day. Later, she tells me why she appreci-

ates the presence of The Salvation Armyon set. ‘Having the band here is good forthe actors, because it helps them tobelieve that it really is Christmas,’ shesays. ‘We couldn’t film the Christmasscenes without hearing the carols. Theyprepare us for the scenes we are about toshoot.’

Once the scene is in the can, the castand crew disappear off to lunch, leavingour group under the direction of soundsupervisor Paul Crichton. We grab theopportunity to snap a few photos of vari-ous parts of the square, then we gathertogether outside the Vic and get back towork. Huddled under the boom micro-phone, we record ten Christmas songs,including the carols ‘Away in a Manger’and ‘O Come, all ye Faithful’.

Of course, our group make the oddmistake or occasionally get the giggles,but we record the songs relatively quickly.Paul offers encouragement by sayinghow good we sound. By the end of thehour, the singers are a little hoarser andthe musicians are running out of puff.

The cast and crew filter back to theset, so we make our way to the canteenfor lunch. Once we’ve eaten our fill, wehead back to the square to crack on withour second scene. We stand on PhilMitchell’s doorstep and perform thesong ‘White Christmas’. Joshua Pascoe,who plays Ben Mitchell, tells me thathaving the band here ‘makes it morecheerful’.

We spend the afternoon stood nearthe Christmas tree, filming furtherscenes. Mostly we are in the backgroundas the regular EastEnders characters actround us. But several members of theband are given their chance to shine inthe spotlight. The camera zooms in on acouple of our number as they set up theirbrass instruments and music stands. Fora later shot, carol singer Jonathan Barkeris asked to walk over to our carollinggroup and on the way bump intoMasood Ahmed, played by NitinGanatra.

While he takes a quick break, I grab afew moments with Nitin and find outthat he loves Christmas. ‘It brings out

the best in people,’ he says.‘Many of them go the extramile to do good. I find thatduring December there is afriendlier atmosphere.’

Nitin is also pleased tosee the Salvation Armycarollers on set. ‘The bandis a familiar presence atChristmas-time, so it isheart-warming to see themin the community of AlbertSquare.’

As darkness begins toset in, we have one sceneleft to film. We mime ‘Silent Night’while several actors play out an emo-tional scene round us. The fairy lightstwinkle on the tree. The night is cold. Itfeels a bit like Christmas.

But then someone yells ‘Cut!’ The

Christmas 2011 The War Cry 5

REBECCA SPAUL

The band helps the actorsto believe it reallyis Christmas

Claire interviewsactor Nitin Ganatra

We standnear theChristmastree to filmour scenes

two decades. It’s an important time ofthe year for her, because of her faith.

Anita says that she has always felt ‘a deep urge to find out the answers tothose essential questions: Why am I here? Who am I? What is the point of life?’

She says: ‘I read a lot of books onreligion. I just had to find the answers tomy questions. I haven’t found all the

answers, but I think I havefound the path, the way tofollow, and this is what I amsinging about.

‘I believe that Christ wastrying to show us that we havepotential, a possibility ofreaching a higher level.Humans are in a darksituation, because we have thehabit of murdering each otherand doing other terriblethings. Christ shows usthere is a Heaven, whichcan also be seen as aninner condition. I have a Heaven inme. He shows methat I can stretchfor a higher leveland becomepurer and morepositive – morecaring for otherpeople, seeingtheir situation

The War Cry Christmas 20116 Media talk

Scandinaviansinger makestracks to theChrist-child

ANITA SKORGAN tellsPhilip Halcrow abouther Christmas-themedalbum

NORWEGIAN singer Anita Skorgan sang inLondon in 1977 when she made the first of

her five appearances in the Eurovision SongContest. Despite not winning with the song‘Casanova’, she went on to make hit albums andperform sell-out concerts in Norway. Now, she isagain being brought to the attention of UKaudiences by Radio 2, which has been playingmusic from her English-language Christmas-themedalbum Adventus. One of the tracks from the albumThe Miracle in Me has also been released as adouble A-side single with ‘Silent Night’.

Anita – who made a name for herself as a teenager in the early1970s when she won a Norwegian-Swedish TV talent show – hasbeen touring churches in Norway at Christmas-time for more than

and not only my egotistic point of view.’Anita expresses her faith on

Adventus, which includes ‘Stille Natt(Silent Night)’, the hymn ‘Be Thou My

Vision’, an Easter song‘Is it True?’ and a trackabout Mary singing alullaby to her child,‘Little Road toBethlehem’.

She explains:‘Christmas-time is aboutpresents and joy, ofcourse, but the Christmasstory is also very deep.

The child Jesus symbolises somethingpure, an innocent child, that we all haveinside. We are all born with this child

within us and we carry it with us,but as we live it gets lost because

our ego takes over and we areblinded by our cravings and

competition.‘Jesus said that we must

all become like childrenagain, and I think herefers to the pure, God-like part of us. We needto develop the childwithin us and to carefor it. I become awareof the child inside mewhen I make music.’

Jesus said that we must allbecome likechildren again

Adventus is released on Thru The Mill

Anita Skorgan

Christmas 2011 The War Cry 7

Caption blurb

Puzzlebreak

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

Solution at foot of page

SUD

OK

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HONEYCOMB

HONEYCOMB

1 Bauble. 2 Turkey.3 Manger. 4 Sleigh. 5 Golden. 6 Stable.

1. Tree decoration

2. Food traditionally served onChristmas Day

3. Complete the carol title:‘Away in a _______’

4. Santa rides one

5. What colour are the five ringsin the song ‘The Twelve Daysof Christmas’?

6. Nativity scenery

Answers at foot of page

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and readsclockwise round the number

WORDSEARCH

Fit into the grid above the words of this Christmasrhyme (not including the word ‘a’)

’Twas the night beforeChristmas, when allthrough the house

Not a creature wasstirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hungby the chimney withcare,

In hopes that St Nicholassoon would be there.

WA S UQ H C

S K E AU N P M

V S E H EU E M E L

S R J E R SB R I S D J

O S E H I S OS L P T W E V

P T E E C H I NS A G E B T L S

S M B N K A A O ET D L A N X J B T

L A Y E K N O D A YF R A N K I N C E N

YTA KD RB L YT T OI F H GR P I BE E E G RH L H F ET R V G G GH J R G N ZG E W Y A I DS E M S M Y K

Look up, down,forwards,

backwards anddiagonally on

the grid to findthese words

associated with the

Christmas story

ANGELSBABYBETHLEHEMCAMELSCATTLECENSUSDONKEYFRANKINCENSE

GIFTSGOLDINNKEEPERJESUSJOSEPHKING HERODMANGERMARY

MYRRHNATIVITYSHEPHERDSSTABLESTARWISE MEN

POEM GRID

ANSWERS

SUDOKU

M 2 9 16 23 30

T 3 10 17 24 31

W 4 11 18 25

T 5 12 19 26

F 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

January

M 6 13 20 27

T 7 14 21 28

W 1 8 15 22 29

T 2 9 16 23

F 3 10 17 24

S 4 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

February

M 5 12 19 26

T 6 13 20 27

W 7 14 21 28

T 1 8 15 22 29

F 2 9 16 23 30

S 3 10 17 24 31

S 4 11 18 25

March

M 2 9 16 23 30

T 3 10 17 24

W 4 11 18 25

T 5 12 19 26

F 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

April

M 7 14 21 28

T 1 8 15 22 29

W 2 9 16 23 30

T 3 10 17 24 31

F 4 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

May

M 4 11 18 25

T 5 12 19 26

W 6 13 20 27

T 7 14 21 28

F 1 8 15 22 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

S 3 10 17 24

June

M 2 9 16 23 30

T 3 10 17 24 31

W 4 11 18 25

T 5 12 19 26

F 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

July

M 6 13 20 27

T 7 14 21 28

W 1 8 15 22 29

T 2 9 16 23 30

F 3 10 17 24 31

S 4 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

August

2012PE

TER

CO

X

Psalm 90:12 (New International Version)

M 3 10 17 24

T 4 11 18 25

W 5 12 19 26

T 6 13 20 27

F 7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

September

M 1 8 15 22 29

T 2 9 16 23 30

W 3 10 17 24 31

T 4 11 18 25

F 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

October

M 5 12 19 26

T 6 13 20 27

W 7 14 21 28

T 1 8 15 22 29

F 2 9 16 23 30

S 3 10 17 24

S 4 11 18 25

November

M 3 10 17 24 31

T 4 11 18 25

W 5 12 19 26

T 6 13 20 27

F 7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

December

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom

The War Cry

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Those with familymembers in theWest Bank do notget to see them,even at Christmas

World view

hristmaserusalemin

NIGEL BOVEYlooks at how thebirth of Christ willbe celebrated attwo Christiancentres inJerusalem

ON top of the Mount of Olives,overlooking the ancient city of

Jerusalem, is a place of hope and heal-ing. Established in 1965 as a home forchildren who were physically disabled,mostly as a result of polio, today thePrincess Basma Centre for DisabledChildren cares for youngsters with awide range of special needs. Last year,248 children stayed at the centre for twoto three weeks with their mothers toreceive intensive physiotherapy, occupa-tional therapy, recreational therapy,speech therapy and hydrotherapy.

As well as specialist medical facilities, the centre,which in 2000 was entrusted under the Arab AnglicanEpiscopal Church, runs a mainstream school. The720-pupil school educates able-bodied children andchildren who are physically, visually and aurally challenged. For the centre’s children, as for childrenthe world over, Christmas is a special time.

‘Christmas is a very important feast for us as a familyand for Christians in the Holy Land,’ says the centre’sexecutive secretary Lina Majaj. ‘Most of the children at thecentre are Muslim. We prepare for Christmas by talking tothem about Christ. We have parties for the children, com-plete with Christmas tree, decorations and Santa. We havemusic. The school is closed for Christmas. At the rehabili-tation department, Muslim staff come to work, while theChristian staff have time off.

‘At home, we decorate the Christmas tree. Family bonds are reinforced during theseason. On Christmas Eve andChristmas Day, we share dinnerwith our families and exchangegifts, which the children espe-cially enjoy. For Christmas dinner we usually have turkeystuffed with rice and meat – thetraditional Arab way.

‘As a family, we worship atthe Anglican Episcopal Churchin Jerusalem. Over the

Celebrationsat the

PrincessBasmaCentre

Princess B

asma C

entre

Christmas 2011 The War Cry 11

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Christmas period, many servicesare held, including a carol service at the Church of theNativity in Bethlehem onChristmas Eve.

‘Many people attend churchover Christmas. St George’sCathedral in Jerusalem holds amidnight Mass on ChristmasEve. Two more Communionservices are held on Christmasmorning, when the congregationsings carols, accompanied bythe organ. Sometimes a choirtakes part in the services, whichare held in Arabic and English.The atmosphere is joyous.

‘Although it is easyfor Jerusalem

residents to get toChristmas services, resi-dents of the West Bankneed a permit from theIsraeli authorities tocome to Jerusalem. It is

difficult to obtain. Consequently,those with family members inthe West Bank feel deprivedbecause we do not get to seethem, even at Christmas-time.

‘My prayer this Christmas isfor the peace of Jerusalem – that

the city would be open to familymembers and friends from theWest Bank to worship inJerusalem freely, not only onreligious holidays but also daily,as was once the case.’

Five miles north of thePrincess Basma Centre is another Christian-based centreof healing. The Helen KellerSchool is a boarding school forvisually impaired, blind and dis-abled children. Day pupils alsotake the bus in from neighbour-ing West Bank towns, such asNablus, Ramallah and Hebron.The build-up to Christmas, saysthe school’s director, SuadYounan, is a very busy time.

‘Once Advent arrives,the children start to

prepare for the celebrations,’ shesays. ‘There is much going on,with rehearsals, carolling, feast-ing and gift-giving. Many of ourchildren are Muslim, but it

would be wrong to assumethat only Christians cele-

brate Christmas. It is a joy-ous season for everyoneat the school. You cansee the happiness andjoy on the children’sfaces as we approachChristmas Day.

‘The pre-Christmasperiod is always verybusy at the school. With

the help of their home-room teachers, the children

rehearse for the Christmaspageant, and they are always

in high spirits. As part of ourpreparations, we take the children to the Church of theNativity in Bethlehem, theShepherds’ Field and to an

olive-wood workshop owned by a Christian family in BeitSahur.

‘It is also a busy time for us as

Above: the Princess Basma CentreBelow: children remember thebirth of Jesus

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12 The War Cry Christmas 2011 World view

a family. My husband, BishopMunib, is head of theEvangelical Lutheran Church inJordan and the Holy Land. Thisyear, he is conducting aChristmas Eve service inBethlehem, a Christmas Dayservice in Jerusalem and one thefollowing day in Ramallah.

‘The services will includechoirs, special liturgies, a nativitypageant and a sermon in Arabic,English and German. Thechurches are decorated with nat-ural pine trees with colouredbulbs that twinkle when thechurch lights are put out at mid-night. As worshippers begin tosing “Silent Night”, candles arelit. Official representatives fromthe Palestinian President’s office

take part in the Christmas Eveservice.

‘Not everyone who wants toget to church at Christmas willbe able to do so. There areimmense difficulties for peopleto obtain permits to enterBethlehem on Christmas Eve toworship in the midnight Mass,as there’s security and army per-sonnel everywhere. JerusalemiteChristians who live in neigh-bourhoods divided by the separation wall will not be ableto cross to the Old City to

worship and celebrate. ‘Despite the busyness, I try to

make Christmas a time of seren-ity, quietness and peace. It is atime for the whole family tocome together for worship andCommunion. We usually invitefriends, expatriates and col-leagues who have nowhere to goto partake in a Christmas meal,after the Christmas Eve servicein Bethlehem.

‘Sadly, in some areasChristmas has become

commercial. Shop owners takeadvantage of the season andraise the price of toys, gadgetsand clothes. Many parents

simply cannot afford tobuy their children thosefancy electronic toys thatare displayed in shopwindows.

‘For some families,Christmas is just aboutbuying gifts, eating inexpensive restaurants, ortravelling abroad. Butmany still considerChristmas a time of fam-ily reunion, a time offorgiveness and bridge-building and a time toremember the wonderfulstory of birth andredemption.

‘For me, Christmassymbolises a very deepand significant truthabout life, spiritualityand divinity. Jesus Christwas born at a time whenignorance, superstition,greed, hatred and

hypocrisy prevailed.In some quarters,

they still do.‘The world needs to

renounce evil and callfor justice and truth. The birth of Christ needsto take place in ourhearts, so that our celebrations and worshipare done with simplicityand holiness.’

� For moreinformation visitbiblelands.org.uk

From page 11

Christmas is a time forforgiveness and bridge-

Children fromthe HelenKeller Schoolperform anativity play

Helen K

eller School

The birth ofChrist needs totake place inour hearts

building

make the ultimate sacrifice by dying for people’s sins on the cross.

We do not have to wait 50 years for the jubilee. When we accept Jesus Christ as our saviour, we can experience the Lord’s favour here and now. It happened for Albert Mir. It happened for Mina Rani Das. It can happen for us all.

JESSORE is a town of 200,000 people in the west of Bangladesh. There is a large community of commercial sex workers in a place called Hatkhola Lane. Since 1997, Joseph Das has been working there for The Salvation Army. It took years to build up trust but Joseph and his team now belong there and are making a huge difference to some 300 women prostitutes.

Captain Albert Mir, a former Muslim who is now a Salvation Army officer, joined the team and works at sharing the gospel with the Hatkhola Lane community.

Mina Rani Das was a prostitute for 18 years. She still works in the brothel but in a different capacity – she wears The Salvation Army’s blue sari uniform. Something in Joseph’s presence made

Inner life 13Christmas 2011 The War Cry

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MANMISSION

with aAt the beginning of his ministry, Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth, as he often did. He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah’s writings and invited to read to the assembled congregation. What he read described his forthcoming mission so precisely that he said: ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:21 New International Version)

In this series, PHILIPPA SMALE looks at how Jesus saw the work God had given him to do

REDEEMED: former prostitute Mina in the Hatkhola Lane brothel

REFORMER: Joseph Das

The price isright

an impression on her. Captain Mir’s gospel message touched her. She came to know Jesus, and he changed her life.

Mina found freedom, forgiveness and new life in Christ. For her, it was the year of the Lord’s favour and her life would never be the same again.

In the Old Testament, the year of the Lord’s favour was known as the jubilee and was designed to happen every 50 years. It was a time of restoration. Land and property could be redeemed, indentured workers were freed, poor people were supported and agricultural land was rested.

When he spoke in the Nazareth synagogue, Jesus proclaimed that

the year of the Lord’s favour was happening then and there – at the very moment he read those words. It was the time when God was going to restore his relationship with his people through Jesus, who would

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‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has sent me to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’ (Luke 4:18, 19)

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14 The War Cry Christmas 2011 Food for thought

labelled him a miracle-worker. Those who heard his

Sermon on the Mount may have described him as a wonderful orator and teacher. The people whom he healed would have perhaps called him a great doctor. Even the religious leaders who came to test Jesus

with questions would have had to admit that he knew the Jewish Law and gave intelligent, insightful answers.

But I believe the statement that best sums Jesus up comes from the soldiers present at his crucifixion. They declared: ‘He really was the Son of God!’ (Matthew 27:54 Good News Bible).

Next year, Time will have a different list of influential people. It is unlikely that many of them will be remembered 2,000 years later, as Jesus is today.

Jesus has proved that he has staying power. But is it time for us to get to know him better?

TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2011 includes artists, activists, reformers, researchers, heads of state and captains of industry.

I find it interesting that each mini-biography of the nominees has been written by one of their peers. So we have Dame Helen Mirren commenting on Colin Firth, Germaine Greer on Julian Assange and Thierry Henry on Lionel Messi.

One of the biographies that caught my eye was about Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark in New Jersey, written by Oprah Winfrey. She described him as ‘a man of, for and about the people’. She also defined him as a ‘servant leader’.

Her words made me think of someone else who fitted that description. Jesus told his followers that he came to serve, rather than be served, yet there was no doubting his leadership qualities.

I began to wonder. If Jesus had made the Time 100 list in AD30, what would his peers have said about him?

After he raised their brother Lazarus from the dead, Mary and Martha would probably have

by JIM BURNS

Cory Booker and Oprah Winfrey

She described him as a ‘servant leader’

This year’s ‘most influential’ person, Mark Zuckerberg

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One man makes a difference

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Christmas 2011 The War Cry 15What’s cooking?

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Method:

Preheat the oven to180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line aloaf tin (measuring 20cm x12cm x 6cm) with greaseproofpaper.

Gently fry the onion in the olive oilfor 5 minutes, then add thegarlic and mince. Continue tocook for 10 minutes.

Add the curry paste,breadcrumbs, almond essence,water, rosemary, half theprunes and hazelnuts to the

pan, stir well, then remove fromthe heat. Allow the dish to coolfor 10 minutes, then stir in theeggs. Season with salt andpepper.

Line the base of the loaf tin withthe orange slices.

Put half the mince mixture intothe tin, top with a layer of redpeppers, then add theremaining mixture.

Use the remaining prunes tomake a final layer on top of themince mixture. Cover the tinwith greaseproof paper and

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped

1tbsp olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

300g Quorn mince

2tbsp mild curry paste

30g breadcrumbs

3 drops almond essence

2tbsp water1⁄2 tsp dried rosemary

50g toasted choppedhazelnuts

250g ready-to-eat prunes,finely chopped

4 free range eggs, beaten

1 orange, skin removed and finelysliced

1 jar roasted red peppers, or 1 redpepper, roasted and skin removed

Salt and pepper, to taste

bake for 30–40 minutes.Remove the tin from the

oven, then invert the loafso that the orange slicesare at the top. Serve as afestive centrepiece.

Serves 4

Festive layered loaf

Try a deliciousvegetarian

option this

Christmas

Recipe reprinted, with kind permission,from the Vegetarian Society websitevegsoc.org/christmas

Tip:This recipe can also be vegan if you substitute frozen vegan mince for Quorn and 1tbsp of gram flourmixed with 4tbsp water for the eggs.

IN the fullness of time,

God stepped from eternity

Into time, into space,

In the form and the face

Of a child.

In the fullness of time,

He talked a message

Of love, of grace,

Where there is place

For a child.

In the fullness of time,

He walked a pathway

Marked out, nailed down,

A fate he’d known

Since a child.

In the fullness of time,

God reached from eternity,

With life, through death,

Past sin’s foul breath,

For his child.

In the fullness of time,

God gathers the hearer –

Twice-born, faith-borne,

Heaven-bound, sin mourned –

As his child.

Nigel Bovey

A peaceful and a joy-filledChristmas to all our readers

YOUR LOCAL SALVATION ARMY CENTRE:

The Salvation Army (United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland) on behalf of the General of The Salvation Army.Printed by Benham Goodhead Print Ltd, Bicester, Oxon. © Linda Bond, General of The Salvation Army, 2011