GOOD NEWS Newspaper

Both boxers in this month’s titanic clash say it’s in God’s hands – see page 8
www.goodnews-paper.org.uk May 2024
BAFTA WINNER
Secret of British actress’s
‘wonderful joy in my life’
See page 3
RAYE OF LIGHT
Record-breaking singer
says God saved her life
See page 3
SUICIDAL ADDICT
SET FREE – NOW
HELPS OTHERS
The amazing turnaround in the life
of a man with a traumatic childhood
KARL Ayling often stood on the bridge
above the railway line. It wasn’t because of
the view.
He thought it would be a
convenient place to kill
himself.
“I had just turned 40 and I was
really surprised that I had made it
that far,” Karl smiles.
“I had a list of addictions that
could paper a wall… drugs, alcohol
and especially sex. I don’t
know how I didn’t die from AIDS.
I had so many one-night stands,
often stoned or drugged up to my
eyeballs, it amazes me I didn’t
catch HIV.
“I’d regularly walk to that bridge
and decide I may as well get it over
with. Who would care? I would
just be another statistic.”
Most people could never imagine
the emotional baggage that
Karl had carried every day since he
was five years old. But twenty
years on from those desperate
bridge walks, Karl has no reservations
about telling his story. He
By James Hastings
does so not to find media fame but
to reveal how he had an encounter
with Jesus that has changed his
life in a way he never thought possible.
“How many people do you know
who wanted to kill their parents?”
he asks. “I mean really wanted to
do it, not just say it out of anger
because they wouldn’t let you go
to a party or they made you do
your homework.
“In my 20s, I wanted to kill both
of them. When I was just five years
old, the words that would drive
absolute fear and dread into my
young mind was when Dad would
give Mum money and tell her to
‘go and do the shopping’.
“As soon as she was out he
would sexually abuse me and another
boy, along with two girls
who were aged 7 and 11. He also
abused other kids in our street,
was violent, and had loads of affairs.
When Mum returned from
the shops, she claimed she had no
idea what had gone on. Us kids
were too terrified to say anything.
“Dad also physically abused me
from the age of three, punching
me with the force of a grown
man.”
FROM ADDICT TO THERAPIST:
Karl Ayling is transformed
Karl had no ally in his mum:
“Most mums are excited when
their child starts school. All my
mum did was open the front door
and tell me, ‘Off you go.’ I walked
there myself and stood outside the
school gates while all the other
kids were being fussed over by
both parents.
“My classmates soon turned on
me, beating me up and calling me
all sorts of names. I was regularly
mugged and had dinner money
stolen.
“In those days, there was no
counselling or Childline. I just
had to get on with it.”
Continued on page 4

Page 2 I GOOD NEWS I May 2024
THE MUSIC OF HOPE
The faith of tutor and writer Emma Hide helped her through illness, as featured in our
January issue. Now she has taken another leap of faith – recording her first songs. Here
she tells Good News readers why she believes her music can change lives.
IN OCTOBER 2022, the UK faced a grim economic
milestone: annual inflation peaked
at 11.1%, the highest in 41 years. This surge,
which had been building steadily since
spring 2021, plunged the nation into the
throes of a crushing cost of living crisis.
Working at debt-counselling
charity Christians Against Poverty
(CAP), I witnessed a staggering
influx of calls as households struggled
with devastating debt. Former
clients, particularly those on low
incomes, became at risk of slipping
back into debt. Meanwhile
the charity sector faced significant
drops in donations.
At this time it could have been
easy to lose hope. Despite CAP’s
efforts and advocacy, millions of
families faced dire choices, such
as skipping meals, forgoing heating
and cutting back on essentials
– a situation that continues to
this day. The outlook, to put it
bluntly, was bleak.
Finding hope
In the midst of devastating circumstances,
I wanted to offer genuine
hope that transcended the
storms of economic hardship, social
upheaval and political turmoil.
In my search for genuine, dependable
and unshakable hope,
I was drawn deeper into my Christian
faith. Just a few years earlier
I had found myself in a personal
situation that felt completely
hopeless. When there was no clear
route forward, God answered
prayers, worked miracles, and
walked with me.
Most importantly, God led me
to an unshakable hope: the assurance
of eternal life, and his
unwavering promise to be with
us in our earthly struggles, giving
divine strength, guidance, love,
inexplicable peace and the reassurance
that all things can be
worked for good. This was the
best hope I had to offer, and I
knew I needed to share it.
Using music
Hoping to make sense of the
suffering I was seeing, I turned
to music and songwriting. I poured
out my heart to write ‘Dare to Hope’
– a song that captures the transformation
that happens when we
find light in the darkness. Writing
this song brought me back to a
place of hope for the nation and
households in crisis. Now I just
needed a means to share it.
Six months later I took a leap
of faith. Having never had any
vocal lessons or recording experience,
I embarked on recording
and releasing a debut EP – each
track a testament to the different
facets of hope and healing we
can find in God.
Over the following year I devoted
countless hours to composing
melodies and penning lyrics, and
began recording in a local studio.
Guided by musician and producer
Andy Lowe, before I knew it the
day had come for me to share my
first single, Waiting, on streaming
platforms in December 2023. The
response from friends, family and
contacts was one of overwhelming
support!
And now I am sharing perhaps
my proudest song, Dare to Hope.
My prayer is that this track sparks
hope for anyone facing difficult
circumstances, whether that be financial
insecurity or storms of a
different nature. Even if only one
person is encouraged, I will feel
it was a worthwhile endeavour. In
a world where each of us will face
hardship and loss, genuine hope
is a treasure that must be shared
as widely as possible! Where do
you find hope in times of crisis?
Dare to Hope release
You can listen to Dare to Hope by
Emma Hide on Spotify, YouTube, Apple
Music and Amazon Music.
MASSIVE NEW CHURCH OFFERS HOPE IN NORWICH
THE biggest church to be built in
Norfolk for 110 years has opened
its doors, welcoming 5,000
guests to four services over the
first weekend of March.
Soul Church has returned to its
spiritual home on the site where,
18 years earlier, its predecessor had
to leave following a devastating fire
in 2006 which destroyed the entire
former building, leaving only a 25 ft
metal cross intact.
NEW HOME: Soul Church’s new building in Norwich
That same cross now proudly
hangs on the front of a building
which houses a 1,250-seat auditorium
and a string of community facilities
including a nursery, social
supermarket, café and free play
area.
The message ‘Jesus – hope of the
world’ is lit up on the front of the
complex, which is as much a community
hub for local people as it is
a venue for large, enthusiastic
DEBUT: Emma Hide is a new voice on the music scene
By Keith Morris
church services attracting young
and old alike.
That message of hope in Jesus
embodies the entire ethos of the
church, which has been meeting
in a converted warehouse for the
last decade.
Pastor Jon Norman told the congregation:
“We are committed to
speaking a message of hope from
this pulpit. This building has been
just a structure for the past two
years, but from tonight it is now a
sanctuary, a safe space, a space
where you can dream to be the person
God has called you to be. It is
a gateway of hope and a place of
good news.
“The doors of hope lead onto the
street of community, a place where
relationships can be forged.
“We are facing
an epidemic of
loneliness in our
nation, county
and city. We have
intentionally built
a street as a gateway
to community.
Off that street
you will find a social
supermarket
to help those who
are struggling to
buy food, you will
find our community café and kids
free indoor play area, our jobs
club and debt recovery services,
a 110-place nursery, a youth club
on a Friday night, mental health
and well-being support groups,
provision for the disabled and
physically and sensory impaired.”
The church is believed to be the
third biggest in Norfolk, ranking
alongside the Anglican Cathedral
and St John the Baptist Catholic
Cathedral in the city. There was no
statutory funding for the multimillion
pound building which was
financed by the congregation,
businesses, large donors and
grant funding.
www.networknorfolk.co.uk

GOOD NEWS I May 2024 I Page 3
WINNER of an astonishing six
Brit Awards this year, R&B
singer Raye has hit new heights
in musical recognition – but that
success was stifled for years.
Signed to Polydor in 2016 as a teenager,
she wrote songs for Beyoncé and Little Mix,
and lent her vocals to top ten hits by David
Guetta and Jax Jones, yet Polydor refused to
release her debut album.
After a struggle to extricate herself from
the record label, she went independent and
within 18 months had the biggest-selling
single in the UK.
She also has another ‘comeback’ story.
Although brought up to go to church, she
suffered from dysmorphia, addiction, an eating
disorder and anxiety. She was also
sexually assaulted. All this, combined with
the stalling of her career, could have led to
her abandoning her music and her faith.
Yet Raye credits her restored faith in God
for helping her to bounce back. She has
been very open about being tempted to end
it all, as she sings in Hard Out Here: “Without
the Lord I’d take my life.”
In a BBC interview she said: “If I didn’t
find faith again, I might not even be here…
I’m really grateful I have this faith. It’s
Ben Houdijk/Shutterstock
Record-breaking
Brit Awards winner
returns to faith
RAYE OF SUNSHINE: After a dark period
in her life, Raye has seen the light
honestly pulled me out of a really dark
place.”
Speaking to The Line of Best Fit, she
added: “There was a moment where I really
found God, in the time that I really needed
it and it saved my life… I really owe my life
to my faith, it’s kept me going… it’s given
me strength.”
Her debut album doesn’t hold back on
the darkness of her troubles, and the expletive-laden
lyrics express that. Hopefully as
her faith develops she will be able to leave
such things behind. She has certainly turned
to the Bible for strength. She has part of
Psalm 91:1 tattooed on her arm: “Whoever
dwells in the shelter of the Most High will
rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” As she
told Louis Theroux, she prays this verse for
protection: “It’s an important one for me.”
Her parents now help manage Raye’s
career, and she holds worship services in
her own home.
BAFTA winning actress: ‘God got me through’
BRITISH actress Samantha Morton
spoke movingly of her belief in God
in her acceptance speech after
winning a BAFTA in February.
Morton, who has also won a Golden Globe
and been nominated for an Oscar twice, said
“I believe in God” when explaining her semiautobiographical
film, Unloved, which she
said was about “faith… hope and forgiveness”.
Morton has starred in blockbusters such as
Minority Report and Fantastic Beasts but her
part in Unloved came much closer to her
heart, as did her role in last year’s
Paramount+ TV series The Burning Girls. She
played a vicar – Reverend Jack Brooks – and
was drawn to that because of her fascination
with theology.
She told Yahoo News that she was raised in
the Catholic Church, and went to a Baptist
church for a while as well as a Christian cult,
and did lots of research about the Church of
England’s beliefs to play Brooks.
But her interest in theology is more than
academic. She had a traumatic childhood and
it was only her faith in God that helped her get
through it. Morton was physically and sexually
abused, and after the age of eight grew
up in care homes and foster homes, which
were often violent. One home was so bad she
would often run away and sleep on the streets,
VERSATILE: Samantha Morton in one of her very varied
range of roles, as Catherine de Medici in US TV series
The Serpent Queen
shoplifting for food. She was even charged
with attempted murder at just 14 for threatening
to kill someone, for which she is now
very sorry. She ended up in a hostel for the
homeless at 16.
She told The Guardian in 2010: “I would
not have survived without my faith… I felt
watched over as a kid.” Asked if she felt
angry with God for letting those things happen
to her, she replied: “No. Never. I was
angry but not at God. I feel that you are
closer to God when you are messed up. Definitely.
That’s when you most need God…
“I have a wonderful joy in my life and that
is that I have always believed in God. I just
have and I think I’m lucky. Some people
question that faith but, when you are little,
and you find something as powerful as
that, you do not question it. It’s what got
me through it all.”
In 2020 she told Sky News: “In the same
way I look at my children and I know I love
them, and it’s so enormous and overwhelming
and huge – that’s the love I feel
from God… If you’re in pain or in a very, very
tough situation, by accepting that love and
allowing that love, the most amazing,
transformative things can happen to you…
I count my blessings each day.”

Page 4 I GOOD NEWS I May 2024
Directors: Benjamin Renner,
Guylo Homsy
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth
Banks, Danny DeVito, David
Mitchell
Certificate: U
Released: 2 February; also on
Prime Video
ILLUMINATION, the people
behind The Secret Life of Pets
and Despicable Me films,
have come up with a feature
length animation about a
group of mallard ducks.
Like many of these films, it is
aimed at children but has
enough jokes to keep the adults
amused. One of the fun things
about animated films is to try to
identify the famous voices behind
the characters, which in
this includes Danny DeVito and
our own David Mitchell.
The central characters are a
family of ducks led by a dad
called Mack, who is hyper-cautious
and perfectly happy to live
out his life on a small lake in
New England. But when a flock
of migrating ducks land on the
lake on their way south to Jamaica,
mum Pam and their son
Dax look wistfully as the other
flock flies off on their adventure.
Eventually, Mack decides he
needs to allow his family the opportunity
to leave the safety of
their lake and explore the big
new world beyond. This is all
Migration
A QUACKING STORY: Migration
By Simon Carver
very well, except rather than flying
south to Jamaica, they head
north and end up in New York.
The duck family are challenged
to step out of their comfort
zone and experience life on
a new level. Yes, they take
wrong turns and face danger,
but their reward is – spoiler alert
– the beautiful island of Jamaica
where they eventually arrive at
the end of their journey.
At the beginning of the film a
pretty young duck invites Dax
to follow her, but at that time
Dax’s father isn’t ready to leave.
Jesus challenged people to
leave their old lives behind and
follow him. For a man unable to
walk it meant standing up and
leaving his bed behind. For fishermen,
it meant leaving their
nets. Some made excuses, because
the cost was too much,
but many followed on the
strength of what Jesus promised
them.
The journey for the ducks isn’t
easy, and for many of us life isn’t
easy. Jesus didn’t promise following
him would be easy – in
fact he said the opposite would
be true. However, he promised
that the final destination would
be worth it – even better than
Jamaica!
DISCOVERY NEWS
Science, archaeology and history’s latest revelations
TOP SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL NATURE ADMITS
SCIENCE HAS NO IDEA HOW LIFE BEGAN
By Andrew Halloway
IN OUR January issue we reported that brilliant scientist Dr James Tour
had challenged the world’s leading origin of life researchers to explain
how life got started on planet Earth.
JUNKIE SET FREE
Continued from page 1
When he was seven, Karl could
not take his father’s abuse any
longer. He finally told a teacher
what was going on. His father was
arrested and imprisoned.
“Mum’s response was to tell me
that I had brought shame on the
family. She tried to kill herself.”
After two years the family were
rehoused but a new house did
not mean a new life. Karl’s mother
blamed him for his father’s imprisonment
and started to sexually
abuse him.
“Mum died in 1996 and I had
no idea whether Dad was still
COUNSELLOR: Karl says psychology can
help but love of Jesus is ‘best antidote’
Not one of them was confident
enough to take up his
challenge, yet a confident
picture of life evolving all
by itself is often painted in
TV documentaries and assumed
in science media…
until now.
Nature, one of the world’s
top science magazines, has
exposed the truth.
Writing a Comment in Nature
on 26 February, titled ‘To
unravel the origin of life, treat
findings as pieces of a bigger
puzzle’, Nick Lane and Joana
Xavier identify major flaws in
the most well-known theories
of how life began.
First they say that the prebiotic
soup model has implausible
sources of ingredients,
concentrations and longevity.
Then, looking at the RNA
alive. I had so many failed relationships
and addictions, I
couldn’t count them,” says Karl.
“One night stands or drugs were
a temporary escape, but when
they wore off I was depressed and
even suicidal.”
He wondered if jumping off the
bridge was the answer.
“I never thought much about
God,” he explains. “I would have
described myself as an atheist…
Jesus was a character in an old
movie who seemed a nice guy
but nothing more than that.
“Then, one day, I was passing
a church. I took a look inside and
there was an image of Jesus hanging
on a cross. Why did that happen,
I wondered? He was a good
guy, so why did he end up on a
cross? What did it mean, if anything,
to me 2,000 years later?
“I decided to seek some answers.
I began attending the church. I
asked questions, read the Bible
and started to pray.”
Karl began to believe.
“In 2004, I was baptised. It was
an amazing point in an amazing
journey. I felt God telling me to
help other people who’d been
through what I had.”
He embarked on a degree, gaining
a BA (Hons) in Counselling
from the University of Chichester.
He went on to obtain a research
Post-Graduate Diploma in Psychology
from the University of
Surrey, and has now worked for
over 15 years in pastoral care –
helping people with a variety of
difficulties, ranging from autism,
depression, anxiety, abuse and
stress to domestic violence, rape
counselling, post-traumatic stress
disorder, foetal loss, grief and bereavement.
Karl is also now a member of
the Association of Christian Counsellors.
“I value what psychology can
contribute to helping people
come out of the most awful
trauma,” says Karl. “God has
given us this insight to end the
pain, misery and guilt that many
people experience. However, the
saving and free love of Jesus is
the best antidote to any problems
or issues we have in our lives.
“I think of Christian counselling
like a mother tongue.
Non-Christian counselling is
therefore not my first language
but it is useful.
“However deep your pain, however
traumatic your past, Jesus
offers complete healing. I know
because I have experienced it. I
found him by simply walking into
a church. You too can overcome
anything you have experienced.
“Jesus loves you and that love
will set you free.”
Karl’s book, Massive Power Massive
Love, is available at: www.amazon.
co.uk/Massive-Power-Love-Karl-
Ayling/dp/1532668678
SPRINGING INTO LIFE: Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone
National Park in the USA – the kind of volcanic environment
theorised to be the scene where life might have ‘emerged’
Frank Kovalchek/Wikimedia
BREAKING
THE POWER
OF ADDICTION
RICKY McAddock was once “broken”
by drink and drugs – but
today he’s not only free from
his addictions but running a
Christian charity helping others
to break free too.
Ricky, aged 45, is the co-founder
and chief executive of Street Connect.
His personal experience with
addiction and finding hope in God
drives the charity’s vision. Ricky
says: “We are inspired by the message,
life and example of Jesus
through which God’s unconditional
love for all people is expressed. It
is because of this that we are inspired
to reach out in compassion
and seek to help people in need.”
As a youngster, Ricky began
drinking alcohol before attending
world idea, they point out that ribozymes
tend to disintegrate and
turn into disorder, not grow in
complexity. And lastly, they attack
probably the most popular theory:
hydrothermal vents. They conclude
that idea provides no plausible
origin of metabolism or
polymerisation.
Even the more desperate idea,
which has gained in popularity recently,
gets shot down. That’s the
theory that the ‘pre-biotic soup’ of
organic chemicals was delivered
from space on an asteroid or some
other space debris. But all this
does is provide the ingredients, not
a feasible mechanism of how the
first cell came together, which no
one has provided.
In fact, origin of life research is
no closer to knowing how life
came to be than it was when Darwin
first suggested his “warm little
a local youth club, which soon progressed
to smoking weed and taking
Valium. By the age of 18, he had
tried “every drink and drug you
could think of. My life consisted of
substance use almost every day,
getting into trouble with the police
and involved in crime. I saw where
things were going and I wanted to
make my life better.”
Ricky relocated to Dubai for a
fresh start, but merely relocating
“didn’t work out” and he soon ended
up back in Scotland where his
drug and alcohol abuse continued.
Although he managed to get a university
degree, he continued to indulge
in drugs.
One day, Ricky met a man who
had recently completed Teen Challenge,
a Christian rehab programme
DESPERATE: Ricky on his first day in Teen Challenge in March 2007, a few
weeks before accepting Jesus into his life
pond” theory in 1871. But if scientists
give up on the idea that life
must have happened all by itself,
the only alternative is that the process
was designed – but most scientists
wrongly think that accepting
intelligent design as the answer is
giving up on a scientific answer.
In Evolution News, science
writer David Coppedge writes:
“The assumption of actual design
in nature led to discoveries made
by Johannes Kepler (planetary orbits),
Robert Boyle (compressibility
of gases), James Simpson
(anaesthesia), James Joule (conservation
of energy), Michael Faraday
(unification of forces), George
Washington Carver (agricultural
chemistry), and many, many
other discoveries in all fields of
science.
“Some of these investigators are
celebrated as the founders of
which helps people in addiction.
This new friend had endured similar
struggles and Ricky was intrigued:
“I remember there was
something different about him…
he played Christian worship music
in his house. We built a good
friendship and when he said
help was available that I should
check out, I soon realised this
could be a fresh start in Wales,
where one of their programmes
was located.”
However, the move to Teen Challenge,
where no drink or drugs
were allowed, was challenging for
Ricky. “Without drink or drugs, I
didn’t know who I was and was
broken. I was at first resistant to
the programme, but then saw others
there who had peace and purpose.
“I was held back by baggage
from my past, which led to a relapse
and ultimately a process of
letting go and realising that Jesus
was the way to life.”
Ricky returned to Teen Challenge
after the relapse and his desire for
drugs left him. He simply did not
want to use substances that dominated
his life for so many years.
A key moment of the rehab programme
was when he became a
Christian in April 2007: “I can’t
emphasise enough the difference
knowing Jesus has made to my
life. The transformation has been
and continues to blow me away. I
am no longer the same man I once
was and this is all down to coming
into a life transforming relationship
with Jesus Christ, whom I will ever
be eternally grateful to.”
After graduating from the programme
at Teen Challenge, Ricky
went on to found Street Connect
with his wife, Julie. The vision was
whole disciplines. A design perspective
kept each of them very,
very busy in productive work
and led to numerous applications
that have dramatically improved
human flourishing.
“We have this historical evidence,
therefore, that design is
not a science stopper. In fact,
some historians of science
have pointed to the Judeo-
Christian worldview as the
match that lit the scientific
revolution itself. This is all the
more astonishing in stark contrast
with origin of life research
which is admittedly
stuck at square one after a century
and a half of effort.”
Perhaps the real reason design
is given short shrift today
is not that it is unscientific but
that it implies a Designer – the
Creator.
to “reach out to others who were
in the same struggle of drug and
alcohol abuse that I was in, to
bring the message of hope and that
recovery is attainable”.
Street Connect started as a local
church outreach in 2013 at Glasgow
City Church. Still based in Glasgow
today, the charity partners with
local churches and rehab programmes
and runs outreach and
support services for people who
are in addiction. Crucially, it offers
the hope of the gospel of Jesus
Christ – because it was Jesus who
saved Ricky.
“The drug crisis in Scotland is
ongoing and it can seem a long
road ahead,” said Ricky. “However,
we are continuing to be there to
GOOD NEWS I May 2024 I Page 5
TRANSFORMED: Ricky today with his wife, Julie, outside the
Street Connect office
‘Don’t worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you
need, and thank him for all
he has done. Then you will
experience God’s peace,
which exceeds anything
we can understand.’
The Bible, Philippians 4:6-7
offer support and guidance to those
who need to experience a miracle
of transformation.”
Street Connect are currently in
the process of changing from a regional
to a national charity, working
with churches across the UK.
A new church partnership was recently
launched in Wales. Addiction
is ravaging communities
throughout the nation, and Ricky
says: “The local church is the
hope of the world and I believe
God has a key role for the church
to play in tackling the addiction
crisis.”
To find out more about Street
Connect, visit their website:
www.streetconnect.co.uk

Page 6 I GOOD NEWS I May 2024
The courageous missionary I met
when his life was ebbing away
Russian hero
RUSSIAN opposition leader Alexei Navalny
won global admiration for his courageous
stand for democracy in his country
– which he eventually paid for with his
life earlier this year.
Navalny surprised supporters around the
world when he returned to Russia after
being poisoned, despite knowing he would
be arrested. Supporters had managed to
get him to Germany for treatment after he
nearly died from the lethal Novichok nerve
agent, which was used in the Salisbury
poisonings on another Russian dissident.
But return he did, so great was his desire
to continue his campaign against corruption
and the abuse of power. He died in prison
in suspicious circumstances.
So what drove Navalny to continue his
fight for Russian democracy, despite the
obvious threat to his life? It is reported
that he leaned heavily on his Christian
faith.
During his 2021 trial, Navalny explained
that he was previously “quite a militant
atheist” but had become a Christian. He
said: “But now I am a believer, and it helps
me a lot in my activities.”
Thirsting for righteousness
Why did his faith help Navalny in his
cause? “Because there is a book [the Bible]
in which, in general, it is... clearly written
what action to take in every situation. It’s
not always easy to follow... but I am actually
trying.”
He also quoted Jesus: “Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied” and commented:
“I’ve always thought that this commandment
is more or less an instruction to activity.”
So it was the words of Jesus that propelled
him to carry on his fight for Russia.
He concluded: “Can we rest in the sure
knowledge of God’s sovereignty even amidst
awful circumstances, while still resolving
to hunger and thirst for righteousness
wherever God has placed us and with whatever
God has put in our hands?”
That’s got to be something you admire
about Navalny, whether you share his faith
or not. He was determined to fight for
goodness and truth, even if it was from an
Arctic prison cell.
But his story is not unique. Filled with
the love that God gives, millions of Christians
down the centuries have devoted
their lives to pursuing goodness and truth,
and many, like him, have paid with their
lives.
GOOD NEWS Issue no. 274
www.goodnews-paper.org.uk
Published by the Good News Fellowship UK, a registered
charity, no. 1167287, in association with the
international family of Challenge newspapers. Please
note: some stories may be unsuitable for children;
adverts may not reflect the publisher’s views.
Editor: Andrew Halloway.
Email: goodnewseditor@ntlworld.com
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DEMENTIA Action Week begins on 13 May. Back
in 1970, when dementia was not as well-known
as it is today, I was a trainee psychiatric nurse
who found myself face to face with a new admission
on the dementia ward. He bore a name I was very
familiar with: James, or Jimmy, Salter.
As a Christian myself, I didn’t
expect to be caring for a
leading Christian figure who
I’d looked up to all my life.
Jimmy had been orphaned
at a young age but as a teenage
member of Thomas Myerscough’s
Bible Class in Preston
he became a Christian and felt
a call from God to serve as a
missionary in the Belgian Congo,
as it was known then. Together
with WFP Burton, he
helped start the Congo Evangelistic
Mission in 1915.
His life was a never-ending
story of trials met with unwavering
faith. In the early days
he nearly died of either malaria
or by the hand of the people
he was trying to convert to
Christ. He once said: “They
poisoned our water and our
food; they tried shooting poisoned
arrows at us, and then
bullets... We were among people
whose language we had
to learn word by word. In those
first months, I tramped from
place to place, preaching the
Gospel, until my whole body
was soaked with malaria.”
In 1960, Congo had fallen
into civil war and missionaries
were being killed, yet Jimmy
flew out to continue the work
with his friend Teddy Hodgson.
WHY
SHOULD
I?
By Susie Kearley
By Mike Popplewell
They ended up being taken
hostage by rebels, but were
rescued by United Nation
troops. A few weeks later, Teddy
was butchered with machetes
as he prayed for his
murderers.
Today, the mission Jimmy
co-founded has more than
5,000 local churches in the
Democratic Republic of Congo,
and has spread into other
parts of Africa.
In God, Jimmy had found a
father who would never
desert him, unlike the natural
father he never knew. He
met and married Alice Wigglesworth,
a young widow
and daughter of a wellknown
preacher called Smith
Wigglesworth.
Their marriage was unconventional
by virtue of the fact
they spent long periods apart
from each other, as he worked
as a missionary in Africa.
Meanwhile, Alice spent much
of her time supporting her father,
especially after her mother
died, both at home and on
his preaching campaigns.
Jimmy was also a great support
to his father-in-law and
in later life provided much of
Why should we do what the Bible says?!
Isn’t God just a killjoy? Actually, everything
he wants us to do is for our own
good. This series shows why.
MISSIONARY PIONEERS: Jimmy Salter (right) with William FP Burton
the information for a biography
of Wigglesworth’s life.
The family residence was in
Bradford, and after Wigglesworth’s
death in 1947 Jimmy
and Alice lived alone there,
but Alice died in 1964 and
Jimmy, at 74 years old, found
life increasingly difficult as
dementia began to impact on
his everyday life.
By 1970 he was unable to
live alone and was admitted
to my ward at the nearby Victorian
psychiatric hospital.
He died in 1972.
It was sad to see this formerly
indomitable Christian pioneer
struggling to get to grips with
the realities of later life, but
apart from his bouts of confusion
and accompanying distress,
he maintained a remarkably
peaceful demeanour.
Keep on believing
DURING times of suffering it’s
easy to think that God has abandoned
us – and some people
sadly give up on their faith. Yet
it’s precisely at such difficult
times that we need God the most.
He is there to support us. Praying
and reading the Bible can help us
find comfort, support and understanding
at difficult times, as can
the love shown by Christian
friends.
Turning towards God
and leaning on a Christian
community when life isn’t going
your way can make all the difference,
and make you feel more positive
about the future.
Can you recall previous occasions
when life was tough and you experienced
God’s support? Reflecting
on those times can help us get
through challenging times again.
Remember God is on your side,
even if he doesn’t take away the
problem. Hebrews 10:35-36 in the
Bible says: “Do not throw away this
He showed a great respect to
everyone and could still talk
clearly about his life’s experiences,
and never grudgingly
spoke of his current situation.
When I moved to another
ward I would visit him at the
end of my shift and he was always
happy to talk.
Dementia is one of life’s cruellest
conditions, but even
that couldn’t quench the spirit
of enthusiasm and readiness
to meet a challenge that his
faith had sustained for more
than 60 years. It was a sign to
me that, as well as a mind and
body, God has given us all a
spirit – which we either nurture
or ignore.
“Remember your Creator in
the days of your youth, before
the days of trouble come”
(Ecclesiastes 12:1).
confident trust in the Lord. Remember
the great reward it brings you!
Patient endurance is what you need
now, so that you will continue to
do God’s will. Then you will receive
all that he has promised.”
There are many Christians today
who suffer more than we do, and
many others in the past. It can be
difficult to believe in God’s compassion
when we know God allows
suffering today, but he promises an
eternity without suffering to those
who trust him, and it is beneficial
to your mental and spiritual health
to trust him during difficult times.
Jesus himself experienced great
suffering and therefore understands
our pain.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the
Lord with all your heart; do not depend
on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he
will show you which path to take.”
We may not understand why something
is happening to us, but God
does.

GOOD NEWS I May 2024 I Page 7
LIFE
issues
by Colin Johnson
This month:
The problem
of cliques
HAVE you ever felt left out because
the people you are with are using
words or knowledge you know nothing
about?
I remember starting a new job and
going out for lunch with new colleagues
who spent the whole time talking jargon
and telling each other ‘in’ jokes.
Something like this can happen in
other social situations, for example a
golf club that’s run by a very unfriendly
clique of people.
Someone said that “cliques are often
made up of weak people who are afraid
to be different, and who think that as
long as they’re with others who think
and act like they do, they won’t have
to change”.
Exclusive groups often create a bad
atmosphere where others are seen as
being ‘on this person’s side’ or ‘in
that person’s corner’.
Jesus showed a different way. He always
had time for those on the margins
of society. He would spend time with
the people who others had excluded.
In his time one of the most ridiculed
and excluded groups in society were
those who collected taxes for the Roman
occupying force. So-called respectable
people would avoid even
touching one of them. So you can
imagine the furore when Jesus decided
to join a group of these tax collectors
for a meal!
Jesus wanted to show a different
way and set an example for us of how
to live. Jesus wanted us to accept one
another and spoke about not judging
others: “Why do you look at the speck
of sawdust in your brother’s eye and
pay no attention to the plank in your
own eye?”
Could Jesus help you? Whatever your
situation and whatever barriers you’ve
experienced when people have
excluded you, Jesus is the one to
turn to.
with Chef
Mike Darracott
Ingredients
For the filling:
Flavours to Savour
500g (about 4 cups) rhubarb,
trimmed and chopped into 1-
inch pieces
100g (about 1/2 cup) granulated
sugar (adjust according
to taste and tartness of
rhubarb)
1 tbsp cornstarch or flour
Zest of 1 orange (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
For the crumble topping:
150g all-purpose flour
100g (about 1/2 cup) unsalted
butter, cubed
50g (about 1/4 cup) granulated
sugar
50g (about 1/4 cup) brown
sugar
50g (about 1/2 cup) rolled
oats (optional)
Pinch of salt to taste
Rhubarb crumble
Try this classic rhubarb crumble to make those taste
buds tingle!
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 180°C
(350°F).
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine
the chopped rhubarb,
granulated sugar, cornstarch
or flour, orange zest (if using)
and vanilla extract (if using).
Toss until the rhubarb is
evenly coated. Transfer the
mixture to a baking dish or individual
ramekins, spreading
it out evenly.
2. In another bowl, combine
the flour, granulated sugar,
brown sugar, oats (if using)
and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
Add the butter to the dry ingredients.
Using your fingertips,
rub the butter into the flour
mixture until it resembles
coarse breadcrumbs. You can
also a food processor for this
step.
3. Sprinkle the crumble mixture
evenly over the rhubarb
base. Place the baking dish or
ramekins on a baking sheet
(to catch any drips) and transfer
to the preheated oven.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes,
until the rhubarb is tender and
the crumble is golden brown
and crisp.
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream,
whipped cream or custard.
Mike’s book Proper Cornish Childhood
is available on Amazon
BRAIN SIZZLING
PRAYER
REQUESTS
If you would like prayer for
whatever issue you are facing, or
help to become a Christian, call
the UCB Prayerline on 01782 36
3000 (UK local call rate) or
01 4299 930 in the Republic of
Ireland. The Prayerline is open
Monday to Friday from 9am to
10pm and on Saturdays from 10am
to 3pm (closed on Sundays and
bank holidays). Trained Christian
volunteers will take your call and
pray for you and with you.
SUDOKU
by Shogun
FILL in all the squares in
the grid so that each row,
each column and each of
the 3x3 squares contains
all the digits from 1 to 9.
APRIL 2024
SOLUTION
BREAK TIME CROSSWORD
HELP FOR READERS
HOW TO KNOW JESUS
FOR YOURSELF
AS you have read through Good News, we hope you
have seen the difference knowing Jesus Christ makes
to people’s lives.
If you would like to know more about this, read on, or see:
www. goodnews-paper.org.uk and click on the Finding
Faith section.
The Christian faith is not some philosophy, dreamt up to
make people feel better, or to be a crutch in times of need.
It is based on a person. Our time itself is measured from
the day of his birth. His life is a fact of history: Jesus
Christ.
In Jesus, God became a man, lived a perfect life, and died
on a cross – taking God’s punishment for all your wrongdoing
and mine. But he came back to life to prove his
power over death, then went back to heaven and will one
day return again.
In Jesus, we are offered a person to follow, a power to
transform lives, a purpose for living and eternal life.
If you would like to know Jesus Christ for yourself...
1. Read aloud, meaningfully and
sincerely, the prayer opposite, and
2. Fill in the coupon below so we can send you information
to help you in your new life.
1 2 3
8
10
16
17 18
22
26
12
23
20
4 5
11
13
9
19
24 25
27
14
PRAYER
Dear God, I believe Jesus died so that I can
be forgiven. I admit I have done wrong things
and not lived my life how you want me to.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me, and come into my life to help me live your
way. From this moment on, I want to follow Jesus’ example
and join other Christians in serving you and other people.
Amen.
6
15
7
21
Across
8. ‘In heavenly love -------’
(hymn) (7)
9. Order; decree (5)
10. Aromatic herb (5)
11. Venetian canal boat (7)
12. A letter (7)
14. Old Testament Jacob’s
brother (4)
17. Elongated food fish (4)
18. Sales for charity (7)
22. Local missions (7)
25. Musical instrument (5)
26. Method of communication
(5)
27. Museum custodian (7)
Down
1. Venomous African snake (5)
2. A cosmetic (8)
3. Passages between
rows of seats (6)
4. Eager; astir (4)
5. Plant with showy flowers (5)
6. System for money transfer (4)
7. Flat type of cloud (7)
13. Through; by way of (3)
15. ‘The joy of the Lord is your
-------’ [Bible: Nehemiah 8]
(8)
16. Milk products (7)
19. The Crystal Palace Exhibition
was this prince’s brainchild
(6)
20. Small hill (5)
21. Large fleshy fruit with a hard
skin (5)
23. 500 sheets of paper (4)
24. Plunder and destroy (4)
• See next issue for solution
APRIL 2024 ANSWERS
S A I M H T
C E R A M I C A Z U R E
A I P H N G R
B O A A B O U T T U R N
B L L L E
A L P H A E T E R N A L
R A S O A
D I S T A N T P A T H S
S G E A H
B R O C H U R E S S K I
U V A O T H
C H E S S L O O M I G
K R T
N N
N
R S
FREE OFFER FOR THOSE SEEKING FAITH...
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May 2024

Page 8 I GOOD NEWS I May October 20242020
Both boxers in showdown
say God is in their corner
GRATEFUL: Taiwo publicly thanks God for his transfer to Nottingham Forest
in 2022, as shown in this photo from a report on X by Sky Sports
BATTLE OF THE TITANS: Two of the world’s best boxers, Fury and Usyk, meet on 18 May
Striker’s celebration
has a spiritual goal
THE fighters facing each
other for the undisputed
heavyweight title this
month both claim God is
on their side. And so far,
neither have got involved
in the usual aggressive
taunts that boxers indulge
in before a fight.
Champion boxers Tyson Fury
and Oleksandr Usyk clash on 18
May. Fury is risking his WBC belt
against WBA, WBO and IBF champion
Usyk, and the meeting is the
weight division’s first undisputed
bout in 25 years.
Both the Brit and the Ukrainian
believe in Jesus Christ – no clash
there – and in fact neither have
claimed that God will give them
victory.
For his part, Fury admires his
opponent’s faith. “We are the two
biggest Christians in boxing,” he
said in a pre-fight interview. He
also acknowledged that the outcome
of the fight is in God’s
hands: “I can train all I want,
but whoever God wants to win
this fight will win…
“Listen, being a champion is
great. But to see someone who
is also a world champion and
has big faith in God is unbelievable.
Beautiful.”
In return, Usyk extended his
good wishes to Fury for a speedy
recovery when the fight had to
be postponed earlier this year
due to a freak injury Fury sustained
in training.
After beating British boxer Anthony
Joshua in 2022, Usyk dedicated
his win to God, thanked
everyone who prayed for him,
and as he lifted the belt aloft he
told all the viewers watching the
bout: “The only thing I wanted
to do with this fight is to give
praise to Jesus Christ.”
By Andrew Halloway
He also told Sky later: “I want to
thank God for the help that he gave
me today, because he did give me a
lot today. My Lord is Jesus Christ.”
Usyk became an orthodox Christian
while in hospital as a child,
after talking to a chaplain who was
visiting the children on his ward.
He has praised God after all his
wins, and often reads his Bible before
a fight.
Significantly for his upcoming
fight with Fury, when asked after
the Joshua fight whether he would
become the undisputed heavyweight
champion, Usyk said: “Only
God knows if I will or not. Thanks,
Lord, for everything.”
So both boxers agree that their
lives and careers are in God’s
hands. That’s a humility that you
don’t normally see in the boxing
world!
WHEN the Premier League
season ends this month,
if Nottingham Forest are
relegated (you may know
by the time you read this)
it won’t be for lack of effort
by Taiwo Awoniyi.
His involvement has been limited
by injuries and surgery, yet
he still racked up six goals and
three assists in his first 17 appearances.
But when he does score
his celebration is different to most
players – he lifts his shirt to reveal
a Bible verse or Christian message.
When he scored in a 2-0 defeat
of West Ham in February, the verse
he displayed was Ecclesiastes 12:13:
“Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all
mankind.” He showed the same
verse when playing in Belgium
and got told off by the Belgian
FA.
His other t-shirts have said ‘Hallelujah,
Hosanna’ and ‘Psalms
and Peace’, he’s worn cross-decorated
shinpads, and often shares
Bible verses on social media. After
a goal against Arsenal in January
he posted the Ecclesiastes verse
again, with the saying: “What a
friend we have in Jesus.” Another
time he wrote: “Thanks to our
fans for the great support and
glory be to Jesus Christ!”
After recovering from a careerthreatening
head injury while out
on loan from Liverpool, he told
the BBC: “I can never underestimate
the impact of faith on my
life and career. God used the referee
on the pitch before they took
me to the hospital… I recovered
remarkably quickly… Faith means
everything to me; I put it above
football.”
YOUR LOCAL CONTACT:
Editorial: Good News Editor, PO Box 9831, Nottingham NG2 9JN. Publisher: Good News Fellowship UK, reg. charity no. 1167287, www.goodnews-paper.org.uk. Printers: Newsquest, Weymouth