Thursday 5 March 2015

The tie between Dave Mackay and The Salvation Army




Former Scotland international footballer Dave Mackay passed away this week aged 80. His playing career began in 1953 and included spells with Heart of Midlothian, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County and Swindon Town before retirement in 1972. It was a highly successful career. As well as playing for Scotland 22 times he captained Hearts when they won the 1957-58 Scottish league title. He was also in the Tottenham side that famously won the English league and FA Cup double in 1960-61. Brian Clough later called him Tottenham’s greatest ever player. After retiring as a player he managed several sides including Nottingham Forest and Derby County.

Many people are familiar with Dave Mackay’s football career. What’s less well known is that over forty years ago he began a company called Dave Mackay Ties. And that’s where the Salvation Army connection comes in, because the ties worn with Salvation Army uniforms are Dave Mackay ties.



Turn over a Salvation Army tie and you’ll find the distinctive label saying ‘A Dave Mackay Tie’ with the Scotland team badge on the left and the Tottenham badge on the right! It came as quite a surprise to me as an English Chelsea fan to discover this! I suspect that most men in The Salvation Army don’t realise it. It’s something of a hidden secret.
Many Christians have another kind of hidden secret – their faith. It’s meaningful for them, but they fail to reveal it to those around. They don’t speak about it or allow it to influence their actions, their decisions or their relationships. It might be seen in church among fellow believers, or possibly at home with the family, but not in the workplace or the community.

Jesus said, ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house’ (Matthew 5:14-15). We are to let our light shine – not just on Sunday, but from Monday to Saturday as well. That’s what we call ‘whole-life discipleship’. And it’s to explore the meaning of this that we are arranging a Discipleship Weekend on 9th and 10th October this year. Details and a booking form are available on our webpage: http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/scotland

 We’d love to see you there – with or without a tie!

Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts
Assistant to the Secretary for Scotland