How Major Phil McLaren spoils himself
How would Major Phil McLaren of the Salvation Army indulge himself, God willing? Major Phil, a major fundraiser for the Salvation Army, is happy to live by the Salvos' selfless motto: "We live simply so others can simply live." Which means he doesn't own a car or a house and lives on a wage close to the poverty line. "I won't have any money when I retire," he admits. "But I know the Army will look after me."
If he did come into money, his main problem would be who to give it away to first.
"We have a tithing system here, so I would give a percentage to the Army without even thinking about it. How much we give is up to ourselves. There's the biblical 10 per cent, of course, but most give more."
Next on his wish-list would be donations to the Heart Foundation and Leukemia Research. The former is a personal favourite. He had a triple by-pass at the age 51 of and wants to pay them back for keeping him alive and ticking.
Finally, there's overseas aid. "As a family we sponsor a little child in Africa," he says. He'd like to give more than he does.
But what about something for himself?
"I guess I wouldn't mind a little plot to call my own," he admits finally, before adding: "But I haven't any great need."
