What SOMA is all about….
What SOMA is all about….
Mission
statement
‘Working for the transformation of individuals, churches and
communities world-wide
through renewal by the Holy Spirit, sending teams on short-term mission within the
Anglican
Communion.”
EXCITEMENT
AND LONELINESS
Sitting
in an airport restaurant is an unlikely place to be writing an article.
“Tell us a bit about what you are doing, “
said
a friendly editor, over the phone just before I left.
So
here I am at St John’s airport, Newfoundland, waiting for a plane that leaves
for Heathrow at midnight. In
a funny way this is what working with SOMA is like. There are seemingly exciting
and glamorous moments but there is loneliness too.
“Anything else you’d like sir?” said the soft-spoken Canadian
waitress.
“Only my wife,” I joked.
“Well, I’m sorry I can’t do that sir!”,
she replied.
But
as I sit alone at a table with ice hockey on the TV and pop music on the
intercom I think about some recent special moments.
This
morning, for instance I was with a group of eight ladies at Cox’s Cove, a tiny
former fishing village on the West Coast. We were having a Bible Study in the
basement of the little white painted wooden church.
They had never prayed out loud before and were terrified. So we went
round the circle with simple sentences of praise —
and
they ALL did it! Some
added some very real and personal prayer requests.
Joan
Coles, the young vicar, who had only been there six months, was thrilled.
On
Sunday evening there was another wonderful moment. Joan had been praying for St
Nicholas’ Church to be able to move into times of prayer ministry.
I had been asked to preach and the worship was led by a wonderful local
Country and Western Gospel group called Genesis.
The Lord opened the way for some very real prayer ministry.
The Spirit’s presence was tangible and reassuring.
Many came forward for prayer and we did not leave the church until
11.00pm.
I
was staying with the village post-mistress Yvonne and her husband Irvine. Yvonne
said there had been very positive come-back over the next few days about “the
service”.
It
was also thrilling to be taking communion that morning down the shore line at
the next village of Mclvers. It suddenly hit me what a remarkable work of God
the Anglican Communion really is. To
be breaking bread so many thousands of miles away in an Anglican Church and to
know the glorious presence of Jesus in such a palpable way was just wonderful.
We are ONE Church.
And
really this is the essence of SOMA. It
is sharing the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit and helping others
to grow in such ministry, so that lives, churches and communities are radically
changed.
I
was in Canada for the National Directors’ Meeting, an annual event hosted by
different countries for leaders of different
national
SOMA bodies. There were 15 of us meeting in a diocesan conference
centre, which rejoices in the name of Killdevil Camp, after the local Killdevil
Mountain.
It
was so heartening to be part of this body.
There were some wonderful Bible studies and opportunities to learn more
about SOMA’s world-wide ministry.
I
was moved to see the vital part that relationships play at the heart of this
“SOMA family”. Time was given for sharing of news and personal concerns and
I felt genuinely welcomed as a newcomer of only three months.
I was also deeply impressed and challenged by the passion and seriousness
for intercessory prayer as an essential weapon in SOMA’s ongoing mission and
ministry.
My
mind also goes back to other moments to Uganda and a recent ministry visit in
which I was privileged to take part.
In
particular there were extraordinary moments preaching in the open air and hot
sun to a huge congregation at the West Ankole Diocesan Silver Jubilee Conference
and Revival Convention Numbers ranged from about 2,000 up to 4,000 on the last
day. I had been asked to lead
the three morning Bible Readings on Joshua 1:9,
“Be strong and courageous …..for the Lord your God will be with you
wherever you go.”
Such
numbers of people could go to your head.
Yet two days later there was an equally challenging and humbling moment,
giving a day’s teaching to a dozen people in St John’s, Mityana Diocese on
how to follow up new Christians - I was
only
asked to do this the night before
There
was also the time in Kampala at the Anglican Renewal Ministries Uganda
Conference leading seminars and workshops on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
This included in-depth study on deliverance ministry -
a
much-needed topic in a culture where tribal religions and witchcraft are still
influential.
A
final moment comes back of preaching the gospel to a packed church of at least
200 people at Nyakinoni, miles away in the country in Kinkiizi Diocese.
There was a very large interest in making a commitment or re-commitment
to Christ with about half the church seeming to respond.
As
I sit over coffee in the airport I ponder at how much there is to take in.
There are so many people to pray for. There is the whole area of helping
build an efficient office. There is also a deep desire to raise up greater
awareness among more churches to this phenomena that is SOMA.
I
am reminded of a recent visit to the little British church of St Michael’s,
Beanacre in Melksham Parish near Bath, which had just had its harvest festival.
I was there to commission a team going out to Nigeria.
This
was it; a tiny church, which, thanks to initiatives such as the Alpha Course,
was experiencing a real move of the Spirit.
Now they were sending out a SOMA team to help share all that the Spirit
of God was doing for them
Beanacre
is not well known, but it
is
a lovely Christian church, growing in confidence in the Holy Spirit and wanting
to work with SOMA in sharing such ministry abroad.
This
is
an adapted version for wider circulation of the article first written for the
magazine of St Peter’s, Littleover, Derby.
October 28th 2002
For
further information about SOMA please contact P0 Box 6002, Heath and
Reach,
Leighton Buzzard. Beds LU7 0ZA
Tel
01525/23 7953, Fax
237954.
Email: SOMAUK@compuserve.com