servant teams sharing with the church abroad in the power of the Holy Spirit
2023 Mission Trips
At last we can travel post-Covid and we have three exciting two-week cross cultural mission trips planned to Vanuatu, Rwanda and Tanzania.
If you would like to see congregations released in healing, deliverance, prophecy, and experiencing the power of forgiveness, then we would love for you to join one of our teams.
Vanuatu 1-15 March
Invitation and Purpose: The bishop of Banks and Torres Islands, Bishop Worek has asked SOMA NZ to send a team to help bring spiritual renewal to the Banks and Torres islands with focusing on training in healing ministry and overcoming witchcraft.
Programme: Consists of a 3-day diocesan conference for 500 attendees followed by three x 3-day village ministry training visits.
Team: The team members must be fit, willing to step out in faith, be flexible, able to pray with people, and have a testimony to share.
Rwanda 22-28 March
Invitation and Purpose: Archbishop Laurent Mbanda has asked SOMA International to send two international teams to minister in Rwandan dioceses.
Programme: Consists of a Sunday preachment in Kigali and 5 days training in parish ministry situations.
Team: The team members must be fit, willing to step out in faith, be flexible, able to pray with people, and have a testimony to share
Tanzania August
Bishop Given Gaula has requested another SOMA NZ team to visit the Diocese of Kondoa in August. These visits are extremely fruitful. Details to follow.
Nga mihi nui
Andrew Allan-Johns
(National Coordinator)
Vision of SOMA
For a long time, Churches have seen mission work as only for gifted career missionaries. When Jesus gave his great commission in Matthew 28 it was you and me he had in mind. It was you and me he was speaking to! He commanded us to go to our local Jerusalem, to our Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Sometimes it’s not practical to go too far because of family, health or employment responsibilities, but often there are emerging or current leaders, who may be just the people to go on a short-term mission. During that time these people would experience another culture, be trained in all kinds of skills, and have a wonderful opportunity to share all that God has been teaching you as a congregation.
How did SOMA begin?
SOMA began in 1978 when a prophetic word was given to a large Anglican conference in Canterbury in England. There was a call to "mind the nervous system of the Church ". From that conference, two mission groups emerged. One that cared for each nation called, Anglican Renewal Ministries and the other called, Sharing of ministries abroad or SOMA.
In Greek, SOMA means, "the body".
In New Zealand, SOMA began in 1995 after Rev. Gradon Harvey came back from the mission field excited about the impact a SOMA team had on his congregation in Uruguay in South America.
How does SOMA function?
SOMA does this by hosting conferences and local missions in different places in the world and invites leaders, both lay and ordained to come and enjoy the renewal and the networking that happens during the visits. By coming from all around the world, delegates get a broad vision of the exciting things God is doing by His Spirit.
SOMA is best known for sending teams of parishioners like yourselves usually five to six, who go at their own expense, or from special church fundraising events. They go for anything from 10 to 21 days to a diocese in the developing world, to share with them, all the good things God is doing by His Spirit amongst us and to encourage their renewal.
SOMA also invites the Church in the developing world to come and share with us all that God is doing in their lands.
How does a SOMA mission happen?
-We receive an invitation from the bishop (or director of evangelism) of a developing world diocese.
-The SOMA leadership prays through the invitation and who would be the right person to lead a team.
-We assign to the leader the team members who then begin to prepare using the SOMA team training manual. If the team comes from all parts of New Zealand then it will either meet for preparation before departing NZ or on arrival in the host country.
-After a commissioning service in their parish, the team arrives in their host country and is billeted by their host diocese, who usually arranges all food and internal transport (unless they are very poor).
-The topics a team may be asked to speak on may vary according to the suggestions of the host bishop. Usually, they include teaching on renewal in the Holy Spirit, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, healing, evangelism, prophecy, and most importantly a ministry of encouragement to clergy and parish leaders, who are often isolated and have little in the way of support structures.
-A team would ideally have two Bible teachers, two musicians, a children's speaker, a youth group speaker, and intercessor, gifted prophetic people and various combinations of the above! Teams are usually 5 or 6 people.
- A parish would arrange intercessors to support their people while away, and give them opportunities to share when they return.
Where do we go?
We would like to encourage you and your parish to get involved.
SOMA has sent adult and youth teams to countries in and around the Pacific/Asia region such as - Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and beyond to Singapore, India, South Africa, Africa (Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania), Nepal and Malaysia.
We have received teams from South Africa (black Africans), Singapore, USA, Canada, U.K, Australia, Ireland and Fiji.
Some teams also go to do practical work such as church building (Solomon Islands), painting or repair work (Fiji, Vanuatu).
If you feel God is encouraging you to go on a mission, then talk to your vicar and we will then start praying about the possibilities!!!
For further information:-
Contact
National Coordinator
SOMA New Zealand
52 South Belt
Rangiora 7400
Phone 027 5600599
E-mail: – somanewzealand@gmail.com
Facebook: SOMA New Zealand