servant teams sharing with the church abroad in the power of the Holy Spirit
UGANDA 2023
Home Uganda 2023SOMA International will be joining in a mega mission in South Rwenzori Diocese in 10th Nov through to 21st November 2023, with opportunities for visiting other areas and dioceses around the same time.
ONE OF SOMA’S BIGGEST MISSIONS YET. Our hope and prayer is that many people can be released in mission and evangelism, through the power of the Holy Spirit by joining in with this visit to Uganda.
The theme of the week is taken from Genesis 3:9-11 “Where are you?”
WOULD YOU CONSIDER DONATING TO US TODAY TO HELP ENABLE US TO CONTINUE WORKING TO PUT TOGETHER AND SEND OUT TEAMS? If you are joining a team we suggest a minimum donation of £25 to help cover the administration costs.
To pray for the mission please email: intercession@somaie.org
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED. HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO FUNDRAISE FOR THIS MISSION?You will need to cover the costs to get to Uganda and any visa costs, and vaccination costs, and make a contribution towards your in country costs. It would also help SOMA Ireland if you can make a donation to cover our admin costs.
WHAT WILL THE MISSION LOOK LIKE?Bishop Nason has a vision to reach over 1.3 million people across his diocese with a week of outreach and is inviting his SOMA partners back to help facilitate this outreach. After a central gathering teams will head to 2000 venues and share the good news of Jesus in the power of the Spirit.
WHAT WILL WE BE DOING? DO I NEED TO PREPARE ANYTHING?The programme is still coming together, but expect lots of prayer, teaching opportunities, and chances to see an exciting, young vibrant church in action. You will need to be able to share your faith story simply and briefly and also have thought about a number of outlines to gospel messages that you could share.
IS THERE A DEADLINE TO APPLY?International team members pease apply by the 31st September and UK and Ireland team members please apply by the 5 October by emailing info@somauk.org
WHERE WILL I STAY AND IS FOOD PROVIDED?Yes, food will be provided, and accommodation available from in a variety of contexts. It is likely that team members will stay with host families in some locations.
WHAT HAPPENS IN ADVANCE?We will gather team for training online, and liaise in person at a destination airport in Entebbe.
WHO WILL BE ON MY TEAM?We are expecting that teams will have between 3 and 4 members of differing levels of experience, nationalities and ages. If you have specified that you would like to be on a particular team or be paired with a friend in your team then that has been noted and we will do our very best to accommodate that, especially where you are travelling internationally or are under 25 years old.
DO I NEED TO HAVE EXPERIENCE?No, there is no experience required, if you have not been on a mission before it would be really helpful to spend some time crafting your story of faith and the difference God has made in your life so that you are ready to share that whenever the opportunity arises! Training will be provided upon arrival and you will have a team leader who will have had a lot of mission experience and other teammates who will also have different missional skill sets and most of all the Holy Spirit who works through us! We’re so excited to have you join us!
HOW CAN I BE PRAYING?Thank you for praying for the mission, here at SOMA we believe that it is prayer that is the essence and fuel of everything we do, we expect that through prayer God will do amazing things during this time we have set apart for him. Please pray for the inviting diocese, for the parishes you’ll be visiting, for the SOMA staff team and for God to speak to you. Please share anything you hear God saying with us on info@somauk.org and if you would like to join the zoom prayer meetings in the months leading up to the missions send us an email for the zoom link.
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