prayer diary

Not Long until the conference

2011-04-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Pray for the conference!!!!!

The Common Life Mission Conference 2011

July 19-22

This is one conference you shouldn’t miss!! When I was organising a SOMA Council meeting recently I was being shown around Waikanae’s El Rancho conference centre, being ‘inducted’ through policies and rules by a new staff member. There was a moment as I ‘zoned out’ and came to a realisation that over the 37 years I have followed Jesus, I have been to conferences, meetings, worship services that would have close to six months of my life spent in that place! Somehow, over the years, I have become a little cynical of conferences – even though, when on SOMA missions I have been a conference speaker myself.

Why should you not miss this conference?
• The main keynote speaker Ben Kwashi is an orator (except during moves of the Holy Spirit!), a leader of leaders, and an evangelist. He lives in Jos, Nigeria where he has to live his faith in the face of strong Muslim persecution (30,000 Christians have died there in the last ten years). He has had his house burnt down (while he was in it!) and had assassination attempts on his life by radical Muslims. Ben and his wife Gloria and six children have 38 orphans living in their home. He isn’t a flashy conference speaker who flies in his own jet but someone who has to live day by day under the threat of persecution. So far his diocese has grown from six to 400 parishes.

• There is a gathering of Maori, Pacific and pakeha delegates, as well as speakers from around the world. SOMA is supplying 16 workshop speakers. SOMA has 17 teams from USA, UK, Ireland, Sabah, Nigeria, South African, Australia, South America, Egypt, Canada and Singapore. It will be a rich multi-cultural experience.

• The variety of worships is amazing – your biggest decision will be deciding what not to go to!

• SOMA has its own stream and will be meeting in the mornings for Bible study with Bishop Rennis Ponniah from Singapore, good worship and teaching. I believe we have more to learn from leaders from the developing world who are succeeding where the western church is moving into crisis and has few success stories. We need to learn afresh from them the gospel message that transforms lives.

• We need to spend time with the different streams that make up the church. As well as the SOMA stream, there is the St George’s Jerusalem stream, the Faith2Go stream (sponsored by CMS) etc. The rich tapestry that makes up the church is bigger than SOMA’s vision.

• Worship is being co-ordinated by our SOMA NZ Chair, Bishop Richard Ellena, and the Youth Lounge by one of our SOMA Youth Team co-ordinators Rev Glen Paddison of New Wine Matamata fame!

Things you need to know

If you are coming to the SOMA stream part of the common life conference you need to register both with SOMA on their website www.soma.org.nz and the Anglican Missions Board website www.angmissions.org.nz. The SOMA stream will have overseas delegates only as Redwood auditorium at El Rancho holds 250 people. First in, first served.

We have a SOMA stream email address somatonz@gmail.com that our co-ordinator Rebecca Corin will co-ordinate. (pictured with baby Bella)

2010-07-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

July 2010

Servant teams, sharing with the church abroad in the power of the Holy Spirit

Give praise for the youth and adult teams which have stepped out in faith and allowed the LORD to use them powerfully to bring encouragement to the local people, while at the same time growing stronger in their own faith.

PRAY for Rev Gradon Harvey, SOMA National Coordinator as he communicates with overseas Bishops and Leaders to make arrangements for the missions for the next twelve months and

PRAY for the team leaders and members willing to go with open and servant hearts to serve as disciples of our LORD.

GIVE THANKS for the many youth teams being organised and for youth willing to go to encourage and reach out.

GIVE THANKS for the practical teams going to help local communities.

PRAY for all the following missions; - particularly for the right team members, for wisdom with their preparations, cultural sensitivity, servant hearts and opportunities to share the gospel and impact lives of local people, and for the team’s health and safety.

6 June- 5 July Fiji/Vanua Levu - led by Bishop Richard Ellena, Nelson for encouragement to youth and families

29 July-9 Aug Nigeria - Rev Gradon Harvey, Waikanae is joining with International Board and Executive Group. Rev David Bahler and Mr Peter Akester representing NZ at the conference and mission after.

Aug/Sept Fiji/Viti Levu - led by Rev Stuart Crosson, St Matthew’s Dunedin for encouragement to youth & families

October India - led by Kas Govind, Churton Park Wellington to assist with Alpha training and ministry to families

2 to 15 Dec Vanuatu/Santo - youth team Sumner Christchurch for encouragement to youth and families

2011
15 to 25 Jan Vanuatu/Port Villa - youth team Waikanae for encouragement to youth and families

Parish of Blockhouse Bay – July 13-27^th 2011, to New Caledonia – Adult team 5-6 –tentative.

Parish of Rangiora to East Ambae – August team of 5-6 adults/youth.

Parish of Blockhouse Bay – September 14-28^th 2011 , Fresh Wota- tentative.

PRAY for the SOMA NZ Council Trustees meeting in November as they gather to review past missions and finalise plans for future missions.They will be looking at in depth our visit to NZ of overseas mission teams.

PRAY about going on a SOMA mission or supporting SOMA financially to enable teams to go forth into the developing world to support and encourage local churches.

If you are interested in any of these missions or to any other country or require additional information, please send an email to somanz@paradise.net.nz (Gradon) or somanzadmin@paradise.net.nz (Phil).

PRAY for the leadership of SOMA International and of the other SOMA organisations based in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, U.S.A., Singapore, South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, and South America.

PRAY for those who support SOMA NZ in so many different ways, such as financially, prayer, lead or go on teams and fund raise for people or teams to go from their church.

PRAY for SOMA NZ council trustees who pay their own way to meetings and give of their time freely - Bishop Richard Ellena (Chair), Rev Gradon Harvey (Natl. Coordinator), Rev Anne Aspden, Mr Kas Govind, Rev Rory Pilbrow, Rev Paul Heard, Mr Phil Harris (Admin), & Rev David Bahler (Sec).

GIVE thanks for all those lives that have been encouraged, healed and restored through the ministry of SOMA NZ teams.
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GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28. 19-20
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2009-01-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

David Bahler Prayer coordinator

February 09

The following are the prayer requests from SOMA NZ –

1. Please pray for our National Council Meeting to be held in Wellington on 13/14 May 09 – Pray that our Leaders will be blessed with a spirit of wisdom and discernment as they work through their agenda and finalise plans for the coming year and put in place the initial groundwork for 2010.

2. We give thanks to our Lord for the blessings given to our teams as they visited many different places in the Pacific, Melanesia and Asia in 2008, helping the local communities in their outreach to God’s people in those countries.

3. Pray for us as we plan our 2009 missions to Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.

4. Pray for us as we also plan our attendance at the NDs conference in Kuala Lumpur and mission to Sabah.

5. Pray that the Lord will raise up Leaders and team members for each of the ten missions we have planned and that each of the team members will be blessed with a servant heart.

6. Pray for Bp Richard Ellena, Rev Anne Aspden, Rev Gradon Harvey, Phillip Harris, Kas Govind and David Bähler, all members of our National Executive, that they will be strengthened and blessed in their everyday lives and to encourage them in their work for God’s people, not only in their own communities within New Zealand but also as they plan SOMA NZ’s outreach to our friends in the Pacific, Melanesia and Asia.

2009-01-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

SOMA Intercession world round-up, December 2008 to February 2009
There is also a second version of the roundup, a foldable daily prayer diary.
This roundup is not meant so that everyone prays about absolutely everything in it. The Lord may well have you focus simply on one thing for your prayer.
Names of spouses are in brackets after names of National Directors and some others, where known.

Prayer Focus for December to February

I recently spent a couple of weeks walking and nature watching on the Island of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland. I wanted to see an Otter while I was there and spent time looking along the coastline in the hope of catching sight of one. It was a pleasant occupation with so much to bring out a sense of wonder at the beauty of it all.
At last my diligence was rewarded. The afternoon before I was due to leave we were driving along the coastal road when a dark furry shadow slid down the mountainside to our left and then bounded across the road right in front of the car. We were able to stop and watch the otter as it searched among the tumbled boulders and under the seaweed and made swimming forays out into the ocean: poetry in motion!

Those who are intercessors live in diligent awareness on the littoral where the waves of God lap onto the consciousness of man. Intercessors haunt the shoreline of wonder while all before them [in Isaac Newton’s famous phrase] lies the great ocean of truth. And as they are faithful and diligent in their calling, then there come moments when they are granted a view of what is in the mind of God. Down the mountainside of praise comes an indication of God’s intent. It lingers amongst the rocks of the obduracy of human disobedience and then swims back into the heart and mind of God’s eternal and unfathomable purpose.

Intercessors are those who hold themselves in readiness so that they may ‘catch the moment’ of awareness when it is given. This constant sense of wonder in
the presence of God, coupled with an expectation that something of his glory will be seen in his own good time, is the greatest antidote to that bane of all intercessory prayer, which is to fall into a sort of hectoring of God in ever more intense supplication in the hope that something will show up to ameliorate our present condition. Those who wait patiently on the Lord are content to do just that….wait and wonder!!

Richard Stamp

SOMA International

The Strategic Goals of 2004 have now been updated at the recent [September] meeting of the International Board. The list as approved at that meeting for the medium-term future is as follows. All amendments to the 2004 text were adopted unanimously. Please continue to pray for the implementation of these goals:-
1. Increase the number of intercessory prayer members and teams.
2. Grow ministry to the “home” Church through inviting and sending mission teams.
3. Continue to build strategic relations within the Anglican Communion.
4. Greatly increase participation of younger generations.
5. Conduct more collaborative team missions.
6. Conduct frequent regional renewal conferences with an international attendance. (Original 2004 language amended)
7. In the conduct of missions, aim at personal, group and/or community transformation. (Original 2004 language amended)
8. Embrace evangelism as an integral element of SOMA’s mission and ministry. (Added to the original 2004 text in 2007)
9. Communicate more effectively. (New goal)

• Please continue in pray for Trevor Pearce [Cheryl], the vice chairman of SOMA International who now has special responsibilities for the “Growing the Church” portfolio in South Africa.
• Pray for Archbishop Ben Kwashi and his leadership of SOMA International.

• For Richard Hines [& Ardeth] as he steps down from his role as Secretary to the International Board. Pray for his successor, The Rev’d Drew Schmotzer.
• For all new members of the SOMA International Board.
• For the Executive group as it makes plans and decisions between the times of International Board meetings, especially for Stephen Dinsmore the newest EG member.

SOMA New Zealand. ND Gradon Harvey [Annette]
[Web site www.soma.org.nz
Here are our current prayer requests
David Bahler – soma nz secretary
E-mail Address
somanzsec@paradise.net.nz

• The only mission we in New Zealand planned at this stage is to Vanuatu/Port Villa, with Glen Pattison leading a youth team, from 19 Nov – 3 Dec 08.

• No missions have been planned for 2009 as yet – they will be discussed at our Board meeting on 5 Dec 08.