By Rev Wayne Walters
‘Here I am Lord: send me!’ SOMA in Tanzania.
Discovering Tanzania through participation in a mission with SOMA has been a delight.
Having never been to Africa, my first experience of the enthusiastic welcome and gracious hospitality of this tactile and expressive people has been deeply heartwarming.
I have seen the hand of God move in ways that have lifted my own faith to another level and filled me with expectation and thanksgiving to the amazing God we serve.
SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad) is an international network of Anglicans birthed at Lambeth 46 years ago by a group of bishops who felt the call of God to ‘take care of the nervous system of the Anglican Church.’ This SOMA does by responding to an invitation from the bishop of any diocese to send a team to provide teaching with practical application on the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and of the church.
In Tanzania the strategy that was piloted was a two-day training conference with the bishop and selected clergy from five of the 28 Dioceses. Each of these freshly trained diocesan groups were then accompanied by two SOMA team members and travelled to their diocese.
Once there they conducted one- or two-day conferences over a five-day period with gatherings of clergy and lay leaders from multiple deaneries at one time. By this means thousands of key leaders across five dioceses received refreshing, inspiration and reskilling for the mission of the church they undertake in very challenging circumstances.
SOMA missions are currently planned for Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan in October and November of this year and there is a cry from Zanzibar for an Australian team to go within the next 12-18 months. Come and join me and others to be part of what God is doing around the world and discover more of God’s power and plan for your life in the process.
A great testimony to what God can do when we are willing to “step to of the boat.” As Wayne said, there are other opportunities, and Bishops pleading for SOMA’s ministry for their people. May there be many more, both clergy and lay, willing to make the sacrifice of time and money, to share in this enlightening ministry.
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